How to Make Bacon in the Oven

I make bacon on a regular basis, and I always make it in the oven in a glass pan. That's the easiest, tastiest, and cleanest way I've found to to make a large batch of perfect bacon.

First, lay the strips neatly in a large glass pan.


The larger the pan the better! If the slices don't all fit, I will overlap them, one exactly on top of another, then adjust them when I flip them. They shrink while cooking, so you'll end up with more room.

Cook at 400F for 20 minutes -- perhaps a bit less if you pre-heated the oven.


Flip over each slice, and re-adjust the placement as needed.


Cook for another 10 minutes. You might need a few more minutes after that -- it depends on how crispy you like your bacon.


Save the grease for later cooking. Once the pan is cool, let the dog(s) lick the glass pan. (If you are missing the dog, adopt one!)

You can cook bacon at a lower temperature with more time too, but I don't have the timing worked out for that. You can also use cookie sheets lined with tin foil in the oven too. That makes it harder for the doggies to enjoy, however. And the bacon doesn't seem to cook quite as nicely as it does in a glass pan. I've seen some people recommend using a rack in a pan. I've never tried that, but it seems like more trouble.

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How To Celebrate Randsday in Three Easy Steps

How to Celebrate Randsday in Three Easy Steps:

Step 1: Buy up all the delicious uncured bacon at the grocery store.
Step 2: Take it home.
Step 3: Go wild. (This may take a few days.)

Happily, Steps 1 and 2 eased the pain of seven (!!) hours of errands today! (Due to the impending blizzard, I had to mush all my errands into one day.) Plus, the bacon was on sale! Score!

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Snowboard Girl, Powered by Bacon

Last week, I had a great four days of snowboarding in Beaver Creek, then one final day of skiing. Much to my delight, the third day offered six inches of glorious powder -- and that much powder transforms snowboarding from "yay fun!" to "OMG OMG OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!"

My snowboarding skills are definitely improving with every day on the slopes. (These were days five through eight on a snowboard.) My turns are much better: I can do pretty flat s-curves down the milder slopes, and I can do turns on steeper slopes now too. I'm able to get off the lifts reliably, thank goodness. I'm only falling on occasion now too.

Interestingly, I'm pretty much ambidextrous on the snowboard. I'm goofy-footed, mostly because the inflamed nerve (morton's neuroma) in the ball of my right foot is happier when strapped in full-time. However, I'm happy to go down the slope with left or right foot forward, and my turns are equally good (or bad) on either side. That flexibility is good: I can face whichever way makes the most sense given the terrain, not based on my own body's preferences.

I snowboarded or skied for four to five hours every day. I was tired by that, but not wildly exhausted. (The only exception was the first day, but that involved waking up early and driving three hours to Beaver Creek, then snowboarding.) Also, I was sore after the first day or two in my quads, but that faded. That tells me that my 20 minute SuperSlow workouts once per week are keeping me in as good shape as CrossFit did.

By the time we went home, the only thing that hurt was the backs of my knees. I couldn't figure out why... until I realized that the problem was likely my construction-style knee pads, because the main strap wrapped around the backs of my knees. I've ordered knew knee pads, so hopefully those will work without causing strain.

Finally, due to my still-super-strict elimination diet, I cooked all of our meals in the kitchen of the condo. We usually had bacon and grapefruit for breakfast. (Hence, the caption on on the picture!) Paul had coffee, and I had my cinnamon hot cocoa. I packed some meat (ham or leftovers), plus sweet potato for lunch. Then we had yummy dinners: slow-cooked pork ribs, roast chicken, pork roast, and so on. That worked really well: I kept strictly to my diet, and I enjoyed what we ate. Also, we probably saved a few hundred dollars, since eating out anywhere neat Beaver Creek is ridiculously expensive.

Overall, I'm really happy that I took up snowboarding this season. I'm enjoying the challenge of learning a new snow sport, particularly that difficult process of forcing myself by sheer will to overcome my fears. (I hope to write more about that later.) Mostly...

YAY FUN!

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Cinnamon Hot Cocoa

On my super-restrictive elimination diet, I've been in a bit of a bind regarding hot beverages. Normally, I drink black tea with cream, usually just one cup in the morning. Also, if I'm tired from running errands, I find that a cup of tea restores me nicely. I don't just enjoy the taste: a cup of tea is a moment of quiet peace for me.

On my MRT test, coffee and tea tested "green" for me, so I could drink them. However, cream is what makes these beverages palatable to me, but dairy won't be on the menu for me for a while. Tea without cream is really too bitter, and I only barely tolerate coffee, even with lots of cream. It's possible to make a coconut-based creamer with coconut milk and egg yolk, but eggs are also off the menu for me, at least for a few more weeks. I'm also limiting my consumption of coconut milk. Oh, and I still dislike coffee, so I'd just prefer not to drink it. Coconut milk in tea is just plain gross.

Happily, I've found an acceptable substitute for tea: cinnamon hot cocoa. I just pour boiling water over approximately 1 tablespoon of pure (Ghirardelli) cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and often a pinch of sea salt, then stir. The cocoa and cinnamon tends to settle, so I stir periodically while I drink.

It's not the tastiest beverage ever, but it's better than nothing! The cinnamon adds a sweetness and complexity to the cocoa, and the touch of salt makes the flavors pop. I'm sure that other spices would work well, but alas, I'm pretty limited in my spice choices right now.

I know lots of people who can't tolerate either cream or coconut milk... but you might like my cinnamon hot cocoa!

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Elimination Diet: Weeks 1 and 2

I'm pleased to report that I'm doing very well on my elimination diet with nearly two weeks completed.

Here are all the foods that I've eaten so far:

• Pork
  
• Chicken
  
• Salmon
  
  
• Zucchini
  
• Carrot
  
• Coconut
  
• Sweet Potato
  
• Spinach
  
  
• Banana
  
• Orange
  
• Apple
  
• Raspberry
  
  
• Black Pepper
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Cocoa
  
• Mustard
  
• Oregano
  
• Paprika
  
• Parsley
  
• Cumin

That's not much, but other than longing for the delicious salty crunch of macadamia nuts on occasion, I'm pretty content.

My angry gut symptoms have disappeared. I've only reacted to one food: Whole Foods' 365 Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon. I've done okay with Applegate Farms and Coleman bacon (uncured, of course). The Whole Foods bacon has some kind of unknown "spices" in it -- not the very forbidden onion and garlic, since those must be listed separately -- but something else. I want to try eating it again, then if I react again, I'll contact Whole Foods again about the ingredients. (Whole Foods was good and Applegate Farms was awesome when I inquired about ingredients in their products.)

I've lost a few pounds too, plus an inch off my waist. That's good too, because I've had major trouble shedding the weight I gained due to my hypothyroidism. More importantly, my hunger sensations seem to have reset themselves, so I'm not inclined to eat and eat and eat beyond satiation.

This upcoming week will be a bit of a challenge, food-wise. Despite the crappy snow conditions, Paul and I are going out to Beaver Creek for a few days. (He's snowshoing, and I'm snowboarding and maybe skiing too.) I can't possibly eat out on this elimination diet. If I could eat beef, I'd be golden: I'd just order a plain steak or bunless burger. That's just not possible with other meats. So... what will I do? Well, we'll be eating in, just like at home. We've reserved a condo with a full kitchen, and we'll bring a hefty cooler of tasty food. So I'll continue to cook as usual, which will suit us just fine.

The only change that I need to make concerns pork: basically, I've probably been eating far too much of it. I'm supposed to rotate foods, but pork is so convenient for breakfasts and lunch in the form of pork loin, uncured ham, and uncured bacon that it's hard to forgo. I'd better just eliminate it from my diet entirely for a week. (Oddly, I find it far easier to just eliminate something that I like from my diet than to eat it in moderation.) I won't do that this upcoming week because sticking with the elimination diet while away from home and on the slopes will enough trouble. But after that, no bacon for a week for me!

So far, the elimination diet has been a success. At this point, I don't feel deprived... I'm just happy to be feeling better!

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My Elimination Diet

On Monday, I began a serious elimination diet. Why? Some unknown foods don't seem to agree with my gut: I feel bloated and pained for a day or so after eating them, and while I'm in that state, my hunger sensors seem to be broken, and so I overeat. Also, some tests that I've done with our own Christian Wernstedt of Vital Objectives show gut inflammation, plus high sensitivity to certain foods. If I have problems with leaky gut, that could be a contributing factor in my autoimmune hypothyroidism, as well as my adrenal insufficiency. If so, I want that fixed!

My basic strategy for this elimination diet is slightly complicated because I want to make sure that I'm not just wasting my time by introducing confounding factors.

First, the results of my "MRT" food sensitivity test labeled foods as "green" (little reaction), "yellow" (moderate reaction), and "red" (severe reaction). I've started with just a few "green" foods -- like pork, zucchini, and bananas. Over the first two months, I'll gradually add more "green" foods. After two months, I'll try eating some of the "yellow" foods. After three months, I'll try eating some of the "red" foods. Hopefully, my gut will have healed enough by the time that I reintroduce these foods to be able to tolerate them, but if not, then I'll have to cut them permanently from my diet.

Second, I'm eliminating common autoimmune triggers -- particularly nuts, dairy, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant), and eggs -- for at least a month, even if they're "green" by the MRT test. I'll also not drink any alcohol for that first month, nor consume any added sugar. I've been eating strictly gluten-free for ages, so that's a given. I'll also avoid all forms of soy. (I eat wheat-free soy sauce on rare occasion.)

So what does that mean for my diet? What's on the menu... or not?

Red Foods: Eliminate for Three Months

• Beef
  
• Mushroom
  
• Garlic
  
• Onion
  
• Cabbage
  
• Corn
  
• Avocado
  
• Watermelon
  

With a half freezer full of delicious grass-fed beef, I'm not too enthused to give that up for three months. Plus, not being able to eat beef means that I won't be able to eat out, since a plain steak or hamburger is off the menu. I'm also mighty unhappy that onion and garlic are on the list -- as they're two of my favorites. However, last week I made a ground beef dish with lots of onion, garlic, and tomato, and I was miserable for two full days. Since then, I've been more reconciled to this three-month deprivation!

Alas, I just saw that my favorite breakfast meat -- the Italian Pork Sausage by Boulder Sausage -- has garlic powder in it, so that's not an option for three months. GRRRR! I wonder whether the "spices" listed on my Whole Foods 365 bacon and Applegate Farms Canadian bacon include garlic or onion. I'll have to inquire.

I do like mushrooms, cabbage, and avocado too, but I can live without them for a while. The watermelon result seems strange to me, since I eat watermelon about once every three years! Corn, however, doesn't surprise me, as I've had some serious belly aches from that.

Yellow Foods: Eliminate for Two Months

• Basil
  
• Broccoli
  
• Cottage Cheese
  
• Lemon
  
• Mint
  
• Peach
  
• Scallop
  
• Tuna
  
• Yellow Squash
  
• Cashew
  
• Green Pea
  
• Papaya
  
• Pear

Happily, there's nothing too exciting on this list, nothing that I'll really miss.

Green Foods, But Eliminate for One Month

• Bell Pepper
  
• Tomtato
  
• Potato
  
• Eggplant
  
• Walnut
  
• Almond
  
• Pistachio
  
• Pecan
  
• Hazlenut
  
• Sunflower
  
• Yogurt
  
• Cheese
  
• Milk
  
• Eggs
  
• Sugar
  
• Honey
  
• Maple

Mostly, I'll miss my morning cup of tea, which absolutely requires cream. I'll also miss the eggs, tomatoes, and bell peppers. I'll definitely miss the cheese too, but I know that I eat too much cheese, so that's probably for the best.

So, you might be thinking, what's left? What can I eat?

Green Foods

• Pork
  
• Chicken
  
• Lamb
  
• Turkey
  
  
• Salmon
  
• Crab
  
• Shrimp
  
• Tilapia
  
  
• Zucchini
  
• Carrot
  
• Olive
  
• Sweet Potato
  
• Spinach
  
• Beet
  
• Lettuce
  
• Cauliflower
  
• String Bean
  
• Leek
  
• Asparagus
  
• Celery
  
• Cucumber
  
• Coconut
  
  
• Orange
  
• Apple
  
• Grapefruit
  
• Strawberry
  
• Cantaloupe
  
• Cherry
  
• Mango
  
• Pineapple
  
• Raspberry
  
• Grape
  
• Blueberry
  
• Honeydew
  
• Apricot
  
• Cranberry
  
• Plum
  
• Banana
  
  
• Coffee
  
• Tea
  
  
• Black Pepper
  
• Cayenne
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Cocoa
  
• Cumin
  
• Dill
  
• Ginger
  
• Mustard
  
• Oregano
  
• Paprika
  
• Parsley
  
• Tumeric
  
• Vanilla

That's a pretty good variety of foods, so I won't be terribly bored with meals for the next few months.

Also, I'm back to keeping a food diary, and I'm cutting out my bad habit of snacking. Oh, and if I cheat, I plan to confess it here, so as to keep me on the straight and narrow!

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Kabocha Squash

A few weeks ago, I saw kabocha squash on sale at the grocery store. I bought a boatload -- four large squash -- then cooked and froze them. Since then, we've been slowly eating them, as they make a perfect vegetable for dinner when I'm feeling lazy or the larder is bare.

I forgot to take any pictures of the intact kabocha, but here's a good example from Flickr:

Here's how I made them, thanks to instructions from my mother-in-law:

Slice open the kabocha, and remove its seeds. Cut off any "warts" from the outside skin. (You'll be eating the skin, not just the flesh.) Cut into pieces: I prefer about 1 inch by 2 inches.

Spread the pieces, skin side down, on a baking sheet or pan. (You'll want it to have some kind of edge.) Brush with oil, e.g. coconut oil, and sprinkle with salt. You can also sprinkle the squash with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices.



Add a bit of water to the baking sheet, then cover with foil. Bake in 350 F or 375 F oven for about 40 minutes, or until tender.



If you plan to freeze it, allow the squash to cool to room temperature on the baking sheet, then move it to containers (even ziplock bags work fine) to freeze. (You can also cool it in the fridge or freezer, but I'm not fussy about leaving food out to cool. The risks are wildly overblown, in my experience.)

Don't forget that you eat the skin and the flesh!

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Thanksgiving Dishes

Last week on Modern Paleo's new PaleoCooks list, I asked, "What did you make for Thanksgiving that you particularly enjoyed?" Here's my answer:

We did a pot luck with friends who mostly eat paleo. I made the sweet potatoes and an appetizer.

The sweet potatoes were just roasted in their skins, then skinned and mashed with a fork -- one batch with butter and salt, and the other batch with coconut oil and the zest and juice from one orange. They were super-easy and got rave reviews!

For an appetizer, I made olive tampenade, loosely following this recipe. I used 3 cans of black olives (drained and rinsed), about a half a head of garlic (which was too much, but still yummy), about 1/3 cup of sun dried tomatoes, about 2 tbsp olive oil, and the juice from one lemon. (I didn't have anchovies on hand... or rather, I forgot to check.) Everything got processed in the food processor. (I did the garlic first, because I wanted to make sure that it was chopped fine.) I served it with sliced red, yellow, and orange peppers as delivery devices. It was very much enjoyed, and not too heavy. Plus, it only took about 15 minutes to assemble and make... and leftover olive tampenade is great to add to sautéed vegetables or fried eggs!

Oh, and I also made brussels sprouts cooked on the stovetop in a cup of cream. (That's not for those who don't do dairy, obviously!) They only take about 15 minutes to cook, and you want to reduce the cream so that it's actually just gooey (not liquid) and a bit brown. Add some nutmeg, and you're all good!

The whole dinner was excellent, I was particularly glad to be able to take a much-needed post-dinner nap:



Here's the whole crew, before dinner:

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Video: The Morality of Giving Away Unhealthy Food

In Sunday's Philosophy in Action Webcast (Nov 6th), I discussed giving away unhealthy food. The question was:

Is it immoral to give away food that you regard as unhealthy? Assuming that one believes (as I do) that candy and sweets are harmful to health (especially in quantity), is it immoral to participate in trick-or-treat by giving children candy when they come to your door? Or, is it immoral to "dispose" of an unwanted gift of, say, a rich chocolate cake by leaving it by the coffee machine at work to be quickly scarfed up by one's co-workers (as an alternative to simply discarding it)? Is the morality of these two cases different because in one case the recipients are children while in the other case they are adults?

My answer, in brief:

If I give a person something, it's because I value them. So I'd rather not give people something damaging, particularly if they're oblivious to its dangers. Ultimately, however, people are going to make their own decisions about what to eat.

Here's the video of my full answer:

If you enjoy the video, please "like" it on YouTube and share it with friends in e-mail and social media! You can also throw a bit of extra love in our tip jar.

All posted webcast videos can be found in the Webcast Archives and on my YouTube channel.

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Quick Garlic Peeling

How to peel a whole head of garlic in 10 seconds... no kidding!



It works! It took me about 30 seconds, but I'll get it down to 10 soon.

Thanks to Saveur.

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Two Paleo Cookbooks: Paleo Comfort Foods and Make it Paleo

Recently, I was sent free review copies of two new paleo cookbooks: Paleo Comfort Foods and Make it Paleo. I've had a chance to peruse and make a few recipes from the former, but I've only just perused the latter. So it's too early to give my final opinion, but I wanted to at least offer my preliminary thoughts on these cookbooks.

Both books are stunningly beautiful, with full-page photos that make you want to make and eat every dish, RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT. That's non-trivial! I don't like a cookbook without pictures, as "ooooh, that looks yummy" is a huge part of my motivation to try a recipe.

Also, I like the design of both cookbooks. The recipes consume one page at most, with the ingredient list separated from the instructions. So you can easily assemble your ingredients, and you don't need to flip pages in cooking. The instructions are clear and simple too.

My sole complaint -- and this applies only to Paleo Comfort Foods, not Make it Paleo -- is the lack of a true table of contents listing all the recipes and their page numbers. That's a huge obstacle to using the cookbook, not only for finding new recipes of interest, but also for re-finding favorite recipes. I'd be ever so appreciative if Julia and Charles Mayfield would publish such a table of contents as a PDF on their web site. (Pretty please!) I'd print it and keep it in the front of the cookbook as a handy reference.

As for the recipes, the two recipes that I've tried from Paleo Comfort Foods were stellar, although I must admit that I modified them for my own purposes. I made a stew of their "braised short ribs" (pg 288). That was phenomenally tasty. I also made their "venison-stuffed peppers" (pg 296), albeit with beef and sun-dried tomatoes instead of venison and celery. (I don't much like celery, and I didn't have any on hand.) That turned out fantastic too, very rich with flavor, including the pepper that I reheated the next day for lunch. (The sun-dried tomatoes were an awesome substitution, surely better than celery!)

Just looking through the recipes of Paleo Comfort Foods, I see so many that I want to try, such as:

• Maryland crab cakes: I've been wondering how to make crab cakes without a gluten-y binder.
  
• Spicy salmon salad: Paul adores salmon, and anything with homemade mayo is phenomenal.
  
• Bacon-wrapped dates: A favorite of mine at "The Med," my favorite restaurant in Boulder.
  
• No peanut sauce: Thai yummy!
  
• Creamed spinach: I'm intrigued by the fact that the dish is made with coconut milk.
  
• Julie's barbeque chicken: I've not yet tried to make a paleo barbeque sauce.
  
• Shrimp skillet: This looks similar to a super-yummy dish that Tammy and Greg Perkins taught me to make.
  
• Fish tacos: I love fish tacos.
  
• Pot roast: A winter favorite, particularly for Paul.
  
• Poached pears: I've always wanted to try making these.
  
• Jules' banana pudding: Oh my.

(Note to self: Never ever look through this cookbook again when you're hungry, but trying to do something else. It's freaking torture!)

If you'd like to look at and test out some of the recipes before buying Paleo Comfort Foods, check out their web site. They've got eight recipes posted.

As for Make It Paleo, that's by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason of The Food Lovers Primal Palate. It looks really quite good. I'm not sure, but its recipes look somewhat simpler on average than those in Paleo Comfort Foods. Either way, I'm eager to try some of their recipes, including:

• Hot pepper hummus: Made with zucchinis!
  
• Buffalo wings: So good for an NFL Sunday, I hope.
  
• Lamb meatballs with mint pesto: Oh my.
  
• Beef tenderloin with balsamic drizzle: I want to eat this RIGHT NOW.
  
• Jamaican Jerk Salmon: Paul will love it!
  
• Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Mayo: Yummy!
  
• Roasted brussels sprouts: One of my favorite fall vegetables.

Honestly, I can't look at any more recipes without having some kind of meltdown from hunger. So I'd better stop now. Oh, but I do want to mention that the cookbook has recipes for a slew of different sauces: it'll be a great resource, just for that!

Overall, if you like to cook and eat delicious food, I think you'll be very pleased with Paleo Comfort Foods and Make it Paleo.

If you're looking for even more paleo cookbooks, check out:

• The Primal Blueprint Cookbook
  
• Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals
  
• The Paleo Diet Cookbook
  
• Everyday Paleo

Also, if you've tried any or all of these cookbooks, what are your favorite recipes? Please post them in the comments!

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No More (Onion) Tears

Last weekend, I made a paleo version of Cook's Illustrated's lamb vindaloo. (That's available only to subscribers.)

As I was chopping the onions, I thought of a handy tip that others might appreciate. If your eyes water while chopping onions, light a candle next to your chopping board. As CI explains, "the flame, which can be produced by either a candle or a gas burner, changes the activity of the thiopropanal sulfoxide by completing its oxidization."

I keep a tea light in my kitchen for just this purpose, and I have to chop more than a single onion, it's lovely!

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Three New Modern Paleo E-mail Lists: PaleoCooks, PaleoFitness, PaleoParents

I'm delighted to announce the launch of three new Modern Paleo E-mail Lists: PaleoCooks, PaleoFitness, and PaleoParents. These new lists are just gathering subscriptions now. They'll open for discussion on Monday, September 19th.

• PaleoCooks: PaleoCooks is an informal private mailing list for people who eat a broadly paleo diet to discuss paleo-friendly cookery. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about cooking and eating paleo -- such as favorite recipes, better and worse ingredients, good suppliers, useful techniques, and more. Its broader purpose is to help paleo-eaters eat more a healthy, varied, and delicious diet. PaleoCooks is managed by Julie Campbell of the crankin' kitchen. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• PaleoFitness: PaleoFitness is an informal private mailing list for people who eat a broadly a broadly paleo diet to discuss paleo-friendly fitness. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about fitness from a paleo perspective -- such workout methods, lifting techniques, pre and post workout nutrition, preventing and healing from injuries, enjoyable sports, and more. Its broader purpose is to help paleo-eaters enjoy productive and enjoyable workouts. PaleoFitness is managed by Tammy Perkins. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• PaleoParents: PaleoParents is an informal private mailing list for parents and others interested applying a a broadly paleo approach to nutrition, fitness, medicine, and supplementation to kids. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about paleo as applied to kids and families -- such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, kid-friendly recipes, dining out, supplementation, kids sports, and more. Its broader purpose is to help paleo parents raise healthy and happy kids. PaleoParents is managed by Kelly Valenzuela of Mother of Exiles. For more information and to subscribe, click here.

Of course, Modern Paleo's three other e-mail lists are open to new members any time. Those lists are:

• PaleoBloggers: PaleoBloggers is an informal private mailing list for bloggers who adhere to and advocate a broadly paleo approach to nutrition, fitness, medicine, and supplementation. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about matters of mutual interest -- such as blogworthy links, the paleo carnival, upcoming events, posts of interest, and best blogging practices. Its broader purpose is to help paleo bloggers more effectively advocate and promote the paleo approach. PaleoBloggers is managed by me, Diana Hsieh of NoodleFood. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• PaleoThyroid: PaleoThyroid is an informal private mailing list for adherents of a broadly paleo diet with diagnosed or suspected thyroid disease. Its basic purpose is to facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and experiences about thyroid problems amongst independent-minded people already eating paleo. PaleoThyroid is managed by me, Diana Hsieh of NoodleFood. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• SousVide: SousVide is an informal private mailing list for people who cook sous vide, particularly home cooks. Its basic purpose is to facilitate the sharing of information, resources, recipes, and tips related to cooking sous vide. (This list is not limited to paleo-eaters.) SousVide is managed by Shea Levy of Shea's Blog. For more information and to subscribe, click here.

Non-paleo lurkers are welcome on all of these lists, except PaleoBloggers.

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Paleo as a School of Thought

On occasion, I've noticed some consternation in the paleosphere about what constitutes a truly "paleo" approach to diet. Undoubtedly, I've got my own share of pet peeves. I'm annoyed when paleo advocates disparage saturated fat, recommend canola oil, or insist on lean meats. I don't like that many people equate paleo with low-carb, as if potatoes are on par with wheat. I regard talk against "processed" or "industrial" foods as seriously misguided, since foods are not rendered more or less healthy by mere processing or mass production per se. I'm not concerned with whether cavemen ate some particular food or not.

However, I try not to get too fussed over my disagreements with other paleo eaters and advocates. That's because, in my view, paleo is a school of thought based on early science. Let me explain what that means and why that matters.

First, "paleo" is a nutritional school of thought, not a single dietary regimen.

The major advocates of paleo nutrition offer definite recommendations on diet, based on their own experiences and their understanding of the science. We see particular diets from Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, etc. Similarly, various paleo bloggers and eaters have their own ideas about better and worse diets.

The idea of "eating paleo" should not be equated with any one of these diets. Rather, it's an abstraction based on the core of similarity between them. What is that core of similarity? I identified it pretty well at the top of Modern Paleo's Principles, I think. It says:

The core of paleo is the diet: it eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favor of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.

That's not the particular diet of Modern Paleo. That's what advocates of a paleo diet agree on and advocate, first and foremost. People who disagree with that -- as do low-carbers or Weston A. Price followers -- just aren't paleo. Of course, they might be friendly and interesting to us paleo-eaters! But they're not paleo.

Basically, "paleo" is like a school of thought in philosophy which encompasses the work of many philosophers (like positivism or existentialism) rather than the ideas of just one philosopher (like Objectivism or Platonism). It's a useful grouping of ideas, because it identifies real and important commonalities, even though its borders may not be clearly defined... yet.

As a result, we should not expect perfect agreement between the various paleo-advocates. We will disagree, perhaps vehemently at times. But absent some departure from that core of similarity, all sides will be just as much "paleo" as ever.

Second, "paleo" is based on a growing body of scientific literature, not dogma.

The science of nutrition is in its infancy, and we have much to learn about it. Over the next few decades, we can expect to learn a whole heck of a lot. Do I expect to learn that corn dogs fried in soybean oil are the epitome of health? No, I expect the basic framework of paleo to remain intact. That's not just because of already-established science, but also because the evolutionary approach to nutrition is correct and useful. Still, I expect all kinds of interesting and useful discoveries -- and people's views will change as a result, just as Cordain changed his views on saturated fat and canola oil over the last few years.

If some paleo folks advocate views that aren't warranted by the scientific evidence, others should speak up in disagreement, pointing out the flaws in their stance. We don't need to feign solidarity: we need to get the facts right! If people are honest, they'll correct themselves with time. If not, then they'll be increasingly ignored -- and justly so. Basically, I expect the truth to win out in the paleo community, because most people care more about the facts than about "their side" of some dispute.

So when someone in the paleo community advocates something that seems wacky, consider whether it has any merit -- and if not, then explain your disagreement. But don't worry that we're all going to hell in a handbasket over these kinds of disagreements. They're something we should expect, and they'll sort themselves out with time.

Happily, that seems to be the standard approach -- or at least, that's exactly what I saw at the Ancestral Health Symposium in the debates about carbohydrates. Hopefully, that will continue for all the other debates on the horizon -- about supplements, fitness, fats, dairy, and so on.

Personally, I try to read a wide variety of sources, perform some n=1 tests on myself, and report the results, in the hopes that they'll be useful to others. If that puts me at odds with some paleo luminaries, as happens sometimes, so be it. We'll figure it out eventually!

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Ancestral Health Symposium: My Experience

Last Friday and Saturday, I attended the first -- and hopefully "first annual" -- Ancestral Health Symposium at UCLA. It was an impressive event -- and not just due to the phenomenal lineup of speakers. The whole conference was produced by volunteers, and everything went remarkably smoothly. 600 attendees, 40 talks, and 16 posters are no small feat!

Personally, I had quite a bit of fun, particularly on the #AHS11 twitter stream. That allowed me to connect with a slew of awesome new paleo folks -- particularly some smart and funny gals. I was particularly delighted that a number of paleo bloggers told me how much they appreciated Modern Paleo's weekly blog carnival, The Paleo Rodeo. Mostly though, I was happy to find people that I liked at the conference -- friendly, smart, thinking, healthy people. That was a joy.

Speaking of those healthy people, I was darn impressed to see just how healthy and fit most people looked. Jolly took a slew of fabulous photos, so go see for yourself! The contrast with what I saw at LAX was striking.

However, I was rather surprised to see so many women wearing high heels -- often, really high heels. I don't have any objection to heels on special occasions, but they are damaging to those super-important feet. Plus, heels struck me as an odd choice for this particular conference, where minimalist shoes were standard. Perhaps I'm a bit more sensitive to this issue than most women, because I've already done serious (and likely permanent) damage to my feet by wearing wrong shoes (namely bicycle clip shoes) for just few dozen hours.

As for the talks, some covered basically familiar territory, but even those were fun to watch. Other talks were downright fascinating, covering material new to me. I got some good leads on information of importance to me personally, and I plan to follow-up with some more research. As a lovely bonus, so many rock star presenters were nothing but friendly and accessible -- Michael Eades and Robb Wolf particularly come to mind here.

I was pleased to see the birth of some real debates within the broadly "ancestral health" community, particularly on the question of the value of carbohydrates. For too long, I think, the heavy-hitters have been advocating their own views without talking much to each other about their points of agreement and disagreement. Hopefully, that's beginning to change. All of us will benefit from more direct debates and discussions on the topic of carbohydrates -- and others too, like dairy and fitness. Of course, I hope that everyone stays cool and civil, but if not, the rest of us need not follow suit.

Videos of the lectures will be posted on the web at some point -- soon, I hope! I'm looking forward to that, as I heard great things about some of the lectures that I missed. Also, some talks were so very awesome -- but also so very much like drinking from a firehose -- that I want to listen to them again. (Mat Lalonde, I'm looking at you!)

I didn't take many notes, but here's a few of the lectures that stood out for me:

Boyd Eaton, MD: Ancestral Health: Past, present, and future

Eaton's lecture was about 15 minutes of science, then about 25 minutes of terrible philosophy, including innate ideas, determinism, environmentalism, and anti-modernism, plus a hefty dose of factually false romanticization of primitive cultures. This lecture was the very first event, and I was seriously concerned about the conference at that point. Happily, while I didn't agree with everything said in lectures, I saw nothing even remotely so bad again. Also, I was heartened to see that plenty of other tweeters in the audience had serious objections to his views.

Stephan Guyenet, PhD: Obesity; old solutions for a new problem

Stephan of Whole Health Source gave a top-notch presentation on food reward, a topic that I've been much interested in lately. (Personally, I've found that the only way to lose the pounds that I gained while hypothyoid is to eat a painfully un-varied diet. I hope to blog more on that later.) Stephan's basic hypothesis is that the high food reward of modern diets contributes to the growing trend toward obesity. (He doesn't think that it's the whole story, of course.) Based on his data, plus my own observations, that seems to be correct.

Unfortunately, Gary Taubes behaved like something of a jerk in the Q&A, as you can see in this video. Stephan was very low-key in relply, and he reports that Taubes apologized to him later. Stephan has posted more here, and I am looking forward to hearing his no-holds-barred criticims of Taubes.

Gary Taubes, MA: The case against sugar(s)

Taubes gave an interesting talk, particularly because he now seems to think that sugars (not carbs) are the culprit for the explosions of Type 2 Diabetes and then obesity. I'm not sure where I stand on the whole debate about carbohydrates, except to say that (1) food quality matters far more than macronutrient ratios and (2) people vary in their optimal carbohydrate intake.

Pedro Bastos, MS, MA: Milk, dairy and human health: An historical, evolutionary and global perspective

I want to listen to this talk again because I ended up far more skeptical of dairy than I've ever been before, particularly for its hormonal content and growth-promoting properties. I don't drink milk any longer, but I regularly consume high-fat dairy, particularly heavy cream, cheese, and greek yogurt. I don't have any particular sensitivity to dairy, but I suspect that I'd be better off with less of it in my diet.

Mat Lalonde, PhD: An organic chemist's perspective on paleo

More than any other, this talk was like drinking from the firehose... the kick-ass firehose of science. He gave all of us paleo-advocates good reason to be more careful in our scientific claims.

Denise Minger: How to win an argument with a vegetarian

Denise was informative, accessible, enthusiastic, and funny. Win! I don't tend to argue with vegetarians, but I am better informed than I was before, particularly about what some of the famous (and effective) vegetarian diets consist of.

Nora Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT: Primal mind: Diet and mental health

This talk was also a strong drink from the firehose, but really fascinating, particularly in the connections between diet and brain/mind health. I'm going to pick up the new edition of her book Primal Body, Primal Mind and read it sooner rather than later.

Melissa McEwen: Clues from the colon: How this organ illuminates our digestive evolution and microniche

Melissa's Hunt.Gather.Love is one of my favorite paleo-ish blogs: I always enjoy her fresh perspective, even when I disagree with her. Her talk did not disappoint. She raised all kinds of interesting questions, particularly about what might constitute optimal gut bacteria. I hope that the necesary research will be done to answer those questions.

Richard Nikoley: Self-experimentation: The best science

I was hoping that Richard would talk about how to approach n=1 experiments in a sensible and useful way, then discuss a wide variety of such experiments that people might try. Instead, he mostly spoke about his own experiences, but I'd already read those on his blog. Still, he was a very engaging speaker!

Doug McGuff, MD: Body by science

Doug began with a remarkably clear (though low-tech) explanation of cellular metabolism and ended with some very general parameters for a good workout regimen. I'm really pleased with my own switch from CrossFit to SuperSlow / Body By Science workouts, and I agree with his concerns about CrossFit. (Basically, you shouldn't want to waste a whole lot of time and effort in your workouts doing activities that don't actually contribute to your fitness, and you should want to minimize your risk of injury as you build strength.) Interestingly, Doug isn't opposed to CrossFit, particularly not for people who want to do it as a sport for fun or to burn off extra energy. He just advocates separating strength and skill training -- and developing skills with an established strength base.

In the Q&A, Robb Wolf jokingly asked, "Yeah, yeah, that's all nice, but what's your Fran time?" As I said on Twitter in reply, "Who cares about Fran! Check out his guns!" No really, check out his guns! Also, Doug said the most-retweeted line at the whole symposium, namely: "You cannot exercise your way out of a bad diet." So true!

Overall, the Ancestral Health Symposium was a great experience, and I hope that they have another, because I will attend! Major props to the organizers, speakers, and attendees for such an awesome experience! You did good!

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Broken Windows, Broken Bodies

Often, I hear that the standard American diet cannot pose any kind of health risk, given that Americans are living longer than ever. This argument is wrong, and a while back, I thought of an analogy that might help explain why.

Statists of various stripes often offer a pseudo-self-interested argument for the myriad controls and welfare instituted in recent decades. They claim that the controls prevent soulless corporations and greedy bastards from stomping all over us little guys. Even welfare is claimed to benefit us, because it prevents poor from revolting by keeping them content. So without these government interventions, the argument says, we'd be far worse off. Moreover, clearly such interventions aren't stifling innovation... just look at the iPhones, streaming video, and other awesome new gadgets at our disposal now. Sure, these statists claim, any more freedom and capitalism would only make us worse off!

However, the fact is that we're better off in spite of those government controls and regulations. Productive people keep fighting against the tide of government to create awesome new products and services. But surely they'd be doing even more -- and hence, we'd be so much better off -- if people didn't have to fight against the government in the process.

Similarly, I think that we're living longer today because of advances in medical technology, e.g. in cancer treatment and heart surgery. Yet the tide of bad diet is working hard against that trend. We'd likely see even more advances in longevity -- not to mention in quality-of-life (which I think is pretty abysmal for many people) -- if people ate better.

In essence, the broken window fallacy is often at work in people's thinking about diet, just as much as it's at work in people's thinking about politics and economics. It's just too easy to ignore what might have been, if we'd taken a different path.

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Ancestral Health Symposium

Next week -- August 5th and 6th -- I'll be attending the Ancestral Health Symposium in Los Angeles. The schedule looks awesome but grueling. If you think that you might want to attend... too bad for you, because tickets sold out months ago!

Who else will be there?

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Vegan Power?

A paleo-eating friend of mine was recently in England, and she found this sign, happily corrected for accuracy:

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Real Cream

In mid-May, I sent the following letter to "Darigold," the manufacturer of the cream that's now sold in our local Costco stores.

Hi,

I used to routinely buy the half gallons of "Country Classic" whipping cream from my local Costco stores in south Denver. It was only pasteurized, not homogenized, and didn't contain any additives. It was just cream -- and wow, it was stellar. It was the closest thing to raw cream (which I used to get) that I'd ever found. I liked it so much that I'd rather go without than buy ordinary cream from the grocery store. I wasn't alone: visitors often remarked that my cream tasted so much better than anything they'd ever bought.

However, now that Darigold has bought Country Classic, that fantastic product is gone. Costco only sells your Darigold cream, but that's the same barely tolerable product that's sold in regular grocery stores. I'm just not interested in that, and I won't buy it. I want the old Country Classic!

So please please please... bring it back! You had a great product!

-- Diana Hsieh
Modern Paleo : http://www.modernpaleo.com

I sent the same basic letter to Costco. Alas, I didn't get much in reply, but perhaps a few more letters from other unhappy customers would make a difference! If you're such a customer, then you can write Darigold here and write Costco here.

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On Buying a Quarter Cow

I've bought two 1/4 cows from Colorado's Best Beef. On occasion, I get asked about the amount of freezer space required for that, and since I just looked it up, I thought I'd blog it.

Here's the chest freezer that I have: GE 7.0 cu. ft. Chest Freezer (FCM7SUWW). On the outside, the freezer is 22 in deep, 37 inches wide, and 33 inches high. It fits easily in a corner of our laundry room. It's not frost-free, because that creates freezer-burn. It builds up ice very slowly, however, so that's not a hassle. It has 7 cubic feet of interior space. The whole 1/4 cow fits in that, with a tiny bit of room to spare. In the pictures below, the main space on the left is completely filled with the new 1/4 cow, while the small compartment on the left contains some other meats.



And here's a closer photo of the meat, meat, and more more meat.



As you might imagine, eating all that beef takes a little while, particularly with just the two of us. But I've never noticed any degradation from meat stored in the chest freezer. Our first quarter cow took us about 18 months to eat, and we'll be done with our current cow soon, in about 12 months total. I love having so much beef available at home -- and I've really gained in my cooking skills by cooking cuts that I'd never even heard of before. Plus, the taste of the beef is like that of Whole Foods, if not better.

Finally, each quarter cow costs us within a few dollars of $800. That's $3.60 per pound of hanging weight or $5.25 per pound of delivered cuts. Given the quality of the beef -- and the stellar mix of ordinary and fancy cuts -- that's a great price.

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