monkeydharma Member

For those who don't follow links...

You're probably rolling your eyes over everybody's (sometimes) conflicting comments, but the bottom line is: develop a set of principles you can live by, instead of following someone else's 'diet'. Primitive man didn't worry about percentages - they ate meat when they could kill it, vegetables when they couldn't, and fruit…

I'll have to repeat: uncured is NOT the same as 'nitrate free'. Check the ingredient list; if there is celery powder , or kale powder or celery juice, then it has nitrates - it just comes from natural sources rather than from chemicals. Bottom line: if it is still pink after you cook it - it has nitrates.

I think I pay $2.50/lb and another $.50/lb to have it sliced. Or maybe it was $3.00/3.50 - senility keeps tapping me on the shoulder. :) Prices may vary around the country; I'd also ask the meat counter at your supermarket as opposed to a butcher - there might be less markup.

I do a variation on this. I freeze the berries (raspberries, blueberries, etc.), and when I pour some coconut milk over them the thermal transfer semi-freezes the coconut milk to a frozen yogurt consistency.

How to tenderize meat? Chew. ;)

Oh, and to prevent the argument that cavemen were curing meats... Smoking meats and salting meats to retard spoilage has been done since the invention of fire. The curing process of using nitrates and nitrites wasn't developed until after saltpeter was discovered/invented.

Without entering into the debate over how dangerous nitrates and nitrites actually are.....it's all chemistry and biology. Biology: We all eat nitrates in the vegetables and fruits we consume. Nearly all of that is converted into nitrites by microbial action in our guts. Nitrates and nitrites have a variety of regulatory…

Uncured bacon has nitrates. Rather than using sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, the manufacturer uses celery (or kale) powder, which naturally has nitrates. Because it is not a separate chemical, they do not have to list it. Microbial action converts some of the nitrates to nitrites. You got to read the small print on the…

Sounds delish - the wife is a cilantro fiend, so I will definitely try it. :)

Just so you (and others) know: if your bacon has rind, that rind is the skin of the pig. Since pigs have hair/bristles and the skin is usually used to make chicharones (cracklins; pork rinds), boiling water is poured on the skin and the pig bristles are scraped off (shave and a haircut, I guess). Sometimes a few bristles…

Bacon is cured pork belly, or the side pork - the muscle layer that extends from the abdominal muscle (pork belly) up toward the spine. It's just fatty pork, so nothing wrong with eating your fill - as long as it is fresh pork belly or side pork. What IS problematic however, is the amount of sodium used to cure bacon, and…

Weight loss the first few weeks is mostly water loss, since eating healthy also usually means lowering sodium intake. The amount of salt you consume can affect your water retention from day to day, thus weight fluctuations. This is why most people recommend weighing yourself once a week or less - you're more likely to get…

Yeah, organic butter still comes from grain-fed cows - The grain is just organic. Try looking for 'pasture' butter, which comes from grass-fed cows. Organic Valley makes one (says it on the label) if you can find it at a local market or natural foods store; Kerry Gold is pasture butter, although the label doesn't state it…

While I don't intentionally do long-term fasting (I may skip a meal, or as the trendy crowd calls it, intermittent fasting), I would imagine if I did, I'd break fast with something that wouldn't boost insulin levels much. So that would mean nothing carby or sugary. I'd use food that was protein with a good fat component…

A good point. If eating when you awaken is not suitable - don't do it! One of the hallmarks of a hunter/gatherer foodstyle is: eat when you're hungry. Eating when the clock tells you to - when the culture around you says you are supposed to - teaches you to ignore hunger signals, and down that path lies obesity.…

A suggestion: before you give up on butter entirely, try goatmilk butter. Goat dairy is much more easily digested than cow dairy. Any healthfood should carry it (or can order it), and if you live in the more enlightened parts of the US, the natural foods aisle of your local market may carry it. Another thought: minimize…

A few thoughts in response to your questions.... As mentioned by others, 'breakfast foods' is a cultural expectation - a Chinese breakfast looks nothing like a western breakfast. Eat whatever suits you - meats, veg, leftovers, whatever. While I'm not criticizing your likes/dislikes, I would encourage you to open your mind…

Or maybe have seconds? ;^)

Juicing: calories without the bulk necessary to gently ease the nutrients into your system. Eat the veg instead.

I try to stay away from cow dairy completely and when I do use cheese (some recipes just need it) I stick with goat- and sheep-milk cheeses. Since you have access to a Trader Joes, they have several goat/sheep cheeses (gouda, cheddar, etc) that are high-quality.

Xanthum gum is one of those "don't sweat the small stuff" issues. According to the Free Dictionary xanthum is "a natural gum of high molecular weight produced by culture fermentation of glucose and used as a stabilizer in commercial food preparation." When you consider that: - the vast majority of our eating is NOT…

Agree with the others - 270 seems light for a meal, but as I don't know what your eating schedule for the day is, I won't take you to task. I eat several small meals throughout the day (grazing) so that my wife and I can have a full dinner (often exceeding 1000 cals). What I wanted to say was: review your eating plan with…

I'd have to agree with Shar140: stick with whole natural foods. Almond milk is a processed food, 'Amazing Grass' is processed wheat grass, 'Vega Preformance Pro Pwdr' is a processed food and so on. Not sure why you are using egg whites; as mentioned, the nutrition is in the yolk.

Set mealtimes are a product of the Industrial Revolution. What we eat at each meal are cultural habits, taught to us while we are young. You can eat anything you desire at any meal: eggs at dinner, salmon at breakfast, etc. Doesn't have to bee eggs or leftovers. Any meat, vegetable or fruit that you can eat at lunch or…

Uncured bacon also has nitrates/nitrites - it just gets them from natural sources (celery/kale powder) rather than from chemicals. It is called 'uncured' because there is only enough nitrates/nitrites to keep the meat pink, but not enough to keep it shelf-stable at room temperature. If you want to avoid nitrates entirely,…

Hey Mike, howzitgoin'? There's one mayo that doesn't use any soy - and has a pleasing flavor to boot: Hain Safflower Mayonnaise. While real purists may quibble over safflower oil as well, I don't use enough mayo to make it myself. You can find it at any healthfood store, or at Whole Paycheck or the health food aisle of…

If you are able to get your beef/pork from a grower, usually they can sell you packages of beef or pork fat as well. The beef fat, when cooked, will render tallow; the pork fat when cooked will render lard. I keep a couple of 1 pound packages of pork fat in the freezer for when I need it - otherwise I pretty much stick…

http://thenakedplate.org/helpful-hints/

Not really. Although dates ARE a fruit, they are very high in sugars - especially when they are dried. Personally, I stick with low-sugar fruits like berries, and avoid sugar bombs.