Posts

Showing posts from February 14, 2017

A Primal Look at Gestational Diabetes

Image
Every pregnant woman I’ve ever known has hated the oral glucose tolerance test. Yet, they still do it. Drinking a tall glass of sickly sweet orange-flavored glucose water on an empty stomach is thoroughly disgusting, but it, apparently, offers a rare and valuable glimpse into the state of a woman’s perinatal health. What they’re testing for is gestational diabetes mellitus—a variant of diabetes characterized by pancreatic insufficiency during pregnancy. Sometimes it’s a misdiagnosis. Low-carb, high-fat diets transiently increase insulin resistance. This isn’t a flaw, it’s a feature to ensure you keep burning fat in the tissues that can and preserve precious glucose for the sections of the brain that  must burn glucose. But this also means that taking a gestational diabetes test while low-carb can give a false diagnosis. Moreover, pregnancy in general throws glucose tolerance out of whack. Just like a low-carb diet can induce insulin resistance to temporarily preserve glucose for

5 Pulses That Are Great For You

Image
As a vegetarian dietitian, I eat a lot of pulses , the group of legumes that includes beans, lentils, dry peas and chickpeas. I top my salads with them, mix them into brownie batter, and bake them into casseroles. And while 2016 was the Year of Pulses, these superfoods continue to grow in popularity. Here are a few of my favorite pulses — which all happen to be great for you — plus some ideas for cooking with them.   Chickpeas A half-cup serving of cooked chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) offer up about 7 grams of protein, or 15 percent of the daily value. They’re an excellent source of fiber and offer 13 percent of the daily value for iron. Use them to make a Chickpea Crust Pizza or a Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew —or bake them into a Spicy Baked Chickpeas dish. Reserve the aquafaba , or chickpea water, and use that to make a vegan meringue.   Black Beans These beans are terrific in a Black Bean and Corn Salad . They’re versatile way beyond Mexican dishes—and make a great p

love is in the air

Image
Happy loooooove day! I’ve never been huge on V-Day. Just gimme some chocolate and a post-it note with a heartfelt message and I am a happy girl. Words of affirmation are my love language : ) ( That book is life changing, by the way! Also this book  is a fantastic read if you’re looking for love.) I am so very thankful to have someone to celebrate with this year. Some other things I <3: This boy, obviously. We gave him a coconut piggy bank from St. Lucia and he…loved it ; ) ( That face!) Overnight oats. I made this with some siggi’s whole milk drinkable yogurts that they sent in the mail, and it saved the step of putting milk and yogurt in. I just poured in the bottle and oats with chia and strawberries and done. Tropical food! Last week we had bean and rice bowls that I tropic-ed up with pineapple, plantains, avocado and lime. Took me right back to the islands. I am so appreciative of each of you! Thank you for doing life with me. xoxo. The post love is in the air

Episode 355 – Julie and Charles Mayfield – Starting a Sustainable Farm

Image
On this episode of the podcast we have my good friends Julie and Charles Mayfield on the show. The Mayfields are the authors of the popular and fantastic cookbooks Paleo Comfort Foods, Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Foods, and the very soon to be released Weeknight Paleo. Join in as we talk about their experience starting up their own sustainable farm, how to get started producing some of your own food, and even a little about their newest book on day to day cooking. Download Episode Here (MP3) Guests: Julie and Charles Mayfield Website: http://ift.tt/1d2vZY4 Instagram: http://ift.tt/2krWGMc Twitter: @PaleoComfort Facebook: http://ift.tt/2laUdKB Book: Weeknight Paleo (available for preorder now, releases Feb 21st)       30 Day Guide to the Paleo Diet Want some extra help? Have you been trying Paleo for a while but have questions or aren’t sure what the right exercise program is for you? Or maybe you just want a 30-day meal plan and shopping list to make things easier? We