Posts

Showing posts from January 23, 2018

My Experience with Eggs & Acne

Image
Several months ago, I gave up eggs – kind of by mistake – but I went 40 days without eating them. I started a seed cycling protocol to help with balancing my hormones because I had stopped taking oral contraceptives. The protocol required incorporating all kind of seeds into my diet, so I started eating Powerseed Overnight Oatmeal instead of eggs, just about every morning for breakfast. It was an easy way to get in the seeds. Prior to going off the pill (and even before I started taking it), I was getting huge, deep acne cysts on my neck. I’d get a few breakouts on my face from time-to-time, but they were minor and nothing like what was happening on my neck. The cysts on my neck randomly popped up all month long, so they didn’t seem related to my hormones. They were semi-painful and looked terrible (and no amount of concealer covered them up), so I asked my GI doctor, Registered Dietitian friends, and Googled like crazy to figure out how the heck to get rid of them. No one really h

The Anti-Stress Tool I’ve Used For 20 Years (and a Giveaway)

Image
I haven’t talked much about stress this month, and I don’t want to give it short shrift. Yes, there’s a lot to take apart with food and exercise, both of which can feel more “actionable” at times. But stress can be a major roadblock to success. How we deal with emotional and physical stress will invariably impact our health, well-being and performance. Until we dial it in, we’ll compromise the results of all our other Primal efforts. I’ve said in the past that stress has been one of the hardest aspects I’ve struggled with—and continue to now and then. Living Primally means I’m running on full rather than empty to be sure, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world always conforms to logic or sanity, let alone my preferences. And emotional tension aside, I like to push myself periodically in the gym or on an outdoor adventure, which means I’m dealing with physical stressors, too. Here’s one thing I’ve done for twenty years to counter both emotional and physical stress. Recently, I

Primal Challenge Point: Starting From the “Bottom”

Image
In all my years talking with clients and readers, I’ve heard people often say they’re starting from zero, from rock bottom, with no baseline at all. I understand where they were coming from. Everyone is beginning this journey with a different level of fitness and health. I get that. Yet, I let me tell you this: never in my entire career have I met anyone starting with nothing. The concept defies physiological reality. You might be in the worst shape of your life. You might be tipping the scale at an all-time high. You might be fighting a serious health condition you never dreamed you’d be dealing with. You may have battled disordered eating. You might not remember when/if you ever had a good self-image. You might get winded walking up half a flight of stairs. You may have lost significant muscle mass. You might struggle to simply sit with (let alone carry) around the extra 50, 75, or 100+ pounds you’ve put on. However, your body is still made to move. It still craves it. It likely

Family Dinner with Wegmans

Image
This post is sponsored by Wegmans Food Markets. Charlottesville got its first  Wegmans   grocery  store a little over a year ago , and it has been a game changer for our town. Our store is  massive and has everything you could possibly think of to make for dinner. (Even fresh lobster!) Mazen loves the train that cruises along the ceiling and the drivable shopping carts. I like the huge variety of grocery offerings (there are things like their herby organic basting oil that I can only buy there) and the hot and salad bars (the Asian section is my weakness!) We almost always do our grocery shopping on Sundays, and often I will take a short cut and pick up a halfway-made dinner. Think: rotisserie chicken, a side from the hot bar, or a special loaf of crusty bread to go with soup. You guys know that Sunday is our day to r e l a x  (when we’re not playing soccer!) and this hack saves us a little time in the kitchen. Wegmans reached out to me about a post to showcase their new oven-sa

Clean Eating Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf Casserole Recipe

Image
This Clean Eating Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf Casserole recipe is a wonderfully comforting way to enjoy dinner with fewer carbs. As many of you know, I’ve returned to low carb eating, but on my own terms. So far so good, as it’s controlling my blood sugar wonderfully! I still cook plenty of higher carb dishes for Mini Chef and for friends. But for myself, the low carb thing is really helping. I feel much better too. But that doesn’t change my need for comfort foods. I still crave a comforting meal, particularly during colder months and few things beat a good meatloaf casserole. In fact, I have a small but growing list of new comfort foods that are lower in carbs. I do miss my lentils, but they do a number on my blood sugar. So all I can do is work on creating a new list of favorite foods. It’s kind of a fun adventure! Meatloaf and mashed potatoes are a classic American comfort food. But the potatoes don’t work for me these days. If you prefer carbs, by all means, use mashed potato