Older Bolder Life

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Carbs: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Part 2 – The Good)

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From yesterday’s post about The Bad and Ugly Carbs –

Of all the questions about a healthier lifestyle I typically field from curious potential clients, friends, and family, by far and away the most common one has to do with carbohydrate consumption, and most specifically, “what are the good carbs I can still eat?”

Of note, this isn’t a discussion of the science underpinning the (common-sense) rationale for choosing a lower carb, moderate protein, higher fat lifestyle – it really is a lifestyle, not a “diet”; this discussion is meant to lay out a practical, fairly concise (maybe not) roadmap for those who’ve made the decision to give this concept a spin.

Yesterday we talked about unhealthy carbs, the bad and ugly carbs if we’re going to hold to that metaphor, that need to be swept out of your life, and for those of you pondering jumping onto this healthy bandwagon, probably swept out all at once.

A Word About Carb-Phobia

As has happened to many of us in the Primal/Paleo/Ancestral health worlds, at some point you might be accused of being “Carb-phobic” by someone touting a high-carb, low-fat approach to food, or by someone mired in the muck of a SAD diet.

Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth.

This isn’t a carb-phobic approach, it’s actually the polar opposite. This approach leverages all the best nutrient-dense, fiber-packed, texture and flavor-rich carbs available with little if any of the excessive, insulin-spiking, glucose floods that highly-processed carbs bring to the table.

This isn’t a carb-phobic approach, it’s a smart carb/intuitive carb approach.

So What “Good Carbs” Are We Talking About…

Let’s start with the easy one, the carbs I’d typically argue that you eat with abandon until sated, and the first on the list won’t surprise you – the green leafy vegetables:

  • Lettuce, all types
  • Chard
  • Greens – beet, collard, dandelion, mustard, turnip
  • Broccoli Rabe
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Purslane
  • Watercress
  • Sea vegetables – kombu, nori

Now throw in colorful and cruciferous vegetable all-stars:

  • Artichoke
  • Asparagus
  • Avocados (actually a fruit…)
  • Beets in moderation
  • Bell Peppers
  • Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots in moderation
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant
  • Endive
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Kohlrabi
  • Leeks
  • Mushrooms (most varieties)
  • Olives
  • Onions
  • Parsnips in moderation
  • Peppers
  • Purslane
  • Radish
  • Rutabaga in moderation
  • Tomatoes

The best fruits are those lower in fructose (read Dr. Gundry’s pitch on fructose if you haven’t yet); the top choices include:

  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Boysenberries
  • Cranberries
  • Gooseberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries

I’d like to cover other fruits in more detail in another post, given the complexities of fructose processing and the nuances of using fruit to best accomplish your goals, whether those goals be simply optimizing your nutrition, further weight loss, physical performance enhancement, or accommodating a unique metabolic or functional quirk of your own.

If you haven’t yet, it’s time to jump on the Good Carb train and get moving toward your health and wellness goals.

Carbs: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Part 1 – The Bad and Ugly)

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Of all the questions about a healthier lifestyle I typically field from curious potential clients, friends, and family, by far and away the most common one has to do with carbohydrate consumption, and most specifically, “… so what are the good carbs I can still eat?”

Of note, this ISN’T a discussion of the science underpinning the (common-sense) rationale for choosing a lower carb, moderate protein, higher fat lifestyle – it really is a lifestyle by the way, not a “diet”; this discussion is meant to lay out a practical, fairly concise (maybe not) roadmap for those who’ve made the decision to give this concept a spin.

That said, let’s first tackle The Bad and The Ugly carbs that need to be left in the proverbial dust as you turn the page on the SAD (standard American diet) days of the past and take a very intentional first step toward a healthier approach to food.

An Over-Simplified Overview of the Carbohydrate Problem

I often explain to friends and clients that problematic foods in the SAD way of eating can be thought of as the legs of a three-legged stool: those problematic legs are grains, sugars in their various forms, and heavily processed, chemically-altered, often hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated vegetable oils.

Oils we’ll tackle on another day, but today let’s talk about grains and sugars.

Of note, it simply isn’t possible to explain a topic this complex in a matter of a few paragraphs; there are entire books (take Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD as a prime example) that have detailed grains’ egregious impacts on human physiology in detail. We’ll delve into more of the nitty gritty at a later time, but here we’ll run through the highlights (or lowlights) of the grain and sugar problem.

Granted, for the last 10,000 years or so of human history, grains have been the cornerstone of human consumption. The challenge for our human physiology with regard to grain is quite simple however, that being that grains delivered insanely excessive levels of carbs to our systems, along with a bevy of anti-nutrients (i.e. gluten, among a host of other lectins, and phytates in excess).

Ingested and absorbed carbs that aren’t immediately burned are converted into triglycerides in the liver and stored in fat cells. Chronic pattern of high-carb consumption triggers excess insulin production, which then triggers hormonal responses (for example cortisol and adrenaline responses) that trigger, among other things, excessive systemic inflammation.

Often overlooked is the simple concept, detailed by many over the years, that as humans we do not have a documented, essential need for any processed carbohydrate to run our bodies at peak efficiency. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

So What Grain and High-Carb Products Get the Boot?

All bread and flour products. The list is long and distinguished – all breads, donuts, scones, crackers, tortillas and tortilla products, pizza, sandwiches, etc.

Sweets and desserts – cookies, brownies, pies, cupcakes, cake, etc. (all baked treats), candy and all confections, frozen desserts (damn), and all sweeteners.

Grains you cook with – barley, bulgar, couscous, millet, rye, amaranth, grits and polenta.

Pastas – yep, even the special versions enhanced with other legume or vegetables.

All rice, though note that wild rice can be an exception as it’s actually a grass, not a grain, though still has a fairly high high net carb content.

All chips and puffed/puffy snacks – think things like Cheetos, goldfish, popcorn, and the infamous rice cake.

Baking ingredients – all flours, corn meal, corn starch, typical baking powders (milk, bread gluten, maltodextrin), sweeteners like corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, lactose, malitol, and xylitol; baking mixes are out the window too. Chocolate (and other sweet baking chips) are to be avoided, though choc chips with >70% cocoa or unsweetened 100% cocoa powder can be used judiciously for a treat!)

Oatmeal and other grain-based cereals.

Syrups, especially HFCS or agave-based, are to be avoided.

Beware these beverages: designer coffee drinks, fruit juice and fruit-flavored drinks, energy drinks, milk and non-dairy milks (almond, rice, soy, etc), sports drinks, sodas, sweet tea, sweet cocktails.

Condiments to ditch: standard ketchup, jams, jellies, and preserves, honey mustard, mayonnaise (unless you’re making your own with acceptable oils), salad dressings with PUFA oils, low-fat salad dressings. Watch condiments carefully, many contain shocking amounts of HFCS.

Fast foods, prepared-ahead/highly-processed foods and food products (read those labels).

Legumes’ role in a Primal-type food plan might be debated by some, though particularly for those not yet at their ideal body weight with weight to lose, legumes bring a high-carb burden for the nutrients they typically bring to the table, and should be avoided or certainly minimized. Legumes to avoid include alfalfa, beans, peanuts (and PNB), peas, lentils, soybeans (that means tofu too).

Starchy vegetables, to consume in moderation or avoid, pending your goals and current status, include potatoes (white-fleshed potatoes certainly, sweet potatoes and yams in moderation), cassava, taro, squash (including pumpkin), and some would put beets, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, and rutabaga on this list as well.

Tomorrow let’s talk about Good Carbohydrates…

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 25 November: Thai-Inspired Celery Salad

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Here’s a nifty salad to get you back on track if you’ve wandered a bit during the holiday break – a Thai-Inspired Celery Salad.

Celery doesn’t necessarily get a lot of love in many kitchens beyond nut butter and pimento cheese-stuffed celery sticks (if you grew up in the South, you know what I’m talking about with the pimento cheese…).

We’re long time celery fans around our camp; for instance, I can’t imagine serving a chicken or tuna salad without celery included, celery leaves work wonders in flavoring soups and other dishes, and a crispy, crunchy stalk or two, sliced thinly, winds up in most of the salads we serve as well.

Finally, celery packs a host of health benefits in its long, green stalks, including a very low soluble carb burden, and meaningful amounts of vitamin K, folate, vitamins C, B6, and A, as well manganese, calcium, riboflavin, and manganese. Celery packs a host of phytonutrients too; perhaps we’ll spend a bit of time at some point digging a bit deeper into those, though in the context of today’s recipe, we like celery because it tastes great in this salad too…

Update: I came back and updated this recipe on the 25 of February, after making a few changes along the way since last November – another dressing option and 1/2 of a large sliced and peeled cucumber…

The final winning point for this recipe – ten minutes or less prep time even with average “knife skills”.

8-9 celery stalks, with leaves, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2 small or 1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, thinly sliced
7-8 trimmed green onions, thinly sliced
1-2 red chiles (think a Fresno here), stemmed, thinly sliced
1 and 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems

Dressing #1
4-5 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1-3 tsp red chile pepper flakes
Good salt and pepper to taste

Dressing #2
4 tbsp avocado or EV olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp good fish sauce
Good salt and pepper to taste

Optional
1/3 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts (or nut of your choice)
1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Combine the prepped celery, green onions, chiles, and cilantro; toss to combine evenly. Whisk the dressing one final time, pour over the salad, and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with the peanuts (if using) and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Snack Wednesday 21 November: Citrus Spiced Olive Mix

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On this day before Thanksgiving, a preparation and travel day for many, here’s a simple snack or side dish we’ve served at family and friend gatherings many times before, a Citrus Spiced Olive Mix.

Friends and readers here know the goodness that olives (and olive oil) bring to any healthy food discussion, and even something this easy to prepare can really dress up your holiday, entertainment, or everyday table.

Adjust the spices as you see fit, though try it as written once to see what you think. We typically add a bit more red pepper flakes than listed…

3 cups good mixed olives (your choice, with pits)
1 cup EVOO (or 1/2 cup EVOO and 1/2 cup avocado oil)
Three 3-inch strips of orange peel (see notes)
Three 2-inch strips of lemon peel (see notes)
Two 2-inch strips of grapefruit peel, optional (see notes)
1 jar roasted red peppers, cut into strips
3 bay leaves (freshness matters!)
1 small-medium head of garlic, cut in half
1 tbsp fresh whole coriander, toasted, roughly crushed
2 tsp fresh whole fennel seeds, toasted, roughly crushed
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fresh whole black peppercorns, roughly crushed

Place the olives in a medium mixing bowl, stir to combine the different types.

Over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, combine the oil(s), the various citrus peels, the garlic, and bay leaves. Cook, keeping an eye on the mixture, until the garlic (the cut edges) has slightly browned and the oil is fragrant. Remove from the heat and let the oil infuse for 90 minutes, then remove and discard the garlic.

To the olives add the roasted red peppers, the coriander and fennel seeds, the peppercorns, and the red pepper flakes, then pour the infused-oil mixture over all. Stir/toss to coat, and marinate at room temp for at least 2 hours before serving. Will hold in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Enjoy.

Letting Simple Physiology Inform Your Carb Choices: An Example

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I shared a few weeks back a discussion I had with a skeptical physician friend after he’d approached me for input on how he might best approach turning his health around; read my recount of our interaction (part 1 and part 2) here.

We’ve chatted back and forth over the past couple of months, working through his traditional medical training induced skepticism for a lower carb / moderate protein / higher fat food plan and I thought it might be worth sharing what finally convinced him to jump into a trial with both feet.

What finally convinced him was encouraging him to let simple human physiology inform his food choices, particularly when it came to carbohydrate intake.

For illustration purposes, I constructed a hypothetical man, weighing 190 pounds, and used one of the many tools available to estimate his blood volume, which turned out to be 6464 ml.

I then asked him what he’d like to consider as a “normal” blood glucose level (granted, there are a host of influences on what might be a normal level); he suggested we use 100 mg/dl (to make the math easy, and that’s 5.5 mmol/l for those thinking along those lines).

In our hypothetical man, a blood glucose level of 100 mg/dl, given his estimated blood volume per above, means that only 6460 mg of glucose is in circulation at any given moment. That’s all of 0.228 ounces, which, when visualized in terms of table sugar (yes, that’s sucrose, but we’re painting a visual picture here), ends up just a hair over 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.

In our hypothetical man, a blood glucose level of 130 mg/dl – deemed to be the acceptable upper limit of normal, given his estimated blood volume per above, means that only 8398 mg of glucose is in circulation at any given moment. That’s all of 0.296 ounces, which, when visualized in terms of table sugar (yes, that’s sucrose, but we’re painting a visual picture here), ends up being just about 2 teaspoons.

I reminded him of how aggressively the body responds to carbohydrate consumption, which produces a flood of glucose into the bloodstream inducing the cascade of insulin responses (here’s a quick reminder, it’s oversimplified, but a review).

Visualizing what relatively small amounts of blood glucose are actually in circulation at any given time, thinking through the very elegantly designed hormonal controls in place to keep blood sugar very tightly regulated, and well understanding the ravages of blood glucose elevated out of normal ranges (i.e. T1DM), finally ‘flipped the switch’ in my friend’s thought process, at least in the context of the standard American diet and the (relatively speaking) huge load of carbohydrates it provides.

Sometimes simple examples win the day.

The Simple Power of NEXT

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This time of year, for obvious good reasons, tends to get a bit hectic and (for many) more than a little stressful.

At least for some of us, some of the most tempting, and most egregiously bad, Standard American Diet fare shows up at work, on the family table, at your favorite coffee shop, holiday parties and gatherings, and just about anywhere else you care to venture.

For those of us working to maintain a healthier, active lifestyle, the challenges are oft compounded by the time demands of the season, shortening hours of daylight, and the arrival of late fall and winter weather all conspiring together to cut into your valuable exercise and workout windows.

There’s a simple principle you’ve no doubt heard before, but it’s worth mentioning again, and in fact, I’ve been sharing repeatedly it with clients for the past ten days in particular…

The Simple Power of Next

Get off track with your food plan this week? It happens. And will likely happen again before we see another New Years Day pass. Don’t waste time beating yourself up.

It doesn’t matter, at least in the long term, bigger picture IF you simply exercise the simple power of choosing to get back on track for your NEXT meal.

Get off track with your exercise or workout plan this week? It happens. And will likely happen again before we see another New Years Day pass. Don’t waste time beating yourself up.

It doesn’t matter, at least in the long term, bigger picture IF you simply exercise the simple power of choosing to get back on track for your NEXT walk, run, yoga session, or workout.

The Simple Power of Next Works Wonders Over the Long Haul Too

One of the most common concerns I’ve heard over the years from people who are morbidly obese as they consider lifestyle changes to restore their health is that it just seems too overwhelming to actually visualize themselves dropping what in some cases might actually half their body weight. (Count me among that unique crowd at one point years ago…)

Granted, setting a long term goal to drop 80, 100, even 200 pounds is a daunting challenge, though what I chose to do, and what I encourage clients to do continually, is simply reduce that challenge to making the best choices possible for their very next meal (or the day’s food plan) and their very next workout.

The old adage that success begets success is certainly true in this case, and it’s much easier to summon the willpower and momentum to make a single meal or single workout ‘best choice’.

Git ‘er done today, and leverage the simple power of next.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 18 November: Our House Guacamole

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The Primal/Paleo crowd doesn’t need to be reminded that avocados happen to be one of those superfoods that not only support great health but just taste damn good.

Most avocado fans know that avocados are packed with Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamins C, B5, B6 and E, and offer a good dollop of potassium too, though their principle benefit is the 15 grams (on average) of monounsaturated fat, most of it the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid (high in good olive oil too).

I recently shared about this recipe on Chi Wulff (a fly fishing blog) –

…my lovely wife has been something of a guacamole ninja since we enjoyed four years in San Antonio years ago during my graduate training; we learned to enjoy authentic TexMex and Mexican guacamoles and still have a batch 2 or 3 times a week to this day.

There are a lot of fancied up recipes for all sorts of up-town guacamoles out there today, and you probably have a family favorite, but what follows is Our House Guacamole recipe we’ve evolved over the years. While I’m working on the rest of dinner, ME can have a batch of this done, ready to savor, in under five minutes.

Being good Texicans, we consider a big bowl of guacamole to be an all purpose condiment (try it slathered over your steak or grilled chicken tonight), or a super-vegetable / all purpose side for any meal. (Some nights a double recipe of guacamole is dinner with a pile of crunchy crudite to dip)…

We don’t measure any ingredient when putting this together anymore; she just drops things in “until it looks right” – give this one a spin if you don’t have a house favorite yet…

2 large, ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, mashed with a fork
3 – 4 tsp fresh lime juice, maybe more to taste
1/2 small red onion, minced
2-4 tbsp finely chopped, seeded roma tomato
1 medium garlic clove, minced, then mashed with salt to a paste
1/2 – 1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp good salt
Generous sprinkle of good paprika/smoked paprika

Consider adding
1-2 stemmed, seeded (membranes too) and diced serranos or jalapenos
3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro (fresh of course)

Start by mashing the minced garlic clove with the salt (you’re making a paste), then combine the remainder of the ingredients and fold roughly wth a fork (we like some texture in ours). Don’t forget the peppers and cilantro either…

While it’s best uber-fresh, if not eating immediately, drop one of the avocado pits in the bowl, spritz with fresh lime juice, then cover tightly with plastic wrap, and throw in the fridge (no more than 2 hours!).

Sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

Enjoy.

Keto Thursday: Pregame for Your Nutritional Ketosis Run

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By far and away the most common questions I’ve fielded this past summer and early fall have been related to folks wanting to jump on the keto bandwagon, most often in fact some version(s) of how do I get started, what’s the easiest way to get into keto, and do I really have to give up carbs?

My response typically focuses on review of several key points…

First Things First: Why Nutritional Ketosis?

First, I typically query why someone wants to give nutritional ketosis a spin. There are a host of great reasons to give NK a try – pursuit of greater metabolic flexibility, increased cognitive and/or physical performance, particularly in endurance-focused activities, or just overall improving your daily function (and quality of life).

Breaking through a weight loss stall is another worthy, and common, reason, as is dealing with a challenging health or metabolic issue (classically you might think of a seizure disorder here, though keto is commonly brought into the discussion for example when talking about T2DM, pre-dementia states, and even adjunctive treatment for some malignancies).

On the other hand, pursuit of “ketosis” to simply jump on the latest dietary fad bandwagon doesn’t seem to play well over the long haul, at least in my experience.

Pregame for Nutritional Ketosis: Take an Honest Snapshot of Where You Stand Metabolically

Honest self-appraisal, for most of us at least, isn’t the easiest task to accomplish, though this point is pretty straightforward. At the extremes, contrast the 40-year old, overweight, sedentary, desk-bound, over-stressed office worker, languishing on the standard American diet (SAD), crashing and burning multiple times a day, stumbling from one carbohydrate bomb to the next with the 40-year old who’s been eating primally or following a Paleo-ish eating plan, consuming moderate amounts of protein and less than 100 grams of carbs per day, walking 40 minutes 5 days a week, and getting enough sleep to truly rest and repair every day.

While anything is possible, I’d argue simply that the SAD guy above isn’t ready to launch a genuine nutritional ketosis run no matter how strongly he might want to; he could grind it out, but would likely suffer from the ‘keto flu’ (not a big fan of that term by the way) and would be at high risk to fail within the first three weeks. His road would be a danged bumpy one, and could be smoothed significantly with a pre-keto adjustment period (more below).

On the other hand, our guy eating Primally will likely make the transition into NK with relative ease…

Pregame for Nutritional Ketosis: Do a Bit of Housecleaning First

From a post on a similar topic I shared back in June –

Stepping into nutritional ketosis is a relative piece of cake if you’ve done some preliminary diet “housekeeping” to begin with. The most important dietary housekeeping is sorta’ve along the lines of cleaning the most obnoxious things out of your house – one, getting rid of grains and heavily processed carbs, including sugar in all its forms is one, and the second essential dumping the toxic, industrial-processed seed oils that are commonly stocked in pantry and restaurant around the world.

The other bit of housekeeping that I often recommend is to take a thoughtful, honest look at the amount and quality of protein one is eating prior to starting a nutritional ketosis run. Many of us are simply eating too much protein, and too much protein from less-desirable sources (i.e. CAFO beef, pork, and chicken).

Pregame for Nutritional Ketosis: Put on Your Thinking – and Listening – Cap

Two points here. One, be prepared to learn some new concepts. Nutritional ketosis is a fascinating tool (among many) to optimize your health and function, though as with all concepts that are swept to fad stardom, there is a tremendous amount of noise and misinformation in the keto arena these days.

Looking for a great read to kick off the learning process? Consider The Keto Reset Diet by Sisson and Kearns, or Primal Fat Burner by Nora Gedgaugdas to mention a couple. Find a mentor or trusted coach (and yes, we can help you with a customized coaching program here…).

Second, your physiology and metabolism are unique to you alone; your optimal path to and in nutritional ketosis will likely be different than any one you know or read, and will require some thoughtful attention to what your body is telling you. Listen well, and don’t hesitate to make rational, thoughtful adjustments along the way.

Pregame for Nutritional Ketosis: Commit to Give Nutritional Ketosis a Fair Trial

I’ve shared this before –

No matter how you’ve been eating before, truly starting nutritional ketosis will cause your body to make some adjustments as you preprogram your metabolic machinery. I agree wholeheartedly with those who suggest you make at minimum a 6 week commitment to the process, promising yourself you’ll wade through whatever adjustments come your way. And as your body adapts to fat-burning, there are several breakthrough windows that are exciting to watch and feel – though for most that’s territory that occurs in week three and beyond.

Frankly, I’m typically encouraging most of my clients to make a 12 week or more commitment to their NK trial, particularly if they’re over 40 and have been or are ‘metabolically challenged’. And, to be fair, NK doesn’t work for everybody.

There are several other minor points to consider when thinking about an NK run, we’ll come back and revisit on another day.