Started a little controversy on Facebook after posting a whole lot of “slightly bombastic meals.” I’ve been privately and politely called out by a few people who I have a lot of respect for, but who follow different dietary strategies than I do. So… I’ve been trying to come up with the best possible explanation – for somewhat intense meals I’ve been posting…
Like this fun salad from Sunday night:
Some of you have known me for a very very long time, and have seen me diligently and with a lot of self control, cycle through a number of eating strategies (I don’t like the word “diet” people are psycho with that word) over the years. I’ve been omnivorous (childhood through graduation from college), vegetarian (4 years), vegan (1 year) tapered towards full raw vegan, did the master cleanse fast for the full 10 days by the book (DON’T DO IT), omnivorous again with a bad influence who threw me towards mainstream food (Pizza Hut and I are no longer on speaking terms), South Beach diet (modified), high protein “bodybuilding” diet (2 years), and now for almost a full year, an approach best identified as “Non-Dogmatic-Primal-Paleo”, an approach which has left me disturbingly lean and strong for my size.
So, how can I eat all this meat and not get fat? Contrary to popular belief:
- For all my joking about hanging with the Illuminati, no, they did not switch my insides out to make me run on cholesterol and caffeine.
- Nor did I make a Faustian bargain, this is just my personal choice in eccentric home decor and manner of dress.
- Gastronomic fortitude was not brought about by *my* alleged superior genetics – but by the superior genetics of the plants and animals that I choose to consume. Organic (or beyond), no hormones added, minimally processed, natural sources (plus points if I know the farmer and/or have visited the farms myself – Hermitage – eggs, Deep Creek – beef and lamb, Palmetto Creek – pork ).
- Dietary fat is less the enemy than we think. I am not afraid of consuming fat in the form of organic bacon (Applegate Farms Sunday Bacon… mmmm), pan drippings from organic grass fed beef, or naturally raised livestock of other varieties (grassfed lamb, goat meat, etc). I also eat a lot of various kinds of nuts like almonds, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, etc. If you see my videos/recipes you’ll see me pour coconut oil into cast iron pans straight from the jar with a heavy hand – the same heavy hand that spoons out bits of saved organic bacon grease from the refrigerator.
Here’s the main thing – I avoid processed and overly processed food, also avoiding grains, especially hyper processed ones. I don’t eat regular bread/cereal/etc. It’s pretty darned low carb over here – but the carbohydrates I do eat are extremely complex and usually of a highly nutritive sort – not starchy or sugary unless I’m feeling a particular need (what demands has the day dictated etc, but I have a pretty good handle on when I’m “missing something” and will act accordingly – this comes from many years of “listening”). If I were to eat that big slice of birthday cake some of you people keep trying to shove in my face, I would end up passing out in a corner for a few hours and waking up covered in sweat. Also had some corn chips and salsa the other day and felt like someone had punched me in the gut really hard. So yes, there is a trade off – but I was never in love with things like cake or corn chips…
Part of why I am posting what could be seen as some fairly outrageous meals:
- I am really tired of watching women (and even some men these days) starve themselves to try and lose weight or to get a “toned” physique. Having bought into that several times in the past only to be betrayed by it NOT working after so much suffering I have a particular chip on my shoulder and a score to settle. If you hear me say “hmmph that’s a women’s magazine diet” I am actually thinking some nasty mean things in my head and choosing not to say them out loud. When I hear people brag that they have been so good because “all I had for breakfast was a handful of twigs and some water” I feel the need to act out by cooking bacon, eggs, steak, and Swiss chard then posting photos of it. Likewise, can we let go of this stupid diet “guilt” thing? Seriously… I know it is ingrained in our Western-Civ-Judeo-Christian cultural roots, but can we keep it off the plate a little – it’s not productive for optimal health.
- Encouraging people of all genders/ages etc to cook some things at home – unless its a particularly good restaurant, at this point I prefer to eat at home – the food quality (and accountability) is difficult to match out there at ANY price.
- Because if I just told you what I eat, you might not believe me. In the light of “conventional wisdom” what I am doing is pretty off the chain, and it is more comfortable for some to believe that I’m not really eating what I’m eating.
- An original recipe e-book is in the works and its not a bad idea to start drumming up a little interest and curiosity early on.
Is it right for everyone? Maybe, maybe not – the last thing I am going to do is to say everyone has to do everything the same – YOU find what works for YOU. This is what works for me at the moment. I am not a dietician, doctor, or other licensed nutritional professional, but I do like to share what I’ve found with these amazing foods. Sally forth at your own risk and responsibility. Anyway, please feel free to ask more questions, but the main thing is always always KNOW where your food comes from, be careful with sugars, and stay away from the processed industrial foods.
Further info:
Random confession: “Epic Mealtime” is occasionally inspiring….
Leave a Reply