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Book Review: Naked Calories
Meet the Caltons – Mira and Jayson. They are two very fascinating individuals who spent 6 years travelling the world researching health and nutrition. Now that they’re back in the US, they are trying to alert the world to the dire epidemic of micronutrient deficiency.
Naked Calories is the first part of their solution to this growing world-wide problem.
To take a quick step back, most people know micronutrients by the names ‘vitamins’ and ‘minerals.’ Although we’ve all heard that vitamins and minerals are important, most of us have spent our lives focusing on macronutrients – such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – and we often forget that our body is extremely complex and requires a wealth of micronutrients. The first part of Naked Calories helpfully reminds us that we really do need sufficient amounts of a lot of vitamins and minerals in order to avoid potentially serious health problems. Even if you think you might be taking in sufficient amounts, there are so many ways in which these essential micronutrients can become depleted, many of them things I know I do often (like not sleeping enough, stressing at work, and having that glass of wine with dinner).
Personally, I became acutely aware of micronutrient deficiencies a few years ago when, during a routine checkup, I found out that my Vitamin D levels were seriously low. 
Like most people in that situation, I started taking a multivitamin (along with high doses of vitamin D), but I gave little or no consideration to how well the supplements would work.
Naked Calories really opened my eyes to the issue of multivitamins and supplements not necessarily working in all the ways we want them to (although I did regain normal levels of vitamin D 6 months later). The Caltons raise very critical questions, such as “Am I actually absorbing that 1000% RDA of vitamin C my multivitamin claims to have?” and “Are some micronutrients in my multivitamin preventing other micronutrients from being absorbed?” These are just some of the questions the book poses and addresses.
I’ve found from talking to people recently about micronutrients and supplements that people either love supplements or hate them. Some people – one of my friends, in particular – refuse to take vitamin pills. She claims that we absorb very little from vitamin pills and that it’s much better to get all your nutrients from whole foods.
I wholeheartedly agree with her regarding the fact that we should try to eat whole foods whenever possible, but I also think we should take supplements if we’ve got a micronutrient deficiency (like I did with Vitamin D). Naked Calories goes a step further and points out that getting ideal amounts of micronutrients is pretty much impossible from our food alone. We would need to consume over 20,000 calories per day on most diet plans in order to achieve this – something that we are all unlikely to be able to do, even if we wanted to!
At some point, all of this starts to seem a little like a lose-lose situation. On one hand, if you are taking a vitamin supplement, it might not be working as well as it should. On the other hand, if you are not taking any supplements, then you’re definitely missing out on some essential nutrients. That brings me to the best part about this book….
The Caltons actually provide us with a solution. Naked Calories doesn’t describe this solution in great detail, but if you visit their website, you’ll see that Mira and Jayson have actually developed a multivitamin that solves all of the problems they detail in their book, such as absorption issues and competition between micronutrients.
Of course, everything can be improved, and my main gripe with Naked Calories is that I would have liked to have read more about the Calton Project, their 6 year around-the-world trip visiting indigenous populations and learning more about nutrition and health from a variety of cultural perspectives. Perhaps we will hear more about this in their coming books (Naked Calories is the first of a trilogy, and Mira tells me that their second book will be coming out in October).
So, head over to Amazon and check out Naked Calories, or if you want to skip the reading and just get the solution, you can buy their multivitamin, Nutreince, here.
Have you read Naked Calories or have you tried Nutreince? If so, let me know what you think below.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes. I received no other compensation, and this review is based on my own opinion. Note that some links on this page (and throughout this website) are affiliate links.
Almond Butter Chocolate Shake
A friend had asked about a quick breakfast option that wasn’t eggs yesterday, and I had suggested shakes/smoothies. So they were on my mind this morning when I was considering breakfast options. They’re so quick and simple to make, and you can put ingredients into them that are tailored to the flavors you enjoy, so you can’t fail not to find a recipe you like! In fact, Primal Toad has a great ebook with a huge number of primal smoothie recipes you can choose from!
Cucumber Lime Water
Sometimes drinking plain water gets just a bit too dull for me. So, I like to make various iced teas (herbal, green, and black) and non-tea drinks.
I have quite a stash of cucumbers in my fridge having fallen in love with the amazing simple cucumber salad (recipe here), and so I decided to add some more cucumbers into my diet. This time though, it would be drunk, not eaten.
Slow Cooker Bacon & Chicken
I had a bunch of uncooked bacon left over from when I made the avocado bacon explosion, and I wanted to use it in a dish that didn’t involve frying more bacon! And so I turned to the slow cooker. But what would it go well with in the slow cooker, I pondered…chicken!
I always find chicken breast rather dry (I wasn’t even all that impressed with the white meat of Thomas Keller’s Poulet Roti!), and so I thought the fat from the bacon would help moisten the chicken. I was not wrong. The bacon (and the olive oil) kept the chicken moist and flavorful!
This was one of the fastest dishes I have ever made – I dumped 5 raw chicken breasts, 10 slices of bacon (raw), 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 2 tablespoons of thyme, 1 tablespoon of oregano, 2 tablespoons of olive oil (I really like this olive oil), and 1 tablespoon of salt into the slow cooker (I use the Hamilton Beach slow cooker) and mixed everything together briefly, then set it to cook for 8 hours on low. This was the result (after pouring out the liquid).
Then I shredded the meat and added a bit more olive oil.
Blueberry Chocolate Gelatin Smoothie
I’ve been quite excited about all the gelatin I recently bought. I’ve experimented with jello already (see here for the delicious recipe), and so today, I decided it was time for a gelatin drink. Since gelatin congeals when it’s dissolved in cold liquids, it seemed like the idea ingredient in a smoothie!
I start off with my almond coconut milk (you can also use coconut milk, almond milk, regular milk, or just water). I poured 1 cup into my blender (or use a Vitamix for even better results).
Paleo Ropa Vieja Recipe
Everything is so much easier in the slow cooker. So, I decided to try making ropa vieja in the slow cooker too! In fact, it’s so easy I’ve already made this dish several times over the past few weeks. I usually get around 3lb of flank steak. I cut the steak into 2 inch slices (cut across the grain). Then pan sear the strips on a high heat in a tablespoon of coconut oil. Sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side. This just locks in some of those delicious juices.
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Bacon Avocado Explosion
Ok, I know this looks like guacamole, and to be fair, it does taste a bit like guacamole too, but it’s actually a bacon avocado explosion that I threw together this evening! I was pondering what to do with the avocados that were ripening on my kitchen counter when the idea of crunchy bacon bits flashed across my mind. Avocado by itself does not have a strong taste, so what better flavoring than bacon? Are you following me? Well, regardless, the word, “bacon” should have hooked you!
Slow Cooker Paleo Chicken Broth
I was at Butcher Bar a few days ago perusing their selection of grass fed beef when I spied some pasture-raised chicken on the top shelf. It came to $12 for the chicken, but it’s worth it to know where the meat came from!
I have to say that I find chicken really ugly! Maybe it’s because I don’t cook whole chicken much or maybe I’m just too much of a city girl and seeing something resembling the real animal just freaks me out!
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Paleo Jello (with Berries)
Although store-bought jello (or jelly in British English) is pretty far from paleo (with food coloring and artificial flavors), the main ingredient in jello, gelatin, is actually a naturally occurring animal product. I had always known that jello came from gelatin and that gelatin came somehow from cows, but it hadn’t really occurred to me that jello, even home-made jello, could be healthy! Maybe I just equated it with too much added sugar!
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Mango Salsa
I was planning on grilling some burgers for dinner and was thinking about making more of the guacamole to go with them when I saw some great Ataulfo mangos at Costco, which were very ripe and sweet. The plan for mango salsa quickly formed in my mind…
Simple Paleo Mayo Recipe
There are a lot of great paleo mayo recipes out there (e.g., Paleo On A Budget, Paleo Spirit, Fast Paleo), and the ingredients can vary a bit, but the most basic paleo mayo involves:
- eggs,
- lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and
- olive oil or coconut oil.
With those 3 ingredients and a whisk (or blender or food processor or a Vitamix), you can create your very own Paleo mayo! I tried this for the first time today, and it wasn’t too bad, although I have to say that I highly suggest using a blender/food processor for the job rather than a hand whisk! I went ahead and made the very basic mayo, but you can spice it up with mustard, salt, or more exciting spices!
[If you want to buy a ready-made Paleo mayo instead of making your own, then try this Paleo Mayo sold on Thrive Market online or you can buy this avocado Paleo mayo directly from Mark Sisson’s website.]
I used egg yolks instead of whole eggs so that the mayo would be less runny. You can separate out the yolk from the white by simply tapping the long-side of the egg gently on the table until it cracks slightly, then pulling the shells apart into two equal halves. I then shift the egg yolk from one half shell to the other while letting the egg white flow into a bowl below. I used 2 egg yolks, which produced about 1 cup of mayo.
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Simple Cucumber Salad
I love cucumbers on a hot day – they seem to have a tremendous cooling effect! I’ve made this salad twice in the past 3 days, and it’s always enjoyable to eat and quick to make. Start with some cucumbers. I used 3 small ones.
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Spicy Carrot Hash
It’s another evening after crossfit and the perpetual question of “what to eat” crosses my mind yet again! I had some tuna fish salad for lunch (packed in my handy pyrex containers), and now it was time to make a decision about dinner. I had ropa vieja (shredded beef) in the fridge, cooked the day before in the slow cooker (recipe here), but I wanted something to go with it. As I scanned the contents of my fridge, my eyes fell on the carrots. Carrot hash…simple…quick…yum (especially when spiced with both paprika and cumin)!
Guacamole Recipe
I started with two ripe avocados, sliced them in half, took out the big stone inside, and then scooped out the flesh using a spoon.
Paleo Guacamole Burger Recipe
Saturday morning started with a really exhausting crossfit workout (wod was Helen), and so I needed something high in protein for brunch. Of course, it also had to be delicious! Having just bought some nice and ripe avocados the previous day, guacamole burgers seemed to be the perfect idea!
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