What Should I Do If I’m Allergic To Coconut?

A lot of Paleo recipes call for coconut products in them, and while coconut allergies are very rare, it does occur for some people. If you cannot eat coconut products, then here are some ways of modifying Paleo recipes to avoid coconut.

Recipes with Coconut Flour

Except in cases where coconut is used just as a topping, coconut is often present in Paleo recipes as coconut flour. Coconut flour is a binding agent that holds foods – especially baked goods – together.

There are a number of alternatives like almond flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot powder, and chia flour. Most other “Paleo” flours will work as a substitute, although it may require some experimenting, because different flours cook at different temperatures, dry out at different rates, and bind either better or worse.
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Upscale Paleo – Steam Your Own Lobster

Does the thought of buying and cooking lobster terrify you?

It’s such an expensive food, and if you mess it up, then that’s tons of money down the drain!

I used to think that way too – I even hated ordering it in restaurants because it was so ridiculously expensive and I was always afraid it wouldn’t be cooked just perfect!

So, what made me change my mind?

1. Not that expensive. I realized that buying and cooking your own lobster wasn’t all that expensive! Costco sells a pack of 4 lobster tails frozen for $24. You can actually buy it for a tiny bit cheaper from certain Costcos in their fresh seafood department. I’m clearly not saying this is a cheap meat, but 1 lobster tail per meal per person ($6) is generally enough with a little bit of other meats and vegetables.
2. Seriously nutritious! It really shocked me when I looked up the nutritional data of lobsters. I knew I liked eating lobster, but I didn’t realize just how spot on my taste buds were! In 100g of lobster meat (which is probably just more than one of those lobster tails from Costco), there is 52% of your Daily Value of Vitamin B12 (that’s the crucial vitamin found only in meat and which is essential in maintaining proper brain function).And that’s not all, that same lobster tail also has 91% of your Daily Value of copper as well as a ton of other vitamins and minerals (check it out for yourself here).PLUS, and this is probably the best part of lobster’s nutrition profile…its omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratio is insanely good (86mg to 5mg per 100g)! Now that’s a ton of the nutrients we are often missing from our diets.
3. Super fast to cook. Like just about all seafood, lobster cooks really quickly, which means your dinner is ready faster than ever.

How do you cook lobster without messing it up?

Timing Is Essential

The essential part to cooking good lobster is not overcooking it. So, below is a detailed but very simple recipe for steaming all 4 lobster tails (after it’s been defrosted). It’s simple as long as you have a timer!

Extra Tip

Make a long slit in the underbelly of the lobster before cooking it. Use a good paring knife for this. This just makes it much easier to remove the meat from the lobster after it is cooked.

The Exact Cooking Time For Lobster

Timing will differ depending on how much lobster you’re steaming in one go (which depends on how many lobster tails (or whole lobsters) and how much each lobster tail weighs). The following is a general rule (I usually cook around 4 lobster tails in the steamer in one go, which comes to around 1 lb). Note all these weights include the lobster shell. 1 lb lobster (with shell) – 8-9 minutes if cooking a fresh one, 10 minutes if cooking one that’s been defrosted (I’m just really paranoid about undercooking foods!) For larger amounts – Increase the cooking time by 2 minutes for each extra 1/4 lb over 1 lb.

Upscale Paleo – Steam Your Own Lobster

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• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 4 lobster tails (approx. 1 lb with shell)
• Equipment – a steamer
• seasoning/ghee (optional – I like my lobster plain)

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Instructions

1. Defrost the lobster tails if they’re frozen.
2. Fill the pot halfway with water. Place the steamer attachment on top of the pot and put the lid on top of the steamer attachment. Now heat the pot on high heat until the water is boiling.
3. After the water is boiling, carefully place the lobster tails (ideally with tongs so you don’t burn yourself) onto the steamer attachment – remember to put the lid back on.
4. Set a timer for exactly 10 minutes, and remove the lobster tails immediately when the timer goes off. If you’re using fresh lobster, you can steam it for 8-9 minutes. Note that the time changes depending on how much lobster you’re steaming! Check the post for more timing options.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 lobster tail

Quick Stewed Napa Cabbage

This is a really simple dish and you can make it with different types of cabbage. I used Napa cabbage, and if you’re unsure what that is, then keep reading.

What is Napa Cabbage?

Like many Asian fruits and vegetables, napa cabbage is known by a lot of different names!

This can make it quite confusing to buy in the store. Some common names include: nappa cabbage, bai cai, celery cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Chinese leaf, Wong Bok, Won Bok, and wombok!

Take a good look at the photo below of napa cabbage before heading to the store to buy it (it’s quite common in many grocery stores, even non-Asian ones).

Napa cabbage is a really versatile and delicious vegetable – it soaks up the flavors of the broth really well, which is why it’s one of the most popular vegetables in Asian cooking. In particular, Korean kimchi is traditionally made from Napa cabbage.
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Is Avocado Oil Paleo?

What is Avocado Oil?

As the name suggest, this is simply the oil pressed from avocados. Originally, the oil was extracted for cosmetic uses (it gets absorbed by your skin very quickly), but now it’s become a popular cooking oil due to its health benefits and high smoke point (often over 400F or 200C).

Like most oils, extraction of the oil can result in a good unrefined form and in a bad refined form.

For use in cosmetics, extraction is done by chemical solvents to get a more refined oil. As the introduction a 2004 study stated:

“The residues left by such solvents represent a risk to the consumer’s health; also, the temperatures applied during the recovery process may destroy some of the nutrients in the oil.”

For most food purposes, cold press techniques are now employed by most producers. This often involves putting large amounts of pressure on the avocado flesh to separate the oil from the water and the solids. However, it’s not a very high production process, which is why there are still inventors looking to improve the productiveness of the process.

And you can experience for yourself just how little oil comes out of one avocado with this do-it-yourself tutorial on how to extract avocado oil at home.

Is Avocado Oil Paleo?

Quick Answer: Yes
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Quick Paleo Ground Beef Stir-Fry

This is really a KEY RECIPE in your repertoire of Paleo recipes.

It’s fast, easy, cheap, and you can throw pretty much any vegetables into it!

I actually made this dish on vacation in Mexico with ingredients purchased from Walmart and cooked on a tiny electric stove – so yes, you can eat Paleo pretty much ANYWHERE!

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Just How Healthy is Bacon Really?

Bacon is like a lightning rod. Talking about it too long will probably have Zeus throwing down lightning bolts at me.

No kidding – bacon is hugely popular in the Paleo world. It’s undeniably delicious and makes just about any meal better.

I think we can all agree that the conventional reasons for shunning bacon are wholly without merit. Saturated fat and cholesterol are not things that we need to worry about. They’re integral parts of healthy, whole Paleo foods.

Still, even in the Paleo world, bacon occasionally gets a bad rap, for a variety of other reasons:

Problems with Bacon

1. Nitrates and Nitrites. This is the most common reason that many Paleo folks worry about their bacon consumption. Nitrates and nitrites are basically preservatives and they can be artificial (cured bacon) or natural (in the form of sea salt or celery juice, most commonly) (uncured bacon). However, whether artificial or natural, it’s the same thing. Most importantly, all current scientific research indicates that nitrates and nitrites are – if anything – likely to be beneficial rather than harmful (see here, here, here, and here). In fact, most of the nitrates and nitrites we get are produced by our bodies. Note, buying either cured or uncured bacon will contain nitrates – the nitrates in uncured bacon are just from natural forms like celery juice.
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How Do I Cure Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and/or GERD?!?

Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to this question.  There are treatments that work for a lot of people, but never for everyone. But understanding your problem will help you treat the cause (rather than just the symptoms using medication).

So keep on reading to learn about what causes acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD, and how you can cure these frustrating symptoms.

The best thing to do is to consult a doctor who can properly diagnose and treat these sorts of issues.  Of course, we know that many doctors stick to the conventional wisdom and just try to pump you full of drugs, so here are our brief thoughts on this topic, which affects millions of people.

What Causes Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and/or GERD?

Most doctors think that acid reflux and heartburn are caused by too much stomach acid.  They believe this because stomach acid in the esophagus is largely responsible for much of the damage and discomfort that accompanies heartburn and acid reflux.

However, the true causes of these conditions are much more likely related to too little stomach acid, bacterial overgrowth, and carbohydrate malabsorption.  These may be related to each other (low stomach acid probably leads to bacterial overgrowth, which probably leads to carbohydrate malabsorption).  And in the end, this series of problems leads to gas and pressure, which causes food and stomach acid to back up into the esophagus.
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The Modern No-Nonsense Guide to Paleo Book Review

Book Title:

The Modern No-Nonsense Guide to Paleo

Author:

Alison Golden

Have you ever felt like Paleo is just too hard to follow?

Or maybe you feel like you’re getting nowhere despite giving up all that bread, pasta, and chocolate cake! Not to even mention ice-cream.

I’ve definitely been there before, and somehow managed to pull myself through it all. My journey was haphazard, rollercoaster-ish, full of drama and not to mention even some tears! Yes, some parts of the month are emotional!!!

So, what am I getting at? Simply this – that there are certain tips, skills, and facts to going Paleo that will make your lifestyle change so much easier with fewer tears and way less pain. And Alison Golden (a fellow Brit living in the US) has got these all down pat (she’s the blogger at Paleo Non Paleo!
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Eating Out Paleo – Serpas in Atlanta, GA

Set in a Brooklyn-esque industrial complex, I at first thought Serpas was going to a pretentious and not-all-that-great restaurant. My views quickly shifted as soon as the appetizers came!

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5 Reasons That Cooking is the Most Paleo of Habits

WHEN YOU FIRST START A PALEO DIET, there are a million things to think about and read about.

Stop eating grains.  Avoid dairy.  Eat grass-fed meat.  Avoid processed sugar.

Lots of good advice.

But there’s one very basic thing that no one seems to tell you…

Cooking is the BEST Paleo habit you can develop.

A History Lesson…

Although some humans were able to control fire about 400,000 years ago, many weren’t able to do so until about 100,000 years ago. That means, for most of history, humans ate raw food.

Personally, I don’t think means that we need to eat raw food. Cooking is not very detrimental, and I really like the safety and hygiene that comes with cooking.

And yet, for the past 30-40 years, there has been a steady decline in time spent cooking. As of 2011, the average American spent just 31 minutes per day on food preparation.

Traditional cultures spend a lot of time preparing their food, but TV dinners, restaurants, and pre-packaged meals have largely changed that.

I, like many folks, don’t think that change has been for the good overall.

Here are 5 Reasons Why It’s Incredibly Important to Cook on a Paleo Diet

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5-Minute Paleo Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

One of the best things about pumpkin puree is that it’s edible straight out of the can!

So, why slave for hours making dessert?

This pie is just 4 ingredients and can be made in just 5 minutes (less if you’re quick!).

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Is Vinegar Paleo?

Some History on Vinegar

Vinegar has been filling bottles since the Babylonians crafted it from fruits in 5,000 B.C. and has been used as both a flavoring and a preservative. Created by using bacteria to break down ethanol from foods into different components, vinegar also contains many different compounds. Chief among these compounds is acetic acid, which gives vinegar its unique characteristics. Anything that contains ethanol can be used to make vinegar, including, wine, champagne, cider, or even beer. In addition to its characteristic acetic acid, other components in vinegar include vitamins and minerals and a variety of distinct flavor compounds.

In addition to making our food tasty, however, vinegar also offers a few health benefits.
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67 Proven Uses for Coconut Oil

You might have seen coconut oil sold many places or mentioned on websites and wondered what the heck you should be using it for.

Well, I used to think coconut oil was just for cooking until my friend pointed out that her grandmother had used it as a hair product forever. Of course, from then on, I started encountering different uses for coconut oil everywhere – I even read about it being used as a sun-burn cream in one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books (you know, the guy that wrote The Great Gatsby and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

So, to help you start using coconut oil, here are 67 of my favorite uses – and to prove I’m not making all this up, I’ve provided links to some excellent skin care recipes, food recipes, as well as scientific studies and testimonials.

Now, go get yourself a jar of coconut oil and start using it!

And if you’re looking for even more info – here’s 9 ‘Secrets’ Why You Should ALWAYS Eat Coconut Oil.

1. To cook with instead of vegetable or seed oils. Coconut oil naturally has a high smoking point, is highly stable due to its high saturated fat content, and imparts very little “coconut” flavor to your foods. I use it to cook pretty much everything – check my recipes if you don’t believe me!
2. In your coffee/tea instead of creamer. Yes – that’s right, use coconut oil, not coconut milk! In case you’re confused about this, here’s my video showing you exactly how to make it.
3. To wash your face with instead of soap. It sounds strange, but oil washes impurities out better than soap and it doesn’t dry your skin! It takes a week to get used to it – the skin on your face is so used to being dried out by soap and facial cleansers that it’s producing extra oil to counteract it. So, it’ll take a little bit of time for your skin to stop producing all that extra oil. Be patient – it’s worth it!
4. To brush your teeth with. Coconut oil has many antimicrobial properties which can make it good at killing off bacterial in your mouth. To make your own toothpaste, simply add 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil (melt it in the microwave very briefly so that it’s softened) to 2-3 Tablespoons of baking soda. Mix to form a paste and spread on your toothbrush. (The baking soda whitens your teeth.)

Here’s my video of a coconut and olive oil blend toothpaste recipe.

5. For oil pulling. This is similar to the previous use in that it helps with oral hygiene. Oil pulling has long been a popular practice in India and with Ayurvedic practitioners. It involves swishing oil around your mouth for 20 minutes before spitting it out. The idea behind the practice is to remove bacteria from your teeth and mouth, which can then alleviate various other illnesses (including arthritis and fatigue). This practice has enjoyed renewed attention in recent years due to Bruce Fife’s popular book, Pulling Therapy.
6. As a body moisturizer. Our skin absorbs whatever creams we put on it (think of all the topical pain relief medications that work because it gets absorbed through our skin). So, instead of pumping random chemicals from your moisturizers into your skin, many people (including myself) choose to use coconut oil instead. I like to use it at the end of my shower so that it’s more easily absorbed and before my skin has had a chance to dry out.
7. As a sun-screen. This is not a high SPF sunscreen, but a 2013 study found that coconut oil absorbs 20% in the UVB region (this equates to something under SPF 10 – there’s disagreement as to the exact number). So definitely use other forms of natural sun-protection when you’re out.
8.As a hair conditioner. I started using coconut oil as a hair conditioner a while ago, coupling it with diluted apple cider vinegar as the “shampoo.” Don’t use too much and just rub it on the ends of your hair so you don’t end up with oily hair!
9. As a supplement. It’s suggested that taking coconut oil as a supplement can help with weight loss and increase your “good” cholesterol. I think it’s just good in general – it’s not a magic pill!
10. As a massage oil. Coconut oil doesn’t get absorbed into your skin quickly, which ensures your skin stays slippery for longer thereby making it perfect for you to enjoin a long massage!
11. To reduce scars. I’ve never tried this myself – but some people seem to have had great success with it.
12. To treat lice. Apply it to your hair. There have been studies showing it is effective.
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Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte

Everyone seems to be talking about Pumpkin Spice Lattes these days, or maybe I just sit in Starbucks too much!

So, with a can of pumpkin puree sitting at home, I just couldn’t resisting trying…it turned out really delicious and warming.

Happy Fall!

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Red Wine Slow Cooker Simple Roast

I LOVE slow cookers, and I think they’re a fantastic device to help us all stay Paleo even during busy periods (see the post on my 3-step process to staying Paleo here).

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