Lots has been said on the topic already, but I thought this was a nice post.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/06/activator-x.html
Here is some info from wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_K#K2
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Day 21-30
Day 30 is here at last! The last nine days have been fun. I've cooked and eaten some good meals at home and had some good ones eating out. Nothing spectacular that deserves special mention. Last Sunday found me at a Superbowl party, successfully fighting temptations. I got lucky because there were lots of paleo options, like bacon wrapped dates, guacamole, and veggies. On the drinking front, there were lots of choices for hard liquor. Not bad! The day prior, we were up in Sonoma doing a wine tour, which was another set of challenges. We stopped at the The Sonoma Fremont diner, which apparently has amazing fried chicken, but instead I got a really good avocado and grapefruit salad. Notes about the diner: don't expect luxury service (or even power!). Tastings at the wineries went well, but were cracker-less!
So all the chattering aside, the big question thirty days later is: How Do I Feel? The answer: Great! I've been sleeping great, I feel energetic, my mind has been clear, and I look forward to my meals. It's definitely been difficult at times when I'm faced with snacks and treats or I'm hanging out with friends who don't support Paleo, but it's been possible. I feel more aware of and educated about what I'm putting into my body biologically. And I feel prepared when I'm shopping for food or cooking. Ultimately, I don't miss all those foods that I used to eat (i.e. bread and tortillas).
Do I plan to continue? Yes. I plan to keep trying to stay paleo for the foreseeable future. I'm not afraid to possibly eat "off" now and then, but my majority will be paleo. I don't believe it will be hard because with the more I learn, the more I naturally don't desire most non-paleo products. Going paleo has forced me to be more creative about what I'm eating, push the limits of how I know to prepare foods (especially vegetables), and to realize why I'm eating it. I purchased, Richard Nikoley's Book and it's been very helpful at filling the gaps about a lot of the paleo mantras. Although much of what he says is clearly just his opinion and based on rhetoric, he does cite some solid sources and give good advice (much of it in an amusing tone).
So, after all of this, what does Paleo mean to me? I've decided that paleo is more than just avoiding certain foods or eating something just because it's what our cavemen ancestors used to eat. Instead it's understanding what you're eating and why it's biologically good for you. It's being happy about eating and not feeling guilty. It's enjoying and appreciating the energy that life gives us. That's why I believe Paleo has been so successful for so many people: success comes from both physiological and psychological satisfaction.
Here are some photos of the food I've had the past few days:
So all the chattering aside, the big question thirty days later is: How Do I Feel? The answer: Great! I've been sleeping great, I feel energetic, my mind has been clear, and I look forward to my meals. It's definitely been difficult at times when I'm faced with snacks and treats or I'm hanging out with friends who don't support Paleo, but it's been possible. I feel more aware of and educated about what I'm putting into my body biologically. And I feel prepared when I'm shopping for food or cooking. Ultimately, I don't miss all those foods that I used to eat (i.e. bread and tortillas).
Do I plan to continue? Yes. I plan to keep trying to stay paleo for the foreseeable future. I'm not afraid to possibly eat "off" now and then, but my majority will be paleo. I don't believe it will be hard because with the more I learn, the more I naturally don't desire most non-paleo products. Going paleo has forced me to be more creative about what I'm eating, push the limits of how I know to prepare foods (especially vegetables), and to realize why I'm eating it. I purchased, Richard Nikoley's Book and it's been very helpful at filling the gaps about a lot of the paleo mantras. Although much of what he says is clearly just his opinion and based on rhetoric, he does cite some solid sources and give good advice (much of it in an amusing tone).
So, after all of this, what does Paleo mean to me? I've decided that paleo is more than just avoiding certain foods or eating something just because it's what our cavemen ancestors used to eat. Instead it's understanding what you're eating and why it's biologically good for you. It's being happy about eating and not feeling guilty. It's enjoying and appreciating the energy that life gives us. That's why I believe Paleo has been so successful for so many people: success comes from both physiological and psychological satisfaction.
Here are some photos of the food I've had the past few days:
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| Veggies for the shredded chicken tacos |
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| Shredded chicken tacos ready to eat! http://www.macheesmo.com/2011/03/chipotle-chicken-tacos/ |
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| Paleo Reward on Day 30! |
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Day 18-21
It's the end of another week and the start of a new one. I'm 21 days into trying paleo and it's been going well! Today I had my first major problem. We went to a ramen restaurant for dinner and there was literally nothing to order. We got there after being out all day long and my friend was driving, so (a) I didn't have the chance to eat beforehand, nor (b) did I have any snacks in the car to hold me over. I got a small soup and ate almost all of it. That included noodles and a (probable) high amount of MSG. I'm hoping to burn it all off tomorrow in my workout, but I'm also hoping that it doesn't affect my overall paleo trial experience.
Another concern that I have is that drinking may be skewing my measurements. I've been avoiding beer by instead drinking hard cider and mixed drinks -- I'm getting a better gauge of how much I can drink in that arena thankfully. The problem is that drinking makes me tired the next day, so it's hard to tell if I would be feeling worse or not. At least, I haven't really had a hangover or felt that murky.
Here's my eating schedule the last four days:
Meals (Day 18)
Another concern that I have is that drinking may be skewing my measurements. I've been avoiding beer by instead drinking hard cider and mixed drinks -- I'm getting a better gauge of how much I can drink in that arena thankfully. The problem is that drinking makes me tired the next day, so it's hard to tell if I would be feeling worse or not. At least, I haven't really had a hangover or felt that murky.
Here's my eating schedule the last four days:
Meals (Day 18)
- Breakfast: Hardboiled egg
- Lunch: Greek Chicken Salad (No feta) - Yiassoo Greek ($3.25). This was mediocre.
- Dinner: Chipotle Barbacoa w Guac ($8.12)
Meals (Day 19)
- Breakfast: Tuna Avocado Sushi - Draeger's ($6.25). I had a dentist's appt and was starving afterwards. No sashimi, so I had to pick the fish out of the rice, but it was still delicious!
- Lunch: Walia Ethiopian Family style. (company tab). I eschewed the bread and had to eat with a fork. This definitely brought the spicy heat to forefront! Note - the Gored Gored is VERY rare.
- Dinner: Ziryab Mediterranean Grill - Braised Lamb and Lentil Soup ($66.89). Not the greatest I've had, but pleasant service. Also, not very many paleo options on the menu here.
Meals (Day 20)
- Lunch: Huevos Rancheros on sliced Avocado! I made this from page 144. It was excellent.
- Dinner: Milagros - Guacamole & Steak Tacos (open shell) ($8.12) Both were amazing! I definitely recommend.
Meals (Day 21)
- Breakfast: Jamba Juice Açai, Rasberry, Strawberry smoothie ($6.00)
- Lunch: Bullwacker's - Salmon Burger & NE Clam Chowder ($0.00) Awesome! I finished this off in under a minute.
- Dinner: Santouka - Ramen Noodle Soup ($7.14)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Days 13-17
Oops, I haven't been posting too often. Well, lots on which to report. Day 13 was Saturday. Another weekend, which means I need to figure out lunch and dinner. Lunch was straightforward, but for dinner were taking our friends out. We chose Rumi in San Carlos. They use local, sustainably raised foods so their changes pretty often. The service was great and so was the food! I got braised pork on a bed of brussel sprouts. It was very tasty! Our table ordered pitas and hummus and they also brought out bread with olive oil while we waited for our meals. It definitely took a lot of self control not to indulge.
We went to bed pretty late on Saturday and then I woke up first thing Sunday morning to catch the Man U v Arsenal match. Great game! I took a nap, then woke up for the playoff game. Not such a great game =( My feeding was pretty much a steady stream of snacks all day (veggies, guac, left over citrus chicken) mixed in with a lot of hard cider.
I woke up on Monday feeling pretty rough. I was probably still tired from not sleeping Saturday night, but possibly hungover? I had a GREAT salmon salad from Max's cafe for lunch. Then we had taco salad for dinner (no shells). Tuesday was coconut panang curry chicken from Dusita Thai for lunch and Salmon with sautéed arugula for dinner. Then today I had chicken paneer again for lunch and then made chicken fajitas for dinner, which we ate on top of Cauliflower "Fried Rice" from Everyday Paleo.
I caught up on sleep Monday night, but I'm still feeling a little tired today. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I've been doing fine mentally most of the week at least.
Meals (Day 13):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Omelette
- Dinner: Rumi Braised Pork ($30.00)
Meals (Day 14):
Meals (Day 15):
- Lunch & Dinner: Snacking, left over citrus chicken ($0)
Meals (Day 15):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Salmon Salad, Max's ($7.57)
- Dinner: Taco Salad ($0)
Meals (Day 16):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Chicken Coconut Panang Curry - Dusita Thai ($1.03)
- Dinner: Salmon w/ Sautéed Arugula ($0)
- Arugula on coconut oil and fresh crushed garlic pepper and italian seasoning
Meals (Day 17):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Saag Paneer - Chaats & Curry ($1.07)
- Dinner: Chicken Fajitas & Cauliflower "Fried Rice" ($0; pg 144)
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Day 17 Chicken Fajitas and Cauliflower "Fried Rice"
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Day 10, 11, 12
This week's gone by in a flash! It probably helped having Monday off. Wednesday went pretty smooth. Raw Tuna on salad for lunch and I made beef kabobs for dinner - yummm. I let them marinate for 20 minutes or so before I laid them on the grill. Thursday, I had Indian for lunch and dinner. Tonight, it was luke warm chicken with salad (company lunch) and I made citrus & ginger chicken for dinner.
I've felt really good all week. I've been on-call all week, so it's been less brain intensive, but I've felt clear minded and energetic. Hunger-wise, I started bringing in left overs to work to eat as snacks. This replaces my usual dependence on mixed nuts and dried fruits. Waking up in the mornings, I also feel more limber and less sore, which is something I'm really happy about!
Meals (Day 10):
I've felt really good all week. I've been on-call all week, so it's been less brain intensive, but I've felt clear minded and energetic. Hunger-wise, I started bringing in left overs to work to eat as snacks. This replaces my usual dependence on mixed nuts and dried fruits. Waking up in the mornings, I also feel more limber and less sore, which is something I'm really happy about!
Meals (Day 10):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Mixed greens with fresh tuna, hard boiled egg, green beans and tomato, House vinaigrette dressing - Pasta Q ($3.19)
- Dinner: Beef Kabobs & Pear Salad (pg 63 & 129)
Meals (Day 11):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Saag Paneer - Suraj Indian Cuisine ($4.28)
- Snack: Beef Kabobs!
- Dinner: Guacamole (with a fork); Malai Kofta - Una Mas; iChaat Cafe ($2.04)
Meals (Day 12):
- Breakfast: hard boiled egg
- Lunch: Mixed greens with bland chicken. Yuck.
- Snack: Left over chicken from Monday night -- yum!!!
- Dinner: Ginger & Citrus Chicken on Spinach(pg 49)
- Green beans
- Green Onions
- Carrot Shoots
- Celery
- Coconut Oil
- Squeezed lemon juice
- Chicken
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Day 9
Typical day today. I forgot about my blueberries this morning =( and then had to microwave poach my egg since I didn't have time to hard boil it. Man, I was running late! I was supposed to go to bed early last night, but I was watching Che, which, as it turns out, is two hours long and not one -- Oops!
I had solid mental day at work. There was a lot going on and the multi-tasking went well. I felt good when I got out of bed this morning -- not groggy and somewhat limber.
Meals:
I had solid mental day at work. There was a lot going on and the multi-tasking went well. I felt good when I got out of bed this morning -- not groggy and somewhat limber.
Meals:
- Breakfast: Poached egg
- Lunch: Chile Verde - Rincon Sabroso Restaurant ($1.35)
- Dinner: Sashimi :Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi, Halibut - Truya Sushi ($5.24)
- Desert: Blueberries
Monday, January 16, 2012
Day 8
Company holiday today. I blissfully slept in to just before lunch. After some insanity, and a jog with the dog, I heated up my leftover Moroccan chicken from yesterday. It was still just as good!!
Today was my first real grocery day. I copied the list out of the Day 1 - 5 of Everyday Paleo and headed off to Whole Foods. 1.5 hours and $166 later, I returned home with two bulging bags. I had already missed breakfast and lunch, so I jumped straight into dinner. Dinner was a slow cooked chicken rub, which required 5-6 hours of cooking in a slow cooker. Well, I didn't have either a slow cooker or the 5 hours to wait for it to cook. So once again, I improvised. This time, I added carrots and celery (in addition to the onions). Next, I added some spices to the suggested rub: a grocery-store-bought basil garlic mix that I have and a smoked chili salt that we got at the Ferry building farmer's market -- great stuff! I mixed up all the spices and rubbed the mix all over the chicken breast (about 1lb boneless). It still had the skin on it, so I peeled that back and rubbed some seasoning under the skin too.
I put the veggies in the bottom as instructed and placed the chicken on top in a 9 by 9 cooking pan. Then I put it in the oven at 450 and set the clock for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, I added a halved tomato that I had slightly sea-salted and let it cook for another 10 minutes. The results were fantastic! I was only able to eat half of it, so I'm looking forward to "making time" to eat the rest =)
The breakfast for today sounded really good, but I need to get a muffin pan. It would be a bigger problem if I ate breakfast more often since I'm supposed to be eating the leftovers for the rest of the week, but I think I'll stick with my hard boiled egg and some of the blueberries until I get the pan.
Meals:
Today was my first real grocery day. I copied the list out of the Day 1 - 5 of Everyday Paleo and headed off to Whole Foods. 1.5 hours and $166 later, I returned home with two bulging bags. I had already missed breakfast and lunch, so I jumped straight into dinner. Dinner was a slow cooked chicken rub, which required 5-6 hours of cooking in a slow cooker. Well, I didn't have either a slow cooker or the 5 hours to wait for it to cook. So once again, I improvised. This time, I added carrots and celery (in addition to the onions). Next, I added some spices to the suggested rub: a grocery-store-bought basil garlic mix that I have and a smoked chili salt that we got at the Ferry building farmer's market -- great stuff! I mixed up all the spices and rubbed the mix all over the chicken breast (about 1lb boneless). It still had the skin on it, so I peeled that back and rubbed some seasoning under the skin too.
I put the veggies in the bottom as instructed and placed the chicken on top in a 9 by 9 cooking pan. Then I put it in the oven at 450 and set the clock for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, I added a halved tomato that I had slightly sea-salted and let it cook for another 10 minutes. The results were fantastic! I was only able to eat half of it, so I'm looking forward to "making time" to eat the rest =)
The breakfast for today sounded really good, but I need to get a muffin pan. It would be a bigger problem if I ate breakfast more often since I'm supposed to be eating the leftovers for the rest of the week, but I think I'll stick with my hard boiled egg and some of the blueberries until I get the pan.
Meals:
- Lunch: Left over Moroccan Chicken ($0)
- Dinner: Baked Chicken Breast with Rub Seasoning (weekly expense)
Cost Breakdown:
$166 grocery bill for the week!
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| Ready to go in the oven. |
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| The smoked chili salt from the farmers' market. |
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| All done! Can't wait to eat. Look at that crisp skin... |
Looking Back:
So, this is the first day of my second week. So far, I'm happy about trying this. Saturday was a little rough with the tempting pizza and beer drinking, but it worked out. I feel ready to go when I wake up and I'm happy to also be feeling energetic and clear minded. I'm still not sure if any of this is the result of my diet or how I'd be feeling otherwise.
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| "When do I get to try paleo?" |
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