Good morning readers!
My brother-in-law recently suggested I read the book called, Wrong: Why experts* keep failing us–and how to know when not to trust them *Scientists, finance wizards, doctors, relationship gurus, celebrity CEOs, … consultants, health officials and more. It mainly gave me an even deeper sense of how we can't believe everything, hardly anything actually, that we read and hear. (Even more than I already do, I'll continue to stress to all of you, my reader friends, not to blindly believe what you read on this blog either, because there's a LOT I don't know!) It also gave me more confidence about this post I wrote a few years ago where I explain how I waddle through the truth-trap: How do we find the truth on health and nutrition issues?, and this one where I explain why studies can't be trusted: What if sex was bad for you?
- I've told you before about my friend David, he's the one who actually likes running and doesn't have to make himself get out there like I do. So you won't be surprised to find out that the crazy guy is now competing in triathlons. Recently he sent me a link to a post on Paleo and gluten free diets from a training blog he reads: What about those diets?, and parts of it really irritated me so I had to comment. Mine is about 12 comments down or so and the first response was from someone questioning the cholesterol content in eggs. How can so many people still be so misled? I tried to respond well, see what you think and I hope you'll add your comments, too!
- You will not believe this link, sent to me by Jill, with her comments below: The Coca Cola Company's Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness. “The irony in the name of the institute, first off, is laughable, but the fact that they are “educating” dietitians and that anyone is listening is pretty scary stuff! I can't imagine spending all the time and money to become a registered dietitian AND wasting brain space on this–the two concepts should be mutually exclusive. Surely they are all smart enough to see through it? So I suppose we should let our kids ingest all the soda pop and candy sweetened with HFCS or artificial sweeteners they want with confidence! How did Coca Cola manage to earn a voice among nutrition professionals? Follow the money, I suppose!“
- I'm running a short summer sale: Before fall hits treat yourself to the Real Food for Rookies class to learn all the ins and outs of Real Food cooking. Find out how to nourish your family without breaking the budget or overloading your schedule! 20% off with coupon code SUMMERSPECIAL. ***This coupon is good on anything in the Kop Shop: Rookie class, blog and nutrition consultations, or Real Food guides, for a limited time only!
I made this yummy recipe for Meatball Sub Casserole again the other day, but just made the meatball subs not in a casserole this time. It was delicious so I added the directions to that post. 🙂- I also made Kale Chips again, too, and had to fight the kids for them once they come out of the oven – guess I need to buy more than two bunches at the farm market next time, eh?
My brother-in-law recently suggested I read the book called, 
. It mainly gave me an even deeper sense of how we can't believe everything, hardly anything actually, that we read and hear. (Even more than I already do, I'll continue to stress to all of you, my reader friends, not to blindly believe what you read on this blog either, because there's a LOT I don't know!) It also gave me more confidence about this post I wrote a few years ago where I explain how I waddle through the truth-trap: 
Have a great day!
Brandis @ Crunchy Thrify Cool says
I made kale chips yesterday, too- and I ate an entire tray of them before I even took them off the dehydrator! Kale chips are one of those things that everyone hears about and goes “ew,” but they are SO good and, as my 2 year old son would say, they’re “super super healthy” (except that he says “cooper cooper healfy”).
Soli @ I Believe In Butter says
Brandis, what temperature have you used on the dehydrator? Time? Particular coatings for the kale? (Yes I really want to try it.)
Jennifer says
Hi Kelly,
I thought your comments on that post were really tactful and considerate – it is so wonderful that your were able to share this valuable real food information in a nice way that people can more openly receive!
On a side-note, regarding running and actually enjoying it – I wanted to recommend a book to you that I’m reading called “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. He focuses a lot on a remote tribe in Mexico called the Tarahumara – they’re a tribe of running people, even the eighty-year-olds! The book is all about how we’re made to run (and enjoy it!), how marketing and big shoe companies have handicapped us as natural born runners, and it gives a peek into that secluded tribe. I have found it so inspirational – it really goes hand-in-hand with my love for traditional food: going back to what our ancestors knew and what our bodies need!
Erin C says
Kelly,
I ended up commenting (a lot) on the blog that you linked to about the paleo and gluten free diets….and now the guy asked me to do a “guest post” about culturing milk at home. Look what you got me into!! lol. I’m not an expert, I really just started culturing things at home a few months ago. But, hopefully I can give him some info that will help his readers to replace the nasty, processed “refuel” type protein and “milk” drinks that they use!
Jody says
Jason,
The author suggests that paleo eating is a fad or a diet craze. Most that I know who follow this way of eating are not following it as a “diet plan,” but as a way of life. While I understand that gluten-free fasts and diets have become a popular way of losing weight amongst the celebrity set, there is more to it than simply removing extra calories. While I am sure that the author would not claim that following these “fad diets” does not take discipline, she is suggesting that what is needed is discipline, not removal of a food group. And, I would go on to say that it is implied that most who fail to lose weight on a conventionally recommended diet simply lack discipline or willpower, which I do not believe to be true, and the source of my irritation. I think that, one, there are people who could never be disciplined enough to lose weight eating the recommended servings of grain, and, two, the very nature of how the body reacts to grains and sugar in our diets tends to make staying disciplined difficult. So, telling someone who may have problems with sugar or gluten or another food (not celiac disease or other diagnosable reaction, but a sensitivity–see Dangerous Grains by Braly and Hogan), telling them to have “discipline” is setting them up for failure. After continued attempts at discipline, to no avail, there are those among us who would not seek out an unconventional way of eating for numerous reasons, among them being doctors and nutritionists telling them that there is no reason to do such a thing.
In my own experience, perhaps I downplay my own discipline in the matter. In the last year and a half of eating this way, I have allowed myself to cheat plenty, and, I have reached a point at which I understand that I simply feel better when I don’t eat grain or sugar. That’s a big motivator.
Does that make sense?
Thanks,
Jody
Jason @ Cook Train Eat Race says
Yes that makes sense and it comes down to the interpretation of discipline. I understand where you are coming from in regards to Ruth’s comments and I hope you understand my point in that you have the discipline to have figured out that it was grains / sugar that was causing you problems.
I believe it would take discipline to sit down and analyze one’s issues then make conscious effort to adjust and figure out what works. Once that has been determined to have the discipline to follow that ‘diet’ is what would be needed.
And yes, please don’t downplay your discipline. You worked hard to find what worked for you and you have stuck to it. And you would not be human if you did not cheat. We all do, but it those that are disciplined that say OK I cheated and now back to my regularly scheduled program instead of falling down that slippery slope and continuing to eat in a way that is detrimental to their health.
Thank you for the response.
Jason
Jody says
Yes, Jason. It does take discipline, and a certain amount of hard-headedness to go against the crowd. I have come to a point where I see it as a choice. Sometimes a “cheat” is worth it, and other times, it is not, and then, yes, back to business as usual. More and more often, though, it turns out, it just isn’t worth it. 😉
Thanks,
Jody
Katie says
I have recently heard that kale chips still contain the toxins of the uncooked kale. Would the heat of the dehydrator “cook” them out, or would it be like eating raw greens? I know they upset my stomach if have too much, while normal cooked greens don’t bother me.
KitchenKop says
Really? This would surprise me since they are definitely cooked. Let me know where you saw that if you could, thanks!
Jason @ Cook Train Eat Race says
Kelly –
Thank you for weighing in on the conversation over on my blog. I truly appreciate others opinions as it helps with conversations to get people to think and not just walk through life blindly.
I also appreciate the email exchange we had where you respected my blog. I hope readers of my site manage to find their way over here because it has some great information and the more information we all have the better decisions and choices we will make for ourselves.
Thank you.
Jason
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
It’s a funny thing that anyone considers the Paelo or WAPF diets as “fad diets”. I mean, really, what is more faddish: Late 19th century vegetarian, grains-based diets a la the Kellog brothers of Battle Creek? Or animal foods based diets that pre-date writing and nourished mankind for millenia? Hmmmm. Well, at least you weighed in and maybe someone will realize that you are not a crank and come check out your site.
Barbara Grant says
Looked at your comment and thought it was very well put. I myself just consumed 3 raw egg yolks!
Soli @ I Believe In Butter says
I haven’t made kale chips in a while. Wonder if I can do them in a dehydrator too.
Also, that article where the woman mentions low fat meats? Uh, right, I’ll eat those so long as they’ve been sauteed up in some butter or coconut oil. Nice to see the fat phobia still in such vogue.
Jody says
Ooooh. The anti-paleo comment, and, well,actually, just about any time people say, “discipline” is the answer to weight loss irritates me. After removing sugar AND grains from my diet, I finally lost weight. It didn’t happen when I simply removed sugar and ate whole grains during a six- week stint of removing all sugar.
Since removing sugar and grain from my diet, when I add it back in, I immediately gain weight. Piece of chocolate cake? Two pounds. Unsweetened whole grain bread? Two pounds. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s sugar filled or not, the grain is a problem for me. And, in the hours and days following eating sugar and grain, I experience mood swings and anxiety attacks.
Before removing the grain and sugar from my diet, I was food obsessed. Well, I’m still food obsessed, but in a different way. Before, all I could think about was what I was going to eat next and when I was going to eat next. When I remove the grains and sugar and ate good healthy fats, serving sizes start making sense to me, not the Super-Sized 2011 serving sizes, but the 1950 serving sizes. Perhaps the doctor should read some of the research of Dr. Gary Taubes.
I’m sure not everyone has the same reaction to grain and sugar in their diets, but I have a strong suspicion that people who really struggle with weight may have some underlying problem with sugar or grain or another food and not a lack of discipline.
Amanda Y. says
This is me too! I am trying to find the discipline to lose weight again as I’ve gotten huge–but it’s so hard to cut out all grains (whole or otherwise) at first. Any tips?
Jody says
For me, I just have to do it. If at all possible, remove it all from the house. I understand that is not always possible (it wasn’t in my house). I first went grain-free following Atkins and have since switched to a primal/paelo diet having come to the understanding that this is what works best for me. I haven’t had much luck with eating gluten-free grains, either. Almond flour has proven to be a good sub for breading and baking things like biscuits or minimally sweetened baked goods (I’ve had good luck with small amounts of honey and agave not throwing me completely off track; other sweeteners tend to cause mood swings and send me down a slippery slope of cravings) . I think it is really important to have plenty of easy foods on hand and to eat before you are starving, especially at the beginning. When you first start, you may find yourself eating all the time, but that will level off over time. I got a lot of good ideas from low carb and primal/paleo websites.
julie says
I am one who has struggled with cravings and lack of will power. I was also one who never thought I could give up grains. Sugar maybe….if I tried hard enough. But grains–no way. I love bread, love pasta, love brown rice. But I decided recently to just give no grain, no sugar a try. To my utter amazement it works and I feel great and the cravings are not really a problem. I also have found a new found respect for vegetables–more than just a philosophical belief that they are good for me. I really respect them and what they can do for my body. Meat, chicken, eggs, fish and shellfish, butter, yogurt, cheese are my buddies. If I need sweets I have found that blueberries or blackberries mixed with greek yogurt and coconut surpasses the cheesecakes of yesterday. So, if you are struggling with weight, just give going off of grains and sugars a short trial. In just a few days I felt so much more energized. In fact I felt like I didn’t even need to worry about my weight, which means that my brain was not obsessed with my weight. That’s a good thing. Your brain will thank you.
Jason @ Cook Train Eat Race says
Jody –
I’m not sure how the following is true: “discipline” is the answer to weight loss irritates me since you are practicing discipline by not eating sugar and grains and maintaining a healthy weight for yourself.
You last sentence tries to explain it but in truth wouldn’t they have to have the discipline to seek that out as the truth? Whether it was sugar and/or grains that caused the problem or otherwise? Wouldn’t they have to be disciplined to figure that out instead of blindly going through life not trying?
I may not be reading your comments correctly so please do correct me if I am wrong in interpreting your statements.
LInda says
I sometimes make kale chips and I am the only one eating them. I can”t get DH or son to try them.
Rivki Locker (Ordinary Blogger) says
Thanks for the reminder to make some kale chips. I haven’t made them lately and I just got a whole big bunch of kale in my CSA box! Have a wonderful week.