More Paleo

I've nearly finished reading Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas. It's been very interesting reading.

If I had to give it a score out of 10, I'd be hard pressed to give it less than 10. I just love her attitude, her ideas, and the fact that she  supports what she says with science.

So, now more than ever I'm hooked. I've been sticking to the paleo/primal way of eating and I really like it. It is having similar effects to giving up sugar. Which makes sense, because there's very little sugar in this way of eating. The difference is that with paleo eating, we avoid all grain. There's a great deal of science behind this, which I won't go into (I'd get it all mixed up and it would sound silly), but it just made so much sense when I read it.

I do feel a little guilty though, that I've not been able to put into practice what I preach when it comes to the kids. It is okay to make changes, drastic changes, in my own diet, and I'm feeling benefits, but I can't seem to do it to the children, despite becoming a "believer" in all things Paleo.

After reading what Gedgaudas says about grain, especially those with gluten, and how it effects the body and brain, I feel I owe it to my children to get them into a paleo way of eating. Gluten seems to be a large culprit in messing up kids brains, contributing to Autism, ADD, ADHD, anxiety and other psychological problems.

And it isn't just the presence of grain in the diet which causes problems for us, but the absence of healthy fats are really hurting the human race. We've been educated to believe that animal fats are dangerous and that vegetable oils are the answer. It seems that the science behind that isn't quite right and eating grass-fed fats (full of Omega 3 fatty acids), coconut oil (with lovely lauric acid - the stuff you find in breast-milk),  and fatty grass fed meats will give you a long life of health and well-being.

But you don't have to believe me. Just have a look at her blog (click on the book link), read her book. I'll be surprised if you don't come away feeling like I do. As for converting my children: watch this space, I'm working on it.

So, now I'll give you a great recipe from her book which I am finding so luscious, that it is hard not to feel guilty eating it, but it really does taste great and really fills you up. I first saw this recipe, or a version of it on Sarah Wilson's blog, which I read daily, and love. She has a much better way with words than I do, and I suggest if you are interested in this stuff, pop over and have a look.

Nora's recipe is for "balls", but I prefer to make this into a slice, and keep it refrigerated, cutting off little squares when I feel a bit hungry. It keeps the hunger at bay.

Paleo Snack Slice
Ingredients:

Half a jar of Almond spread
250 grams organic nuts
1/2 cup raw cocoa powder
2 big handfuls of shredded coconut
125 grams of butter (preferably grass fed and organic)
4-5 heaped Tbsp  virgin coconut oil

I like to grind the nuts in my food processor first, then I add a couple of Tablespoons of pepitas, and process them too. Then I add all the other ingredients and process.

Nora's recipe has no sugar in it, and the suggestions for sweetening include: vanilla,cinnamon, 2 -3 tspns of stevia, bee pollen. Today I used about 5 prunes. The first time I made it I used 2 Tbsp of honey. I also have some "coconut sugar" - so that would make it not sugar-free.

You can also add some of these things to get the consistency right:

Almond meal, LSA, Chia seeds, cocoa nibs, protein powder or maca powder.

Today I added ground hazelnut meal as I didn't have almond meal. I also like to put chia seeds in and maca powder as it is so good for you. I also put some linseed in today.

So you get the general idea. It is mainly made from healthy fats, nuts and flavourings.

Incidentally I bought the virgin coconut oil, organic coconut, coconut sugar, cocoa nibs and virgin cocoa from a lovely website called Loving Earth. I'm loving their products!

More Paleo recipes coming. Sorry I don't have photos. The camera is temporarily out of action.