Rochelle and I have found what may be our new favorite restaurant. Old Wives’ Tales on 13th and E. Burnside caters to those wishing to eat gluten/lactose free. An extensive menu of gluten free choices is available, including desserts. (remember that the desserts will likely still contain sugar and/or flours from other grains that you wouldn’t want to make a habit of eating) This is great news for those eating strict Paleo and avoiding gluten. They even serve gluten-free beer!

Ever since embarking on our total gluten and dairy avoidance plan, eating out has become much more problematic. Though many would have considered our diet strict before, once or twice a week we’d have a light quantity of cheese (feta cheese, often) or grains in the form of a tasty microbrew. We’ve since discovered just how pervasive gluten and dairy is in restaurant foods of all kinds. We were recently shocked to find dairy/gluten in red cabbage and sauerkraut at a nice local German restaurant! Old Wives’ Tales makes ordering easy, as all of the ingredients are listed on every menu item. If you are planning a meal out, consider checking this place out.

Shopping can be a quagmire for those first adopting a Paleo or Ancestral type diet. What do I buy? How do I cook it? I thought I’d detail what I do in two of my favorite stores. I use New Season’s market, and Trader Joe’s as my main two stores. Some things I prefer to buy at one store, some things at the other. I’ll go thru Trader Joe’s in this first installment.

First thing in the door, grab a basket. Don’t even think of grabbing one of those little basket cart things. Human beings are designed to lift and carry things, and I don’t care if you already exercise or do CrossFit. Beneficial exercise happens in more places than the gym - remember, our genes expect a certain amount of physical activity. Anyway, rant aside - let’s forage for some food.

First stop is the meats. Lots of good deals here. Sometimes, you can even find grassfed beef. Most of the meats here are fair game, but just beware of many of TJ’s pre-spiced or marinated meats. Check the ingredient list first, which will often be quite lengthy. Ideally, avoid wheat, soy, and stuff you can’t pronounce. There are many good choices, though. Some of the chicken sausages are awesome. When it comes to bacon, ham, or sausages be sure to get the uncured versions, or nitrate-free.

Next in line are the veggies. TJ’s pre-packaged, washed veggies are outstanding time savers. Chard of Many Colors, Southern Greens, pre-chopped onions, stir fry greens - you name it - all are huge time savers. Get them. There are some packages of squash and sweet potatoes that can become good post training meals. Also, check the fruits. Personally, I rarely buy fruit here, as I eat it sparingly except in summer.

Next, I come to the bagels and breads. Run quickly from this section, as poor recovery and eventual diabetes lurk here…..

Going down the frozen foods isle can yeild some more time saving options. At the end of the isle are eggs; look for the omega-3 eggs. Frozen veggies I like to keep on hand for when really pressesd for time(great for quick slow cooker meals). Frozen berries are also good, and there are good choices in the frozen seafood section. Just like in the meat section, be sure to check the ingredient list on any pre-seasoned fish.

Next, we go up what is usually the center isle. This is normally no man’s land in most stores for the Paleo shopper, but not here. Nut butters can be a great option for getting in enough fat for a hard training athelete. Cashew butter(actually, this a little iffy, it does have some added oil), cashew/macadamia butter, almond butter, and sunflower seed butter are all good and inexpensive.

Unsweetened applesauce, tomato and marinara sauce(look for low sugar options), olive oil, vinegars, spices, and various simmer sauces are good. As always, get in the habit of checking the ingredient list of sauces and the like. Some here are ok, others are not.

There are great deals here on canned fish. The Wild Alaska Salmon, wild smoked salmon, sardines, and “chunk light tuna with no salt added” are all favorites of mine. Nearby, canned artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and olives, can be found. Add any combination of these three to dress up your salads.

A great new product are the broth concentrates. Chicken, beef, and now vegetable. Though slightly processed, they have acceptable ingredients, and add lots of flavor to quick meals.

Beware of the coconut milk. Nothing is wrong with the quality, it’s just that TJ’s only sells the “lite” coconut milk - which is simply watered down coconut milk. Buy regular coconut milk elsewhere, then thin it with water yourself if you feel the need. If you buy the lite - here or elsewhere - you are paying full price for half the product.

Nuts at TJ’s are always a good deal. The pre-ground almond meal is a great grain substitute that I use in many recipes. Dried fruits can also be useful; check the ingredient list, though. You might get a suprise.

The last thing that I like on this isle is the pre-packaged Indian and Thai meals - great on the run. Some are ok, others not. You know the drill by now - look at the list.

I’m usually done by this point. Some other things that I ocasionally buy here: wine, supplements, goat yogurt(rarely), coffee, and beer. (I don’t buy beer here any more, as I am waiting for them to carry a gluten-free beer) Remember that just because a store features quality, organic products does NOT mean that said food is automatically healthy. Organic junk food is still junk food! The only difference is perhaps a little less pesticide residue, but this isn’t the main problem. Something can start out as natural ingredients, but can easily be processed into something very unhealthy. As an example, you can peruse this list of cancer causing acrylamide content from the US FDA. Scroll down about 3/4 of the way, noticing that TJ’s “veggie chips” have one of the highest acrylamide contents measured anywhere.

That’s it for part one. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and you might find some great things that I have missed. Have fun, and shop wisely.

The blog comes back to life….. I apologize for the extended period of inactivity! I have been very busy since the fall, and now that we have a new home, I will finally try to post some useful content here.

Here are a few great questions from Jason, and I thought I’d post the answers here:

Scott,
Based on your last post on the site, here are some Paleo-related ideas I would love to hear your feedback on.

1. Paleo shopping list — what are your regular go-to items in the store?

Shop the perimeter of the store. There are a few things that are useful in the aisles, but most of the stuff in the center of the store is processed garbage. This is still true of the better “healthier” markets. Real food spoils, and cannot be kept indefinitely on shelves. I load up on seasonal veggies, fruit if it is summertime, a few meats, eggs, and possibly a few bulk items like nuts or herbs.

I will detail a shopping trip to my favorite store in the near future.

2. What does the ideal Paleo spice rack contain?

A big variety! We have tons of spices. Fresh herbs are great if you have time to grow them. (I don’t) My main stand-bys: oregano, thyme, basil, cumin, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon. I also add sea veggies as spices - dulse flakes and kelp powder for the trace minerals. If you add salt to your meals, use sea salt for this same reason. Fresh ground black pepper is best, as pre-ground pepper will often contain aflatoxin producing mold.

3. Paleo between-meal snacks.

The simplest is to just eat a small portion of an upcoming meal. This works well if you must take a day’s worth of food to work with you. Otherwise, nuts, jerky, small salads, etc work well. It’s summertime, so a piece of fruit once in a while is likely even just fine.

Personally, I very rarely snack. I do all of my eating in 2 to 4 meals a day, saving the trouble of preparing extra snacks.

4. Paleo in a Pinch — if you GOT to run into a store, or you’re out with buddies, how to eat Paleo?
(2 of my fave examples:
Breakfast — 2 poached eggs, side of fruit.
Lunch — 6 ounces sliced turkey or chicken, 2 apples, handful bulk nuts. I think this last is from your site?)

These sound great. I am often on the road, and must duck into a big chain supermarket to forage for food. An avocado, a bit of meat from the deli, and some kind of fruit or vegetable that I can eat easily will probably do. Not always the most satisfying meal, but one of reasonable quality. I keep a fork, spoon, and can opener in my car so that I can eat on the road. (not while driving!)

Tapenade (olive based spread), sardines, and rotisserie chicken are other on the go staples.

While I’m thinking about it:

1 .Condiments
Paleo-friendly toppings and salad dressings.

You can make your own ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc and avoid the high fructose corn syrup mess if you have the time. I like quality mustards, relish, and curry sauces. The tapenade that I mentioned above is perhaps my all time favorite, and easy to make if you are so inclined. I have a recipe somewhere in a back issue of the Performance Menu. This also adds some healthy fat to the meal.

Salad dressings: usually just olive oil, apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, and a few spices. Toss well! I rarely use pre bought dressings.

2. Products
Products you know to be Paleo-friendly.

Coconut milk is a great one, tahini can be used to add a cheesy flavor. Sweet potatoes and yams are a bit of a gray area, but can be used following a hard training session. I’ll try to elaborate a bit more on this one when I do my shopping guide.

It’s time to put the food log to bed. I originally planned it for two weeks, but I was learning from it myself, so I decided to continue it for the full month. It’s interesting that some things do not become obvious until they are laid out in front of our faces… Here are a few things that jumped out at me:

1) I eat a lot of chicken. Perhaps taking a week or two off here and there is in order.

2) I eat way more Mexican/Hispanic influenced meals than I realized! Nothing wrong with this - I don’t do the beans, rice, corn, flour, sour cream, etc. Just an observation. I’m almost a full blooded Swede, so possibly I am trying to get as far away from my bland dietary heritage as possible! (It probably helps to have a Hispanic wife, also)

3) If it weren’t for dark beer, my cheats would be almost nil…. I actually thought I had more cheats than I apparently do. (After thinking about this for a while: I tend to have a light cheat - say a beer and dash of mashed potatoes - then I think later “it was a cheat weekend”. The reality is that 1/4 of one meal was not Paleo..)

4) I do consume a lot of nightshades, at least at this time of year. I have done total elimination periods before, followed by reintroduction - with no noticeable ill effects. I need to look further into the research here….

I have kept a detailed training log for years, and I log every mealtime and general notes about the food - but not the actual meals. To do so in this blog was enlightening. Try logging your food for a month in a log book - you might be surprised at what you find.

Hopefully, this will also provide a good, useful example of how a Paleo/low carb/intermittent fasting eating plan works in the real world. Very few of these foods took long to cook. Often on the run, I was forced to make do with what I could find at a store. A four day trip out of town is also included - an area where many run into trouble. It really is not difficult to eat this way!

Day 30, Tue Oct 23rd

1:00 pm- (23 hr fast) 6.5 oz mahi mahi, habanero spice coleslaw, 1/2 cup of sweet potato pie. Fish oil.

3:45 pm- 2.5 oz mixed nuts

5:00 pm- Spent 15 minutes whipping up the following: Saute onion, garlic, and ginger in 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Add 1 lb beef for stew, brown. Add one bunch of chopped red chard (stems and leaves), 1 can watercress, 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, one chopped celery stalk, 2 Tbsp wheat free Tamari soy sauce, and a pinch of dulse. Cover and cook 10′. I ate it all, with a small glass of water. A bit of extra olive oil, fish oil, and digestive enzymes.

Day 29, Mon Oct 22nd

8:45 am- (almost 15 hrs fast) Quick chicken apple hash. A small coconut milk shake: coconut milk, kale stems, cocoa.

12:20 pm- Italian style Paleo meatloaf, with chili herb baked yams, and a generous amount of steamed cauliflower. Digestive enzymes and fish oil.

2:00 pm- Tuna salad w/avocado, pickles, mayo, olive oil, and steamed cauliflower. Celery stalk w/cashew butter and a very light amount of homemade plum jelly.

Day 28, Sun Oct 21st

9:45 am- A veggie hash. Here is the recipe: Saute some diced onion in a bit of olive or coconut oil. After a few minutes, add chopped cauliflower, chili powder, and a few red pepper flakes. Add the diced sausages, cook covered for about 5 minutes until the cauliflower has softened some - not too much, though. You still want it to be partly crisp. Enjoy. Play around with this one. The seasonings and meat can be interchanged in many ways.

1:15 pm- Several ounces of Brazil nuts, plus some leftover pork from last night.

2:45 pm- At a Muchas Gracias (again) - the remainder of the intended meal. Abobada plate - no beans, rice, or tortilla. Water.

5:45 pm- A stir fry of shrimp, sausage, spaghetti squash, and sweet peppers. Macadamia nut butter, fish oil.

Day 27, Sat Oct 20th

10:30 am- (20 hrs fast) Machacca scramble, olive oil, Brazil nuts. Light breakfast after training.

3:15 pm- More pork abobada over cabbage with onion, cillantro, and olive oil. This one will be featured in my next edition of “Cooking for Health and Performance” out later this year. Digestive enzymes and fish oil.

7 pm- Met Rochelle for a night out. We ate at Gustav’s German restaurant, a favorite. A stein of Optimator and sausage sampler to start, then for dinner a quarter chicken w/sauteed veggies (zucchini) in place of potatoes. Delicious.

Day 26 Fri Oct 19th

8:55 am - (only 14 ish hrs fasting) Can of sardines, 1/3 lb roasted brussels sprouts, 1.5 oz Brazil nuts. Fish oil.

12:15 pm - post workout - 1 block berries w/BCAA (20g), sweet potato “pie”

1:40 pm - Pork abobada over shredded cabbage(11 blocks P) w/olive oil, avocado, digestive enzymes, fish oil.

3:10 pm- I finished the above meal. Didn’t have time to eat it before the next client.

Food about average - 17 P, 7 C, 120 g fat

Day 25, Thur Oct. 18th

7:50 am - (15.5 hr fast) Coconut milk shake w/ BCAA, few berries, chopped kale stalks, olive oil.

12:20 pm - Ground lamb curry with spinach, garlic, coconut milk.  This one is easy - any ground meat will work.  Put a bit of olive oil in your pan, saute the garlic for 1′, add 1 Tbsp curry powder.  Next, brown the meat.  Add lots of spinach and around 1/2 can of coconut milk - cook until the spinach has wilted.  That’s it!  Easy and filling.  I had a stalk of celery and a few Brazil nuts, too.  Fish oil and digestive enzymes.

3:20 pm- Can of sardines, 1/3 lb braised greens, 2.5 oz almonds

4:45 pm - Sweet potato “pie”.

6:00 pm- Roast beef strips stir fried with onions, tomatoes, and steamed broccoli.  Fish oil and digestive enzymes.

It’s a rest day today, so I ate extra food.  23 blocks protein, 11 blocks carb, 220g fat.