Eat the Yolks: A Book Review

I don’t know about you, but I have heard so many contradicting statements regarding healthy eating over the past few months, that at this point, I am just going to do what I want and eat ice cream and chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Okay, maybe I will not go that crazy, but seriously, with so much contradictory information being thrown at us about what is and is not healthy, who really knows the truth?  Is there one truth?  If so, what is it and how am I supposed to figure it out?

If you have all those same questions, I highly recommend you read the book “Eat the Yolks” by Liz Wolfe.  Although Liz does support a paleo lifestyle, she makes sure to emphasize that each and every one of us are different and we need to listen to our bodies to decide the most optimal way to eat.  In addition to what we should and should not eat, she discusses other aspects of our lifestyles (i.e sun exposure, taking vitamins, supplements, etc.).  If I had to summarize the book in a few sentences, it would be these:  Be a responsible consumer and know where your food comes from.  Listen to your body and use that to gauge what your body wants and needs.  She has a section of the book – “Nutrition in 100 words” that I recommend you print out and put it on your fridge – refer to it frequently and stop stressing over everything you eat. “Seek real, nutrient-filled food, as close to its natural state as possible: whole, unprocessed, unmodified and unrefined.  Pretend the modern supermarket doesn’t exist.  Choose foods that could be hunted or gathered – food that has always been food.  Support local, responsible producers.  Eat vegetables and fruit.  Eat meat and fat from properly raised animals, eggs, and seafood.  Enjoy cold-pressed oils and plants rich in healthy fats, like coconut, avocado, and olives.  Drink water.  Incorporate superfoods: fermented vegetables and beverages, homemade bone broth, and organ meats (if you dare).  Above all, ditch obsessive behavior and “diets.”  Question conventional wisdom.  Eat real food.” - It is 100 words exactly!!

Throughout the book, Liz gives a lot of little bits of advice and words of wisdom.  Here are my top five favorite ones:

1. "Real, unprocessed foods – including animal products – are the fuel that makes us awesome, and there’s no substitute in a box, bag, or capsule.  We don’t have to fear real food."
2. "Opposition to hunting, is, at the core, a symptom of our extreme privilege and disconnection from the skills needed for survival, the skills that many traditional cultures – some living in remote corners of the world – still employ with a “waste not, want not” ethos."
3. "If we truly believe that no living thing should have to die for our dinner, we shouldn’t eat at all."
4. "We are what our animals eat.  We are also what our plants absorb from the soil.  When there’s nothing in the soil, we aren’t consuming nutrients, whether we eat the plant itself or the animal that ate the plant."
5. "There is nothing good in grains – including fiber – that we can’t get from vegetables and fruits with more nutrition and less baggage."

Read the book and let me know your top favorites.

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Welcome Back to Me

I am not going to count the last days since my last post, because it has truly been forever.  I know I mentioned in my last post starting a new job and traveling every week, and that has continued.  However, I have decided to dedicate April to getting back on track with healthy eating and exercise, and thus blogging.  I have been pretty lax on those items over the past few months and I definitely have noticed changes in not only my body, but also my mind.

Most exciting things first…. I ordered a Vitamix!!  I cannot wait for it to arrive.  I ordered it last Friday and it has yet to arrive.  Hopefully it arrives soon, because I have pinned about 33 recipes I want to try.  I plan on letting you all know how they turned out once I have tried them, and also if all the hype around Vitamix blenders is truly warranted. In addition, a few friends and I, including my husband, are going to attempt to make April alcohol free.  With summer quickly approaching, we all want to have nice clean mind and bodies going into it, because when summer starts, there will be a lot of days at the beach.  Those days are sure to be filled with some adult beverages.

Also, I have been running a bit more, and will be trying to get back down to my 5K PR times.  I have a 5K race on May 3, 2014, so still plenty of time to train and get my pace back down to where it used to be…. Well maybe not that low, but hopefully pretty darn close.

Anyways, so as I said, I have been traveling about every week.  In my travels, I have learned a few things about attempting to stay healthy on the road.  Here are my five top pieces of advice:

1.  Pack before you go.  - I fly everywhere I go, but I am still able to pack healthy foods – tuna packets, veggie/turkey balls (recipe coming soon), nuts, fruit, herbal tea, etc.  As long as I am not packing liquids, TSA has no problem with all my food.  I also bring two Tupperware containers which I use throughout the week to pack my lunch.
2. Find a grocery store near the airport or near the hotel and shop. – As soon as I land, I head to the grocery store and stock up on spring mix, spinach, eggs, almond milk, avocados, etc. 
3. Book a hotel with a fridge and microwave - I always make sure the hotels I stay in have a fridge and microwave so I do not have to eat out every night and day.  I can microwave eggs and spinach in the morning, and am able to keep all my groceries nice and fresh.
4. Work out when you have the chance. – Hotel gyms are not always the best for the workouts I want to do.  Sometimes, there will be a Crossfit gym close to where I am staying, and I will do a drop-in.  However, most of the time, the hotel gym is my only option.  So I make sure I work out all the days I am home, so I don’t feel bad if the treadmill in the gym hotel does not work.  Another option is to find another gym and ask if they allow drop-in visitors.  Most due and if you are traveling for work, a lot of companies will reimburse you.
5. Bring your own water bottle – Most of the airports have fountains specifically for your reusable water bottles, or just use an old fashioned water fountain.  I always make sure I have my water bottle full before I board, just in case you have delays and/or the flight attendants are stingy with their water.  It is crucial to stay hydrated…. My water bottle is always by my side.

Snacks in the Hotel

My Hotel Fridge

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal