Everything You Need to Know about Head Cheese
What is head cheese? Head cheese might just be the most misleading name for a food ever. Let me go ahead and tell you that there is no cheese involved. The “head” part of the name rings true, though - the use of that term comes from the fact that a whole pig’s head is used to make this stuff.
What Is Head Cheese?
Traditionally, head cheese is a cold cut that comes from the meat of a pig’s (or sometimes a calf’s) head. Nowadays, when pig’s heads aren’t so easy to come by, pig’s feet are commonly used. This part of the pig houses collagen from the skin, joints, and tendons which lends to ...
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Phytic Acid: Everything You Need To Know
Everything You Need to Know About Phytic Acid
If you’ve followed the Paleo diet for long, you’ve probably heard the term “anti-nutrients” used before. Phytic acid, along with lectin and gluten, is considered one of these anti-nutrients.
What Is Phytic Acid?
Phytic acid can be found in grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It is basically how these different
plants store the mineral phosphorus. The phosphorus is stored in the seed of the plant. Sometimes, the phytic acid can bind to a mineral inside the seed. When this happens, the phytic acid becomes a phytate. You may hear these words used interchangeably.
Plants use phytic acid as a form ...
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What is Inflammation?
What is inflammation, any way?
When you first started learning about your diet, and how it relates to your health and well-being, you probably remember hearing the word “inflammation” a lot.
What does that word really mean?
In the most general sense, inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself. If you’ve ever cut yourself, and noticed how the skin gets red and swollen around the injury, that’s inflammation.
Inflammation in action
When your cells are in danger, they send a signal to your immune system. Your immune system then sends its fighter to that area to battle off any foreign invaders and help begin the healing ...
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Alkaline Water: Everything You Need to Know
Alkaline water - what the heck is it?
I’ll be honest...I’ve heard talk about this stuff. I’ve seen it in the store. But, before diving into the research for this article, I pretty much knew nothing about it. If you’ve found yourself in the same boat, I’d definitely encourage you to keep reading. I’m on a mission to answer all of your questions!
First things first…
What is alkaline water?
You may have to think back to your middle school science class to remember what exactly “alkaline” means. As you probably learned way back then, alkaline means that the pH of a solution is above 7 - which is to say that this solution is more “basic” ...
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Must Watch: Food Documentaries on Netflix
Must Watch Food Documentaries on Netflix
So you’ve watched all the episodes of The Office, Parks and Rec, and you might have binged watched Stranger Things in a weekend.
(Oh, is that just me?)
Either way, if you’re on the hunt for something new to watch, I’ve got you covered. Here are some of my favorite food documentaries on Netflix.
Fed Up
This documentary played a major role in my decision to adopt a Paleo lifestyle. A 2014 documentary narrated by Katie Couric, Fed Up is described as “an examination of America's obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.”
Food Choices
The food we choose to eat ...
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Butter – Cavemen Didn’t Eat It…Should You?
Butter and Paleo - Where Do We Stand?
Can you eat butter on the Paleo diet? Cavemen didn't do that.
I’m going to be honest here - sometimes, the whole “eat as a caveman would…” does more harm than good. I’m not going to go into the specifics as to why that logic is flawed - Google can easily tell you that.
But, while eating as our ancestors did is a good guideline to follow, I think it can divert focus away from our ultimate goal which is eating for HEALTH.
The Big Question
One question that we get often is regarding butter.
Is butter technically Paleo? It is a dairy product, so no it’s not.
Did cavemen eat ...
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Rice: Is it Paleo?
Rice: Is it Paleo?
Is rice Paleo? So you know that grains are a no-go on the Paleo diet. Still have questions about that? Be sure to check out our guide on grains to familiarize yourself of the “why.”
But what about rice? Is that technically a grain? Can you eat rice while following a Paleo diet?
Rice is a grain
First things first. Rice is a grain. Plain and simple.
Again - read all about why grains are excluded on the Paleo diet if you don’t know the reasoning behind it or if you need a refresher.
Ok, now that we have that out of the way, we can get into the more nitty gritty. Even though it is a grain, more and more Paleo ...
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Should You Eat Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil: What's the Deal?
By now, you’ve probably seen the controversy around coconut oil. If you somehow missed it, let me give you a quick rundown of the situation.
If you’ve been in the Paleo world (or basically the general wellness sphere) for any amount of time, you have probably noticed that coconut oil is a favorite oil among health experts.
It has been recommended in cooking, baking, frozen treats, smoothies, for your skin, for your hair, etc. And, as with anything that becomes popular in our society, the memes and parodies followed. For a laugh, here’s a video made by YouTube star JP Sears about the endless uses ...
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IIFYM: The Hot New Diet Trend
IIFYM: The Hot New Diet Trend
Popular among bodybuilders and CrossFit athletes, IIFYM seems to be THE DIET right now. With an emphasis on macronutrient balance, IIFYM followers say that they can achieve optimal athletic performance and body composition goals with this approach.
The field of nutrition is ever-changing. Educating yourself about current diet trends is part of figuring out what approach works best for YOU. Keeping that in mind, let’s dive into the IIFYM approach.
What Does IIFYM Stand For?
IIFYM is an acronym that stands for “If It Fits Your Macros.” It is also referred to as flexible dieting. This approach is built ...
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Ways To Bust The Weight Loss Plateau
The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau
Weight loss plateaus - however common - can be frustrating. For many people who’ve adopted a Paleo diet, it’s a common story. For a while (a few weeks, months even..), the weight sheds immediately and drops at a steady clip. Eventually, though, they get to a point where the scale is no longer budging.
They’ve hit the dreaded weight loss plateau.
I know that this can be frustrating - infuriating maybe. Take a breath. I’m here to tell you that even the most diligent dieters experience this. It’s incredibly normal. In fact, it’s kind of a good sign.
I know, that sounds crazy…but hear me out. As I’m ...
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