Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork

I know I promised but I have been asked by several people about healthier choices at mealtimes. In addition to dropping grains, I also have dropped legumes- they contain some of the same inflammatory toxins that grain do. That means no beans, peanuts and peas. I also dropped processed vegetable oils because I feel they are a leading cause of heart disease.  I have also reduced processed food of all types and reduced my dairy intake in general. Below are a few nutritious substitutions for common craving.

General Rule of Thumb at Dinner: Replace your starch/carbohydrate with a large salad

Bottled Salad Dressing = Olive Oil and Vinegar/Lemon Juice

Spaghetti = Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Egg Noodles = Zucchini shaved with a vegetable peeler and steamed

Peanut Butter = Almond Butter

Rice = Steamed and Grated Cauliflower

Hash browns = Grated and Fried Jicama

Mashed Potatoes = Mashed Cauliflower or Sweet Potato or Parsnips

Ice Cream = Fresh Berries topped with Heavy Cream

Brown Rice = Quinoa (it's not actually a grain but a protein rich seed)

French Fries = Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Milk = Go for quality over quantity; full fat milk but just drink it sparingly

Cheese = Same rule as milk; go for hard, aged cheese with a strong flavor and go easy with it.

Breakfast Cereal =  Go for some scrambled eggs or omelet instead.

Tortillas = Use large lettuce leaves for wrapping

The American Heart Association Killed My Grandfather

I ask you to ponder this. Why is it that after several hundred thousand years of evolution are humans only recently plagued with an epidemic obesity, heart disease, compromised immune systems and cancer? I am not saying that these maladies were completely unknown to mankind, only that they seem prevalent now. Does it not seem we are de-evolving?
  Why do people have trouble loosing weight and keeping it off, even with a healthy diet and lots of exercise? Many blame genetics, stating that some people are just destined to be fat. Why then do we not see this trend in the fossil record? Wouldn't saber tooth cats have picked off all the chubby humans that can't run fast enough and therefore keep the 'fat' gene from being passes on?
  My wife brought to my attention a compelling theory (She is smart as well as pretty). Several thousand years ago mankind began growing and consuming grains and consequently became, in general, shorter and fatter.
  Several months ago I decided to plan some long distance backpacking this coming summer. This necessitated my dropping weight and conditioning my body for the exertion. My wife suggested eliminating grains from my diet and once I did it made quite a difference. My energy has skyrocketed, I am effortlessly loosing weight (40 pounds and 7 inches so far) my muscles are harder and I feel stronger. I sleep better, my blood pressure is dropping and I haven't got sick yet this winter.
  It is not my intention to turn this blog into another of the thousands of diet blogs out there. I just wish to state than future posts are unlikely to contain grains in them. I eat fatty meats, tons of vegetables, some fruit and I feel great!
 I just thought you had a right to know and I swear I will not let my weirdo diet change affect the quality of the recipes henceforth.