Paleo & Poor? Score.

­Reminders

Nutrition 101 Seminar is almost sold out for this weekend. The next Paleo Challenge starts 8/16 and the next seminar won’t be for another couple months, so go here for details and to sign up!

Big Bear CFSB Retreat sign up is still going on. Check out the details and who’s signed up so far here.

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Kala, shirt full of 'borrowed' oranges in Malibu, knows the location of every fruit tree in Redondo Beach and their yield.

Changing your habits is tough. While you’re still learning the common sense of eating the way we evolved to and before you’re reaping the look/feel/perform benefits, it can be a challenging process learning new facts and methods. Plus there’s the differentness factor – some people like doing things differently from the rest of the world, others feel it a burden at first.

Money is often an excuse people give while they’re still learning. Even if you’re living on a shoestring, you are not relegated to Neolithic or packaged foods. It’s true that cheaper calories are the most nutrient poor (packaged foods, dense in low-quality oils, refined sugar, additives), and it’s also true that the most expensive calories are designer ‘health’ or ‘gourmet’ foods that do next to nothing for your health (bars, shakes, juices, ‘fortified’ foods, highly-processed dairy). Eating paleo can be both more nutrient-dense and cheaper than a dollar-menu diet or a designer yogurt and 100-calorie snack pack diet.

When I hear the ‘too expensive’ excuse, I know that it’s actually a matter of figuring out where an individual’s priorities truly are. There are plenty of ‘unnecessary’ items we all could avoid purchasing if those dollars were truly taking the place of dollars for paleo foods. The more likely situation for most of us is that we choose to prioritize our time and dollars for other things. An easy example: eating paleo isn’t too expensive if you’ve got spending money for alcohol, lattes, and sushi (…okay, fine, and lululemon).

It’s possible to eat all of your meals from grass-fed meat, quality fats, and organic vegetables for an average of about $6 per meal using reasonable shopping and cooking methods (even less if you get less conventional). Farmer’s market prices are often cheaper than grocery store prices and now even Farmer’s markets accept food stamps.

Cooking and consulting for some of our CFSB families, and feeding my own, I’m quite familiar with what it costs to cook paleo on the cheap. Cooking for two people for 3 meals/day for 5-7 days (depending on how much you eat) costs on average $120/wk and that’s for grass-fed meat, mostly organic produce, only high quality oils and loads of fresh and dried herbs. That comes out to about $6 per meal. Try getting a *quality* paleo meal for $6 at a restaurant (if you find such a place let me know…).

At a restaurant, foods are usually cooked in oils that which are less expensive (vegetable, canola, soybean), often already oxidized, and are readily oxidized at even low temperatures; meats are likely from CAFO’s and contain high concentrations of omega-6, probably a dose of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides; vegetables are likely conventionally grown, and for dark leafy greens with high surface area, likely also contain a good dose of pesticide.

"It was you that took my Da Morgada gourmet sardines wasn't it!?"

I’ve broken down the main groups of paleo foods and how to save on each.

Quality Fat

Fat rules and getting quality fat should be a top priority of yours.

• Cooking oils. Cooking oils should be oils that have a high smoke point and don’t readily oxidize at or above room temperature. These are animal fats, coconut oil, grape seed oil. I buy coconut oil in bulk from Tropical Traditions by the gallon. I’ll actually be giving away some at the Nutrition Seminar this weekend.
• Non-cooking oils. Sesame, olive, walnut, avocado, truffle – you can find these more reasonably priced at Sprouts.
• Coconut milk. Adding fat to your meals with coconut milk makes anything taste amazing. The highest quality coconut milk I can find is Chakoh brand and it’s cheapest at Fresh & Easy @ $1/14oz can
• Avocados - need I say more? Not on the dirty dozen list, thankfully.
• Nuts you should be eating in smaller quantity than quality oils and fats from grass-fed animal sources because they can quite easily tip the omega-6 scale and be pro-inflammatory in all kinds of unpleasant ways for many. However, you can find them most inexpensive at Sprouts and in a larger variety there than anywhere I’ve seen.

Grass-fed Protein

Whole cuts of meats, fish and eggs should be your protein staples. Especially for fattier cuts of meat (which you should be eating along with a variety of other types), what the animal you’re eating ate becomes important (more here).

• Buy in bulk when grass-fed meats go on sale at Whole Foods
• Farmer’s market – cheaper than WF usually; read some more on this post
• Cowpool – see that sign-up on the board in the gym? Email will go out next week about this.

Organic CHO

Especially for the dirty dozen, for better taste, and reduced pesticide intake, organic CHO matters. Farmer’s Markets offer seasonal produce that’s cheaper than the ‘dirtier’ version in grocery stores. Also, Farmer’s market have the least expensive organic produce you’ll find, usually cheaper than regular grocery stores, and often as inexpensive as conventionally-grown produce.

Herbs

Herbs make eating paleo superior to any SAD meal any day. This can be the most expensive part of your budget if you shop in the wrong place. You can experiment with small amounts of different herbs by shopping at Sprouts where you can buy just a tablespoon or a half-pound of spices (dried). Fresh herbs are far cheaper at farmer’s markets and the best selection you’ll find at the Torrance CFM (see Nutrition> Resources page). Compare — $3 for a bunch of basil at sprouts to a much larger bunch for $1 at the farmer’s market…

Convenience Foods

These are usually the more expensive items and are usually less nutrient dense; for example jerky, Larabars, or those ready-to-eat deals at TJ’s or Whole Foods like high glycemic load prepped tropical fruit which has been sitting for who knows how long.

Here are some DIY convenience foods/recipes that are inexpensive per gram Fat/Pro/CHO:

• Sardines $2.49 for 15g of omega-3 packed protein in ~2T olive oil. Pour over a Tupperware of DLG’s, peel an orange, sprinkle pieces on top with a little pepper. This is a small, wild-caught fish, low/no mercury. Least expensive I’ve found are from Trader Joe’s.
• Sweet potatoes ~$1 for ~60g of pretty nutrient-dense starchy post-workout CHO. This one’s not on the dirty dozen list. Make a large batch for the week (bake 400F until they are oozing and very soft)
• Hard-boiled eggs $0.30-0.75 for 7g Pro + 4g Fat + omega-3’s if you buy them EPA&DHA-fortified. Boil a batch for the week. Though the health department would frown, I have left these unrefrigerated for several hours with no issues.
• Coconut shreds $0.25 for 10-15g of high quality, tasty fat ($2 for for ½ lb (~4c) bag at Sprouts)
• Avocados $0.75 for 10-15g of high-quality fat. Buy from Sprouts on sale in large quantities and rotate them from the fridge to a paper bag as you’re ready to eat. I eat ~1 a day; peel them and enjoy like an apple (avos are also better at keeping the doctor away).

Mariessa eats and therefore baby eats high-quality paleo food... this baby's gonna rock.

Equipment

Check out garage sales, and your local goodwill is full of this stuff, or buy in bulk from Target and split a set with a friend.

• Casserole/baking dish for oven. Common uses: meats, breakfast quiches
• Baking sheets. Common paleo uses: making baked squash, sweet potatoes, bacon, kale chips
• Glassware/plastic to-go ware
• Spatulas
• Slow cooker. Common paleo uses: really fast tasty meals. Pour in meat + broth/coconut milk + herbs, turn ‘on’, come back 6-8hrs later and you have a meal.
• Sharp knives. Makes all the chopping you do eating paleo a lot easier.

Treats

Some relatively low-GL treat ideas:

• TJ’s organic 85% dark chocolate – $1.50 for ~2 oz
• Vanilla paleo macaroons – 2c coconut shreds + 1/4c almond flour + 3 eggs + 2tsp vanilla + 1/2t salt + 1/4c coconut oil – combine, spoon onto greased cookie sheet, bake @ 350 for 14-16min or until golden brown.
• Spicy Dark Chocolate and Walnut Omelet — I haven’t made this yet, but I cannot wait

Workout of the Day 8/4/2010

A. Hang Squat Clean 5-5-5