www.brandisrealfood.com Is LIVE!

 

Phew....when you do things yourself and you get busy, things get VERY delayed! Please accept my apologies for the late publishing of the new site, but it's finally up! This is my "soft" release for you guys who are still checking out this sit on occasion. I will be sending out a newsletter next week to let everyone know it's officially up and what to expect from me over the summer (if you don't get one by Saturday and you want on my  newsletter list, just send me an email at info@brandisrealfood.com I would be happy to add you! You can also sign up on my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Brandisrealfood , look for the "join my list" icon.)

 

So - this website will be taken down by the middle of June, but don't worry,  I will be sure that you get re-directed if you don't have the new site bookmarked yet. I will be adding all of the recipes here to the nes site as well, but if there is one you REALLY need, be sure to cut and paste it as it may not be available soon (more than half are already there!) So, for now, the best way to find the new site is www.brandisrealfood.com , but www.brandimccarthy.com will point there in a couple of weeks too!

 

So....what are you waiting for?? Click here and check it out!

 

-B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year everyone! I have to say....I'm pretty excited for 2012. I have a bunch of seminars booked, I have lots of cookbook ideas (yup....I'm writing a cookbook) and I've set some personal fitness goals for myself to achieve, I'm generally feeling pretty good about the future.  Lots more on that later.... right now I want to talk about food.

 

Yup, food. If there was ONE question that I get all of the time it would be "what should I eat?". granted, that's a huge question! What people are generally asking is "what does a typical week of food look like" and "how do I keep it interesting" and "how do I fit this into my life"....etc. I'm a creative type. I LOVE food, I like to cook, I like to try out new things but I also have several staple foods that I really rely on. I realize that not everyone is like me, sometimes you just want someone to say "hey, eat this!". Thats' where I come in.

 

Here's my BIG commitment to you! I am going to post EVERYTHING I eat for all of January (starting today - the 2nd, because jan 1 is clearly still a holiday -lol!). I'm not saying "you should eat this" by any means, all I want to do is give you a glimpse into the food life of a Primal Eating chick. Who knows, maybe something I eat will inspire you? Maybe you will find a bunch of new idea's that help you keep on track. Maybe it will answer the burning question I get from people who think I'm nuts "No grains, legumes or dairy?? What the heck DO you eat??" Really, all I want to do is help you figure out how to eat health REAL Food for yourself and I figure this is the absolute best way that I can reach lots of people!

 

I have tried to figure out the best way for me to do this and I have landed on Facebook. If you don't have a Facebook account, don't worry I will be putting it in a PDF format and posting it as a downloadable option as well, but for speed and ease, Facebook is the way to go for a daily update.  While you're checking it out, "like" my page as well, that way you will always know when I have posted yummy new recipes and meal ideas! Also, feel free to leave comments and questions - I love that! You would be surprised at how knowledgeable (and gourmet!) some of the followers are already, you will likely get lots of idea's from each other, not just me.

 

I will be sure to post here regularly as well. Tips, tricks, staples in my house, food I am never without, motivation when you need it most.....all that good stuff!

 

Last thing....I am currently working on moving content over to a new web hosting site that will allow a bit more interactivity and creativity. I hope to have it all set up by the end of January, but no promises yet. I will keep you posted for sure!

 

Happy New Year everyone.....now go check out the Facebook page for todays yumminess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If this is so great for me, why do I feel so crappy?
When making a dietary change of any kind, you can certainly encounter some "bumps" along the way. A common bump for a lot of people are digestive issues; either constipation, diarrhea or simply just not feeling like foods are digesting well. I find this is only common in a small percentage of people when they are making a dietary switch and it has a TON to do with your individual digestive system (every body is different). We all know those people who can eat whatever they want with no consequences right? We all really loathe those people right? Yeah, this post isn't for those people, lol! 

 

If you have decided that trying out a grain, dairy and legume free diet is for you but are still in the first couple of weeks of change and are having some tummy troubles, read on, I may be able to shed some light on your problem. Here's a step by step "digestive troubleshooting" list of what may be happening and where you might be going a little astray....

Grains - the super irritant works both ways.
So, as you have learned, grains have a whole bunch of irritating properties for the gut (gluten is a huge gut irritant for most people). When you suddenly take them out of your diet after likely eating them for years, a few things may happen.

1) You get the runs. When you eat inflammatory grains, your intestines may not absorb nutrients as well as they could (inflammation reduces absorption) so the intestines slow the transit of food to absorb as much as possible to get the most nutrients out of the foods you are eating. This "slowing" can result in constipation. When you take out the irritants (grains), you improve absorption and seriously speed up transit time - yup, that means the runs for some people! It can take a bit for the body to "re-adjust" and slow down again. If this is your issue be careful with the next few possible errors listed below; absorption is important!

2)You're constipated. Because grains are so irritating to the intestinal lining, they could be the one thing that has really kept your bowels moving up until now. (This is more common than #1, if the runs are your issue it's likely one of the next few causes) When your intestines are constantly irritated, nutrients may not get absorbed properly and things move right on through. This can be mistaken for being "just fine", when in reality you are likely actually constipated, your bowels just appear to be moving normal because you are bugging the heck out of them. Suddenly you take out the offending food and everything stops. Ughh, constipation. Again, it's going to take a bit for the intestines to adjust. A great fix for this issue is a tablespoon or so of aloe vera liquid a day....it can really help (google it if ya like)! Fish oil supplementation can help too. And no, it's not because you aren't getting enough fibre! If you are eating lots of veggies and fruit I can guarantee you are getting enough fibre! Speaking of veggies and fruit.....

Wow, I've never eaten this many Veggies!!
Good for you, you have found a love for vegetables, that's great.....most of the time. But what if you weren't a big veggie eater before and now they are an every meal staple? You guessed it, gas, bloating, the runs......not fun. Guys, veggies have lots of fibre, fibre is tough to digest. If you don't have a cast iron stomach, suddenly introducing a bunch of veggies into your diet (especially raw!!) could cause a bit of stomach distress. If you think this is your issue, cook your veggies to improve digestion and keep a food journal to see which ones may be the most offending. For the majority of the population, the cruciferous veggies (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts...) are the hardest to digest. I know it sounds crazy, but cutting back on your veggies (just at first!) to ease the transition may not be such a bad idea if they are really bothering you.

I've made Fat my Friend!
Woo-hoo! You have finally embraced some good healthy fat and your body is thanking you.....or your body can't figure out what to do with it yet and is sending it straight through you!! This is THE most common cause of loose stools in people making the switch to paleo. Our body is pretty self regulating, it knows how much fat you eat on a regular basis and the liver makes enough bile to digest it. If you start eating way more than usual, it may take your body a bit to catch up. Some people do really well on more fat right away, some take a bit longer to adjust to it. If you are loving the avocado's, coconut, fattier meats (grass fed right??) and nuts, your body might need some time to adjust! Back off of the fat just a bit and see if that alleviates the "runs". If this is the case, you may want to think about a digestive enzyme to ease the transition.

Mmmmm, coffee.
Who among us doesn't love a good cup of coffee? I know I do, and many of you have found the joys of drinking coffee black (I always have, so I can't really empathize with you guys making the switch...). But how much are you loving your coffee?? When we make changes to our diet and get rid of some of our "creature comforts" we tend to cling like a baby to a blanket to the few "treats" we have left, and for many of us, that's coffee. If you have increased your coffee drinking from a cup or two a day to three or four a day....no wonder you're having digestive troubles!! Caffeine is a laxative and diuretic, too much is not a good thing. I have found that coffee, over anything else, is often the BIGGEST cause of digestion issues. If you are using caffeine as a crutch, dial it back, your tummy will thank you.

Nuts about nuts??
I like nuts too, but too many nuts are not a good thing. Think about how you would get nuts in nature; find them, pick them, shell them.....that's a lot of work! We aren't built to eat nuts by the boat load! Nuts actually have a fair number of lectins and phytates just like grains do and can be fairly irritating to the gut. And did I mention that they tend to have a laxative effect on people.....AND can cause gas and bloating....AND are fairly hard to digest?? Listen, an ounce here and there delivers TONS of goodness, but if you are using them in everything you may be getting more than you bargained for (nut butter addicts and almond flour bakers, I'm talking to you here). Most nuts are very high in Omega 6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory (remember inflammation in the gut is bad). Ditching the grains and grain oils is a great way to minimize the amount of Omega 6 you get, but if you are non-stop noshing on nuts you're taking a step backwards. Try and avoid making too many recipes with nut flour (paleo muffins anyone??), consider them a treat not a staple, keep your raw nut servings to an ounce or two a few times a week and if you have become addicted to nut butter, dial it back dude!!

I'm eating at weird times.
Perhaps making this diet  and lifestyle change you finally started having breakfast, maybe you aren't snacking as much, maybe dinner is lighter than usual but your post workout meal is big. All of these things affect digestion. Not necessarily negatively, but it still may be a bit of an adjustment. If your whole schedule has suddenly changed, your system may need a bit of time to adjust. All of the shift workers out there know exactly what I am talking about. When you start working shifts, your schedule constantly changes and you may not be able to rely on your usual meal times, bowel movement times and sleep schedule....this can wreak havoc on digestion. If you are having issues, do your best to stick with a fairly controlled schedule and your body will follow.

 

Perhaps this troubleshooting guide isn't as comprehensive as it could be, but I hope it helps you spot some area's that you may be going wrong. Until next time, happy digesting!

-B