Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie

The Great Pumpkin
Pumpkin on Steroids

Hi, Your Fit Day Friends!

How was your Halloween? Well, mine was great, and it really got me into the pumpkin spirit. Everywhere I go there’s a pumpkin staring me in the eyes. And now at my local food market, The Berkeley Bowl, there are a gazillion bins of pumpkins and gourds, all different sizes and shapes. My favorite is still the Japanese pumpkin, which is also called Kabocha squash. It’s my favorite because if you pick them just right the flesh is usually very creamy and dense when baked, almost like the flesh of a sweet potato. Now’s actually the best time of year to eat them; and up until about March, from my over 20 year experience of noshing.

And the bonus is that pumpkins, along with all the Vitamin A and fiber, have less starch than other winter squashes and sweet potatoes which makes them great for baking into treats, adding a nice texture without all the extra carbs.  And it’s all about eating less carbs, right?  So no wonder I love it. But a starch is still a starch so I watch how much I’m eating. In fact if I eat too much Kabocha I practically light up at night, my skin becomes such a glow from all the vitamin A!

And what about all those cute little pumpkins. The baby pumpkins.

Pumpkin minis
Baby Pumpkins are too cute to eat!

What do you do with them? I’m assuming they’re for decoration. I’ve never bought one because I tend not to buy food as decoration. I don’t see the point. OK! call me frugal, but I’d rather eat my food, not stare at it! Wouldn’t you?  Bottom line…more money for more food. That’s more recipes for you!

So, back to Halloween… I decided to buy a pumpkin, even though I live in an apartment, on the second floor, with no balcony or stoop to put it on.  It’s just a small 1920’s style house with five small units that, wow, come to think about it, looks like a gingerbread house! The guy living downstairs is lucky; he has a front porch and nice bay windows that would look swell with a scary glowing pumpkin in the window. But a pumpkin on the porch in this city neighborhood wouldn’t last long anyway.

So, instead of buying and carving up Jack-O, I decided to get creative in the kitchen and roast his cousin, Sugar, and make some Paleo pumpkin pie for my friends. However, since I’m on the Carbnite Solution plan I needed my pie to be low carb, as well as sugar free, grain free, dairy free and gluten free for my Ultra Low Carb days (more about that later). OMG! You’re probably saying aloud ,’will this taste much better than cardboard?’ You betcha. Because I made it with the wholesome goodness of coconut milk, fresh pumpkin, eggs, some stevia and spices, and a lot of love! And the crust was a savory mix of nuts, nut flours, and virgin coconut oil. No kidding, that’s it. A low carb pumpkin pie. Ahhh! And wait til  you taste it.

Since this was my first pumpkin pie you’d think that I’d be a bit weary of giving most of it away to my friends as taste testers. But I did. And despite having no sugar or dairy in it they all thought it was yummy. And that’s a good thing. Because nobody wants to be ‘defriended’!  One friend even said it reminded her of cheesecake…it was that creamy.

And guess what? I’ve been inspired to start a separate recipe blog. I can’t reveal the details just yet. It’s super secret! But in a couple weeks I’ll have a new website up devoted to gluten free Paleo, low carb, sugar free, grain free and mostly dairy free treats. But since Wo-man can’t live on treats alone (I know, that sucks!) I do plan having other edibles that will be pleasing to your palette while nurturing your soul with good nutrition.

And if you’re in the Oakland, CA area and want to try some of my treats drop me an email at debkaplan@sbcglobal.net, Facebook me, or Tweet me. The plan is to make some goodies each week, and I’m looking for taste testers…

Sorry about the weird box below. I’m using a new format and it’s it’s not formatting correctly. I didn’t know how to fix it without losing my recipe.

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie

 

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie
 
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 16 Calories: 194 Fat: 18 Carbohydrates: 6 Sodium: 59 Fiber: 2.4 Protein: 6

Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Debby Kaplan
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
This is a rich and creamy dairy, gluten, sugar and grain free pumpkin pie that is perfect for an Ultra Low Carb meal plan. It is also Carb Backloadingâ„¢ and CarbNite Solutionâ„¢ friendly. I don’t like the taste of canned pumpkin so I try to use fresh pumpkin for most of my recipes. NOTE: Recipe makes approx. 5 cups of batter. I used 4 cups and the nutritional information is based on 4 cups, not 5.

Ingredients
  • Pie Batter
  • 2 cups roasted sugar pumpkin. One small sugar pumpkin will usually yield 2 cups roasted pumpkin (1 15oz canned pumpkin if you really have to!)
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 1 can full fat organic coconut milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp vanilla cream stevia
  • 1/4 cup whey protein powder
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg

 

  • Pie Crust
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour finely ground
  • 1/2 cup hazelnut flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
  • 2 Tbsp virgin coconut oil melted
  • Lots of Love!
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Roast Pumpkin
Pie Crust
  1. In a blender add all pie crust ingredients.
  2. Grind until nuts are fine meal. Be careful as to not allow nuts to start forming butter.
  3. Continue to pulse until mixture forms a crumbly meal and comes together when pinched. Make sure you don’t grind too much so it turns into nut butter! Stop to scrape down sides as needed.
  4. Scrape out into mound in center of pie pan or dish
  5. Starting from middle work the pie crust out and up sides of pie tin. This part of pie making reminds me of hand building a bowl or plate out of clay. Allow for thicker crust up the sides. Bottom can be thinner.
  6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until it just starts to brown. Do not over bake!
  7. Remove and let completely cool before filling
  8. Pie crust can be made day ahead and stored in refrigerator
  9. While crust is baking make the pie filling
  10. Remember to turn up oven to 400 after pie crust is removed from oven
Pie Filling
  1. In a blender or food processor add pumpkin, eggs, spices. Blend until combined. Slowly add coconut milk and continue blending until combined. Recipe makes 5 cups of batter. My pie crust held about 4 cups. I used the rest of the batter in my Pumpkin Pie Tartlets (Will be posted shortly)
  2. Pour into (cooled) pie crust.
  3. Do not over fill
  4. Cover crust with foil or pie crust cover
  5. You may have extra batter, which you can use to make my Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts, which will be in my next post. I know, I’m such a tease.
  6. Place pan on lower third of oven
  7. Bake for 10 minutes at 400
  8. Lower temperature to 350
  9. Bake for additional 40-50 minutes or until center is firm and doesn’t jiggle when you shake the rack it’s sitting on. The edges may be brown. Since it’s a custard you don’t want to over bake it, and the knife in the center trick doesn’t apply here. Go by touch!
  10. It’s smelling really good right now!
 
Notes

This is my first time using this recipe plugin. I really wanted the picture of my pumpkin pie in the box above but it won’t let me change it. So you’re stuck with the big fat pumpkin on steriods. Looks like I’ll be upgrading my plugin version!

Paleo Pie Crust
This is basically a big nut cookie!

 

It tastes as good as it glows!

 

Low Carb Paleo Pumpkin Pie

 

Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DebbyK’s Creamy Coconut Butter

Hey Your Fit Day Friends!

Do you cling to smells from childhood that make you feel good? I do. I’ve always loved the smells of vanilla, mint, and cocoa. So much so that as I got older they just became my go-t0 scents. For instance, as a child my favorite ice cream was mint chocolate chip. And then when I got older and ditched the ice cream I started chewing Extra™  Peppermint gum.  It was the only gum I would chew, and I’m still chewing. I’m addicted. It’s that sweet mint-vanilla-y flavor that I can’t live without.

And around the same time, I started wearing Palmersâ„¢ cocoa butter, as well as vanilla scented oils.

Put the three together and I was a like a walking piece of Good and Plentyâ„¢ candy wrapped up in a cinnamon bun! Mmmm!

Good and Plenty Candy
Five Cents was all it cost for an aphrodisiac!

Then I started noticing how I was attracting people like flies on a strips because of how I smelled. Random guys in the gym would say I smelled sweet, like a mint chip cookie, cinnamon muffins, or peppermint candies.

And one time I was in the huge shoe department at Macy’s, in San Francisco, where the same sort of thing happened. Two women strolled by me and stopped at the same display I was perusing. And as soon as they were right next to me one of them said to her friend “hey, I smell chocolate chip cookies baking, let’s go to where they are and get us some”. Hmmm, I couldn’t smell any chocolate chip cookies baking, and neither could my girlfriend. So I looked over at them and said “I’m sorry, but I think your chocolate chip cookie is me!”. Well, apparently I wasn’t quite the chip they were looking for and off they left, in a huff, determined to find their cookie.

Here’s what I’m talking about

What’s your reaction when you open up a jar of vanilla beans and taken a whiff? Or how about when you walk into a home and smell a cake baking, or even better, when you open up the door and take a whiff straight from the oven.   Drives you crazy, right? Well, it makes me feel like I just want to bake a batch of mom’s chocolate chip cookies, brownies or some pumpkin pie right this minute.  Wanna know why? Well, smells bring back memories. It’s true. And it gets better. It turns out certain smells stimulate sexual arousal in us.  I mean, the title of this book says it all…  Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal . I haven’t read it yet, but I just ordered it from Amazon. And I’ll be sure to have a cup of vanilla tea in hand when I read it. And I’m hoping that I can get back to you with rave reviews too, if you get what I mean! (Please note that I make a small commission on the sale of this book).

According to Dr. Alan Hirsch, the neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, men are attracted to olfactory memories and of smells like licorice and doughnuts, pumpkin pie with doughnuts, cinnamon buns, buttered popcorn, and the list of sweetness goes on.

Cinnabon
I bet this Cinnabonâ„¢makes you feel sexy!

So mom was right: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, one Cinnabonâ„¢at a time!

Women aren’t too different:

  • Good & Plenty candy combined with cucumber (Loved them both as kid, ate them separately, but if it helps I will consider eating cucumber as I chew my peppermint gum)
  • Good & Plenty candy with banana bread (OMG! who doesn’t love the smell of banana bread) Are you feeling it yet?

 

  • Pumpkin pie, coffee, vanilla, and grilled meats also kindle the fire, so to speak. Well that makes perfect sense to me! ( I get ravenously primal when I smell grilled meat; and feel all nostalgic and cuddly around the smells of baking cookies, cakes, coffee and vanilla) Taking notes?

Well, I guarantee that a fresh, warm, buttery batch of DebbyK’s coconut butter will have the same effect.

So, blend up this buttery brew, take a whiff and let it be your viagra. You may just find yourself carrying around a jar in your pocket!

As promised here is my recipe for how to make coconut butter.

Coconut Butter
Coconut Butter is my Drug!

DebbyK’s Creamy Coconut Butter

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Servings: 32

Serving size: 1 Tablespoon

Gather:  6-8 cups Dried shredded coconut

Vanilla (optional,  but suggested if you want to attract a mate)

What you need: Measuring cup, high speed blender, spatula

Steps:

  1. Gather your shredded coconut and a measuring cup

    Organic Coconut
    Shredded Coconut on my homemade sushi platter
  2. Put 3 cups of coconut into a high speed blender. I use an old Osterizer.
  3. Start blending on a low speed, and using a knife keep pushing the coconut down into the middle. Within a few seconds the coconut will start to fly around.
  4. Immediately add another cup while continuing to scrap down the sides into the middle and increase the speed to HIGH or if you have many setting, 1 or 2 below the highest. It should combine rather quickly. If not be patient. All dried coconut has different moisture content, and is aged differently, and some combine faster than others.
  5. Organic Coconut ButterWhen the coconut starts getting creamy add another cup, 1/2 cup at a time while continuing to scrape sides down with the knife, and pushing it towards the middle.
  6. As you continue to add the coconut the butter will become thick and you will think that it will never get smooth and creamy. But be patient. (See picture, Step 6, left)
  7. Coconut Butter
    This is the point where it starts to get more creamy. This is good enough to eat NOW!

    At this point I like to wait til the butter gets very creamy until adding additional coconut. Then continue to add 1 cup at a time, adding slowly so the coconut is incorporated. It should look like this (See picture Step 7, left)

  8. I use 6-8 cups of shredded coconut to make 16-20oz’s of butter.
  9. Once you have 2 to 2 1/2 cup of butter in your blender you can add vanilla to taste if you want, do a quick blend, and you’re ready to jar it up.

    Coconut Butter
    Creamy goodness!
  10. Well, that’s it! Now you are ready to eat your coconut butter!  But if you’re like me it’s already half gone…Enjoy!
  11. And if you’re just too darn lazy tired to do it yourself then I’d be happy to make you a couple jars. Just email me at debkaplan@sbcglobal.net

 

 

Here’s a short video of Step 3

Notes:

  • The blender may get hot. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You can turn off the blender and rest it for a few minutes if you want.
  • If the blender gets too hot it can burn the coconut butter. You’ll know this if it starts to turn brown.
  • After pouring all the goodness into your jars you’ll be left with residual on the sides and bottom. Don’t let that go to waste. Scrape all of it down to the bottom and then take 1/3 cup of HOT water and pour it in. Put the blender back on the base and blend high speed til frothy. Pour  ‘milk’ into a mug and heat it up with a sprinkle of cinnamon drop of liquid stevia or splenda if you use it.
  • And there you have it…more liquid goodness to start or end your day…!
  • OH! Forgot…You don’t have to refrigerate the coconut butter. It has anti fungal properties and will keep for quite some time on the shelf, if it even lasts that long, which I bet it won’t. If you want to feel safe then you can also freeze it too. It hardens at below 70 degrees F.
  • To get your butter silky and smooth again, just put the jar in a pan of water, best in a double boiler, on low heat and it will melt. Stir occasionally.  Watch it so it doesn’t burn. If you forget about it and it turns a golden brown don’t worry, it’s still yummy!

    Coconut Butter
    Don’t forget that gooey goodness at the bottom of the blender

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size (15 g or 1 Tablespoon)

Servings Per Recipe 32

Calories 120

Calories from Fat 90 (75%)

Total Fat 10 g

Saturated Fat 9.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 0 g

Sodium 4 mg

Potassium 0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 4 g

Dietary Fiber 0 g

Sugars g

Protein 1 g

So, there you have it. My liquid gold which I refer to as Coconut Crack!

Enjoy, and and make it Your Fit Day with DebbyK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Healing Benefits of Coconut Butter

Coconut Butter
“Oil that is, coconut oi, liquid gold”

Hey Your Fit Day Friends!

You’re probably asking ”Hey, hey, where’s  DebbyK ?” Well, if you’re  getting my newsletters then your in the know.

What? Not subscribed? What the…? Get your crazy self over to my sidebar and click on that link so I can bug you with my my fitness and fat loss tips, and coming to you soon, my yummy recipes.

Kay now!… that’s settled…and thanks for subscribing.

So, here’s the four one one on why I’ve been out of touch with my fitness blogging and updates: For those of you who just recently subscribed I’ve had 2 major surgeries in the past year. For the first one I traveled far far away to the beautiful land of India for my hip resurfacing surgery, where they put a shiny new cobalt ball in my hip. That was last October.  The 4th to be exact. It’s been a year already, OMG!

Well, thank god I’m not in pain anymore. But I’ll tell you it’s been a big freakin deal trying to get my body feeling normal again. And after a year I”m not nearly as in shape as I was. But that’s because when I got back I had to have another freakin surgery.  It’s like I’m under construction from the bottom up. Now I know how Michelangelo felt painting the Sistine Chapel.  It’s that painstakingly slow to rehab. So don’t sweat it if you have a bad day with your program. It’s all cumulative. Just keep pluggin’ away. K?

So, first surgery’s down, and then seven months later I had to go under the knife again for shoulder surgery. That’s only five months ago. Have you had shoulder surgery? Well, don’t. It was a BIGGER pain in the A#$ than the first one!  Don’t ever get it. Because it feels like somebody’s pounding and drilling into your shoulder with a hammer, incessantly, minute after minute for at least six weeks. Not that I’ve ever had that happen to me, but if I did…hmmm…actually, come to think of it…well, you get the point.  OK! I know…not much of an excuse for not blogging.

But don’t worry, while I was gone I was thinking all about you and what would make you feel warm and fuzzy. And considering my condition ( since it’s really hard for me to do fitness videos for you like I promised-and I’m really sorry for not having kept my word- even if I were to make workout videos, seriously, if you did some of the exercises like how I’m doing them now you’d be exercising like a one winged flamingo) I thought it would be in your best interest to wait a bit longer for the kick butt workout videos. So instead, I’m going to make you some yummy stuff to eat.

Well, not actually make you dinner and desert, as in you coming over to my place and having tea and all…

Rather,  put many of my yummy healing treats and foods that have helped me keep this body happy, healthy, fit (considering) and lean for the past 30 years – not to mention during my surgeries – here on my blog. No Reservations Required!

Yummy stuff… like savory meals, and gluten free sweets, muffins, pies, cakes and butters.

Yup, you read that right….

And because I’ve been getting so many requests for DebbyK’s Coconut Butter recipes (I have many yummy flavors)  I’ve decided to share one of my addictions basic recipes with you.  My liquid gold.

Why Butter? Why Not Butter! Yum…

So while I was recovering after my shoulder surgery I began to research more about healing through nature and how our hormones play a big role in regulating our recovery. I knew that good fats, such as Omega 3’s, are vital in our body’s defense against aging and inflammation.  But just as important as Omega 3’s are saturated fats. If I wanted to give my body the best chance at a strong recovery I would need more FAT.

… Actually, more saturated fats.

Wait, I know what you’re thinking, that fat’s not good for you, and it will make you..well… fat. Or drop dead. Or both. Especially saturated fat. I’ll die of a heart attack THIS SECOND, right?!

Now that’s ridiculous. I mean our paleolithic friends ate tons of fat… in meat, nuts and seeds. And they weren’t fat.  But of course they weren’t sitting at their computers all day checking Facebook, reading blogs and munching on chips (Put those down and keep reading).

Well, that’s another blog altogether. In the meantime a good place to learn about fats, healing, and optimal health through diet is over at  Robb Wolf’s website where you can also read up on why we need more of these good fats in our diets. And while you’re there make sure to read up on the the ‘Paleo Lifestyle’.

OkeeDoKee! Back to the fats. Fats such as coconut oil, red palm oil, grass fed butter and ghee, and coconut butter-a saturated fat- are all really good for you and should be the bulk of the fats and oils you use when cooking.

So you’re probably wondering what this here coconut butter has to do with my yummy healthy recipes that I’m putting together for you. Well for one, it’s become my go-to staple fat for much of my baking. And snacking…I don’t lie.

But coconut butter is so delicious that I don’t only use it for most of my general cooking like I’d use butter, plain virgin coconut oil and red palm oil for stuff like stir fry, soups, etc. That would be like melting gold to make one nail and then  pounding it somewhere into the frame of your house.  You don’t get the real beauty of it. A waste. No Can Do.

Nope.. I eat it by the spoonful…straight from the jar. I want the full sensation of this liquid gold.

Coconut butter
This doesn’t last long in my house!

But the best is when I warm it up in a double boiler before I dip my spoon into the jar, and wait til it becomes really smooth and silky. And then, as my lips wrap around the spoon and the fat molecules explode in a crescendo of gooey goodness on my tongue, it warms my senses and brings back memories of sticking my fingers into Mom’s gigantic blue-ringed ceramic mixing bowl filled with cake batter…which makes me dip my spoon in for more.

Come to think of it maybe I am an addict.

Oh, I digress…when you make my recipe, coming up in my next blog post, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It really is like eating cake batter or vanilla frosting or even cookie dough. And there are endless other ways to melt into a blissful state while eating this treat: like putting a dollop in tea or coffee; dipping with fruit; or icing cookies, cakes and pies. OH MY!

And not only does it taste good it has many healthy and healing qualities.

Ninja of Oils

Coconut oil is the ninja of oils. Aside from tasting like heaven,  check out this laundry list of it’s super duper qualities:

Weight Loss:

Coconut oil is an MCT (medium chain triglyceride). Instead of storing it as fat you burn it as energy. It’s like eating a piece of candy that won’t stick to your thighs. How’s that for liquid gold?  It’s a super-food which will make you feel energized after eating it. So don’t be surprised if you start running sprints up and down your office hallways.

Coconut oil stimulates your metabolism, so it helps with energy levels and may help you to burn more calories each day.

Coconut oil, and it side kick the creamy butter, is a key nutrient that has helped many of my clients, including myself, to lose body fat while using the Carb Backloading  and/or The Carb Nite Solution: The Physicist’s Guide to Power Dieting (Please not that I will receive a small commission from the sales of these books).

Boost Your Immunity:

Coconut oil has been shown to boost your immunity as well as kill harmful bacteria and viruses. Flu seasons coming, so stock up!

Coconut oil has been shown to kill the Candida Albicans yeast with it’s anti fungal properties.

Healthy Skin:

Coconut oil boosts moisture and elasticity in your skin. I would even consider that an anti aging remedy. Now I’m definitely down for stocking up!

Heart Health:

Coconut oil has been shown to reduce cholesterol and heart disease.

So, Eat Up America! This is one saturated fat you don’t want to miss out on.

Click HERE to get the recipe to my Liquid Gold Creamy Coconut Butter

Enjoy, and and make it Your Fit Day with DebbyK!

 

Holiday Tips to Attack The Fat

HI Fitness Fans,

Yes, You Can
Yes, You Can!

I’ve been getting a bunch of emails lately asking what to do over the Holidays to stay on track with diet and exercise and how NOT to gain weight. You’re probably wondering what can possibly be done from now until Jan 1st to help fight the battle of the bulge that is about to take place.

A LOT…. But Start NOW! And then keep going….

Here are my tips and resources that will help you stay on track over Thanksgiving weekend, and the holidays, and may actually help you burn the fat while eating your apple pie:

DO THE ZIG ZAG

What? Some  kind of new workout move? Not really. It’s more like a shuffle…of your calories.

Back when I was bodybuilding, and counting calories, it was common to cycle the amount of carbs and calories we would eat during the week, eating a few days of calories below our baseline metabolic rate, and then a ‘cheat’ day way above, and then back to our baseline.  As the contest got closer and we needed to make weight class the baseline would be lowered, but always fluctuating the daily calories with highs and lows on different days of the week, to balance out the total calories for that week.

Some days would be base metabolic rate, while others would dip 300-500 below or 300-500 above that rate over the course of 5-7 days. The overall weekly caloric intake would average out to what our goal base metabolic rate was determined to be in order to lose body fat while maintaining lean muscle -  and get those ripped abs.

Deb's Abs
Holiday Abs_Elton Lobos Photography

The great thing was there was always one big’cheat’ day where we could eat anything we wanted. For me it was like Thanksgiving day, but of Pancakes…a lot of pancakes!

Although our diets were precisely manipulated during competitions, the same principal can be used around the holiday season. I mean, what’s the first thing on most of our minds for the next 6 weeks? OK, besides the holiday gifts! You guessed it……..Not gaining weight during the Holidays, right?

HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO

Zig Zag , or Calorie Cycling, is similar.

In a nutshell: Since our bodies are meant to survive famine and hold on to fat when it thinks it is is starving – like when we diet – it will also lower it’s metabolism. And if your metabolism slows down then your body will not burn fat for fuel, but rather store it instead. (Note: Future blog…make sure to check back soon).

Hey! Isn’t that the exact opposite of what we want?

Yes, my friend it is. But here’s the concept…

FEAST WITHOUT THE FAMINE

With Zig Zag, or what’s called calorie cycling, the theory is that your body never has a chance to store the extra calories as fat if you cycle your calories. Some days are higher and some are lower, but all adding up to meet your target caloric intake for that week. You are tricking your body into thinking it’s not dieting, so there is less chance of holding on to fat. This is not the case if you lower your calories for too long a period and maintain them at that low number while also continuing a weight/fat loss program . (Hmmm!  Make Note: Another follow up blog, so check back soon).

There is very little research done on this and it is all very much anecdotal in evidence but I can swear from my own experience and that of many of my client’s, including Paul Piotrowski, (who was on it for a short period and did see some results), that cycling calories, if done correctly, will trick your metabolism into a fat burning machine. And psychologically, I think it’s easier to stick to a diet when there is a ‘cheat’ day.

IF You Could Have It All

According to my friend Mike O’Donnell,, over at The IF Life, you can.   It’s called Intermittent Fasting. He even wrote a book on it. Basically you’re eating less around the days you are partaking in pumpkin and cream pies.

Choclolate Cream Pie
Eat this and lose fat?

Here’s what Mike, over at IF says:

So if you know a party is coming up, eat a little less the day before(focus more on low calorie foods like leaner proteins, fruits and vegetables) and the day after so you do not have a calorie surplus over the long run! Eat less meals to get there, such as 2 meals. This is the simple strategy that you can also apply to your year-round lifestyle. Using intermittent days to eat less and and still enjoy foods you like while losing weight.

And, of course, the trick for the long term with any meal plan is to stay on track with Real Whole Foods.

YOU REALLY ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Counting calories is not for everyone. You have to be quite dedicated on a plan like this. But even if you don’t stick to a program such as this one it’s a great place to start.  Now is a good time to get to know the true amount of what’s going down your gullet daily.

Do you really think you eat at your baseline metabolic rate to maintain your current weight?

Have you ever wondered why you are not losing weight? Or are you losing weight but your body has turned all squishy?

Have you noticed you now are 2 pants sizes larger?

Is this YOU?

Did you know that research has shown that most people eat 25% more than what they think is their baseline. So that can add up week after week, year after year, especially over the holidays if you don’t balance it out.

So fear not my friends.  With some careful planning and some useful online tools you can still eat your treats for the holiday while warding off the unwanted weight and trick out your metabolism to make your body look and feel sweet.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

Let’s use me as an example. I weigh 124 lbs and I’m 5’6″. Using this online calculator we come up with these numbers  in the chart below. Keep in mind that I am choosing to maintain my current weight. As you can see from the table below on Wednesday I would be able to eat 2506 calories; over 500 calories more from my target base of 2088. YUM! YUM!

Ex Fat Loss Fat Loss Maintain
Monday 1253 1671 2088
Tuesday 1003 1337 1671
Wednesday 1504 2005 2506
Thursday 1253 1671 2088
Friday 1128 1504 1880
Saturday 1379 1838 2297
Sunday 1253 1671 2088
*Calorie cycling provides same amount of calories per week, but ‘tricks’ your body by constantly changing daily calories. This helps to prevent or break plateaus. Guideline only.This is also taking my activity level into consideration.  Get get the point? I can sample some sweets while I still attack fat!

And You Can Too!

You may have to do a little bit of homework over the holidays and work out the math.

But go ahead and gulp some eggnog guilt free.

It might be a challenge for some of you. But I recommend you read up on IF and give calorie cycling a try over the next 6 weeks. You may even lose weight and burn fat while your at it.

Cylce your cookie cravings
Cycle Your Cookie Cravings

Make it ‘Your Fit Day’ With Debby K!

Are you up for the challenge?

Leave your comments below.

If It Falls To Far From The Tree…

Hi Fitness fans,
If your reading my blog you most likely are here to get the most up to date information of health and fitness, which of course includes nutrition. Now, although I don’t claim to be a doctor or nutritionist, I do have a background in exercise physiology and a certificate in sports nutrition so I feel comfortable talking about healthy alternatives to what most of you are choosing to put in your mouths on a daily basis.

As some of you know I send out a bi monthly fitness newsletter.(Send me an email to subscribe) My last issue, June 15, had a recipe for grilled salmon that used Agave nectar as a sweetener for the glaze, along with the alternative, honey. I hemmed and hawed whether or not to include the recipe. However as it was coming down to the wire to hit ‘send’ I didn’t have the time to research an alternative for the syrup while also including the nutritional values, so I left the recipe as it was. As it turns out I made a huge mistake. I received an email from a subscriber, who happens to be my cousin, who just happens to live in that beautiful healthy paradise, Sedona AZ, reminding me why fructose is poison to our bodies. Cousin Dan sent me a video on the research done by Dr.Robert H. Lustig, Professor at UCSF, Division of Endocrinology. I felt it was my duty to get this information out to you ASAP. I have based much of this blog on his video so make sure you watch it.

So why should most of us we steer clear of fructose?

Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver and the liver is used to process poisons, which then wreak havoc on our bodies causing disease. Don’t get me wrong. A highly trained athlete like a marathon runner is able to use the fructose and replete their glycogen stores faster than with glucose alone, eg. Powerbar drinks and bars. But if you are using it other that consuming it for athletic training then you are most likely doing damage to your body. Without getting too technical when you take in fructose you generate certain enzymes that are bad for your body. And when you take a compound into your body and in the process it generates various problems, you are basically left with poison.

Make sure you check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM (cut and paste into your browser)

One of my objectives as a fitness trainer and wellness professional is to help fight obesity. Everyone always asks me what they should eat and how much. My answer is: if it falls too far from the tree then don’t eat it. Have you ever seen a bottle of juice hanging from your apple tree in the back yard? How about a carton of fortified orange juice? Have you ever seen an ITZ clinging onto a package of real cheese? I don’t know about you but in my yard their are no glass shards beneath my plum tree, only plums. Nor are their ITZ clinging onto my cheese(Well,I don’t eat cheese, since I don’t consume dairy products, other than whey protein powder as a supplement. Which is another blog all together. But I do gift a nice bleu!). You get the point. So if it’s processed it is most likely not in my house and never on my plate. But one of our problems today is that we as a nation…hmmm, let me rephrase that…a world population, are consuming way too much processed foods, including sweeteners. And if you start reading your labels fructose is in almost everything. And Agave nectar is just that, processed fructose.

Is Agave good for you?

Well, after doing a little research, listening to the above video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM , as well as the research done by the sought out raw foods specialist John Kohler, http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html, I’ll let you make that decision. Although I am not a raw foods only gal, whole, raw foods are the building blocks of a healthy vital body, free from disease (notice the word, dis-ease) and including them as the bulk of your diet will allow your body to function at its optimal.

Here is why you want to stay away from Agave nectar as well as honey. This is an excerpt from an article by John Kohler, raw foods specialist( email me if you would like his sitings):

‘1. Agave Syrup is not a “whole” food. It is a fractionated and processed food. Manufacturers take the liquid portion of the agave plant and “boil” it down, thus concentrating the sugar to make it sweet. This is similar to how maple “sap” that comes directly from a tree is heated and concentrated to make maple “syrup.” Agave Syrup is missing many of the nutrients that the original plant had to begin with.2. Agave Syrup was originally used to make tequila. When Agave Syrup ferments, it literally turns into tequila. The enzymatic activity therefore MUST be stopped so that the syrup will not turn into tequila in your cupboard. Raw or not, if there is no enzymatic activity, it is certainly not a “live” food. As Raw Foodists, we want the enzymes intact.

3. According to my research, there are three major producers of agave syrup. Some of these companies also have other divisions that make Tequila. For the most part, agave syrup is produced in the Guadalajara region in Mexico. There are those within the industry who I have spoken to at various trade shows who say that some of the agave syrup is “watered down” with corn syrup in Mexico before it is exported to the USA. Why is this done? Most likely because Agave Syrup is expensive, and corn syrup is cheap.

4. Agave Syrup is advertised as “low glycemic” and marketed towards diabetics. It is true, that agave itself is low glycemic. We have to consider why agave syrup is “low glycemic.” It is due to the unusually high concentration of fructose (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose (10%). Nowhere in nature does this ratio of fructose to glucose occur naturally. One of the next closest foods that contain almost this concentration of glucose to fructose is high fructose corn syrup used in making soda(HFCS 55), which only contains 55% fructose. Even though fructose is low on the glycemic index, there are numerous problems associated with the consumption of fructose in such high concentrations as found in concentrated sweeteners:

A. Fructose appears to interfere with copper metabolism. This causes collagen and elastin being unable to form. Collagen and elastin are connective tissue which essentially hold the body together.1 A deficiency in copper can also lead to bone fragility, anemia, defects of the arteries and bone, infertility, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks and ironically enough an inability to control blood sugar levels.2

B. Research suggests that fructose actually promotes disease more readily than glucose. This is because glucose is metabolized by every cell in the body, and fructose must be metabolized by the liver. 3 Tests on animals show that the livers of animals fed large amounts of fructose develop fatty deposits and cirrohosis of the liver. This is similar to the livers of alcoholics.

C. “Pure” isolated fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and may rob the body of these nutrients in order to assimilate itself for physiological use.4

D. Fructose may contribute to diabetic conditions. It reduces the sensitivity of insulin receptors. Insulin receptors are the way glucose enters a cell to be metabolized. As a result, the body needs to make more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose.5

E. Consumption of fructose has been shown to cause a significant increase in uric acid. An increase in uric acid can be an indicator of heart diease.6

F. Fructose consumption has been shown to increase blood lactic acid, especially for people with conditions such as diabetes. Extreme elevations may cause metabolic acidosis.7

G. Consumption of fructose leads to mineral losses, especially excretions of iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc compared to subjects fed sucrose.8

H. Fructose may cause accelerated aging through oxidative damage. Scientists found that rats given fructose had more cross-linking changes in the collagen of their skin than other groups fed glucose. These changes are thought to be markers for aging.9

I. Fructose can make you fat! It is metabolized by the liver and converts to fat more easily than any other sugar. Fructose also raises serum triglycerides (blood fats) significantly.10

5. Agave Syrup and other concentrated sweeteners are addictive, so you end up trading a cooked addiction (eating candy bars or cookies) for a “raw” addiction which is not much better. Eating concentrated sweeteners makes it harder to enjoy the sweet foods we should be eating – whole fresh fruit since they don’t seem as sweet by comparison.
6. Long-time raw foodist and Medical Doctor, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. says that agave nectar raises blood sugar just like any other sugar. Dr. Cousens wrote a book, “There Is a Cure for Diabetes”.

Whole fruits generally contain a much smaller amount of fructose compared to sucrose and glucose. In addition, fruits contain vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and other nutrients. Our bodies are designed to digest a complete “package” of nutrition that appears in whole, fresh, ripe fruits. Could nature be wrong? For example, it’s always better to eat fruits whole or blend them rather than juice them. When you juice fruits you remove the fiber which helps to slow down the absorption of the sugars. Concentrated sweeteners also contain no fiber and have much greater concentrations of simple sugars than are found in fresh fruit or even juices.

Now that you have a better understanding about Agave Syrup, hopefully the companies selling “raw” agave won’t dupe you. They are out to make a buck, which in this case is unfortunately at the expense of your health. If you are making a “raw” recipe and it does require a concentrated sweetener, I have some recommendations for some better options to use instead of agave: (Listed in order of preference.)

1. Use ripe fresh fruits. Ripe fruits contain nutrients, fiber and water, a complete package, as nature intended. I find that ripe and organic fruits are usually sweetest.

2. Use fresh whole stevia leaves. Stevia is an herb that actually tastes sweet but contains no sugar. This herb can be very hard to find fresh, so I personally grow my own. If fresh leaves are not available, get the whole dried leaves or the whole leaf powder. Avoid the white stevia powder and the stevia liquid drops as they have been highly processed.

3. Use dried fruits. If you need a “syrup” consistency, just soak the dried fruits in some water and blend them up with the same soak water. Dates, figs, and prunes are some of the sweetest dried fruits that tend to work well in recipes. Try wet Barhi dates blended with a little water for an amazing maple syrup substitute. Please note: Since there are no raw labeling standards, some dried fruit may be dried at higher than 118 degrees, and thus, not really raw. If you want to ensure you are eating really raw dried fruit, it is best do dehydrate it yourself.

4. Raw Honey is a concentrated sweetener, and although not recommended, in my opinion it is better than agave syrup because it is a whole food and occurs naturally in nature. Of course, honey is not vegan and that may be a concern for some. I recommend purchasing local honey from a beekeeper.

Other “concentrated sweeteners” that are often seen in raw food recipes include:

1) Maple Syrup which is not raw and heat processed. If it is not organic, it may also contain formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.

2) Sucanat or evaporated cane juice is pure dried sugar cane juice. Unfortunetly this is processed at a temperature above 118 degrees and therefore can’t be considered raw.

3) Yacon Syrup is a syrup from the root of the yacon plant in South America. It is once again, a concentrated sweetener processed at a temperature of up to 140 degrees farenheight.

The moral of this article: Eat whole fresh fruits and vegetables, they are always best. Always question processed and concentrated foods that are not found in nature, even if “raw”.’

 

And instead of reaching for the processed sweeteners try using instead organic fruits and vegetables to make delicious syrups and glazes for your meals and treats!

If you’d like more on this topic or recipes without processed sweeteners please send me an email.

Stay ‘Fit4TheDay’ with debbyK