Author: cleaneatingwithkatie

I am a Nutrition Consultant and Certified 21 Day Sugar Detox Coach who helps folks find health through food, lifestyle behaviors, safer skincare, and reducing toxins.
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National Lipstick Day – July 29th

It’s #nationallipstickday friends!

?Did you know that ONE in THREE lipstick brands contain more lead than the FDA’s acceptable limit? FYI, lead and other heavy metals ??are commonly found in colored cosmetics – they are naturally occurring with the colorants. While they may be naturally occurring, they are not safe and they are easily absorbed through cosmetics.

The US FDA has issued some limits for metals as intentional colorants, but there are no limits for heavy metals as contaminants. The EU bans the intentional use of certain heavy metals, but currently does not mandate regulatory concentration limits for trace levels in cosmetic products. To date, Canada has the most health-protective regulations in place regarding allowable heavy metal levels, including trace contaminants, for cosmetics sold in Canada.

Did you know that the average women consumes FOUR pounds of lipstick in their lifetime? That can add up to a whole lot of heavy metals. And currently, laws do not require that heavy metal contaminants be disclosed by cosmetics companies or listed on cosmetic ingredients labels because they are not intentional ingredients.

There are plenty of places to shop for safer lipsticks. Right now, I currently shop at Crunchi (save $10 with that link) and at a local shop THAT ALSO SHIPS Poppy Avenue Clean Beauty Bar.

Lipstick, so tell me:

Reds or pinks?

Sheer or intense?

Gloss or lipstick?

My answers: pinks (sometimes reds), intense, and lipstick!

XOXO

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Why I Only Eat Apples from August-January

Apple season begins in late July/early August in the northern hemisphere. and yet most people tell me that they didn’t know that apples had a “season”. We can thank the BigAg Industrial Complex for not knowing that, and spoiler alert – everything that grows (fruits, vegetables, seeds, & nuts) has a season.

Depending on when you are reading this, it’s likely that your apples are a year old.

When I was younger, I remember eating really mealy red delicious apples and deciding that I really don’t like apples. It wasn’t until the puzzle pieces clicked and I realized I just don’t like year old apples that you find at continental breakfasts and oftentimes at the grocery store.

Apple picking season begins in late July and ends in late November, depending on the variety and latitude.

From the USDA AgResearch Magazine:

“Pick an apple off the tree and it’ll last a few weeks before it starts to turn soft and rot. Store an entire harvest under controlled-atmosphere conditions and it’ll last up to 10 months, depending on variety.

To slow the proverbial sands of time, some fruit distributors treat their apple bins with a gaseous compound, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). It extends the fruits’ poststorage quality by blocking ethylene, a colorless gas that naturally regulates ripening and aging.”

Maybe the texture of apples doesn’t bother you, but the other problem with old apples is a lack of nutrients. Antioxidant levels decrease as apples age. According to Jo Robinson, in Eating on the Wild Side, “…you would have to eat two long-stored apples to get the same anticancer benefits as one freshly harvested apple”. 

So the next time you’re out shopping, I encourage you to consider the time of the year before buying apples.

xoxo, Katie

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Self-Care Bingo

The topic of self-care has come up quite a bit lately in my social media circles. I’ve even written about it here. There’s a lot of debate as to what exactly is self-care and what is not self-care, how expensive self-care should or shouldn’t be, and the like. I guess I find myself squarely in the “you do you self-care” camp. To me this means, if what you’re calling self-care nourishes your body, mind, and/or your spirit, then it’s self-care for you. It might not necessarily float my self-care boat, but that doesn’t actually matter.

Self-Care Bingo

If you’ve been following along on Instagram for a while, you know that I like to find quotes and images on Sundays (I mean,  hashtag self-care Sunday, after all!) of what self-care might include for you and me. For me, it’s often a pretty broad term, it can include pampering activities like massages and DIY facials, social activities like spending time with friends, family, and fur-babies, or even solo time activities like reading, sleeping, and being creative. There is no one perfect list of self-care ideas. I think self-care may evolve during one’s lifetime and what might be self-care for you now, may not nourish your body, mind, or soul in the future.

I’ve put together a list of self-care ideas that I currently enjoy. Oddly enough, almost everything on this list is FREE or can be low-cost. I didn’t set out to create a list of free self-care ideas, but when I was generating my current favorites, this was the result. It almost seems like an interesting psychological experiment that just highlighted that I value the free things in life more than money. OR am I just reading into this too much?

Feel free to download Self Care Bingo  and share like crazy.

2020 Update: Here is a new self-care bingo board. Download, play, and share +tag @cleaneatingwithkatie.

What’s your favorite self-care?

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What’s this grain-free hype all about?

Many folks are embracing a grain free lifestyle these days and it’s not just trendy. All plants, grains included, are programmed with species protective mechanisms so that animals and humans do not eat them into extinction. Animals also have species protective mechanisms like, running away, swimming away, and defending themselves and their young. Since plants can’t do that, they have a tiny amount of toxins in them. The more you eat of one type of plant, the more of that toxin that gets built up in your body. (Here’s another reason for eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and for following a seasonal model of eating.) 

Further, the seeds of the plant (i.e. the plant’s baby) often have the highest concentration of the those toxins in order to protect the next generation of plants. When we eat grains, we are eating the seeds of the plant. Those toxins are called antinutrients. They are substances that “steal” nutrients from the body and irritate the gut, cause inflammation in the body, and cause nutrient deficiency. Some examples are: phytates, lectins, saponins, and oxalates.

Phytates:

  • deplete magnesium and zinc and inhibit their absorption
  • are found in unsoaked grains, legumes, and seeds
  • good gut flora helps to aid in mineral absorption and minimize the impact of phytates
  • are better tolerated when consumed with fermented foods and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) a type of fiber the body can’t digest and that feeds the good gut bacteria

Oxalates:

  • deplete magnesium and zinc and inhibit their absorption
  • good gut flora help to aid in mineral absorption and minimize the impact of oxalates
  • are found in greens like spinach, beet greens, chard, purslane, and parsley
  • impact the bioavailability of zinc
  • contribute to kidney stones

Lectins:

  • are sugar binding substances that can lead to poor digestion
  • humans have trouble digesting them and thus can develop antibodies
  • can cause flatulence
  • can damage the gut (leaky gut)
  • are found in grains, legumes, dairy products

Saponins:

  • are phytochemicals that are found in food (plant glycosides)
  • break down the gut lining
  • produce a soap like residue and lather
  • are found in quinoa, root beer, beans, potato skins, peanuts, and soy

So how does one avoid antinutrients?

  1. A grain-free lifestyle is one option. Eating less grains or eliminating them altogether is one option.
  2. Opting for white rice instead of brown rice will lower the exposure to antinutrients. White rice has the bran and germ removed, which also removes the antinutrients, making it more digestible for many folks. While brown rice certainly has more nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, those are of no use to you if you are having trouble digesting and absorbing them because of the antinutrients.
  3. Soaking and sprouting your seeds, legumes, and grains is another great way to reduce the exposure to antinutrients and help to make the nutrients more bioavailable to the body (aka easy to absorb). Here is a great article on how to soak and sprout.
  4. If you’re looking for a shortcut, there are a few brands that sell soaked and sprouted products:

Go Raw sells snacks make of soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds. They are also a small local company that uses real food ingredients and not much sugar!

truRoots  sells a line of grain medleys that have been soaked and sprouted and are convenient and ready to use at home.

 

So, what are your thoughts on going grain-free and antinutrients? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

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Managing Blood Sugar Levels

Diabetes is “the single biggest global health epidemic of our time” (Hyman, 2012, p. 7). It contributes to many other health problems including retinopathy, kidney disease, gastroparesis, neuropathy, heart disease, cancer, dementia, and more. Managing blood sugar is a key to avoiding diabetes and the health problems that accompany it.

Glycemic Index 

The glycemic index (GI) is a way of measuring how quickly foods raise blood sugar (Cohen, 2010). Foods that are more slowly digested raise the blood sugar slowly, while foods that are quickly digested raise the blood sugar more quickly. The higher the number on the GI, the more that blood sugar will be increased. For those with Diabetes, managing blood sugar is key to managing Diabetes.

Glycemic Load

Glycemic load takes the glycemic index of the food and couples that information with the amount of that food, giving a more accurate prediction of how the blood sugar will respond. Glycemic load is considered to be a better tool when deciding what foods one should eat to manage blood sugar.

Glycemic Load and Glycemic Index

Food Serving Glycemic Load Glycemic Index
White bread 1 slice 10 70
Corn flakes 1 cup 21 81
Spelt Bread 1 slice 12 63
Rye Bread 1 slice 5 41
White rice 1 cup 23 64
Brown rice 1 cup 18 55
Baked Potato 1 medium 18 60
Sweet Potato 1 medium 11 25
Shredded Wheat 1 cup 17 83
Skim Milk 8 oz. 4 32
Oatmeal 1 cup 15 55
Banana 1 medium 11 42
Carrots, raw 3 oz. 1 16
Cashews 1 oz. 2 22
Lentils 1 cup 5 29
Pearl Barley 1 cup 11 25
Spaghetti 1 cup 23 48
Apple 1 medium 6 38
Orange 1 medium 5 42
Sucrose 2 tsp. 7 68

References:

Bauman, E. & Friedlander, J. (2014). Therapeutic Nutrition. Penngrove, CA: Bauman College.Bauman, E. (4/10/15). Personal Communication
Cohen, S. (2010). Diabetes without Drugs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, Inc.Hyman, M. (2012). The Blood Sugar Solution. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
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Quick & Easy Deviled Eggs

This is quite possibly the easiest deviled eggs that you’ll ever make. I had a dinner gathering to attend and completely forgot that I said I’d bring an appetizer. We had basically ZERO food in the fridge, but we did have eggs, Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo, a lime, and cilantro. So I decided to give it a go! My uncle raved about these deviled eggs, so I knew they were good enough to make again for Christmas Eve dinner at a friend’s house. There were already deviled eggs at the party, (OOPS!) but mine flew off the platter. Needless to say, I knew I needed to blog about this recipe.

I would love to know your thoughts!

Quick & Easy Deviled Eggs

cleaneatingwithkatie
These deviled eggs require minimal ingredients and are easy-peasy to make. They will be a crowd pleaser for sure! The Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo adds a ton of flavor – don't swap this for regular mayo!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • electric pressure cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 6 eggs
  • ⅓ cup Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo
  • ½ lime juiced
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • flake salt optional garnish
  • paprika optional garnish
  • 12 cilantro leaves optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • If you have an Instant Pot, you *need* to hard boil your eggs with it. Even farm fresh eggs peel like butter. Add 1 cup of water to the IP. Place 6 eggs in the IP on the removable rack or in a steamer basket. Using the Manual feature and the + / – button to adjust to 7 minutes. (I have found that 7 minutes is the sweet spot for me, but yours may range from 6-8 minutes). When the IP is done, manually release the pressure and add eggs to an ice bath to stop the eggs from continuing to cook. Peel! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you should get one! In all seriousness, feel free to hard boil your eggs however you like.
  • Once the eggs are peeled, halve the eggs. Place the yolks, mayo, sea salt, and lime juice in a bowl. Use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients until the texture is smooth and creamy.
  • Spoon the yolk mixture back into the eggs.
  • Sprinkle with paprika and flake sea salt (I like Maldon). Add a cilantro leaf to each deviled egg and serve!
Keyword deviled eggs, paleo deviled eggs, paleo side dish