Grass fed beef in Australia and New Zealand-min

Grass Fed Beef In Australia & New Zealand?

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I was talking to an Australian Doctor at the Ancestral Health Symposium about finding grass fed meat in Australia. He was explaining to me that Australian meat is almost all grass fed, unlike America where grass fed meat is a lot harder to come by.

Grass fed beef has a far better omega 6:omega 3 ratio and far more vitamins & minerals than grain fed beef.

Since I got back I've been trying to find out if more about beef quality and availability. Until I make friends with a farmer, if I could be certain I was buying grass fed meat, I’d be very happy!

It seems that grass fed beef is dependent on the season; meaning springtime meat is more grain than grass fed.

On their website Coles state: –

Coles source both grass and grain fed cattle depending on seasonal quality. When rains are good, cattle are fed on grass. Being high in beta carotene, this is transferred to the meat and is why the fat is cream in colour. During drier times, grass is substituted with grain feed, and the fat has a whiter appearance. We offer both grass and grain fed cattle depending on the seasonal conditions to source the best quality available.

Woolworths doesn't go into much detail on their site, so I wrote to them, and have just received this reply: –

Woolworths has a number of different types of beef on offer. Our Riverine and standard Woolworths beef range are from grain fed animals, our market value and Macro branded beef come from grass fed animals. We are currently in the process of working on new labels and stickers which will help customers to be able to identify the difference between our beef range. You will notice these changes over the coming months.

So, whilst I’ll always strive to source my meat from a farmers market, or a good local butcher, it’s nice to know at a pinch there are some reasonable options in the supermarkets. If their new labelling enables me to see exactly what type of meat I'm eating, then that will be even better.

Where do you get your meat from? If you've found a good source of grass fed meat in Australia or New Zealand, share it in the comments.

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Ever wondered why you Needed Orthodontics paleo diet AHS Weston A Price-min

Ever Wondered Why You Needed Orthodontics?

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One of my favourite lectures at the AHS was one I’d stumbled into by chance.  I went to watch the Darwin Dentistry lecture with Kevin Boyd, which was very interesting.  However, the second half of this lecture presented by Michael Mew DDS, a British Orthodontist really captured my interest (it was also great to see another Brit there!).  I’d thought about dentistry with a Paleo perspective before (coincidence how eating Paleo doesn’t result in the cavities and dental issues of eating a SAD diet?), but I’d never before linked orthodontics with a Paleo lifestyle.

Mew explained how 60% of people have crooked teeth – which is clearly too significant to be put down to genetic factors, there is also no evidence to suggest the cause is genetic.  The reason for crooked teeth appears to be down to our changing faces.  We now have faces that Mews described as “like a waxwork model too close to the fire”: our jaws grow down and narrow leading to flatter faces, big noses & sloping foreheads.  With narrow dropped jaws, we have far less room for our teeth. This results in crooked teeth – and lots of orthodontics.  Studies of indigenous societies have revealed that they did not have the same issues of crooked teeth that we see, in fact the problem appears to have arisen since the industrial revolution.

 

Why Do Our Jaws Not Form Properly Anymore?

Breast Feeding appears to be a significant factor in this.  Apparently the actual mechanism of a breast and bottle fed baby is completely different.  Bottle feeding does not promote proper palate formation in the same way breast feeding does, Mew explained how “The baby pushes the nipple around its front teeth, helping create a wide palate and enough room for the front teeth.  Baby bottles don't promote this growth.”

The modern diet of soft, processed foods does not enable jaw muscles to form properly, since it is rarely used to chew and bite on difficult food.  This too has a detrimental effect on jaw shape.

Ever wondered why you Needed Orthodontics paleo diet AHS Weston A Price-min

Mouth breathing is another significant factor.  When people cannot breath through their nose (perhaps due to allergies), they instead must breathe through their mouth.  Over time this changes the shape of the face and misaligns the jaw – leaving less room for proper teeth alignment.

Mews explained how he can tell just by looking at the shape of someone’s face whether they have orthodontic issues.  He uses “Orthotropics” to treat his patients, which encourages the jaw to grow correctly.  From the before & after photos of his patients, the changes in the shape of their faces was incredible.

Mews was a fantastic speaker.  Hearing such interesting ideas, for the first time, was a real highlight of the symposium. Who'd have thought orthodontics could be so interesting?

You can watch the lecture here (Mews is the second half).

I hope to see Mews back at next year’s AHS (on the main stage) to explain more on this topic.  I’m also very interested in the allergy link, which was touched on in other lectures – I’d love to see a whole lecture on allergies, in a Paleo context, at the next AHS.

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Why You Should Swap Your Oatmeal for NoOatmeal

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Before I knew anything about Paleo, I’d often make up Oatmeal for breakfast. Especially in the winter, I felt it was the epitome of healthy breakfasts. Now however, I’ve gained a much better understanding about nutrition, so I thought I’d share my reasons for complete avoidance of Oatmeal.

Why you should swap oatmeal for noatmeal porridge granola paleo network-min

There is something comforting about Oatmeal, particularly on a cold morning. However, NoOatmeal is a far better alternative. NoOatmeal is made using raw nuts & pepitas which you grind in your blender. You then lightly toast the nuts in a saucepan, with some cinnamon. Then you add coconut milk and an egg and stir until ready. How easy is that? Like Oatmeal, it is warm, but unlike Oatmeal I find it far more filling – and I know the ingredients are far better for me. The smell when the nuts are toasting is fantastic! I also like the fact that alone and unprepared I could eat & enjoy the individual ingredients in Noatmeal. Have you ever tried eating raw, unprepared Oats? Not so nice.

So, what’s not great about Oats?

When you eat Oats, they breakdown to glucose which causes an insulin spike in your blood – if you test your blood glucose an hour after eating Oatmeal, you’ll see a big increase (perhaps as high as 140). Regularly allowing your blood sugar levels to increase like is very damaging to your body (and can also lead to conditions like diabetes). Also soon after the spike in blood sugars, there will be a crash – which is the reason you’ll be hungry soon after eating Oatmeal. Nuts and eggs will keep your blood sugar levels constant, which is a far healthier state.

As well as the sugar issues, Oats contain high levels of lectins and phytic acid which are components that can cause intestinal imbalances and block nutrient absorption. Oats also have a high Omega 6 ratio, which in itself is very damaging. Some brands of Oatmeal also contain traces of gluten grains, which are very intolerable to a lot of people.

Whilst you can reduce the lectin and phytic acid content of oats by fermenting them – why not just make yourself some NoOatmeal instead? I tend to have NoOatmeal perhaps once a week, having saved myself time by preparing the ingredients the night before. Other typical breakfasts are scrambled eggs, omelettes, bacon and eggs – and often just last night’s dinner leftovers! Who said breakfast has to be traditional?

Have you tried NoOatmeal? Do you still eat Oatmeal? Add your comment below

Top Ten Blog Posts Paleo Network-min

The Top Ten Paleo Blog Posts in August

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I spend a lot of time reading as many Paleo blogs as I can fit in everyday and thought I’d share a few of my favourites from last month.  Last month was especially good as it featured the first Ancestral Health Symposium.

Top Ten Blog Posts Paleo Network-min

1.       That Paleo Guy on the Ancestral Health Symposium

Jamie Scott is a Kiwi who gave a great lecture at the AHS.  It was great to meet him in person after reading his blog.  I enjoyed reading his review of the event.

2.       The Diet Doctor on What does Loren Cordain and Lindeberg have for lunch?

I enjoyed this as a. It’s nice to see people practicing what they preach, and b. that’s where I bough my lunch too at the AHS!  After hearing Andreas Eenfeldt’s fantastic lecture I really look forward to his posts.

3.       Tom Naughton on Still Another A-Salt On Science

I’ve been reading Tom Naughton’s blog since watching his movie FatHead and love his writing.  His lecture at the AHS was another favourite too, as funny in real life as he is in the movie and blog.  Only Tom could come up with the scientific conclusion that Hypertension is caused by wearing pants. Brilliant!

4.       Mark Sissons at 58

What a great way to silence the reader who questioned whether Mark was getting fat!  Er, no.  He’s definitely not!

5.       Emily Deans series on Do Carbs Make You Crazy?

Emily Deans is a psychiatrist with a keen interest on evolutionary medicine.  It’s really interesting to read her angle

6.       Everyday Paleo with their version of Larabars

I’ve found some great recipes over at Everyday Paleo and (once I finish my Whole30) am really looking forward to trying these bars.  I tried Larabars for the first time when I was in America for Primal Con earlier this year – they were amazing!  I’ve not been able to find them, or any Paleo equivalent here in Australia (please let me know if you have!) so making my own is a great option! Check out my recipe for my version of cherry larabars

7.       Modern Paleo on Another Bad Journalist Examine the Paleo Diet

A good rebuttal of a d piece of journalism!

8.       Nell Stephenson on Paleo Training Food

This was a very timely article as it appeared at around the time my marathon running housemate was starting out on his Paleo experiment

9.       BTB with The Elevator Speech on No Grains.

Because I’ve tried to have that conversation so many times!

10.   Free the Animal on The Supplements I Take & Why I Take Them

I love Richard Nikoleys blog – he just comes out and says exactly what is on his mind.  No holding back!  I was interested to see which supplements Richard takes, as that is an area I’m continually exploring on my own journey.

Did I miss any good posts?  Let me know – below!

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Whole 30 – Halfway Through

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If you follow me on Twitter you’ll have seen that I'm currently in the middle (day 18, to be precise) of a Whole30.

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So, what is a Whole30?

The Whole 30 is a strict 30 day Paleo program, which is designed to remove all inflammation causing foods for a 30 day period.  This is very much in line with the 30-day trial Robb Wolf suggests.  At the end of the 30-days the idea is to evaluate how you look, feel and perform – compared to how you looked, felt and performed on day -1.  You can then slowly start to reintroduce other foods, if you wish to do so, to gain a better understanding of how your body reacts to specific foods.  In the 30-day program you eat good quality, lean meat, fish, eggs, seasonal fruit & vegetables as well as fat sources such as coconut oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.  Strictly off limits are dairy, grains, legumes – and of course all processed foods and alcohol.

How to go about it?

The weekend before I started my 30-days, I got organised.  I went through hundreds of recipes and gave them the Whole30 treatment.  There are differing degrees of Paleoness, meaning some recipes have dairy and sweeteners which aren’t allowed for this period.  Once I had a collection of recipes for meals and snacks selected, I then went through the ingredients, one by one and compiled a huge shopping list – right down to the herbs and spices I didn’t already have.  I assigned meals for the week ahead and bought everything I’d need.  I can’t stress enough how much easier this made it!

What is a typical day’s menu?

Take today for example.  Breakfast was (organic) bacon & (omega 3 enriched organic) eggs cooked in coconut oil.  Lunch was a small bowl of leftover chicken curry cooked in coconut milk – and dinner today will be the slow cooked lamb that I hope is currently cooking itself in my slow cooker at home!  Probably under 20 minutes of cooking & preparation time required today for three completely different meals.

The verdict so far?

I’d been about 90% Paleo before this recent Whole30 for a long time, so the biggest change for me has been cutting out dairy.  Not having to make huge dietary changes has meant I haven’t had “carb flu” which a lot of people seem to go through.  It has made me realise I just don’t need the dairy!  Before starting, I’d been convinced I’d go back onto dairy once the 30-days were up.  Now however, I just can’t see why I’d do that.  Dairy gave me no nutritional benefit that I don’t get elsewhere in my diet, and I’m become increasingly convinced that dairy and I might not be so compatible.  I’m always in a happy mood, but this has definitely been turned up a notch in the last 18 days.  I’m also feeling a lot less tired – and for the first time since I can remember I’ve started to wake up before my alarm clock!  This seems to have kick started my sleeping patterns too, as I’m now actually tired at bedtime.  Win win!  I’ll report back on my progress at the end of the 30 days, but more interestingly my housemate who has been doing this Whole30 with me, from a completely different way of eating!

Are you doing a Whole30 too?  I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences below

What's In Your Coconut Milk Ingrediants-min

Fancy a Serve of Polyoxethylene Sorbitan Monostearate With Your Coconut Milk?

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Following on from yesterdays post on Coconut Milk & Coconut Cream, I’ve found out a few things about those added ingredients.  Seemingly innocuous names such as E435 hide chemicals I quite simply would rather not consume.  I’ll take the coconut milk with the huge layer of cream on top, thanks.

What's In Your Coconut Milk Ingrediants-min

Stabilizer E466 (or just 466):  Also known as Carboxymethyl Cellulose

This is used as a thicking agent, a filler, anti clumping agent and an emulsifier.  As well as its use in food, Carboxymethyl Cellulose is also used in ceramics, detergents & textiles.  It is derived from cellulose (as found in wood & plant structures) which is chemically modified.  It isn't possible to find out the source directly, but it could come from genetically engineered cotton plants.

Vegetable gum (412) or Emulsifier, E412:  More commonly known as Guar gum

Guar Gum is often added as a thickener to avoid the contents of the tin separating.  Guar Gum is made from the seed of the Cyamopsis tetragonoloba shrub, which is a legume  The seeds are dehusked, milled & screened to produce an off white powder. I think I’d rather deal with the natural separation of the coconut milk.

Emulsifier E435:  Also known as Polyoxethylene sorbitan monostearate, Polysorbate 60, or Tween 60
This chemical compound is created from ethylene oxide (a synthetic compound), sorbitol and palmitic acid.  One of the main issues appears to be that the origin of these components is not easy to find out, but may be include “vegetable” oils.   I’ve not been able to find any relevant studies, but there are lots of mentions of cancer when discussing this additive.

Thickener E415, also known as Xanthin gum

This thickener is created from fermenting corn sugar with a bacterium.  It may also use wheat, dairy or soy.  As with all of these additives it is very hard to determine exactly how the chemical was derived.

Do you know more about these additives?  Are you happy to consume a small amount of these additives to get coconut milk into your diet?  Let me know in the comments below.

Which coconut milk brand should you buy best ingrediants-min

Which Coconut Milk Should I Buy in NZ & Australia?

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The more I’ve got into my Paleo lifestyle, the more coconut milk I’ve been consuming.  I’ve been able to find a few different brands, which all vary in ingredients & cost.

Which coconut milk brand should you buy best ingrediants-min

This post will show you the main brands available, where to get them, and which are the most paleo friendly.  If you find any other brands, please send me the details so I can include them.

Avoid the “light” and “reduced fat” versions and go for the brand with the simplest ingredients.  Make sure there are no added sweeteners.  I always try to go for the Ayam brand as the label shows it contains just coconut and water!

You can also use Coconut cream in much the same way.  It is essentially the same as coconut milk – just without as much water, making it a lot thicker. You could always water it down yourself.

Prices seem to vary a lot, so I tend to stock up when there’s an offer on.

Ayam Coconut Milk (Available in Coles & Woolworths & smaller grocers)

Ingredients:  Coconut Kernel Extract (82%), water

Ayam Coconut Cream (Available in Coles & Woolworths & smaller grocers)

Ingredients:  Coconut Kernel Extract (100%)

Coles Smart  Buy Coconut Cream  (Available in Coles)

Ingredients: Coconut Milk (60%), Water, Thickener (466), Vegetable Gum (412)

Pandaroo Coconut Milk (Available in Woolworths)

Ingredients: Coconut Extract (45%), Water, Emulsifier, E412, E435  

TCC Coconut Milk  (Available in Coles & Woolworths & smaller grocers)

Ingredients: Coconut Extract (53%), Water, Antioxidant (Citric Acid)

 

Woolworths Select Coconut Milk (Available in Woolworths)

Ingredients: To be confirmed (it doesn't seem to be in stock at the moment)

Trident Coconut Milk (Available in Woolworths and Coles)

Ingredients: Coconut Milk (52%), Water, Stabiliser (466)

Trident Coconut Cream (Available in Woolworths and Coles)

Ingredients: Coconut Cream (52%), Water, Stabiliser (466)

Kara Coconut Milk (Available in Asian Grocers)

Ingredients:  Fresh coconut extract (55%), Water, Stabilizer E466, Thickener E415, Emulsifier E435

 

What am I missing?  Have you got some other brands in your part of Australia or NZ?

Check back tomorrow to find out more about those added ingredients and whether we should be eating them…

Gluten Free Expo Conference Paleo Event

The Sydney Gluten Free Expo

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I went along to the Gluten Free Expo yesterday, at the Sydney Showground.

Gluten Free Expo Conference Paleo Event

I'm not sure why now, but I expected it to be very Paleo friendly and full of Vibram clad feet. Surely going completely grain free would be the natural conclusion for those with Coeliac disease? Ditching the bread and refined carbs in favour of real, whole food?

The Gluten Free event was sponsored by Coles and the stands were almost all offering packaged, processed food. Crisps, pasta, processed meats, ready meals, breakfast cereals, cakes and sweets. They all seemed to have removed gluten and replaced it with more sugar, other grains and lots of chemicals. I studied the ingredients on every stand and managed to find one little jar of spices, that would get the Paleo seal of approval! One product!

Gluten Free expoPerhaps a Paleo stand at next year's expo beckons!

Going Gluten Free?

It's well worth trying to remove Gluten from your diet. So many people don't tollerate it well, without being full-blown Coeliac. When constantly exposed to Gluten, it's hard to even realise what impact it has on your body. It isn't until all traces of Gluten are out of your system that you can begin to understand how it affects you.

Gluten intolerance seems to be strongly correlated with inflammation issues such as IBS, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, autoimmune diseases, HD, ADD, ADHS, Autism, indigestion, stomach complaints and many other health complaints.

If you're looking to go Gluten Free, the Whole30 is a great program to use to kick this off with! I haven't ever heard of anyone regretting going Gluten Free!

First blog post Paleo Network-min

What we’re about

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Welcome to the Paleo.com.au.  This is the place to come to find out everything you need to know about how to be Paleo in Australia and New Zealand.

First blog post Paleo Network-min

Find Medics, Nutritionists & PT's who can work with you from a Paleo perspective.  Learn how to cook your Aussie and Kiwi favourite dishes – paleo style.  Arrange your schedule with details on all of the up and coming Paleo themed events in the redion and worldwide.  Connect with other Paleo people, just like you – in your area.  And find out where to buy Paleo supplies locally at the best price.

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