Unconventional Weight Loss Summit 2015 paleo network UWL

Wondered why I’ve been so quiet?

December 27, 2014/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Ex, Paleo, TD, Weight Loss /by Suz

I hadn't disappeared, in fact, I've been working harder than I've ever worked before.

I told you a while ago about my struggle to lose the rest of the weight I had to lose. Not a great situation for a health blogger, I can tell you! How despite having a really good, clean, paleo diet – my weight just wouldn't budge.

I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it is. When everyone tells you “you just need to eat less and move more”, when you know it just isn't that simple.

I decided to get to the bottom of it.

How can I finally start losing weight, the right way?

I sought out 30 of the World's leading experts in everything to do with weight loss and they graciously all allowed me to interview them. I'm still amazed at some of the big names who gave me their time to help me solve this puzzle.

I've spoken to best-selling authors, doctors, scientists and real people with incredible success stories and health transformations. Jonathan Bailor, Jon Gabriel, Jimmy Moore, Nora Gedgaudas, Keoni Teta, Marc David and many others you'll be very familiar with, shared some pretty life changing information with me. You can find out more & register here

Believe it or not, nutrition is just one part of what we spoke about, we also spoke extensively about metabolism, hormones, physiological blockers to fat loss, emotional eating, food cravings, mindset – and so much more.

After sharing my story, I had hundreds of emails from people also struggling to lose weight, so I've decided to share this information, completely free – because I want to help as many people as possible to lose weight (the right way), this New Year.

How's it going to work?

There are 28 talks in all, and each talk is going to be shown online (for free) for 24 hours during the week long event. It starts in a few days time (4th Jan), so if you want to hear the life-changing talks, all you need to do is register here, simple. You'll also get a free ebook about resolving emotional eating, when you register.

Here are the experts I spoke to

	Jonathan Bailor Bestselling author of the Smarter Science of Slim & The Calorie Myth The Calorie Myth & How to Eat SANE Why a neurological problem is often wrongly labelled as willpower How we can quickly identify which foods we should eat – and which we should avoid Why exercise could hinder your weight loss efforts Our body weight set-point
	Dr. Bryan Walsh Naturopathic Physician who helps patients who are struggling to lose weight Fat Is Not Your Fault Why it’s about physiology, not calories The specific physiological reasons that may be preventing you from losing weight How to identify which issues are affecting you How hypothyroid symptoms can be missed by doctors
	Sam Feltham Founder of Smash the Fat, author, Health Activist & Personal Trainer Smash the Fat The physiological drive that causes some to store more body fat Why the advice “Eat Less: Move More” is negligent The different biochemical reactions from different foods Why setting goals is detrimental to your fat loss attempts The exact steps Sam’s clients do to lose weight
	Bob Briggs Health Activist who lost 145 pounds & shortly after his video “Butter Makes Your Pants Fall Off” went viral Bob's Story: Butter Makes Your Pants Fall off How Bob lost 145 pounds What he ate & did to lose the weight How his arthritis disappeared The steps to take to lose weight for good
	Jon Gabriel Jon Gabriel is the author & creator of the book, The Gabriel Method, an international best-seller. He lost 220 pounds (100kg) & now helps others Weight Loss Without Dieting The specific non-food factors that can cause your body to hold onto weight What signals the body into fat storage mode Why our brains think we’re in famine Why we may feel safer in a bigger body Changing the body at a hormonal level The importance of meditation & visulisation
	Dr. Corey Schuler Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist and Functional Medicine Practitioner in the field of natural health and metabolism. Metabolism & Weight Loss How to change the set point of your Basal metabolic Rate The crucial role of hormones in fat storage and release Why being overweight is an inflammatory condition Why age 35 – 43 is a critical time for overweight women The tests you should have
	Kevin Bees Strategic Interventionist, Coach, and Entrepreneur How to Change Your Mindset to Guarantee Success Why your mindset is crucial in your transformation Why we take actions that sabotage our goals (i.e. binge eating) The six needs that drive all of our actions A technique to change disordered & unhelpful behaviours Why we must celebrate to break our bad patterns How to set up our goals to guarantee success
	Orleatha Smith Health Coach & Health Activist How Orleatha Lost 125 Pounds & Solved Her Health Issues The health problems that Orleatha suffered from – and overcame The diets she had tried previously Why a gastric bypass wasn’t the answer How Orleatha got rid of her food cravings
	Jimmy Moore Creator of Livin La Vida Low Carb, Author of “Keto Clarity” Ketosis: Using Ketosis to Lose Weight What is ketosis & how it causes fat loss How to eat to get (and stay) in ketosis The protein impact Eliminating food cravings
	Nora Gedgaudas Paleo Nutritional Consultant, Clinical Neurofeedback Specialist and the International Best-Selling Author of Primal Body, Primal Mind. The Impact Our Adrenals, Stress What We Eat Have On Our Ability to Lose Weight The significant impact stress has on our ability to lose fat How (even with a perfect diet) cortisol can lead to fat storage Why an in-sync circadian rhythm is essential How to investigate
	Tara Grant Health Blogger & Author Tara's Story: How Tara Lost Over 100 Pounds & Resolved Her Health Issues The health conditions Tara suffered The turning point that made her transform her life The importance of self-experimentation The impact of gut health
	Bob Montgomery Chef and Founder of “Not So Fast Food” Bob's Story: How Bob Lost 90 Pounds & Started Not So Fast Food How imminent surgery prompted Bob to transform his life & health The non-dietary changes Bob made How Bob now helps others to eat well Why Bob offers his customers non-gluten free bread
	Dr. Keoni Teta Naturopathic Physician, Acupuncturist and Author of the Metabolic Effect Diet The Metabolic Effect Why food is so much more than just fuel The crucial role hormones play in our weight The “What the Hell” effect The crucial difference between willpower & mindset Why yo-yo dieting leads to weight loss – not fat loss The three key things that impact metabolism The H.E.C. check we should all do
	Adam Kosloff Yale University Educated Blogger, Author and Science Enthusiast The Black Box The Black Box factors that make you store fat How prescription drugs can mess with your Black Box & make you store fat The triad of evil foods we should avoid The mechanisms by which dairy can cause weight gain
	Carla & Emma Papas, The MerryMaker Sisters Health Bloggers The Merrymaker Sister's Journey (& Mistakes!) The turning point that made the sisters change their lives The huge changes they made to their relationships and even careers The mistakes they made that caused them to regain some of the weight the lost How they overcame their soft-drink addictions
	Tessa Cason & Faith Shevlin Life Coaches, Authors and EFT Practitioners Free Yourself From Food Cravings and Emotional Eating The crucial role of our emotions and beliefs in weight loss Why food cravings are symptoms Why we crave the *particular* foods we crave How the specific food we crave is a clue to which emotion needs to be healed How to understand & resolve our own disordered patterns
	Marc David Founder of the Institute For the Psychology of Eating, and Best-Selling Author of the Slow Down Diet and Nourishing Wisdom The Psychology of Eating Why 99% of all people on a weight loss plan will put it all back on within a year Why self-hate biochemically impacts our ability to lose fat Why it’s predictable that some people will binge eat Why your willpower problem isn’t down to willpower at all
	Matt Stone Independent Health Researcher and Author Metabolism Why we should take our body temperature The factors that significantly impact or metabolisms The beneficial, and harmful types of exercise on our metabolisms Why many of us drink too much water
	David Mendosa Journalist, Diabetes Advocate and Medical Writer David's Story How David put his diabetes into remission How he lost half his body weight What he does to ensure he remains at his current weight
	Crystal Fieldhouse Paleo Blogger, Podcaster & Founder of Ecology Skincare Crystal's Story: How Crystal & Her Husband Lost 50 Kilos & Healed Their Health How Crystal initially reversed her health issues and lost weight But how her symptoms started to come back – despite eating a perfect diet What caused Crystal to lose too muchweight The tests Crystal has to get to the bottom of it Why it isn't just about food The simple changes she made to get her health back on track
	Christine Cronau Nutritionist & Best-Selling Author of The Fat Revolution The Fat Revolution The impact Christine’s low-fat vegetarian diet had on her health How Christine healed The fibre myth The truth about eating an alkali/ acidic diet How to change your diet
	Dr. Susan Smith Holistic Health Educator and Author Metabolism & Rejuvenation Why extra weight is so detrimental to the body The importance of muscle mass on our metabolism The specific superfoods that may be beneficial to weight loss Why sleep & water are so crucial
	Kelly Larisey Nutritional therapist & Life Coach Kelly's Story: How Kelly Reversed Emotional Eating & Lost 55lbs How Kelly lost 18 pounds (8 kg) in the first 30 days How Kelly dealt with her emotional eating patterns The impact the weight loss has had on Kelly’s life
	Eve Parker Life Coach and Weight Release Guru Eve's Story: How Eve Lost Over 150 Pounds By Harnessing Her Personal Power Why we need to call it “weight release”, not weight loss The stark moment that made Eve realise she *had to* make a change The importance of understanding the ego Understanding primary & secondary food cravings Why we must re-connect our mind and body – and how No shame eating
	Zoe Harcombe Obesity Researcher & Nutritionist Why Conventional Dieting Fails – and What We Need to Do Instead The eating problems that lead to Zoe studying nutrition What happens 6 – 24 months after a typical low calorie diet The worst carbohydrate The three common medical conditions that cause food cravings The perfect diet Why we mustn’t graze
	Dr. Jill Tieman Clinical Nutritionist, Chiropractor & Blogger Nourishing Food The one thing you must do before trying to lose weight Which real food diet is most suitable for you What happens when we eat grains Why you should eat something fermented at every meal
	Hannah Sutter Former Barrister, Health Activist & Best Selling Author of Big Fat Lies Why Calorie Counting Doesn't Work – and What We Should Do Instead Why we got fat What happens when we calorie count Why people are doomed to regain the weight the lost right after a diet The foods we must avoid to lose weight The steps to transition from a sugar burner to a fat burner
	Larry Diamond Health advocate Larry's Story: How Larry Lost Over 100 Pounds In A Year The turning point that made Larry transform his life How Larry went from being hungry all the time, to never being hungry The importance of the “motivational high” The steps to take to emulate Larry’s success

Just register here to hear the talks!

If you've got friends or family who will benefit from this information, please share with them too. Let's make this the last New Year with the resolution to “lose weight & get healthy”.

8 Ways to Party – and Keep it Paleo

December 15, 2014/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Eating Out, Events, Paleo /by Suz

It’s that time of year again where the party season is in full flow. It’s a time where everyone should be in good spirits, surrounding themselves with great food, music, and most importantly, great company. It can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to stay on track with your Paleo lifestyle at this time of the year, especially if your family and friends aren’t as conscious about their health as you are. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways that you can stay on your path to better health, whilst not missing out on any of the enjoyment of the holiday season.

1. Be careful at the buffet

This one is self explanatory, but if you’re at a social event hosted by a non Paleo friend or family, the chances are the buffet table will be laden with gluten, sugar, and countless additives. If you’re hungry and don’t want to miss out on the social connection of eating with friends, head straight for the crudités. Filling your plate with crunchy raw vegetables will help you stay sociable and have a full plate at the same time. You may be lucky and find some nice meats, hardboiled eggs, and maybe even some salted nuts. Just watch out for anything swimming in sauce, as its most probably ‘enhanced’ with sugar and some kind of thickening agent.

Sometimes it can come across rude asking ‘can you check the ingredients in that?’ or ‘are those sausages gluten free?’ – so it’s best to stick to the food you know will be safe. If you’re really concerned there will be nothing for you to eat, tip number 2 is something worth bearing in mind.

2. Eat before you leave

If you don’t want to risk being gluten bombed at the buffet, I’d recommend eating a good meal before you leave. It might mean changing around your meal times slightly, but it’s much better to leave the house knowing you have eaten well, rather than fret about the lack of healthy options when you arrive. If there is anything suitable for you, then hey, it’s a bonus!

3. Experiment with IF

If you’ve never tried Intermittent Fasting before, now could be as good a time as ever. If you’re going to be travelling to visit relatives, or at long events where there may be a lack of good food options, why not try incorporating a 12 – 24 hour fast into your day?

4. Paleo cocktails

If you’re at a social event where the drinks are flowing, you may be presented with a lack of options. If you want to stay alcohol free, there are plenty of great non alcoholic cocktails you can make. Equally, a sparkling water with some ice and a wedge of lime is refreshing and looks sociable.

If you want to treat yourself to a drink or two, do so. You deserve it. Just stay away from the beer and high sugar mixers if you can. Your best choices would be red or white wine, but if you’re in the mood for spirits, look towards cocktails made with tequila or rum. Try and mix them with low sugar options like sparkling water or vegetable based juices to avoid blood sugar crashes. Dark rum and coconut water is incredibly refreshing, and the electrolytes in the coconut water will counteract the dehydrating effect of the alcohol.

5. Throw your own

If you really can’t face a non Paleo party, why not throw your own instead? You don’t have to make a big fuss about the health benefits of your food – simply serve up lots of tasty meat, veggies, and Paleo friendly drinks and nibbles. You’ll be able to spend good quality time with your friends and family, whilst being able to enjoy clean, wholesome food at the same time. Chances are, they’ll be none the wiser either!

6. Take advantage of the extra free time with long walks

We know how important it is to move often, so try and incorporate a good amount of movement into your day where you can. If you can’t get to a gym, you can’t beat a long walk with friends or family. Alternatively, head to your local park in the morning for a few sprints and pull ups using tree branches. You’ll have some extra free time (hopefully!) so put it to good use with a bit of exercise every day.

7. Sleep well

Again, take advantage of the extra free time and focus on getting some good quality sleep. Aim for at least 8 hours a night, and as you have no work to set an alarm for, wake up when the sun wakes up to reset your circadian rhythm.

8. Don’t worry too much!

Last but not least, if you do fall off track, don’t beat yourself up about it. Wake up the next morning, and get back on the Paleo wagon. After all, you have eaten healthily for the other 364 days of the year – we’re all entitled to ‘off’ days every now and then. Simply put it to the back of your mind and move on. The most important thing about this time of the year is the people you spend it with, and a bit of a slip up every now and then won’t hurt you.

Happy Thanksgiving

November 27, 2014/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Events, Ex, Food, Paleo /by Suz

With a lot of my readers being American, I couldn’t ignore the fact that today is Thanksgiving in the USA. So if you’re American – Happy Thanksgiving – and if not – how about having your own international Thanksgiving day? It’s often quite hard to get hold of Turkey where I live in Australia, but I find it a little easier to obtain at this time of year, thanks to the American Expats who live here!

If you are celebrating Thanksgiving, how can you accommodate your guests while still keeping it Paleo? Fortunately there are several options out there that will be great for everyone, using a few substitutions to the traditional Thanksgiving menu.

Substitution Ideas For Traditional (Non Paleo!) Thanksgiving Recipes:

Substituting bread crumbs. A lot of recipes will ask for bread crumbs when you are cooking. A good alternative to bread crumbs is crushed up pork crackling/ pork rinds. Just crush them to the same consistency as you would bread crumbs – or alternatively try ground nuts.

Instead of sugar, if you can, try to omit entirely. If you can’t, try a more natural sweetener, like raw honey.

Substitute starch with spaghetti squash, butternut squash, or acorn squash.

If you’re primal/ dairy free and your recipe needs butter; try using nut oils or coconut butter instead. Replace cow’s milk with coconut milk.

If you are planning on making a salad use a natural dressing like olive oil and lemon or lime.

If you’re making a dessert, a recipe may call for whipped cream. An alternative to whipped cream is chilled coconut milk – both healthy and delicious.

Instead of making a traditional desert, keep it simple with berries in coconut milk.

Cooking for a group of family and friends is a great chance to show case your Paleo diet – and show that eating healthy food does not sacrifice amazing tasting food.

Thanksgiving is a time to share thanks for the blessings in your life – a worth while thing to do if you’re American or not. Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween

October 31, 2014/2 Comments/in Blog Posts, Events, Ex, Food /by Suz

Do you celebrate Halloween? Like so many festivals, Halloween is heavily linked with trashy food. If you are interested in ways to have a great Halloween while still following a healthy Paleo lifestyle then read on, because I have some great ideas to help you have a fun holiday.

One of the things to keep in mind with Halloween is that it’s all about spending time with family and friends and having a good time – rather than the treats you can and cannot eat. I know that Halloween is a big “treat” holiday, but there are plenty of other things you can focus on to have a good time.

As far as trick-or-treating goes, you can still have fun and do that; however you want to focus on the social fun traditional aspect of it, rather than the end result of candy. Take your family out and have fun. You can have a lot of fun creating unique costumes and so this is your chance to go out and show them off. At the end of the night you can spend time with your family and make your own tasty paleo treats. Some parents offer their kids a buy back scheme – to offer cash or another reward in exchange for the junk they collected.

I was really impressed to see how one father enabled his son to join in the fun – whilst avoiding the sugar filled junk normally given to trick or treaters – see the photo below. Would you try something like this?

You can make some great Paleo friendly treats to enjoy. Try spiced nuts, jerky and kale chips instead of sweets and candy.

When you buy pumpkins to carve, make sure you save the inners to make a huge batch of pumpkin soup. You can use the carved pumpkins to serve dips for veggies, instead of plain bowls.

Well there you have it! Here are some ideas for you to make the most out of your Halloween. Just remember to not focus on what the world tends to focus on, which is the sweets, lollies and candy. Focus on having a fun time with friends and family and prepare some Paleo friendly snacks in advance.

Do you do anything for Halloween? How do you keep it Paleo?

16 Paleo Slow Cooker Tips & Tricks for your Crockpot

October 19, 2014/4 Comments/in Blog Posts, Cooking, Food, Paleo /by Suz

If you’re short of time and aren't using a slow cooker – you need to get one! There’s nothing like coming home after a long day, to a freshly made, hot paleo dinner.

If you've not used a crock-pot before, here are my top tips:

Preparation

They are completely safe to leave turned on all day, however, it’s always a good idea to make sure it’s sat alone on your counter with nothing sat too close to it.

If you can spare an extra few minutes, try searing your meat and veggies too. This makes a big difference with a far richer flavour of the final dish.

For maximum efficiency prepare your vegetables and meat the night before, so all you need to do in the morning is put them in and turn it on.

Along the same lines, I always avoid overly complicate recipes that call for lots of preparation. I figure the whole point of using this method of cooking is to save me time, not add to it.

Try to keep your cubes of meat and harder vegetables in uniform sizes to make sure they all cook at a similar rate.

Don’t overfill your slow cooker. Aim for no more than two-thirds full – and you only need to half cover the ingredients if you’re adding in extra liquid. This method of cooking loses virtually no liquid to evaporation, so once those veggies cook you’ll find you have more than enough liquid.

Put a lid on it

Make sure the lid is on properly – and don’t be tempted to lift it off mid cook for a nosy – it will take a long time to regain the lost heat.

If it’s looking to watery towards the end of the cooking time, this is the time to remove the lid. The extra liquid will evaporate thickening up your dinner.

Set the time carefully, go for a slower longer cook, over a faster hotter cook for deeper flavours and more tender meat.

Buy big

My top tip is to buy big! I stupidly bought a small one. I should have bought one like this. When you go to the effort of making a slow cooked meal, always double up on quantities so you have a few spares to put in the freezer. Cooking in a small one just seems like a waste!

Whilst most crock-pots have a removable “crock”, some are one piece – avoid these models as they’ll be a nightmare to clean!

Finally

Try making stock in your slow cooker – I always get great results and find it needs a lot less attention than when I do it on the stove.

One of my favourite things about slow cooking as that it allows me to use cheap cuts of meat, that would be tough in a faster cooking method. So when you see cheap cuts on offer – buy them and make a slow cooked dish with them!

Whatever you do – don’t use lean meat! Fat not only helps with flavour but will keep the meat moist instead of tough and dry.

For the same reason I also keep bones in and keep the skin on the chicken.

Finally, for maximum flavour wait until just before the end of the cooking time to add in your herbs and spices.

Now try these

Here are some of my slow cooker recipes:

Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Veggie Stew

Creamy Coconut Slow Cooker Beef

Slow Cooker Jamaican Goat Curry

If you've got a slow cooker, which model do you have? Have you got any tip tips to share?

Recipe: Simple Chicken Stir Fry

October 18, 2014/1 Comment/in Cooking, Dinner, Food, Paleo, Poultry, Recipe, Under 30 Minutes /by Suz

Sometimes it's nice to make something simple and easy for dinner. And it doesn't get much easier than a stir fry.

Whilst you can buy packets of ready to use vegetables to throw into a pan – don't do this! Where I live a packet of pre-prepared veggies is upwards of about $7.50 a kilo. Or you can buy your vegetables individually. I get carrots for about $1 a kilo and cabbage for about $3 a head. Cheaper, probably fresher and only the nice bits. The only difference is that the prepacked veg are drier which is better for stir frying. I just use a cheese cloth to remove the excess liquid from my freshly grated veg – and save lots of money in the process.

Recipe: Simple Chicken Stir Fry

Author: Suz Crawt

Recipe type: Dinner

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Print

Sometimes it’s nice to make something simple and easy for dinner. And it doesn’t get much easier than a stir fry. Whilst you can buy packets of ready to use vegetables to throw into a pan – don’t do this! Where I live a packet of pre-prepared veggies is upwards of about $7.50 a kilo. Or you can buy your vegetables individually. I get carrots for about $1 a kilo and cabbage for about $3 a head. Cheaper, probably fresher and only the nice bits. The only difference is that the prepacked veg are drier which is better for stir frying. I just use a cheese cloth to remove the excess liquid from my freshly grated veg – and save lots of money in the process.

Ingredients

Large spoonful of coconut oil
Chicken breast (free range, obviously)
2 carrots
Half a head of cabbage
Dash coconut aminos
Sea salt

Instructions

Melt the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat
Cut up the chicken as you like it (strips or diced) and throw into the pan
Grate the vegetables in a food processor*, or using an old school grater. In a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, wring out the excess liquid. I used cabbage and cauliflower – but throw in whatever you have!
Once the chicken starts to look golden and is cooked through, add in the grated vegetables.
Add the dash of coconut aminos for flavouring and season to your taste. You can also add in some herbs and spices if you want to change it up.
*I usually prepare a lot of veg to take make enough for several meals. If you’ve got the food processor out, you might as well get good use out of it!

Paleo food shopping in Coles

October 15, 2014/7 Comments/in Australian, Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Where to Find /by Suz

Don’t judge me – sometimes I buy my paleo food from Coles, my local grocery store. I live near a great greengrocer, butcher and an Aldi – and have a twice monthly farmers market a few suburbs away – but sometimes time and budget make paleo shopping in Coles the best option.

So can you buy paleo in Coles?

A few years ago Coles lacked so many paleo staples – but now I see more and more paleo friendly lines appearing by the week. The fat-is-good-for-you and it-matters-where-your-meat-comes-from messages seem to finally be going mainstream.

This week I saw a whole new line in grass-fed beef at my local coles – so thought it’s a good time to assess the store for their paleoness.

I'm not going to go into fresh produce too much, but they do have a range of organic fruit and veggies.

Meat

This is the new range of grass-fed meat I found, Graze. It’s also hormone free and comes from 180 NSW and Victoria cattle farms. So far they have porterhouse, scotch fillet, rib-eye, eye fillet, rump, schnitzel, lean mince, roasts, stir fry, casserole and ribs. So if you buy from Coles – support this range – we want more of it!

In terms of chicken, Coles offer the Inglewood Farms brand of organic chicken. I always get a whole chicken ($11.90 a kilo) instead of chicken breasts ($31.40 a kilo) – you literally get the rest of the bird free that way – and who doesn't love a roast chicken?

How about kangaroo? One of the great things about kangaroo is that they aren't farmed – so you know you’re getting naturally reared meat. Buy the plain steaks though, and avoid the pre-marinated or processed kangaroo products.

Eggs

Eggs are easy as most people seem to be on-board with free-range eggs now. Unfortunately Coles don’t offer Omega-3 enriched eggs (get these from Woolworths). And my other gripe is that eggs aren’t stamped in Australia.

Fats

Coconut oil used to be a foreign concept to the big supermarkets. Now Coles offer two Melrose Organic jars ($8.75 or $11.72 for 300ml – good for an emergency) and also the Prochef coconut oil spray I wrote about before.

Coles also sell a jar of Naturals by Melrose Almond Butter Spread ($8.03 for 250g) or Cashew Spread Butter ($8.42).

Luckily olive oil has always been abundant. There are loads of brands. Which is your favourite?

If you’re looking for more animal fats, you can also get a rendered duck fat from Coles.

Canned paleo

A few brands of coconut milk are available including TCC, Trident and Ayam. I always buy Ayam as it has the best ingredients. Also, never buy the light versions (you can always add water yourself).

The other tinned ingredient I buy is tomatoes (here’s why). There are loads available, but I find a brand like Mutti has the best ingredients.

Paleo baking

You’ll find several brands of almond meal/ almond flour including Freshlife and the Lucky brand, but with prices upwards of $22 a kilo, they aren’t cheap. Bob’s Red Mill organic coconut flour is available as about $26 a kilo too.

Other things in Coles

You can also find Melrose Apple Cider Vinegar (see what you can do with it here) and several types of Pink Himalayan Salt

If you’re looking for a bread alternative, you’ll be please to find nori seaweed wraps.

So over to you – what paleo friendly items have you found in Coles that we should know about? Which of the big supermarkets do you think is the most paleo friendly?

How far can $50 a week go – cheap veggies

October 12, 2014/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Where to Find /by Suz

I told you about my $50 weekly food budget and I thought I'd share with you how I've been achieving it. As I mentioned, I shop around between my local independent green grocers, Aldi and Coles supermarket. Whilst I find some good specials in Coles and Aldi, I almost always find the green grocers to be the best bet for cheap veggies.

My other reason for liking the greengrocer as well as it being cheap, is that almost everything is from local farms – and it's pretty much all seasonal, rather than expensive imported produce.

I eat a lot of veg and use it to bulk out all of my meals. I pick veggies roughly based on their nutrient density – I'm going to buy kale and spinach over iceberg lettuce.

So, here's what I selected the other day at my greengrocers….

Greengrocers-50-Paleo-Diet-Primal-Challenge-Frugal-Vegetables-Veggies-min

Spinach (silverbeet) $0.99

Kale $2.00

Butternut Squash $3.00

Brussels Sprouts $2.49

Broccoli $1.97

Onions $1.49

Cauliflower $2.49

Total Veg Spend $14.34

I compared the cost to what I would have paid in my local Coles supermarket (see below)

Buying the exact same produce would have cost over double in the supermarket – $31.07, leaving less than $20 for meat for the week!

What did I do with the produce?

I made a huge batch of butternut squash and carrot soup (I had a few carrots left over from my previous shot)

I used the cauliflower to make an experimental new pizza base

I made a greens & beef stir fry with the silverbeet, kale, sprouts and broccoli

It's cheap – but is it organic?

Unfortunately it's not all organic. Of course I'd love to eat everything organic, but on a tight budget it's just not feasible. However – one good trick I've found, is that not may people seem to buy organic where I live. This means the organic produce is quite often reduced to less than the conventional produce, as it approaches it's use by date. So keep a look out.

I'd love to hear your tips for eating well on a budget – how do you do it? Share in the comments below!

How to grind your own beef mince ground grinder paleo network-min

How to Grind Your Own Ground Beef Mince

October 11, 2014/2 Comments/in Blog Posts, Cooking, Food, Paleo, Recipe /by Suz

A while ago I wrote about why I don't buy ground beef (or any mince meat for that matter). But I love cooking with it. Making it yourself is the only way you can possibly:

Know exactly what's in it
Be sure it only contains good cuts of meat
Know how fresh it is
Know it's safe to eat medium-rare
Know it will taste good

The first time I tried it I used an old fashioned mincer like the one in the photo above. It was a total mess, with meat juice going everywhere! So since then, I've worked out how to do it properly with the mincer – but also far faster with my food processor.

How to Grind Your Own Ground Beef Mince:

1) Find a good cut of meat, not too lean – a bit of fat makes all the difference. I often buy a cut that is on special offer, then freeze the ground meat that I make.

2) Depending on what you're making with the mince, you might also grind another type of mince too. For example, I like to make my bolognese with half beef and half pork mince.

3) This is the step I found out the hard way. Cube the meat evenly, then put in the freezer for a couple of hours. Do this, it makes a huge difference and stops your kitchen resembling a crime scene. I've even taken to putting the grinding plate into the freezer too. Without it being super cold it won't grind properly and will be a mushy nasty mess. You have been warned.

4) In small batches feed the meat cubes into the food processor or grinder

5) Check for any un-ground pieces to put through again, and get rid of any gristle that has made it's way through.

6) Whatever you don't use, straight away freeze in small batches for use in a future recipe.

And once you've ground your meat? Try some of these recipes:

Chilli and Cumin meatballs with a mango and pomegranate salsa
Texan Style Sweet Potato and Bison Burgers
Spiced Beef Kofte with a Pomegranate Glaze
Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe
Mexican Turkey Burgers with Coriander Guacamole

Can you eat paleo healthily on a budget finances-min

Can you eat healthily on a budget?

October 9, 2014/6 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Shopping /by Suz

I wrote the other day about my $50 weekly food budget – and how hyper aware I've become about how much food costs. I'm only shopping for one, I work from home, love cooking and have time to shop around. How hard must if be for families on tight budgets to eat well?

I really struck me how difficult it must be for families when I saw this in my local Aldi store:

That's just $3 for a big pizza. Assuming you'd need two to feed a family of four that's $1.50 per person for dinner. Preparation time is zero and cooking time less than 20 minutes.

Contrast this with a healthy paleo meal? Let's say a large free range chicken: $12, some steamed kale $5 and spinach $3 and some $4 cauliflower made into rice. That's $24 – so $6 a head. For families living on tight budgets there's a huge difference between spending $6 on dinner and spending $24.

And how about lunch? You can buy an entire loaf of bread for about 85 cents and some cheap processed meat for about $3. That's a cheap lunch, well under a dollar a head. Contrast that with a typical paleo lunch – that wouldn't even cover a decent cut of meat, never mind salad or veggies.

As for breakfast I doubt anyone could make an free-range egg and veggie omelette for less than the $2.2o an entire box of cornflakes costs.

So what's the answer?

Wouldn't it be good if fresh whole food could be subsidised? Unfortunately I can't see how that could ever be implemented, since everyone has such wildly different ideas about exactly what is healthy and what isn't.

Do you think families struggling to make ends meet are priced out of eating healthily? What do you think the answer is?

Archive for year: 2014

I decided to get to the bottom of it.

How's it going to work?

Here are the experts I spoke to

Jonathan Bailor

The Calorie Myth & How to Eat SANE

Dr. Bryan Walsh

Fat Is Not Your Fault

Sam Feltham

Smash the Fat

Bob Briggs

Bob's Story: Butter Makes Your Pants Fall off

Jon Gabriel

Weight Loss Without Dieting

Dr. Corey Schuler

Metabolism & Weight Loss

Kevin Bees

How to Change Your Mindset to Guarantee Success

Orleatha Smith

How Orleatha Lost 125 Pounds & Solved Her Health Issues

Jimmy Moore

Ketosis: Using Ketosis to Lose Weight

Nora Gedgaudas

The Impact Our Adrenals, Stress What We Eat Have On Our Ability to Lose Weight

Tara Grant

Tara's Story: How Tara Lost Over 100 Pounds & Resolved Her Health Issues

Bob Montgomery

Bob's Story: How Bob Lost 90 Pounds & Started Not So Fast Food

Dr. Keoni Teta

The Metabolic Effect

Adam Kosloff

The Black Box

Carla & Emma Papas, The MerryMaker Sisters

The Merrymaker Sister's Journey (& Mistakes!)

Tessa Cason & Faith Shevlin

Free Yourself From Food Cravings and Emotional Eating

Marc David

The Psychology of Eating

Matt Stone

Metabolism

David Mendosa

David's Story

Crystal Fieldhouse

Crystal's Story: How Crystal & Her Husband Lost 50 Kilos & Healed Their Health

Christine Cronau

The Fat Revolution

Dr. Susan Smith

Metabolism & Rejuvenation

Kelly Larisey

Kelly's Story: How Kelly Reversed Emotional Eating & Lost 55lbs

Eve Parker

Eve's Story: How Eve Lost Over 150 Pounds By Harnessing Her Personal Power

Zoe Harcombe

Why Conventional Dieting Fails – and What We Need to Do Instead

Dr. Jill Tieman

Nourishing Food

Hannah Sutter

Why Calorie Counting Doesn't Work – and What We Should Do Instead

Larry Diamond

Larry's Story: How Larry Lost Over 100 Pounds In A Year

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1. Be careful at the buffet

2. Eat before you leave

3. Experiment with IF

4. Paleo cocktails

5. Throw your own

6. Take advantage of the extra free time with long walks

7. Sleep well

8. Don’t worry too much!

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Substitution Ideas For Traditional (Non Paleo!) Thanksgiving Recipes:

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Preparation

Put a lid on it

Buy big

Finally

Now try these

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