wholesome healing chiropractic
dr. lizzie sobel
newsletter
may 2014
The Back Bay, from the Public Garden.


You've probably heard a lot about the 'Paleo' or 'Primal' diet in recent years.  This is a popular movement that aims to mimic our early human ancestor's diet in an effort to honor our body's true physiology by cutting out heavily processed foods that are relatively new to the human diet.  There are numerous levels of this diet plan that people may choose to observe.  On one end, some choose to cut out all processed foods, all grains, and all dairy, eating only high quality vegetables, meats, seafood, nuts, seeds, and fruit. Others may simply avoid highly inflammatory grains like gluten, but will eat some grains and dairy.

After hearing about the benefits of these dietary changes for years from various lectures, books, blogs, and my own chiropractor and acupuncturist, I finally took the plunge and implemented this diet in my own life for the past month.
What are the benefits?

The benefits of cutting out processed foods are numerous and include:

  • reducing overall inflammation in your body
  • promoting weight loss
  • increased energy
  • reduced risk of 
    • diabetes
    • Alzheimer's disease
    • heart disease
    • cancer
    • depression
    • headaches
    • auto-immune disease
    • eczema
    • allergies
And much more!
Inspiring Video.
This TEDx Talk by Terry Wahls, a medical doctor who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, tells a powerful story of the Paleo diet's role in managing chronic disease. She decided to abandon her pharmaceutical treatments, and made radical diet and lifestyle choices which not only stopped the regression of her disease, but reversed many of her symptoms. She went from being restricted to a wheel chair, to biking 18 miles in a day, all without drugs.

Minding Your Mitochondria: Dr. Terry Wahls at TEDxIowaCity
Minding Your Mitochondria: Dr. Terry Wahls at TEDxIowaCity

 
Planning & preparation.
Planning your shopping list and meals for the week is essential for making a diet like this work.  I tried to avoid eating out as much as possible to steer clear of any temptations.  I found some great new recipes online, and spent much of my weekends cooking for the upcoming week. I have always loved to cook, but this month, I invested much more time and energy into my food preparation, and it paid off incredibly!  Not only did I discover some amazing new recipes that will now become part of my staple meals, but I reconnected with my love of cooking.  Spending a day in the kitchen preparing delicious, healthful foods for the week can be meditative, nourishing, and a great creative outlet. Plus, if you make enough, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor for days to come!
Have you noticed any positive changes?
The biggest shift I have noticed since going off of grains is that I have had far fewer headaches than usual. I have a long history of headaches, and while chiropractic treatments helped significantly reduce them, I was still having some kind of headache about 1-2 times per week.  Since taking grains out of my diet, I have had about 2 headaches all month!  This is a huge and welcome change. I have also lost about an inch from my waistline.
Want to learn more?
Grain free diets are a hot topic in the health and nutrition world these days, so there are numerous recources available to learn more.
 
Here are a few books I recommend:
 
 
 

 
 
No one is perfect, and I certainly slipped on my grain free diet a few times this month.  The key is to not let small obstacles derail you from the overall picture. Practicing a Paleo or Primal diet for 80% of the time will still offer amazing health benefits. 

Rather than a short term cleanse, this month has started to lay the groundwork for a lifetime of positive eating habits. Some people will do better by making drastic changes all at once, while others might be more inclined to start small, maybe just making one Paleo or Primal meal a day. 

The truth is that you as an individual get to decide your own rules. I believe that every one can benefit on some level on a Paleo or Primal diet, even if you start small.

"The power of healing is within you. All you need to do is give your body what it needs and remove what is poisoning it. You can restore your own health by what you do - not the pills you take, but by how you choose to live."
-Terry Wahls, M.D.


In Health and Happiness,

 


Dr. Lizzie Sobel 
Wholesome Healing Chiropractic
What I'm Reading:
"The idea that we can treat - and in some cases, totally eliminate - common neurological ailments through diet alone is empowering. Most people immediately turn to drugs when seeking a solution, oblivious to the cure that awaits them in a few lifestyle shifts that are highly practical and absolutely free."

-From Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD
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Recipe of the Month
Beef & Cheese Mini Fritatta Muffins

Makes 12 muffins:
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 1 pound of grass fed ground beef 
  • 1 tablespoon of Arizona Dreaming seasoning or comparable taco seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Coconut oil spray
  • 6 large eggs
  • Heaping tablespoon of full fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese   

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

2. Melt the ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, saut� the onions until they are translucent and soft.

3. Cook beef in pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until beef is browned. After beef is brown, add the Arizona Dreaming (or equivalent) seasoning and stir to make sure it was dispersed evenly.

4. Remove the seasoned beef and onions from the skillet and let it cool to room temperature.

5. While your meat is cooling down, line muffin tins with cupcake liners and spray with coconut oil spray. 

6. Fill the muffin tins more than halfway full with the cooled beef filling. 

7. Whisk the eggs and yogurt with some salt and pepper.

8. Ladle the egg mixture into each muffin, filling them up � of the way to the top. 

9. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon of shredded cheese.

10. Bake for about 25 minutes. 

11. Remove the muffins from the tin and let them cook on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes.  

 

From NomNomPaleo.com