BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums - Blogs - Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/blog.php?1743-Rasputin en Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:55:43 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/images/misc/rss.jpg BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums - Blogs - Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/blog.php?1743-Rasputin Making Low-Carb Ice Cream tonight http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?30-Making-Low-Carb-Ice-Cream-tonight Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:09:18 GMT I got a wild hair and dug out our old ice-cream churn. I checked in my new Sous Vide recipe book and they did actually have some recipes there for french-style Ice Cream, the kind with egg yolks that you have to slow-cook before freezing. I made substitutions as needed to make the recipe... I got a wild hair and dug out our old ice-cream churn.

I checked in my new Sous Vide recipe book and they did actually have some recipes there for french-style Ice Cream, the kind with egg yolks that you have to slow-cook before freezing.

I made substitutions as needed to make the recipe low-carb.

Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes 8 servings

2c Unsweetened Almond Milk
1c Heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1/2 + 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
13 packets of Truvia
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (sub. for nonfat dry milk powder)
1 pinch salt

I preheated my Sous Vide Supreme to 181, then combined all the ingredients in my blender and slowly mixed it for about 5 minutes. I then poured it into a vacuum bag and placed it in the SVS for 20 minutes.

After that, the bag went into an ice bath for 20 minutes, agitating the bag frequently. Then it was into the fridge for three hours to mellow.

I have the churn going now and even though it is two rooms away it is LOUD. I might need to buy another churn, one that is automatic without needing ice and salt. Eh, we'll see how this one does.

End result should be about 1 net carb per serving. I tasted the mix before I put it in the SVS, raw egg be damned, and it tasted mighty fine even then. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?30-Making-Low-Carb-Ice-Cream-tonight Just finished a great meal. http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?29-Just-finished-a-great-meal Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:10:36 GMT The family is out of town for the month, and I would hate to waste a nice chuck roast eating it all by myself, so I invited a friend over to help me consume this delicious dinner. Sous Vide chuck roast (48 hours at 131 degrees, seasoned with ginger, garlic, butter and beef base), seared and... The family is out of town for the month, and I would hate to waste a nice chuck roast eating it all by myself, so I invited a friend over to help me consume this delicious dinner.

Sous Vide chuck roast (48 hours at 131 degrees, seasoned with ginger, garlic, butter and beef base), seared and served medium rare.
Green Beans Almondine in a beef cream sauce
Carbquick Cheddar Bay biscuits (2 net grams per biscuit!)
And, for dessert, Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate fudge with a dollop of whipped cream on top


As we sat after the meal, reflecting, my friend commented how different it felt after consuming such a nice big meal without any sugar or starch. Ordinarily, eating a meal that size would have rendered him nearly comatose, but after this one he was just relaxed and sated. Comfortable.

We talked about how much better our lives have been since making this change. Energy levels up all day long, weight lost effortlessly, hunger nonexistent even if you can't get to a meal for some reason. He mentioned his high blood pressure and the fact that he has been on a pill for it for the past 6 years. He hasn't had it checked since February at his last checkup. I bet when he has it checked this week he will be able to taper off the BP medication, too. I will post here when he finds out.

When he came back to jujutsu he was about 20 lbs heavier than he is now, about 7 weeks later. He went from blowing and wheezing halfway through class to having wind all class long.

Made me feel real good.

I am thinking about asking the Y if they would let me have a monthly screening of "Fat Head" there for anyone who wants to sit in. There's a LOT of people here in Baton Rouge who just can't lose weight and desperately need to. It is literally killing them. No hyperbole. It's really not their fault--they are doing what they were told was best for them. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?29-Just-finished-a-great-meal <![CDATA[Just what are "Diseases of Civilization" and why should you care?]]> http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?26-Just-what-are-quot-Diseases-of-Civilization-quot-and-why-should-you-care Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:14:10 GMT That's a very good question, if I do say so myself.

During the 20th century, scientists traveled to numerous primitive and otherwise geographically isolated societies to catalog the health of the people therein. One such scientist was a dentist by the name of Weston A. Price. He wrote a book about his travels called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, and I highly recommend it to everyone who is at all interested in how we got to be so sick and decrepit here in the Western world.

In it, Dr. Price details his visits to:

Isolated and Modernized Swiss
Isolated and Modernized Gaelics
Isolated and Modernized Eskimos
Primitive and Modernized American Indians
Isolated and Modernized Melanesians
Isolated and Modernized Polynesians
Isolated and Modernized African Tribes
Isolated and Modernized Australian Aborigines
Isolated and Modernized Torres Strait Islanders
Isolated and Modernized New Zealand Maori
Isolated and Modernized Peruvian Indians

The book contains dozens of pictures of people in these societies, old and young. As a Dentist, his primary thrust was to document tooth decay and dental malformations, but he began to notice a surprising lack of diseases which were becoming prevalent in modern societies. He was especially interested to see that these diseases began to show up in these isolated populations within a generation of their opening trade for foodstuffs with Western society, especially as they began to integrate white flour and sugar into their diets.

He was also surprised to see that average adult lifespans were higher than anticipated. A study done by Michael Gurven and Hillard Kaplan found that:

The average modal age of adult death for hunter-gatherers is 72 with a range of 68-78 years. This range appears to be the closest functional equivalent of an "adaptive" human lifespan.
That leaves a lot of time for these diseases to bear out.

So what diseases are we talking about?

Heart disease
Diabetes
Cancer
Alzheimer's
Arthritis
Allergies
Autoinflammatory Disorders such as Lupus and Crone's disease
IBS/GERD
Gout
MS
Obesity
Asthma
COPD
Hypertension
Stroke
Tooth Decay/Oral/Facial malformations

These diseases simply weren't there.

People still died, yes, but they tended to do so after a long life filled with strength and activity, not a slow, lingering twilight filled with pain and misery.

Now, I won't even pretend that carbohydrates are the cause of all of the above diseases. I never said that. However, a diet high in carbohydrate is almost certainly going to be lacking in the nutrient-dense foods which prevent those diseases, since carb-rich foods are for the most part low in micronutrients.

All digestible starches and sugars which contain or metabolize to glucose raise blood glucose levels, and this puts a strain on the body. It eventually burns out the pancreas' ability to produce insulin, causing diabetes (after years of hypoglycemia). All that sugar gets shoved into your fat cells to keep it from poisoning your other tissues in your body.

So what causes the rest of the list above?

1. A lack of specific micronutrients found in diverse sources, such as Vitamin K2 in the milk and flesh of pastured animals, or Vitamin D3 created by your body from cholesterol that is exposed to ultraviolet radiation courtesy of the sun. Magnesium, Calcium and Silicon from hard water which people no longer drink.
2. An overabundance of Omega-6 fatty acids, way out of proportion to the Omega-3 which we should be getting more of (some say a 1::1 ratio is best).
3. The very polyunsaturated oils which contain those Omega-6 fatty acids, and their predisposition to oxidization (becoming rancid). Way too much vegetable oils (hydrogenated and otherwise) being pushed today.
4. Not enough saturated fat. Really.

There's some very good science being done out there as I type this. The following blogs are by doctors and other scientists who are trying to piece the whole puzzle together:

http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/
http://www.paleonu.com/
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/s...hine-superman/
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/

So, to bring it back to the beginning, if you have any of the problems on the above list, or someone you care about does, it doesn't have to be that way. Removing starch and sugar from your diet and supplementing with those micronutrients which used to be part of our natural food sources but are no longer can improve them, or in many cases make them disappear.

Eat your meat.
Eat butter and cream, especially from pastured animals.
Eat your eggs.
Eat low-sugar fruits and low-starch vegetables.
Supplement with Vitamin D3 (or get out in the sunshine more!), Magnesium, Potassium, K2, and Fish Oil.

Avoid vegetable oils and trans fats.
Avoid starch and sugar.

And try to reduce stress. It does terrible things to your body. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?26-Just-what-are-quot-Diseases-of-Civilization-quot-and-why-should-you-care Virulently malignant brain tumor in woman successfully treated with ketogenic diet. http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?22-Virulently-malignant-brain-tumor-in-woman-successfully-treated-with-ketogenic-diet Wed, 19 May 2010 20:40:53 GMT http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/33

Results

After two months treatment, the patient's body weight was reduced by about 20% and no discernable brain tumor tissue was detected using either FDG-PET or MRI imaging. Biomarker changes showed reduced levels of blood glucose and elevated levels of urinary ketones. MRI evidence of tumor recurrence was found 10 weeks after suspension of strict diet therapy.
]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?22-Virulently-malignant-brain-tumor-in-woman-successfully-treated-with-ketogenic-diet <![CDATA[I was watching "The Biggest Loser" tonight, and something that one of them said...]]> http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?20-I-was-watching-quot-The-Biggest-Loser-quot-tonight-and-something-that-one-of-them-said Mon, 17 May 2010 05:54:09 GMT ...really struck me. A former contestant was visiting the current losers, and was helping to guide them through what life would be like once they were off the 'ranch' and back in the real world of jobs, family, and fast food temptations.

The contestant was almost in tears at the thought of having to maintain her weightloss without being able to work out all day long like they do in the artificial environment of the ranch--either due to real life intruding or because one simply can't get up the energy to spend all day there.

The wisdom offered to her was that she would be fine as long as she "ate right and only worked out an hour or two every day".

Good Lord.

You really don't need up to two hours of exercise every day to maintain weightloss, especially if you concentrate on foods which don't naturally lend themselves to deposition as fat. Foods which don't raise insulin levels. Foods which are nutrient-dense, not energy-dense.

It really only takes about 45 minutes with heavy weights, two-three times a week. If you feel you must do cardio, especially those who might need to have higher endurance than the rest of us, do some HIIT for 15 minutes a couple of times a week. Skip the sugars and starches. Avoid vegetable oils except for olive and coconut. You won't gain fat and you will have all the energy you need.

The show irritates the crap out of me sometimes. They are blatant shills for various products, most of which are not only talked up on segments during the show but also advertised directly during commercial breaks. All of them espousing the low-fat mantra, and lots of them replacing that fat with sugar or corn syrup. It is ridiculous.

A big part of it ties in with another thing I have been thinking about lately. Commerce in general is a big part of why we are tipping the scales. Supermarkets are full of processed goods because they are a value-added product. They take cheap raw materials which don't necessarily tempt the palate, add sweeteners, transfats (because they are shelf-stable and saturated fats have been unfairly demonized), preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors, and they sell them for a substantial markup & profit.

The worst part is that they are allowed to advertise themselves as being "heart-healthy", approved for diabetics (such as crystallized fructose), whole-grain, low-fat, lite, whatever, and the consumer buys it (pun intended).

As I put in my mammoth thread last year, the government is to blame for this. They subsidize soy, corn, wheat, rice, and sugar and call them healthy. They demand that school lunches are carb-heavy and saturated-fat light, which means more soy products and less meats. They continue to define a food pyramid for the country which stands upon a massive base of grains and starchy vegetables with a little meat and a drop of oil at the top, when meat should be a big part of every day's caloric intake for maximum health.

When I railed against this in my thread, I was lambasted for daring to postulate that rational, thinking people would use the government's suggestions on what is healthy to eat as a literal guide.

Well, you know what? I know a whole hell of a lot of smart, fat people. Smart ain't enough. When I tell them to drop the sugar and starch, and they do, they lose a ton of weight and their health comes back without hunger or feelings of deprivation. Why is that MY job? The Government has taken upon itself to preach against obesity, then they tell people to exercise more and cut fat out of their diet; the very same crap that they have been telling people since the '70's. It hasn't been working so far.

So I continue to make an pest of myself. I spread the word anywhere I can to whomever will listen. I get them to watch Fat Head and their life goes from crap to great in a few short months. I give them recipes and lists of healthy foods.

Maybe it will be enough. Maybe they will each tell two friends, people who might be suffering from obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid/autoinflammatory disorders, gout, IBS/GERD, or other related problems. Could be there is a saturation point, past which enough people will know that we can get some changes made in policy.

I tell them "You were never meant to be this fat, this tired, this weak, this suffering. Your genes have another program in mind for you, but you keep fooling the safeguards by eating foods you never would have encountered in nature."

Some of them, a few, tell me "I know, I'm trying, but I can't do without my carbs". I ask them what is their weakness and try to help them find solutions to get around the problems. Dreamfields pasta. High-fiber breads. Truvia instead of sugar. Butter instead of margarine. Not as desirable as cutting out the starch entirely, but better than nothing.

For some it works. Others just can't break the cycle. I can see strong comparisons to drug users who can't break the habit because they simply haven't hit bottom yet. Smokers with lung cancer grabbing a smoke outside the hospital during chemo sessions.

I have been sitting on this one for a while, but since nobody is really reading this anyway there's no harm in spilling the beans on it. I have a friend from the Air Force with advanced metastatic cancer. It is likely a result of agent orange exposure in the 80's. It started as prostate cancer and has since spread to his lungs and his bones, including the outside of his skull. Doctors have given him 2 or so years to live.

I found out about his cancer last month. He has been hospitalized a number of times for exhaustion and other related problems. He was in tears when I spoke to him because he was giving away his parrots, which meant more to him than just about anything else in his life, because they would likely be able to live for another 30-40 years and he didn't want them to live without someone who cared for them.

It turns out that cancer cells make a trade-off when they switch to being tumors. Ordinary cells can use glucose, fatty acids or ketone bodies for fuel, among other things. Cancer cells switch off their mitochondria and can only burn glucose in their cytoplasm in a tremendously inefficient fashion.

There has been some very promising work in treating cancer patients with an extremely low-carb, high-fat diet. The cancer cells cannot get the sugar that they need to survive and they either stop growing or they die off altogether. The results would be more drastic, but so far they have only allowed patients into the program who are near death already.

I immediately placed my friend on a nearly zero-carb diet; let's say <20g per day. Lots of butter, lard, coconut oil, meat, cheese, eggs, and fresh low-starch veggies (broccoli, spinach, avocado, green beans, etc). Supplements include calcium, Vitamin D3, and extra electrolytes.

It's been about a month now, and his energy levels are above what they were before he contracted the cancer. He has an appointment with a new cancer clinic in a week and I am very hopeful for what we will learn about his condition.

The information is out there. Who wants to help me save the world? Some votes of encouragement wouldn't hurt my feelings. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?20-I-was-watching-quot-The-Biggest-Loser-quot-tonight-and-something-that-one-of-them-said Awesome low-carb cheesecake recipe http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?17-Awesome-low-carb-cheesecake-recipe Sun, 16 May 2010 00:50:34 GMT I brought this to Jimmy’s crawfish boil today and it was a mega-hit. I wholeheartedly recommend the recipe. Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 65 minutes Ingredients: • 1/4 cup Heavy Cream • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk • 2 tsp. vanilla • 2 eggs • 1 cup Swerve ... I brought this to Jimmy’s crawfish boil today and it was a mega-hit. I wholeheartedly recommend the recipe.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Swerve non-sugar sweetener
• 1/2 cup Carbquick baking mix
• 2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
•
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. Truvia (five packs)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Shake of salt
• 1 lb fresh strawberries
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9" pie pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
In blender container or food processor, combine cream, almond milk, 2 tsp. vanilla, eggs, Swerve, and Carbquick. Blend or process on full speed until smooth, about 15-20 seconds.
Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to blender or food processor. Blend or process on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Pour into prepared pie pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes until the pie is firm and set. Cool completely.
In small bowl combine sour cream, 3 Tbsp. Truvia, salt and 1 tsp. vanilla and mix well. Spread over cheesecake. Top with fresh strawberries. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 8
Swerve is admittedly a bit expensive. I am researching other options. You can probably use granular Splenda if you like, but they use a sugar alcohol which is not truly free of carbs for their bulking agent, unlike both Truvia and Swerve. Pure Erythritol is only about 60% as sweet as sugar, but it is carb-free. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?17-Awesome-low-carb-cheesecake-recipe Pre-workout breakfast http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?14-Pre-workout-breakfast Sat, 15 May 2010 13:56:08 GMT Hour or so before workout this morning. Enjoying four scrambled eggs with cheese and butter, and some leftover peppers & onions. Delicious. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?14-Pre-workout-breakfast Dinner is now in the Sous Vide Supreme http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?13-Dinner-is-now-in-the-Sous-Vide-Supreme Wed, 12 May 2010 20:36:38 GMT Target last night had some very nice 1" thick petit sirloins for half off--about $4 a lb. I picked up a couple family packs.

Today I mixed up a marinade: red wine vinegar, olive oil, red wine, white pepper, garlic powder, and salt. I went over the steaks with the Jaccard and dropped them in a FoodSaver bag with the marinade, then into the SVS at 125 degrees right before I leave to take the kids to go get haircuts.

125 degrees is too low to Pasteurize them, so no more than 4 hours at the most at that temperature. However, it should ensure a nice rare interior when I take them out. After we get back, I will drop them in an icewater bath to chill them for protection and then fire up the charcoal grill. Gotta get a nice sear on the exterior! ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?13-Dinner-is-now-in-the-Sous-Vide-Supreme Current favorite protein smoothie recipe http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?12-Current-favorite-protein-smoothie-recipe Wed, 12 May 2010 17:35:06 GMT 1c Unsweetened Almond Milk 1tbsp natural peanut butter 2 scoops vanilla whey LC protein powder 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa 2 packets truvia sweetener 5g leucine powder 1/4tsp NoSalt Potassium salt substitute Blend and drink immediately. I pour the peanut oil off the top of the natural peanut... 1c Unsweetened Almond Milk
1tbsp natural peanut butter
2 scoops vanilla whey LC protein powder
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 packets truvia sweetener
5g leucine powder
1/4tsp NoSalt Potassium salt substitute

Blend and drink immediately. I pour the peanut oil off the top of the natural peanut butter because nobody needs that much added polyunsaturated oil. The peanuts themselves aren't too bad for you, as legumes go, but the oil isn't wonderful.

It actually tastes pretty darn good. Be better with a banana in it, but then the carbs go through the roof. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?12-Current-favorite-protein-smoothie-recipe Was shopping last night... http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?11-Was-shopping-last-night Wed, 12 May 2010 13:40:04 GMT ...and an older gentleman saw me with six pounds of butter in my arms, making my way over to my cart. I saw him wander over to the squeeze bottles of "I Can't Believe It's not Butter" and put one in his basket. I really wish there was an easy way to tell someone "you know, that stuff doesn't taste as good as Butter, is awful for you compared to Butter, and is more expensive."

The Government allows companies whose products contain up to .5g of trans fat per serving to announce that they are free of trans fats. To accomplish this, they simply lowered the recommended serving size and incorporated more gums and fillers to bulk out the product.

Meanwhile, the battle continues against saturated fat, salt, and cholesterol. Mindless behavior. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?11-Was-shopping-last-night Delicious recipe: Impossible Broccoli Chicken Pie http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?10-Delicious-recipe-Impossible-Broccoli-Chicken-Pie Mon, 10 May 2010 21:57:28 GMT Ingredients: • 1 Tbsp. oil • 1 onion, chopped • 12-oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained • 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese • 1/2 cup shredded Havarti cheese • 1-1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken • 1 cup Heavy Cream • 1/3 cup water • 3 eggs, beaten Ingredients:
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 12-oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Havarti cheese
• 1-1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup Carbquick baking mix
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray a 10" pie pan with nonstick baking spray containing flour; set aside.
In medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add thawed broccoli mixture; cook until liquid evaporates.
Place onion mixture in prepared pie pan; let cool for 10 minutes. Layer cheddar cheese, Havarti cheese, and chicken over broccoli mixture.
In medium bowl combine remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into plate and bake at 400 degrees F for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and set. Top with Parmesan cheese and return to oven for 5-7 minutes longer to melt cheese. Serves 6 ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?10-Delicious-recipe-Impossible-Broccoli-Chicken-Pie I guess this will be my sticky re: Paleo/LC eating and all to which it pertains http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?3-I-guess-this-will-be-my-sticky-re-Paleo-LC-eating-and-all-to-which-it-pertains Thu, 06 May 2010 03:58:08 GMT I will fill in the info later as I gather it up. For now feel free to use the search option here on Budoseek for any of my posts in the last year or so. That will give me a chance to get my ducks in a row. I will fill in the info later as I gather it up. For now feel free to use the search option here on Budoseek for any of my posts in the last year or so. That will give me a chance to get my ducks in a row. ]]> Rasputin http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/entry.php?3-I-guess-this-will-be-my-sticky-re-Paleo-LC-eating-and-all-to-which-it-pertains