Tweak Tweak

Yup, time to make another tweak to the way I eat. As some of you will know, the resistant starch experiment is well underway. A few tablespoons of potato starch, the odd cold or grated raw potato, a bit of green banana, bigger helpings of raw cabbage/ beet root/ carrot, etc, etc. Sleep quality has been extremely good some weeks, then a bit intermittent. It seems like my belly needs a bit of time to adjust though, with unusual smells (euphemism of the day) and less regular bowel movements (there, I said it), but energy levels seem to have improved, so I will keep it up.

Anyhow, I am now considering making further tweaks as I think I am starting to develop what a number of my female relatives suffer from: osteoarthritis. The joints in my fingers have been a bit stiff and slightly painful a few mornings in a row. I have found myself shying away from shaking hands too firmly (oh how I hate limp handshakes...). I noticed my left hand feeling a bit weak while tying my shoe laces after a long cold walk. Sure, I have been using my hands A LOT more (milking is an interesting movement for office hands), but this development still worries me. Hence I've decided to make a few tweaks to how I eat to reduce inflammation and boost cell repair for my joints in particular:

• Fasting between early dinner and lunch the next day (should make 17-18 hours of fasting)
• Increased intake of organic vegetables and collagen-rich bone broth
• Focus on grass fed meats & ghee as well as organic eggs and fatty fish for protein (or go without...)
• Strict avoidance of nuts/ seeds/ seed oils, all dairy (apart from ghee), alcohol, grains and sugar
• Continue taking extra vitamin D and fish oil, add in a bit of turmeric
• Focus on other sources than potatoes for resistant starch

I know these are a lot of tweaks at the same time, but I figure I should throw everything I've got at it. Then I can always reintroduce some things at a later date to check if there is one particular trigger.

Laters!

Organic Shopping in London

Internet shopping is great, but sometimes I just want to see, touch and smell what I am buying (and I don't want to wait a few days until it arrives by post). Bumblebee is a great find for all my organic needs: vegetables, herbs, nuts, fruit, dairy, eggs, random beauty products and even refill for my washing up liquid.

Yesterday, I found organic potato starch in the shop, so I have started my own resistant starch experiment. Exciting.

Possibly my favourite part: loads to spice up my food (life)

Resistant Starch Experiment

This is something that hasn't been sighted in the Paulsson household for years. Gasp, p-p-p-potatoes!

Scary Mary

I would normally avoid potatoes for their blood sugar spiking properties and their antinutrients, but I have decided to start a little experiment alongside my low carbing paleo house deity, Mark Sisson.

A little while ago, the idea of resistant starch started making the rounds of the paleo community. Anecdotal evidence of better blood glucose tolerance, sleep, digestion and body composition popped up on various blogs (Free the Animal seemed to be one of the more vocal/ slightly obnoxious ones), but it took a while for Mark Sisson to jump on board. And for me. Low carbing has been a way of life for almost three years now, why would I want to introduce starch again? But although my low carb version of paleo suits me really well, I am always open to new ideas and ways of tweaking my diet. Especially as I sometimes wonder if perhaps long-term ketosis may not be the cure-all, especially for women. 

Anyhow, I am now experimenting for a month with cooked cold potatoes as well as green bananas (plonked into unsweetened smoothies of avocado, avocado seed, spinach, coconut cream, lemon juice, cinnamon). The theory behind resistant starch is that it passes through the digestive tract to be broken down further down the line, feeding not your blood glucose depots, but rather certain beneficial gut bacteria that would otherwise get starved on a low carb diet. 

Watch this space. Or should I say "smell this space"? A week in, I have noticed two things. Amazing sleep quality (and I mean sleeping like the dead) and, on the flip side, pretty grim fartage. Let's hope that the latter is a passing thing...