Written on November 21, 2013
We here at Kettlebell Kitchen are so excited to present this in-depth Q&A with Paleo Manifesto author John Durant.
John has been a part of the New York paleo scene for years now with his popular blog, activities such as the NYC Barefoot Run, and media appearances in the New York Times, NPR, the New Yorker, and the Colbert Report, among others.
KBK: You’re on record as being not much of a cook yourself. Since Kettlebell Kitchen is a paleo meal delivery service, it’s probably the case for many of our readers as well. Give that limitation, what’s your best advice for eating paleo and eating well in NYC?
DURANT: Let me tell you about the Great Chicken Stock Disaster of 2010-11. I tried making chicken stock on the stove. I didn’t put a cover on the pot, then left it on the burner while I went out for the evening (apparently this is a really bad idea). I returned a few hours later to a smoke-filled apartment. The water had boiled off, and all that remained was a blackened chicken carcass that was hissing and smoking. I quickly grabbed the pot and put it outside on the porch. Overnight we got about a lot of snow, enough to cover up the pot. Out of sight, out of mind — and so it remained on the porch until spring. That’s just how a paleo bachelor rolls. So yes, prepared meals can help.
Many people think avoiding grains (or just gluten) is the hardest part about eating paleo, but not for me. Many NYC restaurants have gluten-free options and they know that a lot of folks can’t or don’t eat it.
One of my two biggest challenges is avoiding vegetable oils. Lots of restaurants, even high end ones, use canola or soybean oil because they’re so damn cheap and people think they’re heart healthy. I would eat more potatoes — even french fries or potato chips — if they were cooked in coconut oil, tallow, or lard.
So here’s what I do:
-Diners will often cook in butter if you ask them to
-Ask restaurants what they cook with just so they know people care about it
-Avoid unknown sauces, oily foods, and prepared dressings
-Cook for yourself
-Buy prepared meals
My other big challenge is alcohol. I’m always meeting up with someone for a drink — that’s just what people do in NYC. But that can be killer if it’s 5 nights a week. I’ve almost never gotten sick over the last 7 years…unless there’s way too much alcohol involved.
Here are my tips for drinking:
-College is over: avoid binge drinking
-Beware the nightcap: avoid drinking just before bed
-Avoid high sugar, gluten-full drinks (sweet mixers like Coke or tonic, pre-made margarita mixes, or beer)
-Go for wine, hard cider, hard alcohol
Click here to keep reading our Q&A with John Durant, author of The Paleo Manifesto.
Written on November 7, 2013
When you talk to people who understand the importance of nutrition and diet in a holistic manner, time and time again you will hear this piece of advice: it’s not just WHAT you eat but HOW you eat. That is, someone can take in just the right quantities of food of the highest quality but still not benefit as much as they could due to circumstances beyond the “what” of their diet.
I’m not just referring to the importance of plenty of quality sleep, exercise, and overall life satisfaction (family, friends, good job, etc.), though those factors matter as well.
I’m talking about the WAY in which you eat. Do you wolf down a meal when you’re super-hungry and end up eating more than you needed to because your body didn’t get enough time to “tell” you it was full? Do you eat every workday lunch at your work desk in 10 minutes or less while absorbed in the internet? For those who live alone, do you need the TV on as your dinner companion when eating dinner at home?
Kettlebell Kitchen meals are convenient and can be eaten just as they are because they’re already fully cooked. Even if you choose to re-heat the meal, it can be done in a couple minutes in the microwave right in the microwave-safe plastic container it comes in.
But does that mean you SHOULD eat our meals that way?
I’d argue that you should NOT.
If you’re eating at work, you might feel swamped with work and that you can’t spare more than a few minutes away from said work to enjoy that meal.
But if you can’t get away for an entire lunch hour outside the office, that doesn’t mean you can’t carve out a bit more time to relax and focus on your food. Here are the steps I’d recommend:
1) Have real utensils, a plate, and a bowl that you use to re-heat and eat your food with. Yes, it takes a moment to clean up when you’re done eating, but it’s time well spent so that the meal itself FEELS like a real meal, not just a momentary food inhalation.
2) Have a friend at work who also eats in (whether they order take-out or pack a lunch)? Plan to have meals together. Share a meal with someone whose company you enjoy, even if you’re not eating the same food (though you’re more than welcome to encourage them to try KBK!).
The social aspect of eating, especially if you can avoid talking about work, primes your body to better digest what you’re eating and even has the added cognitive/mood benefits of giving your brain a break from the multitasking and constant interruption faced in the modern-day office.
So what I’m saying is…you can be MORE productive and enjoy your day better if you carve out time to just eat, preferably socially.
3) What if you’re not fond of your co-workers and have to eat alone? Practice mindful eating. Mindfulness applied to eating is just like mindfulness meditation or being mindful walking down the street. It’s not New Age hocus-pocus, it’s not religion, it’s simply PAYING ATTENTION to the sensations you’re experiencing as you eat.
The flavors and textures of the food in your mouth, the colors of the food, the heat of the tea you’re sipping, even the sound of crunching on a raw carrot-it’s amazing how much more we can be aware of when we bring our awareness to what we’re eating. Notice also if you eat slowly or quickly and instead of judging that “good” or “bad,” just notice how it feels to eat quickly or slowly.
Does the food seem more plentiful if you go slowly? Does the actual act of ingesting food seem less comfortable if you do it quickly? Just pay attention and notice.
In addition to paying attention to the food itself and the experience of eating, notice if your thoughts wander (most likely to work tasks that await you, or maybe personal stuff that’s on your mind). When your mind wanders (and it will), don’t judge yourself for it, simply notice that the mind wandered and bring yourself back to the present moment of eating, bite by bite.
If you get overwhelmed with work thoughts, you can even keep a pen and paper handy and jot down notes so that you don’t have to worry that you’ll forget what you thought. But eventually see if you can make that lunch hour (or half hour or 20 minutes) a time apart from work concerns.
Your digestion will thank you for it!
Stay tuned to the blog for more articles on this topic, covering how to make the most of your KBK meals when you’re dining at home, eating on the go, etc.
