More Meat and Eggs Recipes For Better Health and Fitness

 Tracy came up with this awesome meal.  She made these green chili burgers, and topped them with beef bacon (from Trader Joe's) and eggs.  The recipe for the burgers:

2 lbs. ground beef, 80/20 preferred
1/4 to 1/2 cup canned green chilis
1/4 large onion, diced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
lemon zest from about 1/2 lemon
1 tsp oregano
2 -4 T fresh mozzarella cheese, pulled apart into small chunks
salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, form into patties, and cooked in a mix of olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Meanwhile cook the bacon and eggs in a separate pan.  When you finish the burgers, put fresh spinach in the pan to collect all the fat and juices. Serve burgers topped with bacon and eggs, and spinach on the side.

I made the turkey legs for this meal by roasting them for about 8 hours in a 200 degree oven in my Le Creuset pot.  I seasoned them with mild Mexican red pepper, poultry herbs, and liquid smoke. I made gravy by thickening the turkey juices with arrowroot powder.  We had sauteed onions, cabbage, carrots, and kale on the side.
 

We made these burgers by mixing some fresh mozzarella, about 10 chopped Kalamata olives and olive juice, some dried oregano, and two cloves of pressed garlic into a pound of lean ground beef.  Tracy fried them in a mix of butter and olive oil.   We topped them with slices of beef bacon.  We had leftover vegetables with them:  sauteed kale, carrots, and onions, and a mixed salad. 

Harvesting Cattails

Here's a video series about harvesting cattails that Xavier and I did for HerbMentor.com. This series shows you exactly how to harvest all parts of the cattail through the various seasons, as well as how to actually prepare the cattails for your dinner plate. 


So far, parts 1-4 have been released on YouTube. 


Part 1





Part 2





Part 3





Part 4

Interesting Links

OK, for years now conventional wisdom has for the most part told us that 'red and processed meats' increase the risk of cancer compared to poultry.  Now some researchers claim that hot dogs have fewer carcinogens than rotisserie chicken.  They can't make up their minds because they bark up the wrong tree.  How about checking on the carcinogenicity of hot dog buns and soda pop?

Research suggests that if you want to get active, you should get a dog, not a gym membership or treadmill.  Tara Parker-Pope of the New York Times reports:

If you’re looking for the latest in home exercise equipment, you may want to consider something with four legs and a wagging tail.

Several studies now show that dogs can be powerful motivators to get people moving. Not only are dog owners more likely to take regular walks, but new research shows that dog walkers are more active over all than people who don’t have dogs.

One study even found that older people are more likely to take regular walks if the walking companion is canine rather than human.

Probably because most humans live at the fatigue-inducing effect of hyperinsulinemia.  Which reminds me, dogs, not chimps, behave most like humans (or is it, humans behave more like dogs than like chimps?).

Cooperation, attachment to people, understanding human verbal and non-verbal communications, and the ability to imitate are just a handful of the social behaviors we share with dogs. They might even think like us at times too, according to the paper, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Advances in the Study of Behavior. 

While there is no evidence to support that dogs and humans co-evolved their laundry list of shared behaviors over the past 10,000 to 20,000 years, the researchers believe adapting to the same living conditions during this period may have resulted in the similarities.

In the "duh" department, researchers announce that going on a calorie-restricted diet  will make you irritable and angry.

Research has shown that exerting self-control makes people more likely to behave aggressively toward others and people on diets are known to be irritable and quick to anger.' 

David Gal of Northwestern University and Wendy Liu of the University of California found that people who exerted self-control were more likely to prefer anger-themed movies, were more interested in looking at angry facial expressions, were more persuaded by angry arguments, and expressed more irritation at a message that used controlling language to convince them to change their exercise habits.

In one experiment for the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who choose an apple instead of a chocolate bar were more likely to choose movies with anger and revenge themes than milder movies.

I think these people have the mechanism wrong.  I don't think these subjects felt angry because they exercised self-control, I think they felt angry and aggressive because they felt hungry.  Do you think those same people would be angry if they had chosen steak instead of either apples or a chocolate bar?  I doubt it.

But these researchers are stuck in the self-control model of weight management.  They think it is all about going hungry and self-discipline.  In contrast, the nature says that appetite regulation and weight management occurs spontaneously when you feed the animal its natural diet.


Nature didn't make a mistake. You don't need much aggression to go for apples.  When you choose to live on apples and go hungry, you get aggressive, because that's what you need to go out hunting for real food, i.e. meat.

On the faith front,  attending religious services apparently makes you fat.

New research finds that people who frequently attend religious services are significantly more likely to become obese by the time they reach middle age.

The study doesn't prove that attending services is fattening, nor does it explain why weight might be related to faith. Even so, the finding is surprising, especially considering that religious people tend to be in better health than others, said study author Matthew J. Feinstein, a medical student at Northwestern University in Chicago.

"It highlights a particular group that appears to be at a greater risk of becoming obese and remaining obese," he said. "It's a group that may benefit from targeted anti-obesity interventions and from obesity prevention programs."....

The researchers found that 32 percent of those who attended services the most became obese by middle age, whereas only 22 percent of those who attended services the least became obese.  Does God give girth, or what?

Levin said one possibility is that those who attend services, along with activities such as Bible study and prayer groups, could be "just sitting around passively instead of being outside engaging in physical activity."

Also, he said, "a lot of the eating traditions surrounding religion are not particularly healthy; for example, constant feasts or desserts after services or at holidays -- fried chicken, traditional kosher foods cooked in schmaltz (chicken fat), and so on."

How about those donuts served after sermons?  The pancake breakfasts used for fund raisers? 

Don't lose any sleep over it.  Researchers found that when sleep-deprived, people increase their food intake by 300 more calories per day.  Note that in the article the authors call ice cream and fast foods "high fat."  Uh, did they forget the sugar?  Just another reason to sleep like a hunter-gatherer: as much as possible, absent artificial lighting, and with family, even if only your dog.

Simple Practically Paleo Meals

Slow roasted beef with a side of kale, onions, and raisins sauteed in olive oil.   Following Richard Nickoley's lead, I've taken to preparing all of our 2-4 pound beef roasts, ribs, and turkey by this method:

1. Heat the oven to 500 F while putting a dry rub on the 2-4 pound roast.  You might also cut large chunks of carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or celery.
2. Put the roast and any vegetables in a covered roasting pot (I use my 20 year old Creuset French Oven).
3. Put the pot in the oven at 500 F for about 5 minutes. 
4. Turn the oven down to 150 F and let the meat slow roast for 8 to 12 hours.
 
The result is very, very tender, moist, rare to medium rare meat.  You have to be careful not to leave the oven at 500 F for very long.  I plan to try this using only the 150 F for 8+ hours.

Tilapia In Coconut-Curry Sauce

We got some tilapia filets for $2.97 per pound from Sunflower Market.  Here's the recipe I created:

1 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 to 1 green chili, chopped finely (adjust to your liking)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T olive oil

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp curry powder

1 pound of tilapia fillets (5 fillets)
1 bunch of kale greens, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces.

salt to taste

1 T arrowroot powder

In a shallow stainless steel pan that has a lid (we have Emerilware), I sauteed the first 4 ingredients in the olive oil, then added 1/2 of the coconut milk with the spices.  I added the tilapia fillets and kale, covered the pan, brought it to a boil, and simmered the mix slowly until it just cooked through, probably 5 to 10 minutes.  I then removed the whole tilapia filets, then dissolved the arrowroot in the remaining coconut milk and added it to the pan, stirring constantly as it thickened up (if you like it thicker you can use more arrowroot).

I put the tilapia on the plates, the veggies on the side, and spooned the coconut curry sauce over it all.  The result:

Enjoy!

Keeping Cattle: Cause or Cure for Climate Crisis? Alan Savory's View

Another follow up to my Meat Is Earth Medicine post.  Savory's holistic land management methods have worked in Africa, Australia, and North and South America.  In this video he displays uncommonly astute thinking outside of the box. 


Allan Savory - Keeping Cattle: cause or cure for climate crisis? from Feasta on Vimeo.

Occam's Grazer

Following up on Meat Is Earth Medicine, this speaks for itself.


Occam's Grazer from Raincrow Film on Vimeo.

Crazy Moms and Crying Babies: Brain Damage By Vegan Diet

In 2004, Koebnick et al reported that a "Long-Term Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Diet Impairs Vitamin B-12 Status in Pregnant Women."  They found that 22% of ovo-lacto vegetarians had demonstrable B-12 deficiency.


In 2011, Gilsing et al reported on the "Serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate in British male omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans: results from a cross-sectional analysis of the EPIC-Oxford cohort study."  They found that 52% of vegans had vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Now a 2011 study published in Early Human Development by Goedhart et al--"Maternal vitamin B-12 and folate status during pregnancy and excessive infant crying" -- finds that women with low B-12 status are more likely to have infants that cry more than 3 hours at a time:

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The etiology of excessive infant crying is largely unknown. We hypothesize that excessive infant crying may have an early nutritional origin during fetal development.

AIMS: This study is the first to explore whether (1) maternal vitamin B-12 and folate status during pregnancy are associated with excessive infant crying, and (2) whether and how maternal psychological well-being during pregnancy affects these associations.

STUDY DESIGN: Women were approached around the 12th pregnancy week to complete a questionnaire (n=8266) and to donate a blood sample (n=4389); vitamin B-12 and folate concentrations were determined in serum. Infant crying behavior was measured through a postpartum questionnaire (±3months; n=5218).

SUBJECTS: Pregnant women living in Amsterdam and their newborn child.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Excessive infant crying, defined as crying ≥3h/day on average in the past week.

RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed for 2921 (vitamin B-12) and 2622 (folate) women.Vitamin B-12 concentration (categorized into quintiles) was associated with excessive infant crying after adjustment for maternal age, parity, ethnicity, education, maternal smoking and psychological problems (OR[95%CI]: Q1=3.31[1.48-7.41]; Q2=2.50[1.08-5.77]; Q3=2.59[1.12-6.00]; Q4=2.77[1.20-6.40]; Q5 = reference). Stratified analysis suggested a stronger association among women with high levels of psychological problems during pregnancy. Folate concentration was not associated with excessive infant crying.

CONCLUSIONS: First evidence is provided for an early nutritional origin in excessive infant crying. A low maternal vitamin B-12 status during pregnancy could, in theory, affect infant crying behavior through two potential mechanisms: the methionine-homocysteine metabolism and/or the maturation of the sleep-wake rhythm.

Since meat and fish are the richest sources of B-12, as the Mail Online put it, "a steak for pregnant mothers could stop babies crying."  Forget the stupid final remark by the veg*n nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston.  She proves herself clueless by it.  If anything will destroy your own or your baby's brain, its a vegan diet, not steak, as you will see below.

 I find their report of "a stronger association among women with high levels of psychological problems during pregnancy" intriguing.  Could B-12 deficiency due to meat avoidance increase psychological problems in adults?  Sure enough.

Durand et al reported on a case of "Psychiatric manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency."

Psychiatric manifestations are frequently associated with pernicious anemia including depression, mania, psychosis, dementia. We report a case of a patient with vitamin B12 deficiency, who has presented severe depression with delusion and Capgras' syndrome, delusion with lability of mood and hypomania successively, during a period of two Months. ...


At admission she was uncooperative, disoriented in time and presented memory and attention impairment and sleep disorders. She seemed sad and older than her real age. Facial expression and spontaneous movements were reduced, her speech and movements were very slow. She had depressed mood, guilt complex, incurability and devaluation impressions. She had a Capgras' syndrome and delusion of persecution....

Further investigations confirmed anemia (hemoglobin=11,4 g/dl) and revealed vitamin B12 deficiency (52 pmol/l) and normal folate level....Vitamin B12 replacement therapy was started with hydroxycobalamin 1 000 ng/day im for 10 days and iron replacement therapy. Her mental state improved dramatically within a few days. After one week of treatment the only remaining symptoms were lability of mood, delusion of persecution, Capgras' syndrome but disappeared totally 9 days after the beginning of the treatment. ...

To illustrate this illness we reviewed the literature regarding psychopathology associated with B12 deficiency. The most common psychiatric symptoms were depression, mania, psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment and obsessive compulsive disorder. The neuropsychiatric severity by vitamin B12 deficiency and the therapeutic efficacy depends on the duration of signs and symptoms.

Conclusion - We recommend consideration of B12 deficiency and serum B12 determinations in all the patients with organic mental disorders, atypical psychiatric symptoms and fluctuation of symptomatology. B12 levels should be evaluated with treatment resistant depressive disorders, dementia, psychosis or risk factors for malnutrition such as alcoholism or advancing age associated with neurological symptoms, anemia, malabsorption, gastrointestinal surgery, parasite infestation or strict vegetarian diet. 

If you search Pub Med you can find lots of articles on psychiatric complications of B-12 deficiency.  Therefore, the finding that women with psychological problems during pregnancy were more likely to have cry babies probably means that those women were more severely B-12 deficient than others.

What else can happen if you don't get enough B-12 during pregnancy?

Lovblad et al reported a case of "Retardation of myelination due to dietary vitamin B12 deficiency:"

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency is known to be associated with signs of demyelination, usually in the spinal cord. Lack of vitamin B12 in the maternal diet during pregnancy has been shown to cause severe retardation of myelination in the nervous system. We report the case of a 14(1)/2-month-old child of strictly vegetarian parents who presented with severe psychomotor retardation. This severely hypotonic child had anemia due to insufficient maternal intake of vitamin B12 with associated megaloblastic anemia. MRI of the brain revealed severe brain atrophy with signs of retarded myelination, the frontal and temporal lobes being most severely affected. It was concluded that this myelination retardation was due to insufficient intake of vitamin B12 and vitamin B12 therapy was instituted. The patient responded well with improvement of clinical and imaging abnormalities. We stress the importance of MRI in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with suspected diseases of myelination.

 Casella et al reported on "Vitamin B12 deficiency in infancy as a cause of developmental regression."  

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause serious developmental regression, hypotonia and cerebral atrophy in infants. We report a 6-month-old infant, with insidious developmental regression and brain atrophy showed by CT scan, secondarily to vitamin B12 deficiency. His mother was a strict vegetarian and the patient was exclusively breastfed. The clinical symptoms and the brain CT were normalized after vitamin B12 administration.

So we can conclude:

• B-12 deficiency during pregnancy may produce cry babies.
• B-12 deficiency during pregnancy can give your baby brain damage. 
• B-12 deficiency can make you crazy.

So I guess that proves the superiority of a vegan diet, especially a raw one (sarcasm).   

Starting to understand why some long-term unsupplemented vegans can seem a little, well, light headed?  Perhaps some of that gray matter is missing?


Might this explain why it can be so difficult to reason with vegan luminaries such as T. Colin Campbell?


Stay sane, stay smart.  Eat meat.