Oftentimes, you will hear the criticism that a recipe is “one note.” Have you ever wondered what that means? Or, have you ever wondered why nearly every chocolate recipe calls for a tablespoon of coffee?

It has to do with flavor. There are actually 6 different flavors that we can perceive:

Salt
Umami
Spice
Sweet
Bitter
Sour 

What we’re really saying when we say that a recipe that tastes “one note, ” is that the recipe is fundamentally unbalanced – this means that one of the above flavors is dominant, and others are either non-existent, or overpowered.

A dish that is unbalanced can be good, but it is ultimately forgettable. A dish that is balanced with many flavors all working together is complex, and exciting to eat.

Let’s look at the different flavors in more detail:

 

Salt
Enhances: general flavor, sweet
Balances: bitter

Common Foods: soy sauce, fish sauce, anchovy paste, parmesan cheese, bacon/cured meats

Salt enhances the flavor of any food. The best cooks salt each ingredient in a dish to taste before adding it to a dish, with the exception of pasta, rice, lentils, and beans, which needs the water to be salted before cooking. There is a fine line between perfectly seasoned, and over-salted – this is why it is best to salt each ingredient along the way, not all at once at the end.

There are many different kinds of salts out there, and each has a unique flavor and texture. To use with cooking, chefs prefer a kosher salt, since it has the “cleanest”” flavor and no color. Finishing salts can be used to impart additional needed salinity at the end of cooking, as well as texture – Maldon salt, which is flaky, is particularly good as an all-purpose finishing salt. Flavored or infused salts can also be used to bring additional balance to a dish before serving as well.

 

Umami
Enhances: sweetness
Balances: bitter

Common Foods: seafood, meat, aged cheese, seaweed, soy, mushrooms, tomatoes, kimchi, green tea, asparagus, miso, pickled vegetables, fish sauce 

Umami is often described as the “6^th flavor.” It is difficult to describe, and a relatively new concept in the food world. It is translated from Japanese as a “pleasant, savory taste,” and the definition has expanded to include descriptors like, “full-bodied,” and “meaty.”

The umami taste is a product of the amino acid L-glutamate, and as free glutamate (not an amino acid). Both occur naturally in foods, and in the food additive MSG – mono sodium glutamate. Glutamate is also increased via the fermented process, which gives fermented and pickled foods that earthy “funk.”

 

Sweet
Enhances: salt
Balances: sour, bitter, and spice

Common Foods: sugar, sugar substitutes, maple syrup, honey, jam, molasses, bbq sauce, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, beets, fall/winter squash, peas, snap peas, fennel, parsnip, fruit

Sweet is not just for dessert! Sweet flavors exist in what we consider “savory” foods as well. Vegetables like carrots, corn, and beets, because they have a higher internal sugar content, are naturally sweet, and add that sweetness to dishes they are included in.

Dishes, either sweet or savory, can quickly become overly sweet without another flavor, or combination of flavors, to balance it.

 

Sour
Enhances: salt
Balances: spice, sweet, bitter 

Common Foods: lemon, lime, orange, vinegar, tomato, yogurt, sour cream, pickled vegetables

Often referred to as “acidity,” sour flavors prevent a dish from becoming to sweet, spicy, or bitter. It is also described as being able to “brighten” a dish, particularly higher-fat dishes. Acidity can change the color of vegetables, so it is best added late in the cooking process.

 

Bitter
Balances: sweetness, saltiness

Common Foods: coffee, cocoa (unsweetened), grapefruit, beer, dandelion greens, endive, broccoli, spinach, kale, okra, bitter melon, radicchio 

We rarely center bitter flavors in recipes, because they tend to be overpowering and unpleasant to our tastebuds. However, bitter ingredients (like coffee) are used to prevent a dessert from becoming too sweet, or a dish from becoming too salty. Additionally, some veggies are naturally bitter, like broccoli, and understanding how to manipulate that flavor is important for taking cookie to that next level.

 

Spice
Balances: sweet 

Common Foods: Hot sauce, wasabi, horseradish, Dijon, harissa, siracha, gochujang, hot peppers, chili oil, augala, raw radish, pepper, watercress

Spice, or heat, comes from capsaicin, and is traditionally measured by the Scoville Heat Index (which is essentially a taste test in which an extract of dried pepper is diluted until heat is no longer detectable), though there are other, arguably more scientific ways of determining heat.

From mildest to hottest on the Scoville scale, here is a list of commonly used hot peppers:

Jalapeno
Cayenne
Habnero
Ghost Pepper
Pepper Spray
Pure Capsaicin 

Capsaicin levels in hot peppers are not enough to be harmful, but capsaicin is acutally a toxic compound (lethal dose is 47.2 mg/kg). It binds to a receptor in the mucous of the mouth associated with heat and abrasion, which is why it produces a burning sensation in your mouth. There is no physical/tissue damage eating peppers, and you can build up a tolerance by frequently eating spicy food (as the receptors become depleted). The pain from capsaicin ingestion releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers, and also can produce a feeling of euphoria, which is why chile eating competitions have become so popular.

So, there you have it. The different flavors and combinations that can bring your cooking from “good” to “great.” Having a number of different flavors in a dish, and balancing those flavors correctly, can go a long way to creating complex, exciting recipes.

So, what can you do with this information? Why is it important?

This is going to be a controversial opinion. And maybe an unpopular one.

I have a theory. My theory is that part of the reason people don’t like to cook/meal prep is that the way we’re taught to do it just isn’t that interesting.

We’ve gotten caught up in the convenience crutch of batch roasting food on a tray in the oven, and dumping an all-purpose seasoning on it without a) understanding why that seasoning works, and b) truly creating a food experience that we can connect to and get excited about. And we call that cooking. Frequently.

Except for in most parts of the world known for their cooking, what we do doesn’t really qualify. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, meal prepping and batch-cooking food is a great habit, and there is nothing wrong with convenience, but the more and more I think about it, and the more and more I study food and cooking, the more I feel that convenience can rob us of a true connection to food and flavor. With convenience comes detachment in the many processes and techniques of cooking, and limits us to nothing but the very basics, which over time results in boredom. When we get bored with our own cooking, we view even average restaurant meals as food that we can’t possibly get at home. What does that do for our confidence in the kitchen, and our willingness to try new things? What impact does this have on our relationship with food?

We’re turning meals into an obligation, into nothing but fuel so that we can keep working/training/taking care of the kids. We forget that eating involves ALL of our senses – it is an experience, and one that should be savored and enjoyed. 

We’re not settling for mediocrity in our professional/personal/athletic lives. Why should we settle for mediocrity in our food?

What if we could make great, interesting food (at most budgets) right in our own homes? Yes, even if we meal prep. Yes, even if we’re are on a limited budget (I recognize there is a certain amount of privilege in these statements, though one could make the argument that some of the most delicious, complex dishes in world cuisine are made by those with the very least resources).

We just have to understand food on more than just a basic level. We don’t have to go to culinary school. We don’t have to become world class chefs. We simply have to stop and ask why before we put that TJ’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning on everything (yes, yes, it’s delicious). We have to start thinking about each individual ingredient we put on a plate, and why it’s there. We have to start really tasting our food, and seeing how the different tastes interact with each other, and what effect that has on our eating experience.

THINKING = UNDERSTANDING. UNDERSTANDING = APPRECIATION. APPRECIATION = CONNECTION.

Think about what we could do with our relationship with food with more thoughtful preparation.

There are a few ways to begin our re-connection journeys with food:

Cookbooks, Cooking Shows, Online Food Blogs and Recipes

This is a great place to start if you are a beginner, and still very new to food. Remember, cooking is a creative process (yes, process), and as you practice more and more you will start to see patterns, understand how ingredients go together, and feel more comfortable with experimenting and changing recipes. THAT’S where the magic happens. The first steps in connection are thinking and understanding – you have to think about and understand ingredients and flavors, and that comes from exposure and experience. When I was starting to cook, I read cookbooks for HOURS, and watched Food Network daily. Even now, when I am at my computer, I always have a cooking program on in the background.

That being said, even as you start to understand food and flavor, you never want to stop learning. Fill your social media with chefs and blogs that cook the food that you want to master. Subscribe to email lists. Experiment with new cuisines. Take risks in the kitchen. Some may not turn out (I am reminded of the time I made a 5-spice mushroom sauce for a steak. Did not work), but that’s okay, as long as you learn from it.

The Rule of 3 Flavors

Once you are more familiar with foods, flavors, and recipes, you can begin to experiment a little more with flavors. This method also works with meal prepping, and can be as simple or complex as you want to make it!

Here’s an example: you want to prep chicken, rice, and spinach. 

The base flavors that you have there are earthy, umami (ish), and bitter. That’s not a particularly exciting or pleasant combination of flavors on their own.

But, before you reach for your obligatory all-purpose seasoning blend, try adding 3 flavors (+salt) to your dish instead:

Salt each component of your meal prep well (hint: probably more than you think)

Just before baking, coat chicken in a mix of hot sauce and honey (to suit your palate) – this also can be a marinade (marinade for 30 minutes). This adds spice (heat), and sweetness to balance it and the bitterness from the spinach.

Cook, covered, at 350 degrees in the oven until cooked through. A pan on the stove runs a greater risk of burning the sugars in the honey.

Just before serving, sprinkle with lime juice, a sour flavor, to further balance the heat and to brighten your dish. (HINT: cooking citrus tends to make it bitter, so wait until just before serving)

Elevate your rice – cook in vegetable broth/stock for more flavor, and melt in butter before serving, for richness (and because casein dulls the pain from the heat. Non-dairy works as well, for richness, not for pain-relief). As the rice is steaming after the water is boiled away, add the spinach to cook, and mix into the rice.

I would say that the flavor you must add to (almost) every dish after salting, which goes without saying, would be acid. From there, choose the two flavors that you feel would best compliment the ingredients that you are prepping.

Again, experimentation is key here, and with experimentation, both successful and unsuccessful, you learn and grow!

Build Dishes from Ingredients

The most experienced cooks and chefs build dishes from a single ingredient, or group of ingredients. Inspiration can come from what looks particularly nice at a store or market, or based on idea/concepts that you saw in a cookbook, or online. Figure out the primary flavor from your starting ingredient, and build in more balancing flavors from there! 

Everything said and done, the most important thing you can do is to learn about each ingredient – where it comes from, the season in which it tastes the best, how it tastes raw vs cooked (or even if it can be eaten raw), what the predominant flavor is, what foods and flavors balance it, what foods and flavors enhance it, etc. Once you begin to understand food as almost a blank canvas, as see all of its possibilities, you will inevitably be more connected to it in a positive way. And that is nothing but positive for our relationships with food.

Who doesn’t love pancakes?!?! When done right, they are fluffy, slightly sweet, and go perfectly with some maple syrup and a delicious fruit compote.

This is my go-to pancake recipe. It pairs well with any type of fruit compote, or just plain maple syrup!

This recipe was another happy accident of mine. One Easter, I needed to make a vegan pasta dish for dinner. I thought that changing the cooking liquid for pasta would bring it more flavor. I had no idea that using non-dairy milk would create a thick sauce that reminded me of an Alfredo.

The great part of this recipe is that it is completely customize-able. You can use any non-dairy milk available, and any vegetables that you have on hand. I’ve made this with fresh spring peas and cashew milk, with broccoli and coconut milk, and almond milk with asparagus and leeks.

The combinations are truly endless!

 

There is something inherently comforting about beans. I don’t quite know what it is, but making beans (especially from dried), is a labor of love and patience.

There are also SO MANY varieties of beans, and SO MANY USES. Almost infinite. Beans can be used in soups, stews, dips, and event desserts!

This particular recipe features beans, however, at their best – on their own, subtly spiced, featuring the texture we all know and love. That, and it is incredibly easy to put together. Add meat if you wish to make this a omnivorous meal!

Feel free to make beans from dried – soak in salted water overnight, drain and rinse thoroughly, and cook in InstantPot with onion and spices using “beans/chili” setting.

This is a great recipe to make in bulk for meal prepping as well!

 

This is one of the easiest pastas that one could make! It’s great in bulk, and keeps well in the refrigerator too. This was one of my “Meal Prep” Recipes I originally shared on Instagram, but I wanted to share it here as well.

You can easily use canned ingredients in lieu of fresh, if canned is not available. The amount of each ingredient can also be tweaked to suit your own needs/tastes. Which, makes it a great recipe for those seeking to learn more about flavors in the kitchen!

I also added one of my favorite seasonings, called Artemnesia: THE Italian, from The Fig and the Knife. This incredibly talented chef ships her amazing spice blends all over the nation, and the spice blends that she makes truly enhance any dish. You can find her stuff here.

 

Once again, here’s a recipe that I started with one vision, and that vision accidentally became something else.

I originally intended this to be a creamy mushroom chowder. But, in the end, I didn’t want to add the cream and change the flavors, because it was THAT GOOD.

It was also super easy to make, and a 1-pot meal (which is great for clean up!))

For this recipe, I used a medley of mushrooms, including oyster mushrooms and king trumpets (they look cool for the photos – I did it for the ‘Gram). Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what type of mushrooms you use here, they’ll all be good!

If you are making your own stock, might I suggest the following recipe:

1 piece of kombu
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 onion (halved, with skin)
15 dried mushrooms (I used shiitake and porcini)
3-4 parsley sprigs
1 gallon water

Simmer ingredients in a stock pot, until reduces by 1/3^rd. Season to taste.

The kombu gives a delightful oceanic aroma to the broth, which reinforces the whole “chowder” vibe (which, this isn’t a chowder, technically, but it is inspired by one), and adds an additional layer of umami.

If you want to use boxed mushroom stock, that works just as well!

I’ve done keto. While it wasn’t particularly the most pleasant experience for me, it did force me to be a little more creative in my cooking, and I wanted to pass along some tricks to you. 

So, I put together this “chicken tenders and fries” recipe because no one should be without something crunchy and textured, even eating according to the ketogenic diet.

Shredded coconut makes a great crunchy coating for chicken. The trick is getting the coconut to stick without using flour, eggs, or dairy.

Enter coconut milk. Coating the chicken in coconut milk serves not only as a dairy/egg-free way to ensure that the coconut evenly coats the chicken, but it also keeps the chicken moist, and gives the chicken a sweetness that balances out the spice and smokiness of the peppers. 

All in all, this chicken is a great way to get some crunch in while packing a delicious flavor punch. Enjoy!

A diet is a way of eating (at least for the purposes of this post). Diets are not religions. A particular diet is not going to save you, nor flip a switch in your body and make you perfectly healthy forever. Nutrition is important, sure, but it’s not a religion.

This is just some basic information to demystify some popular diets.

The Ketogenic Diet 

WHAT IT IS: The Ketogenic diet (Keto for short) is a variant of a low-carb-high-fat diet. Carbs are kept to an absolute minimum (5% of intake), protein at a moderate amount (20% of intake), and the primary source of calories comes from fat intake (75% of intake).

Things allowed on the Keto diet:
Meat
Seafood
Low Carb Vegetables
Dairy
Nuts (some)
Avocado

Things NOT allowed on the Keto diet:
Carbs (Sugar, Starches, Starchy Vegetables)

WHY MIGHT SOMEONE CHOOSE THIS? Some people find the amount of fat in this diet very satiating, which means that a caloric deficit is easier to adhere to and sustain.

The Ketogenic is also considered medical nutrition therapy for both adults/children with epilepsy whose seizures are not controlled despite medication.

OTHER TYPES OF KETOGENIC DIETS:
Cyclical Keto: Allows for periodic high-carb days

Targeted Keto: Allows for carbohydrates to be added around workouts 

High Protein Keto: Allows for protein to be set at 35% of total intake

RELATED DIETS
Carnivore – an even more restrictive diet than keto, involving cutting out everything except meat and animal products

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
Proponents of the ketogenic diet state that once switching to the diet, “your energy will come from fat not carbs!” This is commonly thought to mean body fat, as the ketogenic diet is commonly used for weight loss. However, what is actually being referred to is the use of dietary fat (ie the fat you eat) as the body’s fuel, after it is converted into ketones. The rule of calorie balance still applies.

Higher-protein/Cyclical Keto diets aren’t “technically” keto – as the name suggests, Ketogenic diets force the body into a state called “ketosis,” which is where you use ketones for fuel instead of glucose/glycogen (which comes from carbs). It can take days to weeks to get fully into ketosis for some people, and an excess of protein can also be converted into glucose/glycogen, which can keep a person from ketosis. 

PROS
The Ketogenic diet is considered an beneficial medical nutrition therapy for those with epilepsy.

For some, a high-fat-low-carb approach can cause increased satiety, which can lead to better adherence to a caloric deficit.

There is evidence that a ketogenic diet can improve glucose control for those with impairment, but the appropriateness of the diet itself (sustainability, safety, long-term efficacy) as a treatment is still controversial.

The Ketogenic diet almost requires reliance on nutrient dense foods, which, via increased intake of protein and micronutrients, can make people “feel better,” and improve health markers. This, however, is not exclusive to the ketogenic diet.

CONS
The “Keto Flu” is a real phenomenon – upon your transition to a ketogenic diet, your body will transition from using glucose and stored glycogen to create ATP (energy) to creating “ketones” to be used for energy. This can cause intense and unpleasant side effects, mimicking the flu, and can last from a few days to a few weeks (or longer) – everyone is different.

With the limited amount of vegetables that can be eaten on the ketogenic diet (to keep carbs at 5% of total intake and to induce ketosis), it is difficult to get the necessary amount of dietary fiber in your diet. Fiber is important to feed your gut microbiome, and also for things like remaining regular.

Keto is INCREDIBLY restrictive. Such restrictive diets can harm a person’s relationship to food, or inadvertently promote a cycle of both “falling on and off the wagon,” which can be harmful to both psychological and physical health.

Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred form of energy – it is what it is designed to be primarily fueled by. Our brains need approximately 120g of carbs a day just to function. Ketosis is a survival mechanism that is designed to keep us alive in times of food scarcity (ie, winter or famine). It’s kinda like a car that requires premium fuel – will it run if you put regular gas into it? Yes. Will it run at its best? That’s debatable.

Cooking Keto can present a number of challenges.

Texture
The same issue that you run into cooking Paleo dishes are also problematic in Keto dishes – without grains or some starch, you tend to run into problems of soft on soft textures (which can be unpleasant to the palate). This is even more true with keto, as things like nuts and seeds should only be used in incredibly small quantities. Starchier vegetables (the ones that have the most texture) are also usually avoided on this diet as well. This does open the door to playing with the textures of meats and fish (via a sear on the outside, for example, or via a crispy skin). It’s not a total substitute, but it is an option that must be carefully considered.

Choice of Fat
All that fat creates a rather heavy-feeling meal. It is important to consider multiple sources of fat – saturated from animal fat, for example, should be used sparingly, due to potential links to coronary heart disease.

And, each different type of fat has a different flavor profile, and will make the end dish taste differently. Coconut oil, a common cooking fat for those on the ketogenic diet, will give a dish a coconut aroma and flavor. Olive oil, on the other hand, has a lower smoke point, and will burn at lower temperatures. So, there are many choices in terms of which fats to use that must be carefully considered when cooking keto. 

Since the ketogenic diet does not allow for a great deal of carbohydrates, alternate flours must be used in baking. For most recipes, that will call for almond and coconut flour. Both flours are lower in carbs, but can create very dense and dry baked goods.

The other issue with ketogenic baking is the issue of sweetener. Since sugar cannot be used, alternative low-calorie sweeteners must be used instead: stevia, erythritol, allulose. This changes the texture and the cooking process for each baked good, which needs to be adjusted for when attempting recipes. Each sweetener is also used in a different measurement than cane sugar, for example, which can also disrupt the ratios of ingredients in a baked good. Finally, many sugar substitutions do solicit unpleasant aftertastes in some people, which can lead to an unpleasant eating experience.

Anyone here cook keto? Have any tips and tricks for us? Share them below!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT ADVOCATE FOR A PARTICULAR WAY OF EATING. THIS IS NOT ADVICE. PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS AS A MEANS TO PROVE THAT KETO WILL SAVE US ALL.

 

I’m still over here, clinging onto soup season, even though the weather is getting warmer.

I love soup so much – it has so much versatility, you can build so much flavor into it, and you can add a metric ton of veggies to your meal without making the meal unbalanced. It’s a beautiful sorcery.

But, the weather is getting warmer, and sometimes curling up with a bowl of hot soup when it’s warm outside isn’t the most pleasant experience.

Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish soup that is served cold, and it is thickened with day-old bread. I love the idea of gazpacho, because it is full of flavor, but I have a confession to make: the concept of wet bread makes me nauseous. There are certain things/textures that just set me off – this is one of them. 

That also being said, since it’s “paleo week,” using bread is off the table (yes, I pay attention to that stuff. I like cohesion). There is a variant of a gazpacho soup called a white gazpacho soup that is made from white grapes and uses almonds to thicken instead of bread, which is what inspired me to look at different nut thickeners as a means to make this recipe paleo. Arizona is known for its pecans, so that was a natural choice. From there, it was just a matter of finding flavors to compliment those pecans.

The result was AMAZING!

Let me be clear, this is not a gazpacho recipe. This is a cold soup recipe that is inspired by a gazpacho. I, in fact, used different flavor profiles to give this soup a more “Southwest” vibe. Also, in an effort to make this recipe easy and effortless, I didn’t peel any of the vegetables, and I only soaked the pecans for about an hour – so, the soup doesn’t have that velvety texture of a gazpacho, either. I actually like it much better that way – it gives the dish more texture.

This cold soup is paired with a warm cauliflower rice (purple, because, that’s what I got in my CSA box) that is full of fresh herbs, which provides a nice temperature and texture contrast. And, honestly, I got bored of chicken, so we got some shrimp from our local fish market, and boom, we had a dish!

This dish can be ready in under an hour, and requires very little cooking. Perfect as the days get warmer and we all want to be outside more!

A note on some of the specialty ingredients: The two ingredients that you might have difficulty finding outside of Arizona are wolfberry jam, mesquite flour, and pichuberries. All of these I get from our local farmers market, and the jam is sweetened with honey (and therefore is paleo). If you can’t find wolfberry jam, tomato jam will work (although it most likely won’t be paleo). Want to skip the jam all together? Add honey to your soup, to taste. For the pichuberries, you can substitute mango (or forego them altogether). The mesquite flour is available on Amazon, though if you aren’t going to use it all the time, it may not be a worthwhile investment. If that is the case, you can substitute 1 teaspoon brown sugar.

I hope you enjoy!

A diet is a way of eating (at least for the purposes of this post). Not a means to lose weight. It’s an important distinction, and one that often gets lost. 

PSA: Diets are not religions. A particular diet is not going to save you, nor flip a switch in your body and make you perfectly healthy forever. Nutrition is important, sure, but it’s not a religion. 

This is just some basic information to demystify some popular diets. 

The Paleo Diet 

WHAT IT IS: The Paleo diet is based on foods similar to what our ancestors in the Paleolithic era would have eaten. The Paleolithic era ended about 10,000 years ago with the advent of agricultural cultivation (farming). So, permitted foods are generally those in-line with diets of hunter-gatherers as opposed to farmers.

Things allowed on the Paleo diet:

Meats
Fish
Fruits
Vegetables
Nuts
Seeds

Things NOT allowed on the Paleo diet:

Dairy
Legumes
Grains
Sugar 

WHY MIGHT SOMEONE CHOOSE THIS? There are still some cultures in the world that are hunter-gatherer societies, so someone might choose to continue this style of eating, either within the community, or if they move away from the community as a means to connect more to their culture.

Outside of that, the Paleo diet is marketed as a means by which humans can achieve optimal health and longevity while maintaining an “ideal” body composition.

TYPES OF PALEO
Standard Paleo: This is your standard Paleo diet as described above

Autoimmune Paleo Diet: This is Paleo’s “Whole 30.” It is an elimination protocol where the staple foods are basically meat and vegetables, but the macronutrient ratios are less restrictive than the Keto diet. It is largely marketed as a “fix” a condition called leaky gut. 

RELATED DIETS
Keto – low-carb/high fat diet with moderate protein
Carnivore – virtually no carb diet 

RELIGIONS THAT ARE LINKED WITH PALEO
CrossFit

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
The purported health benefits of the Paleo diet are not necessarily exclusive to the Paleo diet. The Paleo diet’s emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods likely leads to an increase in micronutrient ingestion, which may account for a better sense of well-being

Paleo is not all bacon all the time – in fact, lean meat should still be prioritized due to the potential issues arising from a diet high in saturated fat intake

Paleo is not particularly conducive to resistance training and other exercising methods that use carbs as a preferred fuel source, since it tends to err on the lower end of the cab spectrum 

Now that we’ve discussed what the Paleo diet is (and is not), let’s talk about the pros and cons of this particular way of eating.

As always, how you eat is your business, and I am not here to tell you what is right – rather, give you (as much as possible, because we’re all biased in the end), a balanced perspective:

PROS

The Paleo diet has a strong emphasis in the eating of whole and nutrient-dense foods. No one ever got hurt from eating more vegetables. You do not even have to “eat Paleo” to do this, and reap the benefits. 

A diet heavy in whole, unprocessed foods can help to mitigate hunger during times of a deficit, which can make the experience of being in a deficit less painful, which can increase adherence, which in turn may help you reach your goals. This, again, is not a thing that is exclusive to the Paleo way of eating.

Paleo diets tend to be significantly higher in fact, and lower in carbohydrates. High fat can slow digestion, which leads to increased satiety while on the diet, again, potentially making it easier to adhere to a calorie deficit. Not shockingly, this is also not exclusive to a Paleo way of eating.

Some clinical trials have compared paleo to regular diets and found improvements in weight loss, glucose tolerance, blood pressure, triglycerides, and appetite management. Though, enough (if any) controlled long-term trials have not been done to assess long-term outcomes/risks of this diet. 

CONS

Not sure this needs to be said, but just in case, the Paleo diet is EXTREMELY restrictive. Like, we’re cutting out multiple food groups restrictive. Before you jump on the Paleo bandwagon, ask yourself if this is a way of eating that you can sustain, both mentally and physically, for the long-term. If not, know that there are other options out there that are not as restrictive and have many of the same benefits that might be a better choice for you

Contrary to popular belief, you can still eat “processed” food while following a Paleo diet. Paleo “treat” recipes abound, and while food isn’t inherently good or bad, if you goal is to limit sugar, know that following a Paleo diet does not necessarily guarantee that will happen. Coconut sugar is still sugar, after all.

The Paleo diet places high emphasis on organic fruits and vegetables, and grass-fed/pasture-raised meats. This can be expensive, sometimes prohibitively so, for some. Not to mention that organic/grass-fed being inherently healthier for us has been largely debunked in the scientific community. The diet itself, because of these things, and because of the gurus that tend to perpetuate it, is steeped in this aura of privilege and elitism.

Eating out is virtually impossible within the confines of the Paleo diet. Many restaurants have entrees that can be made grain-free upon request, however, note that most restaurants cook using soybean and/or canola oil, both of which are not allowed within the confines of the diet. While you don’t necessarily have to go out to eat, even periodically, to live a full and happy life, I would say that missing out on social situations because of the cooking oil used may be detrimental.

All that being said, it is worth noting as well that the entirety of the “paleo hypothesis” may be factually incorrect. Paleo-ism is steeped in the belief that we can replicate the diets of our ancestors before the first cultivation practices were born. It is worth noting that the diet does not mention or consider differences in ingredient availability due to climate differences and climate changes through the age, which is an important consideration if one wishes to replicate a diet. Furthermore, there is archeological evidence that our Paleolithic ancestors, in fact, did eat wild grains (where they were available) as early as 30,000 years ago, or before intentional cultivation began. And even then, genetic research itself has shown us our own genetic adaptation to farming practices, by turning on multiple genes related to the ability to break down grains and legumes.

COOKING PALEO

Paleo cooking is, all things considered, relatively straightforward. With a focus on meat and vegetables, it’s not difficult to build layers and diversity in flavors, since they all exist in baking.

It is important to note that many paleo recipes call for fattier cuts of meat – which is great for flavor – but it is an important consideration when deciding how much additional sources of fat to use in the dish (butter, olive oil, etc), even if they are for cooking a different component. Since fat slows digestion, fat-laden meals can often feel “heavy,” and for some are not pleasant to eat. If fattier cuts of meat are used, it is important to add an acidic component to a dish cut cut the richness and lighten the dish some.

The only component that may consistently be missing from a paleo plate is texture. A prevalence of cooked foods is a prevalence of soft foods, and, sometimes adding a raw element doesn’t really work. That’s where grains can be useful, as they can add texture to a dish without making it seem disjointed, and, in fact, round out and complete a dish’s flavor profile. 

Other considerations for paleo cooking include choosing spices and other flavoring ingredients that are aligned with paleo eating practices. This is harder than it looks – many widely available spice blends are made with sugar, which is not allowed under paleo guidelines. The same holds true with bacon and other cured meats – many contain sugar as a part of the curing process.

For that reason, it is important to read nutrition labels carefully should you chose to follow a Paleo diet, and to find spice purveyors are “paleo-friendly” (cough, cough @thefigandtheknife – I know, I’m shameless. She’s a good friend, and an awesome chef).

The other sneaky ingredient to note in paleo cooking is soy – technically, as soy is a legume, it is not permitted in a strict paleo diet. And, soy is in nearly every prepared food in the grocery store. Recently, more and more “paleo-friendly” prepared foods (spice blends, sauces, salad dressings) have been surfacing in mainstream grocery stores and online, and while convenient, note that these ingredients often come with a significantly higher price tag.

This all being said – if eating Paleo works for you, you’re getting your necessary fiber and micronutrients, and you can sustain it, that’s awesome! If you are considering going Paleo, just be sure to go in with all the information, and for the right reasons.