Category: Scoop

There is a growing trend of restaurants offering Paleo menu options, and in some cases, even entire alternate menus. Last week, we were spending a weekend in San Antonio and Sherry made a mission of finding Paleo-friendly restaurants for us to eat at.

Our lunch on Saturday was at an old-fashioned BBQ stand in Waelder, Texas called Martinez BBQ. It had a full five-star rating on Yelp, and after eating there, we understand why. They earned it. Sherry and I both had ribs and brisket, and after talking to the owner and barbecue master, we learned he used no sugar in the preparation of any of his meats. The food was extremely delicious, and I can’t recommend stopping at this gem enough.

For dinner on Saturday night, she found a Mexican restaurant called Paloma Blanca that had alternative menus for gluten-free and Paleo. We decided to eat there, and we were glad that we did. For our appetizer, we had a guacamole that was made at the table and served with plantain chips. For my main course, I had a chipotle pork with ranchero sauce served with grilled vegetables (and beans that I didn’t eat). Sherry had fajitas with beef, shrimp, and chicken which she said was delicious. They didn’t have any dessert options, but that was fine as we were actually quite full after dinner.

On Sunday morning, we went to Cappy’s for breakfast and I had an omelette with beef with potato and onions on the side and served with a slice of watermelon and some strawberries. It was a delicious start to our day!

On our drive back to Houston, we stopped at Robert’s Steak House near Weimar, Texas, and while it was okay, I can’t say it was a very good steak. It was lunch, and it filled us up, so I guess mission accomplished. Eating there made me appreciate the great cuts of meat we get at restaurants in the city. We expected more from a steak place “Out in the country,” but it was not to be. It was, however, Paleo, so it was a win.

Not every restaurant will have a Paleo menu, nor will they likely have Paleo options spelled out, but with some slight customization, it’s easy to get Paleo-friendly meals at restaurants. Depending on where you go, it can be a little limiting, but it’s possible to eat well on the road.

Why do people do things contrary to what they are trying to accomplish? Case in point: people who exercise and spend an hour or more at the gym every morning only to eat bread, cereal, or donuts and kolaches. I don’t get it.

I had the rare gift of walking behind a lady in the grocery store one day who I recognized as someone who runs every single day in our subdivision. She doesn’t dottle either: she really runs hard. I figured her grocery basket would be the picture of health. I was so wrong. Everything in her basket was junk, pre-processed, and full of sugar. It’s stuff like this that makes me want to break my rule about telling people about Paleo and Whole30, but I kept it together and just smiled and walked on.

It’s not judgment; it’s sadness.

It’s anger at our bad nutritional science.

It’s empathy: I’ve been there.

I used to be a sucker to the cult of exercise and low-fat. I used to think that if I ate my oatmeal and baked chicken breast and salad greens with some exercise, I’d lose all the weight my heart desired. The opposite happened, and I got sick every single time. EVERY TIME! Since starting Paleo? I haven’t been sick yet.

I won’t say Paleo is the only way, because it’s not. It is how I lost 110 lbs in a year without exercise, so I know it works for me, but there are many ways to eat well without going Paleo. However, it’s a no-brainer that this idea of a “Balanced diet” is all bullshit. Just because we can eat anything doesn’t mean we should. Grains, dairy, pre-processed foods, and sugar are the enemy. Vegetable oils are inflammatory. Soy isn’t that great for us. Science is bearing all this out, yet people ignore it and stick with the bad pseudoscience of fat being the enemy.

Until people open their eyes, they will continue to be like a swimmer competing against Olympians while doing the doggy paddle. You will make some progress, but very slowly, and in the end, you’ll be very tired for very little result.

For those who have been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I’m not a big fan of exercise. I lost 110 lbs without it, and I only started doing so because I wanted to increase my fitness level and stamina (and maybe a little strength). Toning is a good thing, but I see it as an additional benefit versus the primary reason for me exercising. With that said, what I’m going to say next will come as quite the shock.

I’m starting to enjoy this exercise stuff.

I know. People told me it would happen, and I denied it. People told me they enjoy it, and I remember saying that I wish I could be one of those people. Well, I can’t say exercise is at the top of the list of things I want to do to have fun, but it’s no longer the least favorite activity I partake in. For that matter, I was actually looking forward to it this morning. So much so, in fact, that I contemplated running last night instead of this morning. My legs felt like they needed to run. Weird.

I think part of what has made it possible for me to get into the exercise is that I’m not pushing myself beyond my abilities, nor am I pushing myself into pain. This morning’s run was actually quite nice. I started with push ups and hit my highest number to-date (don’t laugh: 25). I then started my run. The first half-mile pace wasn’t my fastest, but overall, the average pace was probably my best. I also ran the farthest since doing the 5k in San Antonio, and I did so within 31 minutes, so that’s nice, too. The best part: after the first mile and a half, I felt good. Really good. Heck, for the last half mile, I was settled into a nice pace, good breathing, and I actually didn’t want to stop. I only stopped because I needed to get ready for work.

I might start waking up a little earlier on run days so I can run longer if I want to.

I think there is something wrong with me. E.J. likes running? Now that’s just crazy talk!

I’ve registered for my first official organized 5k run in December to help raise money to find a cure for arthritis! I’d be honored if you could sponsor me or donate just a little bit to help find a cure. Many in my family have had arthritis, and I fear that it’s in my future as well. It’d be nice if we could help find a cure for it before I get to the age where I have to worry about it!

Here is the link to follow to sponsor me.

This past weekend, Sherry and I went out of town and we were worried that we wouldn’t have time to make our lunches and dinners for the week as we normally do on Sundays. I proposed that we buy some prepared Paleo-friendly food to allow us to spend a little more time away from home this past weekend. As we stopped at an old fashioned barbecue stand called Martinez BBQ in Waelder, Texas, we decided that barbecue would be a perfect food to purchase prepared! All we would have to do was to make some sides to go along with the meats.

We found that the food was not only amazingly delicious, but that the food was all prepared without the use of sugar. After eating lunch on our way into San Antonio, the next day, we picked up some brisket, sausage, and ribs to use as lunches this week.

I had some of the ribs and brisket yesterday, and today I had brisket and sausage. The food is amazing, and it’s filling. Best of all, it’s absolutely delicious.

Not all pre-prepared foods are bad if you take the time to find out what is in them. Naturally made foods can be a great time-saver for when you need to get food together for the week and don’t have the time to dedicate to a full food prep day.

Relationship advice on PaleoMarine? Well, yes, actually, since we’re talking about your relationship with foods. Namely bad foods.

We tell people all the time that it’s better to leave a bad relationship than to stay in it and suffer. I feel that it is no different when confronting the relationship with have with our food. If it’s hurting you, why are you still around? Because it’s delicious? That’s like staying with an abusive spouse because even though they treat you horribly, at least they look nice.

I’m not arguing that bread, pizza, beans, cake, and candy don’t taste good. Of course they do! That’s the problem; we are hard-wired to enjoy this stuff because the ingredients include items that used to be hard for us humans to find. This strong desire to eat as much of it as we can comes from the survival instinct that is still present in our brains. The problem is that all this stuff is no longer scarce. We can eat as much of it as we want, and we still want it pretty badly.

The good news is that we can control this. We can recognize the cravings for what they are and conquer them. It takes a few weeks (okay, between two to four, on average) to get over, but you can do it. Break up with the bad foods and forge a new relationship with foods that nourish you, fill you up, and leave you satisfied. Foods that are good for your body, your organs, and your health.