Don't Be So Saucy

MASTER YOUR PALETTE 

Last few days of the Paleo diet and I've just had the driest meal so far but possibly the purest in it's nutrients...

It was a roasted chicken breast with kale, broccoli, spinach and butternut squash. I steamed the veg and ate everything plain - ie. with no sauces or condiments. I accompanied it with a glass of water. It didn't look that appetising on the plate and as the chicken hadn't even been roasted in a glaze of any kind, there were no tantalising aromas coming from the meal either. Luckily, I was hungry. The first few mouthfuls were a bit of an effort because I'm used to a bit of sauce on my plate - and at least a bit of salt and pepper to get the tastebuds going. But once I'd got going into the meal, and took my time to appreciate and chew every mouthful, it actually started to be quite tasty...I realised I didn't actually need salt, pepper or any extra flavour enhancers.

Breaking The Habits

I've gotten so used to grabbing the salt and pepper at meal times - that it's become a habit. I also eat really fast. I'm trying to eat a little slower as a rule, so I can better assimilate and taste the food. This method aids digestion apparently, as the receptors on your tongue and in your mouth let the stomach know what is coming, plus your saliva mixes with your food, making it less alien in your gut,  thus helping alleviate any stomach aches. 

Drink your food, chew your water 

My nan used to say chew every mouthful 24 times before swallowing - this was likely because they were very poor in her time and especially important to do this during the rationing throughout the second world war, but also because it makes sense. The Daoists have been saying this for hundreds of years and their teachings are very much focussed on knowing oneself. More reading required on this methinks...Paul Check (in the video) has taken many of these eastern teachings and implemented these beliefs into his C.H.E.K. principles for following a training program in corrective and high-performance exercise kinesiology - ie. treating the whole body system to find the root of a problem. It's well worth looking into Paul's methods in more detail on his website.

It's strange how differently I see food now. I've become super wary of everything I buy from the supermarket because everything I see that is packaged up is marketed so well to entice us to buy. Reading the ingredients and thinking a bit more about if it's really good for us or just as easy to make fresh has encouraged us to cook and try new recipes more. These are just companies at the end of the day, who are trying to sell us stuff and they know sugar, salt and fat are our Achilles heels, but we really don't need all these extra ingredients and should cut them out as much as possible.

It's a shame to pass up on the processed sauces, they're ingrained in my habits, convenient and so tasty - but fresh tomatoes and a bit of olive oil are just as great. I now stick to non-processed options (no more than two ingredients excluding water) and mix together fresh whenever I can. 

Backup Reserves

I can't stress how important it has been having a few nuts on my person at all times. I'm currently sat in a patisserie over looking a counter covered with cakes and biscuits. I'm amazed at how my new conditioning has kicked in. I had an espresso and glass of tap water instead of a cappuccino, with my small fix of almonds instead of a cake.