I play for team butter

Byrdie asked for my 2 cents on butter. The writer said, “I know you’re team butter” but will you answer these questions? “Team butter”, could there be a better team-ever? The full butter article can be found here but thought I’d add a few factoids Byrdie didn’t focus on.

So it’s outdated thinking that saturated fat in butter leads to heart disease.
The butter tide is turning or should I say “churning” (ha). There’s a hierarchy in every food group and hallelujah butter is a good guy. Please skip butter alternatives or alternatives/substitutes for any whole food. Do you want to see the understudy or the lead? I hadn’t even contemplated margarine in eons until I was asked about it.

But butter isn’t only better than “alternatives” it’s good for you. Grass fed butter contains omega 3’s but also a vitamin called K2 you might recall K2 from my brie post. K2 and vit D in butter make it a key pregnancy food too, should you be expecting. Grass-fed butter also contains CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). I will be honest some studies show CLA helps metabolism, some do not. Regardless, CLA has strong anti cancer properties. Grass fed butter is also higher in certain vitamins than basic butter. Grass-fed is key not just because grass feeding is good but corn and soy and GMO ingredients in conventional dairy are not so good. I can’t green light all butter; I have high standards. So organic/grass-fed butter and ghee are A+ choices, I adore Kerrygold which is grass-fed but not certified organic.

In terms of how much? The article said “everything in moderation” which isn’t a phrase I favor, what’s moderation? We work with 1 Tbs added fat per meal and suggest mix of butter, ghee (butter with lactose removed, OMGhee amazing brand, swoon) coconut oil and we’re also not in the anti olive oil camp.
Thankfully we’re distancing ourselves from calorie counting and looking at foods that leave us feeling satiated, whole foods that taste good. And even a little good-quality butter tastes so freakin’ good.


Are you on team butter? What butter do you use? Or are you still fat phobic? How can I recruit you to the other (better) side?

Pinch me, Brie for your heart and bones?

I’ve been working on a heart healthy post for Fitbit since February is Heart Month.

Some of my advice will be expected, you know eat your omega-3 foods and exercise but I’ve become obsessed with a vitamin I didn’t know that much about before. I know this sounds strange, after all vitamins aren’t exactly like snacks items popping up all the time. This vitamin K2 plays key role in the prevention of heart disease, osteoporosis and even cancer and wasn’t on my radar before.

If vitamin K sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of K1 (as I was). K1’s key function is blood clotting and if you or a family member has been on a blood thinning med you probably know K (think leafy greens) plays a role. K2 can be produced by K1 but we can also get K2 from certain foods and bacteria in our guts can produce it.

Without getting too sciencey, K2 is sort of like an advisor or therapist for calcium and vitamin D.  K2 encourages calcium and vitamin D head to our bones and teeth and discourages calcium heading to arteries where it can calcify (not good for our hearts).  Most of the plaque in our arteries is produced by calcium.

You can supplement K2 but there are different types and some derivatives of K2 may be better or worse “advisors” if we use this analogy. So let’s talk about food sources of K2.

First there’s natto. It’s a fermented soy food. I’ll be honest and say I haven’t natto-ed as it has a reputation for tasting nasty.

If you’ve read this blog you know I’m sort of a fermented (probiotic) food fanatic and K2 is another reason to include these “ferm foods” as we call them in your diet.

BUT not all fermented foods have K2 as only certain bacteria produce it.

Many fermented vegetables contain K2. I love Farmhousekraut, Hawthorne farms fermented carrots and Mother in law kimchi

K2 is also found in full-fat grass fed dairy. If you haven’t tried Kerrygold butter or omghee, I was on that bandwagon before I realized their K2 potential.

And finally, K2 is found in certain cheeses. It’s found in the highest amount in Edam (I don’t Edam), also very high in gouda (OK, I can eat gouda but wouldn’t do a jig for it) but K2 is also abundant in…Brie. Did you hear that? And it’s not that these cheeses need to be grass fed but rather the bacteria and process used to make them that results in K2.

In terms of how much K2 that’s complicated as dietary guidelines don’t differentiate K1 from K2 but especially with the widespread use of Vitamin D supplements it’s a good idea to consider adding these foods to your diet.The fermented veggies can be used freely. With the ghee and kerrygold, 1 "good" fat be meal is a good guideline. I suggest weight loss clients keep cheese to two or three times a week and I still stand by that but you can add gouda or Brie to your shopping list. Remember, as I say in LBT, your portion should be no larger than lipstick size. I have been nerding out reading about the different types of K2 and will be circling back with more information.

In the mean time, you’re welcome.

Have you heard of K2? Do you eat fermented vegetables? Have you tried natto, should I?

What's with all the Bulletproof haters?

I use less butter and less oil (coconut for me) than "suggested"

I posted about Bulletproof coffee in 2013. As a coffee lover fanatic, I was intrigued by this new coffee concept and loved the taste of Bulletproof (coffee blended with grass-fed butter and oil) coffee. Since then Bulletproof coffee and the Bulletproof diet have taken off.  Even the New York Times covered it recently. But you know what happens? With coverage come the haters. Even the nutritionist in the Times article said, “this is not the breakfast of champions.” I’m curious what she thinks is because this concoction makes me feel pretty well…bulletproof.

A friend posted the Times article and there were the skeptics who couldn’t imagine butter in their coffee. I get that, it sounds weird. What I don’t get is the fury that Dave Asprey was not a nutritionist (if that’s the criteria then ignore 75% of the diet information you read) and that he sells products. If you were on board with Bulletproof,  wouldn’t you want the exact items Asprey writes about? “Expensive products” people clarify as if Soul Cycle or green juices are cheap.

It wasn’t until yesterday, when I saw this article (posted by the same Facebook friend) that I realized something about this concept really polarizes people. This writer takes issue with Asprey’s claims that he has “unlocked the answer”  (want to read a book where someone starts with "I don't know the answer"?) and dismisses the concept as a “fad diet”. She points out he references animal studies. I'm sorry, find me any nutrition book that doesn't cite rodent studies...we are not that different from these creatures, sorry to say. But when I thought about where this hate could be coming from I think it’s the fact that Asprey is in favor of (good) fats and using a whole lot of them (more than I suggest using). With the legacy of fat phobia, this is far more than a fad. It’s saying that the very way many Americans structure their diet is dead wrong.

I read everything that comes my way and most of it starts to blur. There were explanations and points made in this book I had never heard. A bit about Asprey, he comes from a technology background and was an experienced and unsuccessful dieter. He used what he calls “bio hacking” which apparently is a thing (though a new one to me) to “hack” his body the way techies might a computer, to find the secrets. And yes, my first thought was who’s to say what works for Asprey will work for us? As I read further I had a list of points that couldn’t hurt to try.

I also couldn’t help but see an overlap in some of the ideas in The Little Book of Thin.

Asprey advocates carbs (and only certain carbs) consumed at night versus earlier in the day and takes an even harsher stance on fruit than I do.  Asprey wonders why we lump “fruit and vegetables” together.  I’m curious to look into a mechanism I hadn’t heard that fruit can decrease leptin transport (leptin is the hormone that makes us feel we’ve had enough to eat).  

Asprey also has some interesting points on sleep. He suggests taking both omega 3’s and vitamin D at night to help with sleep. He also feels sleep is more important than exercise, important to keep in mind if you’re chronically choosing the gym over the extra rest. On exercise, Asprey a veteran of 90-minute workouts isn’t buying the “more is better” exercise messaging. He believes in well spaced, intense workouts and my favorite quote, “go for a walk but don’t fool yourself into thinking you exercised when all you did was walk.”

Aside from the coffee (and there’s great info about certain types of coffee being less moldy and  healthier), my favorite part of this regime is that there is equal emphasis on how you feel as there is on what you weigh. Feeling vibrant, invincible and productive…or “bulletproof” is something to aspire to….unless hating is your thing.

Have you tried Bulletproof coffee? Like it? Have you read Dave Asprey’s book or listened to the podcasts? Are you intrigued or not buying it?

Making things better: savory oatmeal

One of my many, many issues is that I’m fixated on betterment. This extends far beyond my own personal habits and diet. Truthfully, there are no limits. You think a certain hotel is amazing? I will have some ideas to make it better. You liked a book? I’ll explain how it could be tweaked and improved. My boys may ask me to check a math problem. Perhaps they got the correct answer but their handwriting? You get the picture. If I didn’t balance this exhausting tendency out with also being an avid complimenter nobody would want to come near me.

Sometimes I gather improvement ideas from others. Last month, I interviewed the inspiring Tricia Williams (perhaps you’ll recall her healthy donuts). She mentioned she enjoys “savory oatmeal with spinach, onions and shitakes”.  Oatmeal is typically sugar laden with maple or brown sugar, fruit, dried fruit or all of the above…but it doesn’t have to be. Your first meal of the really sets the tone for cravings and I encourage clients to curtail the sweetness. This means plain yogurt instead of flavored, smoothies with 1 fruit versus 3 but savory oatmeal? Genius.

Unlike Tricia, I’m a little too lazy and time-strapped (in her defense she saves this breakfast for the weekend) to sauté onions in the AM so I tried my hand at easy savory oatmeal options. First I paired 1 serving of oats with truffle salt, grated carrots (slightly sweet but not with the ingredients it was hanging with) and Kerrygold butter (photo above). I was sold

Then I bought this “cooking matcha” at Palais de Thes. Joanna, of office “snack queen” asked, “how is that different than regular matcha?” My reply “I have no idea but the tea lady sold me on it.” So into the oats went matcha, coconut oil and Himalayan salt.  I tasted it and it needed more flavor- so I minced some fresh ginger “sprinkles” and it was really good.

In our upcoming “Carb Riff” newsletter we’ll tell you about another exciting oatmeal to try but until then…savory oats it is. I’ll be tweaking my combos to make sure they get better and better.

Do you have “better” issues too? With all things or just certain things? Are you an oatmeal eater? Have you tried savory oats?

You Should Drink Coffee and The Best Coffee to Drink

Bulletproof coffee photo via weightlossguru.com, keep forgetting to take my own

Saturday,  while getting a haircut, I flipped through a magazine. I wouldn’t suggest this diversion as a lot of cutting occurred as I read probably because I was annoyed with a certain article. Asked for her opinion of the Paleo diet an expert quoted offered “it’s never good to remove a whole category of food” a sentiment already filed in my collection of worthless diet advice. I’m not against category slashing. If there’s a reason to give up gluten or dairy or sugar that leaves you feeling better with improved digestion or more energy, breakups are fine. If you tell me you’re swearing off soda or icky sweeteners, cold cereal and “faux” whole wheat bread, I’m going to cheer you on versus hold you back. But if you tell me you’re giving up coffee, I’m going to ask why?

There is no problem with coffee, there’s a problem with too much coffee (over 2 cups) or what you put in your coffee. For example, that skim milk and Splenda should be at the top of your nutritional worry list. I’m not here to say “coffee in moderation is OK”. If you read regularly you know I’m not a fan of feeling “OK” or the useless word moderation. I’m here to say coffee can make you healthier.

Coffee may reduce your risk of type 2 Diabetes. With Parkinson’s, it lowers chances of both the disease and with some related movement symptoms as well. Coffee reduces the incidence of certain cancers such as bladder and kidney and impacts Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee is a well-established exercise helper or ergogenic aid. In fact, because tolerance increases I have athletes cut back (not cut out!) caffeine in the week leading up to an event so that they get the maximum effect on race day, sneaky. Interestingly coffee also affects GI flora. And Let’s not forget those Ikarians with the enviable life spans. “The Secret May Be in the Coffee”

There are a few coffee considerations. First, your cup of coffee (and maybe your second) should be consumed by lunchtime or right after. I don’t want to boost your health and disrupt your sleep. Even if you think “caffeine doesn’t bother you” it may affect the quality of your sleep. Speaking of quality, all coffee isn’t the same. Choose organic coffee (coffee is a pesticidey crop) and be careful not to brew it using bleached coffee filters.Yes you can roast your own coffee, there are only so many DIY projects I can handle so I don't roast but chime in if you do.

I’ve been a splash of grass-fed, organic half and half, in my coffee girl for some time.  During a twitter chat, someone suggested coconut oil in coffee. Soon after this mention I was fielding questions about  "Bulletproof Coffee" from clients. This concept is now all over the blogosphere. I was intrigued as I had never heard of it but also curious that this mixture combines two foods that conventional wisdom tells us are bad butter! and coffee.

Bulletproof Coffee was developed by Dave Asprey, an entrepreneur who has lost a tremendous amount of weight and was greatly affected by a cup of “butter tea” he had while traveling.  Dr Weil actually wrote that butter in teas has long history and via Google I learned butter is used in coffee in Ethiopia and parts of India. The Bulletproof recipe calls for MCT oil and unsalted butter blended with coffee. I thought this sounded weird and frankly vile until I realized butter is made from cream. Bulletproof coffee is said to increase alertness, more than black coffee, to keep hunger at bay until lunchtime and to urge the body to use fat for fuel.

I tried this with coconut oil (coconut oil contains MCTs or medium chain triglycerides) as I like the coconutty taste and Kerrygold unsalted butter. I used 1tsp of each for starters blended with 1 mug’s worth of coffee.  Asprey calls for more butter (1Tbs) and oil (1-2 Tbs) but "digestively" I would work your way up. You combine the butter, oil and freshly brewed coffee in a blender for approximately 10 seconds. I have experimented with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cardamom as well. You can stir the ingredients in your coffee, skipping the blending step, but it doesn’t incorporate well. When you blend it it froths up. Think of it as a coffee breakfast smoothie.

If you’re wondering how this works, coconut oil helps your body utilize fat for fuel, it’s also a natural immune booster. Grass fed butter is much higher in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which was a popular supplement a couple years back. CLA also helps reduce body fat, specifically abdominal fat. If you combine these two ingredients with coffee you have something that’s potentially life changing and “weight changing” as well. And if nothing else, it’s distracting me from my haircut.

Are you a coffee drinker? Have you ever tried to give up coffee? Why? Have you heard of Bulletproof coffee? Or encountered buttered tea or coffee in your travels?