Chris Kresser, Omega 6:3, Nuts and More

There are so many great bloggers and I am luxuriating in their work. I tripped on Chris Kresser’s site and wowza. He is my latest blog interest. I guess it is time to have a blog recommendation section on my blog.

Omega 6:3 Ratio

I first mentioned Chris in this post: Chicken about Chicken, which led me to other posts by Chris. This one provides more information on omega 6:3 and how to reduce it: How much omega-3 is enough? That depends on omega-6. For me this post means that I am probably giving up chicken skin (See Chicken about Chicken).

Nuts

Nuts. They can be a real bother. Our experience, which I blogged about here: Nuts and Whole 30 Update, is a perfect example of how Nuts can tear you up. Chris explains how they can nuke your body and gives some tips for paleo and GAPS diet people: Another reason you shouldn't go nuts on nuts. I knew most of this, which is why I almost always soak my nuts, but Chris’s explanation ties it together well. For all of my GAPS friends, you should read this article. I had no idea how bad the phytic acid in nuts was until reading Chris’s article. I knew that almond flour was an ugly inclusion in the GAPS diet (see Realizations About “Healthy” Sweeteners and Flours), but didn’t appreciate what a nutrient blocker it was.

One caveat about Chris’s article involves his opinion that even coconut flour is flawed thanks to phytic acid, which is news to me. I had read an article in Wise Traditions regarding phytic acid, so I went to find it. The Nourishing Gourmet had already blogged it and did a fantastic job (see Coconut Flour and Phytic Acid: Does it need to be soaked?), so check it out. Basically, Bruce Fife, ND, and author of the article says that coconut flour is safe, which is in opposition to Chris’s position.

More

Explore the heck out of Chris’s site. I am going to. Sometimes I just want to know what to do because that is so easy. That said, it is the “trying to understand why” that helps me occasionally come to a sound conclusion on my own or helps me double check information when it doesn’t feel right. After my double checking of Chris’s coconut flour conclusion, I saw in the comments on Chris’s original article that some Weston Price people, including Bruce Fife, mentioned that they felt Chris was wrong on the phytic acid/coconut flour issue, and Chris agreed with them.

Most importantly, have fun on the journey and don’t get too hung up on some of this stuff. It will eventually fall into place. If you have given up wheat in favor of coconut flour, for example, you have already come a long way. 

Comments

[Erin]

Laura,
What do you snack on if not nuts? They are my weakness! I know I eat too many nuts!
-Erin

[Laura Combs]

Since we started the Whole 30 in August (see http://movingstronglyforward.typepad.com/moving_strongly_forward/2011/08/the-whole-30-begins-today.html) we haven't been hungry for snacks. Nuts were never a problem for our digestion prior to the Whole 30, but they tore us on on the Whole 30 (see http://movingstronglyforward.typepad.com/moving_strongly_forward/2011/09/nuts-in-both-senses-of-the-word-we-havent-eaten-nuts-in-over-a-week-if-you-will-recall-nuts-force-you-to-stay-near-the.html)

That said, we do still snack on some soaked and dehydrated nuts and use them in recipes, but we really don't crave snacks much at all. If we do, an apple will do the trick, or some jerky. There are also some good recipes in the Every Day Paleo cookbook.

[Erin]

My kids seem to be hungry for snacks still, even on the Whole 30, but they are only 2 and 4, so I wonder if for their age they just need a little snack in the am and pm--or maybe it's just habit. Laura, is there any way you could keep a log of what you eat for a few days and post it on your blog? If you ever feel motivated to do that, it would be really helpful! Thanks for the great info.

[Laura Combs]

Hey Erin. I think kids are a bit of a different case when it comes to this. They are thinking hard, growing and very physical - needing and using more energy than adults. That is why rice is back in Colson's diet (and Ryan eats it too just because) - it affected the kid's mood. Your kids may need the extra oomf - maybe make some rice flour and raisin cookies if you need a creative way to get it in and rice isn't a problem for them.

Check out this post: http://movingstronglyforward.typepad.com/moving_strongly_forward/2011/11/there-is-a-whole-30-revolt-in-my-house-can-low-carb-affect-mood.html

And check out this post: http://movingstronglyforward.typepad.com/moving_strongly_forward/2011/11/colsons-rice-reintroduction-a-success.html