Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I'm 64 with a lot of health issues (past and present diverticulitis/osis) I'm on day 82 of paleo - never felt better - discarded my RA meds and arthritis meds - I'm pan frying everything! In olive oil or coconut oil, on occasion I'll broil! While I'm down to a good weight, I still have "fear of frying" - I like to have meals in 20 mins. from fridge to mouth! - I sort of want to get more confirmation that I'm not over-doing the iron skillet! In addition to the fried "chop", I'll have a "stir fry" of a mound of veggies cooked in more oil and meat juices - throw in some bone broth to get additional nutrients - Typical meal (this a.m.'s) Lamb chop; stir fry - 2 parsnips, cup of spinach, 2 carrots, 1/4 onion, 1/3 cup bone-broth (done in the juices of the lamb chop)

With a variety of different meats, and veggies, this is my typical fare - comments? thanks!

flag	asked May 9 2011 at 16:53 semirade 699●4●9

I'm gonna give you +1 just for letting us know about your experience, being 64 and all :) – Flavio M. May 9 2011 at 16:58

Forrest · Answer 1 · 2011-05-09 16:59:38Z UTC

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Frying in coconut oil - great! I wouldn't fry in olive oil, as the phenols are damaged by heat.

Your fear is just based on decades and decades of government-funded anti-fat propaganda, and I don't blame you. But your food sounds great to me!

answered May 9 2011 at 16:59

Forrest
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	dang! Love coconut oil! But 3x's the price of Olive - however - my gut tells me you've "gut" a point! :) – semirade May 9 2011 at 17:21
	That's true in small quantities...I've been buying it by the gallon from Tropical Traditions when it's on sale. Then it's not very expensive. There is also some non-virgin stuff for sale on Amazon for 38$ a gallon. – Forrest May 9 2011 at 17:34
	Wilderness family naturals brand is also very good, check out Azure Standard which is a natural grocery that has pick up points in many cities. You can get bulk coconut oil that way much cheaper than a natural grocery store. – Kim The Nourishing Cook May 9 2011 at 17:45
	Lard and Tallow can be cheaper and better to fry with than olive oil. Some places throw the fat away - talk to a butcher - you might get some free. – Dave S. May 9 2011 at 18:02

Jan · Answer 2 · 2011-05-09 17:04:13Z UTC

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Try sous vide. Its amazing for long and slow cooking. And less damage to the meat flavors and nutrition due to the optimal cooking temperatures. And perhaps less oxidation of fats.

answered May 9 2011 at 17:04

Jan
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	thanks! Never heard of it! Health store or trader joes? – semirade May 9 2011 at 17:19
	I love the idea of sous vide cooking, just not the price tag of the cooker. Do you have a homemade sous vide or commercial? – Kim The Nourishing Cook May 9 2011 at 17:46
	Jan... sorry one more sous vide question. Do you do the 'browning' with a torch at the end or just not worry about that part? Or do you do a quick browning in a saute pan? If you use the 2nd method does that cook the meat too much? – Kim The Nourishing Cook May 9 2011 at 17:49
	depends, if its a sort of braise, then i would brown the meat before, but for steaks, afterwards, to get the juicy crust! Very uneven pieces of meat are kind of hard to brown, like oxtail. smooth steaks work well on the pan, a grill would be best! I have two laboratory immersion circulators that i once bought for developing film. Now they found some new use. I dont like the taste of coconut oil, i have hard time sometimes using homemade tallow or duck fat, cause they cant take so much heat, and i am paranoid little bit that they are burning. I use duck fat when i brown my good meats and offal – Jan May 9 2011 at 18:35
	Kim - I remembered and (amazingly) just found this article: lifehacker.com/5475550/…. I've been thinking of trying this myself - I'm just not crazy about using plastic for cooking (this technique seems to require it). – CaveRat May 9 2011 at 19:19

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UncleLongHair · Answer 3 · 2011-05-09 17:16:59Z UTC

One of my "go to" meals when time is tight is to fry whatever meat I have on hand, when it is done, take it out of the pan and set it aside, then throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand (on top of the oil and/or fat left in the pan), sautee for a few minutes, and call it a meal.

This might be a pork chop followed by cabbage and apples, or sausage followed by mushrooms and zucchini, etc. Most fruits and vegetables can be consumed raw anyway, so you don't have to worry about how "done" they are, it's basically a warm salad. If you are using something that needs some cooking time (i.e. chopped cabbage), after sauteeing it for a few minutes, put some liquid in the pan (water, broth, wine), and put a lid on it for a few minutes.

If the vegetables come out a little dry, I will then add oil or fat (i.e. olive oil or rendered bacon fat) for a dressing. That plus salt, pepper, maybe a squeeze of lemon will get you through a quick meal.

I personally don't worry about using olive oil with frying. The heat will damage some of the beneficial aspects of the oil, but even heated olive oil is better than a vast majority of other oils, and you have to use something.

Out of the frying pan!

3 Answers