Starch At Every Meal? Not Necessary.
I’ve written a lot about how my mom is the one I must give a lot of credit to, for raising me with good food values and a holistic approach to what I chose to put in my body… or not.
She was a true hippie, through and through, and our daily fare included homemade brown bread, sprouted grains and nuts, organic veggies and fruits, bean soups and dips, some fish and meats. No preservatives, no sugar, nothing we couldn’t identify as a food. Not Paleo, however far healthier an approach to what we ate compared to the food pyramid (which was in effect then) or what the Standard American Diet consists of.
And…starch at every meal.
Didn’t everyone eat that way? Regardless of the source or quality, many people did, and still do, feel that eating starch at every meal is necessary, and that veggies are more of a garnish, perhaps for lunch or dinner, but certainly not the mainstay of meals like breakfasts and even less likely at snack time.
Just like the way we need to be open minded about other principles we adopt when we go Paleo, this is another of the same; we do not, in fact, need starch at every meal. I’d even go so far as to say that most people do not need starch at most meals!
With the exception of when one is preparing for specific types of physical activity, there’s no need to be adding even the most Paleo friendly of the starchier plants, like yams, to our meals.
I am an endurance athlete and I don’t even add yams to most meals, aside from when I’ve got a big training day or race I’m fueling for.
One of the many faux-Paleo concepts I see is the concept that we should simply replace rice, pasta or bread with Paleo-ish versions of them in every meal and snack.
What used to be a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with butter and a small portion of green beans becomes grilled chicken with yams (although some who erroneously feel dairy is Paleo will still be piling on the butter), and some will still have the green beans (um… they’re beans).
Better?
Yes, but not as good as no yams, no butter, no green beans and instead- a heaping bowl of arugula with onion, avocado, broccoli florets, fresh strawberries and olive oil under a grilled, pastured chicken thigh or breast!
Try it for a week and see if you don’t notice a difference in feeling satiated (not stuffed), more balanced energy level, clearer thinking and even a pound or two of fat loss.
Rule of thumb: just like we explained on Dr. Oz; each meal should have 2/3 of a plate full of fresh, local veggies, a palm sized amount of wild protein and a dollop of healthy fat.
All meals. Yes, even breakfasts. And snacks.
No tricks; simple, delicious and Truly Paleo!
