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shieldofiron · 14 days ago

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Vibe Check

Part 13: No Sleep Til Hawkins

Part 13, Also on Ao3 here and tumblr here

Billy gives up on sleep around 3 am. He’s pretty sure his will to pretend he’s asleep tires out just about the same time as Munson’s girlfriend because it’s silent for once.

He rolls on his side, watching Steve sleep. Steve had babbled nervously right up to the point of sleep and past it, his nonsense mumbles finally petering out.

He knows Steve is nervous, but for fuck’s sake, so is he. At least Steve isn’t dealing with heartbreak on top of that.

Billy sits up and rubs his eyes, conceding defeat. There’s no way he’s going to get any sleep, so he might as well be productive.

He slides out of bed and grabs his backpack before quietly slipping out. It’s not really due for a few days but he has an American Lit paper and it beats lying there in the dark ignoring screams and counting all the tiny fractures in his heart.

The house is quiet. Some of the brothers haven’t even come home from the parties. Billy is hoping when they do they’ll all head up to bed and ignore him in the lounge.

He doesn’t want to see anybody when it feels like he’s lived several lives since this morning. At this point he’s just feral, hardly human. It hurts, the ache in his chest. At the same time though, there’s such a bittersweet relief. Steve knows, and what’s more, Billy wasn’t crazy. They do have chemistry, even if Steve can’t see it.

But he can’t keep turning it around in his head, especially while he’s still tipsy. He has to get out of this headspace.

On the way to the lounge he decides to swing by the kitchens for a snack and maybe a gatorade. The cooks are seasoned frat professionals and they tend to have at least a few things prepared Saturday night in advance. Sometimes it’s overly healthy, but that works for him.

Billy flips on the light and nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees what looks like a black cloaked figure. Christ, maybe he’s dreaming.

The figure turns from where it’s hunched over a bowl of bananas, mouth full.

“Christ, Munson,” Billy drops his backpack and covers his face with his hands. “I thought you were the fuckin’ hat man.”

Munson smiles around his banana, “So’ry.”

Billy lets his shoulders fall, “No worries. Though I wish you would actually lay off the potassium. Christ, my ears would thank you for a cramp some nights.”

“Why?”

“Because, man… we gotta sleep sometimes,” Billy rolls his eyes and flops down in the seat next to Munson’s.

Eddie turns beet red. “You… can hear us?”

Billy remembers too late that he and Steve had more or less agreed to not talk about Munson’s girlfriend. Argyle had been weirdly adamant about leaving him be. ‘Don’t rush the dude, that’s just not your business,’ were Argyle’s exact words.

“Whoops,” Billy cringes a bit. “But… I mean come on, man. Your girlfriend screams like she’s getting murdered. And it’s almost every night. Of course we noticed.”

Munson lets out a noise like a rat caught in a trap and hunches into the collar of his fluffy black robe. He looks chalky pale, like he got caught by a cop.

“And I mean, hey, good on you, dude. Like I’m pretty sure you’re having the kind of sex only lesbians have.” Then Billy remembers Carver and nervousness creeps in. “Not that… jeez, not in like a gross homophobic way.”

“Lesbians?” Munsons squeezes the remaining banana in his hands into a pulp.

“Christ.” Billy gives up and sags against the counter. “It’s been a really weird night, man. I just… I was just trying to make a joke about your girlfriend. Nothing weird.”

Munson blinks with those big brown doe eyes. “My girlfriend?”

“Yeah, but I really meant no offense by it, I swear.” Billy held up his hands.

Munson stares at him a beat, and then he lets out the tiniest nervous giggle. “Girlfriend.”

Then he full on laughs, throwing his head back.

“Oh, or… not girlfriend?” Billy frowns. “I guess.”

Munson still laughs, harder and more full bodied.

“Well now this is just mean, Munson. If this is how you treat a lady, I’ll go up there and steal her for myself.” Billy licks his lower lip.

Munson’s hand shoots out and he grabs Billy, smearing bananas all over Billy’s arm. “Do. Not.”

Billy winces, yanking his arm away, and reaches for a paper towel to wipe his hand off.

“She’s like… really classy.” Munson says sheepishly. “She’d be mortified you heard her in my room. Please don’t.”

“I wasn’t really gonna wake a chick up who you left in bed.” Billy rolls his eyes. “What kind of guy do you take me for?”

Munson shrugs. “Same kind as me, that’s why I don’t want you to piss her off. I’m serious.”

Billy tosses the slimy paper towel on the counter and crosses his arms. “So she’s classy. What is she? Tri Delt?”

Munson sighs. “No.”

“Zeta?”

“No!”

“Don’t tell me she’s one of your theater friends?” Billy frowns.

“Hargrove, stop.”

“Does Eden know her? I bet she-”

Munson grabs at him again, looking wild. “Hargrove, listen. Don’t talk to anyone about this, ok?” She’s like… not that kind of girl. She’s classy, ok? Rich and like… going places. She doesn’t want this. You haven’t told anyone already, have you?”

“No. I mean, Steve knows, obviously. And honestly I would ask Patrick and Matt across the hall. I assume Carver.” Billy shrugs with one shoulder. “Argyle told us to, like, protect your privacy or whatever?”

Eddie just nodded vaguely, looking only marginally less unhinged. His hair was mussed, and there was a rapidly developing hickey high on his chest.

“What’s with all the secrecy, anyway?” Billy gasped, and then grinned, “Is she a professor?”

“No, Jesus. She’s just… way the fuck out of my league. Like stratospherically out of my league.” Munson shakes his head and lets go of Billy’s shoulder.

“How stratospheric?”

“Super stratospheric. Like… Buzz Aldrin couldn’t land her.”

Billy whistled. “I have to know.”

Munson sighs. “Look, I’m eating bananas at 3 am. I’m a fucking loser. She’s sleeping to get to her 8 am and she has like a 4.5 GPA and her parents paid for a room in the library or something like that. I can’t talk about it because I’m just… a pressure reliever.”

Billy raises his brows.

Munson doesn’t miss the implication. “Yeah pretty much. I guess I just have slightly more functions than a vibrator.”

Billy grabs a banana for himself, because all the banana talk was making him hungry. “But you’ve been going on like a year now.”

“Ten months, two and a half weeks, three days and well… three hours.”

Billy tries to raise his brows even more but he doesn’t have any room.

Munson leans against the counter and rubs the back of his neck. “Being in l-love with her is one of my many functions.”

Billy almost feels like he could cry. Which is stupid. It’s silly. “That’s sad as fuck, dude.”

Munson sighs, slumping a little more. “Yeah, but what are you gonna do?”

“I dunno what you’re gonna do. I’m gonna sympathize.” Billy says.

“You too?”

“Yeah. At least you’re actually fucking your girl.” Billy mutters.

Eddie shakes his head, hair flopping. “Yeah. Been there too, big time.”

Billy peels his banana, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Same girl, too,” Munson says with a sad little flop of his bangs. “Got me wrapped around my finger since… God. Forever.”

Billy shook his head. “Damn. You, me, and Carver gotta go out sometime.”

“C-Carver?”

Billy nods. “Yeah. He was just telling me about his dating troubles. I’m sure you’ve heard at least some of it.”

“Oh. Right.” Munson nods back almost absently, looking kind of pale again.

“But, hey. You’re fucking your dream girl!” Billy pats Munson’s shoulder uncertainly. “Bring her a banana! Woo her ass, I dunno. She’s gotta be into you at least a little.”

“You think?” Munson looks so innocent like Billy hasn’t heard him do the least classy things ever to his classy girl.

“Your one year anniversary is coming up? I dunno. Don’t take advice from me, I don’t notice anything, apparently.” Billy sighs, leaning forward on his elbows and taking a bite. “It’s been a really weird fuckin’ night, so seriously don’t take my advice.”

Eddie nods slightly, frowning in confusion.

Billy wants to burst into tears or something like that. He thought telling Steve would just end the world, and now the world is apparently still spinning. Munson’s in tragic love too.

Coming out once doesn’t make coming out again any easier. So he resists the impulse to dump the whole sordid tale on Munson, even if he kind of wants to. Because Steve just came out. Billy can’t ruin this time with his own stupid hopeless feelings.

So instead he takes another bite and gets up to grab a gatorade from the fridge, shoving it into the pocket of his sweat shorts.

“Sorry, man, I’m tired. Just rambling. If you ever want to talk about your girl, I’m here for ya, ok?” Billy says.

“Thanks. Uh… you too. You know, if you ever…” Munson peters out, gesturing weakly.

Billy cackles and it comes out way too forced, but he commits to it anyway. “Well, you know me. I have 99 bitches but not one’s a problem.”

Eddie laughs a little, toying with the messy banana peel nervously.

Billy pats Munson on the shoulder and walks back to his room without a second thought, fully leaving his backpack behind. He was supposed to go downstairs.

But Steve is asleep so peacefully. Billy stands at the door and just stares. Steve always sleeps splayed out like a starfish, one of his feet dangling over the side of the bed. Tonight he has his mouth open, drooling slightly.

Billy has kissed that mouth. He wishes he could go back in time and slow that moment down forever.

Steve was still the worst person to fall in love with, the most unforgivable. And now it would be even harder because Steve had said it so strongly tonight. They would only ever be friends.

Billy wants so badly for anything to be different. He wishes suddenly he’d gone to any other school, anywhere else on earth. He wants to be in Eddie’s place because surely it would be better to be something than nothing at all.

Or is this better. Maybe now he can finally accept-

“B’lly?” Steve still has his eyes closed. “Close th’ door.”

Billy freezes for a moment, before shutting the door gently, plunging the room back into semi-darkness.

By the light of the streetlamp outside and the Frat’s shitty old alarm clock, he can just make out Steve scooting over and raising the blankets on his bed.

“C’mon,” He says.

Billy thinks of what Munson said as he crawls in next to Steve. He tosses the gatorade across the room and settles next to that warm body he knows all too well. Steve pulls up the fuzzy blanket that his mom bought him for Hanukkah last year, the one that smells like weed and Steve. The bed feels scorching hot, and Steve’s long limbs immediately lash around Billy, holding him with the perfect tightness. Steve presses his chest to Billy’s back and sighs, his minty-beer breath brushing the back of Billy’s neck. Billy’s skin prickles everywhere they touch, with almost the same sting as embarrassment.

That this is just one of his many functions. That in some ways he should let go, but he was meant to love Steve like this. Maybe he couldn’t have helped it.

Steve hums. “Promise. N’thing will change, right? We won’t be weird?”

Billy feels like he’s shattered, held together by Steve’s limbs, squeezing tight.

“Yeah,” He says, ignoring the tears that get squeezed free.

#billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #shieldofiron #harringrove #Harringrove #Billy Hargrove #Steve Harrington #Billy x Steve #Steve x Billy #my writing #frat boy au #vibe check au harringrove #background munver #eddie munson

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timeinthemarket · 6 years ago

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[This article about keto pasta may contain affiliate links for which I receive a commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I use and trust. Please read my disclosure for more detail.]

I’m a keto guy. I like the diet and the main reason is that it makes me feel good. It’s not just about weigh loss for me although the diet does work for that. On top of that, I actually think the diet is pretty easy to follow. However, part of that is because I was never a big sweets guy so cutting our carbs wasn’t a huge deal for me.

Still, despite how I feel about it, I’m the first to say that the diet isn’t for everyone. It does limit you to a certain subset of food and cutting our carbs isn’t that easy for everyone. And yet, it’s become one of the most popular diets in recent times simply because how effective it is in certain areas. You want to lose weight and keep it off? Keto is there for you? You want help with certain medical issues? Keto can help.

The beauty of this popularity is that it’s now much easier to find pre-made foods that are catered for the keto diet. The low carb explosion is a god send to those of us following the keto diet. After all, sometimes, you just want an easy snack or an easy meal. The one beauty of a diet full of carbs is that many foods are easy to prepare. Think about stuff like cereal, chips, candy, frozen pizza, etc. Those are all easy to make and enjoy quickly. Similar keto options often require a lot more work. In essence, it somewhat sucks if you’re a lazy guy like myself. However, like I said, times are changing.

The consumer is suddenly a lot more interested in low carb alternatives. Since companies like to make money, they’re starting to provide them. It’s a slow change but it’s definitely happening. Now things like keto pizza and keto pasta exist. However, as with all things, substitutes are often very hit or miss. And that’s why I’m writing this series of posts. I want to share my feelings on the various keto products I try. On top of that, I want to get suggestions from others on things that they like(and maybe review those things too).

This won’t be a very regular series. It’ll pop up as often as I have some new items to try. However, the reality is that these new items that excite me so don’t appear all that often. I don’t want to force this into a weekly series if I don’t have enough material.

One thing you should know about me is that I REALLY enjoy grocery shopping. I’m the type of guy to get excited when I see a new item at Trader Joe’s. You’ll find me standing in the aisle reading the ingredients and seeing if it’s keto friendly. It’s a bit of a hobby, much to the chagrin of my wife, who just wants to get the stuff and get going. Now I’m taking that hobby online where I will talk about my grocery shopping! As an ingredient reader myself, I’ll try to post pictures of every item that includes ingredients and nutritional data so you can join in on the fun too!

That’s the idea behind Sunday Keto Pantry! Hopefully those of you who enjoy grocery shopping and reading about keto will enjoy it. If you do or have any suggestions for items to try, send me a note via my contact page.

Now that the intro is behind us, let’s talk about keto pasta!

Keto Pasta – Explore Cuisine Edamame Spaghetti

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Pasta is one of the things that is sorely missing in keto. It’s an absolute no no on the diet given the high carb count. That’s why I was excited when I saw this box of edamame pasta at Costco.

It’s a soy based product and a 2oz serving is 7 net carbs, a tiny bit of fat and 24g of protein. The bit of potassium is nice to as it’s a key nutrient to prevent the keto flu. I was never a HUGE pasta eater but my wife is so I figured it be nice to have a meal I could make for both of us.

One thing that worried me is that the sample size is so small. It’s important to keep that in mind when making this pasta as those carbs can quickly add up. In making this pasta, I tried to stick close to the serving size to illustrate how much food you actually get for the carbs.

The package comes with two smaller bags, each containing about 18oz of pasta.

I took 5oz out of the package for our meal for two, a bit above the serving size but 4 oz felt too small. That means 17.5g net carbs split into two meals or 8.75g per person. For comparison, a 2 oz serving of regular pasta was 42g net carbs so a similar meal would be 52.5g net carbs per person; a pretty nice drop if you’re using this keto pasta instead.

The preparation is very easy. You toss the pasta into some boiling water, boil for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain. Since pasta tends to take on water, we ended up with quite a bit of pasta to share between the two of us. As you can see below, this keto pasta looks pretty much like the real thing. It’s a bit greener but the noodles are well separated and look and act like regular pasta.

I made two dishes out of this. For my wife, I tossed the pasta in some tomato sauce and added some Parmesan. Since I don’t really eat pasta and didn’t have any low carb tomato sauce, I just made mine with some olive oil and various cheeses to keep the carb count low.

So how does it taste?

According to my wife, the pasta aficionado, it tastes weird. I’m not sure she was a big fan as she left about half her portion uneaten. When I asked her if she’d like to have it again, she said probably not! Guess it’s not good enough to convert my carb loving wife.

There are two things that I think go into this weirdness. First, there’s a definite difference between the mouth feel of this pasta and the regular stuff. It’s a bit thicker and the texture feels a bit more gritty, more akin to buckwheat pasta. However, it’s not awful and still retains a pretty decent similarity to regular pasta at a fraction of the carbs. On the flavor side, there’s definitely an earthy tone to the pasta that doesn’t get fully covered up by the sauce and lingers a bit after eating. If you’re someone who enjoys earthy flavors then you’ll like it but more picky eaters may find it unappealing.

Personally, I found it…just OK. I didn’t mind the flavor but the texture was a bit disappointing. The good thing about it is that it is pretty filling for the small portion size I had. If you add some fat into the mix, it can easily become a full meal. However, it’s important to watch the portion size here as this can be a big portion of your daily carbs if you’re trying to stay under 20 per day. You’ve also got a ton of protein here too.

If you’re a pasta fanatic then this does a pretty good job of filling the void. It’s definitely spaghetti but the texture and earthy flavor are a bit of a contrast against what you normally get from pasta. If you can get past that or even enjoy it then this could become a staple in your diet as long as you watch the portion sizes.

It’s probably not for me. I’ll finish the box eventually(it’s good until Dec 2020) but likely won’t pick it up again. Still, for those of us on keto who miss pasta daily, this is the best alternative I’ve tried so far. You can find this online if you can’t find it in local stores. The company also makes other varieties of other keto friendly pasta if spaghetti isn’t what you’re looking for!

Broccoli Chips – Trader Joe’s Broccoli Florets

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One of the things I miss most about eating carbs are chips. It’s nice to just sit down with a bag of something crunchy while watching TV. Unfortunately, most chips include a ton of carbs. Sure, there’s pork rinds, but sometimes you want something different than roasted pig skin.

While strolling through Trader Joe’s the other day, I found a bag of broccoli chips. I know what you’re probably thinking; gross, who wants broccoli chips? Apparently, the customers of Trader Joe’s do. Personally, while Broccoli isn’t my favorite vegetable, I was willing to give it a try.

The product is 5 net carbs and a ton of fat. It’s basically just broccoli cooked in some rice bran oil with a pinch of salt. According to the bag, it’s an irresistible snack that makes you want to keep munching?

I don’t know if I truly agree with that BUT I did eat the entire bag in one sitting. In the end, this is about what you’d expect. It’s a fried/dried broccoli product with a bit of salt. The bag is pretty small and is mostly air so you end up with a small amount of actual florets to snack on; one of the main reasons I finished it in one sitting.

If you’ve ever had baked kale, you sort of know what to expect from this. It has a similar flavor and texture.

The problem is that the florets are small and very messy. There’s a ton of loose broccoli powder in the back which gets everywhere.

On top of that, they lack a ton of flavor. I was expecting a stronger broccoli flavor but only got a hint. The mouth feel is weird too as these tended to suck out all the moisture from my mouth leading me to seek out some water. It wasn’t even that they were salty because if anything, there was a lack of salt which would have added some flavor. It was just that they were dry and sought out my inner moisture like that doctor who villain, “moisturize me!”

Overall, if you’re a huge broccoli fan(I’m sure you exist), I’d suggest giving these a try. However, I wouldn’t suggest going out of your way to try them. I likely won’t be getting these again.

Cheese Crisps – Cello Whisps Parmesan Cheese Crisps

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We’re staying on the chip train with these cheese crisps. These are small cheese crackers(see size below with banana for scale) that have a variety of uses.

You can snack on them and they make for a great replacement for regular chips. These are 1 net carb for 23 crisps which is more than enough for a snack.

I’ve been eating these things for a few months and honestly, I really love them. They’re a versatile snack that can be eaten on its own or added to things like salads to add some additional crunch.

The flavor is excellent and the only complaint I have is that the crisps can have some rough edges that can scratch my old gums. I have weak innards! Well, the other complaint I have is that they’re wicked expensive. I suggest buying these in bulk if you can find them at a place like Costco because the small packs are very expensive.

Also if you’re not lazy(gasp), you can make these yourself as they’re just baked cheese. That’ll probably save you a good deal of money but ain’t nobody got time for that.

However, these are great anytime you want a quick filling snack and don’t want to bake. I buy a few bags every time I go to Costco and think it’s money well spent. These are the best chip replacements I’ve found as I’m not a huge fan of pork rinds. One of my favorite ways to use these is to toss a few into a warm dish. For example, anytime I make some palak paneer, I add these for a nice crunch to that dish. They melt just a little bit in the warm paneer and are just fantastic.

If you like Cheese and crunchy things, you’ll like these.

And with crunchy cheese, I’ll wrap up this inaugural post of the keto pantry. Since this is new, I’m open to suggestions. Let me know if you want to see more pictures or if you have any items to suggest. I’m always available to chat via my contact page and love talking keto! I’ll be back when the aisles of Trader Joe’s greet me with some new keto stuff to try!

Sunday Keto Pantry : Keto Pasta, Broccoli Chips and Cheese Crisps I'm a keto guy. I like the diet and the main reason is that it makes me feel good…

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watsonrodriquezie · 8 years ago

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8 Primal-Friendly Flours

While I don’t recommend making Primalized versions of grain-based foods a staple, the fact remains that people love them. They’re going to want them. There’s not much you can do about that. And if we want to incorporate pancakes, muffins, cookies, and other flour-based items into our diets without ruining everything we’ve worked toward, we need the healthiest, most Primal flours.

The alternative flour market has exploded in recent years. A decade ago, you had gritty almond flour and fibrous coconut flour, and that was about it. Today, there are many more flours to sift through. But what are the best ones? Which ones fit best into a Primal way of eating, and why?

Today, I’m going to lay it all out. I’ll give a brief explanation of each Primal-friendly flour, including the facts, features, and characteristics that I find relevant and notable. That way you can decide what’s best for you.

Almond Flour

You know it. You love it, or at least tolerate it. For most long-term Primal eaters, almond flour was the only option if you wanted anything approximating a cookie or a pancake.

What’s notable?

Nutrient-dense: Almond flour is rich in magnesium, vitamin E, copper, and manganese.

Polyphenol-rich: Almond skins have tons of polyphenols.

Prebiotic: Almonds make great food for our beneficial gut bacteria.

Rich in MUFA: Over half of the fat in almonds is monounsaturated, the same kind found in avocado and olive oils. It’s really good stuff.

Calorically dense: A cup of almond flour has about 650 calories. It’s more than a cup of whole almonds, which is already a lot of nuts. It’s a tightly-packed cup of pulverized almonds. If you’re eating almond flour pancakes, it adds up quickly.

Moderately high in PUFAs: Nothing wrong with the PUFAs in a handful of almonds, but it’s easy to get too many eating baked goods made from PUFA-rich almond flour.

Less oxidatively stable: Increasing the surface area of an almond by milling it into flour makes the polyunsaturated fats more vulnerable to oxidative damage. Heating the flour adds another oxidative input.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill has a very nice super-fine almond meal.

Cassava Flour

You’ve probably heard of tapioca starch. That’s pure starch pulled from the cassava root. This isn’t that. Cassava flour is the whole dried tuber ground into a fine, mild, adaptive flour. But before you get too excited, know that cassava root—even the whole food—isn’t terribly nutrient-dense unless you count starch. It’s mainly useful as a reliable source of starch for people who rely on it for caloric bulk. So the flour, even derived from the whole root, is basically glucose.

What’s notable?

Reduces blood glucose. When researchers added cassava flour to regular wheat flour-based baked goods, the glycemic response plummeted. The more cassava flour they added, the lower it went.

What brand?

Otto’s Naturals.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is made from dried coconut flesh with most of the fat removed. Only a little bit remains—a gram of fat per tablespoon.

What’s notable?

High in fiber, low in digestible carbs: A quarter cup of coconut flour contains 16 grams of carbs, 10 fiber, 6 digestible. It enjoys a correspondingly low glycemic index and can even make other foods lower in glycemic index when incorporated.

Contains prebiotics: A portion of the fiber in coconut flour is fermentable (PDF) by the gut bacteria, which create butyrate and other beneficial short chain fatty acids as byproducts.

Tricky to work with: Coconut flour is incredibly dry, fibrous, and absorbent. It soaks up liquid like nothing else. Cook with a quarter of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

Reduces blood sugar: Adding coconut flour to a hypocaloric diet reduced blood glucose and cholesterol in overweight Brazilian women.

What brand?

Anthony’s seems to be the best value.

Coffee Flour

Coffee flour isn’t ground up coffee beans—that’s coffee. It’s ground up coffee fruit pulp, the pod that contains the beans we know and love.

I’m going to be honest here. I have a bag of it sitting in my pantry, picked up from Trader Joe’s, but I haven’t used it yet. From what I gather, coffee flour is a great flavor enhancer (think roasted fruit rather than espresso) that also provides a ton of micronutrients. You probably don’t want pancakes made entirely out of coffee flour, but a couple tablespoons added to the gluten-free flour of your choice would probably turn out really well. Another option is to add to smoothies.

What’s notable?

High in phytonutrients: Coffee fruit pulp is rich in various phytonutrients, many of which have antioxidant qualities.

High in potassium: A tablespoon has about 300 mg of potassium.

High in fiber: The product is new enough that studies haven’t yet determined the fermentability of the fiber, but I’d wager a guess that coffee flour will have prebiotic qualities.

What brand?

Trader Joe’s.

Green Banana Flour

Green banana flour is a recent phenomenon, emerging as the resistant starch craze hit its peak. Reason being: green bananas are fantastic sources of resistant starch, and so is the flour.

What’s notable?

High in resistant starch: Cooking the flour nullifies the resistant starch.

Tricky to work with: Like coconut flour, green banana flour soaks up a lot of liquid. Cook with 2/3 of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

What brand?

WEDO.

Hazelnut Flour

Hazelnuts receive little fanfare already—especially this side of the Atlantic. Hazelnut flour gets even less. That’s a mistake, as hazelnuts are incredibly underrated in the nutrition department. They also taste great, although I find the flour lends itself best to desserts.

What’s notable?

Surprisingly nutritious: Hazelnuts and their flour are good sources of vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium.

Has surprising heart health benefits: Hazelnuts reduce LDL particle number, improve cardiovascular health beyond the effect they have on lipid profiles, and reduce the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation.

Makes homemade Nutella possible: Hazelnut and chocolate belong together. Throw hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, 85% dark chocolate pieces, a sweetener (honey, xylitol, ec), and some avocado oil into a food processor. Process until it starts looking spreadable, then salt to taste.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill does a good hazelnut flour/meal.

Potato Starch

Potato starch is just that—starch—so don’t expect any micronutrients. Most use it as a complement to other gluten-free flours, finding it lends a light, fluffy quality to the finished product. I included it while omitting other pure starches for three main reasons:

If you’re making crispy fried chicken or fish, potato starch is a fantastic dredging agent.

If you’re making gravy or need to thicken a pan sauce, a tablespoon or so whisked into liquid (e.g. broth, water, milk, cream) then added to the pot will provide the perfect texture.

If you want a quick source of resistant starch, stir a couple tablespoons into a glass of sparkling water.

What’s notable (besides the three reasons I keep it around)?

Resistant starch: Gram for gram, it’s the best and most inexpensive source of resistant starch around. Add it to smoothies or mix a couple tablespoons with sparkling water and drink it down. Keep it away from heat, or else you’ll turn the resistant starch into plain glucose.

Some people have reported stomach pain and digestive issues with resistant starch consumption. Not many, but some. If that’s the case, start really small—a half teaspoon or so—and work your way up to larger doses. The benefits to your gut biome are worth the wait.

What brand?

I always go with Bob’s Redmill.

Tigernut Flour

You’ve probably not tried this. I actually find tigernut flour subpar for baked goods thanks to a grittiness that never quite goes away. It’s an intrinsic characteristic, resistant to heat, high powered blending, and every other form of food processing available to home cooks and, I assume, food manufacturers, or else the companies that make it would eliminate the grittiness.

Believe it or not, it’s still one of my favorite flours. Mixed with Greek yogurt, it lends a subtle sweetness. And because you don’t quite “chew” Greek yogurt, instead sorta swallowing it whole, the grittiness doesn’t impede enjoyment. But by far the best way to eat it is in ball form. Add tigernut flour and nut butter (peanut honestly tastes the best, if you’re a legume heretic) in a 2:1 ratio to a food processor along with salt and just enough honey to let you roll the mixture into balls. Freeze the balls and enjoy. Successful variations I’ve tried include adding 85% dark chocolate chunks/bars or even a dash of whey protein.

What’s notable?

High in resistant starch: Tigernut flour is actually enjoyable in its plain state, compared with the tolerable potato starch. It has about half the resistant starch of potato starch, but there are other good points.

High in MUFAs: Who doesn’t love MUFA? The fatty acid profile overall resembles olive oil.

Rich in nutrients: Tigernut flour contains good amounts of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, folate, and zinc.

Evolutionary precedent: There’s good evidence that one of our early African ancestors, Paranthropus boisei, relied on tigernuts for the bulk of calories. Doesn’t get much more ancestral than that.

What brand?

I love Organic Gemini flour, although this brand claims to have eliminated the grittiness.

As I see it, those are the 8 most important Primal-friendly flours. They cover a wide range of applications, from baking to cooking to prebiotic supplementation to sauce thickening and Nutella making. You don’t have to get them all, or even any.

But it’s nice to have something laying around when it’s 7 A.M. on a Saturday and boy wouldn’t a stack of pancakes be great?

Now let’s hear from you. Got a favorite flour that didn’t make the list? Let me know! Got any questions about these or other flours? Shoot.

Thanks for reading, all. Take care.

0 notes

fishermariawo · 8 years ago

Text

8 Primal-Friendly Flours

Almond Flour

You know it. You love it, or at least tolerate it. For most long-term Primal eaters, almond flour was the only option if you wanted anything approximating a cookie or a pancake.

What’s notable?

Nutrient-dense: Almond flour is rich in magnesium, vitamin E, copper, and manganese.

Polyphenol-rich: Almond skins have tons of polyphenols.

Prebiotic: Almonds make great food for our beneficial gut bacteria.

Rich in MUFA: Over half of the fat in almonds is monounsaturated, the same kind found in avocado and olive oils. It’s really good stuff.

Moderately high in PUFAs: Nothing wrong with the PUFAs in a handful of almonds, but it’s easy to get too many eating baked goods made from PUFA-rich almond flour.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill has a very nice super-fine almond meal.

Cassava Flour

What’s notable?

Reduces blood glucose. When researchers added cassava flour to regular wheat flour-based baked goods, the glycemic response plummeted. The more cassava flour they added, the lower it went.

What brand?

Otto’s Naturals.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is made from dried coconut flesh with most of the fat removed. Only a little bit remains—a gram of fat per tablespoon.

What’s notable?

Contains prebiotics: A portion of the fiber in coconut flour is fermentable (PDF) by the gut bacteria, which create butyrate and other beneficial short chain fatty acids as byproducts.

Tricky to work with: Coconut flour is incredibly dry, fibrous, and absorbent. It soaks up liquid like nothing else. Cook with a quarter of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

Reduces blood sugar: Adding coconut flour to a hypocaloric diet reduced blood glucose and cholesterol in overweight Brazilian women.

What brand?

Anthony’s seems to be the best value.

Coffee Flour

Coffee flour isn’t ground up coffee beans—that’s coffee. It’s ground up coffee fruit pulp, the pod that contains the beans we know and love.

What’s notable?

High in phytonutrients: Coffee fruit pulp is rich in various phytonutrients, many of which have antioxidant qualities.

High in potassium: A tablespoon has about 300 mg of potassium.

High in fiber: The product is new enough that studies haven’t yet determined the fermentability of the fiber, but I’d wager a guess that coffee flour will have prebiotic qualities.

What brand?

Trader Joe’s.

Green Banana Flour

Green banana flour is a recent phenomenon, emerging as the resistant starch craze hit its peak. Reason being: green bananas are fantastic sources of resistant starch, and so is the flour.

What’s notable?

High in resistant starch: Cooking the flour nullifies the resistant starch.

Tricky to work with: Like coconut flour, green banana flour soaks up a lot of liquid. Cook with 2/3 of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

What brand?

WEDO.

Hazelnut Flour

What’s notable?

Surprisingly nutritious: Hazelnuts and their flour are good sources of vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill does a good hazelnut flour/meal.

Potato Starch

If you’re making crispy fried chicken or fish, potato starch is a fantastic dredging agent.

If you’re making gravy or need to thicken a pan sauce, a tablespoon or so whisked into liquid (e.g. broth, water, milk, cream) then added to the pot will provide the perfect texture.

If you want a quick source of resistant starch, stir a couple tablespoons into a glass of sparkling water.

What’s notable (besides the three reasons I keep it around)?

What brand?

I always go with Bob’s Redmill.

Tigernut Flour

What’s notable?

High in MUFAs: Who doesn’t love MUFA? The fatty acid profile overall resembles olive oil.

Rich in nutrients: Tigernut flour contains good amounts of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, folate, and zinc.

What brand?

I love Organic Gemini flour, although this brand claims to have eliminated the grittiness.

But it’s nice to have something laying around when it’s 7 A.M. on a Saturday and boy wouldn’t a stack of pancakes be great?

Now let’s hear from you. Got a favorite flour that didn’t make the list? Let me know! Got any questions about these or other flours? Shoot.

Thanks for reading, all. Take care.

0 notes

milenasanchezmk · 8 years ago

Text

8 Primal-Friendly Flours

Almond Flour

You know it. You love it, or at least tolerate it. For most long-term Primal eaters, almond flour was the only option if you wanted anything approximating a cookie or a pancake.

What’s notable?

Nutrient-dense: Almond flour is rich in magnesium, vitamin E, copper, and manganese.

Polyphenol-rich: Almond skins have tons of polyphenols.

Prebiotic: Almonds make great food for our beneficial gut bacteria.

Rich in MUFA: Over half of the fat in almonds is monounsaturated, the same kind found in avocado and olive oils. It’s really good stuff.

Moderately high in PUFAs: Nothing wrong with the PUFAs in a handful of almonds, but it’s easy to get too many eating baked goods made from PUFA-rich almond flour.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill has a very nice super-fine almond meal.

Cassava Flour

What’s notable?

Reduces blood glucose. When researchers added cassava flour to regular wheat flour-based baked goods, the glycemic response plummeted. The more cassava flour they added, the lower it went.

What brand?

Otto’s Naturals.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is made from dried coconut flesh with most of the fat removed. Only a little bit remains—a gram of fat per tablespoon.

What’s notable?

Contains prebiotics: A portion of the fiber in coconut flour is fermentable (PDF) by the gut bacteria, which create butyrate and other beneficial short chain fatty acids as byproducts.

Tricky to work with: Coconut flour is incredibly dry, fibrous, and absorbent. It soaks up liquid like nothing else. Cook with a quarter of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

Reduces blood sugar: Adding coconut flour to a hypocaloric diet reduced blood glucose and cholesterol in overweight Brazilian women.

What brand?

Anthony’s seems to be the best value.

Coffee Flour

Coffee flour isn’t ground up coffee beans—that’s coffee. It’s ground up coffee fruit pulp, the pod that contains the beans we know and love.

What’s notable?

High in phytonutrients: Coffee fruit pulp is rich in various phytonutrients, many of which have antioxidant qualities.

High in potassium: A tablespoon has about 300 mg of potassium.

High in fiber: The product is new enough that studies haven’t yet determined the fermentability of the fiber, but I’d wager a guess that coffee flour will have prebiotic qualities.

What brand?

Trader Joe’s.

Green Banana Flour

Green banana flour is a recent phenomenon, emerging as the resistant starch craze hit its peak. Reason being: green bananas are fantastic sources of resistant starch, and so is the flour.

What’s notable?

High in resistant starch: Cooking the flour nullifies the resistant starch.

Tricky to work with: Like coconut flour, green banana flour soaks up a lot of liquid. Cook with 2/3 of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

What brand?

WEDO.

Hazelnut Flour

What’s notable?

Surprisingly nutritious: Hazelnuts and their flour are good sources of vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill does a good hazelnut flour/meal.

Potato Starch

If you’re making crispy fried chicken or fish, potato starch is a fantastic dredging agent.

If you’re making gravy or need to thicken a pan sauce, a tablespoon or so whisked into liquid (e.g. broth, water, milk, cream) then added to the pot will provide the perfect texture.

If you want a quick source of resistant starch, stir a couple tablespoons into a glass of sparkling water.

What’s notable (besides the three reasons I keep it around)?

What brand?

I always go with Bob’s Redmill.

Tigernut Flour

What’s notable?

High in MUFAs: Who doesn’t love MUFA? The fatty acid profile overall resembles olive oil.

Rich in nutrients: Tigernut flour contains good amounts of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, folate, and zinc.

What brand?

I love Organic Gemini flour, although this brand claims to have eliminated the grittiness.

But it’s nice to have something laying around when it’s 7 A.M. on a Saturday and boy wouldn’t a stack of pancakes be great?

Now let’s hear from you. Got a favorite flour that didn’t make the list? Let me know! Got any questions about these or other flours? Shoot.

Thanks for reading, all. Take care.

0 notes

cristinajourdanqp · 8 years ago

Text

8 Primal-Friendly Flours

Almond Flour

You know it. You love it, or at least tolerate it. For most long-term Primal eaters, almond flour was the only option if you wanted anything approximating a cookie or a pancake.

What’s notable?

Nutrient-dense: Almond flour is rich in magnesium, vitamin E, copper, and manganese.

Polyphenol-rich: Almond skins have tons of polyphenols.

Prebiotic: Almonds make great food for our beneficial gut bacteria.

Rich in MUFA: Over half of the fat in almonds is monounsaturated, the same kind found in avocado and olive oils. It’s really good stuff.

Moderately high in PUFAs: Nothing wrong with the PUFAs in a handful of almonds, but it’s easy to get too many eating baked goods made from PUFA-rich almond flour.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill has a very nice super-fine almond meal.

Cassava Flour

What’s notable?

Reduces blood glucose. When researchers added cassava flour to regular wheat flour-based baked goods, the glycemic response plummeted. The more cassava flour they added, the lower it went.

What brand?

Otto’s Naturals.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is made from dried coconut flesh with most of the fat removed. Only a little bit remains—a gram of fat per tablespoon.

What’s notable?

Contains prebiotics: A portion of the fiber in coconut flour is fermentable (PDF) by the gut bacteria, which create butyrate and other beneficial short chain fatty acids as byproducts.

Tricky to work with: Coconut flour is incredibly dry, fibrous, and absorbent. It soaks up liquid like nothing else. Cook with a quarter of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

Reduces blood sugar: Adding coconut flour to a hypocaloric diet reduced blood glucose and cholesterol in overweight Brazilian women.

What brand?

Anthony’s seems to be the best value.

Coffee Flour

Coffee flour isn’t ground up coffee beans—that’s coffee. It’s ground up coffee fruit pulp, the pod that contains the beans we know and love.

What’s notable?

High in phytonutrients: Coffee fruit pulp is rich in various phytonutrients, many of which have antioxidant qualities.

High in potassium: A tablespoon has about 300 mg of potassium.

High in fiber: The product is new enough that studies haven’t yet determined the fermentability of the fiber, but I’d wager a guess that coffee flour will have prebiotic qualities.

What brand?

Trader Joe’s.

Green Banana Flour

Green banana flour is a recent phenomenon, emerging as the resistant starch craze hit its peak. Reason being: green bananas are fantastic sources of resistant starch, and so is the flour.

What’s notable?

High in resistant starch: Cooking the flour nullifies the resistant starch.

Tricky to work with: Like coconut flour, green banana flour soaks up a lot of liquid. Cook with 2/3 of the flour you’d usually use, and have extra eggs handy.

What brand?

WEDO.

Hazelnut Flour

What’s notable?

Surprisingly nutritious: Hazelnuts and their flour are good sources of vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium.

What brand?

Bob’s Redmill does a good hazelnut flour/meal.

Potato Starch

If you’re making crispy fried chicken or fish, potato starch is a fantastic dredging agent.

If you’re making gravy or need to thicken a pan sauce, a tablespoon or so whisked into liquid (e.g. broth, water, milk, cream) then added to the pot will provide the perfect texture.

If you want a quick source of resistant starch, stir a couple tablespoons into a glass of sparkling water.

What’s notable (besides the three reasons I keep it around)?

What brand?

I always go with Bob’s Redmill.

Tigernut Flour

What’s notable?

High in MUFAs: Who doesn’t love MUFA? The fatty acid profile overall resembles olive oil.

Rich in nutrients: Tigernut flour contains good amounts of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, folate, and zinc.

What brand?

I love Organic Gemini flour, although this brand claims to have eliminated the grittiness.

But it’s nice to have something laying around when it’s 7 A.M. on a Saturday and boy wouldn’t a stack of pancakes be great?

Now let’s hear from you. Got a favorite flour that didn’t make the list? Let me know! Got any questions about these or other flours? Shoot.

Thanks for reading, all. Take care.

0 notes

ouraidengray4 · 8 years ago

Text

Why You Might Want to Delete Your Fitness App, Even If It Works

I had mastered the art of feigning attention. I’d nod, lean forward, and open my eyes wide with interest, but the world felt blurry, almost underwater, as though everyone were speaking in the trombone voices of adults in Peanuts. Numbers were the only thing I paid attention to anymore, and they stacked on top of each other pristinely, forming a pyramid.

"One hundred for oatmeal," I’d think, flipping through my mental record of every calorie I’d encountered since waking up. "One hundred for Greek yogurt, maybe 50 for raspberries… let’s say 300 total, including that drizzle of honey."

I would then start planning what I’d have for lunch, accounting for every variable: Am I working out today? Will I walk home or take the subway? I’ve always preferred light dinners, but they became a game of guessing how low I could limbo to stay under my calorie cap.

The author smiling and looking to the right

It started at the beginning of summer. I wasn’t feeling my best; while I hadn’t exactly put on hibernating-bear levels of weight that winter, I was carrying 10 pounds that I felt I could do without. Visions of morning runs along the Charles River and mile-long walks to Trader Joe’s danced in my head, and I was looking forward to trimming down a little and feeling healthier overall.

So I chose a number—a reasonable-for-my-body 125 pounds—and became determined to get there.

Let it be said that nutrition and exercise are not new to me. In middle school, I became a vegetarian overnight after reading about how meat is produced. That pushed me to choose mindfully and think about the big picture of my diet. Empowered to learn more about food, I picked up a copy of Nutrition Action magazine, eagerly flipping through reports on sugar intake and FDA regulations. (Totally normal reading material for a middle schooler, right)? Within days of unpacking my bags as a freshman at Stanford, I found out about a major called Human Biology, and that was it: I signed on for four years of study about macronutrients and public health.

You would think that a health fanatic wouldn’t need help in the weight loss department. If you’ve written countless well-researched papers about everything from pedometers to the benefits of vitamin B12, you should probably know what comprises a healthy diet.