"Is Popcorn Paleo? Who Cares!" (and a Primal Update)

Karen De Coster is a tough-as-nails CPA from Detroit - and is one of those writers who is just plain fun to read.  She pens columns for Lew Rockwell, and tackles matters related to liberty, economics, and politics.  She is also an advocate for eating "paleo" or "primal."  She is also one of the few LRC essayists whom Lew Rockwell has given up on chiding or editing for vulgarity.  Karen is Karen.  And if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  So if R-rated language offends you, don't say you weren't warned if you go trolling around her columns.  I guarantee you this much: you will laugh, you will think, you will get ticked off at the government.  It's good for your brain!

Here is Karen in her own words:

I am a Certified Public Accountant and freelance writer who is devoted to the causes of liberty, individualism, and the free market. I embrace the right to keep and bear arms; recognize the superiority of the Articles of Confederation; subscribe to a motley assortment of minor conspiracy theories; and believe that government is evil, immoral, corrupt, and unnecessary in a free society. I am also an ardent lover and student of Austrian economics, the pro-market, anti-statist school of economics. Additionally, I proudly wear the title “Queen of Political Incorrectness”, given to me by my friend Tom DiLorenzo.

Anyway, I enjoyed her article here about the merits of popcorn - which is generally a huge "no no" when it comes to eating primally.

The bottom line?  "Who cares?"

I can relate to that!  I have not given a Primal Update in a while, and I'll just say this: it is the best thing I have done for my physical health ever!  I am still around 145 pounds (thirty pounds of belly-fat and four inches or more of trouser cloth the lesser).  I do not count calories, deprive myself, or maintain any rigorous discipline with food.  I most certainly do not consume anything "low calorie" or "low fat."  There is a very good side to fat!  Is it possible that all of this low-fat craze is making everybody fat?

Cured of "Dunlop's Disease" - too bad I didn't take a "before" pic

Having said that, I have completely reordered my eating habits.  Stuff I used to absolutely love and imagine I could not live without just doesn't get me too excited any more - things like bread, pizza, cookies, "snack cakes," soft drinks, candy, etc.

My taste buds have changed, and I just don't get wound up about those things any more.  I drink bubbly water now - maybe a bit flavored, maybe not - and consequently, Diet Coke tastes harsh to me now - kind of like something you clean mildew off of the shower with.  Having said that, if I want a soft drink - even a full-blown sugar drink - I'll have one.  And I do every now and then.  Sometimes I jones a bit for a root beer or a ginger ale.  So I have one.  And when we drink coffee (which is often in the Hollywood Residence) - we don't mess around: we use heavy whipping cream - no skim, no chemical powder, no government approved poison.  If we had an Amish "dealer" like Karen De Coster, that would be better than the store-bought cream we use - but when it comes to Paleo, it's like mainstream politics: the art of the possible.

But most of the time, I don't drink Cokes or eat sweets.  It's not because I'm on a "diet."  I simply have retrained my body and taste buds to recognize that this is junk food.  Having one won't kill me, but making a habit of it will make me fat, sickly, and tired.  And I have no desire to eat industrial waste.  If I want a goody, I want it to be a GOODy.  I want to savor it, enjoy it - not slurp it like a pig in a trough.

And this is why we do not skimp on antioxidant-rich dark chocolate in the Hollywood Manse.  We may even eat enough of it to give a calorie-counter or establishment physician or dietitian the vapors (which is always fun).  And on those rare occasions when I feel like some cheap chocolate (we have recently had Halloween, of course), I have one: be it a "fun size" Twix or a Reese's or a Snickers, etc.  I just don't really find myself craving it very often at all.  I can do without it just fine.

The same goes for cake and ice cream (I used to eat it by the ton).  Now, I'm really content with a small goûté.  I might even eat a whole piece for someone's birthday.  We visit CherryBerry for frozen yogurt fairly often - just not every day like our Baskin Robbins runs in a previous life.  Mrs. H. and I had a little taste of gelato a couple days ago, and our reaction was the same: "too sweet!"  We used to eat huge helpings, but now, just a couple spoonfuls was enough.  Still yummy, just not an obsession or outright gluttony.

And yet I am not "starving."  I do miss lunch fairly often, but my system is just fine.  I snack on nuts, fruits, and boiled eggs - and frankly, sometimes I'm just not that hungry at lunchtime.  And if we go out for fast food (which we are curbing not for health reasons so much as for economic austerity), I load up on burgers, bacon, steak, omelets, etc.  Yum!  One wonderful benefit is that we do eat at home a lot more, and we pull no punches: grilled steak, grilled chicken, grilled pork chops, and grilled vegetables (by the ton!).  I mean, how can that be anything but good?

I am still hoping to work in more physical activity.  Time is extremely scarce for me right now.  However, I am on my feet a lot at my secular job, and I try to perambulate around as much as possible - scurrying up and down the stairs whenever I can.  And when the really busy time of year passes, I hope to work in some simple physical muscle-building exercises.  Nevertheless, I wear the same size pants as I did in high school, and my belly is flat - which is not bad for a nearly fifty-something.

So, it's all good!  I like not being fat, not being tired, not being on the insulin roller coaster.  I like taking charge of my health, not visiting doctors, not following the uncritical advice of the Establishment.  I like not being on a diet, not counting calories, not keeping a log of what I eat or how I exercise, and enjoying our God-given freedom to eat and enjoy what I eat!

Bonus: here's a recent Karen De Coster piece on how government has messed up the modern washing machine.  And, by the way, you can subscribe to Karen De Coster's facebook here.

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