Paleoh, why not + a delicious pork belly recipe

Well, I guess I'm that guy that's going to start talking about a diet in the first week of the new year. Wow, how original! Original, perhaps not. Valuable? I think so.

The paleo diet is meant to resemble how people ate before we all got bombarded by the SAD [Standard American Diet]. How did cavemen get their cans of coconut milk open? I'm not a scientist, so please don't ask me questions like that.

Now, everyone has their opinions on everything, and I know not everyone will agree that cutting certain things out of your diet is a sure-fire way to heal/lose weight/balance out brain chemistry. All I know is that forgoing grains, sugar, dairy, alcohol, and legumes for the past week has already lent itself, in my own personal experience, to a newfound feeling of physical svelte-ness, decreased anxiety and depression, and mysterious energy for long-lost hobbies. Can I promise these pleasant side effects to everyone who tries this diet? Absolutely not. Everyone's body is different. But the idea is that for many of us, grains, legumes, added sugar, and dairy create an inflammatory response in our guts. Inflammation in our guts creates inflammation elsewhere. Inflammation causes pain [amongst other things]. Pain is bad. That is about the extent of my argument.

Is sugar as addictive as cocaine, causing the cycle of sugar addiction which contributes to chronic blood sugar fluctuations and liver stress that affect our endocrine and nervous systems and eventually lead to type 2 diabetes and alzheimer's disease (sometimes referred to as type 3 diabetes!)? Maybe! Is the lactose in dairy products just one molecule off from straight glucose, and treated as glucose when it enters our digestive system? Perhaps. Are our immune systems rendered useless for hours after we consume sugar? I think I read that somewhere. Are modern grains so genetically different from what our ancestors ate that our bodies couldn't digest them even if they weren't enveloped in phytic acid? Possibly.

Another question worth considering is that is it the absence of these foods that is creating all of the good feelings I'm noticing? Or is it all of the nutrient-dense, enzyme-rich, alive, green, full-of-vitamins, un-processed foods (and WATER) I have started eating to replace them? See how impossible it is to identify a single variable that will explain/fix everything?

Lastly, do grains and sugar and dairy make up some of the things that bring me pure, unadulterated joy and things without which I might find life empty and meaningless? Absolutely. In no way do I plan never to eat them again, I just can't keep living on pizza and pasta and cookies.

The point here is that there is SO much information in the world about what we should and should not be eating, that it's really up to us to do our own research; and it's two-fold. Seek information from trusted sources, and try things, paying attention to what works for you. Read about the Whole 30 Diet, which is a great place to start.

Interested in making a change but don't want to commit to something so drastic? Instead of jumping in to something that the sound of makes you cringe (what do you mean, no ice cream??), why not just gradually start subbing in some healthy things here and there? Have a salad as a snack between your regular meals. Have a kombucha instead of that can of soda pop. Try some full-fat coconut milk in your morning smoothie instead of cow's milk yogurt. Now I am in no way a licensed practitioner of any kind, but unless you have some sort of allergy I don't know about, none of the things I just mentioned could hurt to try, right?

And now, say these words aloud: "Glazed pan-seared pork belly with Asian-inspired mixed green salad dressed with sesame-ginger vinaigrette." Did your mouth water? Yes? Did you think "oh ew" or "I'd rather have top ramen"? No? I didn't think so. And it was easy as pie to make.

Here's the recipe! It was so delicious and fulfilling (mmmm FAT).

[Paleo] Glazed pan-seared pork belly with Asian-inspired mixed green salad dressed with sesame-ginger vinaigrette

1 1.5# piece of pastured pork belly, salted on both sides the night before
Small amount of maple syrup
Few dashes coconut aminos

Sear the pork belly in a cast iron skillet with the skin side down until it is caramelized. Turn it over so the fat is on top, and place, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for 90 minutes. Allow to cool completely in its own fat.

When ready to eat, cut the cooled pork belly into 1/2-inch wide strips (or cubes work too). Place any you are eating right now (save the rest for later) in a hot cast iron skillet or saute pan and sear on one side until golden brown. Turn over to sear the other side. When it is almost done, add a dash of maple syrup and a dash of coconut aminos to the pan, which will glaze the pork as it finishes cooking.

For the vinaigrette:

1 3-inch knob of ginger, peeled
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
10 shakes coconut aminos (soy sauce isn't paleo)
2 Tbsp maple syrup (on Whole 30, no sugar of any kind is allowed, but for just paleo, you're really just avoiding processed sugar)
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Place the ginger in a food processor and grind. Add vinegar, coconut aminos, maple syrup, and sesame oil, and blend. With machine running, slowing drizzle in olive oil. This will make enough for leftovers if you'd like to have this salad again.

For the salad:

Mixed baby greens
Shredded beet, carrot, and cucumber
Avocado
Toasted cashews
Whole cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced scallion
Sesame seeds

The beautiful thing about this is that you can eat as much or as little as you like. I shredded one small beet, one single carrot, and a 3-inch portion of cucumber, and that was enough for two giant salads. I just ripped off a handful of cilantro leaves from the bunch I had in the fridge, sliced a scallion thinly, tossed in a half of a chopped avocado, grabbed a handful of toasted cashews, dressed it with my ginger vinaigrette, put it on the plate, and sprinkled it with sesame seeds. When eating delicious, healthy, green things, I never bother with amounts. I just eat as much as I want knowing that it's good for me.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? I invite them all and would love nothing more than to discuss this recipe or anything food related with anyone who's interested.