In my last two posts I talked about cultivating awareness and using gentle questioning to consider automatic behaviors. 

Today I want to talk about belief. 

I will start by sharing a personal story. For the past 15+ years Tom and I have gone on a tropical vacation for the winter holidays. Traditionally I spent the months before vacation exercising ferociously and severely restricting my diet so that I could be "bikini" ready. I repeated this behavior year after year.

Anyone feeling a twinge of holiday anxiety? I am! 

Last week I recommended taking on the role of an observer, to pay attention to behavioral patterns and automatic responses regarding holiday treats. 

I try to practice what I preach. As a result I've noticed a steady increase in my anxiety levels and a corresponding desire to create and indulge in paleo/keto treats.

I overheard a conversation earlier this week: a woman was lamenting that she had "totally overdone it" over the holiday weekend. She felt she'd gone crazy at the dessert table and now she was off the rails, devouring every sugary item in sight.

My coworker, a very gracious hostess, requested my menu input for our annual holiday party.

She said, "I know there are a handful of you on that restrictive diet, and I don't know how to prepare for that!"

I was taken aback! I was on a restrictive diet? This was news to me.

What do you do while you eat?

Do you watch Netflix, play with your phone, drive, work at the computer, walk, read a book? 

Does it feel strange to sit and eat a meal slowly, without any other distractions? 

I was recently trying to redesign my website. I'd received some vague advice about how my site was lacking. All of a sudden I felt like my website sucked. I felt confused about how to fix it. I didn't know where to start. 

I recently received a fantastic reader inquiry regarding dairy (keep those questions coming!). There is a quite a bit of dissension in the ancestral health world regarding dairy. For example: 

Paleo enthusiasts avoid dairy.

Primal enthusiasts enjoy dairy, in moderation.

Keto/LCHF enthusiasts generally think dairy is great! 

I've sung the praises of fat, I've discussed health issues associated with certain carbohydrates, and now it's time for the final macronutrient: protein.  A common misconception is that the LCHF (low carb high fat), primal and keto eating plans equate to bacon, eggs and steak all day long. This is most certainly not the case! 

Yippee! Time to talk about FAT!

In my last post we discussed how different carbohydrate consumption is for glucose burners and fat burners. Let's look at the sample daily meals for a glucose burner and fat burner once more, this time paying attention to the fat. 

In Back to Basics Part 1 we discussed how humans can use primarily glucose (usually from carbohydrates) or primarily fat for fuel. Part 2 explained the difference between the three macronutrients that comprise our food: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Today I would like to discuss carbohydrates, in particular the differences in carbohydrate consumption for both a glucose and fat burner.