My father used to say, “Chuck doesn’t do anything in halves.” He was right: sometimes its a virtue and sometimes a curse. He and my mother taught me to cook, sometimes using cookbooks, like Julia Child's, but more frequently just winging it. This site is a roller coaster ride of recipes, articles, ingredients and anything else that involves cooking and presenting food. There is something here for everybody from beginners to experts.
Cooking Temps
Chicken breast 165, Chicken thigh 170 or more. Pork med well 145, Pork med 140, Rack of lamb med rare 131, Beef very rare 125, Beef rare 130,Beef med rare 135, Duck Breast 126, Salmon med 118, Disclaimer: USDA stds dictate much higher temps. To be super safe, cook everything until it is dry and crunchy, then toss it in the trash
4 months of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)
CGM has continued to radically change my health. I now have an Apple Watch that shows me my current glucose level.
While I learned about my response to various foods and routines pretty quickly with CGM monitoring, I have found that continuing to use a CGM makes it much easier to sustain my effort. There is something very motivating about seeing the actual results of what I am eating and getting a notification if my glucose is spiking. I used to love a big bowel of pasta, now I see it as a giant glucose spike and it just isn't as appealing as it once was. I will still eat pasta but I make sure to consume protein, fiber, and oil/fat beforehand, to minimize the effect of my glucose. I will sometimes eat dessert, but the portion is reduced and I limit what I consume to really special items. The understanding the harmful effects of fructose and elevated insulin is eye-opening and the constant monitoring makes it so much easier to be mindful of what I eat. Imagine driving a car that has no gauges for oil or temp; you could easily be ruining your engine without even knowing it. This would be absolutely crazy, yet we do exactly this with our bodies!
I started my journey with a daily profile that looked like this
My baseline was elevated and my "healthy" lunch and dinner resulted in big glucose spikes. I was exercising everyday. This past week my profile is markedly different.
Here are the stats
My glucose avg. dropped from 135 to 92. That is a 32% drop! I feel better and I am not hungry. I don't feel like I am depriving myself of anything. I wish I had started this a long time ago!
