Even if you aren't a lover of that self-packaged, oval palm full of love, you have to admit, scrambled eggs are important, relatively anyway. AND they are a quick, easy ticket to a plate of hot food that will sustain you.

More than once I have taken a shortcut on the scrambled egg scene, which I just want to point out is necessary sometimes but having the plate of perfect, fluffy scrambled eggs is something you and your palate deserve. So here goes...

Is butter better to make better scrambled eggs?

Do the French “do it better” dousing everything in their delicious handmade butter sourced from happy cows on non-GMO grass fed pastures? In my head that’s how it’s all going down in that corner of the world.

I have virtually nothing resource wise to back this thought up, but I have been to France and they are onto something we are not, so let’s just go with it.I won’t argue that butter is a great accoutrement to most fare, but when it comes to scrambling your eggs, I say hold the butter for your toast.

Gasp! Don’t get me wrong we shall not pass on the nutritional value of cooking eggs in some fat. A virtual high five to the face to of me if I would even speak of such an atrocity.

What then do we reach for whilst scrambling up a pan of fluffy yellow love for the fam bam or as a statement of love to yourself?  The answer might surprise you. Stick with me!

The secret ingredient to perfect scrambled eggs!

The magical ingredient to get you there is olive oil.

Why? Because olive oil contains surfactants, or surface area agents, that make it easier to unfold those proteins.

Think of it as having the waiter or waitress unfold that napkin for you. If you are like me that sounds uncomfortable but for the purpose of my visual here, just let it happen. Rather than the cumbersome task of lifting your hands to unfold that napkin, someone will do it for you. ‘Merica.

This is how your proteins unfold and give your eggs that coveted volume. Boom!

Scrambled eggs cook fast!

Timing is everything right? Who hasn’t cooked a meal where the side dishes are done before the meat or worse yet the meat is done and your RV oven doesn’t work like a “normal” oven and the potatoes are still laughing at you because they are only halfway roasted. Maybe that last part has only happened to me. Hey, cooking in an RV has come with a learning curve.

If you’re whipping up some bacon or sausage as a spectacular side gig to your eggs, then you’ll want it to be cooked or almost cooked by the time you start your eggs. Actually, this applies to anything you like to eat on the side…toast, avocado or more bacon.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few ingredients to make scrambled eggs. I find the avocado oil is the most cost effective to buy at Costco, but I buy my Kasandrino's direct from the company. They import directly from a family farm in Greece and it tastes top notch.

• Eggs, pastured raised or local if possible
• Olive Oil
• Avocado oil
• Salt & Pepper (omit pepper for AIP)

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Once you gather all your ingredients, the process goes lickity split!

Heat avocado oil in small skillet over medium/low heat until hot. You should be able to hold your hand just over the top of the skillet and feel the heat.

While your pan heats up, whisk your eggs in a bowl with salt, pepper, and the splash of olive oil or if you're like me, I prefer to season them on the back end (before you plate them).

Hint: Your skillet should take about 3-4 minutes to heat up depending on how heavy your pan is. Cast iron and heavier metals will take longer than a lightweight teflon or ceramic coated pan.

Once your oil is heated, pour your eggs into the middle of the pan. Continuously stir them pushing them to the middle of the pan. As they set around the edges, fold the cooked eggs onto themselves until they are just set. About 60-90 seconds. They should be soft and kinda wet looking but not translucent or runny.

Print

Substitutions

I don't recommend using canola, rice bran, vegetable or any other seed oil. These oils are highly processed and create oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in the body. Restaurants use them so I understand you can't avoid them ALL the time but you can control what you consume at home.

• Fats - I've also used other types of fat to fluff up eggs like heavy whipping cream (if you tolerate dairy) or coconut cream.
• Color - a great way to start your day off right is by adding color in whenever you can. Saute some veggies before you cook the eggs to add some green, red or purple to your scrambled eggs!
• Cooking for a crowd - If you are cooking for a crowd or a big family, adding leftover taco meat or chopped up steak, onions, peppers, mushrooms or broccoli can really add volume to a bowl full of scrambled eggs.

Variations

You can top your eggs with a little or a lot. Sometimes I like mine with crispy hash browns, potatoes, or crunchy toast. I don't feel satisfied if I don't have a contrast of texture.

• Spicy - If you like a little kick, add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper to your eggs (not AIP compliant)
• Condiments - I've topped eggs with ketchup, salsa, cheese (these are not AIP compliant), bacon bits, pesto or avocado.
• Dress it up! - Put a fresh sprig of cilantro or parsley on top to give it a restaurant style feel.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out.

For instance, cast iron takes longer to heat up and it also retains heat for longer, which could make the recipe cook faster and it will also continue to cook after it's removed from the heat. Once you get a feel for cast iron and how it works with your heat source, it is by far my favorite pan to use.

If your pan is more lightweight like teflon or stainless steel or teflon, it will heat up faster and cook faster.

Top tip

Eggs cool off fast! The minute they leave the pan they start to deteriorate in quality. Have sides ready, set the table and pour your beverages before you start cooking yours eggs.

Food safety & nutrition

• Coconut oil can be used in place of avocado oil but it will impart a slight coconut flavor into your eggs.
• You can also replace the avocado oil with lard, tallow or palm shortening. I don't recommend using any seed or heavily processed oils such as vegetable, canola, rapeseed or corn. They are unstable and high inflammatory.
• Thorough wash and dry hands before you begin any cooking.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods of time.

Who doesn't love some spicy and warm flavored recipes over the holidays? Although I didn't always feel this way, the last few years of working to expand the variety and flavors of foods that I eat has made me fall head over heals for all the warm spices.

Ginger and cinnamon are rich in anti-inflammatory properties and are often used medicinally. Cloves, cardamon, allspice and even black pepper can also hold their own in the world of healing. When they come together, the aroma whisks me away into the feeling of the winter holidays.

My goal with this recipe is to have a sweet something during the holidays that doesn't require baking or hours in the kitchen. I wanted it to be flavorful and satisfying but offer some nutrition as well.

Honesty warning!!! The idea of chia seed pudding used to kind gross me out. I thought the little seeds would add a texture that would make me check my gag reflex and it was just weird to see them suspended in the pudding.

If this is you, I see you and I got chu.👊🏼 Simply blend this pudding in a blender (per the directions) and it will pulverize the seeds. The only caveat is that you don't want to blend it so long that it starts to heat up. Chia seeds will oxidize with heat turning them from a healthy fat into one that will cause your cells grief.

Once I actually tried chia seed pudding I was surprised not only how delicious it was, but how little the seeds affect the texture. I didn't miss the dairy, the coconut flavor from the milk wasn't overwhelming and the pudding isn't dominated by processed sugar. The pudding of my childhood is in the rear view mirror and I'm not mad about it.

Print

Maybe you've heard the reference before. Your gut is your second brain. But how can that be when they are anatomically so far away from each other? What does that even mean? Is there a relationship between "having a gut feeling" and your health?

Stick with me for a few moments and we'll dig into this subject together. It's a fascinating subject and not one I would have imagined ended up being so closely tied to so many symptoms.

What is our second brain?

Our second brain is our gut. That's the short story. It's important let me tell ya...I used to take it for granted that the gut was doing it's job. I eat, I poop...what could possibly be the problem?

Let me tell ya part two. If you think at ALL about pooping, or any aspect thereof, your gut could use some love. Gas, bloating, constipation, stomachache, diarrhea, heartburn and even constant fatigue can all point to having some form of digestive distress. You can ignore it, or make funnies about your farts, but trust me. It won't just "go away."

The funny fart jokes you made in your teens, are now a painful reality.

Is our second brain connected to the first one?

Did you ever go through a stressful situation just to end up sick afterwards? For example, you got in a fight with a family member or co-worker and next thing you know it your stomach is turning and your head starts to feel heavy.

You go to bed with horrible anxiety because you still have to go to work the next day or you still have to go to a family wedding to go to and face that person. Ugh, I've been there more than once. I see you.

Just thinking about it turns your stomach. You wake up the next day and you have body aches, diarrhea and you feel a cold coming on. This reference is usually viewed at metaphorical but it's literally...not.

The highway between the gut and brain is paved with neurons, chemical reactions and hormones. It's called the gut-brain axis. It's a busy highway that's constantly telling our brains things like when we are hungry, stressed or about to become ill.

Thinking about stress or experiencing stress, real or perceived, takes a toll on this already busy highway. And even if your stress "isn't real", the toll is the same.

How does the second brain function?

The enteric nervous system is the part of the nervous system that controls our gastrointestinal functions, meaning our digestion. That right folks, everything from smelling your food, chewing, swallowing and on down the line to when you poop, is controlled by your nervous system.

I'm sure this is not something we all think about when we sit down to a meal or roll through the drive-thru, but it should at least be something you are aware of. Problems in the head can mean problems in the gut! Anxiety, depression, stress, trauma...they will all affect your gut, long or short term.

How important is the second brain?

Every cell that makes up every tissue, that makes up every organ, depends on the body's digestive system to provide the nutrients it needs to keep on functioning. 

You might need to read that again. I'm saying that if you don't have good digestion, your body is going to start falling apart.

You can ignore that pearl of wisdom if you want, but that won't make it untrue.

It took me years to acknowledge that going to the doctor for symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches and anxiety only lead to a counter attack, via medication, on the symptoms but not actually addressing what was causing the symptoms. More often than not, medication even caused me to trade symptoms.

I didn't always mind the trade in symptoms because chronic migraines just don't let you "get things done." And like it or not, life is going to happen and you still gotta feed the kids, go to work and grocery shop. Either way, please know that I don't say this lightly.

Taking a medication might have been a relief of symptoms but it wasn't a long term solution. Unless I fixed the problem, I was going to continue to go back to the doctor for the same problems. And I did.

My diet, rich in processed foods, refined carbohydrates and sugar, wasn't serving me. Life was delicious, but I was destroying my body one bite at a time.

How the first brain and the second brain are like your parents. 

For the sake of learning, let's pretend!

Your digestion is your Dad 🧔and your brain🧠 is your Mom👩🏾. #notironic

The kids are your gut microbiome 👶. Mom and Dad are grossly outnumbered because your gut has millions of microbiome. The kids are diverse and they rule the roost but we'll talk more about them later.

Digestion Dad is having a party at the buffet line. Now digestion Dad is smart, but he also likes to eat. #goteamDad. You lean toward Dad more than you do Mom, so break out the big plates. You are going to eat whatever you want, whenever you want it. You are your own boss!

Brain Mom says just relax and enjoy your food. Go small and eat your veggies. That doesn't sound like fun but she IS usually right. Still, who has time for that when you smell smoked ribs and Grandma's killer baked beans. Break out the feed bag. This is gonna happen! Mom's voice fades because we eat with our eyes and our hearts.

Then there is dessert. Aunt Jill brought her historic apple pie to the party. Who cares if you have room for that? You will NOT be leaving the buffet line without the apple pie chaser. You might even adorn it with some ice-cream. 'Merica.

You leave the buffet line with your pants button about to go rogue and your plate full.  Life is for living large and you want to get your monies worth.

This might even become your new normal.

Fast forward 5, 10 or even 20 years later. Taking advantage of the happy hour specials at your favorite restaurant now sends you flying into the bathroom at breakneck speed. You wake up in the middle of the night. Indigestion and you are BFF's and you must be getting old because your body aches pretty much everywhere, especially that old soccer injury.

While you might get away with this mentality for a day, or all through your 20's and 30's, chances are, it will catch up to you one way or another. Even if you manage to escape shopping a few clothing sizes up over the years, you will more than likely see the repercussions in the form of symptoms.

While my analogy might be funny, antidotal and (sort of) true, I do this all in an effort to help the masses understand how much digestion DOES matter.

Yeah, you heard me. If digestion ain't happy, no one is happy. You can't absorb vitamins, minerals or break down food. It's a domino effect and until you fix step one, everything else is futile.

Ok. You should have listened to your Mom more (aka your brain) but all you can do is humble yourself and admit Mom was right. Inside she is saying I told you so but what's really important is that she (your brain) wants better for you. It's challenging but possible.

The second brain: as defined by the kids (aka the your gut bugs).

Now since digestion Dad has ruled the roost for so long, the kids (aka your gut bugs) are running amok. You have both good gut bugs and bad guts bugs and the ratio of good kids to mentor the bad kids is way outta whack.

To you, this shows as stomach discomfort, pain, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or all the above. I'll talk more about what all these means in another blog post.

Have you ever seen a parents mood dictated by their kids? Maybe Mom had a crummy day and Dad woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Their kid wakes up and gives them their secret smile and one of those warm, morning hugs. Boom. Everything is all right in the world again.

Your kids (aka your gut bugs) literally tell your brain what to feel, not the other way around. They can't get your homework done but they can affect your mood about doing it. Hey, I don't make the rules here.

To me, that's crazy. Aren't I the boss of me? 💪🏼 Well, kinda. I can't make the choices but I have to trust my body will do what's best to not only survive, but thrive. That being said, I have to take care of it so it can take care of me. If I want to feel good and ditch the anxiety and depression, then I have to get my gut in order!

If you've ever raised a child, or been involved in raising a child, you know it's MUCH easier to get kids to do things right the first time and not just correct the behavior later. Again, it's most certainly possible but it takes time and patience. That means you can get those kids on the right track again.

This might be a funny analogy but it paints you a picture so you can see that all the things are important individually AND together. The family has to be on the same sheet of music or something somewhere is going to fall apart.

You have to pay attention to BOTH Mom and Dad because they are working together for the greater good. And you will pay attention to the kids or they'll end up running the place, and that does NOT lead to you living your best life.

I say things and put information out there into the world so that you can make an informed decision. So you can understand and not live with your head in the sand. I try hard NOT to make decisions out of emotion but education. Guilt makes you feel bad, conviction brings change. I vote for the latter.

Nurture on friends!