Surprising Primal Problem - Advice Please!

Ha, don't be embarrassed! Just cut up the parsnips into pieces, steam them til they're tender (about 10 minutes) then throw them into the blender with a load of butter and a little salt and blend until silky smooth! Goes great with roasted chicken!

Wow, I just had an exam on Ehlers-Danlos in Biochem last week. I noticed that you said you haven't been eating much fruit. I imagine that your doctor has you taking a Vitamin C supplement right? (involved with collagen synthesis) You might want to check out if there is room for some additional citrus fruits in your diet, or replace some of the supplements with food. Since it's a fairly serious condition I'd check with my doctor before altering too much.

Bestbetter - sorry to hear your husband is experiencing the same curious conundrum. I think I agree with you and some of the other posters and think that some more carbs might be in order. My initial foray into the Primal lifestyle made me a little wary of excess carbohydrate consumption. The wonderful thing about PB, though, is how much it encourages you to experiment and listen to your own body. It is quite possible that my body is telling me to eat more 'taters! Fortunately I've always loved 'em (I jokingly credit my Irish ancestry and insist that the Potato Famine made my ancestors crave potatoes and they passed that down....too soon?), so I'm going to try to get more starch in me and see how that does.

Ann - thank you! That sounds very doable and delicious, and thanks for not making me feel superbly silly for not knowing what to do with a parsnip :) If they're good pureed, I'm wondering how they do just steamed and buttered and seasoned with garlic. Can you fry them in butter or lard? Now you got me all excited to try something new in the kitchen (and I *love* playing in my kitchen).

Parsnips are pretty versatile. If you were going to leave them whole or in chunks, I would recommend baking them, as they'll get crispier, or sauteing. I only steam when I puree them, so that they'll blend easier. But you can try them all sorts of ways!

Thank you ma'am! I shall... oh, I shall... :)

If you are struggling to reach a 'maintenance' level of calories and you feel you are eating plenty of fat already, I think the solution is to eat some primal carbs. Add an extra portion of either a starchy veg or a fruit, and keep adding gradually until your body fat % stabilises.

I definitely have shared this experience off an on. The first 5-6 weeks I was hardly ever hungry. I had been watching my carbs and keeping them low in the 30-40g/day range. But was forcing down 1300-1400 calories a day. I started eating sweet potatoes and a piece of fruit every day and then my appetite increased for several weeks and I was happily eating 1500-1600 a day. I hit a little plateau for about 2 weeks, so I decided to cut fruit and potatoes out again and there went my appetite, but the weight is melting off again. For me, I think it is a side effect of ketosis. Definitely up your starches, fruits, nuts. I made the Paleo pancakes the other day. The only ingredients are bananas, almond butter, eggs. They were super delish and if I hadn't been making them for 5 other people I easily could have overdone it!

Roast your parsnips.

Cut a parsnip into quarters or wedges (or thick slices if it's an especially large parsnip). Put the bits in the roasting tray about 40 minutes before the joint is done, turning them so they get coated in the meat fat. After 20 minutes, turn the parsnips. After 40 minutes, eat with the meat.

Also works with carrots, celery, and a bunch of other vegetables.