#55 - How chef Paul Canales' journey with CGMs changed the way he thinks about food | Paul Canales & Ben Grynol
Jun 7, 2024
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Chef Paul Canales discusses how wearing a CGM changed his approach to crafting dishes, including experimenting with starches, educating kitchen staff, and making healthier swaps. He emphasizes mindful eating, fasting, and making the best choices at restaurants. Ben Grynol shares insights on achieving metabolic health through personalized choices.
Embracing CGMs led Chef Paul Canales to rethink dish ingredients for optimal health benefits.
Educating kitchen staff on metabolic health helped integrate healthier options while preserving taste.
Chef Paul advises on making informed dining choices like preloading with fiber to balance indulgence and health.
Innovative culinary approaches, such as using healthier ingredient alternatives, redefine traditional dishes while promoting balanced meals.
Deep dives
Importance of Conscious Food Preparation
The podcast episode highlights how a chef's perspective changed dramatically when using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to track the impact of his dishes on metabolic health. This shift led to a reevaluation of traditional cooking methods and ingredients to optimize customers' health. By incorporating fasting and experimenting with resistant starches, the chef demonstrated a commitment to mindful food preparation to enhance metabolic health.
Educating Team and Patrons
The chef extended his insights to his team and patrons, emphasizing the importance of education without preaching or deprivation. Through his experiences with Levels and CGM data, he shared knowledge on managing glucose levels, experimenting with different foods, and understanding the impact of dosages. By educating staff on culinary approaches to enhance metabolic health, the restaurant integrated healthier options while preserving taste and dining experience.
Managing Food Choices Outside the Restaurant
The podcast delves into navigating dining out and indulging while maintaining metabolic health. The chef advises making informed choices when eating out, focusing on quantity, and ensuring a balanced meal. He advocates for strategies like preloading with fiber or vinegar to mitigate glycemic impact, especially during special occasions or at restaurants where control over ingredients may be limited.
Enhancing Creativity Through Diverse Cuisines
The chef's newfound awareness of metabolic health inspired creativity in exploring new cuisine types and healthier alternatives. By substituting traditional ingredients with healthier options like Himalayan tartary buckwheat or monk fruit syrup, he innovatively revamped familiar dishes. Experimenting with cauliflower rice, resistant starches, and textured approaches, the chef redefined culinary boundaries while promoting balanced and flavorful meals.
Palate Sensitivity and Mindful Eating Practices
The episode highlights the significance of palate sensitivity and mindful eating behaviors in culinary practices. The chef stresses moderation, savoring each bite to allow full enjoyment and prevent overconsumption. Techniques such as cleaning the palate between tasting, adjusting flavors mindfully, and focusing on smaller portions to maintain taste satisfaction despite reducing salt or sugar content were discussed.
Sauteing Cauliflower Rice for Improved Texture
Exploring a culinary tip for preparing cauliflower rice, the conversation delves into sauteing techniques for enhanced texture. By sauteing frozen cauliflower rice to achieve a light caramelization, the chef shared insights on achieving a crisper, non-soggy consistency reminiscent of fried rice. This approach offers an innovative method for preparing cauliflower rice with a more appealing texture and flavor profile.
Balancing Indulgence and Health
The podcast emphasizes the balance between indulgence and health-conscious choices when dining out or at home. Encouraging individuals to enjoy occasional indulgences while prioritizing mindful eating practices, the chef suggests strategies like quantity control, preloading with fiber, and applying culinary techniques to optimize glycemic impact. By advocating for moderation and informed decision-making, the episode promotes a holistic approach to culinary enjoyment and metabolic well-being.
For a chef, flavor is everything. But what happens when one starts wearing a Levels CGM? In this episode, Levels Head of Growth, Ben Grynol, chatted with Paul Canales, Head Chef of Duende Restaurant in Oakland, California. They discuss how wearing a CGM has changed his perspective on the way he crafts dishes and his views on when and how to indulge.
Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.
Look for new shows every month on Levels - Inside the Company, where we have in-depth conversations about how the Levels startup team builds a movement from the ground up in the health and wellness tech industry.
