I decided to post today all about my experience with Paleo. I have had a lot of people ask me about it and by NO MEANS am I an expert. I'd like to share what I have learned from people, books, and research on the internet. I have included info and links to all of this information.
A few months ago my husband and I decided to begin eating Paleo. Good friends Cassie and Kris recommended Paleo and helped answer many of our questions. Both look better than ever and we couldn't help but want to at least try out this Paleo thing!
Well what is Paleo? It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. Simply put it's an approach to consuming food that is GOOD FOR YOU. No calorie counting, no points! This diet is gluten-free as well. It's also called the cave man diet (this is explained below in an illustration).
My husband wanted to lose weight and he did. 20 pounds in the first month!
I wanted to feel good and after examining my own diet, I realized I was consuming food with ingredients I could not even pronounce! (for example: Diet Coke, Crystal Light, Lean cuisine....yup all CRAP!)
The first few days I had a pounding headache...it was the sugar withdrawal. Like a drug addict, my body was detoxing! After a week I felt good. Today I feel great, I have more energy, sleep better, and feel full :)
Basics: what TO eat and what NOT to eat
Shop the outside of the grocery store: Meats, fruits, and veggies. You only dip into the inside isles of the grocery store for nuts, raisins, cooking and baking ingredients (like arrowroot starch), and occasional spices. My fridge is stocked and my pantry once full of boxed items (cookies, crackers, cereal, bars) is pretty bare.
Simply put:
Eat:
Meat (grass fed if possible)
Poultry
Seafood
Veggies
Fruit
Nuts
Seeds
Eggs
Healthy Oils (coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil)
Avoid:
Grains (wheat, flour, pasta, bread, oats, rice)
Legumes (any beans, peanuts, peas, soybeans, soy anything)
Dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt)
Processed Foods (anything basically out of a box)
Starches (potatoes, corn)
Vegetable Oil
Anything with gluten
Drink:
Water!
Herbal Tea
Fresh squeezed fruit or veggie juice
Sparkling water
Coconut water
Here's are some cheat sheets:
MORE swaps:
Mash Potatoes...cauliflower mash
Pasta...spaghetti squash
Breakfast Potatoes...butternut squash
Sugar...coconut sugar
Granola bars....Larabars (read label, most okay and just contain dates, nuts, and fruit. For example these flavors: carrot cake, coconut, apple pie, cashew cookie) & That's It bars (just contain fruit!)
But WHY?!
Too much of the food we consume today is not food, it's chemicals! Eating food that is good for you, simply makes you feel good.
Here's a simple break down of the WHY.....
NO BOOZE! What?!
If you are trying to loose weight, avoid alcohol.
1. If your body is trying to process food, it can't process all the booze too.
2. When you drink, you want to eat and you want to eat BAD food! Have you ever gotten drunk and said no to pizza and yes to raisins?! No I didn't think so.
For more on this go here
If you want to drink....it wont kill your "diet". Remember....NO BEER!!
I go with the wine option. Patron is also your best tequila option.
Paleo Problems
It's not easy to give up your favorite foods. It's also not easy to not just be able to grab and go foods. There is a lot of prep work, planning, and shopping. It gets easier after time. It's also pricier. For example regular pickles (that are made with sugar and chemicals) are about $3 less than Grillos Pickles but guess what...they are DELISH!
How to get started!
We began by purchasing these books, which are full of shopping lists, recipes, tips, meal planning, and more.
Everyday Paleo, by Sarah Fragoso
This book is really good for understanding the yes and no of what you can have and great dinner ideas.
Make Ahead Paleo, by Tammy Credicott
This book is the best! Easy recipes, good tasting, lots of desserts, crockpot meals, and freeze ideas!
I cant say enough good about this book!
I will post some of my favorite recipes I have found here on my blog too!
Hope this helps :)
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