I'm telling you, it's no easy feat. I thought gluten free was hard. But this is HARDER. This is not for the weak of heart. BUT, if you are super determined, and think you can do it, here is my guide and how-to on how to start. I'm only a couple weeks in, but I've discovered a couple good tricks to help you stay on track and actually enjoy yourself along the way.
First, what is Paleo? I'll give you the short and short of it. Basically, it's like going back thousands of years to when humans were basically cave men, and ate like cave men. They would eat whatever was available to them- meat, fruit, nuts, and veggies. All natural, straight from the earth. This is what Paleo is- no refined, processed bullshit. You want to be eating things that only have one or two ingredients in them- when you pick up something off the shelf, take a look at the ingredients. Does it have over 10 ingredients? Are at least 3 of these ingredients things you can't pronounce or you don't even know what they are? Well put that item down, it's not Paleo.
Alright, so far Paleo isn't sounding fun. So let's get the REALLY un-fun stuff out of the way, that way we can start talking about all the good stuff. Alright, here goes, all the food you can't eat:
- Grains. And I mean any kinds of grains- not just bread and pasta, but no rice either. Yah, I know some of you are crying right now
- Legumes. This means beans like black beans, kidney beans, chick peas AND peanuts/peanut butter etc. Yes, I know this double sucks. It was really hard for me to let go. I cried at the funeral of my peanut butter.
- Refined sugars. The sugar you put in your morning coffee? The Chips-Ahoy cookies you love? Candy-canes and Gummie Bears? All no's.
- *Dairy products. I put a star beside this one because some Paleo-dieters DO eat dairy. It is up to you to decide if you can live without dairy. Just remember, no other animal but humans drink milk except when they're babies from their mothers. Milk is not really a necessity for the human body. But it is up to you!
Okay, so that was a bit painful, wasn't it? I know. But trust me, it gets better, it really does. Why don't I comfort you with the things you can eat? Paleo foods include:
- Fruits and veggies. Fruit, dried fruit, green vegetables, orange vegetables, frozen vegetables.... anything that comes from the ground, off a tree or bush is accepted. These are your main source of carbs in this diet. They are complete carbs, fill you up, and do wonders for your body. And they taste amazing. So that's a total bonus. And guess what? You can eat as much of these as you want on Paleo.
- Meat. Literally any kind of meat. Chicken, fish, beef, pork, shrimp...if it's an animal, you can eat it. Everyone is always so concerned about the high fat content in beef and pork, but the fact of the matter is, your body NEEDS fat. And this is good fat, so enjoy as much of it as you want.
- Natural sugars. This includes fruit. But it also means you're not completely giving up sugar- you can have honey! And I am telling you now that nothing tastes better than a cup of tea with honey and almond milk in it. Which brings me to the next food...
- Nuts. Almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pecans, etc, etc the list goes on. Nuts are high calorie, so people tend to stay away from them. But nuts are necessary! They are full of protein you need, and in moderation, are so good for you. And this means you have a replacement for your beloved peanut butter- almond butter. SO. FUCKING. GOOD.
- Spices. Like flavouring in your food? Who doesn't! You can keep your garlic, coriander, paprika, chilli powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, etc. All allowed!
- Sweet potatoes and quinoa. You know how much I love sweet potato so I was STOKED I could still eat it.
See? Feel a little better now? And you don't have to give up baked goods either! Theres almond and coconut flour, which make great substitutes in baking, once you learn how to use them. And there is so many Paleo recipes out there to help you out- I'll posting lots :)
So. The real question is, how do you go Paleo? And how do you STAY Paleo? Well, here are a few tricks for me that have worked so far:
- try not to eliminate all the no no foods at once. Do one at a time. One week eliminate grains, the next week eliminate legumes, the next week refined sugars, etc. By letting go of one thing at a time, it won't feel like total torture. I was able to go cold turkey on grains, sugars, and legumes. But I had to ween myself off of dairy... I love cheese and greek yogurt. Wahhhh. So one at a time.
- Don't have non-Paleo foods lurking around your house. Trust me, after two days, you're going to want a cookie so bad, and if you have some hidden away in your cupboards and closets, you are going to eat them. Give your food away to food banks, to friends if you feel like it's a waste to throw it out! But don't keep it. Too much temptation.
- when you are craving those foods, don't sit there and do nothing. Have a glass of water, make a yummy cup of tea with honey, munch on ANY veggie/fruit you like, go for a run, go for a walk: do something to distract yourself. Your body will stop craving these things in about two weeks once you're completely cold turkey, and then it will come much easier. ]
- you did a rally hard work out? You had a really bad day at work? This is not an excuse to go binge eat on chocolate because "you deserve it". Do something nice for yourself- a hot bath, a movie night, or some Paleo baking....but don't comfort or reward eat. You don't deserve it after all the hard work you are putting into Paleo.
- don't beat yourself up when you do fail or cheat one day. We're not perfect, it happens, and it's okay. Recognize what you did wrong, so that you can stop yourself next time
- allow yourself a cheat day or meal. Some people like to do this once a week, others once a month, and some only on special occasions (like Christmas or thanksgiving). Gauge yourself, and see what works best for you. I like to allow myself a cheat meal bi-weekly. But once you're on the Paleo diet long, you'll come to stop missing old foods, and really enjoy what Paleo has to offer :) I promise!
That's all for now, except I'm attaching a picture of a yummmmmmy Paleo dinner I made tonight- grilled steak, steamed brussel sprouts and chopped tomatoes. If you have any questions, comments, or requests, message or comment! Happy eating!!! :)
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