This is my attempt to try to be concisely informative. The concise part is where I'm going to struggle, be forewarned.
I could talk for hours about the paleolithic diet and lifestyle, so if you have more questions or want to chat more about it, please leave a comment or contact me directly! It's one of my favorite subjects.
Also, there's a whole section of posts labeled Paleo if you want to click there and read all the posts I've written about Paleo. (some of them do not directly address food, but lifestyle, because Paleo is not a diet, but a way of life.)
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1. Why did you "go Paleo"?
Originally, nearly three years ago, it was a means for cleaner eating, to lose weight, and feel better. The more research I did about it, I learned that it is the best way of eating for autoimmune disorders, so we set out to get serious with it (because I have an autoimmune disorder that sucks and is very difficult to control).
2. What is Paleo?
It's a lifestyle that resembles the lifestyle of the cavemen, prior to the introduction of agriculture, over 15,000 years ago. A day in the life of a cavemen looked like this : you eat only what you could hunt or gather, in respective proportions. A diet high in meat and vegetables, with some nuts and seeds, and little fruit. You move around all day, spend lots of time outdoors, work hard and play hard, and sleep a lot. The modern version is to avoid all chemicals and processed items and everything artificial. Work your body out. The cavemen would walk around all day hunting and gathering, occasionally having to lift very heavy objects, and sometimes sprint to get away from the lion chasing them. *Everyone who follows Paleo does it a little bit different, and everyone is very passionate about the way they follow it*
3. What do you eat?
The quick version with our typical eats. I'm hoping to be able to write in more detail about this soon (meal plans, shopping lists, etc. ) For more detailed daily eats, check out previous posts here, here, here, and here
Breakfast:
- eggs and bacon with sauteed veggies (sub out the bacon for sausage or ham. go for organic or at least no preservatives and all natural if possible)
-egg muffins or egg casserole (essentially eggs, meat and veggies mixed together and baked in muffin tins. Recipe to come)
-smoothie (recipe here. and here.)
Lunch:
-Meat (get crazy with it. bake chicken for 30 minutes in the oven. Deli Meat. Canned Tuna. Fresh fish. etc.)
-Vegetables (sauteed, broiled, baked, raw, salad, go ahead. Get.crazy.)
-Maybe some nuts and seeds.
-I love to eat cucumbers b/c I have a thing for crunchy foods, so I eat probably one a day.
Snacks And Dinner- same as lunch. I just mix and match.
4. How do you follow this diet with young children?
-We started eating this way when the twins were around six months old. So starting them young has accustomed them to a certain way of eating. But they know that what we put in front of them is what we're offering them to eat.
5. How do you follow this diet on a budget?
-I typically shop at Trader Joe's once a week. I just go in and make my rounds. By now I could make our weekly shopping trip with my eyes closed. And TJ's prices are very reasonable for what they have to offer (foods without preservatives, organic options, nitrate free meat options)
6. What do you do when you need a meal in a pinch?
-We don't follow this strictly at 100% b/c it just isn't realistic for where we are in life. Perhaps over time we'll be able to move into that, but for now, if one meal isn't fully Paleo, we just make the best decision for the time if we're in a pinch. Yes we eat out and yes we eat pizza and pasta and ice cream on vacation or at holiday get togethers.
7. Doesn't it take up a lot of time?
- It really can. One thing I found easy is to make a meal plan each week, go grocery shopping for the week, have easy breakfast and lunch options that require little prep or cooking. Often at supper I will just pop the meat and vegetables in a baking dish with seasonings and coconut oil, and bake it for 30 minutes. And supper is done.
-Other ways to make it easier is on the weekends to prepare several meals for the week. (Grill a whole package of chicken that you can use through the week, make a huge pot of soup, a huge crockpot meal, a whole batch of egg muffins and an egg casserole)
8. What are the benefits? For me, it's a means of controlling my autoimmune disease. For all of us, the more closely we stick to it, we all are in better moods, our behaviors are nicer and not as wild (think three year olds) , weight management, clear thinking, clear skin, longevity. This really could be a very lengthy topic. Essentially, I can almost guarantee you that if you are struggling with something (depression, anxiety, weight, irritability, IBS, etc etc etc.... the paleolithic diet and lifestyle would dramatically improve whatever your struggle is. Please feel free to chat more with me about this.)
