Disclaimer: This is my experience with the Paleo Lifestyle
from January 2013 – Present. If you do not agree with any of my
statements, that is your right and your adaptation to the Paleo Lifestyle or
your Healthy Lifestyle, this is just my experience. This is what I found works for my
household. We are healthy; we lost the last
pesty pounds we could not lose all the years of exercising and eating the
previous U.S. idea of “healthy.” My
husband and I lift heavier than before, and I have muscles I never saw before. In addition, 95% of the time I do not wake up to blood
sugar in the low 50’s due to hypoglycemia.
I have had over 2 dozen people in the last couple of weeks
ask me personally or refer someone to me for Paleo information. I am going to sum it up, include things I
wish I knew starting out, necessities for your kitchen, necessities in order to
stick with it and kill some myths. Also,
prepping is a necessity as you will feel like you are at the store and chopping
food most of your life. Think fresh, not prepackaged with added ingredients, food in the rawest form, trash the 100 calorie packs, Here goes:
Myths-
No, it is not Atkins, it is not bad for you, you do not live
on too much protein and you get plenty of fiber through vegetables, seeds and
nuts to offset the lack of grains. Also,
unlike Adkins, you will not hear people running around bragging about how they
are living on fried bacon, sausage links and eggs and other less than quality protein
sources. ( of course eggs are a great protein source, just not fried in vegetable oil). You will also never hear that
you can’t eat carbs or fruit.
If you are not sensitive to eating too much protein or you
have two functioning kidneys you are not going to eat too much protein and make
yourself sick. Portion control people,
you don’t need a 10 ounce steak, 4-6 ounces is plenty. If you do not buy organic chicken breast, do
not eat the entire breast, they are way too big. Eat ½ or ¼ depending on the size.
Yes it is expensive, but it is manageable, some people eat
more eggs, frozen fruits and veggies and some people eat more filet, sea bass
and organic fruits and veggies. Buying
dried fruit, flours and nuts in bulk is not that expensive compared to buying a
pound here or there at the store. Double
a recipe so you have lunch for the week or so that you have 2 nights worth of
dinner. Most meals require more time
since you are making most things from scratch, so make it last, double the
recipe. Also, if you have a little one
that does not like onions, peppers and garlic and you are making burgers,
sloppy joes, fajitas, whatever, separate some of the meat and make a small
amount for them in a separate skillet or on the grill at the same time. It will take you 1 extra minute.
I Wish I Knew-
I wish I knew that there were so many adaptations, and you
have to find what works for you and your family. For example, some would consider store bought
organic salsa or spaghetti sauce non-paleo, I find it practical as long as it
has only a few ingredients, low in sodium and sugar and it does not contain
anything that I can’t pronounce. I also
will add corn to my Mexican dishes or chili because my family loves it and it
goes further. I also always use peas in
my chicken pot pie and some casseroles, because my son loves peas. Now I don’t eat corn and peas all the time,
but I also know that from a budget standpoint, a frozen bag of corn, carrots,
peas and green beans is cheap and it makes a lot of chicken pot pie, etc.
Always be on the lookout for all tasty Paleo treat
recipes. Keep an open mind and try
several recipes until you find your new favorite treats. Always have a treat prepared for the week and
ready to grab when you want something sweet.
Only grab one a day at most though.
A few examples: chocolate coconut haystacks, chocolate chia
energy bars, trail mix, chocolate mint pudding, raspberry coconut chia
popsicles. Use Pinterest
Lara Bars are inexpensive and are basically Paleo minus the
chocolate chip ones that might have like .00005 mg of dairy in it. Again, LOL, who cares unless you are intolerant? They make it impossible for you to be out in
public without a portable snack, they last a long time and there are some great
ones out there, oh and they are way less expensive than the ones labled Paleo Friendly bars. I love the chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate
chip brownie and the pecan pie flavors.
Kroger often has them 10 for $10.
I wish I knew how horrible you might feel by week 2 and how
great you feel by week 3. The crash and
then the amazing feeling of being wheat and refined sugar free is a tough ride
for some people, but the result will have you feeling amazing. You are left pretty much free of cravings. I promise junk food still looks delicious, but you don’t feel like you “have to have it”.
I wish I knew how 1 cheat will leave you bloated with a
stomach ache for days and days, and I wish I would remember that the next time
I cheated. If you have a non-Paleo
treat, opt for one that is still gluten free.
We love Dippers, low sodium veggie chips. They contain soy, but they are gluten free
and very low in sodium, so if you are not sensitive to soy, it makes for a
great occasional treat when you want a chip.
I wish I knew all the best places to buy the ingredients
prior to paying way too much, and I wish I knew to buy in bulk.
In the summer, freeze everything from chicken bones to fruit
cores, when you eat this much meat, fresh fruit and veggies, it is not
something you want in your trash until trash day.
Don’t force your family, encourage them. Don’t preach your lifestyle or judge what
others are eating. Don’t jabber on and
on about it unless you are asked by someone that is truly interested.
You must experiment and learn to make Paleo muffins, breads,
casseroles, pizza, new ways to prepare veggies, new marinades, step out of your comfort zone and use new
spices. You will never make it on
grilled chicken and a dry salad meal after meal. Learn to make your own BBQ sauce and perfect
all your family favorite meals.
Do not even waste your time or money on store bought Paleo sandwich
bread. Make your own or use bell peppers
as the bread.
Necessities-
Great Knives, not your everyday set, but really great chef
knives, spaghetti squash will not cut with cheap knives
Cutting board with slip resistant bottom, again spaghetti
squash incident or those really giant sweet potatoes
Lots of great Tupperware to store all your prepped veggies
and fruits
Buy Almond and Coconut flour in bulk, people will be so
jealous when they find out you eat pizza every Friday and Banana Nut Chocolate
Chip Muffins for breakfast and are still down 15 pounds and strutting some
killer biceps
A Variety of unsalted nuts and unsweetened dried fruit,
Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, Raw Honey, unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened
coconut milk, nut butters, quality unsweetened cocoa, unsalted organic butter, eggs,
bacon to add to your favorite chicken dishes for variety, chia seeds , grape
seed oil, coconut oil, tons of new seasonings, fresh garlic, sweet potatoes
for those clean carbs, Daiya Cheese for your splurge days like pizza, lots of
fresh fruit and veggies prepped, homemade guacamole that goes on everything when you give up ranch
and mayo, hot sauce, organic reduced sodium broths, parchment paper,
silicon muffin and bread pans, a good quality low sodium veggie chip (most have
soy, so keep for a treat if you have a non paleo meal)
Follow tons of FB Paleo pages and Pinterest Pins for Paleo
recipes and information
Quick List of Accepted Food, Prepping, Meal
Planning and Grocery List-
Commonly accepted foods:
First and foremost the foods are gluten free. Adaptations on accepting some food or ingredients that contain soy, dairy, casein or eating legumes are usually when exceptions are made on occasion. For example, Tamari is a gluten free Soy Sauce but it still contains soy yet a lot of people following a Paleo lifestyle use it on occasion. Another example is the common use of organic unsalted butter.
Meats and Eggs- Red meat, lean pork, chicken with or without skin, fish, veal, bacon and turkey bacon (debatable due to nitrates try to buy without nitrates, I have heard Trader Joes carries a good one), eggs (aim for cage free)
Fruits and Vegetables- most fruits and vegetables except peas
Snacks- unsalted nuts and seeds, unsweetened dried fruit, homemade power bars or trail mixes made with nuts, seeds and unsweetened fruit
Starch- sweet potatoes
Milk- unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
Baking and Cooking- coconut or almond flours, milled flax seed, nut butters except peanut butter, raw honey, coconut or grape seed oil, coconut palm sugar, coconut aminos, arrowroot powder
Debatable Foods: Bacon, Turkey Bacon, Tamari ( GF soy sauce), hot sauce, organic store bought sauces or ketchup
Foods Generally Avoided: gluten, soy, dairy, casein, legumes
White flour, wheat flour, bread unless made with almond or coconut flour, oats, grains, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, store bought mayo and dressings, peas, peanuts, lentils
Plan your meals for the week, then make your grocery list. To ensure you do not miss ingredients, pull up the recipes, write down any ingredients you do not have already including all fresh produce needed. After you have all the ingredients listed, proceed to make your grocery list.
Pick a day each week that works for you after you have meal
planned and shopped. Chop all of your
veggies for each meal and put in separate containers or zip lock bags. Items that can be cooked together at the same
time in a recipe package together for example: onions, garlic, mushrooms and
bell pepper for fajitas. If the recipe
has green onions only for garnish, package separately. Cut enough fruit that you can eat before it
goes bad. Peel oranges to last a few
days. Chop a few bananas and wrap each separately
in plastic wrap and freeze for milkshake like smoothies. Pre-cook meat for the next two meals if it
will not make it tough cooking it ahead of time. Cook
chicken in the crockpot with organic broth and it will shred with little effort
for a variety of meals. Also, season it
and it makes for several pre-made lunches and you will not be stuck, starving
and turn to lunch meat. Chop raw meat if
needed for a recipe if you are going to cook within the next day or two. Make breakfast sweet muffins, spinach,
sausage egg muffins, egg casseroles, etc. for the next couple of days for an
easy breakfast that won’t have you reaching for boxed cereal in a pinch. Make your own protein bars for a breakfast or
snack you can eat in the car.
I love it, I love the
creativity it has brought out in me, I love that I found that I have some
pretty stellar cooking skills, and I love that I know what I am feeding the
family.
