First, a disclaimer.....I am not a doctor, scientist, nutritionist, or medical expert on any subject, at all. This blog is about my interpretation of the PALEO diet and my personal experiences with eating PALEO. Also, when I use the term diet, it is referring to the way I eat and what I choose to eat, not calorie counting.
Second, another disclaimer.....There seems to be this popularity contest with different approaches to diet. My way is better than yours, my way is the only way, how dare you eat THAT?!!!!?? We've got vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, raw foodists, Paleo people, lo-carb, no-carb, all-carb...whatever. It's exhausting. The bottom line is most ways to approach food and diet all have one common denominator, health. Anyone following a diet or methodology to approach food is looking for a healthy way to eat that works best for them. Almost all of these diets promote local, fresh, and organic, when possible. So I say, PALEO is what works for me, I have tried other diets and over time have learned from trial and error with my body, that this is it for me. Once again, my way is not better, or the best for everyone, it is just what works best for me.
The Paleo diet refers to eating like the cavemen did. It is also called the hunter and gatherer diet. Basically, if you couldn't find it in nature, you didn't eat it. Proteins, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and berries compromise the Paleo diet. Sorry folks, but when you say yes to Paleo, you say no to carbs, wheat, dairy, and refined sugar. It is comparable to the Science Diet, which is a diet that focuses on eating for your health to prevent disease.
Personally, I love the idea of food as medicine. What an empowering idea, that we as consumers and as highly intellligent, functioning creatures, can choose to purchase and prepare food that nourishes us and helps to prevent disease in our bodies. I say, take more control of your diet, be as mindful of the foods you eat everyday as you are of the clothes you choose to wear everyday. FOOD IS MEDICINE!! The Paleo diet is an anti-inflammation diet. Inflammation causes about 90% of all disease. Inflammation causes cancer, rhuematoid arthritis, MS, heart diease, and diabetes to name a few. The basis of Paleo is that certain types of food (grains, refined sugars, and dairy) cause inflammation in the body, leading to illness, and a general poor quality of health.
A reminder of disclaimer #1, this is my interpretation. If you are really interested in learning the super nerdy science stuff, check out The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf, or The New Evolution Diet, by Arthur Devany, PHD. I have read both of these books, and learned a lot. Robb Wolf's website also has a ton of great articles on Paleo.
I first heard about the Paleo diet about two years ago, but was hesitant to try it, I thought " But I REALLY LOVE bread, and Entemanns cheese danish, and chips and dip, and cupcakes, and doughnuts, and..." well, you get it right? My fiancee would joke with me that I was the "PALEO-NO lady". Shortly after being introduced to Paleo I became pregnant with my daughter. I have always been a healthy eater. I love food and I love to cook. My pregnancies for me are kind of a free for all. Pregnant Kim still eats a salad a day, lots of protein, but she also indulges. Candy bars, soda, cupcakes, chips and dip, when I am pregnant I do not have the self restraint that I usually have. However, because of my general approach to health and fitness, even my indulging is minimal compared to most. Anyways, with both of my pregnancies my peak weight was 175, I gained on average 53 lbs. I like most women, get HUGE when growing a baby.
My second pregnancy I was 29 years old. I dreaded the idea of my soon to be 30 year old body recovering from having another baby. For those of you who don't know, pregnancy does very weird things to
the female body, I will put these two words out there, GOOPY and LOOSE.
Use your imagination people. I lost the first 30 lbs pretty quickly but was plateauing. When my daughter was about three months old I decided to kick my health into high gear, and get my ass back in shape. I decided to do a Paleo challenge and go very strict Paleo for 30 days. I got down to my pre-baby weight after the 30 day challenge.
Currently, I am about a 90/10 Paleo person. I have a little cream in my coffee or some blue cheese crumbles on my salad here and there. I steer clear of grains, dairy, and sugar. I also do not eat beans, rice, corn, and some other legumes. My diet includes a lot of protein, veggies, nuts, and fruits. Once you start to play with Paleo the simplest things feel very indulgent. For instance, I allow my self to put cheese in my eggs once a week. To me, those are the best damn eggs I have ever tasted!! I have become very adept at making delicious Paleo food and will be sharing recipes and tips through this blog.
One of the main reasons I love the Paleo diet is that you eat when you are hungry. There is no starving yourself. Some days I am like a ravenous beast eating and snacking all day. Its awesome. Other days, three meals a day are enough for me. The point is to eat to feel satisfied. The focus is more on what you are eating opposed to how much you are eating.
Another reason I love Paleo is the encouragement to eat good fats. There is a common misconception that all fatty foods are bad for you. Our bodies need fat. Paleo encourages you to eat what are known as good fats, avocado, fish oil, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil to name a few.
The biggest indicator for me as to why Paleo works for me is how I feel if I cheat. When I eat a lot of bread, or indulge in sweets I feel like garbage. I get lazy and unmotivated. This leads me to sometimes, skipping a day of practice, which throws me off balance. (Off-balance is a very polite way to say I turn into a crazy lady, looney tunes, irrational, and less joyful.) When I revert back to crazy Kim I crave foods that bring me comfort, not nutrition. It can become an endless cycle. Awareness is key in health. I am aware of the way certain foods affect my mood and body, so I choose to stay away from them.
Currently I am in the best shape I have ever been in. In addition to
eating Paleo, I practice yoga and meditate six days a week. I
believe the combination of yoga, meditation, and eating Paleo have all
contributed to my new body and my overall quality of life. There are varying degrees of Paleo-ness and if you are intrigued by
this, I encourage you to research the diet and the science behind it. I have gone from Paleo-NO to Gung-Ho Paleo, in less than a year.
In an effort to be as honest as I can about Paleo, I am starting a 30 day Paleo Challenge tomorrow. If you are curious I invite you to try it out and see what happens. I will be following up on my progress and invite an open forum on my facebook page. Below is a link with some guidelines to the challenge!! Let's do this!!
http://www.paleoplan.com/2012/01-09/paleo-plans-1st-annual-30-day-paleo-challenge-starts-now/
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