i'm not typically the kind of person that gets on "bandwagons" per se, so when i had heard about paleo for the first time, i thought it was just another south beach diet, atkins, etc.
a few months later, my husband decided to join washington gym to get in shape. well, it ended up being more than just a gym where you pay a monthly due and just show up as you can. its a whole lifestyle and regime change. its not where you go to a class or workout session. each day is focused on a different body area and its organized so that in order to get the best results, you should be going four or five times a week so that you receive a full body work-out by the time the week is over.
the other requirement is that you eat paleo.
what's paleo? paleo is short for paleolithic, and the whole idea is that you eat like a caveman aka the way our ancestors ate prior to the transition to an agriculture society, back when we were hunters and gatherers. meaning, eating only meats, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats.
when i first heard that, i was thinking...oh great another trendy diet. which was fine for josh if it helped him get to his target weight, but oh, not me...i don't need to lose weight and after all thats the only point of these trends.......right?
the other reason why i just wasn't so sure about it is because on the paleo diet you cannot eat my two most favorite foods in the whole wide world:
dairy and grains
but, being a supportive wife, i decided to at least help make lunches and cook dinner that were paleo, but i was still going to eat my two favorite foods on the side. but then, being the "googler" i am, i started to look at this whole paleo lifestyle and ultimately decided to get a book on it.
literally, only about two chapters into the booked i was hooked. why? usually when someone is trying to convince you to try a diet, its all about weight loss, weight loss, weight loss. but this was different, every "life-changing" story was about a disease reversal, or someone getting off of medications that they had been on for years, or an increase in energy...and oh yea - by the way it happened in sixty days or less and oh yea...they lost 30 lbs....and hadn't even gone to the gym.
every chapter made me hungry to read the next. and finally i got to the science behind it, bc i was just so curious as to why the heck this diet prohibited me from my favorite foods.
the net-net without overwhelming you is that dairy and grains (legumes included aka beans) are bad for you because all of those sugars and the way your body breaks them down. causing your body to be inflammed. did you know that inflammation in your body causes the following:
heart disease
cancer
celiac
alzheimer's
diabetes
acne
ibs
heartburn
infertility
depression
osteoporosis
arthritis
acid reflux
kidney disease
and pretty much any auto-immune disease
still not convinced?
not have any of those problems? me neither nor most people i know. but let me tell you how much its made a difference in josh and i's life in the past TEN days. yep. TEN.
i'm not going to bore you with the specific situations and long stories but i will list to you the benefits that we have experienced:
INCREASED ENERGY:
josh used to come home every day from work ready to sleep at 7pm - now he helps cook dinner, cleans, and is happier than i have seen him in years
WEIGHT LOSS:
josh has gone down about 3 belt loops
josh's mother is wearing pants she hasn't been able to wear in five years
josh's dad has lost an additional 3 inches after plateauing in weight loss on another diet
HEARTBURN AND IBS:
i have been suffering from IBS since i graduated college and i haven't had one symptom
i was also on medication for heartburn and its gone and i am off of my medicine
STOMACH BLOATING AND DIGESTIVE HEALTH:
both josh and i have issues within this section and have not had a single issue
LITTLE TO NO HANGOVER:
i went a good friend's bachelorette party this weekend, i am sure i don't have to get into any details if you have ever been to one. and guess what? i woke up early and was full of energy each morning i woke up. can't say that was the case before. i am not saying you should eat paleo so you can drink whatever you want and have no hangover. my point is your body recovers alot faster that it would before.
this is just 10 days into the diet. both josh and i have horrible cholesterol and in 60 days we will be going in to see our blood work. did i mention the average points in cholesterol that people drop in just 45 days is 30 points?
ok, i promise i am almost off my soap box.
just want to touch on one more subject that i get the most questions about..."but my life is so busy, i don't have time to cook every meal and it sounds hard to find paleo" OR "but i just love grains and dairy"
trust me: i felt the same way but i am going to give you some examples where you can make it work or to show it that paleo isn't all that hard.
breakfast example:
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doesn't this look like a average breakfast? i mean come on - you can still have BACON. the only thing missing here is toast. not too shabby if you ask me.
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dinner:
top left: crock pot beef stew
top right: butternut squash soup
bottom left: sweet potato casserole
bottom right: mashed cauliflower
did i mention that all of these have about 5 ingredients or less and super fast and easy?
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lunch: pei wei
its an almond chicken salad and honestly i enjoyed this more than dishes i have had with rice.
lastly, i am going to leave you with some great resources fro recipes just so you can see what kind of foods you are still able to eat.
oh and are thinking about having kids soon? if so, even if you aren't interested in it for yourself - just check out this woman's experience with a "paleo pregnancy" - its down right ridiculous.
if you have any questions i would love to help out in any way
dana.h.fernandez@gmail.com
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