Paleo is Awesome

This is just a quick-ish blog, since I haven't posted for a few days, to explain why paleo is awesome.

I am still reading into the science behind it, but during my undergrad I took a course on metabolism. We had to make a diagram that showed how our bodies convert what we eat to different things that we need. There were few things we actually NEEDED to consume - essential amino acids and glucose, for example. Our body can convert a surprisingly wide range of chemicals into fats, proteins, etc. I wish I still had that diagram, it took me weeks to work on and was very useful. But, bottom line, this is why people can not eat "fat" but still get fat. This is also why you can eat a diet of crap, and still get by. Our bodies are very good at making what they need.

Okay, the point of this blog. Since I've started eating Paleo, the weight has fallen off with minimal effort, other than the eating habit changes. I am never hungry, I have way more energy, and I feel great by comparison to how I used to feel. Any other diet I've tried has failed, because it was too much effort. This "diet" is so simple and effective. I know I sound like a commercial right now but I'm so excited by how it's working for me, I just want everyone to get on board. I also have to say, it's a good thing I have more energy because there is a lot of cooking and cleaning involved with eating this way. It does require a lot more planning as you can't just throw together a sandwich or microwave a frozen dinner. But it is worth it. If you are thinking about making a change, just try it for a few weeks and I'll bet you'll never eat a piece of bread again.

A day of Paleo-ish eating

BREAKFAST

I still struggle with paleo breakfast meals and find my breakfast might be leftovers from the night before, scrambled with eggs. 90% of the time, it's eggs and something. Today I had 2 fried eggs with mixed nuts (no peanuts, though!), water to drink, and coffee with a little splash of milk. I tried using coconut milk in my coffee but it was sick. It tastes fine without the sugar, though, and I can't believe how much sugar I used to consume in my coffee alone.

I snacked on the nuts throughout the morning and that held me over until my delicious lunch.

LUNCH

I had shrimp with a garlic/lemon sauce (basically just fresh garlic and juice from a lemon, with oregano) served with sauteed onions, red pepper, and tomatoes. The recipe was from Paleo Comfort Foods, and I loved it. Will definitely be making it again. Pic!

DESSERT

The almond butter squares I made the night before, the "cheating" part is the chocolate chips, but they were made with honey, almond butter, baking soda, and salt. Not the greatest for you, but better than a lot of the crap you can buy and I was getting tired of not having something delicious for dessert. The recipe is from Elana's Pantry. Still gluten free, at least!

SNACK

Veggies and baba ghanoush, made with my food processor yesterday.

SUPPER

Chili, made in the slow cooker yesterday. Bean free and sprinkled with grated cheese (another paleo no-no, but I am using dairy in moderation. If you were going to be strict, I just wouldn't put the cheese and you still have a delicious meal)

IN CONCLUSION

So as you can see, I don't 100% follow the paleo way, but over all I am eating way more veggies and meat than I used to, and making everything myself. I feel way better and I'm sure, over time, I'll figure out what to put in my coffee besides milk. A great treat/dessert, I've found, is frozen blueberries. They were my typical dessert but these squares I've made really hit the spot.

That's it for today!

My First Paleo Blog

After wanting to do many facebook status updates about what's going on since I started eating Paleo, I decided it would be better to do a blog. If you want to read about it, great! If not, your facebook newsfeed will not be full of my paleo experiences and discoveries.

So just as an intro - Paleo is a way of eating that is supposed to mimic our ancestors. We are supposed to eat just meat, veggies, fruit, and nuts, but as much as we want of those things. It's pretty simple and since I've started eating this way I feel fantastic and, as a bonus, have lost a little weight.

My first month easing into it, I still ate some things on the no-no list from time to time. Starting after New Years, I've been pretty consistent with a meat/veggies diet and it's made a huge difference. Tonight I made my first "treat", which is technically not paleo because of the chocolate, although some paleo advocates do seem to allow chocolate from time to time.

I would write more, but I am going to go and enjoy my gluten-free almond butter brownies. Yummm.