Goin' Paleo

Happy Thursday Lovelies!

In my previous post, I wrote about my goals for 2013. One of the serious ones (the ones I am dead-set on accomplishing) is to EAT LESS SUGAR. When I followed the Eat Clean Diet, I was only consuming corn syrup/sugar once a week, which was awesome, but it still didn't break my sugar cravings. Additionally, I never completely gave up honey, which I added to my afternoon green tea.

About a month ago, Joel asked me a very surprising question: "Hey, Beth, what do you think about going Paleo in January?"

My reaction: "Paleo? A whole month?"

Let me explain. A few of my husband's friends are avid Crossfit junkies. They love to lift weights. They love to grunt. They love to pat each other on the back.

They also love Paleo.  Or hate Paleo. Or a combination of the two.

Paleo is not a "diet". It is literally a lifestyle change. The theory stems from "cavemen" eating - if you can't hunt/gather it, you can't eat it. This means anything PROCESSED is out of the picture. The diet also excludes dairy (the theory is that no other animal drinks another animal's milk, so why should we? some liberal-Paleoists believe that dairy is okay if it is unprocessed, raw, organic, and whole) gluten (which should not be in any human's diet due to the fact that is makes your intestines polluted...eww, gross), and refined sugar (including any processed sweeteners, like stevia).

So, "Paleo" is pretty much incredibly incredibly difficult and annoying.

The CEO of the company I work for is Paleo (he is also gluten intolerant) and he told me that he has never felt so good in his entire life...he never craves sugar, is full of energy, and sleeps better than he ever has! After hearing his story, I became a bit more inclined to trying it out, and since Joel had mentioned doing it, I thought to myself "well, what the heck? Let's give it a go."

Here is a list of "allowed" food: 

Meat (beef, poultry, fish, pork, etc.)

Veggies (except corn and peas)

Fruit (they encourage to go light on bananas since they are high in fructose)

Nuts (again, these should be limited due to high calorie and fat content)

Sweet Potatoes, in moderation (regular potatoes are not allowed because they were not "invented" until the agricultural revolution - sweet potatoes have been in South Africa since the Paleozoic era, so they are okay)

Here is a list of "banned" food:

Anything processed - the list is insurmountable, so I will not try to surmount it.

All dairy - Why? because dairy was not consumed by our ancestors, and if/when it was, it was completely organic, raw, whole milk, which pretty much doesn't exist anymore. Maybe at a Whole Foods. But still.

All gluten/high lectin foods: Why? Because it causes weird stuff to go down into your stomach/digestive tract, causes many forms of auto-immune diseases, and can also stimulate insulin production much like sugar. This includes all wheat and bean products.Additionally, our bodies were not made to digest foods that had to be cooked (beans and wheat have to be boiled/soaked) - they were made for animals like birds.

All Alcohol -  Some liberal Paleoists believe vodka and red wine to be appropriate, but strict Paleoists drink no alcohol whatsoever

 All Sugar - This includes artificial sweeteners too! Most Paleo-ists allow honey in its raw, wild form, as it can be found in the wild (hence, the name "Wild Raw Honey". Go figure.)

My Take on the Whole Thing:

Okay, so, I really want to stop craving sugar. And lattes. And did I say sugar? So, I believe that Paleo will help me battle my taste buds and possibly even win one for a change. Ha. I also love trying new things, and I am constantly on the hunt for ways to make my headaches/migrains go away, and I love cleansing my body of gross chemicals and toxins.

I am officially on Paleo day #2 and I am CRAVING sugar. Like reeeeal bad.

It's probably because of the Christmas cookies that are staring at me from my kitchen counter.

Oh, that reminds me, I need to throw away all of my tantalizing food. Blast.

Although I highly doubt this Paleo business will last longer than February, I am glad I am doing it, and it's kind of fun planning all of the recipes and cooking and shopping...especially with Joel!

Tonight I'll post my first Paleo recipe...hopefully it inspires you to eat more veggies!

<3 Beth