Some Paleo Essentials... Week #1 down!

This week has been great! I have lost about 3 pounds and I feel great!! 

We went out to eat on Friday, and we went to Longhorn.  Sometimes its hard to eat out when eating on this diet. I ordered Filet with an egg and bacon on it, and I got mixed veggies and a side salad.  I asked for oil and vinegar. Biggest tip: Ask for substitutions, most restaurants will do it!! Just do the best you can :)

Some other Paleo Essentials:

A CrockPot/Slowcooker- This is a MUST for the paleo diet.  I suggest the biggest one you can get. I love the slow cooker for several reasons.  1) it is EASY  2) LEFTOVERS.  Lunches are the hardest meal to plan, and this provides Paul and I with tons of them.  We even freeze some of them for a later time.  Get a programable one!! We got ours at Bed, Bath and Beyond and used a 20% off coupon :)

COCONUT oil-it makes veggies taste wonderful and makes a great butter substitute.  Olive oil is not supposed to be used at high heats, so this is the perfect alternative. Avocado Oil is another you can use, but Coconut oil is the BEST.  We also fry sweet potatoes in it too!  

Off to a baby shower today..... I had a HUGE Breakfast. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Day 2 and Day 3 Recap

Day 2 Challenge: Baby Shower.

Breakfast: Eggs and Bacon

Lunch- Salad New York Strip :( I had half of a potato. I was so hungry and the place that was catering refused to switch out for a vegetable.  There was no other good option.  ugh...

Dinner: All Natural Kielbasi and veggies

Snack: Green Apple and Almond Butter



Day 2:

Breakfast: None

Lunch: Salad with Chicken, Ham and 2 HB Eggs * Side note I love my homemade dressing :)

Snack: Macadamia Nuts/Almond

Dinner: Wings and Veggies!

Snack: Green Apple and Almond Butter


I don't eat breakfast.. I know many people say it is bad, but there is some literature in the paleo community that intermittent fasting could be beneficial.  I don't 'starve' myself.  I get up at the asscrack of dawn and I am simply not hungry till my lunch. If I do get hungry before, I grab some almonds/pistachios that I have in my desk!

So far so good! No headaches, but I am pretty used to this diet... Not craving dairy but I wish that Dunkin carried a non dairy creamer!!!

Day 2 inspiration!

Day 1 recap

Today was a challenge!!  We went down to Philadelphia to celebrate the birthday of one of Paul's friends from college. We thankfully ate prior to going down. Best idea. We got there and there was a countertop full of pizza, wings and other fried goodness. Avoiding that was the easy part. It was the peer pressure to drink. Paul and I carried around red solo cups filled with water. I had an open beer handed to me. I had to fake drink it for awhile and pour it down the sink. After we left, we went to ruby Tuesdays and got dry rubbed ribs and veggies. I consider that a success. 

Challenge for day 2: baby shower. 

Challenge One: Salad Dressing.

one of my first challenges was salad dressing... I went and got myself a salad at giant and realized that all my bottled dressing is prohibited on the detox... so I made some Balsamic Vinaigrette.




http://allrecipes.com/recipe/balsamic-vinaigrette/

June 1... Here we are!!

I don't know about you but this past week has been a gluttonous mess.  Cupcakes, Beer, Sweets... ugh... forgive me..

But today is June 1st... I am now beginning my 21 day Sugar Detox :)

Short term Goals: Be able to complete the detox without cheating.  Feel better about myself.  Rid myself of the bloating that comes with eating grains and dairy.  Lose some inches and weight :)

Long Term goals: Kick dairy for good.  I know I will have the occasional ice cream, but I want to severely limit my dairy intake.  EXERCISE!!!

When I kicked wheat, I thought it was going to be extremely hard.. but it was much easier than I thought.  Right now, I think kicking dairy will be hard.. but I hope I am wrong!

I began the day with eggs and all natural pork sausage.. yum!

I also used Blue Diamond Coconut/Almond Milk blend for my coffee.. Wasn't as bad as I thought. I could get used to it!  I saw at wegmans that they had a coconut creamer. THe only downside is that it has some not so pure additives.. but I think I will still give it a try. Make sure you buy the unsweetened version!

Here is another blog of one of my sorority sisters from college who is tacking this challenge with me...
http://feistychickpea.wordpress.com/

I will be posting daily check ins on the facebook page.. be sure to post any challenges you faced and how you over came them.  It will benefit all of us as we are all going to be facing peer pressure and not so understanding friends, barbeques and so forth.

What Is The Paleo Diet?

What Is The Paleo Diet? From Robb Wolf

The Paleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat because it is the ONLY nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic! Research in biology, biochemistry, Ophthalmology, Dermatology and many other disciplines indicate it is our modern diet, full of refined foods, trans fats and sugar, that is at the root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression and infertility. – Robb Wolf

Okay To Eat	Avoid
Fruits	Dairy
Vegetables	Grains
Lean Meats	Processed Food & Sugars
Seafood	Legumes
Nuts & Seeds	Starches
Healthy Fats	Alcohol

Building A Healthy Paleo Diet

Lean proteins

Lean proteins support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function. Protein also makes you feel satisfied between meals.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that have been shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurological decline.

Healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, fish oil and grass-fed meat

Scientific research and epidemiological studies show that diets rich in Monounsaturated and Omega-3 fats dramatically reduce the instances of obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and cognitive decline.

Saturated fat has been demonized by our health authorities and media. What is the basis for this position on Saturated fat? Are current recommendations for VERY low saturated fat intake justified? How much saturated fat (and what types), if any should one eat? Without a historical and scientific perspective these questions can be nearly impossible to answer. In this paper Prof. Cordain looks at the amounts and types of saturated fats found in the ancestral diet:Saturated fat consumption in ancestral human diets: implications for contemporary intakes.

One of the greatest deviations away from our ancestral diet is the amounts and types of fat found in modern grain feed animals vs. the amounts and types of fats found in grass fed or wild meat, fowl and fish. What we observe is wild meat is remarkably lean, and has relatively low amounts of saturated fats, while supplying significant amounts of beneficial omega-3 fats such as EPA and DHA. In this paper Prof. Cordain and his team analyze the complete fatty acid profile from several species of wild deer and elk. The take home message is that free range meat is far healthier than conventional meat: Fatty acid analysis of wild ruminant tissues: Evolutionary implications for reducing diet-related chronic disease.

Image courtesy of The Food Lovers’ Primal Palate - http://www.primal-palate.com

Health Benefits

For most people the fact the Paleo diet delivers the best results is enough. Improved blood lipids, weight loss and reduced pain from autoimmunity is proof enough.  Many people however are not satisfied with blindly following any recommendations, be they nutrition or exercise related. Some folks like to know WHY they are doing something. Fortunately, the Paleo diet has stood not only the test of time, but also the rigors of scientific scrutiny.

With a very simple shift we not only remove the foods that are at odds with our health (grains, legumes, and dairy) but we also increase our intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Here is a great paper from Professor Loren Cordain exploring how to build a modern Paleo diet: The nutritional characteristics of a contemporary diet based upon Paleolithic food groups. This paper also offers significant insight as to the amounts and ratios of protein, carbohydrate and fat in the ancestral diet.

Come on! Our Ancestors lived short, brutal lives! This is all bunk, right?

The Paleo concept is new for most people and this newness can spark many questions. We like people to not only read about and educate themselves on this topic but also to “get in and do it.” Experience is perhaps the best teacher and often cuts through any confusion surrounding this way of eating. Now, all that considered, there are still some common counter arguments to the Paleo diet that happen with sufficient frequency that a whole paper was written on it. Enjoy:Evolutionary Health Promotion. A consideration of common counter-arguments.

Does it work for diabetes?

A great question to ask is “Does the Paleo diet work”? Here we have a head to head comparison between the Paleo diet and Mediterranean diet in insulin resistant Type 2 Diabetics. The results? The Paleo diet group REVERSED the signs and symptoms of insulin resistant, Type 2 diabetes. The Mediterranean diet showed little if any improvements. It is worth noting that the Mediterranean diet is generally held up by our government as “the diet to emulate” despite better alternatives. You can find an abstract and the complete paper here.

Cardio Vascular Disease

According to the CDC, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Interestingly however, our Paleolithic ancestors and contemporarily studied hunter-gatherers showed virtually no heart attack or stroke while eating ancestral diets. The references below will explore these facts to better help you understand the heart-healthy benefits of a Paleo diet.

Autoimmunity

Autoimmunity is a process in which our bodies own immune system attacks “us.” Normally the immune system protects us from bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. The immune system identifies a foreign invader, attacks it, and ideally clears the infection. A good analogy for autoimmunity is the case of tissue rejection after organ donation. If someone requires a new heart, lung kidney or liver due to disease or injury, a donor organ may be an option. The first step in this process is trying to find a tissue “match”. All of us have molecules in our tissues that our immune system uses to recognize self from non-self. If a donated organ is not close enough to the recipient in tissue type the immune system will attack and destroy the organ. In autoimmunity, a similar process occurs in that an individuals own tissue is confused as something foreign and the immune system attacks this “mislabeled” tissue. Common forms of autoimmunity include Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Vitiligo to name only a tiny fraction of autoimmune diseases. Elements of autoimmunity are likely at play in conditions as seemingly unrelated as Schizophrenia, infertility, and various forms of cancer.

Interestingly, all of these seemingly unrelated diseases share a common cause: damage to the intestinal lining which allows large, undigested food particles to make their way into the body. This is called “leaky gut and the autoimmune response”. Here is a 7-part video series by Prof. Loren Cordain describing the etiology of Multiple Sclerosis. And please watch this TED talk by Dr. Terry Wahls, MD as she describes how she reversed her Multiple Sclerosis with a paleo diet. If you have an autoimmune disease you might consider trying the autoimmune protocol of the paleo diet. If you do, please tell us about your experience.