Why Paleo??

Most everybody has now heard about the Paleo lifestyle or Caveman Diet.  It’s getting quite a bit of buzz lately.  No, we are not Cavemen, we no longer have to hunt and gather our food. We have modern day conveniences that allow us to run to the store for anything we need, but sadly most of which has been made in a lab. Most foods you buy in packages at the store are highly processed and full of chemicals and harmful substances. While convenience is nice, our bodies were not created to eat those types of food. Paleo is like the original way of eating. As we have evolved in our convenient society, so has the type of food we eat, which has progressively lead to obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, and many other diseases. The Paleo way of eating plan is about getting back to what our ancestors ate (what we’re supposed to eat) and eliminating processed foods, grains, and other junk our bodies aren’t designed to handle. You will be maximizing nutrition and minimizing toxicity so you will dramatically reduce inflammation in your body.  Inflammation plays a part in all diseases from obesity, to cancer, heart disease, arthritis and so on. No need to count calories the Paleo way. Eat a combination of Healthy Proteins, Carbs & Healthy Fats. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.

What you eat. The Paleo way of eating is about eating plenty of whole & natural foods. Eat plenty of Vegetables, Fruits, Meats, Fish, Eggs, and moderate amounts of nuts and seeds.  You can also use dried fruits, honey/pure maple syrup & dark chocolate in moderation.  

What you DO NOT eat. You should avoid modern foods that require agriculture, or worse, a factory for production. This includes grains (wheat, corn, rice, pasta, cereals, bread, oats, etc.), refined sugar, dairy, legumes, alcohol, starches, vegetable oils and all processed foods.

You may be wondering what’s so bad about Dairy, Legumes and Grains. Sadly, most of what we have available to us is highly processed and full of bad substances. Here are just a few examples.

Lectins

Grains contain large amounts of the lectin protein, which is difficult for the human body to digest. In addition, lectins are sticky, which causes them to build up in your intestines and digestive tract and wreak all kinds of problems, such as leaky gut (yes, it’s as bad as it sounds). In turn, leaky gut can lead to gas, bloating, indigestion, headaches, fatigue, and even more serious complications like celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Besides grains, lectins are found in legumes (particularly soy) and nightshades (eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco. So some people may need to eliminate those as well).

Phytic Acid

Phytic acid is another anti-nutrient (something that blocks the absorption of nutrients), and guess where it’s predominately found? That’s right, in grains, corn, legumes, soy, and even in seeds and nuts (however, seeds and nuts are okay to eat on the Paleo diet because they’re not loaded with other anti-nutrients). Phytic acid binds to magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc, and because it is non-digestible to humans, it carries those critical vitamins and minerals outside of our bodies. So, all your hard efforts to eat healthful foods could be seriously compromised by over-consuming phytic acid. And a lack of these nutrients could lead to anemia, muscle cramping, PMS, reproductive inabilities, and lowered immune systems. All in all, not fun.

Dairy = Bad

Of course our bodies need calcium, but there are plenty other places to get it besides dairy.  Leafy greens, fish and more are all rich sources of calcium without the pesky side effect of dairy. Our bodies simply were not designed to consume milk after infancy, much less the milk from another type of mammal! The problems with dairy could cover many pages, but to summarize, it can lead to cancer, allergies, sinus problems, ear infections, diabetes, constipation, anemia, and osteoporosis.  Yes, despite all the commercials telling you to consume more milk, yogurt, and low-fat cheese to build healthy bones, milk can actually contribute to reduced bone density.  This is because, among other things, milk is very acidic, and the body may leach calcium from the bones to help neutralize the acid. Yikes!

Paleo is not the next fad diet. Paleo is a real lifestyle change where the primary focus is including healthy whole and real foods as the main source. After eating junk for so many years our bodies are desensitized to it. I would encourage anybody to try Paleo for at least 30 days.  You may not feel well for the first few days as your body goes through a detoxification period.  But, there are plenty of benefits that make it so worth it. 

Benefits of a Paleo Diet

Clearer skin and Healthy Teeth

Stable Blood Sugar

Weight Loss

Balanced Energy (less highs and lows)

Improved Sleep

Fewer allergies

Possible reverse of Type II diabetes and other diseases

Meals are more satisfying

Less hungry

Reduce Cancer risk, Heart Disease and more!

Good food is your fuel.  More importantly you are going to feel better, but these types of foods are also going to get you through a tough workout!

Diet changes have been the biggest thing to help me with my digestive issues and hormonal issues including leaky gut, Stage 3 Adrenal fatigue, flipped hormones and hypoglycemia. You can read posts about My health here.  

Let Food be your Medicine, Eat to Live!

Here are a few of my Favorite Paleo Resources.  These are really helpful, you will definitely want to check these out!
*The Paleo Approach book- Reverse autoimmune disease!- A great informational, get down to the science book!

*Practical Paleo- Useful Printables guides- love these!

*Great visual and tips from Mark's Daily Apple

*Good info of where to start from the Paleo Secret

*Whole30 is a type of stricter form of Paleo because you do not eat any sweeteners or "Paleofy" any desserts, and are more aware of staying away from nitrates, carageenans, etc in even so called "healthy" foods while doing Whole30. It also is a great place to start!

There are also plenty of Paleo & Whole30 foods on my pinterest boards Here & Here

Do you have any favorite Paleo resources? Please share!

These are a couple of my favorite Paleo books

Healthy Homemade EGGNOG!

4 egg yolks

3 cups of almond milk, coconut milk, or a combination

(I like 2 cups almond milk & 1 cup full fat coconut millk)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or can use another safe sweetener)

*I acutally added about a TBS more maple syrup to make it a touch sweeter. You can taste test it before you add the eggs to decide how sweet you want it. :)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine almond/coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring pretty consistently. Reduce heat to low.  Add the hot liquid to the egg yolks a little bit at a time to temper the eggs, whisking continuously, until you've added about 1 cup of the hot mixture to the yolks.  Then pour the egg mixture into the pot.

Increase heat to medium.  Whisk while simmering for 4-5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot immediately OR pour into a covered container and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  Mmmmm...Let me know if you try it!

I'm at a Plateau and I can't get off!!

I absolutley hate counting calories...lol! But, I'm using this as an example to show you that you do not need to starve yourself to get to your goal weight.  Most people want the quick fix, the low calorie diet, it may show results in the beginning BUT will leave you with a malfunctioning metabolism and whacked out hormones, plus you will most likely get back to where you started and possibly worse!! Eat enough "HEALTHY" foods and weight train!! You will change your body!  James Wilson- Faith, Family and Fitness explains things so well and I wanted to share to those of you who may be struggling or always seem to find yourself at a plateau.
 Here is his original question and answer!!

"All too often I see fitness professionals, trainers and forums recommending that ladies need to eat 1,200-1,500 a day to lose weight, regardless of how much they weigh. There is a problem with this, let me show you...

Lets say we have a women that is 5,5" and 200 pounds. If she has 30% body fat, that means she has 60 pounds of fat mass (a good goal is to have around 25-30 total fat pounds) and 140 pounds of lean body mass (muscle, bones, organs, etc..). With that amount of muscle on her frame, she is going to starve! She will drop weight quick initially, but after a couple of weeks she will likely plateau while eating this restricted range.

The body is a complex organism that only cares to survive and creating too large of a deficit will force it into preservation mode. Meaning the body adapts to be able to complete daily activities on less food. You'll shed fat, you'll shed muscle and typically hormone functions and leptin slows with this kind of a energy deficit.

Alright, we hit the plateau. Lets say this women is now 165 pounds and can't seem to drop anymore, even though she still has 35 pounds she could potentially lose to reach her goal personal goal of 130 pounds. She is already eating 1,200 a day, where do you go from there? Anything less than 1,200 is considered anorexia by medical standards, so what do you do?"

Answer: "Our hypothetical woman has plateau'd at 165 pounds, still has 35 more pounds for her personal goal and she has been eating 1,200 calories a day.

Her options are;
1- Eat less (not advised, she is already borderline anorexic)
2- Work harder (not advised because it may not be maintainable doing more than she already is, especially when so restricted with nutrition)
3- Gradually increase calories over time while focusing on resistance training to repair metabolic functions. (Advised)

She needs to do more than just "re-feed", she needs to repair the damage caused from eating too little for too long. I encourage a mild increase in total calories, roughly 200-300 additional calories a day and hold at those levels for a solid month or more. I would then encourage a complete emphasis on muscle gain (No cardio, no active rests). As her body begins to trust it is getting fed and she now has muscle to support the new established caloric intake of 1,400-1,500; she should notice that she is getting hungrier and wanting more food. This is a very good sign.

She listens to her body and consumes an additional 200-300 calories for a total of 1,600-1,800 a day. This may take 3-6 months or more depending on the extent of her damage. She repeats this cycle until she can maintain her weight of 165 while consuming 1,900 calories a day on rest days and likely 2,200 on workout days.

Now she is ready to start re-introducing cardio again and continue on her path. Only this time, she will only drop 100 calories for every 7-10 pounds she loses.

160 pounds, consumes 1,900-2,200 a day.
150 pounds, consumes 1,800-2,100 a day.
140 pounds, consumes 1,700-2,000 a day.
Hits her goal of 130 and is consuming 1,600-1,900 calories every single day. Giving her adequate nutrition for her daily activities and supporting a healthy metabolism."

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you think this strategy can help you??