The Paleo lifestyle has become mainstream in the past 5 years as more people are introduced to this way of eating. With the abundance of online resources, drool worthy cookbooks and informative books that are backed by science and in depth research, it is not just another fad diet but a healthier way of life.
When I was first introduced to Paleo, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that grains, legumes, sugar and dairy are not good for me. What are they talking about? I’ve been eating all of these my entire life! By observing proper portion control, I was able to maintain a healthy weight for my height and age, my blood work results have always been stellar and I can eat anything I want. I cannot imagine shunning away from ice cream, cheese, peanut butter, couscous, pasta or bread. Mmmm… I love bread. I can eat it every day. But I am a curious Jane. I wanted to eat healthier and better because down the line, my future (older) self will thank me for it.
First and foremost, I am neither a medical professional nor an expert in Paleo. For those that are interested in its science and require research to back it up, please refer to Robb Wolf or Mark Sisson’s websites plus two good books that I recommend – It Starts With Food and Practical Paleo. What I would be sharing are based on my own experiences involving ways that make Paleo work for me. I hope that this article would shed light on how transitioning from a conventional way of eating to Paleo is not as complicated or impossible as one may think. Yes it is hard, but only for the first couple of weeks as the body adjusts and changes the way it metabolizes itself. It took me weeks to accept it, a couple of months to finally try it and a year to embrace and live it. Things definitely do not just happen overnight, the combination of determination, information and a customized approach will lead to success in eating Paleo. Aka the “magic 3” in my book, this has saved me more than once when I am faced with tough decisions or choices.
3 – Determination
To desire something is usually the very first step. What happens next is what pushes an individual to take a positive action and find sources of inspiration.
Once I was determined to eat healthier, I decided to peruse numerous message boards, blogs, Instagram posts to see what people eat and how Paleo has benefitted them. The positive things that I have read plus pictures of delicious meals convinced me that no grains, legumes, sugar or dairy “ain’t that bad”. After all, I can eat bacon and eggs, crackling pork belly and homemade mayo. Ummm, yes please! The food that I have restricted myself from eating due to the “fat is bad” belief is actually good for me. Armed with determination and inspiration, I started researching the world of Paleo by reading articles and books written by its pioneers.
2 – Information
One has to fully understand Paleo to faithfully live and incorporate it. Having the necessary tools eliminates surprises and uncertainty.
I read about Paleo from dusk till dawn for days on end and didn’t stop until all my questions were answered. I learned how grains were bad, their effect on the body and in their absence, fat is used for energy. How dairy causes digestive upsets, hormone disruption, etc. I can go on and on. To me it was important to know why something was bad for me instead of just following blindly without understanding it. I decided to put myself to the test if I can conquer grocery shopping, meal planning, food preparation and consumption.
1 – Customized Approach
Paleo is not a one size fits all approach. It needs to be customized depending on an individual’s way of life.
This to me is what makes or breaks eating successfully on Paleo. Someone who works from home or has flexible hours may have more time to devote to food planning and preparation versus a corporate individual with an 8 to 5 job. I fall in this category where most of my day is spent at work (plus an hour or so in traffic!). By the time I get home, I am tired and hungry so I always plan my weekly meals carefully. Each one should be quick and easy to make (about 30 mins tops) on a weeknight or if I plan a more time intensive meal, I cook it ahead over the weekend and just reheat a plate when I get home. I also double recipes to make sure there are enough leftovers for lunch the next day – that’s 1 less meal to think about!
For our family of 2, I ballpark around $15 for each meal’s ingredients but it can be a bit more for special occasions or exotic recipes. I do not buy everything organic when grocery shopping for produce because it gets expensive. I use the Whole 30 list of fruits and vegetables as reference so I get those marked as “dirty” organic such as celery, blueberries, etc. In addition to this, the majority of my budget goes to protein so I watch out for sales on grass fed meat, organic chicken and wild caught seafood which I stock up on and keep in my freezer for future meals.
As I started to adapt to Paleo, making the right food choices have become second nature to me. I no longer have this internal battle where I feel deprived because I cannot eat certain things that used to be my favorites anymore. I hope that the magic 3 would be helpful to those that are interested in Paleo as well as those that are currently eating this way and would like to make it work better for them. [author_bio name=”yes” avatar=”yes”]
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