So, about this whole grain thing...

Grains, what can I say about grains? Hummm.  Sure, they smell good, and can be tasty when prepared right, but that's about it.  I'm sure that many people would argue, that they are "good for you" and they are "an excellent source of nutrition", but are they? Where are you getting your sources?  Because my sources confirm otherwise.

  

Since turning Paleo, I've heard nearly every argument that pro-grain people can think up.  I think people get blind-sighted when I tell them that I don't eat grains.  As far as they know, grains are part of a healthy and balanced diet; that is what we were raised on after all.  But if you go back enough generations, eating grains was just plain silly; I mean, seriously... why go through all the trouble of collecting these small particles, and somehow processing them into something that's semi-edible when you use more energy than you gain? Plus, as an added bonus, after you eat it you get to experience the horrible feeling that you get from them (and, oh yes, that feeling does exist, you just don't know it because you've lived with it all your life).  The grain, which is seemingly defenseless wreaks havoc on your digestive system.  Haha, now that i think about it, can you imagine that first renegade caveman who thought it would be a good idea to eat the stuff?  They probably got the same 'looks' that I get when I say that I don't eat them.

The bottom line here is this, HUMANS WERE NEVER INTENDED TO EAT GRAINS.  Many have posed the query that surely after 10,000 years of adding them into our diet, our bodies have evolved to process them...unless you're a bird, then no, they haven't.  This is why there are so many diseases in today's modern world. Our paleolithic ancestors never had to worry about testing their blood sugar, or autoimmune diseases, but we do, thanks to grains.  

The trouble with not eating grains in a grain obsessed world is that it's hard to find things without them.  Nearly everything at the grocery store is infused with them in one way or another, and if it isn't the grain itself contaminating a food, then it's some form of a grain by-product... here, corn is typically the grain of choice. 

Can't go wrong with a big juicy steak... well, actually you can.  Remember that adage, you are what you eat... well if you are looking at a steak, guess what that cow ate?  Yeah, you're lookin' at a big pile of grains. The trick is to find 100% grass fed beef (or pork, or mammoth, whatever kind of meat suits you), then you know you are getting something closer to what nature intended, which is indeed where our food should come from. Also, organic is preferred with any food, the less human tinkering the better.

 It's not always easy to make to switch to grainlessness, sure, it gets easier over time, but sometimes you have to make a conscious effort to not eat them. I'm not gonna lie, a small part of me was saddened when I didn't buy my yearly boxes of scout cookies (yes, there was a small, neolithic, voice in the back of my head that was weeping for thin mints), but I know that I made the right choice; I'd rather eat a nectarine anyway.

Humans survived fine for millions of years not eating grains (and dairy, but that's a different story for another day), in fact, they were much better off than we are, so here's to you cavedudes, thanks for setting the example! 

Paleo Thanksgiving

A few times today I was asked by coworkers, who know I'm Paleo, if I was planning to 'cheat' on my diet for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal. I felt very triumphant to say that I didn't have to. Yay!  I feel very confident about my cooking abilities this year in regards to Thanksgiving, in fact I have a delicious menu planned, and will make (almost) everything from scratch. If I had to guess, I'd say it's somewhere between 95-98% Paleo. 

My planned menu is as follows:

      Appetizers:

           Stuffed Cherry Tomato's

           Spicy Deviled Eggs

           Meatballs

      Main Course :

           (Paper Bag) Turkey

           Ham

           Mashed Potatoes (I know... not quite Paleo, also the only thing I'm not making from scratch)

           Cooked Carrots

           Cranberry Sauce

      Dessert:

           Apple Pie

           Pumpkin Pie

           Coconut Macadamia Bark

I am very excited about the deliciousness of our feast, and knowing that everything I've made is from all natural (and simple) ingredients, makes me feel really pleased that I'm doing something good for myself. 

I have already prepared a few of these dishes and am impressed with the recipes that I've found that replace the modern-day sugars.  I used 100% pure maple syrup (this is the real thing, not the kind of thing that comes in a bottle shaped like a lady) to sweeten my cranberry sauce, and I used coconut milk and maple syrup granules (a possible Paleo gray area, but o.k. by my means) to make my pumpkin pie filling, which happens to be the best that I have ever personally tasted (literally!  Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to turn out half as good as it did!).  I'll gladly post any of these recipes by request, just know I can't take any credit for creating them; I'm just so thankful to have access to so many great Paleo websites (who all seem to be overflowing with yummy recipes this time of year!)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, (and even if you don't celebrate it) may your day be filled with good food, good people, and good health!

Just Splashin' Around

By the grace of (insert your preferred deity here), my work hours have been changed and I can now find constructive ways to fill my afternoon.  I think my hobby of choice for now will be swimming. Nebraska this time of year isn't favorable for pool activities, so luckily I have access to a gym with a heated pool (I use the term 'heated' very loosely mind you).  I plan to go at least 4 times a week, which I have to confess isn't very Paleo of me.  

Paleo recommends only 1 day of real, heart-pumping action a week (unless you are a hard-core athlete in training... um, yeah, that's not me). That's it. Fill the other days with none to less moderate exercise, and be sure to rest a lot. Cavemen didn't have treadmills, or ellipticals, they moved to survive. They walked places, lifted heavy items and ran like hell when they were being chased by bears. They stopped when they were tired, rested when they needed to, and only overly exerted themselves when it meant saving their own lives.  People who you might expect to be 'healthy' just based on what they can do might surprise you.  Sure a muscle man can lift a car off the ground, but do you think he can outrun some punk who took his wallet?  A marathon runner may be able to go the distance, but can they lift a branch that has fallen on a friend (or carry large amounts of freshly killed mammoth)? Probably not.

Our Paleolithic ancestors were the pictures of health, which every modern Paleo is trying to achieve, and it's not as hard as you think it would be.  I am not there, yet.... I'm still working on it. Hence my fat ass is going to the pool.  I choose the pool for a couple different reasons: Low impact, Water resistance (yes, I use water weights in the pool), Full body workout, and I just love smelling like chlorine.  Well, maybe not that last one.  I figure that it'll be the best way to work the most things in one shot.  Plus I figure Cavemen swam from time to time (right?).  Once I build enough stamina for swimming I'll probably cut back to just once or twice a week (and be a good little Paleo), but for now, I have to lose a bit more flab before my cruise next month.

My Paleoness 101

Since The middle of September I have been living a Paleo lifestyle; it's been the best thing I have ever done for myself.   I had heard some information, just bits and pieces really, about the Paleo Diet and decided to do some research to see what it was all about.  Being grossly overweight  at 28  I decided that a change was in order, and the Paleo Diet made perfect sense to me. The more I read about it, the more clear it became that this was something I needed to do, not just for my weight, but for my health.  I considered myself healthy, sure, I was a fatty fat, but I didn't have any health problems, not that I realized anyway.  Now that I'm living Paleo though, I can't believe how many problems I had due to my diet. 

For those of you who haven't heard of the Paleo Diet, it's actually very simple. It's not a "Diet" diet, it's more of a dietary change.  Also called the Caveman Diet, the Paleo Diet is designed to mimic the diet of our ancestors, not from just a few generations ago, but from 2.5 million years ago, before there was farming.  This is the diet we, as a species, have evolved to eat; the food nature intended for us to eat.  It's pretty basic really: Lean Meats, Veggies, Fruit, Nuts &  Berries, and Fish (sadly I'm not a fan of fish, I doubt you'll catch me ever eating one).  Of these things, you can eat as much as you want, I've never been hungry on this diet, and always have lots of energy to get through my day. 

I've created this Blog so people who are interested in it can learn about being Paleo, it's more than just changing what you eat. Please know that I'm not an expert in this field. All the information I have gathered, I have gotten from books and internet research. This is my medium for sharing my day-to-day Paleo life.

Since starting this diet I have lost 25 lbs and have had many positive physical changes.  For instance, before I switched to Paleo I would get very stiff in the evenings and wake up stiff in the mornings, I didn't think anything about it... "just getting older" I supposed.  Now, the stiffness is gone, hooray!  My typical day consists of eating protein for breakfast (usually an egg and some meat), nuts and berries for my snack. Lunch is generally a salad (not some wimpy side salad mind you, lots of different lettuces, spinach, meat, fruit, avocado, nuts, veggies, berries, whatever I can find, and I have an oil based dressing on the side).  Dinner is typically some sort of meat and veggie combination, and I like to follow up with a piece of fruit for dessert.  At no point during the day do I count calories, or use "portion control",  I eat as much as I want whenever I want, I just have to stick to the Paleo foods.  This means that Grains (including corn), Dairy, Legumes, and anything processed is off limits. Our bodies weren't designed to eat those Neolithic foods and they are slowly killing us.  Nevertheless, I feel much better since cutting out these foods and I know things will only get better from here on out :)