Caveman Style

Happy New Year!!! 

As I've said in previous blogs, I am forgoing one or two blanket resolutions for 13 smaller working goals this year. I plan to focus on one goal a month, with an overall goal of getting certified before my birthday in March! That being said, January's main goal is *insert drum roll* going 100% grainless with the Paleo diet! And I challenge you, dear reader, to do the same!



All month long I plan on writing a blog a week on the Paleo diet. What it is, why would anyone forgo the Standard American Diet (appropriately named SAD) for this crazy meat and veggie based diet, and all the how-to information to get you started. I will share a few recipes and tips on how to get it done, as well as share my own struggles as I start to fully detox myself from my own sugar addiction.

 What is the Paleo diet? 

The Paleolithic diet is a modern take on a very ancient food pattern. The premise is to eat only what our oldest ancestors, the cavemen, would've been able to eat. This means if you can't obtain it from the wild you can't have it. 

What can you eat? 

Meat, of course. Preferably organic and grass fed varieties, something you should already be doing!! Lots of chicken, fish and eggs! Vegetables, nuts and berries and other fruits will fulfill carbohydrate needs as well as give you the vitamins and minerals your body craves.

What to avoid?

Grains, mainly and dairy. Anything processed, or containing processed sugars. Legumes (beans) and startchy vegetables (like white potatoes) are also included in the 'no' list. 

Paleo Food Pyramid

Why would anyone do this? Does it actually work? Why?

 I don't claim to be an expert on how the body uses the stuff we pump it full of, but I do a lot (and I mean A LOT) of reading and research about different diets and all the ways our bodies use the three macro nutrients, fat, carbohydrates and protein as well as turning myself into a guinea pig to learn what does and doesn't work.

 The things I see over and over again are articles and videos on how with our SAD we get too many carbs and too little protein. We avoid and are deficient of good fat because once upon a time the USDA released a blanket statement that all fat was bad, it makes you fat and you should avoid it (so very, very wrong). And, most importantly, you need to have a good balance of all three for your body to work correctly.

That last one, is probably key here. You need a balance of the three, not a diet that encourages you eat mostly carbs with protein and fat being an after thought.. Wrong!! Carbohydrates are important in helping your body work, but we don't need mass amounts of them.

Instead of spending time boring you with the details, I'll share a video with you that briefly explains what happens when you load up on carbs.

'Why you got fat' from the documentary "Fat Head''

Fact: Extra carbohydrates become stored fat. 

They Paleo way of eating makes sense to me. It just does. I know that until about 10,000 years ago we didn't eat wheat and grains because we couldn't cultivate them. 140,000 years before we were able to cultivate them, humanity was forced into this lower carb-higher protein way of eating. I also know that, like myself, millions of people have some form of gluten or grain sensitivity and/or dairy intolerance. In fact, the scale to find out if you do have problem with gluten isn't judged on if you have a reaction, but rather how bad your reaction is. Why is something that effects most of the population on some level the staple of our diets? Because it's convenient and inexpensive in the short term. But what seems easy isn't always best. 

Who should try this? If you are looking to lose weight, build muscle and gain energy, you should at least try eating caveman style. I realize that not everyone will thrive on Paleo diet. It is pretty restrictive and, for most of us, there will be some form of with drawl as we cut out the sugar and processed gunk from SAD. Admittedly, it has been and will be easier for someone like myself who already has a pretty limited diet thanks to known and extreme food intolerance. However, you never know until you try.What do you have to lose for giving up junk food for a month? Give it 30 days, if you can't stand it, if it doesn't do a thing for your energy levels or weight, you can always go back to the SAD way of eating. Who knows? You may discover you function better without SAD. 

How? In the interest of not boring you and not overloading you with lots of information in one blog, I will post a blog at a later time on how best to start this new lifestyle change. However, if you want to jump in headfirst right now, or are looking for more information I suggest you check out two websites Nerd Fitness has a great blog on the Paleo Diet and Mark's Daily Apple has a lot of information about the Paleo diet on his website.

If you are on a Paleo style diet, or plan to try this challenge with me comment below and tell us about it! I love hearing about other's stories in life so please share!!!