First off, I want to say Thank You to BBG (my best friend Kendall) for educating me on Paleo!
When I first tell people that my fiance and I only try to eat Paleo meals, we get the same looks and questions/comments.
1. What is Paleo?
2. That’s too hard/strict for me.
3. Is that another fad diet?
4. Not eating grains and dairy can’t be healthy.
5. How is a Paleo diet different?
Now, I am, by no means a nutritionist or health consultant. So as with everything, please consult with your doctor before choosing Paleo.
What is Paleo?
Think of way back when, cavemen days, before all this food processing took place, all they had were meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
That… in one sentence is Paleo! 🙂
Now, this doesn’t mean we need to limit ourselves to a slab of raw meat and plain broccoli! No! Paleo is SO much more than that!
With a little research (and following my blog :D) you will find that “Paleo” isn’t THAT far from a normal diet!
It just leaves out the pro-inflammatory foods like gluten-containing grains, legumes, sugar, and the laboratory-concocted Franken foods found in the middle aisles of your neighborhood supermarket.
It’s too hard/strict for me.
This one is my FAVORITE comment BECAUSE when I cheat (which is a lot) this is my go to excuse.
But NO MORE!
The thing with cooking is it is incredibly time consuming. We all know this.
Luckily, we have advances that the cavemen did not have! For example, my personal favorite, the slow cooker!
I personally, have to be up at 4 a.m. for work every day, I come home, feed the barn animals, head to the gym and the last thing I want to do is slave over a hot stove.
So what do I do? Run to a drive through or make a frozen dinner (which is LOADED with preservatives and sodium).
(I will post some of my favorite PALEO slow cooker recipes as time goes on.)
BBG’s helpful paleo tip is to cook ahead! When she would cook for me I would help myself to her dinner, she would make enough to have left over’s for the next day.
She would also pack her lunch the night before to avoid getting fast food on her lunch break! (GREAT tip)
Is that another fad diet?
NO! Simple answer
Paleo is juat a clean, unprocessed natural way of eating. That’s it!
It is called “Paleo” because the choice in foods is like that of the cavemen, or the hunter and gathers, or Stone Age, or PALEOLITHIC.
It is the diet of many names, but is just a easy way to say “diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots and nuts.”
Not eating grains and dairy can’t be healthy.
Did you know whole grains don’t offer nearly as much fiber as vegetables, fruits and meat do?
For example, a 1,000-calorie serving of fresh fruits and vegetables has between two and seven times as much fiber as does a comparable serving of whole grains.
So not only is replacing the whole grain with fruits and veggies increasing your dietry fider intake, but they have also been proven to lower cholesteral, contain high amounts of iron, calcium and many other benefiting factors.
The dairy portion has always been hard for me to explain because it gets “science-y”
So I have included a FABULOUS page that can answer this and many other questions.
How will I get calcium on a Paleo Diet?
How is the Paleo diet different?
The Paleo diet is different because it wasn’t created by doctors or a famous fitness coach.
It is purely how mother nature wanted us to fuel our bodies
I hope this page gave a little in sight on what I mean when I say Paleo.
I am not trying to convince anyone that they should choose this life style, but I do hope my receipes are enjoyed by others : )
rockin' MAD ranch 