I’m becoming a full Paleo convert….

I was recently at a demo party and, knowing the host was Paleo, the demonstrator asked “So who else here is Paleo?”  I was shocked to note that of the 8 or so guests, five of us were paleo and two of the others call themselves ‘mostly Paleo’. 

I felt like I’d suddenly found long lost family – noooo actually it was more like I’d just found out these people were members of the same small, select and super awesome club that I belonged to.  It was so great!  The conversation was fantastic – sharing recipe ideas, how we overcame lack of snacks or breakfasts, our paleo experience.  I really can’t describe how comfortable and validated I felt.  Here were people who understood the ‘why’, who I didn’t have to try to explain or justify to, who knew exactly how I felt when we talked about eating out or grains or why sugar is the anti-christ.

I know I had already decided to embrace Paleo for good but I have to admit that the last 3 weeks have sort of been hard. Mainly because I was on shift, and the other half and I didn’t adequately prepare snacks etc. so pulling together lunch bags for 12hr shifts had been challenging. To say the least.  But after the experience of being around so many people who got me I realised that sticking to it is important.  That those who disagree with what I believe aren’t right and I’m wrong – they are just different to me and I shouldn’t start doubting how important staying Paleo has become to us.

It would be so easy to go back.  SO easy.  I mean, I could just go buy so much easy to prepare, ready made, pour from a tin foods and cut down my prep time, my imagination required.  Just go to the lunch bar and buy takeaway. 

But I don’t want to.  And now, I feel strongly again about that. I am not saying that being around other Paleo people has changed my mind or that I was going to give it up but now I’m not; I just feel like my conviction has been reinforced.  I’m not that easily swayed by others but I think everyone, now and then, likes to experience that kind of validation.  Reassurance that you’re not the crazy one.  That there are others who believe what you believe to be true.

Lord, I’m almost starting to sound like a religious convert… scary thought.  But in a lot of ways, the other half and I going Paleo has almost been like converting to a religion in terms of suddenly there’s a fundamental difference between us and a lot of people we know and love; we have a lot of conversations trying to explain our beliefs and answer questions; we refrain from doing certain things that we used to and that our friends still do do and thoroughly enjoy.  The more I think about it, the more similarities I can see between people who choose the Paleo way and people who follow a religion devoutly. 

Well, if Paleo is my religion then my body is my god and temple and I show my reverence for it by feeding it whole, real, clean food.  I might start taking every Sunday off, too!

So – slowly but surely being Paleo is becoming just part of who I am – who we are.  Every now and then we have little setbacks but they usually end up making us more convinced we’re on the right track and determined to persevere.  We get little motivators or experiences that show us why we’re doing what we do, why we say no to grains, legumes, sugar and processed foods and drink.  It just so happens that this time it was a cooking demonstration.  May not have sold me on the two thousand dollar super blender but I’m definitely renewing my order for a healthier, lighter, smarter Paleo lifestyle 🙂

 

A day [or 3] in the stomach of a Paleon…

So I thought I’d post something useful today.  A friend asked me recently, “But what do you eat?” and I could understand her curiosity. Sure, all those paleo recipes out there are fabulous, but a lot of them are not really simple or use ingredients you will always have on hand.  And its hard to put a day together, menu wise, if you have to look up recipe’s for everything.

So, I thought I’d record for 3 days everything I ate, and put it up here, and let you all be the judge of the practicality, possibility and general do-ability of being Paleo.  Keep in mind that I was at work these three days, working 12hr shifts, so I needed foods I could take to work in a cooler bag and cook in a microwave. For all meals except dinner.

Day 1:

AM – Cup of tea, black with no sugar; 1 banana; 1 boiled egg.

Midday – left over roast chicken with salad.

PM – 1 pear; nuts; 1 boiled egg

Dinner – Marinated kangaroo fillet with cauliflower mash and balsamic tomatoes.

Day 2:

AM – Sweet potato [microwave baked] with tuna; 1 boiled egg; cup of tea, black with no sugar.

Midday – left over BBQ chicken with cauliflower mash

PM – Chicken schnitzel with cauliflower, broccoli, prawns & garlic sauce **note that this meal contained non-paleo items [schnitzel & garlic sauce] but we were out for dinner. 80/20 right?

Day 3:

AM – no food, intermittent fasting

Midday – Sweet potato [microwave baked] with tuna.

PM – 1 banana; 1 boiled egg; nuts

Dinner – paleo chicken schnitzel, broccoli, eggplant ‘chips’

So, as you can see, eating Paleo is possible, but it is different. I’ve had to rethink what items are suitable for what times – breakfast no longer has to be cereals, toast, etc., but can be anything I want including last nights’ left overs. Today, I had left over roast beef for breakfast and it was actually amazing.

Its also tough on the snack side, but when you find yourself turning to fruits and nuts as snacks by habit, you’ll be amazed at how happy you’ll feel toward yourself for making healthier choices.  I am not a fruit fan, but I know its important for a balanced diet and now I eat more fruit than I ever have. Go me.

And now – go you! Have a think, tell me what your typical Paleo day is, if you’re already Paleo, or what it is if you aren’t – and I can try to give you a Paleo version 🙂

Thanks for reading – sharing – liking – following –

x S