Everyday Paleo (3 page)

After converting my family to paleo, the most significant change transpired in my oldest boy. He began to exhibit a significant increase in his interest in academics. Before eating paleo he was an average student. But for the first time, he made the honor roll with no pressure from his parents beyond encouragement, support, and paleo living.
Hmmm
, can you see any possible correlation between his shift in diet and his shift in focus, enthusiasm, and academics?

As we continued on our paleo journey and I witnessed the remarkable changes in my family, I also began to realize more the significance of my own behavioral changes. I was happy—really, really happy for the first time in years. I felt as if the fog had finally lifted. As I felt better physically, I was able to make other significantly positive changes in all aspects of my life. Don’t get me wrong, life is hard. My life story is much longer than the little bit I have written about here. I could bore you to tears with the challenges I have faced. But you know what? If you are eating paleo, exercising, sleeping enough, and finding time to play, all the other difficult stuff does
not
disappear, but it does become more manageable. There is no such thing in life as a bulletproof vest, but I would like to think that there is a viable and sensible way to do all that we can to be truly healthy. If you are with me, let’s get started!

Getting Started

S
ince you picked this book up, I will assume that you are convinced enough to give this paleo thing a try and you’re looking for some assistance. I hope my assumptions are correct, because a starter guide is exactly what I will give you, but before we head down that road, let’s chat for a moment.

Everyone is different, I know, but we all have one thing in common—we are human. Relying on will power alone to stay on track is crazy. It’s the reason why so many people fail when “dieting.” Anything worthwhile takes hard work, and my advice is to make a real commitment to do this. The shift to paleo eating should be looked at as a lifelong commitment rather than a few weeks of hell so that your jeans fit better for that important night out. Making any sort of change is about what you choose to do, not what might simply happen. If you don’t hold yourself accountable or you make excuses such as, “I don’t know what to do” or “It’s too hard,” you are setting yourself up for failure. If you are ready to change, you’ll do it, plain and simple.

After a few days of conquering eating paleo, you will begin to gain some confidence in your ability to handle and maintain change. This is the time to start gathering resources and educating yourself. Having support and a community is very important when trying to obtain a goal. No one should have to be alone on this journey, and with the vast and constantly growing online paleo community, you always have a paleo friend nearby. Visit blogs of those who will support and encourage you, like mine and like Robb Wolf’s (www.robbwolf.com). Understand why you are eating paleo so that when you decide (because it is always a choice) to fall off the wagon, you won’t stay off. Instead, you shake the dirt out of your pretty white petticoats and hop the hell back on.

It is also important to note that if you
do
fall off the wagon, do not fall off into anything that contains gluten. We will talk later in the book about “cheating,” but please understand that eating gluten will set you back farther than you thought possible in regard to your health. It takes fourteen to fifteen days for your body to recover from a dose of gluten, and especially during the first thirty days of eating clean, you want to give your body a chance to heal and recover from any previous damage done.

Table A: What Sarah Wants You to Have

IN YOUR PANTRY

• Coconut milk
  
• Canned organic diced tomatoes
  (no salt added)
  
• Organic tomato paste
  
• Organic free-range gluten-free chicken broth
  (Trader Joe’s carries a great brand)
  
• Coconut flakes
  (keep in the fridge after you open them)
  
• Coconut flour
  
• Almond meal
  
• Raw almonds
  
• Raw pecans
  
• Raw walnuts
  (all nuts actually keep better in the freezer after you open the bag)
  
• Almond butter
  (again, in the fridge after you open)
  
• Beef jerky
  (gluten and soy free from Paleo Brands or Trader Joe’s is best)
  
• Canned wild-caught Alaskan salmon
  
• Canned tuna
  
• Olives
  
• Artichoke hearts
  
• Dried unsweetened Bing cherries
  
• Dried unsweetened figs
  
• Dried unsweetened apricots
  
• Olive oil
  
• Coconut oil
  
• El Pato hot sauce and enchilada sauce
  
• Jalapeños
  
• Canned diced green chilies
  
• Sun-dried tomatoes
  
• As many freaking spices as you can get your hands on!
  With spices you never have an excuse to eat a boring meal!
  

IN YOUR FRIDGE

• Eggs
  —preferably free range (not fed soy) or omega-3 enriched
  
• Grass-fed ground beef
  
• Free-range chicken
  (thighs are my favorite, or the whole darn bird is my next favorite—you can make my amazing roast chicken and then boil the carcass for soup. Chicken is so versatile it should always be around)
  
• Nitrate-free deli meat
  (great for on the go, kids’ lunches, and fast snacking)
  
• Bacon
  
• Mustard
  
• Salsa
  
• Hot sauce
  
• Chili oil
  
• Thai fish oil
  
• Thai curry paste
  
• So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk
  
• Spinach
  
• Kale
  
• Carrots
  
• Cucumber
  
• Organic lettuce mix
  
• Romaine lettuce
  
• Apples
  
• Blueberries
  
• Lemons
  
• Limes
  
• Any veggie and fruit that you can get your hands on that is as fresh as possible and in season!
  

During the first week or two of changing your diet, you might have moments of feeling sluggish, tired, and totally done with paleo. These symptoms are you coming out of the carb- and sugar-induced coma you probably have been in for many, many years. It will get better. Soon you will have boundless energy and a brand new lease on life. Even better, real food will start to taste really good, and the desire for junk food will begin to disappear or drastically diminish—but only if you are consistent and stick with it. You have the power, and if you really want this, you
will
make the choice!

Life in the twenty-first century is crazy, hectic, and stupid busy, and women especially are known to not make themselves a priority. For once in your life, be selfish and lose the guilt. Make the conscious decision to not give in to the bagel breakfast mornings with your girlfriends or the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin fests at your playgroups. If you show up to these events full from your eggs and avocado with your goal in mind and a plan for success, you will not feel pressured to partake. It takes a bit of planning ahead, but cutting out something like one hour of mindless TV to be ready for your week is part of the importance of taking care of you.

For some, the transition to paleo living might be difficult at first, but it will become easier. Just because I was able to dive in headfirst and never look back doesn’t mean I wasn’t crying into my empty cereal bowl for the first couple of weeks, dreaming of my banana nut clusters and frosted flakes. Because I have lived through the transition of eating paleo for not only myself, but also for my family, I have insight into the reality of the work that it takes to get there. I have also successfully helped countless others make the transition over the last few years, and using that knowledge, I’ll walk you through how to survive when faced with that awful choice at 10:00 PM, when all you really want is what you should not have.

The Prepping Process

Step 1: Rid your house of everything that is processed. Take a giant box or garbage bag and start in your cupboards. Remove all grain-based food products and anything containing sugar or any type of sweeteners.

Step 2: Move on to the fridge and start the purge. The only items left should be fresh veggies, fruits, eggs, unprocessed meats, and condiments that do not contain sugar, such as mustard and salsa. Out with all the dairy products, too.

Once steps one and two have been accomplished take a big breath of air and let it out—you have made your first leap forward, so be proud! Now, unless you make the conscious decision to go out and purchase a nonpaleo food item, the temptation will no longer exist and you won’t have to worry about “will-power.” I offer a more extensive shopping guide later, but for now, after you clean out your cabinets and fridge, the items listed in table A are what I always want you to have on hand.

When getting started, it is important not to overwhelm yourself by looking deep into the future. Don’t think about how you may never eat another bagel. Don’t get stressed about what you will do at parties. And don’t get your heart palpitating by thinking that your grandmother will never forgive you for shunning her famous apple pound cake. Simply take your paleo journey one meal at a time. Focus on what you are doing right now, not on what might happen two weeks from now at the monthly moms’ night out. Realize that you have the tools to make this work, and you have made a wonderful decision that will change your life only for the better. Remember, anything worth something takes hard work. Take it one meal at a time, be prepared, and enjoy the ride.

An Easy Start

Let’s start with breakfast. I know it’s an old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that old adage is right. The first meal of the day is really what gets you going.

The prescription is quite simple; eat a fist sized portion of good protein like omega-3-enriched eggs, add in a small handful of good fat like half an avocado, and maybe toss in a bit of veggies like steamed spinach. Keep those first few paleo mornings simple. We’ve all eaten eggs for breakfast before; this is not rocket science. In fact, there’s nothing weird about it. All you have to do with this common meal is leave out the English muffin!

As you go about your day, survey how you feel, and I promise you will be amazed. You will be full until lunch or later, you will not crash and burn, and you’ll probably even like it. I will not lie to you, you’ll still wake up craving your bagel and your latte, but be brave, because you can do it. Those crazy, carb-induced cravings will pass, and this will become easy.

Once you have conquered your first paleo meal, you will most likely be excited about trying lunch. Lunch can look like a million lunches you’ve had before, minus the bread and cheese. Most folks find it easy to make or buy a salad that fits perfectly into a paleo lifestyle. Think lettuce, chicken, bell peppers, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Delicious, satisfying, and no need to add up points, bring a scale with you to work to weigh your portions, or lug out the calculator to figure calories. Just eat some chicken on a salad with some olive oil and smile.

Now dive back into your day and forge on toward dinner. Again, dinner does not have to be weird to be paleo. How about some salmon and asparagus? Maybe a steak, some broccoli, and a nice salad; doesn’t that all sound easy, delicious, and pretty darn normal? Congratulate yourself because you made it through day one and your journey has begun!

Shopping Paleo

To be successful with the paleo diet, you need to learn what your food options are and how to shop for them. Before we dive into specifics, here are a few terms I suggest you make yourself familiar with:

Macronutrients:
Food is composed of three main nu-trients—protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Each of these nutrients is critical for different functions in the body. The primary macronutrient in a food determines what category we place it under. For example, nuts have protein, carbohydrate, and fat. However, the primary macronutrient is fat, so we place nuts in the fat category.

Protein:
A protein is a macronutrient that comes primarily from animals. For paleo eating purposes, your protein sources need to have had a mommy and a daddy. From now on, please remember that protein does not mean the “perfect” combination of beans and rice, nor does it mean dairy sources such as yogurt. I have never witnessed a bean give birth, so therefore, not an adequate source of protein. Remember, the protein that you must eat should come from a source that had a face (or would have at some point, i.e., eggs).

Carbohydrate:
This macronutrient is the hardest one for most folks to wrap their brain around. The food pyramid suggests that carbohydrates only come from grain-based food items, so those of us who want to load up on carbs after a tough workout typically think of a plate full of pasta or a nine-grain bagel. Starting now, erase this notion from your memory and put this fact in the empty space—if it grew in the ground, it’s a carbohydrate!

All fruits and vegetables are primarily carbohydrate. Some are higher in sugar and starch than others, but all plant-based foods are carbs. It is wise for those folks who want to lose weight to choose an abundance of vegetables before stuffng themselves with fruit. This will help to limit overall sugar consumption, and therefore will help improve body composition. When you hear folks say they simply cannot live without carbohydrates, they are correct. No one can live without vegetables and fruit, but we can live, and live well, without the traditional notion of carbohydrates. So please say goodbye to your pasta and bagels and hello to your broccoli and melons.

Fat:
Oh, boy, are you ready—you might want to brace yourself for this one: you must eat fat and, most importantly, fat does not make you fat! This message might feel like a meteorite just hit you square in the forehead as visions of your nonfat sugar-free latte disappear into space, but I am telling the truth. Our bodies need fat. Think about the thirty-plus-year trend of the nonfat, high-carb diet and ask yourself: Has it freaking worked? Look around you. Overweight, unhealthy, and muffin-topped is the new normal.

Being lean, ft, and in shape is now a bit odd. This new “trend” is very and incredulously wrong. Think about why fat-free foods have any taste at all—
sugar
! In order to make fat-free anything edible, one must process the living hell out of it, add a billion additives and favors, and strip whatever is left of any nutrients that might be remotely beneficial. Thanks to our lovely food pyramid, the majority of our country is really sick and out of shape, and by taking away our fat consumption, we have added on the sugar-free pounds, topped with a nonfat blob of heart disease and a side of diabetes.

Let me take this chance to reintroduce fat into your life. The media has made the word fat sound ugly, but as you continue on your paleo journey, you will really grow to love the healthy fats that fuel you. You’ll also love watching the unhealthy fat that hangs off you melt away.

Still not convinced? Fat is a macronutrient that is found in both animal and plant products. It’s a great source of energy, it helps you digest fat-soluble vitamins, and your brain and your heart depend on fat to function. Unfortunately, the lack of fat in our diets and the consumption of too many processed foods and carbohydrates have a devastating effect on hormone balance. For us women, especially, eating fat aids in regulating hormone balance, which determines everything from mood to disease prevention. Scary side note—woman with hormone imbalance are more likely to experience devastating illnesses such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, and hypothyroidism, to name a few. As the incidences of these diseases continue to rise among women, correlating this frightening fact with our low-fat diets is only obvious.

Now, this section on fat does not give you the freedom to dive into a trans-fat-laden bowl of deep-fried potato chips; you must choose your fats wisely! Fat that comes from nature is permitted. The shopping guide listed in table B will help you determine what those healthy fats are, as well as give you a head start on all the other paleo food essentials you will want to stock up on.

Along with the following basic food guide, I also offer a family-friendly thirty-day meal plan and weekly shopping lists immediately following the recipe section of this book. This list is a great way to get things started and nice to have on hand when clearing out the kitchen and restocking with paleo food items.

Get Creative

This list in table B is just the beginning of what is possible, so feel free to explore the vast empire of vegetables and spices. After all, always having a variety of spices will ensure you never get bored or tired of food.