Partial Paleo

I have decided to go partially Paleo, at least until we head to New Orleans for vacation.

Yay New Orleans!!  I'm excited!!

Paleo refers to eating "primal", as in eating what would have been available to our ancestors long long ago during the hunter-gatherer days.  Here are the basic rules of Paleo:

EAT:  Meat (beef, poultry, fish), fruits, veggies, nuts, eggs
AVOID:  Grains, dairy, beans/legumes, potatoes, sugar, processed foods/drinks

There are some variations depending on whose book/website you're reading.  Some versions eliminate alcohol, while others say moderation (a serving a day) is fine.  Some versions say only to eat grass-fed meat and/or wild meat (nothing farm-raised).  Some versions include eating potatoes, and some even include butter as long as it's pure butter.  Some versions eliminate corn, while others don't specify (The thought is that corn, potatoes, beans and grains wouldn't have been around for people or animals to eat pre-agriculture).  Some recipe books/sites use mostly olive oil to cook with, while others cook almost solely with coconut oil.  But they all agree that only fruit or nut oils should be used (no vegetable or other high-tech seed oils).  Some also use salt as a seasoning, while others say don't use salt at all.  Other variations exist as well, just depending on who you talk to or read about.

P.S. Chewing cannibus leaves would have also been considered the norm.

Here's one chart version of Paleo.

Here's one version of the Paleo food pyramid.

And here's another version.  Caveman apparently doesn't like this one.

The Paleo diet is often compared to the Atkins diet.  But Paleo advocates  will quickly defend themselves in this comparison, saying that Atkins is based on "low carb and high fat" while Paleo is based on "real food".  Atkins is also considered a diet while Paleo is considered a lifestyle change.  And if you order Atkins food through its program, you're ordering purely processed food.

Now that's a boring graphic.

There are definitely criticisms to the Paleo diet.  Some say this diet is "theorized" and that evidence does not support some of the restrictions (or even allowances).  Here is just one of the criticisms regarding grains:

There is solid evidence that suggests that Paleolithic peoples commonly ate grain, and even flour, as far back as 30,000 years ago.  In fact, there is quite reasonable evidence that people were processing cereal grains for food as much as 200,000 years ago.  The bottom line is that the fundamental premise that Paleolithic peoples did not eat grains and that they ate large amounts of meat is only "suggested" by historical records, not necessarily supported by them.  (paleohacks.com)

So I've decided to go partial for the next month to see about nipping some of this excess weight in the bud (there I go nipping stuff in the bud again!).  The gist of the diet makes sense to me.....eating lean proteins, fruits and veggies and eliminating (or at least minimizing) processed foods and sugars is definitely a healthy choice for anybody.  Read any gossip magazine about what a celebrity is eating to stay thin and that's pretty much it.  And back when I was training for my first half marathon and focusing on losing 20+ pounds, this is basically how I was eating, with the exception of dairy, beans and whole grains (key word for grains being "whole").

Enriched flour makes up a LOT of processed food.

I just thought this was pretty.

I do intend to step it up this next month regarding dairy, beans and whole grains.  Though I don't intend to eliminate them from my diet, I will do my best to minimize them for the sake of my experience with the Paleo way.  For the long haul, though, I personally believe that beans and whole grains are good for you.  Especially organic ones, so that pesticide and GMO consumption is minimal.  As for dairy, I do get that we as a species don't NEED dairy and that the dairy industry is a very evil one in terms of animal abuse....but I sure do love cheese.  And rich, creamy sauces.  Which is why I focus on buying only organic dairy, and local when available.  Buying organic doesn't solve all of the dairy problems, but it's a step in the right direction.  Buying local is the best way to go, especially if you have the opportunity to tour local farms and check out their farming practices.

Here's a blog post I saved titled, I Couldn't Give Up Cheese, So I Gave Up Animal Cruelty Instead". Just in case I do decide to give it up one day and want motivation.  If I were a better person, I'd give it up.

A few more motivational links I saved are:
Milk Comes From a Grieving Mother
How Loud Would You Scream If Somebody Stole Your Newborn Baby?
The Humane Animal Farming Myth

That being said, I hope to adopt some good habits and recipes from Paleo that will carry on even while on vacation and beyond.  But since I'm planning to get back into a partially vegetarian lifestyle, Paleo is obviously not the way to go, at least not in terms of meat, beans and grain consumption.  But I'm excited to get into a healthier lifestyle and lose some weight!

Here are two sites with some easy (and yummy looking) recipes, one which my friend Nicole referred me to and the other which I found by accident while searching for a Paleo graphic:

 

http://beta.primal-palate.com/

http://www.multiplydelicious.com/

I'm cooking two dishes from The Food Lover's Kitchen website this week:  Braised Short Ribs (though I'm using boneless instead of bone-in) and Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs (though I'll probably just use regular paprika since I already have it), both which will last us two meals.

Today's lunch will be a diet exception, since I'm going to a birthday lunch at P.F. Chang's.  I mean, really, what in the heck could I order at P.F. Chang's that would follow the guidelines of Paleo?  So I will just have to order something that's semi-sorta healthy!  I heart P.F. Chang's.  So yummy........

UPDATE:  I just found out that P.F. Chang's offers up a gluten-free menu, which closely follows the Paleo diet.

UPDATE #2:  I ended up not eating from the gluten-free menu after all.  Once we arrived, we found out the birthday girl had already ordered a few community plates of food for everyone.  So I had a salad with sesame dressing (possibly Paleo approved), one tofu lettuce wrap (vegetarian and wheat free, though not Paleo approved because tofu is processed and made from soybeans) and fried green beans (the fried part is definitely not Paleo approved, but again they were vegetarian). I also had two Guinness beers. However, my dinner was completely Paleo approved, minus the glasses of wine!  :)