Paleolady

So. This month, as you may recall, was the month to cut out dairy.

Yeah, well. That didn’t work out so well.

My body/subconscious mind/inner rascal really FREAKED OUT. The restriction was too much, I guess, and part of me had to rebel. And before I knew it, I was eating pasta. And ice cream. And other not so happy healthy food items.

Okay. Message received. I’m not ready to cut out dairy.

So I slowly backed away, and cleared the junk out of my system, and accepted that I’m not ready to go dairy free yet. That my inner rascal really doesn’t give a shit about my monthly plan.

Sigh.

Okay. I did learn something though. I’ve been too focused on the individual don’ts of my food, instead of really looking at my overall food story. Because it is easy to get in this weird mindset where I we can call something “Paleo” and think it is okay, but if we really looked at our diet, it could be filled with paleo processed foods, like “paleo bread”. Don’t get me wrong, I think the paleo version of our favorite treats is great to have every now and again, especially at paleo gatherings. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking eating paleo bread is equal to eating real, whole foods.

SO. Now that I feel like I’ve got the big monsters dealt with (corn, sugar, and wheat), instead of tackling the smaller monsters, I’m going to shift and look at my overall relationship with food. Because that is where my issue really is – I need to have a healthy relationship with food. So, I’m interested in looking at my nutritional spectrum, and my eating hygiene. Yep, I just said eating hygiene, and I may have made that phrase up. I stole it from the idea of sleep hygiene – where you make sure to have the best set up to ensure good sleep (keeping regular sleep hours, lights down at night, etc).

Stay tuned, more on all that to come…

Those of you in tune with the paleosphere probably have already heard, but if you haven’t! Over at Naturally Engineered they put together another annual Paleo survey, to find out more about the community.

Hop on over and take it, contribute to the paleo community and get some goodies for your efforts (discounts on Paleo Magazine & Wellness Meats):
http://naturallyengineered.com/blog/2012-paleo-community-survey-active/

And if you’re a data nerd like me, you can check out last years results:
http://naturallyengineered.com/blog/2011-paleo-community-survey-results-released/

I thought it was particularly interesting that over 25% of people practicing the Paleo diet are former vegetarians. Hmm…

And though I hadn’t been practicing it that long, I’m pretty delighted to be part of the 4% who has known about Paleo prior to 2005. I originally discovered it in 2000, and always believed in it, just didn’t feel ready to adapt it. And there was only ONE website on Paleo at the time. The difference 12 years can make…

Paleolady.com was ranked as #17 (out of 58) blogs for Paleo, low-carb and health blogs for March 2012!

http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/58-new-paleo-low-carb-health-blogs-for-march-2012/13621

For those of you who don’t know, Jimmy Moore’s blog is one of the hot ones in the Paleosphere, so a thank you to him for taking notice of this little lady!

Okay. A new month has rolled around. I’ve been eliminating nasty foods from my diet, one thing at a time, for 2.5 months now. And I haven’t lost a pound.

Which is a total bummer. I mean, no wheat, no sugar (well, we’ll get to that), no corn. C’mon!

I began thinking about this, and had to get real. By focusing on what I CAN’T have, I have been neglecting what I SHOULD have. I think I’ve been eating Faileo.

Sometimes I make deliciously wonderful meals. And sometimes I eat rice crackers with cheese and dark chocolate. For dinner. Hm. Yeah, I think that may be where the problem is. That, and I’ve been eating quite a bit of that dark chocolate, sometimes at 70% and not 85%. Which really kinda shoots the whole “no sugar” thing. I mean, it is one thing to have a small piece in the evening, another to have it be part of your meal.

Don’t get me wrong, eliminating one thing from my diet a month has been a fantastic way to go. But I should not just be looking at cutting, but really focusing on how to eat right.

For instance, this month I’m cutting out dairy. So, as I go to my work cafeteria, I have in my hands a package of california sushi rolls (low on protein & fat, high on carbs, no good). I look at the salads, and see one that I really want, much more than the sushi: a cobb salad- lettuce, tomato, avacoado, egg, bacon, and blue cheese. But I think, I can’t have that, it has dairy in it. The sushi fits in my rules, the salad doesn’t.

WRONG. Looking at what is good for my body (healthy blend of fats, protein, and veggies) vs something that is going to screw with my blood sugar, should be how I’m making my decisions. Not based on rules.

So, I bought the cobb salad. Now, I am still going to focus on eliminating dairy this month (and I think I better deal with rice and easing up on the dark chocolate too). But I think I really need to focus on eating healthy, supportive meals. And eating MEALS, not snacks.

It is all a journey, isn’t it? The end goal is not to live my life by rules, but to come to a healthy supportive nurturing relationship with food. Where I don’t use it as a drug, but enjoy it as a way to nurture my body.

So that is that.

One more!  One more infographic!!  How could I not post this one, by the grandaddy of paleohacks.com?  Seriously.

This one is a bit more complicated than the last paleodiet infographic, but well worth the read.  Original post here!

Yes, I do love my infographics.  Here’s one from Greatist.com, on the Paleo Diet (original post here).  Nice and simple, great to share with your friends & family on what this is all about, without having to read Primal Blueprint or The Paleo Solution (or should I say, to get them ready to read those books…).

Oh, how I love pretty infographs. And who knew, there are some great ones out there on Paleo. Thought I’d drop a few your way. But one at a time, so you can fully savor them, and not get to lost in their amazingness…

Today! Originally posted on foodandtechconnect.com here: Carbs Are Killing You which stirred up QUITE a bit of discussion, so go check that out.

But before you do, enjoy THIS.

You know I love me some paleo deliciousness.  And when it is free, I really get out my knife and fork.  Just thought I’d give a shout out, for those of you who haven’t heard of the Paleo Summit that Sean Croxton, at Underground Wellness.com, has put together.  Starting this Sunday! Get yourself ready to binge on some tastiness, because there are A LOT of fantastic Paleo Presenters, including Mark Sisson, Erwan Le Corre, and Jimmy Moore.  There will even be a lecture on Paleo for Vegetarians, for all my lovely vegetarian friends out there who want to be as healthy as possible without eating meat.  Or a presentation by Sarah Ferguson, miss Paleo family herself.

What I’m also looking forward to!  On Paleohacks.com, they will be discussing each presentation the day after.  So really get in and chew that stuff up, to make it oh so much more digestible.

Go ahead.  Sign up for free and get ready to slurp up some goodness.

Okay, ONE more Paleo commercial.  This one is promoting Paleo Approved branding, and follows your everyday American through the grocery store, and shows you what he is REALLY buying.

The Paleo Diet Commercial

Apparently, I’m on a commercial sharing spree.  But it is worth it.

This totally sums up how I feel about our farming practices, and what Paleo recommends.  That is one of the many many things I love about Paleo, the emphasis on eating fairly treated animals and organic food.

Anyway, watch it.  It’s pretty.  And it might make you cry.

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