Rather than doing another “What I Ate” post on this Wednesday (let’s be honest- there isn’t a whole lot of variety), I thought I would write a little bit about what I have learned from eating Paleo over the last few months. I haven’t followed a “strict” Paleo diet, and while some days I think I ate 100% in line with Paleo others were very far off. Generally I was eating mostly Paleo foods Monday through Friday with a little more flexibility on the weekends and when I was traveling.
When I first started learning about Paleo, my initial reaction was “no way”. I read “It Starts with Food” and “The Paleo Diet for Athletes”. While I was intrigued by the idea of the Whole30, I couldn’t pinpoint a time that was reasonable to do it. It was right before summer and I knew I would be traveling and a lot and it would be really difficult. I knew at the end of the summer I would be starting marathon training and I didn’t want to be trying something so new while I was training. There were some things about the diet that I thought would be really difficult. I really didn’t think I could stop eating grains and dairy, and I didn’t really want to give up alcohol. From what I have read I think that Paleo is okay with an occasional glass of wine, but not as a regular thing, but if anyone knows better you can certainly let me know.
So back in June I decided to start focusing on eating more of the foods that Paleo allows: fruits, veggies, meats, and nuts. This sounded easy enough because those foods I have always known I should eat more of. (Well the meat part was a little trickier because I had it engrained in my head that very lean meat was much better than fatty meat, and Paleo encourages eating more fat). As I started planning my meals, I tried to focus on including those things in my meals and the only thing that was really different from before was more veggies and instead of a grain I was eating more starchy veggies.
It was actually easier than I thought. At times I felt like I was running out of ideas but I managed anyway. Since I wasn’t doing super long runs I didn’t worry about getting extra carbs on Friday night and stopped eating bagels on Saturday mornings. I limited my alcohol when at home (but didn’t worry about it when I went out or was traveling).
Before trying this type of eating I wasn’t having any specific problems, but I really wanted to clean up my diet and focus on getting as many nutrients as possible. There were also times that I didn’t feel great after eating…not really sick just kind of uncomfortable. I noticed that as I switched to more Paleo I was not having that discomfort anymore.
There were some times when I would get hungry between meals and didn’t know what to eat—I honestly didn’t want a processed snack or anything like that but I felt like I needed something more substantial than fruits or veggies between meals. I started eating bigger meals with more fat and I think that helped. The only “processed” food I eat regularly is a cashew cookie lara bar- I don’t know if its considered processed but it is the least processed bar because it only contains cashews and dates.
Another difficult area was dessert. I was used to eating a “snack” after dinner every night and I thought it would be really hard to stop. I decided not to stop but instead to switch to Paleo-friendly foods. I stopped eating ice cream at home and saved that for special occasions when I could get the good stuff at a fro-yo or ice cream shop. I started baking using almond flour, coconut oil, eggs, honey, etc and stopped baking with sugar. One of my favorite recipes has black beans so its not really Paleo but since I wasn’t being strict I really couldn’t justify not eating these-The Little Honey Bee’s Black Bean Brownies:
So black beans were an exception that I used regularly (but actually only in this one recipe, I wasn’t eating beans otherwise). I also have been using about 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt in my morning smoothies- not Paleo friendly but I’m ok with that. And wine a few days a week. OK and now I need to admit my biggest non-Paleo vice: ketchup. I am happy to say that I have greatly reduced my ketchup consumption but I still have it with certain foods like burgers and fries. I know I can invest in a healthier,organic, Paleo-friendly brand but I haven’t done that yet.
Like I mentioned, traveling made things more difficult and I had to stray from Paleo much more than usual during those times, but I still made an effort to avoid sugar and processed foods. I actually have a lot more to say about my experience with Paleo so far but since this is getting long I am going to split it into two posts. So I will be back next week with part 2! But since it is WIAW I will leave you with a picture of these awesome Paleo pancakes that I have been eating for breakfast this week:
I also want to mention that my favorite “resource” for all things Paleo is The Paleo Running Momma. And as you can see I also pull a lot of recipes from The Little Honey Bee. Thanks ladies for all the great info and recipes you share on your blogs!
I love this post. I’m also thinking about taking a more Paleo approach with my diet. I’m starting slow and just trying to weed out most processed foods first. I’m in the middle of reading “Eat the Yolks” by Liz Wolfe and it’s really good. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in Paleo or understanding more about how food impacts our body chemistry.
Eliminating processed foods is a great way to start! That was kind of what I did, and adding more fruits and veggies. Thanks for the book recommendation, I will have to check it out!
I LOVE black bean brownies! I’ve never gone “fully paleo” before, but I definitely have loves some of the recipes I’ve found!
I never thought black bean brownies could be good but they really are!! And its definitely fun finding paleo recipes to add to the mix- everything I’ve tried has come out really well!
Loved reading this post! I’m curious to hear more about how eating this way has effected your body/life – do you feel like your digestion is better? Skin? Sorry if this is nosy but I am always curious on the impact that focusing on real food has. As for, “paleo” I think that the philosophy is an awesome starting point for people but I don’t think it needs to be all or nothing. What I have learned (especially from the Whole 30 and basically continuing eating this way) is finding things that you can tolerate. I used to eat so much greek yogurt but I didn’t realize how much the dairy effected my skin. Now I enjoy an ice cream every few weeks but am ready for the pimples that will form almost immediately. I think you are doing awesome and I love that you are making it work for YOU. I find salsa to be an awesome alternative to ketchup but sometimes you just need some Heinz 🙂 so glad you are still enjoying the brownies – beans hate my gut so I stick to my almond flour chocolate chip cookies. Great post!
You know, its hard to really recognize exactly what changes I have seen since I didn’t have problems with skin or digestions before. I think my digestion is better now- but it wasn’t something I complained about before. Like every day for lunch I would have a turkey sandwich and greek yogurt and my stomach didn’t feet great after, but I just thought it was normal. Now I feel great and satisfied after having paleo lunches. As I figure out more about the differences I’ll include it in my next post about it- because I also want to talk about how its affected my running!
Great post, and I love how it shows the pluses and minuses to these types of changes in diet–sure, it isn’t always easy, but if it works for you, there is no reason not to!
Yes! It’s not like I’m sitting around “missing” certain foods- and if there is something I want, I eat it. Simple!
I have been following a Paleo / Primal lifestyle for about 2 years now. It seems like you’re doing awesome! By no means am I perfect 100% of the time. Most weekends I will cheat a bit but that doesn’t mean that I’m “not Paleo.” I think people get caught up in how we look at every other diet (weight watchers, atkins, etc) and feel as if they fail if they have one meal not in line with the way they are supposed to be eating. Also, everyone’s body is different so Paleo for you may be slightly different than Paleo for me! I would definitely recommend checking out MarksDailyApple.com and ChrisKresser.com. They always have great info! Have a great day!
Those are great points, thanks for sharing! It makes me feel better to hear that most people who follow a paleo lifestyle don’t do so all of the time. And I will definitely check out those websites!
This is really similar to how I felt when I tried a gluten free diet for my Crohn’s Disease. I did my best, but knew I wouldn’t go 100%. I took away some great lifestyle changes that I still maintain, like a salad instead of a sandwich for lunch and quinoa cookies! Thanks for sharing! I always love seeing your food pictures!
I think its just easier to make changes that are easy and reasonable…I think being too strict will lead to failure very quickly!
Great info! The brownie recipe looks delicious!
Thanks! And it really is:)
I am not Paleo, but have tried to clean up my diet significantly. We only have clean grains in the house, I’m not willing to let go of all of my grains. I’ve experimented with almond meal/flour/arrowroot as well and it has all been tasty!
Yes, I think almond flour is a great sub for other flours! And I think its great that you figured out that you will continue to eat grains, just making sure they are healthier grains. I am certainly not anti-grains because they don’t really give me problems but there are times when I can’t turn down a nice piece of bread:)
I also love Michele’s amazing recipes! I think you’re doing fantastic! I am slowly cutting out all those processed things too-I mostly eat fresh stuff daily, too…but CHEESE is my weakness. If you told me to choose CHEESE or my right arm…:oh boy. It would be TOUGH!
Cheese is another one for me! But I’m not tempted by it on a daily basis, and its one thing that doesn’t leave my stomach feeling great. Luckily I only really eat it on on pizza or when I’m out.
Sounds like a yummy week to me! I also eat paleo but incorporate it with keto. I know what you mean by dessert is really tricky!
I’ve never heard of keto. Its amazing how many different ways there are of eating! I will have to look into that.
I must admit I’ve struggled for years to get enough nutrients and I always have stomach problems. Paleo doesn’t seen right for me though because I hate red meat and pork. I have no idea what I would do if I could eat beans either. I like that you modified the diet for your own needs. There is no one size fits all.
I think it would be harder if there were alot of things I didn’t eat. One of the challenges for me was finding enough paleo-friendly stuff that I like at first. I started eating more red meat than usual and pork rather than just chicken and turkey like I had been doing. I didn’t miss the beans so much (but still ate them in brownies), but I could definitely see how it could be challenging if you are looking for sources of protein!
Great post! It took me awhile to really get the hang of Paleo eating. Now that it’s been almost 2 years I’ve got it down pretty well but still allow myself to stray from time to time. A little goat cheese, dark chocolate or sips of beer every once in awhile won’t kill me 🙂 I review a lot of Paleo friendly snacks on my blog if you’re interested in learning of some more to have in between meals. When I started I used LARABARS as my “processed” food too but have discovered some really good ones that are Paleo friendly. As Paleo friendly as snack bars can be 🙂
Thanks for the info, and I will be heading over to your blog to learn more! I’m so glad that I opened myself up to the idea of paleo because I am learning so much! Its great to see that you have been able to stick with it for 2 years but are also willing to stray a little on occasion.
You know I had absolutely zero idea of what paleo diets actually were until you started documenting your meals and of course reading Michele’s blog too. I still think I’d never be able to make an entire dietary shift to it, but the changes you have made seem a lot more manageable. (I’m very much an everything in moderation eater.)
I think the easiest way to shift is moderately…unless you are having issues or want to do the Whole30. But like I said I just couldn’t find 30 days that I could go without eating whatever I wanted or drinking. (I mean I COULD but I also wanted to enjoy myself at certain events and on vacation rather than restricting what I could have). I am glad I did it this way because its been pretty gradual…To the point where Rob asked me a couple weeks ago if he has been eating “Paleo” too since I was and I cook for him. He didn’t even notice until like 2 months of paleo meals (and desserts)!
Great post-I’m trying to clean up my diet too. This week I’m switching out oatmeal for egg scrambles and fruit and veggie snacks. I feel I can’t cut out all grains due to marathon training because it’s hard for me to feel satisfied on other carbs. I’ve been limiting dairy but can’t give up ice cream, alcohol, or some greek yogurt so I’ll never be full on paleo. It’s nice to try to switch your mindset though!
That’s awesome that you are working on making some gradual changes! I am a little nervous as I move into higher mileage of marathon training, and I think I am going to add more grains before and after my long runs. I can handle the harder workouts with veggies like sweet potatoes as my carbs and a smoothie after. I want to make sure I have a solid routine down for race weekend too! And I’m with you on not giving up on alcohol of ice cream:)
Thanks for the shout out! I love this post because it covers a lot of the questions and confusion people have when learning about and then starting to eat paleo. You eat a lot like a friend of mine who doesn’t have digestive issues but eats whole food for better energy and general nutrition. It will be interesting to see what changes you notice a few months down the road 🙂
I love that I keep learning more about it and can gradually make more changes. I’m just a little nervous about marathon training, but I feel like at this point I have a good enough handle on it and will just add a few non-paleo foods and pay attention to how my body responds.
I like this approach! Especially focusing on eating MORE paleo-friendly foods rather than stressing over taking out all paleo un-friendly foods. It seems much more manageable that way!
Yes! That was what I decided I could handle. I hate the idea of “restricting” something so instead of saying “I can’t eat sandwiches for lunch” I thought of it as “I’ll make some awesome salads for lunch”! It was so much easier for me that way!
I LOVE Larabars. Since reintroducing grains & some dairy into my diet, I still find Larabars are my favorite snack to tide me over when I’m hungry. I love trail mix too, but I know some nuts aren’t paleo-friendly. Hey at least they’re healthier than cookies & cupcakes 🙂
I’m so glad I did paleo. Although I’ve veered off it now, it had me eating so many more vegetables. I used to eat maybe 1-2 servings on a good day, but now I average 1-2 servings per meal. That, and it it got me off bbq sauce, ranch dressing & ketchup. I used to put some sort of sauce on evvvverything. Now I’m happy with salsa or guacamole.
I think your point about nuts versus cookies is spot on. I mean I understand the Paleo theory about peanuts but if they don’t bother you than I don’t see why you shouldn’t eat them! Its funny because I notice that my stomach doesn’t feel great after eating cashews and almonds, so thats kind of sad…but cashew larabars and all kind of almond flours are fine!
And I think one of the best things, like you said, is more veggies! I also make it a point to eat a few at every meal!
While I haven’t done any paleo-specific reading, I have read a lot about primal, ketogenic and low-carb, high-fat diets and the science behind them. Paleo is on the list though. With regards to alcohol, no one can prevent you from drinking it, I think it really depends on your goals with paleo. Part of what paleo, (primal and keto) do is to repair the damage done to your metabolism through chronic consumption of processed carbohydrates and sugar. As your diet and food choices become cleaner, you metabolism starts to function normally again. Alcohol consumption can slow it down considerably, which is counterproductive to the eating efforts, and takes a few days to catch up again (for me). Alcohol also elevates estrogen levels, which is the cause of beer bellies and man boobs in men who drink. I don’t abstain 100% from alchohol (I’ve never been a big drinker), but I’ll have the occasional drink at a celebration. Some things to think about 🙂
That is really interesting and helpful information! I know that I generally feel my best when I don’t drink at all, but I have found that 1-2 glasses once or twice a week seems to be a good amount where I still feel pretty good but also get to enjoy some wine. Thanks for sharing!