Paleo - My 2 week Challenge!

While one of my life goals is to be the healthiest I can be, to do this I am enjoying exploring the different types of healthy lifestyle that different people try. One lifestyle I have wanted to try for some time now is the Paleo lifestyle, and I can think of no better time to try it than now!

Why do I like Paleo? Basically its gluten-free, refined sugar-free, clean eating and of course includes raw foods AND Paleo baking!! Sounds too good to be true? It’s pretty simple and follows the foods of our ancestors, basically you eat real foods, foods that grew in a garden, you pick from a tree and you hunted, gathered or foraged. Don’t worry its not about living like a caveman as they did not have processors, stove tops or the wonderful new age utensils that we now have to spice up the variety of meals simple foods can produce!

Preservation of foods in supermarkets make foods look the same today as they did a year ago and unfortunately the preservatives do not preserve us, in fact they make us sicker and fatter. REAL foods consist of grass-fed meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and fats. There are of course better choices than others in these categories alone such as locally produced organic fruits and vegetables without the preservative layer over the skin or grass fed meats as oppose to those given hormones and antibiotics to grow bigger. We cannot always make these better choices but should always aim to try depending on price and availability. Do the best you can with the choices and availability to you. The main things NOT included in the Paleo lifestyle are grains, pasta’s and breads as most carbohydrates come from your fruits and vegetables :) So what is included:

Proteins

·         Red meat (grass fed where possible)

·         Poultry – chicken, turkey, duck etc

·         Pork

·         Fish and seafood – salmon (my favourite!), tuna, bass etc

·         Eggs (free range where possible!)

Fruits and vegetables (AKA carbohydrates)

·         Eat what is in season from local farms, the following are in order from cleanest i.e. lowest in pesticides, to most contaminated

·         Cleanest – onion, asparagus, avocado’s, cabbage, cantaloupe, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, mushrooms, onions, pineapple, sweet potatoes, watermelon

·         Intermediate – apricots, artichokes, bananas, beets, blackberries, bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, collards, cucumbers, fennel, figs, garlic, kale, lemons, limes, pumpkin, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, squash, tomatoes

·         Most contaminated – apples, capsicum, celery, cherries, grapes (imported), lettuce, nectarines, peaches, pears, spinach, strawberries – therefore buy local and organic wherever possible

Fats (yes these ARE good for you and essential for body functioning!!)

·         Almonds, almond flour, almond butter

·         Avocado oil, avocados

·         Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts/oil/butter, pecans, walnuts

·         Coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil

·         Ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter

·         Olives and olive oils

·         Sunflower seeds

·         Tahini

What we do not have is gluten, grains, legumes, dairy (except butter), processed foods, sugar and alcohol. You may also notice peanuts are not on the list as they are actually a legume and not tree nuts. Although sweet potato is a Paleo staple in most lifestyles the white potato itself is not. Much of the reasoning why comes down to the fact these when consumed cause inflammation in the body which the foods listed above play a large role in reducing inflammation in the body and promoting health. But remember we are all unique and react to different foods in different ways particularly if one has allergies or autoimmune conditions which are aggravated by certain foods. So remember just because food is Paleo friendly does not mean it agrees with everyone. This is why it is important to find time to play with your diet to find what works for you. I am one who gets excited seeing if certain foods agree with me and how my body reacts particularly when you find foods which leave you vibrant and energetic!

Remember you don’t need to claim to be 100% Paleo or any lifestyle for that matter. Following the 80/20 rule you can still enjoy the odd piece of dark chocolate or wine but still opt for avoiding those sugar filled doughnuts or packaged pies where you can as these induce much inflammation in the body and leave you feeling sluggish and fatigued. A healthy food lifestyle including the Paleo lifestyle is truly a conscious awareness of what we put into our bodies and whether these have a positive or negative impact on our health.

What I also LOVE about the Paleo lifestyle is it still incorporates many aspects of the raw food lifestyle – clean, fresh, wholesome and grown. The raw lifestyle aims to reduce inflammation and be full of anti-cancer fighting agents and live enzymes promoting our longevity, but admittedly the raw lifestyle does not have a sustainable balance of proteins and essential vitamin such as B12 and folate needed for our bodies and these are advised to be consumed as supplements. Therefore I am excited to announce I am having a 2 week Paleo lifestyle challenge… or should I say mission! And all raw foods and vegetarians are all still Paleo! So I can still most definitely incorporate raw goodies into the 2 weeks at the same time (yay!). I will keep you up to date with the progress and what foods I make and eat and how simply (or hard?) the Paleo lifestyle can be :)

I have also bought myself a little gift…. A body composition scale! I have not been a true believer in counting the kilo’s just because muscle is heavier than fat and a higher weight for those who gym and lift weights can be healthier than another person with a lower total weight but higher per cent body fat aka less muscle. So I plan to monitor whether the Paleo lifestyle combined with my gym sessions help to tone my body over the next 2 weeks by reducing % fat and increasing % muscle mass. Admittedly I have been indulging a little too much these past few weeks and my body is now telling me it’s time to refocus!! Particularly as university exams come closer and stress levels slowly rise, I want to be as healthy as I can be to get through keeping my mind and body healthy. Hence I have had my last indulgence for a while celebrating my nan’s birthday with a piece of her home made lemon sponge cake, well worth it I must admit ;) … but there is no better time to try something new than now! :)