My 3 Biggest Lessons from Paleo Month

• I’m interested to know… Are you choosing to now avoid grains because of the scientific evidence supporting avoidance or did you find it beneficial to your health during the experiment and now choose to continue? If so, what benefits did you find?

• I did almost six months of no gluten and no sugar. It was suggested by one of my doctors hoping to find a reason for severe chronic headaches. The first month, I felt better than I’d ever felt, had more energy, etc and lost 8 pounds. Then things went downhill. I gained back the weight (and a few more) and didn’t have the energy, etc. Don’t know why that happened. Plus, it didn’t help my headaches at all. :-/
  blessings
  ~*~

• My wife and I did a Whole 30 (a stricter formof paleo). I lost 10 lbs even though I was already in the best shape of my life. Now, I was working out 3x per week and playing volleyball 2-3x too. So I probably lost some calories once I cut out all the grains and converted to veggies.

  My outcomes: I found out I’m sensitive to milk but not ice cream or cheese. Additionally, I realized I don’t mind eating the same thing every day. My wife needs variety though!

• Thank you for this update. I too have greatly reduced and at times eliminated grains. My digestive system is so much happier when I eat more vegetables and meat. Wheat especially knocks me off and causes all kinds of digestive distress. It’s good to experiment and find out what makes you feel better. Our bodies are not all the same.

• Would you mind commenting on snacks jules or did you not eat them? I would find I would get so hungry especially without grains.

  • When I did it, I had hard boiled eggs, almonds, and fruit (frozen grapes were my favorite). Be prepared and have a ton of it though. I ate near non-stop!

• Hi
  I am a bit Palio, I like making sourdough bread. With legumes also in the diet. And average meat, like beef,, or Lamb, chicken, fish. Varied meals. A nice digestive biscuit, or an occasional chocolate from Aldi. I bake bread for the Sisters at my church. Some dairy, love Costa Rican coffee. I have walked long distances, letter box delivery, usually,an hour each day. I am 73, do not drink alcohol or smoke, very happy in the lord, Quentin from Bribie Island.

• Hi Jules
  Just wondering what oil you used to make Mayo while going paleo. I noticed the recipe you linked to calls for peanut/ vegetable oils so just wondered what you substituted them for.

• hi Jules (I love your blog xoxo)
  i’ve been reading your blog since 2011 (newly married) and have tried incorporating your healthy recipes into my life. Not being paleo or vegetarian or on any diet I just wished to be healthy and my husband and I loved it. I come from a traditional background of cape malay/indian cooking so everything I grew up is packed with flavors and herbs.
  2 kids later I am twice the size I used to be. my first pregnancy derailed my body and I picked up so much weight ‘eating for two’. it has been 9 months since my second baby and I am now ready to take responsibility and get my body back, or atleast lose a few pounds so that I can get up from the floor after playing with my toddler without grabbing onto something for dear life.
  i’ve read about paleo in your emails but the name was all I knew. I just thought it was something drastic so I wasn’t tempted to try. So I finally started paleo lastweek and so far I have lost 1 kg (in 1 week). I wake up without my alarm, I do feel I have more energy, I only eat when I am hungry. I decided to have a cheat day on Saturday and I didn’t even feel the need to, but nevertheless I did. I love baking and I think that’s gonna be a huge adjustment for me as paleo muffins aren’t the same as the stuff we’re used to…. but definitely healthier.
  my main reason for wanting to go paleo is to teach my kids healthy habits. my son of 2 used to love his veg and all things healthy when he was an infant and now he refuses anything healthy and reaches for pasta/bread/peanut butter. he usually picks the meat out of the food. I am really struggling to get him to eat any veg. so now SLOWLY i’m phasing out processed things in the house.
  another concern is that we are a full house and it’s not very economical for all of us to to go paleo, which is why we are used to having rice and vegetable stews as every day foods, as they make the meat last longer.
  I do wish to continue paleo as long as I can…. and I will be having legumes and dairy after 30 days. I think as long as we stay away from processed foods then we should be on the right track. I am a law researcher and in my spare time I’ve been researching food (as that is all I think about) and I am so shocked at how all these processed crappy foods are marketed so wonderfully and TRICKING us into believing there is something good in it. And they make all these foods so easily available and cheap so that it’s easier and convenient to buy than real food.
  now about the picky toddler thing, is there anything you can advise?

  • Jules writes another blog called the yellow bench which is all about kids food, there are some good recipes and ideas for picky eaters.
    Good luck with your weight loss.

    • Thanks Jemma… I’ve actually stopped writing the yellow bench as I just didn’t have the time to keep up 2 blogs :)

• In the way of crazy diets the two things I’ve tried were 1) being vegan, which for me equalled starvation – I was not getting enough protein that way; and 2) a very low-carb diet – not Atkins – which worked very well for me until I got into the real world where I was around other people who were eating fast carbs (grains, potatoes, etc.) and couldn’t get food that matched my diet. I have considered paleo, but not seriously, because there are too many things I like that are omitted from that diet, and also because I have a ‘standard issue’ husband to feed. After everything I’ve tried over a long lifetime, I have concluded that balance is best. Eating all types of foods, as long as I’m not reacting badly to them, is going to give me the most variety of nutrients. I’m sure that some of the meals I fix would qualify as paleo, but that happens because I like a dish or combination of foods. I do not believe it is healthy to restrict intake of some foods without having a good medical reason for it. At the same time I also believe that it’s important to get as many veggies into our diets as we can.

• i follow paleo with rice.occasionally might eat a breadroll.the simple rule is keep it fresh as possible..thats the key to good health.you don’t have to go over the top unless your eradicating for health reasons.
  excercising is equally important.recently did a month of no alcohol.i certainly felt better for it.so less is more.i think you have to develop your core approach.finding the balance that works with a busy lifestyle, prolly the hardest thing and maintaining it over time,is the aim.

  • I like the fresh is best Barry!

• I’ve never tried full-on paleo, but for sure my diet has headed more in that direction over the last couple of years. Especially since I had my second baby, at 42. It’s never been easy for me to lose weight. I gained 50 lbs with the second baby (I was older, and stressed, not sleeping, my mother died). And it just would not come off.

  Part of the issue is that I’d dabbled in vegetarianism – meaning for quite a few years, we ate mostly vegetarian – very little meat – a fair bit of pasta and beans and rice. Some of this coincided with me being overweight and a lot of it coincided with me doing a lot of cardio – I was training for half marathons, etc. Well, let’s just say my body isn’t made for that kind of exercise and I got injury after injury.

  I finally came upon the “21 Day Fix” eating plan, which is a color-coded, balanced eating plan. The hard thing for me is that the “yellow” container is carbs, and I only get two per day. I was very resistant to the idea, because of years of listening to the USDA tell me that I should be eating 6 servings of grain per day. The “yellow” container includes grains, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas. Well, eventually I read a book by Luise Light where she shared that the food pyramid released was not the one her team wrote, which recommended 0-2 servings of grain per day, whole grains only. For most women, 1-2. (For health and weight control.) It clicked right there!

  In order to “figure it all out”, I had to try carb cycling. Because honestly, I was used to cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, pasta or beans & rice for dinner. I got used to planning meals without grain/ bean/carb.

  I was losing a steady 2 lbs a month. Then last November, I did a “NOvember” challenge of my own invention. I stuck to the plan, but eliminated alcohol, wheat, sugar, fried foods. Therefore my yellows were only oats, beans, corn, rice, potatoes. I also did a burpee challenge, starting the month at 5 and ending at 100 (per day). I lost SEVEN POUNDS that month. So I’m thinking of repeating my “NOvember”.

  What I like about stonesoup is that you haven’t eliminated dairy or beans. As I’ve been able to maintain my 25-27 lbs weight loss (but not lose the last 5), I’ve started to experiment with swapping a bean for a protein. The traditional proteins in this plan are meat, eggs, fish, cottage cheese, yogurt. Beans are technically a carb. Sometimes I buck the trend and use beans as my protein.

  One thing I did learn though – earlier this year I’d gotten into a groove with a protein/fruit smoothie for breakfast, protein and veg for snack, salad with protein for lunch, fruit and nuts for snack, and dinner with protein, a carb, and a veg. At random, fresh tomato season started, so I started having a slice of toast with tomato for breakfast. My energy and focus at work went WAY UP after that. A startling change. For months I thought the doldrums were due to a crappy workplace (and for sure, that was part of it). If I do “NOvember” again, I’ll have to have oats for breakfast. Or potatoes?

• I appreciate your insight into the value of certain food groups and preparation of same. I am on my own so a lot of the recipes are not suited to a single eater, even though when I do cook I usually cook for 4 and freeze meals. I follow the fodmap regime of eating and I do not eat meat although I do eat fish and chicken (not often). I am 70 years old and therefore reasonably marginalised when it comes to good advice on food.

  • Thx for sharing Carolyn..
    I usually make my recipes for 2 serves so they’re easy to halve if you only want enough for 1! Jx

• I agree we need to explore all different foods. But I can never eat meat as I dislike it and I adore animals. I keep to my perfect weight by eating in moderation. I only eat a small amount of wheat, I but sourdough bread from a small baker all organic. I never eat crisps/chips or drink any soft drinks. Cook nearly all of our meals and never use salt in cooking just herbs and spices.

  • Thanks for sharing Jenny!

• I am trying as much as possible to go Paleo, it doesn’t always work in, but that is the goal, I am seeing more products in the Supermarket as being marketed as Paleo, I think it may be the way of the future.

• I have made small changes over the last 2 years. I stopped taking vitamins and protein powders. I cut out Soy milk and went back to dairy foods. Made meals to 1/2 a plate of veg, 1/4 plate protein and 1/4 plate carbohydrates. Added fruit to breakfast and I still eat grains just less. Just by doing this has increased my veggies and fruit intake and like you I need a second visit to the Fruit and veg shop some weeks. Also I decided not to be influenced by the latest new food trends and to stick to the basics. I prefer spinach not Kale and I like to eat almonds and have a glass of water then almond milk. I also increased my exercise and my nails are the best they have ever been so for me I think I am on the right track.
  I do love reading about your journey with food and get lots of ideas to add to my meals. Everyone is different and we all have different tastes. You keep me inspired.

  • Thanks for sharing Margaret!
    so glad you’ve found something inspiring here :)

• Hi, I’m curious if you lost any weight from this dietary regimen and by how many pounds (imperial)?

  Thanks!

  • I didn’t weigh myself Sohn because I’m pregnant at the moment and there’s only one direction the scales are heading regardless of what I eat…
    Jx

• It is so interesting reading all the comments! I also eat sort of Paleo. We have 5 sons & when the middle one ended up needing to have a tooth pulled (age 13) we found the book Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel. (I think that’s his name). He said to cure rotting teeth, yes, build back enamel, cut out grains, seeds, nuts, beans and processed sugars. Wow! That took a lot out of our diet! We were already doing a year long sugar fast at the time but we liked our breads and pasta. Oh my. We went for it though. We did keep dairy as we have a milk cow and grass fed dairy is excellent for building teeth. And I learned “ancient” methods of preparing grains and legumes to reduce the phytic acid that our bodies have a hard time dealing with. I had a long struggle with bloating and gas prior to this and when we cut out grains my problem disappeared overnight. So our diet includes beans soaked at least 24 hours prior to cooking. I have decided to have a baked oatmeal, granola or some wheat free cereal on Sun morn as a treat and a”restful” dish. (Cook as little as possible on Sunday.) But oats are the worst for phytic acid because of how they are treated. I did a lot of research and although wheat is not bad for you per se, yet the methods of raising and storing the grain have made it bad for us. Sad. Wheat growers admit that they spray their crops with Round Up prior to harvest. Then the berries are sprayed with chemicals to preserve them. This is in the USA. I’ve heard say other countries don’t have our wheat problems. I wasn’t a really heavy person but I did lose 20 lbs through it all and have felt better than I have in years. Am soon 43 years old. Not as many headaches, more energy, NO itching from yeast problems (miracle!) and I think my hair is improving. Why would I want to go back to grains? But most of my “men” don’t hesitate to eat sugar and grain when we’re out and about and it’s set before them.

  • Thanks for sharing your experience Marie!

• This is interesting – I have been tempted to try Paleo or Whole 30 but I don’t like the idea of eating so much meat all the time, I have been cutting back on meat consumption overall. So am worried about sufficient protein intake in absence of legumes and dairy – not sure how to get around it :-(
  Also, I am not convinced about the whole rationale behind Paleo – I doubt cavemen ate bacon, coconut yoghurt or ‘paleo’ muffins while I can’t see what’s wrong with perfectly natural produce such as legumes…

  • I’m with you on legumes and dairy Eva!
    In my experience the biggest benefits from going Paleo come from avoiding processed food and grains (especially wheat) so I’d go with mostly paleo and keep your legumes there!

• I have a question about avoiding ricotta while pregnant. I’ve heard to avoid soft cheeses, but ricotta is a cooked cheese. It seems the danger of bacterial contamination would be gone. I’m so glad I had my children before there were all these dietary restrictions!

  • Ricotta could still get contaminated after being made Sally… And the high moisture content means listeria would be able to grow… It’s a small risk but it is there…

    Jx

• I do enjoy reading about your different dietary/eating styles. My husband, aged 75, follows a Banting diet so I make bread with flax, ground almonds etc. He has been so fit and well since moving to this lifestyle. I, aged 71, am not able to follow the Banting style as I cannot tolerate too much fat and the Paleo eating plan has far too much protein for me but it is interesting to read the different ideas. We have always been healthy eating conscious so it is a pity that we did not adopt one of these healthier eating styles when we were younger. Ignore all adverse comments – keep posting the recipes.

  • Thanks Anne! Really lovely to hear your own story :)

• Jules, I prefer the balanced every-type-of-food type of meal, including some carbs and sugar. Some friends who went 100% paleo two years ago have become gluten-resistant….they weren’t before!

  • Interesting Leonie!
    I haven’t heard of problems with gluten from eating Paleo before.

Comments are closed.