I've had several people post in various places on Facebook asking about this journey so I wanted to address those questions here in case someone else had similar questions.
Where did you find this diet?
Erin: I'd heard people talking about the Paleo diet in passing a lot in the past 6-8 months, but always assumed it was the same as eating raw. It's not. Everything is cooked (unless you live and breathe for veggie sticks, like Chad). Everything I've learned has just been searching for "Paleo diet" or "Paleo lifestyle" on Google. I will continue to share my favorite sites for info and recipes in the column to the right. So far there's only one, but I'll be updating and adding more in the next day or so, so check back for that.
How do you feel now that you've changed your eating habits?
Erin: I'm still only in Day 3, but I do feel less bloated. When I smack my tummy I only feel hard fat, not jiggly water-fat, so that's improvement (though not flattering to write about myself). The first day I kind of felt like I had a belly full of cardboard. I've read all the articles saying that carbs are hard for your stomach to digest, but I've gotta say, I seem to be having a harder time digesting all the fruits/veggies/meat I'm eating. That said, I'm not exhausted anymore halfway through the day (that doesn't hit till about 9 pm now). And I did cheat just a little bit yesterday (I took my friend Julia out to lunch for her birthday, so there was Tollhouse Pie involved) and I felt like crap after. So after only 3 days my body is clearly loving the non-processed diet, and really showing the effects of eating junk.
Chad: Regarding energy, I am a little more tired than usual in the middle of the day, most likely due to the lack of the 3-5 (large) cups of coffee I drink. This morning I felt pretty good, energy wise. I'm still an ornery bastard when I wake up, but I didn't feel like a slug this morning.
Have you lost or gained any weight?
Erin: We're only 3 days in, and I promised myself I wasn't going to watch the scale. I was only going to check my weight weekly. But Chad stepped on the scale this morning and has already lost 6 lbs. so I couldn't stand not knowing when he's already had such a drastic loss - I've already lost 4 lbs.! I wouldn't attribute this to the diet 100%, I think a lot of it is all the water we've been drinking, but some of it is probably the diet too. I'll be more excited at the end of the first 4 weeks when I check my measurements to see if there's a difference there.
Are you always hungry? Are you snacking all day?
Erin: The first day was tough for me, but I think that's cause I missed lunch. But as a general rule, on this diet I'm much more content to eat my 3 meals a day and have that be it. I'm not sure if that's because I'm sated or if it's because it's such a hassle to find snacks cause my usual go-tos are usually of the boxed or bagged variety, but either way, there's much less snacking. I'm not always hungry at all. I do THINK about food a lot, but I think that's more because I want all the stuff I can't have.
Chad: The urge to snack depends on what I eat. If I am eating more vegetables, I tend to want more food. If I get a good fill of protein, I feel more full. Either way, I don't mind, because I can snack as much as I want, as long as it is healthy stuff (viva la carrot sticks!).
Do you have to make something different for the kids?
Erin: Cody and Logan completely rejected my Paleo Spaghetti nightmare. I don't blame them. I was tempted to reject it myself. The Goulash was alright - Cody ate it, and Logan ate it after we told him he wasn't getting anything else. Logan is a VERY picky eater, so it's hard to judge how much of his complaints are because he actually doesn't like something, or because we're not serving him Chef Boyardee. We've still been giving them cereal for breakfast, and Cody eats lunch at school and Logan usually has something Chef Boyardee (boy loves his meatballs), but to even that out our goal is for them to eat what we're eating at dinner, whether we're on the Paleo diet or not.
Are you having issues with portion size?
Erin: YES! So far that's my biggest battle. I think the problem is the lack of starch. Last night I kept looking at my plate (Paleo Hungarian Goulash) and thinking "my plate isn't full. How will this fill me up?" I think I'm going to have to try harder to compensate for the missing starch with double portions of veggies. Of course, another bunch of asparagus costs more than a box of rice or a potato, so that may be a little straining financially, but we'll see how it goes.
Are you having any problems yet?
Erin: I haven't had any real problems, just a few minor difficulties. The first is cost. Produce is expensive, and as I touched on above, having to replace starch (which runs pretty cheap) with more produce, it's adding a little bit to our grocery spending. The other issue is just a personal thing - I have several allergies (nuts, fish, shellfish). Many meal plans I've found include recipes for fish, or require you to cook with nut oils. So there's obviously a whole chunk of recipes I'm missing out on, so that makes it hard for me to find things to cook since I'm limited by both the diet AND my food restrictions.
How are you doing with coffee withdrawals?
Chad: Ugh...the coffee withdrawal has been tough. I've had bad headaches the past couple days, but it is not that bad today. I am drinking tea to supplement caffeine, but I miss the taste of coffee more than anything.
Are you using My Fitness Pal?
Erin: I had issues getting that app to run on my phone, so I use something different but very similar: My Net Diary. It tracks your calories (includes a barcode scanner!), exercise, weight, water intake, and measurements. It's a free app for iPhones (not sure about Androids) and I highly recommend it.
If you have any more questions, please post in the comments! I'd love to address them in a later post.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Paleo Hungarian Beef Goulash
I was super excited about this one. After reading the recipe I decided that it would be real food.
Ingredients
1 lb. stewing beef, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. paprika
3 tsp. caraway seeds
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes (juice only)
3 c. beef stock
1. Brown the beef cubes in a skillet. Put the beef aside, and brown and saute the garlic on medium heat.
2. Transfer beef and garlic to Crock Pot and add spices, tomato juice and stock. Put lid on Crock Pot, and cook on Low for 2 hours.
I served this with asparagus, boiled for 1 minute than sauteed briefly with oil, salt and pepper.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT:
Erin: The asparagus was my favorite part. I'd been SO excited for the Goulash, and it was basically little beef cubes. They were overcooked (the recipe I was adapting this from said to cook it for 2-1/2 hours. I have for this reason shortened mine to 2 hours only). And the caraway was the most powerful flavor in the dish - not the paprika. Honestly, I'd leave it out next time IF I made this again (and I won't). Hopefully tonight's dinner is better, but after the past 2 nights I'm feeling a little discouraged.
Chad: I am a big fan of paprika, so I was pretty excited when Erin said she was cooking something Hungarian. I really liked the taste of the beef, though I think it would go better over rice or something like it (verboten, I know, but it would get more of the sauce into my belleh!). The asparagus was crisp and peppery, just the way I like it. I plopped some carrot sticks onto my plate, as I knew it wouldn't be enough, just the beef and asparagus. Good compliment, and I was full by the end of the meal. I really like this diet: I don't feel like I'm starving myself.
Ingredients
1 lb. stewing beef, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. paprika
3 tsp. caraway seeds
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes (juice only)
3 c. beef stock
1. Brown the beef cubes in a skillet. Put the beef aside, and brown and saute the garlic on medium heat.
2. Transfer beef and garlic to Crock Pot and add spices, tomato juice and stock. Put lid on Crock Pot, and cook on Low for 2 hours.
I served this with asparagus, boiled for 1 minute than sauteed briefly with oil, salt and pepper.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT:
Erin: The asparagus was my favorite part. I'd been SO excited for the Goulash, and it was basically little beef cubes. They were overcooked (the recipe I was adapting this from said to cook it for 2-1/2 hours. I have for this reason shortened mine to 2 hours only). And the caraway was the most powerful flavor in the dish - not the paprika. Honestly, I'd leave it out next time IF I made this again (and I won't). Hopefully tonight's dinner is better, but after the past 2 nights I'm feeling a little discouraged.
Chad: I am a big fan of paprika, so I was pretty excited when Erin said she was cooking something Hungarian. I really liked the taste of the beef, though I think it would go better over rice or something like it (verboten, I know, but it would get more of the sauce into my belleh!). The asparagus was crisp and peppery, just the way I like it. I plopped some carrot sticks onto my plate, as I knew it wouldn't be enough, just the beef and asparagus. Good compliment, and I was full by the end of the meal. I really like this diet: I don't feel like I'm starving myself.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Paleo Spaghetti
Our first Paleo dinner! Here's the recipe, followed by a quick review:
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
1 lb. ground turkey
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 T. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 (28 oz.) cans whole, meaty tomatoes
2 spaghetti squashes
1. Cook the ground turkey in a large pot until no longer pink. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Use the same pot to cook the garlic, carrots, celery and oregano in the olive oil over medium heat, until just tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, ground turkey and bay leaf. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 45 mins.
3. In the meantime, heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Cut spaghetti squashes in half length-wise. Remove and discard the seeds. Put the halves cut-side down on a baking sheet, and bake for 28-35 mins, checking after 25. Do not overcook or they'll be too mushy. It should easy break into strands with a fork to make pasta-like strings.
5. Serve with sauce over spaghetti squash.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT:
Erin's Opinion: It wasn't bad, exactly. But it wasn't really good either. There was nothing wrong with it. It actually tasted almost exactly like my grandmother's cabbage soup, which is only helped by the cabbage-like texture of the spaghetti squash (did I do it right?). So apparently some people (like my grandmother, my mother, my grandfather, etc.) LIKE that flavor, so I must not have done too badly. It's just rotten luck for me that it was never one of my faves. So this dinner wasn't a great kick-off to our new diet. I ate it, but I'm not in a rush to ever make it again.
Chad's Opinion: The change from spaghetti to "spaghetti" was interesting to say the least, and a little crunchy (in a vegetable sort of way), but I liked the way it had been cooked. It could serve as a viable replacement for pasta, if someone wanted to drop carbs. The sauce...loved it! And she is right...it tasted like Nana's cabbage soup. I, apparently, liked the dish more than anyone else...had two bowls worth, and a little of our son Cody's, after he rejected it. I'd have it again, if it were served to me, but, a little like Erin, I wouldn't actively go seeking it out.
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
1 lb. ground turkey
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 T. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 (28 oz.) cans whole, meaty tomatoes
2 spaghetti squashes
1. Cook the ground turkey in a large pot until no longer pink. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Use the same pot to cook the garlic, carrots, celery and oregano in the olive oil over medium heat, until just tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, ground turkey and bay leaf. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 45 mins.
3. In the meantime, heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Cut spaghetti squashes in half length-wise. Remove and discard the seeds. Put the halves cut-side down on a baking sheet, and bake for 28-35 mins, checking after 25. Do not overcook or they'll be too mushy. It should easy break into strands with a fork to make pasta-like strings.
5. Serve with sauce over spaghetti squash.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT:
Erin's Opinion: It wasn't bad, exactly. But it wasn't really good either. There was nothing wrong with it. It actually tasted almost exactly like my grandmother's cabbage soup, which is only helped by the cabbage-like texture of the spaghetti squash (did I do it right?). So apparently some people (like my grandmother, my mother, my grandfather, etc.) LIKE that flavor, so I must not have done too badly. It's just rotten luck for me that it was never one of my faves. So this dinner wasn't a great kick-off to our new diet. I ate it, but I'm not in a rush to ever make it again.
Chad's Opinion: The change from spaghetti to "spaghetti" was interesting to say the least, and a little crunchy (in a vegetable sort of way), but I liked the way it had been cooked. It could serve as a viable replacement for pasta, if someone wanted to drop carbs. The sauce...loved it! And she is right...it tasted like Nana's cabbage soup. I, apparently, liked the dish more than anyone else...had two bowls worth, and a little of our son Cody's, after he rejected it. I'd have it again, if it were served to me, but, a little like Erin, I wouldn't actively go seeking it out.
Day 1 - Wish Us Luck! (by Erin)
I've been hearing about the Paleo diet for several months now, and figured it was just another fad along the same lines as eating raw foods. But the more I heard about it, the more I liked, so I did some research of my own, and here I am, at the beginning of my journey. And I'm dragging my husband, Chad, with me. Partially because he also wants to be healthy, but partially because I'm usually the one who cooks dinner so he's gotta comply at least one meal a day anyway.
Since I started out with basically 0 in the knowledge department when it comes to the Paleo diet, I think maybe I should assume you don't know anything either (no offense). So I think I'd like to start with the 15 Rules of the Paleo Diet, a helpful list I found at Paleo Diet Lifestyle (and a few of my own notes tossed in).
1. The Paleo diet should be high in fat, moderate in animal protein, and low to moderate in carbs. Calorie counting is not encouraged, and neither is portion control.
(I will be calorie counting just because I'm interested in how many calories this diet takes in, exactly)
2. Eat unlimited amounts of saturated fats like coconut oil. Beef tallow, lard and duck fat are also good, but only if they come from healthy and well-treated animals. Beef or lamb tallow is a better choice than lamb or duck fat. Olive, avocado and macadamia oil are also good fats to use in salads and to drizzle over food.
3. Eat generous amounts of animal protein. This includes red meat, pork, poultry, eggs, organs, wild-caught fish and shellfish. Don't be scared to eat the fatty cuts, and all meals with protein should contain fat as well. Learn to cook with bones in the form of stocks and broths.
(There will be no organ-eating here)
4. Eat good amounts of fresh or frozen vegetables, either cooked or raw, and served with fat.
(Not sure if I'll "serve with fat". I tend to prefer my veggies au natural")
5. Eat low to moderate amounts of fruits and nuts. Try to eat mostly fruits low in sugar and high in antioxidants, like berries, and nuts high in Omega-3, low in Omega-6, and low in total polyunsaturated fat, like macadamia nuts. Consider cutting off fruits and nuts altogether if you have an autoimmune disease, digestive problem, or trying to lose weight faster.
(While I'd love to lose weight faster, I think I'll keep the fruits in there for now, just because I don't want to restrict too much too quick and set myself up for failure. If this goes well, I'll make giving up fruits Phase II. Also, Chad will be eating nuts, but I will not - I have an allergy)
6. Preferably choose pasture-raised and grass-fed meat coming from a local, environmentally conscious farm. If that's not possible, try lean cuts of meat and supplement your fat with coconut oil. Also, preferably choose organic, local and/or seasonal fruits and vegetables.
(I'm poor, so I'm shopping at the grocery store. That's the best you're getting out of me. At least I'm eating healthier, even if I'm not eating expensive)
7. Cut out all cereal, grains and legumes from your diet. This includes, but is not limited to, wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, brown rice, soy, peanuts, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans and black eyed peas.
(I've had many people ask why no legumes. It's because legumes generally are not consumed without preparation the likes of which our Paleo ancestors would not have done)
8. Cut out all vegetable, hydrogenated, and partially-hydrogenated oils, including, but not limited to, margarine, soybean oil, corn oil, Crisco, peanut oil, canola oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil and avocado oil are fine.
(I'm hoping this doesn't extend to the Sunbutter I just bought last night at the grocery store, but I kind of think it does. Damn)
9. Eliminate sugar, soft drinks and all packaged products and juices (including fruit juices). As a rule of thumb, if it's in a box, don't eat it. At the grocery store, visit only the meat, fish and produce sections.
(Within reason - for example, breakfast this morning was berries with coconut milk. Coconut milk is in a box. Stuff like that will have to be a judgement call)
10. Eliminate dairy products. You don't need dairy.
(I'm 50/50 on this. I may have a small glass of milk every other day, just because I've learned the hard way in the past that if you don't use your lactase enzymes you stop producing them, and lactose intolerance just isn't fun)
11. Eat when you're hungry, and don't stress if you skip a meal or even two. You don't have to eat three square meals a day, do what feels natural.
12. Eliminate the most sources of external stress that you can, and sleep the most you can. Try to wake up without an alarm, and go to bed when it's dark.
(Ha! Clearly whoever wrote this has never met my children)
13. Don't over-exercise - keep your training sessions short and intense and do them only a few times per week. Take some extra time off if you feel tired. Consider short and intense sprinting sessions instead of very long cardio sessions.
14. Consider supplementing with Vitamin D and probiotics. Levels of magnesium, iodine and vitamin K2 should also be optimized. Iodine can be obtained from seaweeds. You probably don't need a multivitamin or other supplements.
(I'm just gonna take a multivitamin)
15. Play in the sun, have fun, laugh, smile, relax, discover, travel, learn and enjoy life like a daring adventure.
(Suddenly my diet sounds like a commercial for herpes medication...)
Now let's talk goals. I'm currently weighing in at the same weight I was when I delivered both of my sons. Yuck. I'm lucky, in that I am 5'7", so I've been told I don't look my weight. Or maybe they're being nice. Let's pretend they're being truthful, cause it makes me feel better. According to my BMI, I am obese. According to the BMI scale, I should be between 118 and 159 lbs to be in the "normal weight" category. That's a HUGE range. I've also seen myself at 118, and I looked skeletal, so that's all sorts of not happening. If I can get down to 159, I think I'd be ecstatic. But I think I'll feel and look my best between 135 and 150. So that is my current goal. HOWEVER, the purpose of the Paleo diet is not so much to lose weight (though you may do that, depending on how much crap your normally eat that you have to cut out), but to eat healthy. And that is my BIGGEST goal. I'm of the mind that I'm not going to stress over a number on the scale as long as I'm eating healthy and I'm happy with the way I look.
If you've stuck it out through this whole post, I hope you've learned something! And I hope you'll come back to share in our journey. And I hope Chad will maybe post something at some point too, but we'll see. I've already taken away his coffee, so that may be asking too much.
Since I started out with basically 0 in the knowledge department when it comes to the Paleo diet, I think maybe I should assume you don't know anything either (no offense). So I think I'd like to start with the 15 Rules of the Paleo Diet, a helpful list I found at Paleo Diet Lifestyle (and a few of my own notes tossed in).
1. The Paleo diet should be high in fat, moderate in animal protein, and low to moderate in carbs. Calorie counting is not encouraged, and neither is portion control.
(I will be calorie counting just because I'm interested in how many calories this diet takes in, exactly)
2. Eat unlimited amounts of saturated fats like coconut oil. Beef tallow, lard and duck fat are also good, but only if they come from healthy and well-treated animals. Beef or lamb tallow is a better choice than lamb or duck fat. Olive, avocado and macadamia oil are also good fats to use in salads and to drizzle over food.
3. Eat generous amounts of animal protein. This includes red meat, pork, poultry, eggs, organs, wild-caught fish and shellfish. Don't be scared to eat the fatty cuts, and all meals with protein should contain fat as well. Learn to cook with bones in the form of stocks and broths.
(There will be no organ-eating here)
4. Eat good amounts of fresh or frozen vegetables, either cooked or raw, and served with fat.
(Not sure if I'll "serve with fat". I tend to prefer my veggies au natural")
5. Eat low to moderate amounts of fruits and nuts. Try to eat mostly fruits low in sugar and high in antioxidants, like berries, and nuts high in Omega-3, low in Omega-6, and low in total polyunsaturated fat, like macadamia nuts. Consider cutting off fruits and nuts altogether if you have an autoimmune disease, digestive problem, or trying to lose weight faster.
(While I'd love to lose weight faster, I think I'll keep the fruits in there for now, just because I don't want to restrict too much too quick and set myself up for failure. If this goes well, I'll make giving up fruits Phase II. Also, Chad will be eating nuts, but I will not - I have an allergy)
6. Preferably choose pasture-raised and grass-fed meat coming from a local, environmentally conscious farm. If that's not possible, try lean cuts of meat and supplement your fat with coconut oil. Also, preferably choose organic, local and/or seasonal fruits and vegetables.
(I'm poor, so I'm shopping at the grocery store. That's the best you're getting out of me. At least I'm eating healthier, even if I'm not eating expensive)
7. Cut out all cereal, grains and legumes from your diet. This includes, but is not limited to, wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, brown rice, soy, peanuts, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans and black eyed peas.
(I've had many people ask why no legumes. It's because legumes generally are not consumed without preparation the likes of which our Paleo ancestors would not have done)
8. Cut out all vegetable, hydrogenated, and partially-hydrogenated oils, including, but not limited to, margarine, soybean oil, corn oil, Crisco, peanut oil, canola oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil and avocado oil are fine.
(I'm hoping this doesn't extend to the Sunbutter I just bought last night at the grocery store, but I kind of think it does. Damn)
9. Eliminate sugar, soft drinks and all packaged products and juices (including fruit juices). As a rule of thumb, if it's in a box, don't eat it. At the grocery store, visit only the meat, fish and produce sections.
(Within reason - for example, breakfast this morning was berries with coconut milk. Coconut milk is in a box. Stuff like that will have to be a judgement call)
10. Eliminate dairy products. You don't need dairy.
(I'm 50/50 on this. I may have a small glass of milk every other day, just because I've learned the hard way in the past that if you don't use your lactase enzymes you stop producing them, and lactose intolerance just isn't fun)
11. Eat when you're hungry, and don't stress if you skip a meal or even two. You don't have to eat three square meals a day, do what feels natural.
12. Eliminate the most sources of external stress that you can, and sleep the most you can. Try to wake up without an alarm, and go to bed when it's dark.
(Ha! Clearly whoever wrote this has never met my children)
13. Don't over-exercise - keep your training sessions short and intense and do them only a few times per week. Take some extra time off if you feel tired. Consider short and intense sprinting sessions instead of very long cardio sessions.
14. Consider supplementing with Vitamin D and probiotics. Levels of magnesium, iodine and vitamin K2 should also be optimized. Iodine can be obtained from seaweeds. You probably don't need a multivitamin or other supplements.
(I'm just gonna take a multivitamin)
15. Play in the sun, have fun, laugh, smile, relax, discover, travel, learn and enjoy life like a daring adventure.
(Suddenly my diet sounds like a commercial for herpes medication...)
Now let's talk goals. I'm currently weighing in at the same weight I was when I delivered both of my sons. Yuck. I'm lucky, in that I am 5'7", so I've been told I don't look my weight. Or maybe they're being nice. Let's pretend they're being truthful, cause it makes me feel better. According to my BMI, I am obese. According to the BMI scale, I should be between 118 and 159 lbs to be in the "normal weight" category. That's a HUGE range. I've also seen myself at 118, and I looked skeletal, so that's all sorts of not happening. If I can get down to 159, I think I'd be ecstatic. But I think I'll feel and look my best between 135 and 150. So that is my current goal. HOWEVER, the purpose of the Paleo diet is not so much to lose weight (though you may do that, depending on how much crap your normally eat that you have to cut out), but to eat healthy. And that is my BIGGEST goal. I'm of the mind that I'm not going to stress over a number on the scale as long as I'm eating healthy and I'm happy with the way I look.
If you've stuck it out through this whole post, I hope you've learned something! And I hope you'll come back to share in our journey. And I hope Chad will maybe post something at some point too, but we'll see. I've already taken away his coffee, so that may be asking too much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)