What the hell is the ‘Paleo’ diet, anyway?

Regular readers of this blog will know that I spent January following the Paleo lifestyle, with the goal of giving my system a ‘re-set’ and I guess a bit of a cleanse, whatever that means. It was a New Year’s resolution for someone who doesn’t do New Year’s resolutions…

Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto - yum :)

First up, I have to say I am totally surprised at how easy I found it this time around. I’d done a Paleo month previously (which involved me going hard core for a fortnight, then slowly falling off the wagon over the next fortnight), and I found it really hard! I don’t know why it worked this time – I think everything aligned, and I knew I had to put in the prep to make it work for me. I also felt amazing after just one week (and lost 2kg), so that helped to keep me on track.

The Paleo lifestyle is quite the thing at the moment – it’s getting lots of mainstream media attention (not all good), and there are a lot of high profile converts. Chef Pete Evans and Trainer Luke are at the forefront of the Paleo movement in Australia, and, while they cop quite a lot of flak in the media, there is definitely a groundswell of people following their lead. Every second person you talk to has ‘gone Paleo’, but even so, a lot of people don’t really have a good understanding of what it is.

So WTF is Paleo, anyway? 

The idea behind the Paleo lifestyle is to eat like our caveman ancestors ate, before the industrial revolution came and screwed everything up. Paleo is also sometimes called the Caveman diet, or the Stone Age diet, but most Paleo purists cringe at these terms. From what I’ve learnt over the past month, Paleo as we know it is a much more scientific approach, and incorporates what we know about how different foods affect metabolism, digestion, insulin sensitivity and systemic inflammation.

The key principle of the Paleo lifestyle is eating whole, unprocessed foods that work for our bodies, as opposed to the more common processed, refined foods that absolutely do not work for our bodies. Well, not mine anyway. Paleo includes lots of vegies, some fruit, good quality grass-fed meats, free-range poultry, fish, good fats (avocado, coconut, EVOO, animal fats), and some nuts and seeds. That’s it. That means no dairy, gluten, grains, legumes or refined sugar. No bread, no pasta, no rice. Nothing processed. Nothing from a packet. Nothing with ingredients that you can’t pronounce, or that are full of ‘numbers’. It is clean eating to the extreme.

 

Paleo staples - coconut oil, kelp noodles, cacao nibs & kombucha

The idea of avoiding these nasties is to control insulin sensitivity, repair gut health, get the most out of the foods we do eat, and reduce inflammation.  Sounds awesome, yeah?

There’s a misconception that the Paleo lifestyle is all about meat, meat and more meat, but really, it’s all about vegetables, with some meat on the side. And maybe a yummy raw Paleo treat for afters (but not every night!!). You can even follow Paleo as a vegetarian - just allow legumes as a protein source.

My reasons for experimenting with Paleo are multi-faceted. Firstly, Paleo is, by definition, dairy and soy free (soy being a legume), so that’s a big plus for me before we even start. People who say they are Paleo but still eat dairy are, in actual fact, following a Primal lifestyle, which has its own merits and drawbacks (as all dietary choices do), but is definitely not Paleo. My other reason for being Paleo-curious was that over the years I’ve been advised by several naturopaths, chiro’s, kinesiologists and other alternative therapy types that gluten does not work for me, and is probably one of the key triggers of my Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Keratosis Pilaris (KP) and arthritis-like joint issues.   

I’d never made a real effort to eliminate gluten before because it just sounded impossible. Even after managing to remove all dairy and soy from my diet for over a year, removing gluten sounded like mission impossible. But you know what? It’s really not. As long as you’re prepared and committed, it’s actually quite manageable.

My main goal for the Paleo challenge wasn’t weight loss, but it has been a welcome by-product. Even though I’ve been eating lots and lots of food, I’ve lost nearly 5kgs in 4 weeks, without any exercise, and without ever feeling hungry. My IBS issues have calmed down considerably, and my KP is clearing up as well. I don’t feel bloated all the time, and I’m not doubled over in agony with stomach cramps at the end of my work day like I used to be.

I always thought that dairy was the main culprit for me, but perhaps it’s actually the double whammy of dairy and gluten that have been causing me digestive problems my whole life. Going for a bit of TMI now, but my own personal ‘gas explosion’ incidents have reduced dramatically since going Paleo! Which is a good thing for everyone…;)

My top 5 tips to win at Paleo are:

1. Be prepared
   Meal plan, shop with a list, prep veggies the day you buy them, pre-cut your meat and poultry before you freeze it… all of these things will save you time in the long run (and save you staring into the fridge at 8pm wondering what you can have for dinner).
2. Eat lots of fat
   It’s not often you hear that about a diet! Although, in all seriousness, Paleo is a lifestyle, and not a diet. Fat is essential to the optimum performance of our brains and bodies, and, contrary to popular belief, eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Load up on avocados and coconut oil, eat the skin on your chicken, and go for fatty cuts of meat (which are usually cheaper – win win!).
3. Don’t go overboard with the Paleo treats
   There is a whole new food movement based around reinventing ‘old’ food favourites with Paleo ingredients. Paleo Snickers, Paleo choc chip cookies, Paleo brownies, Paleo mint slice… all using compliant ingredients and seemingly ‘healthy’. But they are seriously high in calories, and thinking of them as healthy can be a bit of a trap. Paleo treats are OK for just that – a treat. Not every day. (I learnt this the hard way during my first Paleo month!). 

   

   Raw 'lamington' truffle balls - impossible to stop at one!

4. Cook in bulk
   When you’re cooking a delicious Paleo curry, double the batch and make enough for two nights. Or make enough to have leftovers for lunch so you don’t have to worry about prepping a meal the next day. Nobody wants to cook every single night, so having a few meals ready to go in the freezer will help you out after a long day.
5. Pre-make your breakfast
   I struggle with Paleo breakfasts, as some mornings I just don’t have time to faff about in the kitchen making a delicious ‘breakfast bowl’ of eggs, veg and avo. For those busy mornings, make sure you’ve got something convenient to grab – I love Savoury Paleo Waffles, or my tasty but Butt-Ugly Paleo Breakfast Bites. Green smoothies are also a great way to start the day the Paleo way… pre-cut your fruit and veg and freeze in ziplock bags so all you need to do is chuck it in the blender with some water in the morning. Just make sure you have some protein with it as well - a boiled egg works a treat.
   

   

   #Mummyhack - pre-cut & freeze your smoothie ingredients in
   ziplock bags to save time in the morning

If you’re interested in trialling the Paleo lifestyle, there are lots of great resources available online. Do your research, and understand what you want to get out of it. A lot of people lose weight, but just as many don’t! It’s a lifestyle rather than a weight-loss diet. I’m going to continue with it as much as is practical, and just see how I go. If I have the odd bowl of rice or some legumes here or there I’m not going to worry too much, but I’ll be steering clear of gluten from now on, as well as dairy and soy.

Have you tried going Paleo? Do you have any advice? Or any questions? 

Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

You can read the posts and meal plans from my Paleo Challenge here Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4.