hidden sugars/soy/ E numbers ect

JessiBelleW

I'm trying out Primal. I went into Waitrose to pick up a few things and spotted some beef jerky. Excellent, I thought. Then I flipped it over to check the ingredients. Not so excellent. The second ingredient was soy products, and a whole bunch of additives. Same with some nuts I picked up and many types of 'cured meats'. My (long winded) question is: do I just count those added nasties as the 20% of non-primal eating? Does anyone have any suggestions of brands of meat and other neat snacks that don't have a bunch of extra stuff in them?

homesweeths

JessiBelleW wrote: »

My (long winded) question is: do I just count those added nasties as the 20% of non-primal eating? Does anyone have any suggestions of brands of meat and other neat snacks that don't have a bunch of extra stuff in them?

My gut reaction, an immediate, "Noooooo!"

It can be hard to kick them -- you'll likely go through withdrawal symptoms if you eat processed foods on a regular basis now -- but it is SO worth it!

Those soy products and additives have an effect on your body. They are designed to affect your body chemistry, to make you crave more, actually to eat when you don't even need to eat. They cause an imbalance in your body systems and lead to physical deterioration. Seriously! (This stuff rang true with me when I read it. I took a lot of chemistry and biology classes in college.) A little goes a long way.

I've heard of people making their own beef jerky in a dehydrator. I don't own one, so I can't comment. My first question is -- why are you looking at cured meats, nuts, and beef jerky? Is it for the convenience? Do you not have time to cook? Are you a college student? Are you traveling a lot? There are primal solutions for these situations. Some of them are more work than others, but it's still workable.

If you're used to eating packaged food, beware the packaged food industry, which has perked up its ears and is now looking to cash in on primal and paleo eaters, with food that does not necessarily fit their target goal.

Why are you trying out Primal, and what kind of resources do you have at home to help you?

JessiBelleW

Because they are delicious? I'm two weeks into my 'trial' and although I think this is a lifestyle I will be happy to stick with (quite possibly always) I don't want to fall off the bandwagon because it has gotten hard or I get fed up with cooking all the time. So I'm trying to incorporate as many Palo/primal food options as possible.

Also part of it is a cooking/time/ shopping problem. I am a live in nanny, and all of my food is brought by my employers. Because we travel and I will be moving in September I don't want to invest in a crock pot or a dehydrater as I can't fit them into my suitcase. Because I don't own the house I also can't be running the oven all day in a make shift dehydrated (although its 45 degrees plus out maybe I can utilize that?) when I move in September I will have even less control of the food as I will be moving to a job where dinner will be cooked for me and I will have to do my best to eat the veggies and meat and have a snack later to compensate.

I didn't eat a ton of packaged foods to begin with, but I would like to replace my afternoon snack with something. Crackers, peanut butter were it mostly. I'm not looking to add sweetener filled crap to my diet but I was under the impression that meats and nuts could be a good snack - especially as this tends to be my 'on the go' busy time. If you have some suggestions for snack ideas I am all ears. This is the one time of the day when I don't want cold foods.

I'm trying out Primal as my before way of eating wasn't working for my body and I felt like my eating was in control of me, as opposed to the other way around. Resources - I have the internet? I'm not sure what other resources I could or should have.

Cheesy567

Look online for some good Paleo brands. I buy Nick's Sticks (grassfed beef sticks and pastured turkey sticks) and recommend them. There are newer brands that include offal meats, and several brands of jerky, pemmican bars, etc.

Shop around at your local food coops, too, you're more likely to find grassfed beef jerky made locally. There's always the option of making your own in a dehydrator or your oven set on low, too.

JessiBelleW

Thanks Cheesy. My local area is the desert, not sure we have worked out how to grow much locally (dates, camels and tomatoes/eggplant/cucumber aside). I did do some google-ing and maybe some of the companies I saw will deliver to here

Kimberly_Harper

I buy Kratos bars for a quick protein snack when I need one.

homesweeths

I empathize. I had trouble sticking with it when we were traveling every other week, this spring. It's been much easier to manage now that we're home and I can cook again. However, it took awhile to get the ice cream cravings back under control once more.