Is paleo for me?

JolienvanH

Hey there!

So I've heard a lot about the paleo diet and how it's supposed to be so good for you and so I thought I'd give it a try.
Thing is, I'm not sure if it will work for me. First of all, I'm a competitive rower and really can't afford to get 'the crash' or something like that on a race day (or even on a training day, really).

Secondly, I'm a student, so I'm on a budget and all the meat and nuts and superfoods really are a lot more expensive than all the oatmeal (I eat that with almond milk, is that ok?) and pasta. Anyone have any tips on how to be paleo in an affordable way?

Please help!

SteamClutch

I am a little afraid to comment (I do not want to scare you away), but here goes. Yes it can be expensive but it doesn't have to be, I have not spent any more money for what I am doing. You will be cutting back on many things like pasta which should be dropped completely, grains will get your joints and cause all kinds of serious damage over the long haul. There are many ways to get very high quality foods into you so you do not burn through your wallet. I recommend reading at least one book on this lifestyle before you delve into it; knowledge is the key to this and I am still reading books on it. I was already committed to the Atkins diet when I stumbled across this so I was 80% here already but the info is there and it is solid. You will find yourself in the kitchen more unless you never eat out anyway which is always a good thing. I hope this helps, as for reading material there are some great posts in the stickys and I am going through them.

JolienvanH

Thanks, that does help a lot! I'm currently reading 'the paleo diet for athletes', which is kind of helpful, and have been looking on the internet for some more recipes to try. I'd been trying to cut bread and pasta for a while, because whenever I eat them I do feel hungry again after an hour or so. If you have any more tips I'd love to hear them!

FitToLead

Good on you clutchbone. I started to reply earlier, then deleted.. I agree.. it can be expensive and it can be daunting.. on the other hand.. Because I almost never eat out now, don;t grab little snacks, or even cheap meals out, I am spending much less money than before.

And, as an athlete (as I once was) , i reckon it is the only way to go. I've learnt a lot reading these posts, and Akimajuktuq has given some really useful specific advice including reading Chris Kresser's book the paleo code. His website is really cool too.

Paleo has been a gift, the one thing I would do differently if I took in on from scratch again is to eat more fat and more protein. I was unwell so didn't feel like eating- but- having read another text Akimajuktuq suggested on my gut health- I am now cooking up lots of soups with meat bones, and meat that cooks to very soft and digestable, and additional fat with oils.

If you don;t keep your food intake up you will take a dive. I reckon easing in first. STOP any wheat and any added sugars or junk food until you get off any of those cravings. Then drop any other grains. I reckon at first keep high vegetable carb levels - eg sweet potato, pumpkin etc .. but if you are over the cravings, and eating enough fat and protein, I don't think you won't have any serious problems with athletic performance.

Akimajuktuq

Eating healthy, whole foods does NOT have to be more expensive at all. Most of whether it will or will not be will be due to your personal choices. Also, I think that health costs should also be considered when thinking about whether the Paleo lifestyle is "too expensive". I have zero health costs, minus a few important supplements, and my quality of life has improved dramatically. That's priceless, if you ask me.

I keep track of every cent I spend and have done so for years. I actually spend 10-20% LESS since I went Paleo. However, if I didn't see those numbers in black and white I would actually think I'm spending more. The reason is because many of the items I buy are VERY expensive. I also have to order things from all over the place and I incur shipping costs to my remote location. BUT, before I went Paleo, I was severely malnourished and couldn't stop eating. I ate huge quantities of crappy food and was never full or satisfied. I was diagnosed with binge eating disorder, but as mentioned, it was actually malnutrition. Now I eat more expensive food, but I eat FAR LESS.

I also eat local foods which saves money and improves health even more. I have access to caribou, Arctic char, moose, muskox and other odds and ends. I hunt a little, but mostly I get some given to me or buy some from local hunters. If I lived in an agricultural area I would get to know all of the local farmers and buy directly from them. Also, eat nose to tail. You don't always have to have ribeye steaks or tenderloin. Buy cheaper cuts, cook in bulk. You can also get a few friends together and buy an entire cow, pig or whatever. Grow a garden if you live somewhere you are able to do that. Some towns even let people have chickens in their yards. There's all sorts of options you just have to put in some effort to figure out what's available to you. Start researching online, talk to people, visit farmers, etc.

It's illogical that a more biologically appropriate diet would be bad for your athletic activities. Likely you would need more starchy carbs than someone like me, and higher calories. Eat what you need to meet your physical needs. Once your body is used to this lifestyle it will tell you what it requires so just listen. I'm resolving metabolic disorder so I prefer a higher fat/lower carb diet. However, imo, 50% fat is a bare minimum. One of the secrets to why Paleo is so great is, besides better food, we are consuming adequate amounts of healthy fats, which our body really needs but which conventional advice tells us to avoid! A Paleo diet does generally create a lower carb lifestyle than the Standard American Diet but the "crash" will be temporary. If you are eating a lot of sugar now, and want to get healthier you will likely need to decrease sugar, but you don't need to purposefully go "low carb". You would likely find 100g of carb per day adequate, and if you have no metabolic disorders to resolve I'm sure you could trust your body.

Ideally base a Paleo diet on animal foods (don't forget organs, bone broth, bone marrow), vegetables (don't forget fermented), and fruit (how much depends on the individual-I must limit fruit due to my issues with sugar), but nuts are more of a condiment and should only be consumed in small amounts. Nuts are not for everyone, or some people spend time soaking and sprouting them to make them more digestible. I spend a lot on nuts when I place an order for sure, but they last a very long time.

SteamClutch

Yes to what they said... I am still new to this but I am reading a lot daily on the subject and have books queued up on my Kindle as I plow into this field (I am a Nerd and a bit of a Geek too) but I can't help but feel this is real science about human physiology and so far it has an incredible outcome at least with me and others I know personally who are stepping into this lifestyle. I'll let you know in ten years if it is a failure but it seems unlikely.

MikeFlyMike

You should meet Heather
http://about.me/heatherkelly

and her main site
http://openutrition.com/

Paleo doesn't have to be expensive at all. in fact, you will be amazed how expensive non-nutrient food really is. And how cheap eggs can be. Veggies are also quite affordable and you can get plenty of carbs from tubers if you need them - but I really encourage you to reach out to Heather virtually.