Paleo Advice/Tips/Helpful Hints

Easiest way to start...remove gluten and grains from your diet and kitchen. Take or old food to homeless shelter.

Paleo does not mean low or no carbs

I've been paleo for just over 2yrs.

Change your diary to carbs/protein 25%, fat 50%. That's the best way to keep track. It seems crazy, but it really is not.

Throw away the old food. It's so worth it in the end, do not allow room for error and quit things cold turkey - at least for the first 30 days. Then bring things back in as your body will allow.

Coffee is fine, it's whatever you put in it. Stevia (although debatable) is okay, creamer is not. You could use sugar cane if you'd like. Just no syrups, chemically altered anything and no dairy. I drink mine black anyways, so it works. Tea is fine, same thing applies. I love tea! I drink it more than coffee, for the most part.

For your fish, it depends on what the seasonings are. If you see a lot of chemicals/preservatives, etc.. no.

As for getting started? I didn't start until I ate everything, even the bad stuff. As soon as my cupboards were empty (for the most part), I converted and it's the best decision I've ever made. I drink almond milk, do not drink soy. You are not supposed to have beans at all, this includes soy. After 30 days, let your body decide. I eat 'mostly paleo', as do most people. Butter is only okay if it's 'grass fed', I do not eat it at all. Use oil, it's much better.

Reddit has a pretty good community, if you're into that. Search for Paleo blogs, as well. NomNomPaleo is my favorite.

I was bad the first week. Dizzy, sick, headaches, etc. After ~10 days I was fine. You just have to stick with it! Add me, if you'd like!

Good luck!

:flowerforyou:

hi

i made the switch about a month ago and my best advice is don't think too much about it, just do it.
i can't help too much with the coffee/tea thing as i don't drink either, but from what i've seen other people say, coconut milk or oil work very well as an alternative to cow's milk.
and i'd seriously try not to think of grain based carbs as 'bad', they are just unnecessary.

one thing you might consider, as i have done, is pick your battles. i am still trying to get my head around eating lots of good fats, so while i do this, i'm still allowing myself a bit of peanut butter. although i've found a chocolate almond butter that i like but it has palm oil or something in it. so it's peanuts or a sugar substance. i personally can't stomach plain almond butter, or a lot of nut butters, so i'm giving myself that leeway.

bread hasn't been a problem for me, i pretty much stopped eating it when i moved to the states anyway as it's not what i know to be bread. if you are a big bread eater and want to give yourself a good chance with this, either eat it first, remove it from the house, or throw it in the freezer and forget about it.

with your packaged fish, check the label. if it says sugar, then no. if it says canola/sunflower oil then no. check if there are starches in the seasoning, potato based starches are something to cut back on, corn based ingredients are again a no.. a little salt is fine, herbs are fine.

as for your dairy question, that's a matter or preference and goals. the purists say absolutely not. others say if you just want to eat more healthily, and don't have lactose problems, maybe you could have a little full fat milk. if you want to lose weight then it's better not to. personally i am more primal than paleo, i do have some dairy now and then, though it tends to be cheese rather than milk. coconut milk (the pure, tinned variety, not the fashionable, sweetened boxed drink) is a great alternative in cooking and hot drinks. i'm not sure i could drink it straight though. boxed coconut and almond milks both tend to be sweetened with various things so i don't go for them.

as i said, i'm still figuring it out, but this is what i'm working with. i eat a lot of rotisserie chicken. i love red peppers, they are my go to snack any time of day. i have a big juicy steak at least once a week with lots of green veg, grilled tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. people seem to swear by bacon, but again, i'm not a fan of american bacon so it's not as big a part of my diet. i prefer a big plate of ground pork with tomato, onion and cheese thrown in and a couple fried eggs (fried in lard, ghee or the pork fat) on top. that's my weekend breakfast and tends to last me through to mid-late evening. i make a big batch of something with ground beef on a sunday, bolognaise/lasagne/meatballs, and that pretty much gets me through the week. where i would have used pasta, i now use zucchini/courgette sliced thinly like spaghetti or lasagne sheets.

i hope something in all that helps. if you want, add me as a friend, we can give each other ideas

You are doing fine. Start slowly, remove the things you "know" you should remove, study, read, ask questions, and refine your diet as you go. IMO if you will just remove most/all gluten you will be so much better off. Then start replacing processed foods with real food as much as you can.

I definitely agree with the above do it in stages.

There is a good how to here: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/

And here: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/01/22/super-mario-eating/

I'm a nerd. Anyways, the second link is one girls way of how she transitioned into (mostly) paleo.

There are a couple groups you could also look for advice in:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/621-the-primal-life-tips-from-the-cave
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/37-primal-paleo-support-group

I also like the website: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ you can search for almost any topic related to primal/paleo and something should come up.

If you like to read or have a library card, I've read The Primal Blueprint and The Paleo Diet, though I liked PB better, they have lots of information too.

As for recipes, just googling "Paleo _______ or Primal _________" with something like spaghetti or gravy or stew or whatever, has been working for me. There is also http://nomnompaleo.com/ which I've found some good recipes on as well as marksdailyapple.com I mentioned before.

I understand you don't want to waste the food, you could either give it away to friends/family/shelter or you can freeze it and eat them gradually over time, depending on how strict you want to go. If you plan on having a cheat meal you can hold on to them and eat them then.

I had pretty bad carb cravings in the first week, but once I pulled through and asked for advice on here, I felt much better. Good luck!:flowerforyou:

Feel free to add me, I'm really new to primal eating still, but I have an open diary!