Switching to paleo
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Rebeccahelen514
Posts: 47 Member
I am considering making a huge change and going Paleo.. Not to lose weight, but to better my health. I have a skin disease that I have been battling since OCT 2010 when it randomly began. I have been told it is a lifelong issue with no cure. I've been put on antibiotics and given antibiotic creams and hate it. I do not want to rely on medicine for the rest of my life. I have read that it is "thought" to be an auto-immune disease and quite a bit of people have had success putting it into remission by going Paleo and eliminating "nightshades" which are certain types of foods (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers ect.) Anyways, I am wanting to do this asap and hope I can "cure" myself. It is worth trying. Those of you who have tried going paleo was it extremely difficult? I currently eat like crap to put it blatantly. I try to stay within my calories but I do eat quite a bit of processed foods. I am going to do a ton of research first and prepare myself to make sure I am not depriving myself of any essential nutrients of course. I'm just not sure how to start. I appreciate any advice or suggestions! 
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Eating real food is easy. Just follow the pyramid on the top of his page.0
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I ate like crap before I switched to Paleo. It can be done, but it definitely takes some full-out commitment.
It sounds like you want to look into the Autoimmune Protocol version of Paleo, which does eliminate nightshades. The best resource I can recommend is Practical Paleo - tons of background info, and a bunch of 30-day meal plans that were invaluable to help me not feel so overwhelmed.
Feel free to friend me and/or PM me if you have specific questions. 0 -
One of the things that originally got me started with eating primal was constantly recurring peri-oral dermatitis. The last time I had it my dermatologist said it was the worst case he had ever seen. I asked him if he thought eating this way would help and he gave me a resounding NO.
Of course I ignored him - I was desparate to try anything at the time and not be reliant on a long course of antibiotics. I started with a Whole30 then switched to primal eating. After about 2 weeks (with very little fruit) my skin started to heal and eventually cleared up to look the best it ever had. Our skin health is a reflection of our internal health - if your cells are properly nourished it will show up in how your skin looks and reflect the good stuff going on inside.
To answer your question about whether it is difficult. Yes and no. I started before Whole30 by just making small changes - i.e breakfast (switching from toast to an omelette). Then I added in doing lunch the same way and dinner was easy to make adjustments to so I was compliant. Focus on making one meal primal, follow it up with another one, don't stress if the one after that isn't perfect just follow it up with another primal meal then soon you'll be stringing them all together :-) Give yourself time to ease into it with a few hitches before trying to be 'perfect' about it.
I find the best thing is a little pre-planning and thinking ahead for a couple of days worth of meals and trying to eliminate cooking every single meal - i.e knowing that lunch will be last nights leftovers means I think ahead to make enough for an extra meal and serve it straight up into my lunchbox ready for the next day.
Oh, and I've haven't had any more peri-oral dermatitis since making this change nearly 2 years ago! Prior to that it would crop up every few months and hang around for ages.
Hope that helps :-)0 -
I am considering making a huge change and going Paleo.. Not to lose weight, but to better my health. I have a skin disease that I have been battling since OCT 2010 when it randomly began. I have been told it is a lifelong issue with no cure. I've been put on antibiotics and given antibiotic creams and hate it. I do not want to rely on medicine for the rest of my life. I have read that it is "thought" to be an auto-immune disease and quite a bit of people have had success putting it into remission by going Paleo and eliminating "nightshades" which are certain types of foods (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers ect.) Anyways, I am wanting to do this asap and hope I can "cure" myself. It is worth trying. Those of you who have tried going paleo was it extremely difficult? I currently eat like crap to put it blatantly. I try to stay within my calories but I do eat quite a bit of processed foods. I am going to do a ton of research first and prepare myself to make sure I am not depriving myself of any essential nutrients of course. I'm just not sure how to start. I appreciate any advice or suggestions!
It's not difficult, but expect some serious challenges the first few days (e.g., cravings for sweets, carbs, etc). I've only been doing this for a month, and for me, I've found it's easiest if I keep it simple. Plain ole meat and veggies for lunch and dinner. Nuts for snack. Add a little butter, coconut oil, bacon, avocado, etc. to help make up your calories - when you're eating real food, it can sometimes be difficult to make your daily calories.0 -
You may feel like crap for the first few days also as your body adjusts to this different way of eating. Stick with it and you will come out the other side feeling great.
I know you said you aren't doing this to lose weight but you may want to measure yourself (neck, waist, hips) and track those monthly (or weekly). Sometimes the changes to your body are not just dropping pounds but losing inches.0 -
Not sure if this will help you out at all, but have you seen the movie "fat, sick and nearly dead"? It is available to watch on youtube - this is the official website: http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ and reboot with joe: http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/rebooting/
Anyway, the guy who made the film (Joe Cross) had a skin condition too - not sure if it is anything like what you are living with...he ended up doing a juice fast along with eating nuts and beans (I think) which was supervised by a doctor with blood tests etc - might be worth giving a go for a week or ten days to see how it helps you out. Does take a bit of preparation though.0 -
Thank you all so much for the replies. I am starting a garden this year to help cut the costs of this lifestyle. Pretty sad that it costs so much to eat the way we are supposed to!!! I am excited to make a change.0
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Greetings. I have had guttate psoriasis since my teens, although it put itself into remission a couple of years ago (except for one strange little patch on my thigh). Believe me, I KNOW what it is like to suffer from a nasty skin condition. Many years ago, I read "Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative" by John Pagano, which is based on a clean diet, including the elimination of nightshade vegetables, just like you mentioned. Unfortunately, reading his book led me into a years-long affair with macrobiotics.
I've been eating paleo/primal for only a couple months. Historically, I've always been drawn to starches more than sugar, and I can tell you that my (quite ample) body transitioned to paleo very easily. The worst that happened to me was a week-long cold a few weeks in, during which I spewed about a gallon of fluid out of my nose. I think everyone has a different response; I've *heard* that the junkier your diet is to begin with, the wackier you feel upon transition, especially if you are athletic and very cognizant of your performance (e.g. energy levels) when working out.
Bottom line: it's all very individual. I can tell you that my complexion in general (psoriasis not the issue) has improved greatly since eating clean. My face is less oily, smoother, and *much* less ruddy.
Come on in! The water is fine!0 -
I always recommend the book It Starts with Food to my friends that ask me how and why when it comes to my food choices. The cookbook Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan was a HUGE help when I first got started. I have switched my whole family over (husband and kids ages 21, 13, 8 and 6). I started slowly, by cutting out gluten. That cut out most of the processed foods. Then a couple months in we did a Whole30 (husband and I; 13 yr old did a W21) and that helped greatly with flipping over to paleo/primal completely and helped my son and I figure out what other foods besides gluten we are sensitive too.
My entire family has seen improvements in their health, both physically and mentally. My two youngest children have special needs and the diet has helped so much with some of the issues they have. Nothing but good things comes from eating well. :-)
Best of luck!0 -
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I ate like crap before I switched to Paleo. It can be done, but it definitely takes some full-out commitment.
It sounds like you want to look into the Autoimmune Protocol version of Paleo, which does eliminate nightshades. The best resource I can recommend is Practical Paleo - tons of background info, and a bunch of 30-day meal plans that were invaluable to help me not feel so overwhelmed.
Feel free to friend me and/or PM me if you have specific questions.
Hmmm...I should maybe look at eliminating nightshades. I've always been disappointed that going Primal hasn't gotten rid of the psorriasis (sp?) on my shins. I've seen a number of other health benefits, but that was always something I'd hoped would go away.
Thanks for the tip.0 -
i went paleo in hopes to reduce my heart burn and it completely eliminated it! I suggest starting with the book It Starts With Food. Eating this way is totally different from the standard american diet (SAD, funny thats the acrymn) but thats a good thing considering all the obesity issues that typical Americans have. I blog a lot on various recipes and what not so feel free to friend me or ask any questions you may have. Paleo is a hot topic on here so I advise finding some close, reliable friends or joining the groups.
Good luck, you wont regret this change!0 -
I always recommend the book It Starts with Food to my friends that ask me how and why when it comes to my food choices. The cookbook Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan was a HUGE help when I first got started.
I agree. It Starts With Food is a great read. And Well Fed is excellent too!0 -
great website called the Whole 30 (Melissa & Dallas Hartwig...wrote It Starts with Food...EXCELLENT Book)
info is free and has many testimonials of people changing to a REAL food diet. Good luck and feel free to add me
Ive been paleo/primal (when I need greek yogurt or see jalapeno cheese on a buffet..lol) and have never felt better. Also since changing my eating habits my skin condition has cleared up (had Keritosis pilaris since I was 8..43 now and its almost non existant), sleep like the dead, have tonnes of energy...=)
Its worth a try0 -
i agree... research. i am almost on day 100 for paleo eating and i don't think i will ever look back! it has been wonderful for me and my family. primal body primal mind is another great book0
