Paleo Eating/Clean eating

I wanted to come back and add some more thoughts. Now that I'm done drooling over at that website I liked to (and no, the 'stalker' in my name is no relation to the website...i just happened to stumble across it via pinterest one day and was hooked)

I've recently become very aware of what I refer to as 'industrial farming', the hormones and the antibiotics pumped into the meats we eat. The genetically engineered foods, not just fruits and veggies, but massive salmon, etc. I don't want to babble on like a crazed lunatic, but the point is, I've learned about the process the majority of our food source goes through from the time it is planted/conceived and ends up on our plate and not only did it disgust me, it scared the hell out of me in regards to what I was feeding myself and my family.

About a month ago, I made the switch to supporting my local farmers. I shop farmer's markets for all my produce and meats. My meats come from free-range environments where the cows, pigs, and chickens are allowed to run free over acres and acres of land, eating as nature has intended them to eat- not being force-fed an unnatural diet that makes them ill to the point they need antibiotics in the first place. The milk comes from grass fed cows, as does the butter, as well as the eggs. And did you know different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs? LOL Nothing like opening the carton to see what looked like giant robin eggs....small for a chicken egg, but blue as can be. So pretty

I also stopped buying store-bought munchies. No more cookies full of who knows what. I cook big batches of cookies from ingredients of MY choosing. The kids respect the fact that I put a lot of work into their sweets, so they eat less of them and savor them so much more than just going to the snack cabinet to mindlessly scarf down some Little Debbie garbage.

It's not exactly paleo, as we do still eat grains, but we eat unprocessed/whole grains as much as possible. I've been losing weight without trying, and my mind is more clear than when I was allowing contaminants into my kitchen.

I commend you on your choice of clean/paleo eating, and challenge you to get to know the sources from which your food is coming. Take it one step further and rest assured that the clean route you are taking is truly as clean as can be

I've recently become very aware of what I refer to as 'industrial farming', the hormones and the antibiotics pumped into the meats we eat.

The genetically engineered foods, not just fruits and veggies, but massive salmon, etc.

It's good to be aware of these things. Probably even good to be concerned about them. But keep in mind that our Palaeolithic ancestors ate absolute crap quality food. The meat especially was *terrible* - leaner than supermarket beef, sure, but unpreserved and generally of a freshness not much above carrion. Very few of the vegetables and fruits we harvest are even like the natural variants we hybridized them from - a modern carrot is not a Palaeolithic carrot, that's for sure. And scratch milk/dairy entirely - that's a post-Paleo innovation.

About a month ago, I made the switch to supporting my local farmers.

This is an awesome thing to do, as it strengthens your local community. That to me is already sufficient reason to do it - tomatoes that actually taste good is a nice bonus.

Anyway, good luck on your journey!

I commend you on your choice of clean/paleo eating, and challenge you to get to know the sources from which your food is coming. Take it one step further and rest assured that the clean route you are taking is truly as clean as can be

I think this is probably my favourite part of eating paleo. I've discovered how much better locally grown produce really is. And I feel better for supporting them rather than the big evil supermarkets.

'if you cant pronounce/recognise the ingredients, dont eat it' sounds fken stupid.

I think that it's great if eating paleo works for you, but personally it strikes me as being a little like chopping off your finger to cure a hangnail. Just about any successful diet is going to involve cutting back on sugar and other processed carbs; Paleo just takes that to an extreme.

It interests me that some people find it easier to give up all wheat/dairy/sugar, full stop, than to learn to work with smaller portions of those things.

bump for later reading

I do plan to only eat good meats that are humanely farmed.

Farmed meats are by definition non-Paleo.

I do plan to only eat good meats that are humanely farmed.

Farmed meats are by definition non-Paleo.

Not true, as all meat comes from farms.

Hunted game is Paleo - farmed meat is not. Cows are not paleo. Pigs are not paleo. Chickens are not paleo. Boar and pheasant and venison, are (more or less).

Anything that comes from a "family farm" is by definition not paleo, because farms are a post-paleo invention, and are in fact the reason the paleo era ended. A pastured cow from a small family farm is every bit as non-paleo as a CAFO-cow. It may (or may not) taste better, but it is every bit as non-paleo.

Let's all eat what we want to eat, but let's also call things what they really are, too.

I do a Paleo-ish diet. I completely avoid grains/wheat when I can (at least 90% of the time). I minimize my dairy by drinking almond milk. I do still have cream in my coffee and a small amount of cheese (but I don't eat cheese daily) and a bit of chocolate. And I try to minimize my legumes... Sort-of. I really like hummus with my veggies....

However, I absolutely love it. I'm the thinnest/leanest I've been in my adult life. I feel great. No more bloating/gas (unless I eat bread). And the best part about avoiding pasta, bread, etc. is it forces me to eat better. Instead of just grabbing a bagel for breakfast, I make something. I snack on fruit and veggies instead of crackers. Dinner tends to be meat and veggies. I try to eat free range organic when I can. Uncured bacon, etc.

I was a huge carb-o-holic before so at first I felt a little groggy. That went away after a couple of weeks. When I have a weekend off, btw (like last weekend), it takes a while for my digestion to normalize. So while there's this restaurant I'm going to that serves amazing mac & cheese, I'll probably avoid it. Not because I'm scared of the calories or carbs, but because I really don't want my stomach to feel icky later.

Anyway, I started this diet because I was tired of being hungry. I do count my calories, but I'm rarely if ever hungry on this diet. You can just pack so much more food into the same calories. And fat is satiating in a way carbs never can be. At least for me.

Never in my life have I ever eaten the volume of fresh veggies as I do now. I try to have some protein with breakfast, my lunch normally is a huge plate of raw veggies, then more steamed veggies and a lean meat for dinner. I'll throw in a piece of fruit for a snack during the day as well.

Before I switched to this way of living, I was constantly checking if I was under a certain amount of carbs or balancing what I ate to stay under a certain number of calories in a day. Now that I've switched, it all really just falls into place. It's not even a concern now because with the way I'm eating, I'm getting what my body needs...I'm always where I want to be carb-wise and I haven't gone over my calorie restriction. (Mind you, I'm an all or nothing kind of girl....I've completely cut out grains, legumes, and dairy 100%).

I feel the best that I've felt in more years than I can remember! And my skin??? Wow...what a difference! And good-bye IBS!!! I feel so healthy! Love it!!! I can't imagine myself reverting to my old way of eating...no way...not when I feel this great.

I know it's not for everyone, but for me it's been fantastic.