Is Paleo for couples only?

I am a full time working mother of two amazing boys, and have a husband that works full time as well. I am in charge of all cooking, and grocery shopping, lunch making, etc. My family eats Paleo! We have found numerous health benefits, and even ways to shop that don't kill our tight budget. I am a teacher and honestly at times struggle to make ends meet. I also have celiac disease and have had numerous health issues as a result, instead of taking expensive medicine I eat Paleo, strict 100% of the time (minus the Reese's peanut butter cup I just consumed...opps:)

I have created a blog to share recipes, that are family friendly and to show ways to shop for Paleo goods that won't cause you to find a second job! My best advice is to plan ahead, I usually create a menu during the weekend and go to the grocery store, purchasing just what I need and cannot get at the local farmers market. On Wednesdays the boys and I leave for school early so we can stop by the local farmers market and pick up a weeks worth of fruits and veggies for $40. The meat supplies and additional baking goods such as almond flour, etc. is what I purchase at the grocery store, using coupons, and sales to help make my menu. I pack the boys a lunch each day of the week, and I usually eat left overs from the night before.

We have found our boys behavior, attention, and sleep patterns have improved greatly.

Check out my blog for recipes, meal plans, etc. http://escapingcrazy.wordpress.com

Good Luck! Enjoy!

I don't know a ton about paleo, but isn't it food close to its natural state, meats and raw fruits and veggies? I would think it would be very little food prep and cooking???

My sister does Paleo and she has a husband and 4 boys who don't eat this way. Hardboiled eggs, avocado, almonds, chicken breast, fish, greens, cauliflower, broccoli make up much of her daily menus. She makes dinner for her family and eats her way. The foods on the Paleo diet are simple to make….I am confused as to why you think this needs to be a couples' diet. She also is a full time working person. That said…you have to preplan your meals… Good luck.

The OP definitely has a valid question. The number one challenge you hear about from most people doing Paleo is the shopping/prep/cook time needed. In most cases you can also talk to anyone who's observed someone preparing Paleo, for confirmation of that. So not sure why you'd be "confused" by her question. Just because some people can manage it, doesn't mean it isn't challenging. With its reliance on fresh foods, & most recommend organic, that requires more trips to the grocery store & often a specialty grocery store that has more organic choices. I have one friend who did it for a month, really didn't see any huge health benefits over "normal" healthy eating, & quit. Another friend is into her 2nd month, but does talk about how much time it takes. My daughter & her husband try to stick w/it, but both work very long hours, so they aren't militant about sticking w/it.

I would love to do Paleo (whatever it is) but I don't like cooking sigh.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=263392915

That's Paleo? Then I'm doing Paleo without even realising it :laugh:

Hi,
I have been trying to go Paleo lately and researching books and recipes and time after time finding that the people who are successful at it have one person that doesn't work and is able to devote the time it takes to make it work.
It's alot of shopping, prepping and cooking. ...even the quick recipes take too long sometimes.


I am a single mom and work more than full time, I would like to hear from people who work full time and do all the shopping, cooking and prepping for the Paleo diet, and are still successful at getting their workouts in.

I can't really answer your question, but I can tell you that my husband is always asked about this lunches at work. He usually eats leftovers from whatever he made us for dinner the night before and people are constantly asking him about how he eats such nice food. There aren't really any recipes involved at all. Consistently, we eat some meat like steaks or chicken breast roasted with some seasoning salt or fried sausage. For a side, we do something like kale and some raw veggies. Sometimes we add a salad and/or steamed veggies. It's all delicious. Key things are: coconut oil for frying or anything else, using a meat thermometer to make sure everything is cooked perfectly, and make friends with your butcher. Sometimes, he'll add in baked potatoes with butter (yes, we cheat) and chives or something else if he needs more carbs (I run on significantly less carbs than he needs).

Basically, it's clean, simple and really really yummy. Try a nice rib-eye steak with a side of asparagus. You shouldn't need a lot of time, though we do spend money on the basics.

You don't need special recipes or marketed foods to eat paleo. You just need to eat meats and veggies and high carb veggies (like sweet potatoes or yams).

Good luck!! If you want any specific advice, feel free to add me. You'll notice that I cheat. I eat natural peanut butter every day because it's my favourite food and without it, there is no way I could stick to a diet. I also occasionally eat dairy or a burger with a bun.

Uh what? As far as I know, its just eating fresh fruit, veggies and lean meats, with some other random rules thrown in there. Its easy to make paleo meals on the go and it doesn't take a dedicated at home person to make it work. There are tons of simple paleo recipes.

Its not really this huge drastic thing everyone treats it like, ok no dairy like milk or cheese, no processed sugars and white carbs. Its almost like a common sense diet.. Like really, lean meats and fresh veggies daily! STONE the paleo and their crazy ideas

My sister does Paleo and she has a husband and 4 boys who don't eat this way. Hardboiled eggs, avocado, almonds, chicken breast, fish, greens, cauliflower, broccoli make up much of her daily menus. She makes dinner for her family and eats her way. The foods on the Paleo diet are simple to make….I am confused as to why you think this needs to be a couples' diet. She also is a full time working person. That said…you have to preplan your meals… Good luck.

The OP definitely has a valid question. The number one challenge you hear about from most people doing Paleo is the shopping/prep/cook time needed. In most cases you can also talk to anyone who's observed someone preparing Paleo, for confirmation of that. So not sure why you'd be "confused" by her question. Just because some people can manage it, doesn't mean it isn't challenging. With its reliance on fresh foods, & most recommend organic, that requires more trips to the grocery store & often a specialty grocery store that has more organic choices. I have one friend who did it for a month, really didn't see any huge health benefits over "normal" healthy eating, & quit. Another friend is into her 2nd month, but does talk about how much time it takes. My daughter & her husband try to stick w/it, but both work very long hours, so they aren't militant about sticking w/it.

What "prep" time? Its just normal foods? If you bring you lunch to work you are generally going to be prepping food anyways. How hard is it to eat veggies and meat? Or grab a piece of fruit for a snack or a small portion of nuts over a carb loaded snack? I dont see how this diet takes tons of time to prep when its just normal foods. Plus lots of people on diets portion control there foods, some even label foods for a week at a time, its normal for people to prep food. But paleo can be simple.

http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/paleo-diet-food-list/

I'm a paleo college student in a house with people that don't eat the same way I do. I just have go to recipes that I cycle through and I eat left overs a ton.