Starting paleo tips??
Love_Is_My_Fuel
Posts: 211 Member
I've recently had problems with my digestion after losing 105 lbs. and considering starting a paleo lifestyle. I already don't eat processed, pre-packaged foods, bad carbs or sweets. I'm not sure if I can stop eating dairy. Looking for tips.
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1. No food is worth being sick over.
(Dairy has been the tough one for me too, but I do go extended times without it because it is not healthy for me nor can I access local, raw dairy products.)
2. Don't fear the fat.
3. End calorie and scale obsession.
4. Never cheat with wheat. (some people can possibly)
5. Sugar MATTERS.
6. More than even organic veggies, ethically sourced animal foods are of unmost importance.
7. Do what you can with what you have now and keep researching and making improvements as you can. Don't get hopeless but don't give up either.
8. Listen to your body and judge your progress mostly according to how you FEEL (as opposed to just a number on a scale).0 -
The best advice I got when starting out was "eat when you're hungry". You might be hungry a lot or a little, but eat whenever you get hungry and don't start out by trying to limit how much you're eating (within reason of course). It makes the switch a LOT easier when there's not pressure to eat at certain times or concerns about eating too much. So long as what you're eating is healthy, don't try to restrict yourself when you're first starting out.0
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Congratulations on your weight loss!!! Way to go! How did you lose it?0
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Eating when you are hungry is good advice for people who are healthy already. It would have not been helpful for me when starting out because if I'm eating too many carbs/sugar even from "healthy" foods I am ALWAYS hungry. So it's good advice for those without metabolic disorder, but anyone with excess fat likely has to adjust their macros before they can trust hunger signals.
I agree about not limiting calories though. Too many people bring their calorie obsession into Paleo and it drives me crazy seeing people consistently under-eating. (Yup, I did it too for the first year and a half and have been paying for being stupid for over a year now...) Those same people also seem to struggle with adhering to Paleo for the long term.... probably because they are malnourished!0 -
You don't have to use up (read: eat) the non-Paleo food you still have in your house. It's not wasteful to donate unopened packages to your local food bank, or find other, non-food uses for things that are open (ie - crafts, compost, etc).
Paleo doesn't have to be expensive, even for the good foods. Start looking for farms and farmer's markets to source your foods. This will save money, increase quality, and support local farmers, all at once!
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. That's where 99% of your stuff is going to be now.
Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.
You don't have to just cut out dairy, and in fact, that might be harder to do. Instead, replace it with something. Trade the butter for coconut oil (if you're going full cut out) in cooking. Trade the fluid milk with unsweetened almond or coconut milk for cooking or the occasional drink, or with water for usual drinking. Trade yogurt for coconut milk kefir or other fermented foods.
You don't necessarily have to cut out dairy for ever. Commit to a month, then do a reintroduction trial to see what you can tolerate. Then, you may be able to keep at least some dairy products in your diet, at least on a moderated basis.0 -
Do you make your own coconut milk kefir?0
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I have learned recently after a successful 30 day challenge, that looking at it differently helps me. I say to myself when I feel deprived that I "choose" to eat this way NOW. I can make a different choice later on. If I am really struggling it is that DAY, or that week or that month. I am a dairy addict, and I firmly believe it is because I am allergic to some portion of it.0
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homesweeths wrote: »Do you make your own coconut milk kefir?
I don't, but you can. Just need the proper kefir grains (you can use the milk kefir grains, but you need to put them into dairy milk once in a while, because they thrive on lactose).0 -
Thanks. Does this lactose recharge "contaminate" the grains for dairy-free folks?0
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homesweeths wrote: »Thanks. Does this lactose recharge "contaminate" the grains for dairy-free folks?
I can't say for sure, and it probably depends on how sensitive to lactose you are. Kefir grains are cultures of bacteria and yeasts that consume lactose, so there shouldn't be much, if any lactose by the time it also ferments the coconut milk. MDA has an article about coconut milk kefir, and there are a number of comments addressing your very concern -- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/homemade-coconut-milk-kefir
If you're concerned about the dairy there, then you'll probably want to look into using water kefir grains, but I have no idea how they handle coconut milk (I'm not well versed in making kefir).0 -
I've used regular kefir grains in coconut milk and it worked great. But, I'm NO expert on kefir/yogurt either.0
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I reduced my dairy intake but have by no means eliminated it. If you tolerate dairy fine just give raw dairy a try. Raw whole milk, raw whole cheese...mmm, and so healthy! There are resources on the Weston A Price Foundation website and Real Food Liz that can help you source it locally...if it is legal in your state.0
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I used to drink raw milk, but have reacted much worse to milk protein (casein) since doing an elimination. Really tore my digestive system up with some Greek yogurt last week.
Can still tolerate full fat (butter, cream, sour cream) but not yogurt or half and half -- too much protein, I guess. So I was wondering if the grains would pick up dairy milk protein and contaminate the coconut milk when recharging. Will check out that link, thanks!0 -
Oh, and I've heard of culturing coconut water with water kefir grains, but haven't tried it yet.0
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homesweeths wrote: »I used to drink raw milk, but have reacted much worse to milk protein (casein) since doing an elimination. Really tore my digestive system up with some Greek yogurt last week.
Can still tolerate full fat (butter, cream, sour cream) but not yogurt or half and half -- too much protein, I guess. So I was wondering if the grains would pick up dairy milk protein and contaminate the coconut milk when recharging. Will check out that link, thanks!
You might be able to use goat milk, or look in to the A2 beta-casein cows and see if you can source milk from a farm that has only A2 cows. Most people who are casein reactive are only reactive to the A1 casein protein, which is somewhat unique to Holsteins and similar breeds. "Old" breeds, like Jerseys (as long as they haven't been interbred with cows with the A1 mutation), and non-cow milk animals, like goats and sheep, are A2 casein.
It seems to me that the milk kefir grains would be able to recharge in goat or sheep milk, but I haven't looked into that. Also, some people say the coconut milk is fine. Might be worth experimenting with.0 -
I really tear myself up with Greek yogurt, sour cream anything with milk and last cheese. A friend suggested if it is the yogurts and milks and soft cheeses it may be whey allergy. I think I have EVERY dairy allergy sadly as it is! But it may be whey, not casein, because casein is at high levels in in cheeses.homesweeths wrote: »I used to drink raw milk, but have reacted much worse to milk protein (casein) since doing an elimination. Really tore my digestive system up with some Greek yogurt last week.
Can still tolerate full fat (butter, cream, sour cream) but not yogurt or half and half -- too much protein, I guess. So I was wondering if the grains would pick up dairy milk protein and contaminate the coconut milk when recharging. Will check out that link, thanks!
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