Three Months

That is .. three months today since we celebrated Christmas. Let that sink in for a moment!

There has been a lot of negative talk in the media about the Paleo lifestyle lately. The media sure has it in for Pete Evans, but with 800,000 facebook followers and thousands already on his Paleo 10 week program, I guess there are a few industries experiencing a drop in profits.

The grain, dairy and sugar industries would be feeling pretty peeved at the rate that the numbers of Paleo followers are increasing .. although the farmers who provide these three commodities get ripped off by the big corporations, so they wouldn't be suffering.

The big corporations that create the processed foods that we are addicted to, might be feeling the pinch, as more and more people are understanding the health risks from eating their 'food like' substances. Since those industries support the media through advertising, then I guess the media is saving it's own butt, by convincing us that Paleo is killing us and our children.

One of the headlines that the media push is the 'supposed' food groups that Paleo lifestylers are foregoing.

Let's start with grains.

Grains are not actually a food group and it's impossible to be 'grain deficient'.

Every nutrient, vitamin and mineral that you get from grains, you can get in greater abundance, in fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. This also goes for fibre.

In science, grains are actually on the bottom of the pile for nutrient density, yet the outdated food pyramid tells us that grains have the most importance and that our diet should be mostly grains.

Grains are deficient because they contain anti-nutrients that impair the nutrition that you ingest from real food.

Let's look at dairy.

Where do we get our calcium, if not from dairy?

More than enough 'natural' calcium in a nutrient dense diet of fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and seafood. Not to mention home made bone broth, that is consumed on a daily basis. The best thing about it is that you not only get calcium, but a shipload of other vitamins and minerals to go with it.

65% of the world's population (that's 7 billion people) are lactose intolerant to some degree. I didn't believe that I was intolerant until I removed all dairy for 8 weeks and then had some in a coffee. My body reacted .. as it has always reacted .. but because my body was in a constant state of inflammation due to grains, sugars and dairy, I never noticed it before.

It's difficult to explain to someone who hasn't removed those things from their diet, but when you have nothing to compare it to, you believe that your body copes with grains, dairy and sugars perfectly well. Once you remove them and then re-introduce them, that's when you feel your body's negative response.

It's a physical reaction that really is not pleasant.

I don't need to discuss the sugar situation .. I've written about sugar and all of the different names that it goes by, as well as the health concerns attached, a few times now, so I won't go over that again.

Paleo is also NOT about eating too much meat/protein. Meat, the size of the palm of your hand, is all that is necessary at any one meal .. the rest of the plate should be full of fruit and veg.

What keeps you most satisfied, is the inclusion of good fats like grass fed butter, duck fat, macadamia and coconut oils, avocado, nuts and seeds.

As far as Paleo goes, every day, there are hundreds more stories of people who have, by removing the inflammatory foods and increasing the nutrient dense foods, helped their body fight disease and illness so that medications could be reduced or stopped altogether.

This is what Paleo is really all about .. creating a healthy body with a strong immune system to heal itself.

Here's another Paleo story ...

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Here is Kylie's (no relation) paleo story

I first heard about paleo 8 months ago when one of my best friends said he had "gone paleo". I had no idea what he was talking about. He suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for the previous 11 years and within a couple of months the changes in him were remarkable.

I thought that if paleo can do that for someone with an illness, what could it do for me, who I considered relatively healthy.

So I started looking into what paleo was. I came across Pete Evans Facebook page and started following. Then I saw a 10 week program was starting and thought what a great way to be introduced to the paleo lifestyle!

My main aim in undertaking the program was something rather simple - I just wanted to sleep better. For most of my adult life, most nights I woke 10 - 15 times during the night. This left me tired and irritable the next day, and often needing a nap after work. As a full time single parent to 2 children, and a nurse in a busy area, the lack of quality sleep was really taking a toll on me.

I am now in week 9 of the program and have never felt better.

As a 42 year old, I feel I have more energy now than I did in my 20's!! I feel like singing to the world - "I'M SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT". It's such a simple thing but it has made much such a difference to my life. Most days I wake up before my alarm which is set for 6am. Afternoon naps have disappeared as there is no need for them. I wake up feeling refreshed and full of energy.

There have been other benefits too. I have lost 20cm so far, lost a few kgs and a dress size, my skin (after an initial detox breakout) is clear and healthy. My stomach is no longer always bloated and let's just say, I don't frequent the toilet so much anymore. My appetite has reduced and I am no longer constantly snacking throughout the day.

Another bonus is I have started eating things I always thought I didn't like - onion, capsicum, zucchini, ginger, okra, asparagus and cauliflower just to name a few. I even cooked with chicken livers for the first time ever! It was to make a delicious pate, but baby steps lol.

I am part of a wonderful supportive tribe who answer any of my questions, and share tips and recipes. The support from Pete and his crew on the program is awesome. The 10 week program has really helped me prepare for the rest of my life.

It's definitely a paleo lifestyle and not a diet. At the moment I am planning a dinner party and can't wait to share some amazing paleo dishes with my friends.

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... and on that note (this is me again) ... I'm going to get some of that lovely sleep right now.

Nite all.