Starting again

Every time I forget to eat Paleo I soon remember why I eat Paleo.

This past year my husband and I did  Whole 30 - 30 days of exact Paleo, no sweets or sweetener, no grains or sneaky ones, no dairy, just real Paleo.  I did great, even with some challenges of dinners out because of meetings and a retreat with some of my best clergy friends.  My husbands biggest challenge was giving us the sweetener in his coffee.  He didn't.

He likes to see the reasons for things so he read their book,"It Starts With Food"  that got him convinced once again to keep going.  We did well the 30 days and a while after.  I lots about 15 pounds he probably lost 20.

Then the holidays arrived.  We did better about the foods than any other year but still got off track.  We kept trying to get back on track and this is the month to begin again.  That's the good thing about Paleo you can just stop the bad stuff and get going because the food is already there - no packages or plans to buy - not too many special things you need and more of it is available now.

So during Lent we are doing Paleo - this time he is giving up the sweetener.

I encourage you to try too.

Look at the Whole 30 site for guidance if you need an extra boost.  They send you emails everyday for encouragement.

A few new cookbooks:



The Clothes Make the Girl
Great recipes and guidance from Melissa Joulwan.  Her website is great too.

We love the traditional recipes from Paleo Comfort Foods because they are fairly easy to fix and really are good recipes for other foods turned Paleo.  My husband even likes cauliflower rice with the Gumbo.

I encourage you start!  Just begin, if you don't get it all right in the beginning you will still be eating better and healthier than you were before.

Blessings and grace.

C. Kay

Starting on a Paleo Journey

My husband needs lots of information to begin a journey.  He wants to know where we are going, how long we will be there, what we will be doing and all the details.  I don't need so much info to go, I just go and see how it all turns out.  This journey is not so different.  I just started with some boundaries and access to some new recipe books to give me some options.

To help him begin I bought the "Paleo Diet" by Dr. Loern Cordain, that gives my husband all the details and is my go to book when he asks why or why not.  I also bought the "Paleo Diet Cookbook" by Dr. Cordain along with Nell Stephenson and Lorrie Cordain so he would have proof that there are recipes for real food that tastes great.  I think these are staples for those who are beginning this journey.

I talked to him about how much better he would feel after just one week of giving up dairy, bread and legumes.  Needless to say he was a slightly doubting Thomas.  We began the journey by agreeing that we would not throw everything in the pantry away - we would use ketchup instead of making our own- but would eventually move totally to Paleo. 

The best adventure was the trip to the farmer's market- we have a great international market- to get some beginning things and lots of great veggies.  Mike was amazed at the quality and price of everything and is now convinced that is the best way to buy.  We have cooked and enjoyed the meals- he cooks most of the time.  After two weeks he is now convinced I WAS RIGHT!!  He feels much better, has lost 10 lbs and enjoys what we are eating. 

No he is not 100% Paleo, he still occasionally eats a bagel, but is willing to cut way back.  He misses the pasta but agrees to have that on occasion and is happy to support my Paleo life with less pessimism.  This is a good start.

Here are some books that you might find helpful:

The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat [Paperback]  Loren Cordain (Author)

The Paleo Diet Cookbook: More than 150 recipes for Paleo Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Beverages [Paperback] Loren Cordain (Author), Nell Stephenson (Contributor), Lorrie Cordain (Contributor)

The Paleo Answer: 7 Days to Lose Weight, Feel Great, Stay Young [Hardcover] Loren Cordain (Author)

Paleo Comfort Foods: Homestyle Cooking for a Gluten-Free Kitchen by Julie Sullivan Mayfield, Charles Mayfield, Mark Adams and Robb Wolf (Sep 12, 2011)

Getting Ready

I'm excited about the Paleo Diet. It is working well for me and I want others to know how healthy you can be by changing to this great way to eat. I'm teaching my husband to prepare our meals this way using a variety of cookbooks and web information. This way I can share what I am teaching him and my workout group with others.

Blessings for your own Paleo journey.