Getting started with the Paleo lifestyle may seem daunting at first. For many people it is a huge shift in approach to shopping, food preparation, and eating. However, the long term benefits are wonderful. Eating Paleo doesn’t have to be boring. There is no need to confine yourself to a lifestyle of chicken breasts or steak served with piles of steamed veggies. I have discovered a vast range of interesting foods that I never would have tried previously.
So, you’re here, you must be interested. Let’s start out with Paleo Mom’s simplified approach.
The 30 Day Challenge: Simplify Your Approach
- Start off with a commitment to 30 days of eating a Paleo lifestyle
- Weigh and measure yourself at the beginning of your 3o days.
- Commit to eating 85% of your meals Paleo. Assuming you eat 21 meals a week, 16-18 of them should be 100% Paleo.
- Pay attention to your body and what it is telling you.
If you can commit to doing these four things, then keep reading.
What Can I Eat?
In short you can eat any unprocessed meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts or seed that you want. For clarification on what is
| Paleo Foods: Eat Up! | Not Paleo: Avoid | |
| Meats: Recommend organic and/or locally produced | alligator, beef, chicken, duck, emu, goat, lamb, pork, turkey | avoid processed meats – sandwich meat, pepperoni, pre-made burger patties, chicken nuggets, etc. |
| Eggs | chicken eggs, duck eggs | avoid processed egg products |
| Fish | kippers, sardines, herring, wild caught fish, shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab, etc. | avoid processed fish patties, canned tuna (can be high in mercury) |
| Vegetables | Focus on non-starchy vegetables. There are so many to choose from that this is not an exhaustive list: asparagus, spinach, kale, carrots, beets, lettuce (explore the many varieties), Swiss chard, kohl rabe, dandelion greens, radishes, tomatoes, eggplant, artichoke, sweet potatoes, and the list goes on. | Avoid potatoes and corn – these are particularly bad for your blood sugar. Avoid iceberg lettuce – it has almost no nutritional value |
| Legumes | Green beans are borderline acceptable. Eat sparingly. | Avoid all legumes including kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, fava beans, lentils, and peanuts |
| Nuts | Eat (preferably raw) Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, and nut butters made from these nuts. | Avoid peanuts – they’re not really a nut, they’re a bean. |
| Fruits | Like vegetables, there are many to enjoy: apples, pears, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, marionberries, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, oranges, pineapple, lychee, kumquats, grapes, raisins, prunes, etc | Avoid dried fruits unless you know they have been dried without added sugar. I dehydrate my own to avoid added sugar. If you have challenges with your blood sugar, look for high fiber fruits with less sugar – eg. berries and melons are good choices. |
| Dairy | Avoid dairy. Replace milk with almond milk, hazelnut milk and coconut milk for cooking or as a beverage. Read the label to make sure there are no added sugars. | Avoid milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt. |
| Sweets & sauces | Use unsweetened ketchup and home-made BBQ sauce. Use honey, agave, maple syrup or yacon syrup minimally for sweetening. Use powdered Stevia as a sweetner. | Avoid anything that contains sugar, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, and just about anything that ends with “ose”. Avoid salad dressing, store purchased ketchup, cocktail sauce, BBQ sauce, etc. |
| Beverages | Water, tea, coffee, nut milks, home juiced fruits and vegetables, wine, and the occasional beer if you like it | Avoid all soda (diet and regular), sports drinks, fancy coffee drinks, cocktails, store-bought fruit juice. All of these items are just sugar in a glass. |
| Oils | Olive oil, coconut oil, nut oils | Avoid corn oil, peanut oil, generic oil that you can’t identify, canola oil |
| Grains | Substitute arrowroot starch, almond flour or hazelnut flour in your cooking. | Avoid grains in general and absolutely avoid wheat and corn. |
| Beverages | Water, tea, coffee, nut milks, home juiced fruits and vegetables, wine, and the occasional beer if you like it | Avoid all soda (diet and regular), sports drinks, fancy coffee drinks, cocktails, store-bought fruit juice. All of these items are just sugar in a glass. |
How Do I Get Started?
- Plan your meals for the first week.
- Pack your lunches – it will be easier to stay on track if you take lunch with you.
- Make sure eat plenty of protein in the morning – this will keep you fueled into the day.
Meal Suggestions
Breakfast:
- Bacon & eggs with fresh fruit
- Egg, spinach and tomato fritata
- Paleo scones or muffins made with almond flour (replace the chocolate chips with raisins)$
- Sliced leftover beef or lamb roast and fresh fruit
- Boiled eggs (great for a portable breakfast), coconut milk & fresh/frozen berry smoothie
- Leftover chicken, eggs and salsa
- Pork chops and applesauce
Lunch: For packed lunches I generally try to include 2-3 veggies, a fruit, and plenty of protein
- Baked chicken legs/thighs, salad, broccoli, asparagus, or artichoke hearts to steam, fruit
- Sliced roast chicken, lamb or beef with veggies and fruit
- Zucchini or squash stuffed with beef, salsa and avocado.
- BLT Salad (Bacon, lettuce & tomato salad – add in some eggs or avocado for good measure)
- Cobb salad with leftover ham, eggs, nuts and veggies. Leave out the traditional blue cheese.
- Stew, soup or chili
- Leftovers
Dinner:
- Roast duck with Hot and Sour Winter Greens
- Shepherd’s pie (with mashed cauliflower on top instead of mashed potatoes)
- Quick and easy BBQ Chicken Gizzards
- Chicken (or Alligator) Strips
- Pot Roast Glazed with Red Wine and Cherries
- Apricot Glazed Chicken Thighs, Cauliflower “Rice”, Steamed Veggies
- Hamburger patty and baked sweet potato
Key Strategies to Make it Easier
Here are some key strategies I actively employ to make feeding my Paleo family:
- Make a roast of some kind on Sunday – lamb, turkey, duck, beef, whatever… to give us leftovers for the beginning of the week
- When cooking a soup or stew, make extras. These also make good leftovers for the next day.
- Cook up a tray of chicken legs, thighs, breasts to have handy for use in lunches and salads
- Boil several eggs and store them in the refrigerator until ready for use
- Use fruit for dessert
I hope that after you give this a try for 30 days you’ll keep on living this way. I can’t begin to explain how much stronger and healthier I feel after having made the switch to a Paleo lifestyle.
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