Hi Karen (and other buddies),
Well, I just made the big decision to go full ahead with the paleo (caveman) diet. I finished Dr. Cordain's book and am inspired.
I have decided that if there is anyone who has the hunter-gatherer genes, it is I! I am intolerant of gluten, dairy, yeast, corn, soy, and do best if I eat no other grains. And, I do well with EVERYTHING on the paleo diet - meat/fowl/seafood, fruits, veggies, eggs, nuts and seeds. Plus, my genetic/ancestral background is Europe, especially the British Isles, where the hunter-gatherers lived.
So, as of two days ago I have made a commitment to try this diet faithfully for a while to see what happens. I will probably still have a potato or beans once or twice a week, and an occasional glass of wine, but otherwise, I'm going to try to stick to it. The first thing I have noticed is how many more fruits/veggies I am now eating - at least 10-15 servings per day!!! I use them for snacks instead of rice crackers or potato chips or a Pamela's PB cookie. All of those phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, etc. MUST be healthful. It is EASY to get enough calcium from veggies when you eat such large amounts of them, isn't it? I have already noticed that without the grains and potatoes, I am no longer hungry throughout the day. Also I have cut out ALL refined sugar. I am drinking plain iced tea and no longer doing my sodas I made with 1/2 fruit juice and 1/2 mineral water. (Juices are loaded with sugar - far more than you would get by eating the individual fruit).
The biggest issue for me is meat. Ethically, it is still hard for me to eat meat, having been a vegetarian for 12 years before the MC hit. But I am between a rock and a hard place. It is obvious that my body is geared to eat animal protein.....I can't change that. The biggest challenge will be finding lean, range-fed meat/fowl. (We have a Wegman's store opeing in Oct. a few miles from my house, and I am counting on them to have free-range meat). Are you wondering why this is important? Apparently, the meat we eat now that is grain-fed has the "wrong" kind of fats. On the other hand, grass or range-fed meats are rich in the healthy omega 3 fats, which we all know help to reduce cholesterol and inflammation in the body. And you can even buy eggs that are rich in omega 3s, if the chickens who layed them are free-range.
I am really going to try this as an experiemnt. After some months I will get blood studies and a test for osteoporosis to see if there are any changes from my usual yearly profiles. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!
Love,
Polly
Move Over, Cavewoman Karen!
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Move Over, Cavewoman Karen!
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Shirley
Polly!
You are amazing and have more resolve than just about anyone I know!
That seems like a very difficult diet to follow, but if anyone can do it - you can!
I wish you the best and will be rooting for you.
I'll be especially interested to know how your osteopenia is after several months on the diet. BTW, Bruce and I eat only free range eggs and chicken. Bruce eats alot of Laura's beef - but I don't think it's from free range cows.
Bon chance!
Love,
Alice
You are amazing and have more resolve than just about anyone I know!
That seems like a very difficult diet to follow, but if anyone can do it - you can!
I wish you the best and will be rooting for you.I'll be especially interested to know how your osteopenia is after several months on the diet. BTW, Bruce and I eat only free range eggs and chicken. Bruce eats alot of Laura's beef - but I don't think it's from free range cows.
Bon chance!
Love,
Alice
Polly-
Good for you - you seem to have amazing willpower, so I'm sure you will have great success if indeed this diet is what you are best-suited for!!
As far as the meat thing...well try and think of it like you do the paleo diet - because of our teeth and digestive systems, humans were *designed* to be carnivorous and our role in the food chain is not something to be messed with
I guess I just think of "The Lion King" and "circle of life" when I see creatures consuming other creatures etc...that is what keeps everything in check...does this make any sense??
Mary
Good for you - you seem to have amazing willpower, so I'm sure you will have great success if indeed this diet is what you are best-suited for!!
As far as the meat thing...well try and think of it like you do the paleo diet - because of our teeth and digestive systems, humans were *designed* to be carnivorous and our role in the food chain is not something to be messed with
I guess I just think of "The Lion King" and "circle of life" when I see creatures consuming other creatures etc...that is what keeps everything in check...does this make any sense??Mary
Polly,
Wow!
I'm anxious to see how this goes, but I have no doubt that you can do it. You probably recall that I tried it back in January, and didn't last but a couple of days, because I was restricted to ultra-low carb vegetables, and no fruit and nuts, and as a result, the ketosis got on my nerves pretty quick.
Best of luck to you.
Love,
Wayne
Wow!
I'm anxious to see how this goes, but I have no doubt that you can do it. You probably recall that I tried it back in January, and didn't last but a couple of days, because I was restricted to ultra-low carb vegetables, and no fruit and nuts, and as a result, the ketosis got on my nerves pretty quick.
Best of luck to you.
Love,
Wayne
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Polly,
Can you eat buckwheat on the paleo diet? Is it a source of Vitamin E naturally, or do they fortify the buckwheat cereal flakes?
Reason for asking is that I just sampled some of my sis's yesterday and it was really good. Not sure what they used to sweeten it with, however. I just ate it dry, and didn't even miss having an alternative safe milk on it.
Have a box of...what do they call 'em, "groats??" There are some recipes on the back, so I just might try some of those that are adaptable to my MIs, and see what happens. Will try to report back on how it turns out at that time.
I just don't see how you have time to down that much fruit during the course of a day, particularly when you're at work. Isn't that the most difficult time to eat like this?
By the way, the black plums have certainly been delicious this summer. Do you get those good ones up your way?
Oh, and are you able to include sweet potatoes since you can't have potatoes? That would give you lots more fiber, and less of the bad carbs, wouldn't it?
Yours, Luce
Can you eat buckwheat on the paleo diet? Is it a source of Vitamin E naturally, or do they fortify the buckwheat cereal flakes?
Reason for asking is that I just sampled some of my sis's yesterday and it was really good. Not sure what they used to sweeten it with, however. I just ate it dry, and didn't even miss having an alternative safe milk on it.
Have a box of...what do they call 'em, "groats??" There are some recipes on the back, so I just might try some of those that are adaptable to my MIs, and see what happens. Will try to report back on how it turns out at that time.
I just don't see how you have time to down that much fruit during the course of a day, particularly when you're at work. Isn't that the most difficult time to eat like this?
By the way, the black plums have certainly been delicious this summer. Do you get those good ones up your way?
Oh, and are you able to include sweet potatoes since you can't have potatoes? That would give you lots more fiber, and less of the bad carbs, wouldn't it?
Yours, Luce
Polly et all-
I admire no end your resolve to take on the Paleo diet. I read all I could about it when Dear Karen first brought it to light. The meat question is not so much an ethical one but an issue of just how much meat I can eat until I sense that it is further stimulates my immune system to the point that I do not feel well. Wayne has so elegantly hypothesized the problem in his post.
I may have been misleading with my comments about feasting on the Paleo diet. I eat many of the ingredients but not necessarily in the proportions recommended by the purists. For the sake of discussion I would have to coin a new phrase for the board. “Paleo Diet Light” . Since MC is “Celiac Light” I have to thank Sally for the idea. I think it fits into many of the concepts that we have discussed all along.
Having discovered that all grains, all dairy, sugar, soy , yeast, night shades, legumes, certain oils(?)............ I have a hard time remembering it all, all head me in the wrong direction gut wise I found the paleao diet concept very interesting particularly since my genes are a bit old fashioned. The problem is that I can not eat enormous amounts of meat without feeling strange .
My diet now consists in any given meal of approximately 75% tolerated vegetables and 25% percent natural meat. I don’t make an exact science of this but base it on what covers an eight inch plate . Snacks are mostly made up of about a fifty fifty mix of vegetables to nut or seed protein. Fruit is eaten only as real treat or in small amounts after a meal that is a balance of protein and vegetables. I do my best to find the fruit that is in season at any given time in that it is like nectar from the Gods in small amounts
Breakfast tends to be mostly protein in that any type of sugar, fruit or sweet that early tends to set me up for a bad day. It is usually my pancakes, or sausage and eggs or leftover fish or meat from the night before and fresh cooked vegetables.
Well I could go on and on. As I have said it is not an exact science but a combination of so many things I have learned. Two years ago I would have looked at this and said “you are out of your mind” but it is working for me for the moment. In that it has worked for me to take ideas like all the ingredients of the paleo diet and adapt them to what works I hope that “Paleo Light” idea might be something that you might feel free to improvize on like the syncopated rhythms of a great piece of Jazz.
Love
Matthew
I admire no end your resolve to take on the Paleo diet. I read all I could about it when Dear Karen first brought it to light. The meat question is not so much an ethical one but an issue of just how much meat I can eat until I sense that it is further stimulates my immune system to the point that I do not feel well. Wayne has so elegantly hypothesized the problem in his post.
I may have been misleading with my comments about feasting on the Paleo diet. I eat many of the ingredients but not necessarily in the proportions recommended by the purists. For the sake of discussion I would have to coin a new phrase for the board. “Paleo Diet Light” . Since MC is “Celiac Light” I have to thank Sally for the idea. I think it fits into many of the concepts that we have discussed all along.
Having discovered that all grains, all dairy, sugar, soy , yeast, night shades, legumes, certain oils(?)............ I have a hard time remembering it all, all head me in the wrong direction gut wise I found the paleao diet concept very interesting particularly since my genes are a bit old fashioned. The problem is that I can not eat enormous amounts of meat without feeling strange .
My diet now consists in any given meal of approximately 75% tolerated vegetables and 25% percent natural meat. I don’t make an exact science of this but base it on what covers an eight inch plate . Snacks are mostly made up of about a fifty fifty mix of vegetables to nut or seed protein. Fruit is eaten only as real treat or in small amounts after a meal that is a balance of protein and vegetables. I do my best to find the fruit that is in season at any given time in that it is like nectar from the Gods in small amounts
Breakfast tends to be mostly protein in that any type of sugar, fruit or sweet that early tends to set me up for a bad day. It is usually my pancakes, or sausage and eggs or leftover fish or meat from the night before and fresh cooked vegetables.
Well I could go on and on. As I have said it is not an exact science but a combination of so many things I have learned. Two years ago I would have looked at this and said “you are out of your mind” but it is working for me for the moment. In that it has worked for me to take ideas like all the ingredients of the paleo diet and adapt them to what works I hope that “Paleo Light” idea might be something that you might feel free to improvize on like the syncopated rhythms of a great piece of Jazz.
Love
Matthew
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Morning Polly,
I am so anxious to see how this goes for you and when I get back on the 29th will be happy to hear it is going well. I know you can do it and I fully understand the meat issue. I would love to try the diet but there is no way I can do it being a vegan.
Good luck and see you in 2 weeks.
This is my last post until then.
Love you all and cannot tell you how much I will miss each and every one of you and I will never be able to catch up on everything when I get back.
Love and the best to all, Maggie
I am so anxious to see how this goes for you and when I get back on the 29th will be happy to hear it is going well. I know you can do it and I fully understand the meat issue. I would love to try the diet but there is no way I can do it being a vegan.
Good luck and see you in 2 weeks.
This is my last post until then.
Love you all and cannot tell you how much I will miss each and every one of you and I will never be able to catch up on everything when I get back.
Love and the best to all, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Polly,
You're very brave!
This is what I think about when I eat meat, and I know it's contrary to what many think. If I eat beef, I probably don't eat a whole cow in a year. Therefore, I'm responsible for only one life lost. If I eat chicken, an animal is killed every time I eat.
So, I prefer to eat small parts of big animals. I feel the best when I've had beef.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Love, Jean
You're very brave!
This is what I think about when I eat meat, and I know it's contrary to what many think. If I eat beef, I probably don't eat a whole cow in a year. Therefore, I'm responsible for only one life lost. If I eat chicken, an animal is killed every time I eat.
So, I prefer to eat small parts of big animals. I feel the best when I've had beef.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Love, Jean
Yes, I, too, have the same problem. But it's like the predatory aspects of nature you were talking about the other day. We both turn our heads. But that is part of the way things are. We are carnivores. Well, actually, omnivores, but part of that diet is the eating of meat. I tell myself that the eating of free range chickens and eggs is part of what I am. The ethical thing, for me anyway, is the way that regular meat producing animals are kept, fed (antibiotics for crying out loud), and killed. I refuse to buy into the meat factory industry. THAT is what is immoral to me. I should go and inspect a "free range" chicken farm I suppose to see if what I believe is really true. That is how I deal with the meat thing. I have to have protein and I can't eat beans so I have to do something.The biggest issue for me is meat. Ethically, it is still hard for me to eat meat, having been a vegetarian for 12 years before the MC hit. But I am between a rock and a hard place. It is obvious that my body is geared to eat animal protein.....I can't change that. The biggest challenge will be finding lean, range-fed meat/fowl. (We have a Wegman's store opeing in Oct. a few miles from my house, and I am counting on them to have free-range meat). Are you wondering why this is important? Apparently, the meat we eat now that is grain-fed has the "wrong" kind of fats. On the other hand, grass or range-fed meats are rich in the healthy omega 3 fats, which we all know help to reduce cholesterol and inflammation in the body. And you can even buy eggs that are rich in omega 3s, if the chickens who layed them are free-range.
Congratulations on your very brave decision. But, how in the world am I going to cook for you when you come next year????
Lots of love and namaste,
Sally
Mitakuye oyasin
(Lakota for "We are all related")
(Lakota for "We are all related")
Cool! I'm pretty much paleo myself, but a few items I still eat that aren't on the diet because they don't seem as bad to me and I eat them in moderation. I still eat nuts, limited corn, rice, some minimally processed foods, and yams. Even these few items I can see (except for the rice perhaps) being something a paleo person ate.
Best of luck, I've found myself feeling more satisfied with food and feeling better. :)
Mike
Best of luck, I've found myself feeling more satisfied with food and feeling better. :)
Mike
-
moremuscle
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 706
- Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 6:16 am
- Location: South Carolina
Hi Polly - you GO girl!! 
Good Idea!! I should say you were the first person to mention the paleo diet to me in the old GF-Kitchen and since then it's been paleo for me; I am grateful that you taught me to look for "answers" in the paleo diet; it has pretty much become the way I live and it is MUCH easier than any other type of cooking I've ever done.
I am afraid my genes are very old fashioned too; I am laughing as I think of how funny you are, Matthew
OK, Polly and everyone else who is interested in Paleo living here is a link that has inspired me beyond the books (Cordain's "The Paleo Diet" and Audette's "Neanderthin".
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/paleofood.html
Mike, the above is the link you asked for in my journal long ago - sorry to have let you wait for an answer (my journal has not evolved).
One of the wonderful things about the paleo diet is that you don't have to religiously follow Cordain's Low-fat approach. In fact he is greatly critizised by many paleo food practitioners - just read the archives of the link above and you will see that there are many takes on the diet. Low fat is not necessarily right or advisable. However, you can develope your own way of doing the diet as you become your own expert, Polly.
I haven't had any of the problems Wayne describes as ketosis. However, I am eating lots of fruit in addition to the veggies and meat. As my gut has healed I find that I can actually tolerate salads and raw veggies again - in addition I have added one legume back into my diet, namely roasted unsalted peanuts that I buy in the shell. They are inexpensive and satisfying to me.
When I started the paleo diet back in March or April I read almost daily the entrances that other people made in the paleo forum and learned that most have experienced a gradual adaptation to the diet - the body composition and your hunger/craving patterns will change over the months to come. I didn't do the diet with the intention of loosing any body fat but I still find that I have become leaner (perhaps due to increased cardio vascular exercising - the 10K training?!). Another interesting experience I have had is that I have gone from eating non-stop all day (and night) to eating one big breakfast and then not being hungry or having cravings or energy dips into the afternoon w/o eating any snacks.
One of the takes on the diet that I personally like is that the H-Gs didn't use recipes - no measuring of portions, please!!!!!!! (For crying out loud) Neither did they eat 3 meals per day. Sometimes they didn't eat for a full day while hunting or gathering; perhaps food was scarce at certain times - so they ate very little at those times; at other times they ate the entire kill and feasted on fruits and veggies when they were in season. Their body weight likely went up and down with the seasons. IOW, it is very un-paleo to eat at regular times - in fact some paleoists prefer fasting every now and then in order to teach the body to keep it's blood sugar stabil regardless of what it is being fed. You see, the idea is not to have patterns or habits - keep surprising the body. Same thing is true for those who incorporate exercising as a part of the paleo life style - keep playing; don't do the same weight lifting routines every week....
Jean, I love your idea of only eating one life in a whole year instead of many chickens. I like beef, pork, and lamb. Fish and seafood is also paleo. Of course free range meat is supposedly not only more rich in omega-3's but also more lean than grain fed meat. However, I have found that the pork sausage I buy from Caw Caw Creek (free range pigs raised locally) is much fatter than store brands.
Many other paleoists have stated that they were extremely hungry when the started the diet but after being on it for a few months they started to feel less hungry/have fewer cravings - the best thing to do is to give in to your hunger and eat (not sugar, grain, candy, and starches) more meat/veggies/eggs/fat/nuts/fruit.
Polly, I agree with you about the fruit juices - if I ever have fruit juice it is a tiny glass of it; I watch in amazement when I see somebody drink a huge glass of OJ in one sitting. My jaw drops, I'm sure LOL!!
Eating can seem like a full time job when starting the paleo diet but it becomes easier as the body adjusts and the cravings subside. Good luck with it, Polly - please, keep us updated.
Love,
Karen
Good Idea!! I should say you were the first person to mention the paleo diet to me in the old GF-Kitchen and since then it's been paleo for me; I am grateful that you taught me to look for "answers" in the paleo diet; it has pretty much become the way I live and it is MUCH easier than any other type of cooking I've ever done. I am afraid my genes are very old fashioned too; I am laughing as I think of how funny you are, Matthew
OK, Polly and everyone else who is interested in Paleo living here is a link that has inspired me beyond the books (Cordain's "The Paleo Diet" and Audette's "Neanderthin".
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/paleofood.html
Mike, the above is the link you asked for in my journal long ago - sorry to have let you wait for an answer (my journal has not evolved).
One of the wonderful things about the paleo diet is that you don't have to religiously follow Cordain's Low-fat approach. In fact he is greatly critizised by many paleo food practitioners - just read the archives of the link above and you will see that there are many takes on the diet. Low fat is not necessarily right or advisable. However, you can develope your own way of doing the diet as you become your own expert, Polly.
I haven't had any of the problems Wayne describes as ketosis. However, I am eating lots of fruit in addition to the veggies and meat. As my gut has healed I find that I can actually tolerate salads and raw veggies again - in addition I have added one legume back into my diet, namely roasted unsalted peanuts that I buy in the shell. They are inexpensive and satisfying to me.
When I started the paleo diet back in March or April I read almost daily the entrances that other people made in the paleo forum and learned that most have experienced a gradual adaptation to the diet - the body composition and your hunger/craving patterns will change over the months to come. I didn't do the diet with the intention of loosing any body fat but I still find that I have become leaner (perhaps due to increased cardio vascular exercising - the 10K training?!). Another interesting experience I have had is that I have gone from eating non-stop all day (and night) to eating one big breakfast and then not being hungry or having cravings or energy dips into the afternoon w/o eating any snacks.
One of the takes on the diet that I personally like is that the H-Gs didn't use recipes - no measuring of portions, please!!!!!!! (For crying out loud) Neither did they eat 3 meals per day. Sometimes they didn't eat for a full day while hunting or gathering; perhaps food was scarce at certain times - so they ate very little at those times; at other times they ate the entire kill and feasted on fruits and veggies when they were in season. Their body weight likely went up and down with the seasons. IOW, it is very un-paleo to eat at regular times - in fact some paleoists prefer fasting every now and then in order to teach the body to keep it's blood sugar stabil regardless of what it is being fed. You see, the idea is not to have patterns or habits - keep surprising the body. Same thing is true for those who incorporate exercising as a part of the paleo life style - keep playing; don't do the same weight lifting routines every week....
Jean, I love your idea of only eating one life in a whole year instead of many chickens. I like beef, pork, and lamb. Fish and seafood is also paleo. Of course free range meat is supposedly not only more rich in omega-3's but also more lean than grain fed meat. However, I have found that the pork sausage I buy from Caw Caw Creek (free range pigs raised locally) is much fatter than store brands.
Many other paleoists have stated that they were extremely hungry when the started the diet but after being on it for a few months they started to feel less hungry/have fewer cravings - the best thing to do is to give in to your hunger and eat (not sugar, grain, candy, and starches) more meat/veggies/eggs/fat/nuts/fruit.
Polly, I agree with you about the fruit juices - if I ever have fruit juice it is a tiny glass of it; I watch in amazement when I see somebody drink a huge glass of OJ in one sitting. My jaw drops, I'm sure LOL!!
Eating can seem like a full time job when starting the paleo diet but it becomes easier as the body adjusts and the cravings subside. Good luck with it, Polly - please, keep us updated.
Love,
Karen
Hi Friends!
Thanks you all so much for the encouragement and insights. I am continually amazed by the wisdom of this group.
The paleo diet probably will be easier for me than some others because I have always been one who eats to live.....and not the other way around. Food was not emphasized when I was growing up - we were never told that we had to eat everything on our plates, had very few processed snack foods available, and rarely had bread or dessert. And when I am stressed, I eat less instead of more. So I am hopeful that I will be able to stick to it to see the results.
Right now, however, I am hungry for something sweet. (I still have most of a 3 lb. box of maple sugar candy - sigh). But I will try to be good and will have some medjool dates and walnuts (the nut highest in omega 3 fats). Today I have eaten a banana, an apple, a pear, homemade vegetable/crab soup, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, a very small sweet potato, and a grilled pork chop.
Oh, and guess what?! I have found a farm less than 10 miles from my house that raises free-range meat, fowl, and eggs. I hope I'll have time to check it out tomorrow.
Many thanks to CA Mary, Jean, and Sally for helping me with the "meat" issues. Your thoughts were enlightening. And even Maggie gave me a vote of confidence despite being a vegan! Whatta lady!
Matthew! I always learn something from your thoughtful posts. Great idea about "paleo diet lite"! Knowing me, I'm sure I eat proportionally more veggies/fruits/nuts than meat, too. Thanks for the tip about having protein for breakfast - I am already learning that I need to do that. Old genes - HAHAHAHAHA!
Luce! I am not going to be a total purist - Like Mike, I see no reason not to eat occasional legumes and potatoes (especially sweet potatoes) and some occasional rice. Interesting question about the buckwheat. My understanding is that it is not a grain but is a member of the rhubabrb family. Does that make it a veggie or fruit?? Does anyone know? I just bought some of those plums today - yum. I find fruit easy to eat during a busy day. I can wolf down a banana at mach speed!
Mike, (fellow paleo dieter), I appreciate your support. I'll be counting on you to help me.....btw, I think all nuts are OK, except peanuts, which are a legume. But Karen eats them, so I don't think peanuts are a major no-no.
Sally......Since I am not going to be a purist, I will be able to eat anything and everything that you make to eat - especially if it is like the meals we had last year at your house. I still can't get over how you had such delicious food that even a major MI like me could eat.
Karen, as our resident paleo expert, I will be counting on you to help me fine-tune this diet! Thanks for the website. And thanks for reminding me that it will take time to adapt fully to this diet. I know that the pounds really fall off until you get to a lean, muscular state. I have lost 3 pounds in 4 days so far! But I have plenty of energy for running and weights.
Thanks again! You all are the BEST!
Love,
Polly
Thanks you all so much for the encouragement and insights. I am continually amazed by the wisdom of this group.
The paleo diet probably will be easier for me than some others because I have always been one who eats to live.....and not the other way around. Food was not emphasized when I was growing up - we were never told that we had to eat everything on our plates, had very few processed snack foods available, and rarely had bread or dessert. And when I am stressed, I eat less instead of more. So I am hopeful that I will be able to stick to it to see the results.
Right now, however, I am hungry for something sweet. (I still have most of a 3 lb. box of maple sugar candy - sigh). But I will try to be good and will have some medjool dates and walnuts (the nut highest in omega 3 fats). Today I have eaten a banana, an apple, a pear, homemade vegetable/crab soup, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, a very small sweet potato, and a grilled pork chop.
Oh, and guess what?! I have found a farm less than 10 miles from my house that raises free-range meat, fowl, and eggs. I hope I'll have time to check it out tomorrow.
Many thanks to CA Mary, Jean, and Sally for helping me with the "meat" issues. Your thoughts were enlightening. And even Maggie gave me a vote of confidence despite being a vegan! Whatta lady!
Matthew! I always learn something from your thoughtful posts. Great idea about "paleo diet lite"! Knowing me, I'm sure I eat proportionally more veggies/fruits/nuts than meat, too. Thanks for the tip about having protein for breakfast - I am already learning that I need to do that. Old genes - HAHAHAHAHA!
Luce! I am not going to be a total purist - Like Mike, I see no reason not to eat occasional legumes and potatoes (especially sweet potatoes) and some occasional rice. Interesting question about the buckwheat. My understanding is that it is not a grain but is a member of the rhubabrb family. Does that make it a veggie or fruit?? Does anyone know? I just bought some of those plums today - yum. I find fruit easy to eat during a busy day. I can wolf down a banana at mach speed!
Mike, (fellow paleo dieter), I appreciate your support. I'll be counting on you to help me.....btw, I think all nuts are OK, except peanuts, which are a legume. But Karen eats them, so I don't think peanuts are a major no-no.
Sally......Since I am not going to be a purist, I will be able to eat anything and everything that you make to eat - especially if it is like the meals we had last year at your house. I still can't get over how you had such delicious food that even a major MI like me could eat.
Karen, as our resident paleo expert, I will be counting on you to help me fine-tune this diet! Thanks for the website. And thanks for reminding me that it will take time to adapt fully to this diet. I know that the pounds really fall off until you get to a lean, muscular state. I have lost 3 pounds in 4 days so far! But I have plenty of energy for running and weights.
Thanks again! You all are the BEST!
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.