Let’s face it.
Diet (in general) in the UK is not great. Many homes (either through lack of cash, or lack of knowledge) are raising their kids on processed food and quick fixes. Some don’t even buy fresh vegetables at all. And even those of us who think they eat reasonably well may be a little surprised, when we study our food intake properly. I was.
Due to my (well documented) health issues, I recently took a look at what I was eating, and decided to make a change. Gone are the odd takeaway, the easy options, the “healthy” ready meals, the bread, pasta and the alcohol. Instead, my diet consists of real, natural, home-prepared meals and snacks that adhere mainly to the way of the Paleo or Primal diet…meaning I basically eat the ingredients that the cavemen would have found. Made a bit tastier of course. And there’s no dinosaur. Not even a pinch.
What does it mean though? Is it boring? Is it hard?
Well. It doesn’t mean starving myself, in any way. This isn’t a diet I’m following to lose weight (although I am, naturally, as I’ve cut out all the crap). It’s purely about health. I can eat all the vegetables, fruits and meat I like, and a whole variety of other things too. I haven’t been hungry once and what I have eaten has been DELICIOUS.
Is it boring? No. We’ve found thousands of recipes online (and we’ll be sharing them with you here, as and when I make them) that include starters, mains, puddings and snacks.
As for being hard? I won’t lie, it is a little bit, in the beginning at least. Many of the meals do require more work than just throwing something in the oven – and with me being ill this can be tricky. However, we’ve already got in the habit of making bigger batches and making meals last longer or freezing them for later, which takes a lot of the effort away.
But is it worth it? Yes, I think so. I know now that everything I’m eating is good for me – so while we’re yet to see if it makes any difference to my health in the longer term, I am 100% sure it won’t be doing me any harm. James has changed his eating habits too to a) support me and b) be healthier himself…and we both feel GREAT (and are getting healthily skinny, which is nothing to complain about!)
What on earth could be wrong with that?!
Over the next few weeks I’ll be bringing you loads of Paleo recipes, some that I’ve found and others that we’ve created. You can use them as is, or change them to suit you. Ask me any questions you like about the challenges, the benefits, and the longer term effects, once I’ve been sticking to it for a while.
I’m not turning into a boring evangelist. I’m not going to preach that this is the right way, or the best way. It’s just a path I’ve committed to taking, for the next 3 months at least, so I thought I’d share it with you here, so please bookmark the page if you’re interested.
I’d also love to hear from you if you’ve tried the Paleo/Primal diet. Please comment below to share recipes, or just to add your thoughts. Good to know about your successes or disasters too! x
I’m so with you. Whenever I cut out all the crap, carbs and processed stuff, I feel fuller (seriously, why do carbs & sugar make me feel MORE hungry?), less bloated and full of energy. Sadly, it doesn’t do much for my weight loss (I have ‘stubborn fat’ apparently), but it’s worth it for the health benefits alone. Probably a case of TMI, but this diet is ideal for anyone who suffers from IBS too.
It’s true! I’m also in the middle of writing a post about cravings – and what they really mean too, which is really interesting. For example, I often crave bread, and according to science stuff, that means my body is actually craving proteins…so I should eat more chicken, fish or eggs. Interesting stuff x