What better time to try things than when you have lots of time.
I decided to go on a one-month paleo diet challenge. The idea is eating and exercising like paleolithic humans (or cavemen). Pre-agricultural times mean humans lived in hunter-gatherer societies.
The reason for this is simple. I've been feeling out of sorts. Lazy, de-motivated, and getting sick. My fault. I've been eating badly: lots of bread, rice, pasta, and desserts.
I'm hoping that starting this now will put on the track back to feeling awesome and healthy.
Don't think that this means I don't go out with a bang: I made coconut cupcakes with a chocolate butter cream topping not 2 days ago, and today, after watching that darn food network, chocolate bread pudding with the leftover chocolate butter cream and my leftover sourdough. I will need to put my evil cooking powers in some cauliflower shepherd's pie or something instead.
Good bye bread... pasta, rice, and grains in general. I won't be going strictly paleo. I won't be drinking milk except in my tea, but I'll enjoy dairy products: cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.
Now you can't do something like this without a plan. Dad said he's interested in trying this. I think that would be a great idea, especially because recently Dad seems to have developed a more than usual lactose intolerance. So much, that even a splash of milk in tea gives him a stomach ache. So I'm going to have to come up with a meal menu that works for us.
For now, my breakfast is going to continue as before, minus the bread. A banana, couple of slices of cheese, and an egg.
Lunch and Dinner, I will have to prepare some ideas for. Adapting major meals, substituting the rice in stews dishes with something else, and coming up with 3 or 4 simple lunch recipes to alternate with.
Luckily, I'm a creature of habit. I realized that not only do I not mind eating the same thing everyday (breakfast for example), I actually enjoy it. There's something comforting in the predictability of what you eat for breakfast. I don't have to think and I know I'll enjoy it. I just put the kettle and pan on, fry an egg, grab a banana, slice some cheese, put it all on a plate and make my tea. This has been my breakfast for the last 2 years, with only minor variations and interruptions.
My point was, that changing eating habits is confusing and difficult. The most difficult thing is knowing what to make and what to keep stocked in your fridge.
Off to bed for now.
I understand where the paleo diet is coming from. But I've noticed that adding a little carbs into the diet like brown rice, home made wheat bread, apples and oranges help my bowel movements a lot. Keep in mind that we come from a culture that eats a lot of rice and bread for a lot of past generations. My experience with the low carb diet has led me to conclude that
ReplyDeleteEvil foods are:
- Canola / Vegetable Oil: My skin becomes very oily and breaks out after eating these oils. Also, I get constipated.
- Too much sugar (Like eating an entire giant eclair): Again depending how much I ate my skin breaks out plus bathroom problems the next day.
Good Carb Foods are:
Brown Rice: I always feel great after eating it
Oatmeal: Gives me lots of energy
Legumes: Between Lentils and Lima beans I always feel good afterward (if cooked properly).
Hmmm, I don't mind rice and potatoes, but bread makes me feel down right awful. But I think Habib is right, I don't feel particularly sensitive to carbs, only bread and sugar. Evil evil sugar. And yes, all the weird fats do a number on me.
ReplyDeleteYou know I agree with you. But, they keep talking about how bad grains are for you. I decided to test it out for my self. I will quit all manner of grains, and if I find it possible, legumes, and see what happens. Though I'm not cutting fruit, since that okay.
ReplyDeleteSo today, I had shrimps and green beans and pumpkin soup for lunch. For dessert I fried a banana and a small apple (min el jurd, delicious) in lots of butter, added a tangerine for a sauce, honey, cream, and 85% dark chocolate coarsely chopped. Awesome. And not too sweet. And then for dinner I had some smoked salmon, goat labneh, olives, Arugula salad, walnuts, and almonds. Still a bit hungry, so I'll probably go have some cheese or Areesheh... or eggs. I can already see the effect on my appetite. I simply need to eat more when I skip the grains. Or maybe I'm just noticing all the calories I've wasted on bread?
Also, another problem is when you're not completely in charge of cooking, it's hard to say no. So if you quit the whole thing altogether, it's easier to get back in charge of what you eat.
You know as far as bread is concerned I've had a mixed experience. Sometimes it's bad but not always. I haven't had any issues eating the bread I make at home. I typically eat it in the morning with a whole lot of butter on top and milk on the side for a quick breakfast.
ReplyDelete