Thoughts of a Wannabe Caveman-everything else just Paleo’s in comparison

So I figured I better weigh in (every pun intended) on this new diet that I started at the beginning of the year.

I started a Paleo diet.  And to be honest my intentions to diet where driven by vanity.  I had seen claims by friends that they lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time, and I hoped that I could see similar results.  Just in time for a trip south.  The riped beach body I had always wanted in a short 7 weeks.

Now I understand that this is ambitious, but hey apparently when setting goals, one should set lofty ones.

What is Paleo you ask?  Well it has also been referred to as the Caveman diet.  This way of eating essentially means you can eat as much as you want as long as you don’t eat the following:  Grains, Dairy, Legumes, Sugar and highly processed foods.  Easy right?

So one month in, how am I doing?

I did loose some weight.  About 4 lbs so far.  Not the big loss that I hoped for, but progress nonetheless.

I have struggled trying to do this on my own.  It is hard to try to cook two seperate meals at every meal time, and the temptation to cheat is great when all of the tempting foods are still out there.  I also travel for work, so trying to find Paleo meals in restaurants etc, is a challenge.

Now truth be told, I didn’t research this way of eating very much either, and I am sure that I am making a lot of mistakes.  But the fact that I didn’t have to count calories, or restrict the amount of food I ate appealed to me.  As I didn’t want to always feel hungry.

So while I cheated often, and while I would choose to conform to what everyone else around me was eating during meals with friends, family or colleagues rather than making a fuss, I have learned quite a bit.

For one, I am very aware now of all the “crap” that I used to eat.  Try to cut out sugar out of your diet, and you’ll see what I mean.

I also had some very bad snack habits.  It is easy to eat bread, crackers, candy etc to quickly quench hunger.  And I think that is where the problem with this diet is.  It is not that convenient (at least for me), you have to plan ahead.  You have to prep vegetables, you have to get used to choosing fruit instead of bon-bons etc..  I think the default for me at least has always been the quick and easy snack.  That had to change.

So my diet changes seem to have a positive effect.  I will also have to work at exercising more, as the weight loss came without doing anything more.  I am actually less active now than I have ever been, so more sit-ups and push-ups it is, and snow shoveling of course.

Now as an agvocate I have to weigh in on how I feel about this way of eating.

In my job, I interact a lot with Dairy Farmers.  I don’t dare mention that I am trying to avoid any and all dairy products in my daily eating habits.  I actually don’t really understand the rationale behind this in terms of the Paleo diet.

As a former grain farmer with a lot of friends in the industry, I don’t understand the grain thing either.

I think we do eat to much bread, starch etc, but to the best of my knowledge humans have been eating grains for over 10,000 years.

I also don’t quite get the legume thing…but it has been said that animals that eat right do not have issues with gas etc.  I am aware that there are ways of preparing legumes that minimize this, and I love Beans, but I am leaving them out of my diet for now.

Now the sugar and processed food thing makes total sense.  We eat to much sugar, salt etc..  And we eat to much junk.  Once again I think it’s the convenience factor.  And don’t get me started on all of the salt in foods…

But I also have to wonder what a diet that is designed around a sustainable food system would look like.  I don’t have the answers right now but will post on this later.

Explore posts in the same categories: Agvocacy, Green Day

Tags: Agriculture, Diet, Farmers, Farming, Food Production, Paleo

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