Paleo and primal

[Daughteroughter]

I have been reading about paleo and primal diets has anyone tried them?

Just made paleo pancakes for breakfast, had them with maple syrup ad raspberries, they were delicious.

My son is allergic to nuts so I have to be really careful about them. I feel OK about nakd bars as there's no dust or bits, but I wouldn't cook with almonds or almond flour, for instance. Bit limiting so I'll work around.

Also, have been thinking I would like a couple more easy Asian slow cooker recipes that aren't too spicy ... am thinking of trying to buy the spices for pho...has anyone tried this?

I think for 2 million years it would only be rarely and only in season we would have found nuts so there is no need to make them a core part of any paleo diet. Avoid any bars, processed foods etc etc. Just eat the natural stuff.

Well, my lunch yesterday (actually my only meal yesterday!) was pretty primal in that it was great big hunks of meat eaten with the hands . Went to Bodeans in Soho and shared a platter of amazing bbq meats with dp - he also had fries and onion rings but i didnt succumb!

Not sure palaeolithic peoples would've covered everything in BBQ sauce, though....but the principle was there!

Not even dairy yesterday. What is happening to me? Weight still coming off.

I love feeling like I'm Arya in Clan of the Cave Bear...if anyone hasn't read it, it is a novel about Ice Age humans and Neanderthals that might inspire your pale eating. I actually want to go and look at the food in there again...mmmm....

I'm allergic to nuts, and it isn't a big deal at all. Almond flour/nut butter should only be an occasional thing, anyway. You can grind up sunflower seeds and use them instead of almond flour - I made some hot criss buns that way, but I generally only use maple syrup and paleo friendly flour type foods for very special occasions as they are cheating, really. My take on "treat foods" is that they are for feasts/festivals, so stuff like Christmas, birthdays etc.

I fell at the first hurdle today. We went to friend's for lunch, it was lamb which I don't eat so they did me a vege Kiev (breaded and processed, fail number 1), I ate the roast potatoes (fail number 2), had ferero roche for pudding (fail number 3). I then thought screw it had a packet of buttons, 2 bags of hula hoops and a curly wurly for tea! I am a terrible cave woman.

I will need to sort it out tomorrow, I was really enjoying myself and I wasn't hungry so I hope I can find the motivation for tomorrow.

I've just read the thread with great interest. I've read the mark sissons book before but have to admit I found the whole concept so daunting that I put it on ebay as soon as I'd finished it!

I can't help thinking though that this way of eating would probably do me the world of good. I'm basically a 17 stone carb addicted binge eater

My current diet consists of bread, cereal, potatoes, cheese, pasta, biscuits, chocolate, in the main. We cook with chicken, mince and vegetables but always have carbs with it! It would feel like such an extreme change that I'm not sure I could do it!

I was thinking I could try to ease into it gradually, one meal at a time. Has anyone tried it that way? Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

I did it gradually as I was daunted. I decided to try replacing all my wheat with other carbs for a few days. That worked. And then decided to try having just eggs scrambled in coconut oil for breakfast. That worked. It sort if snowballed from there. Haven't felt deprived once which is totally key for me.

yay a paleo thread!!! I tried to start one a while ago but had hardly any responses.

This WOE works for me, but I am still a novice! When I stick to it my acne clears and I feel amazing. My kids and dp are slowly starting to eat paleo dinners with me now..... slowly getting there!!!

fwiw i was a massive carb junkie i mean i had to have potatoes with EVERY meal i don't do that now and use lots of other yummy veggies instead.

sorry last post (can you tell I am excited about this thread?) I also really like the idea of exercising like a Cavewoman. still looking into it though.
I used to hours of cardio and it was boring the hell out of me. I like the idea of short bursts of intense workouts (think running away from an animal. climbing trees etc)

Thanks building, good to know that the gradual approach can work. I'm thinking of starting with breakfast before looking at lunch and dinner. Dinner is going to be a challenge because I'm a very lazy cook, particularly at that time of day!

Interesting about your acne attack. My skin is awful due to pcos so I'm really hoping a change in diet will help a bit. I'm 32 and have had a face full of spots since I was 12. Nothing the doctor can give me has helped for long.

Out of interest has anyone got pcos? im wondering if anyone's symptoms have been helped by eating paleo.

ii have suffered since I was 11 - its crap isn't it? I don't have pcos though.

My paleo journey started because of my skin. I was reading a lot about it because i was at the end of my tether. I started by quitting dairy and this got rid of the painful under the skin spots, but it was not a full solution. I was addicted to refined carbs, sugar etc, I put two and two together and stopped these and this got rid of the whiteheads and smaller spots.

I am still learning as I go but put it this way I had a few mini packets of haribo over Easter and you could see it on my face a few days later. [grrr]

Once I had cut out dairy and refined sugars paleo seemed like the obvious way to eat for me. When I stick to it my face is 95% clear.

The slow cooker is your friend for dinner. Meat, veg, herbs, water, cook for 8 hours, serve. Yum.

I think most people change eating habits best by doing it gradually. Start with protein at breakfast - lots of eggs etc.

18 stone bun guzzler checking in here!
Sme advice on a thread I started led me over here and I want to give it a try. I love cooking and cook from scratch every day, I even prepare my own game. So, out with the oil smeared roast spuds and in with the new.
When I do my next shop I want to know in advance what I'm going to be cooking, so I don't up the habitual junk. I'm trying to assimilate some lovely looking recipes, but would anyone be kind enough to suggest some staples - coconut oil seems to be one. Also, decent quality chicken breasts? Mussels?

Any suggestions very welcome.

Doctorhamster, re pcos, don't have it myself but I know it is one of the "syndrome X" conditions (conditions caused or greatly worsened by our modern grain based diet), and many people respond well to paleo/primal. The crucial thing is to remove grains, all grains, but especially the gluten containing ones (wheat, barely rye), from your diet. Including as a trace ingredient which basically means cooking from scratch!

Get used to that for a few days/weeks then cut out other high gi carbs, if you don't want to go "cold turkey".

You will find many, many success stories on paleo/ primal blog sites if you google pcos and paleo. Unsurprisingly all the conditions caused by or associated with over consumption of carbohydrates and grains respond well to this woe! Obviously no diet will work for everyone but its worth a try for a few months to see if it works for you .

Just back from a week in Lanzarote which was lovely but am desperate to get back to paleo. I'm surprised at how keen I am as there was lots of fresh, affordable fish etc., but lots of carbs and not enough veggies for me. I feel very motivated to eat clean.

We've been eating this way since early January and did it gradually. For the first few weeks we were still having porridge for breakfast. Eating what I already had in the cupboard and just not replacing the grains etc. seemed to make sense - plus I can't abide wasting food although some pasta and porridge went to the local food bank.

With the PCOS, the woman who writes the Paleo for Women blog (just google it), has an e-book for paleo and PCOS, success rates seem to be high.

I love Mark Sisson's stuff as it's more pragmatic but also holistic with sleep, sunshine and stress reduction. And if you want any more motivation, just look at this woman on the beach. She's 55!!! It's not about weight or size, but I want to look and feel that happy and healthy.

Thanks so much for the pcos responses. I'm off to Google for a bit

My grocery shop for the week ahead has already been done and arrives this afternoon, so I'm going to spend this week doing some research and trying to put a couple of weeks worth of menus together. No doubt I will be back with more questions! Thanks for taking the time to reply to me.

Am having headaches, despite making sure I keep up ,y water and caffeine intake...is this some kind of withdrawal?

I have a horrible fatigue condition so it is a little hard to tell if I'm tired from eating like this. If I'm hungry, I eat, so I'm not starving myself. I'm eating fruit if I feel like I need more sugar. And I'm ensuring I put oil and vinegar on salad to keep up the fat intake.

It could just be a headache. I don't feel like eating junk, particularly, though I do fancy a bit of toast.

Google carb flu!

It could well be 'carb flu', building. It will pass. Get an early night if you can, drink some water (or bouillon), take paracetamol if you need to.

How much caffeine are you having, though? Best not to overdo it...

I avoided caffeine completely for years but need it now. Cup of black tea in the morning, square of dark choc and green tea after lunch. Not much. But I know not to skip it as I immediately get headaches.

And yep, carb flu sounds about right...

Hey, eggs in coconut oil for breakfast, sweet potato and guacamole and salad for lunch, chicken stew, asparagus and broccoli for dinner.

Have not felt so totally satisfied by food for years. Felt a lot better this pm.