The new Paleo/Primal thread - please reintroduce yourself, newcomers welcome!

[misscph1973]

Wow, we got to 1000 messages!

Welcome back from the previous thread and welcome to all new!

I have been Paleo since September last year, I started as an ex-vegetarian/vegan, I wanted to give up gluten and I had been doing 5:2/IF, which lead me to Paleo/primal. I am 40, I have 2 kids age 8 and 6. I have no major health issues, but I would like it to stay that way. I have bad skin, which has improved since starting Paleo and my dandruff has disappeared. I have gained some weight since starting Paleo, but I was not overweight before, although I would like to get back on my pre Paleo weight - I just love Paleo mayonnaise too much ;) I still practice IF and I lift weights 2-3 times per week. My family is also Paleo.

I have just come back from a camping weekend where I was not strict Paleo as I was camping with other families and I just didn't want to spend my entire weekend telling my kids "no, you cant have it". I do think that Paleo camping is entirely possible, think tinned fish, nuts, sausages, eggs etc.

Have you tried the baking section medjool dates (like the Forest Field ones) or just normal ones? I tried Whitworth's normal dates and wasn't keen and also noticed they have added invert sugar.

Sorry Forest Feast.

No, only the expensive ones for treats, although I have in the past used the baking isle ones for baking with... Yes, you have to watch for added sugar with all the dried fruit, snack a jack and ?urban fruit (I think) are no junk, but they do cost a bit more (I don't use much dried fruit so I don't mind paying a little more).

Oh my goodness. Look at all these ideas for dates

Hi NappyAddict, I have name changed but I got your pm. The tesco medijool dates look better to me - they are dried slightly but should still be chewy and moist. I have never bought Forest feast dates, I like to see the dates to check for moistness before buying and that packaging prevents this, kids love their mango though.

Buy some medijool, dip one in choc and taste. If awful then use the dates in another recipe - plenty of Paleo recipes using dates. If good make more!

Hth

Nappy I think give the dry ones a miss too, I got some organic neals yard ones from H&B last week but they are really dry. Maybe I should try turning them into something with chocolate too. Actually if you hadn't posted this they prob would have languished in the back of a cupboard!

snow have you made any progress with sorting out your allergy?

Hi all, I feel like I'm barging in a bit here, but do you mind if I join? I'm a very big fan of Paleo since going on a similar diet (the Specific Carbohydrate Diet) 8 years ago for a health issue. Which it completely cured incidentally.

I've now got 16lbs of baby weight to lose, but need a kick up the rather substantial arse My diet's mainly paleo already, but just too much food overall, with some sugar/gluten free bread/cereal most days.

It's 10 weeks till the end of the year and I'd love to have lost 10lbs.

Kick up the arse, here it comes get rid of the gluten free bread - especially if you mean fake bread (I mean read the ingredient list on that stuff!), rather than paleo "treat" nut breads) which should not be an everyday thing unless you are already slim, and active.

For a month, try and go 100% clean, no cheats, replace those non paleo carbs with natural fats, it will give you the boost you need.

Good luck. Hope I didn't kick you too hard!

Thanks Raw I appreciate it

Yes I do mean fake bread - I've been buying it for the dcs and if something's in the house there's a high chance it'll be eaten by me. I read a quote last night "When you really want something, it feels like the easiest thing in the world" and that's how I felt recently when I stuck to the diet, though sadly it only lasted a week!

I've just made plans to climb Ben Nevis next year so I really need to be on top form.

Thanks for asking giraffe No more news on the diagnosis - sensitivity has increased, GP suggested anti histimines but they made no difference, then she suggested rinsing with a numbing mouth wash and that feeling was horribly odd, almost as bad as the burning sensation! What pleasure is there in eating if you can't feel to taste, so not a great solution.
Seeing an oral specialist soon. I think it's Burnt Mouth Syndrome....it's the only thing that vaguely makes sense.

Btw have you read this Dear Paleo, I quit! what are your thoughts?

snow that sounds awful, esp frustrating as you really seemed to be enjoying experimenting with food. I suppose it is difficult because you don't know the cause - maybe its something you would have experienced at this point in your life regardless or maybe its related to cutting out or including new foods?

That article was interesting, particularly the facts around food allergies. I think there are a few different 'dear paleo I quit' type articles out there. Even Rob wolfe is altering his ideas around carbs robbwolf.com/2013/01/09/thoughts-carb-paleo-episode-3-hope/ Basic paleo doesn't work for some people and food allergies, sibo and foodmaps seem to come up as culprits. Equally if you look into GAPs some people thrive and other people end up really ill on it. I guess if we follow the idea of eating ancestrally we all come from different backgrounds; mine is Irish so to be honest apart from Bounty bars I prob don't have much of a family background of eating coconuts

When I had the rash on my legs I wanted to try an exclusion diet (I am the disordered eating person they talk about ;) ) so had a look through some of the options on paleo mom but I ended up totally confused as all these diets have contradictory foods allowed.

For me the main thing seems to be keeping away from sugar and wheat and processed food as much as I can without being a total pita for my friends and family which is difficult. I think if paleo was more mainstream here it would be easier?

Hi, may I join in? Would welcome some advice.

I'm trying to cut out grains and dairy, as my IBS improves if I cut them out of my diet. The thing is I'm shopping on a tight budget, and I'm fed up of eggs and bored of living off bolognese, chilli, curry and roasts, plus dd won't eat curry.

Any ideas for main meals and also breakfasts that don't involve egg or dairy?

Thanks.

What about fish? Tescos does a nice fish pie mix (chunks of several kinds of fish trimmings), £10 for 3 packs, they freeze so you can use one, freeze the rest.

We often bake it in the oven with onion or leek, a handful of herbs and that's a couple of days breakfast, or as a dinner served with mashed carrot and swede (either served separately or made into fish pie with the mash on top and a handful of cheese added before baking). Sometimes we pour some cream over the fish before baking it, sometimes not.

What about Thai style stir fry? Half a can of coconut milk, a spoon full of red or green curry paste and whatever meat and veg you have.

I don't like a lot of fish either although will try the fish pie, but couldn't face that for breakfast.

Would a banana for breakfast be ok? Maybe with some nuts or fried in butter?

Well bananas are lovely but to me, an occasional treat (just too many carbs to have (if I was very slender, and very active then yes, I'd eat more of them). How active are you?

What about the "bullet proof coffee" breakfast- coffee with a LOT of fat ie a nob of butter and a big spoon of coconut oil (whisk it with some of the coffee until frothy with a stick mixer, then add to more coffee). With a handful of berries.

Sometimes I just have coffee with 30ml double cream and a few almonds, with a handful of berries, usually though I have the coffee and a couple of slices of Parma ham (aldi does it for a good price but sadly still not a cheap breakfast.

Sadly I'm not very active . I can't drink the bulletproof coffee, it just makes me feel nauseous. I'm staying away from dairy, so coffee and cream not an option.

I don't think nuts and berries will fill me up.

Although of course, due to your ibs (I had that too for 20 years before going grain free), probably any amount of bananas for breakfast is better than breakfast cereal/toast or other grain food

I have tried the bullet proof myself but prefer the cream! Are you avoiding dairy for a particular reason? I can't drink milk (probably lactose intolerant as it gives me gut issues), but I'm fine with both cream and butter (I did avoid both for a few months initially and then added it back to my diet with no ill effects).

Coconut milk (full fat, the stuff you'd buy to cook with, not the awful milk substitutes full of additives), is pretty good in coffee.

The thing to remember is, when you change from a standard (ie very high carb) diet to a lower carb diet, you are used to eating a certain volume. Lower carb (higher fat) tends to be much more nutrient dense (so a handful of nuts and a handful of berries rather than a big bowl of something)... It doesn't take long to adjust to that - initially it can be hard though. Don't be scared to eat fat, you need it, low carb and low fat together is a recipe for disaster!

Thanks

I'm avoiding most dairy as I'm sure it makes me nauseous and affects my IBS too. I'm ok with butter and a little cheese, not milk or cream though.

I found some Eat Natural bars today that only have a little crisped rice, otherwise nuts, dried fruit and seeds. They would make a good quick breakfast at work maybe.

I've been eating low carb for a whole, but would like to adapt to paleo as I just can't cope with all the eggs and meat.

I'll try the coconut milk in coffee if I can find some in the supermarket.

Yes I get the eat natural bars for my teens, a better alternative to a kitkat or similar, I have occasional one myself but they are high carb, although good in other ways. If you want the convenience of a bar, there's one called 9 Bar (or Bar 9), that I also get (tesco and Morrison both sell them), they are all all seed, no rice and have a little chocolate on the top- they have a very much lower carb count and taste really good.

Thanks RawCoconut, I'll see if I can find one to try. I've also bought a Nakd bar, which is just cashew and dates.

So should Paleo be low carb?

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good website/blog/book to start me off with the basics of Paleo? I've been low carbing due to IBS which seems to be caused by gluten and dairy, but find low carb too restrictive. I can't eat egg or meat for breakfast anymore, I can't bear any more eggs! and I miss nuts and fruit. I could do to lose a little weight, but probably only half a stone. It's more about eating healthily and getting rid of my IBS. I have cut out all the processed rubbish we used to eat and most gluten and dairy. I don't drink caffeine drinks, drinking mainly water or decaff tea and coffee and fruit teas with the odd glass of wine at the weekend. My treat is dark chocolate (85 % Green & Blacks)!

Sorry, posted too soon. I've been reading other Paleo threads and found some websites and blogs that are interesting.

I have 2 tablespoons of ground almonds, 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds, 2 tablespoons of dessicated coconut and 2 tablespons of frozen berries mixed with coconut, almond or hazlenut milk and zapped in the microwave.

Sometimes I add a knob of almond butter too.