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.

Giraffeseat I am the same - I don't tell people as you're right, it sounds nobtastic, however occasionally people actually ask, as in, 'You look slim but I notice you stuff your face all the time, how does that work?" and then I get all animated and start to tell them, and then their eyes get all glazed over and I end up like this

Hi Jemima, I'm new here but yep, I jumped in because as far as I'm aware this is the paleo thread. Are you paleo / primal / pro-curious?

Damn you, autocorrect. That was supposed to be 'pri-curious'. I'll get my coat.

I do mention Grain free/Paleo/primal if people show any interest.

Typically they think I'm crazy but I'm old enough to not care. I'll usually say I'm have a wheat intolerance (true), and that I used to get daily migraines and ibs before I cut it out (true, along with a million other Health issues).

Most people cant cope with the idea that grains are not a natural part of the human diet (they really are not), or that fat is good for you... Or that too many starchy carbs can destroy your health.

But several people I know have actually started eating this way ... All gave up wheat first, and then gave up processed food. I tend to point people in the direction of Wheatbelly blog as a starter, and marks daily apple.

My go-to meal when eating out is a big steak, served undressed and with salad leaves or steamed veg (it's a "safe" choice for me), and you know, it's interesting the reaction that gets sometimes - a female eating a big lump of (manly) meat rather than a (girly) pasta dish!!!

My last comment... I mean there are a lot of sexual politics around food choices that I've noticed a lot more since eating this way!

Hi jemima

Yes Raw its true if we eat out and i order steak and dp orders pasta it will always be assumed the steak is for dp.

Has anyone read the perfect health diet yet, someone on here did reccomend it I think. chriskresser.com/the-new-perfect-health-diet it seems to have a lot of similarities to kressers book (I reserved them both at the library at the same time ) Its quite sciency and there are some new slants on things (for me anyway). The chapter on toxic cereals is pretty alarming, tbh I hope its not accurate.

By the way does anyone else have lots of pc probs with chris kressers website now?

"Toxic cereals" sounds about right, but then, I certainly react to them.
Not read that book yet.

I'm currently reading the GAPS book Gut and psychology syndrome, very sciency but possibly slightly woo in places. It makes a lots of sense regarding my entire extended family and health issues. It's a very interesting book.

Have always been intrigued by GAPS diet (pretty sure me and the 2 girls all get a bit thrushy) but the thought of going through a 'dieoff' just sounds too hardcore. Are there any bits from the book you might try?

Just got excited by sugar free chocolate on qvc but looked into it and the first ingredient is malitol? never heard of it. www.chokolitshop.co.uk/categories.php?category=Chocolate-Bars

I've got to the recipes section and actually, it's almost primal ... But some pulses and peanuts are used. The additional thing I'm going to try is fermented stuff (yogurt with particular cultures, fermented veg). I don't do well with milk (fine with cream and butter), so it will be interesting to see how the bio live yogurt affects me.

Chocolate marketed as "low carb" or Sugar free tends to have a very disappointing ingredient list! I have chocolate (a little) every day but stick with good dark choc (usually at least 80%, they tend to have less carbs than the fake "low carb bars". And actual real sugar which has got to be better than a pile of sweetners and fake sugars (taste wise, much much better). I just have a couple of square tho.

Hellooooo, I am starting today. Im doing this as Im now 50 and want to have the healthiest body I can. I will start off slowly though so as not to bring on disordered eating or bingeing and from reading some of the thread I might do the 14:10 fast as well as it is believed by Marks Daily Apple and others to be the best fast for women with regard to hormones etc. I look forward to learning more.

Does anyone follow Paleomg blog? Her cooking is amazing.

paleomg.com/

Hi jemima - I have never properly tried any of the paleomg recipes, but they do look delicious

Raw, how is the fermented food going? Do they reccomend making the yoghurt? apparently the stuff in the supermarket is only fermented for 3 hours sometimes. DP bought me one of these (seemed like a good idea at the time) don't know if it is better or worse than you get from the shop though www.easiyo.com/easiyo-product-details/biolife-organic-unsweetened.html you add water, shake put in a flask and leave for 8 -24 hours.

Hi to favadi and heroine chick and anyone else primaleoing

Hi , I'm new to paleo but am hoping to get to grips with it during March with a view to doing a Whole30 in April. Is there a separate thread for the Whole30 or is it just here? I've been having a lot of fun looking for paleo recipes online, some sound delicious and it's making me excited about food/cooking again! I made some frittata muffins the other day for my breakfasts at work and they're lovely. Also made some kale chips last night which were surprisingly delicious! Planning to make some turkey meatballs/burgers/nuggets and sweet potato chips this weekend.

Has anyone found any good UK paleo resources? It seems we're not as set up for it here as in the US but then we do have less trouble finding grass-fed meat.

Has anyone done a Whole30 and can give me any tips? Or just any tips on what you eat day-to-day? I don't think I'm always getting the protein/carb/fat balance right!

Giraffe, have added in a little yeo valley organic bio-active yogurt but not sure how that's going (I started a broad spectrum probiotic at the same time), have some minor digestive upset which could be caused by starting either it those, I'll see how it goes... Have lost 3 lbs as of this morning (eating a little less protein, a little more carb, still plenty of fat).

Probably home made fermented stuff would be better, I'd struggle to find the time/space/energy right now due to life getting in the way !

Raw well done on 3lb I know what you mean about time - I keep reading about fermented veg but can't see that happening unless its some uneaten veg that have been lurking at the bottom of my fridge too long.

Hi Boglin, you could start a sep thread up in advance so people can get the book and join in? I am on holiday in May so I might be for something like that in April! There was a whole 30 thread a while ago but only one or two people were doing it and i don't think they finished, I tried last summer but didn't quite make it to 30 days. Some people on here have done it to the end though!

I have not found much in the way of a UK paleo guru tbh. I have read two books recently which I got from the library and both were uk editions but by US authors. personal paleo was quite readable and had a similar food elimination plan to whole 30, also read PHD which is well worth a read very informative and uptodate, but the diet plan was a bit more confusing when it came to weightloss.

My one gripe with personal paleo plan is a lot of print is used up saying 'more information is on on my website' and you have to sign up to get the information.

Here are a few Paleo primal blogs
paleopolly.com/
londonpaleokitchen.com/
blog.paleoworks.co.uk/
www.primalbritain.co.uk/our-favourite-paleo-blogs/

Well done Raw! :)

Thank you for the links, Jemina.
I had come across London paleo before and enjoyed reading the recipes. I had a quick look a paleopolly -I wish I had time to read these days!-and I think I will enjoy some of her ideas.

I liked polly's courgette ravioli...I have used aubergines and leeks before which are easier to cut and fold (must invest on a mandolin!).

Giraffe, the 'more information is on on my website' is the very reason I haven't bought a book in ages...If I pay the money for a book I want it to be comprehensive! :)

I still haven't got round to making cured smoked salmon. The hams though are coming along nicely and the wood is still 'smoking' after its fifth use. I might give the wood a miss next time so I can recover the gelatin that keeps forming at the bottom of the tray (which the dog has enjoyed!)

Favadi that's interesting, what will you do with the gelatin?

That's easy! Just eat it spoon by spoon
I have set meat in gelatine before as it prevents the meat from drying out. And delicious cold. (Same principle as fruit in jelly) It can also be used as stock cube for flavouring dishes: just freeze in ice cube tray.

its delicious from the spoon? I would never have thought to eat it!

Hello paleo ladies, can I join you please? Have been heading this way for a while but have committed to a semi-paleo stint as of this week. I've had tummy troubles on and off for a while and think this might be the answer. As long as I don't binge on nuts or dried fruit, which are my downfall! Will be following with interest...

You are in good company, New! A few of us are rather partial to nuts!
And someone on here dries her own fruit and meat (is it you, Coconut? )

I'm currently smelling my unsmoked ham being minutes away from coming out of the oven-fingers crossed for the gelatin ( water ratio at the bottom of my tray?!??)!

I do indeed dry fruit and meat (usually beef jerky), the fruit is sometimes from the garden, sometimes bought. At least you know what's in it when you make it yourself.

I am about to attempt "wild fermentation" of veg for the first time, cabbage and beetroot... There is absolutely nowhere around here that sells raw ferments and they are about £10 a jar by mail order!

Not been brave enough to try making my own bacon yet though unlike some of you...

Strange what we consider brave! I remember years ago looking after cultures of 'Hermann the friendship cake' and being very scared of baking the end results. My brother (not a paleo follower) makes bread/pizza dough with the natural yeasts (not bought) that hang around in the air-it takes about a month for the dough to be colonised.

I'm now intrigued, do you have any links to get me started, Raw? :)

The ham and bacon are very easy. I remember being nervous initially... but everything is done in the fridge, followed by the oven. I'm not sure I would have been as confident if I were making it all in a cellar!
Just follow the salt quantities in my recipes above and it will work.

The ham I finished yesterday is the best to date. I accidentally followed the bacon recipe, so I was expecting the ham to be 'salty' but it isn't! It has a more intense cured flavour! I had to change the paper after about a week because it had saturated (never I to change it before).

The jelly has worked and it's delicious. I have spread some on lettuce leaves to make sliced cucumber, tomato and ham lettuce wrap for breakfast. Yum!

I'm going to try and use the rest of the gelatine to make some paleo pork pies. Still not sure what I'm going to use as a 'pastry' casing...I might line the ramekins with leek leaves, or use a pepper or tomato as casings.