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.

Those food pyramid posters look weird in our household! But we learn them for exams!
Ds is happy to recognise that wheat is not worth the tummy pain he has been sneaking some in occasionally, the little so and so and regretted it every time!! Indeed we thought we had reached a point that we thought dairy could be at play,too... Took ds to GP thinking it's about time we investigate for IBS or allergies, I wasn't expecting appendicitis!

On a different note, it has been years since I had Twiglets but tonight I was brought back a few years when I had a little accident with the brewers' yeast on my oven baked greens crisps! Just yum!

I'm not eating legumes, or dairy. I think ultimately I'll eat the odd portion of broad beans if they're served to me as they're yummy but they won't be a regular part of my diet.

I really want to try lambs liver, have never had the urge before, it's funny how this changes you.

This is such a weird diet to get used to in a way. Now I'm seeing things everywhere about people eating healthy diets (then listing their whole grains, lentils, beans and low fat foods) and it's like I've stepped into a parallel universe. I just wish everyone knew about the benefits. It makes me so cross that people are suffering needlessly.

Itallstartshere... , "this is such a weird diet", wait till you've been eating this way a while, 6 months, a couple of years, it's interesting what the inside of a supermarket looks like "weird" would be a good description!!!

These days I walk in, and don't even go down most of the isles- about 80% of the floor space is manufactured "food-like" grain products which our grandparents wouldn't have recognised (certainly not in those quantities).

But yes, it does boggle the mind a bit, coming to the understanding that pretty much everything about current nutritional advice needs turned on its head.

fava good they caught the appendicitis in time, I've known a few kids to go septic, glad your ds on the mend. Hospital food is shocking, when i have the misfortune of eating in a hospital I always order Asian - at least sometimes the food is edible.

I agree with Raw, supermarkets look very weird! Now and again, they look positively scary. I went down the cooked/ready to eat fridge aisle of a small Tesco and a medium size Asda recently; only Asda carried something vaguely edible with only 3 ingredients! The deli counters don't fare any better: why is Natural ham not available? Other (hotter) countries do.

The Fat=Bad=Heart attack message is very well ingrained in people's mind. When people ask me about Fat, I point out that I agree that certain fats are really bad, for example the hydrogenated fats found in bread and most baked goods; but I also ask them if they have ever heard of oily fish, avocados or olive oil being bad for the heart (or cholesterol) ? I generally get a smile with the ''Oh, yes!'' acknowledgement but I doubt they'll swap the bread for the fish! It is more likely that the message changes to Fat=Excess Calories=Fat!

Tis interesting favadi, I like your explanation. I have say that I have given up explaining to friends/ family as to what I'm eating as the whole low-fat/whole grains is so ingrained (s'cuse the pun)

I've even been scoffed at "you are going against official medical advice"

So I just eat my butter and coconut oil quietly! It's difficult explaining why I want to minimise the kids' consumption of wheat though.

Is anyone taking the supplements recommended by chris Kesser?

Itstarts - we are on liver once a week now - it's yummy cooked in butter with onions

Daddypig,

Re kids, "wheat gives he/she/them an upset tummy/rash/headache" would be true of many kids (either now or when theyve been eating it for a couple of decades!!!) probably yours too so bending the truth only slightly, if at all! .

Could be followed with a swift "I make sure they get all the nutrients they need from other foods", to disarm the horrified grainsarehealthy crowd in CW (carb world! It's a different planet).

But really, you don't have to explain if you don't want to - if your kids are healthy and growing I don't think their diet is anyones business other than parents/caters.

*carers not caterers!

Hi just popping in to let you know I had my baby dd 2 weeks ago. She's gorgeous and doing really well but people keep bringing us cake so we're not remotely paleo at the mo!

Congratulations! That's lovely news (the baby,not the cake heehee, )

Congratulations!

Congratulations marzipan! Enjoy every minute of baby AND cake... :)

Fav - actually what you state is true in as much as DD has stopped complaining of a sore stomach EVERY day. But I do get fed up of the looks when I mention the wheat free stuff. It shouldn't matter but we are often at friends' houses so I end up bringing my own snacks.

Macaroon - your name makes me chuckle as I have got a hankering for trying my own macaroon recipe using coconut, lime, egg white and rice syrup. Will report back...

Congratulations Marzipan - nevermind about the cake, enjoy every moment!

Marzipan, big congratulations. How wonderful.

daddypig, you'll learn to ignore the looks, especially when thinking about your dd no longer suffering. :) Your friends will eventually get used to it, your dd will not be the only ones eating a diet free from something.
Last year's birthday cake to be taken to one of ds's activities had to be gluten, nut, dairy and strawberry free!

Re: Supplements. I take vitamin D and K2 because I know I have already lost quite a lot of bone. Dh also wants to start, to see whether he can control cardio exercise induced migraines before starting using a prescribed medication.

Here are some links to the availability of fat soluble Vitamins in foods: Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vtamni K
Vitamin E

Gluten free is becoming more mainstream - older people seem to suffer more than younger people but eating out options have improved. I had a gluten free pizza in pizza express - it was just ok but it was an option and there was plenty of choice.
My dcs eat gluten free 70-80% of the time....they have friends sleeping over this weekend and we'll make spelt bread and they'll have a gluten cake....giving them this kind of stuff occasionally tends to stop them from feeling too deprived. When they were younger their diet was much stricter and I did get a few people grumble at my refusal to allow them to ingest food full of hydrogenated fats and artificial additives - I expect my stance made people either think I was bonkers and would regret the day i restricted junk suggesting my kids would obsess over it or i made them feel guilty about the food they gave their kids.

To reassure my dcs don't obsess over junk food - sugary crap from party bags can sit in the cupboard for 6 months and they won't even ask about it and they are becoming ingredient aware, choosing treats that don't contain masses of ingredients - they have learnt that the more ingredients a food contains the more likely it's going to taste awful.

Thanks favadi - you are a mine of information.... I'm sorry about the bone loss - can I ask how you know?

I take vit d and k, magnesium and, controversially, iodine. I also take selenium and some of the b vits once a week.

Snow - that's great your kids are making those choices now - not so sure we are there yet :)

Long story, daddypig. Replied in private :)

snow, I too believe the key is for Dc to take ownership of their diet. Compromises will always be inevitable along the way but ultimately they will able to make personal and informed choices.
It is really rewarding when dc describe 'processed food' as tasting funny, (weird, I guess )

Congratulations marzipanimal

I am finding paleo a bit hard to stick to at mo. I might try adding vitamins back in and see if that helps. Feeling down :( (most probably because my eating has slipped a bit into SAD ways!) Daft really, nothing stressful going on and I have no excuse not to eat well.

Oh no, Giraffes

What is that you're finding difficult to resist? I can't remember how long ago you started but cravings for SAD products can be really strong in the first few months. Are there particular smells or times that you struggle with? Is there any comfort food you love that could substitute the SAD one(s)?

Key to avoiding cravings ime, is to have no grain product AT ALL, none, not even trace amounts as for a lot of people, small amounts just make them crave more - and on the other side of the equation, at the same time you need to eat more fat!

That is a hard thing in the beginning, to lose that fear of fat we are told to have! But you need the calories and the satisfying satiating effect of the fat (or fat/protein).

Keep at it! You will get there it just takes time .

thanks both I think it is a mix of things, the hot weather making me not feel like cooking, rest of family wanting grains (even if it is gluten free I don't think I should be eating toast) cost is a biggie, not wanting to throw away kids reject food when I could eat it for my meals etc

I think it is easier being strict somehow raw, one thing leads to another. It's almost not even a craving but oh what harm will it do this once ... which then becomes twice etc...I feel and look better when I don't eat grains yet somehow I have still gone a bit off course in the past few days.

I know how you feel about cooking in this heat. I've been cooking fast and easy dishes that are also lovely cold, such as steamed vegetables drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice; baked vegetables salad: peppers, aubergines and courgettes are lovely served with a salsa or guacamole; meat and fish cooked in tomato based sauces (on the hob or in the oven) keep tender once refrigerated; meatloafs...

I think we are all guilty of finishing our children's meals!

Could you entice the children with some grain free SAD food such as homemade oven chip with homemade ketchup and paleo chicken nuggets or fish fingers?

Pasta is quite bland in taste and it's more about the filling or sauces. I make ravioli by stuffing hollowed out tomatoes with traditional ravioli stuffing and then bake. (Omitting bread crumbs from the stuffing means allowing the stuffing to rest in the fridge for 1hr before using)

I find tomatoes the number one food in the summer. I Came across this page on <a class="break-all" href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=www.donnamoderna.com/cucina/risultati-ricette/%28searchkey%29/pomodori%2520ripieni&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpomodori%2Bripieni%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dhbi%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stuffed tomatoes ; the recipes are not Paleo but most are easily adaptable. :) I hope google translate works but if it doesn't I'm happy to translate any recipe anybody fancy! :)

Those meals do sound lovely fav I guess organisation really helps cooking early when its cool then having the food ready in the fridge. Have resolutely ordered lambs liver, organic eggs, kale and samphire in addition to usual organic salad box.

My dc will mostly eat those paleo SAD things but nuggets have been too dry - I plan to try using potato flour next time :) Gluten free at home is def doable but grain free is difficult for me to implement as they are all fussy eaters in one way or another and I am not quite deaf enough to complaints or good enough a cook to persuade them!