Me eat Paleo.

Paleo Diet To-Do List:

– Buy Paleo Diet for Athletes book – DONE

– Go grocery shopping – DONE

– Figure out what this Paleo diet is all about – ERRRR… WORKING ON IT!

I am not going to pretend that I’m going to turn into a nutritionist over night with this little exercise. As long as I have been a Vegan, I don’t think I have counted a calorie – and in truth, the ‘science’ of the Paleo diet to me is a tad overwhelming. I also admit that I am no Vegan Mother Theresa. While I would say 75-80% of my diet can be found in nature, I would guess that there’s about 20-25% that can be found at the 7-11. It’s not ideal, and certainly not advised, so I look forward to focusing on new, interesting recipes and not as much on bad habits this week. I also look forward to getting away from my faux-meat/faux-dairy ‘crutches’ (Tofurkey, Soy Cheese, Soy Milk…)- as delicious, and often nutritious, as they are… I’m excited to remind myself that the food earth produces in 1-step is just as delicious and probably a lot more nutritious.

So my approach this week is to compare and share the ‘lived’ differences between my former Vegan-ish diet and my new Palio-ish diet. In the end I hope I can take the ‘best’ of the Paleo diet philosophy, and integrate it into the ‘best’ of my Vegan lifestyle. I can already begin to see some advantages, but also some things I am really really going to  struggle with.

The Similarities

– A focus on fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, oils and nuts/seeds.  Food as it’s meant to be.

– No dairy. Luckily, this means Paleo is not going to be as much of a struggle as it might be for some.

The Differences

– Paleo eliminates most carbs (except just before/during/after exercise for athletes, in limited amounts). THIS is going to be a big challenge (the sushi restaurant across the street knows my order by heart)

– Heavy focus on fish and meat, and in particular game meat. I eat a bit of fish (mostly salmon, halibut, cod, shrimp).. but can’t digest the thought of meat for some reason. I have nothing against it, but I started reading the recipes and it just doesn’t sit right. I am going to stick with just fish for this week, and eggs as a proverbial olive branch in the ‘uncomfortable’ direction.. but meat is probably not on the grocery list unfortunately

– Limits placed on the veggie and fruit list, as well as some oils, vinegar, salt, and peanuts – something about alkalinity? Who knows. I’ll just follow the recipes.

The Approach

– Exercise is ramping up a bit this week , as I start to integrate cycling into my training schedule (have only been running so far). I will have to be a LOT more prepared with my food, and figure out what the heck someone eats before exercise if it’s not oatmeal or toast (my go-to’s)..

– I will be entering my daily food intake into www.myfooddiary.com just for kicks.. and perhaps next week compare it to my Vegan diet to see where the gaps are

– I will attempt to make almost all my meals this week; since I wouldn’t even know where to start with take-out. Might try a restaurant on the weekend just for the experience.. TBD

My Thoughts on VeganDad

– Good luck!

IronDaughter