The Paleo Solution

Those who know me fairly well know that I have stomach issues all the time. I'm not talking about self-conscious issues about my weight (well, sometimes), but rather the food that I put in my stomach that makes me curl up in the fetal position, rubbing away the churning in my poor tummy. For almost a year now I have been eating a gluten-free diet. I'll be honest and say that I'm nearly 100% gluten free when I'm down here in Arizona and focusing on school, but when I go home to Utah-- for whatever reason-- I tend to sneak a little bread and whatnot into my meals. It's terrible, and it really does make me sick.

To top of this madness, I'm also sensitive to dairy (I know, I know... I sound like a hypochondriac), but this is all true. Unfortunately, for the last year I have nearly doubled my dairy intake to make up for the lack of gluten. Bad idea, even worse results. SO, for a little over a week I have strictly followed the Paleo Diet. My brother, who is a health and fitness guru these days, lent me a copy of the book so that I could read up on the basics before diving in-- a good idea before making any huge lifestyle changes. These are the basic guidelines of the Paleo way:

• No Dairy
• No Gluten
• No sugar or salt (sea salt acceptable in small portions)
• Basically, nothing processed or unnatural

But instead...

• Lots of lean protein
• Seasonal fruits and vegetables
• Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, and avocado

And that is my current intake of food.

The idea is that we should be eating the way our Paleolithic ancestors did before altered foods entered the diet and started making us sick.

I'm good on the gluten free lifestyle, I'm fine without it... but dairy, oh my lovely dairy. I dare say I'm the biggest cheese fan west of Wisconsin. Giving up all things diary has been a trial for me; but there is good news: As a result of strictly following the Paleo for a little over a week, I have...

• Bought more fresh produce than ever before
• More energy for working out
• Had less headaches
• Been stomachache free for a little over a week (this hasn't been the case for as long as I can remember)
• Been less hungry
• Increased my energy
• Improved my vision (weird, but yes)
• Upped my positive mood levels

I'm not trying to sell this diet, I know it's not for everyone. And who knows, a month from now I could eat my words by breaking the rules and downing a string cheese. But for now, I'm totally happy with the Paleo.

It makes me feel good.

***Funny enough-- the thing I crave most from the dairy list is chocolate. Let's see how I do around all the Christmas goodies. Stay strong.