Finding your "Paleoish"

Paleo is taking the world by storm. Seriously. It’s everywhere! It’s become the new “fad diet” (which drives me insane, but that’s a soapbox for another time) and everyone can’t wait to hop on board the bandwagon. Once the ticket is purchased and they are about to climb on board, there are so many questions:

“Can I have eggs?” “Gluten. Dear, sweet gluten.” “Why no dairy?” “But fruit’s still okay, right?” “Cavemen didn't have the ability to bake! How can I justify that?” “Green smoothies.......just the thought makes me want to hurl.” “And what do you mean, no GRAINS? Aren't grains plants?” “What the heck is ghee???”

I completely understand the questions and confusion. I went Paleo practically overnight after my naturopath (really, she’s my holistic genie. I love her so much) told me that, if I continued on my current path of eating, I was going to die. Okay, she wasn't quite that blunt, but that's how I interpreted what she said and, honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me because it made me do some serious soul-searching.

Making any kind of lifestyle change is challenging – no matter how great it ends up being for your health. Throw in mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, constant head-to-toe aches and pains, endless insomnia, and daily tears shed, and that was ya girl when I was faced with total elimination of everything I ever knew. It was like turning a bag upside down and emptying the contents to sort out the junk.

I got home and started looking into what Paleo was, what it required, and what I would have to do to make it happen. Yes, it looked complicated. Yes, I knew it was going to be so expensive. Yes, I knew I was going to absolutely hate it. But I had nothing to lose, so why not? I committed to it right then and there. I made the decision that, no matter how weird it may be, what people may think, or how awful it sounded, that I would commit 100 percent, no reneging. 

I went from 21st Century eater, to gluten-free, to full-blown, hardcore Paleo in less than 6 months. I have tried so many things to see what may help heal my body: snake oil (yes…..I said snake), colostrum, resveratrol, and iron shots (well, I only had one and I barely made it out of that one alive).  I have ingested two green smoothies a day for upwards of a full year. I have tried my darndest to fall in love with chia seed pudding to no avail. I take copious amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, collagen powder, and MCT Oil. I ingest turmeric gummies on the reg without hurling. I sleep in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. And, most recently, I freeze my core body temperature to -244° F. I don’t do this because I’m crazy. (Whaaaale.....that’s debatable.) I don’t do it for attention. I do this because I see results. And in the end, no matter how crazy it looks, THAT is what matters.

My point in this is not to say, “hey, look at me and all the stuff that I’m doing for my health.” My point is that if I (the girl who thrived on bread and butter for years) can make the commitment to go Paleo because my body was sending out SOS signals every 5 minutes, I truly believe that anyone can do it. Will it stink? Yes. You’ll want to curl up in a ball and die for the first 3 months. But after those 3 months, it truly is the best thing ever and you will feel so good.

One thing that I learned very soon into my journey is that Paleo looks different for every individual. Every body is different; therefore, every body needs to be fueled differently. This could mean that you, like 2 of my friends, can eat dairy without any adverse affects, while I wake up to major finger inflammation and painful feet the next day. (I like my dairy from a goat, thank you.) You may be able to keep good grains, like quinoa, in your diet and not have any issues. Who knows what your Paleoish will look like, but the only way to find out is to start!

If there were just five things that I could share with you about taking the next step to overcoming whatever health issue you have,  they would be:

1.   Don’t give up. Please, please, please, don't give up. It's going to be a rough transition and you'll  want to eat your arm when you're around foods that you can't have. But, friend, you are important, your health is important. If you have a disease or health issues that you haven't been able to overcome (yet) and desire to feel like a human again, this is worth it. You mean the world to people on this earth. You’re worth fighting for.

2.   Baby steps. Eliminating 4 or more food groups at one time is overwhelming and intense. If I had had a choice, I would have gradually weaned myself off of each food group rather than cutting them all cold turkey. However, if you’re in the same boat as me, gradual elimination may not be      possible. In that case, hang in there, pal. Three months will FLY by. (Actually, they’ll drag like a turtle wading through molasses. But the cruddy parts of detoxing and re-training your taste buds won’t last forever!)

3.   Eat chocolate. Chocolate is LIFE. But only dark chocolate, of course (more antioxidants, peeps!).        The lowest percentage that I can tolerate is 60 percent, and I prefer in the 80 percent range, but you do you, boo.

4.   Drink coffee if you can. I had to completely cut myself off from coffee for one entire, very dreary year because it was an irritant and caused issues for me. Now, I’ve been back on it for 1.5 years and I don't feel instantly feel sick when I drink it like I used to. Hallelujah, praise God. Coffee is liquid GOLD!

5.   Rediscover your joy and find excitement again. My life has changed so much for the better since my diagnoses. It was rough in the beginning and I remember a lot of tears and frustration, but now I am seeing results and healing and I couldn’t be more proud of my body.

Friends, enjoy the journey. You’re learning so much about your body – how it processes and functions and what foods and supplements your body needs. Don’t let mishaps and setbacks discourage you. They happen to the best of us! And once you find your Paleoish, own it!

XOXO,

Heather

P.S. Have you checked out ThePaleo Women Podcast yet? Do ittttttt. 

P. P.S. Something I’m hardcore crushing on right now: RX Bars! More specifically, the Chocolate Sea Salt RX Bars. Because, well, chocolate is LIFE.

I’ve had a long-term relationship with Larabars for years and one day, I just couldn’t eat them. They will always have a special place in my heart and I still enjoy the tiny little macaroons that they just came out with that are oh, so good. But for now, give me RX Bars!

(Photo courtesy of http://fhfitness.com/rx-bars-best/.)