Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Paleo Diet

Here is my 5 minute brain dump as part of this great series. Here goes …

3 weeks ago I decided I needed to do something about the way I eat.  I’ve always understood that “we are what we eat” as cliche as that might sound.

The Paleo Diet, or Caveman diet is the way of eating that has always appealed to me. I am gluten intolerant and rarely have any dairy in my diet anyway so it wasn’t going to be that hard to make the switch.

If anyone is wondering what it is that I do eat it is simple: lean meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruit and nuts.

What I don’t eat is: grains (rice, oats, wheat obviously – that includes corn, it is not a vegetable). No potatoes, no sweet potatoes (you can have them in moderation if you exercise for over 1hr and I’m not there yet!) I don’t eat anything processed. No sugar, syrups including Agave. No peanuts (they are legumes) not nuts and no beans or pulses. No dairy products but eggs are allowed (not sure how they ended up in a dairy category). No alcohol and my only vice is coffee.

The first few days were really hard – I had terrible headaches and I could feel my body detoxing. A few days later I felt great, I had more energy and I felt invigorated.

My main motivation was initially to lose my pregnancy weight – saying that I just had a baby, and then whispering 70 weeks ago, wasn’t cutting it anymore.  BUT! After a few weeks and some great weight loss and awesome inch loss I have started to realise that this way of eating is for improving my well being and productivity and the weight loss is a fantastic byproduct!

Do you believe you are what you eat?

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This is my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

  • Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
  • Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
  • Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
  • Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
  • Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
  • Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

28 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Paleo Diet

  1. Good Girl Gone Green

    Good for you for making the decision to get healthy! Good luck on your journey!

    Reply
  2. alishayarbrough

    good for you! getting in touch w: your inner cave-woman!

    Reply
  3. elyse.hahne

    I am actually allergic to soy, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, gluten, and more. It is amazing how many products are filled with so much garbage. While I can’t give up potatoes or rice as they are a main substitute for my diet, I can tell you that it’s pretty amazing to see what other options are available compared to what the typical Americans eat. I have lost 41 pounds since January and it does matter what I put in my mouth and on my plate these days. Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  4. Ameena Falchetto

    @PhasesofMe Thanks … I am hoping I can get to my pre-preg weight by the end of the month and then get down to my ideal weight by Christmas if not before.

    Reply
  5. Ameena Falchetto

    @elyse.hahne WOW! Well done you! Yes, I lost a huge amount of weight years ago and once it was off I could eat anything – BUT, I was mostly good because I knew how bad the “good” stuff would make me feel. My cheat days used to be great but did I pay the day after. I hate that processed food has so much junk in it – once you steer clear of gluten and dairy I’ve found that the choices are much cleaner and natural anyway. I am personally against soy and don’t like peanuts but I can’t imagine being allergic – you must have to be really careful.

    Reply
  6. Mrs B

    Wow, that’s full on. I don’t think I’d ever feel full without porridge for breakfast and brown rice and pulses for other meals.

    Reply
  7. mommyhoodnxtrt

    I have heard of the paleo diet, though I’ve never done any research on it. Good for you for taking the steps to lose the baby weight! That’s awesome! I wish you the best.

    Reply
  8. WalMartGourmet

    Hi! Popping in from SOC Sunday.

    I DO believe you are what you eat. I try to eat (mostly) healthy and can totally tell when I don’t. Some will say, ‘a calorie is a calorie” but I don’t totally buy into this. I know that our bodies function better on the foods you described.

    I normally do well on the eating part but always blow every diet with MY vice. Wine. Sigh.

    Reply
  9. mjdresselbooks

    Good for your for your willpower, especially in the beginning when you felt your body reacting. Best of luck.

    Reply
  10. Laural Out Loud

    My doctor recommended the Paleo Diet because of my fibromyalgia. After researching the heck out of it, it just makes sense! I try to eliminate as much as I can, though with a Brazilian husband that can’t imagine life without rice and beans (or that his children wouldn’t follow in his eating footsteps), it can be hard. I had NO IDEA that corn was a grain (just that it was a vegetable high on the glucose chart), but duh!

    Reply
  11. Ameena Falchetto

    @Mrs B You’d be surprised! But since you are training for a half marathon you have to eat carbs – I am not which is why I don’t need them

    Reply
  12. Ameena Falchetto

    @WalMartGourmet A Big Mac meal with a DIET coke is 920 calories … a whole roast chicken meal with skin, potatoes and veges doesn’t come close except the nutritional value of the calories in the latter is SO much better. I’ll never forget watching Super Size Me – when the guy ate nothing but McDonalds for a month – the calories are NOT the same which is why I don’t count calories or watch portions. I eat what I want and when I want.

    My vice is wine too – the other day I let myself have a glass as a treat and I felt like I drank the whole bottle the next day and craved lemonade and fries!!! It was definitely an assault on my body. I am sure I’d have felt the same after a bowl of ice cream or a piece of cake after 3 weeks of clean eating. I won’t be doing that again in a hurry.

    Reply
  13. Ameena Falchetto

    @mjdresselbooks Thank you!! It’s taken me a while to get to the point where I decided I WILL do this.

    Reply
  14. Ameena Falchetto

    @Laural Out Loud I am a true believer than a lot of illnesses and ailments can be relieved if not cured by the way we eat. My husband managed his asthma by eating Paleo – a night of pizza and beer and he will be up in the night wheezing and have to take his inhaler. I personally cured my psoriasis by eliminating wheat from my diet. We are what we eat – the annoying thing is that we are programmed from an early age to eat all the wrong things under the guise of healthy diets …

    Reply
  15. lostandforgotten

    I hope I’m not what I eat because that wouldn’t be too good. I’m not a big sweets person at all but I love things like hamburgers, pizza and cheesy fries. All the greasy staples of a poor diet!

    Reply
  16. Fadra

    I’m almost at the point where I’m ready to take control. I’m just not sure I could do this. I can live without some things but no grains at all would be very hard for me. No crackers or chips!!

    Reply
    1. Ameena Falchetto Post author

      It’s easier than you think! You DO have to WANT to do it though!

      Reply
  17. paleo weight loss

    OMG, I am so excited that you are doing this!! I am a vegan as well and have also been reading/hearing lots about the paleo diet. Due to the difficulty with removing grains from a vegan diet, I haven’t attempted yet, but I am really interested in how you are doing and how you are eating. Describe some meals!

    Reply
    1. Ameena Falchetto Post author

      Wow – I am fascinated about Vegan Paleo! How does that work?
      So far I am really feeling great on the diet – it’s been a month and I’ve lost at least 1 clothes size and 8.8lbs/4kgs!
      Nice to meet you!

      Reply
  18. Dee

    I have spent over two years doing the raw paleo diet and I am now in the best shape of my life. I have shared my experience in this post – http://mypaleodietblog.com

    I would recommend this to anyone, it is amazing just how easy you adapt to the changes and lovely food!

    Dee x

    Reply
  19. Talina (

    I too have heard of this diet but never learned more about it, until today. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Ameena Falchetto Post author

      I have to admit I’ve kind of fallen off the wagon – need to get back on it as I feel SO much better when I’m on it!

      Reply
  20. Jessica

    Yes! I do, which is why I’m trying to do better at eating better. I have heard of the paleo diet, but never researched it myself. It sounds like a good thing though. Right now, I’m making it a goal of mine to eat more whole grains, more veggies, and drink more water. I’m also exercising more, which is great! I wish you all the luck on this new journey! You’ll have to update us with your progress!

    Reply
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    Reply

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