So I wrote an article earlier in the year about being on the Paleo diet and all that it’s done for me. While all of that is wonderful, and I have lost a ton of weight, there are certain things that I can’t help but think every time I go to eat. The Paleo diet really is unlike any other, especially when you dive into the autoimmune Paleo. Not only do I have to cut out gluten, but also I have to get rid of all grains (yes, including rice!). I have to suffer from total lack of anything processed. You wouldn’t believe how much is truly processed and not natural. A lot of my friends like to joke that I basically filter air and drink water as my entire diet, which, in their defense, is what it feels like a lot of the time. Especially while I am here at school, accommodations do not come easily. Even with five options to eat on this campus, I can generally only eat three or four things without worrying about my health. And, honestly, that’s just what happens when you cut out everything like grains, legumes, dairy (not just lactose!), sugar and potatoes. Not everyone understands the diet, but I can’t deny what it’s done for me in the past six months.
1. What on earth are legumes?
Legumes have been the hardest for me to understand fully. I’m not exactly I understand them yet, either. Basically, this includes peas and peanuts for the most part. Because no one really wants to have peanut butter, right? Right.
2. I love not counting calories
One of the biggest benefits of this lifestyle is not counting calories. Even though I’ve had a lot of issues in the past with caloric intake and what that did to my body, it seems that it doesn’t really matter when all food you put into your body is healthy.
3. I wonder if I just tried a little bit... NOPE
I’ve done this a lot in the last month. It’s extremely hard to be on such a strict diet for almost six months and not have any diversions from it. For the most part, I’ve behaved. But on those occasions where I experiment or someone doesn’t tell me the ingredients, I suffer badly.
4. I've never felt this sick from food before
This one gets me every time number 3 happens. Before this diet, I didn’t have many problems with sickness from food. I’d be sick constantly, but I never really fell ill from having a teaspoon of dairy. And it was never so immediate as this is. Once, I was given regular milk in a coffee instead of my Paleo coconut milk, and I was out for the count for a couple days.
5. Is this processed?
I spent the majority of my time reading labels when this diet started. Now, it’s fairly instinctual, but I often wonder if things are processed or not. If it has been, well, refer to number 4.
6. I'm so happy with how I look and feel
This is something I pride myself in, even though there are so many trials I go through with this diet. I can’t deny that I’ve lost seven sizes in jeans, or that I went from a 1X to 2X shirt down to a medium in six months. A lot of people tell me it isn’t healthy with how fast I’ve lost the weight, but the truth is that this is the only healthy thing I’ve done for my body. Paleo is definitely not for everybody (or even most people), but those that need it, it sheds the pounds and realigns your entire system. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
