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As you begin changing to the paleo diet and lifestyle your mindset can either help you or stand in your way. One key to success is to focus on all of the new things you can add. “Diets” are typically associated with lack and scarcity and missing out on things. I’m a believer that perfection is the thief of joy, but at the same time you have to give yourself some distance between familiar favorites and the new choices you’re making. Gradually going paleo is a way to slowly reduce your carbohydrate intake and hopefully avoid the low carb carb flu.
Others simply want to avoid the carb flu. While it’s perfectly normal for your body to use fat and protein for fuel the sudden shift can leave you feeling tired, achy, and moody. If you have a busy life avoiding the carb flu is likely something you want to side step. Plus, I don’t know too many people that are motivated by “the suck.”
As you gradually go paleo and slowly reduce your carbohydrates it’s possible to still experience carb flu symptoms. If you have any symptoms try to get your carbohydrates from root vegetables, whole fruit, wild rice, or quinoa. Vegetables are my top pick from this list and fruit is my last pick, especially if you are insulin resistant.
Step 1: Get Rid Of The Things You Won’t Miss
For many our hormones and hunger hormones have been hijacked by industrialized food. In order to get your body back on track you have to give yourself some distance from addictive foods. Companies have learned how to engineer their food to make you eat more than you normally would.
My challenge to you is to focus on how many good things you can add from this list: Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, vegetables, and seasonal fruit.
ADD: AVOCADO OIL, LARD, OLIVE OIL, COCONUT OIL, TALLOW.
ADD: VEGETABLES, MEAT, FISH, & EGGS
This week I’m easing you in by focusing on removing the ingredients that you hopefully won’t miss. You know the ones: all of the artificial nonsense that you’ve heard you should eliminate anyway.
REMOVE: Vegetable oil (corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, sunflower, & safflower oil), Artificial (colors, flavors, & preservatives), also remove all sweeteners (even the natural ones).
Step 2: Add More Of The Good Stuff & Get Rid Of Wheat
This week is relatively simple. Double your focus on adding more of the good things. Dr. Terry Wahls recommends 9 cups of vegetables a day in her protocol. See how close you can get to 9 cups of vegetables.
Last week we removed sweeteners and vegetable oil, both are tied to insulin resistance and a variety of chronic health conditions. To continue slowly reducing carbohydrates and avoid the carb flu, this week we’re removing wheat. Modern wheat raises your blood sugar more than white table sugar or a Snickers bar. You can keep your other grains for now. Giving them up all at once will cause a big dip in your carbohydrate intake.
Some of my favorite vegetables:
Sweet vegetables:
- parsnips
- yellow beets
- plantain (yellow are sweeter)
- white sweet potatoes
- butternut squash
- acorn squash
- kohlrabi
- jicama
Vegetables Similar To Those You Already Eat:
- Broccolini (a version of broccoli)
- Romanesco (a combination of broccoli & cauliflower)
- Leek (a member of the onion family)
Spicy vegetables:
- arugula
- mustard greens
Alternative meats: (a short list of things I’ve tried to get you started)
- Bison (it’s like beef but better)
- Rabbit (literally tastes like chicken)
- Duck eggs (not my favorite but you might like them, they’re huge)
- Venison (check out my recipe)
- Elk (farmed can be milder than wild. treat it like beef or venison)
Step 3: Paleo Food Swaps
You’ve had 2 weeks to gradually go paleo and slowly reduce your carbohydrates. Dialing your carbohydrate intake back another notch this week is about eliminating all grains. I know most of us are accustomed to eating grains regularly but I promise you won’t starve. Most things can be made paleo or have a paleo spin put on them. I’ve found that I enjoy food more without grains because everything has so much more flavor.
Let’s face it, grains are a starchy canvas without much flavor. Fat, sugar, and/or salt added are the things that make grains tasty. Meat with a side of vegetables has never left me feeling hungry or deprived. These paleo changes don’t have to last till the end of time. The goal is to give yourself a few weeks without them and see what happens. Personally I haven’t met a person who doesn’t say the feel significantly better without grains. Who knows, when you reach the place where you begin to feel more vibrant grains may take a back seat in the future.
Paleo Noodle replacements:
- zucchini noodles
- butternut squash noodles
- thinly sliced cabbage
- miracle noodles (made from konjac root)
Paleo Flours:
- coconut
- almond
- arrowroot
Paleo Thickeners:
- arrowroot
- potato starch (typically works even if you’re nightshade sensitive)
Paleo Rice:
- cauliflower rice
- quinoa & wild rice (they walk a fine line in the paleo world)
My Favorite Paleo Cookbooks:
He Won’t Know It’s Paleo (autoimmune paleo)
Step 4: Your First Week Of Paleo
Congrats! You’ve made it to the last step. This is your first week of paleo eating. In the 4th week of gradually going paleo, the only thing we’re eliminating this week are legumes – beans. I wouldn’t expect you to have any carb flu symptoms this week, unless you typically eat a lot of beans.
Green beans are ok. They’re more green than bean so they get a pass on the paleo diet.
Peanuts are typically not seen as paleo but there are some in the paleo community who think they’re fine. Like most things, I recommend removing them for a few weeks and then see how your body responds.
Originally posted on February 3, 2022 @ 09:55
