Protein
Ideally, you want to aim for 1 gram of protein per body weight. So a 150 pound person would aim to consume 150 grams of protein. Simple enough. Just to give you an idea, one egg contains 6 grams of protein and each ounce of chicken has about 10 grams of protein. So a 4 lb chicken breast would be about 40 ounces. Do not stress about counting grams. Chances are none of us consume enough protein, so try and eat protein at each meal and just eat more meat! Any type of meat, fish and eggs are all acceptable. Grass-fed meats are always better.
Vegetables
Vegetables should be a large part of your diet. Legumes are not allowed so be sure to not get vegetables and legumes mixed up. Be creative with your vegetable choices and how you cook them. (roasting, grilling, steaming, sauteing) Peas and green beans are technically legumes, but they are allowed since they are closer to vegetables. Do not eat any beans, such as kidney beans, chickpeas (no hummus), black beans, or any type of bean for that matter. And just to ruin everyone's day...no peanut butter. Peanuts are considered a legume and are not allowed. The only vegetable to stay away from is corn, which has no value.
Grains
Stay away from any type of grain. No pastas (don't even complain that you're Italian, that excuse doesn't work here), no rice (unless your name is Soo), no breads, crackers, or anything of that nature. When you are cooking, do not use any flours, breadcrumbs, or cornmeals, or cornstarches. Within the next week I will explain some flours that you can use and how to incorporate them. Just be patient, we're not taking everything away. In terms of starches, stay away from white potatoes, but if sweet potatoes are fine.
Soy and Dairy
Do not consume soy unless you are a man who wants to become a women or if you are a women who wants to turn into a whack job. (There are other ways to keep in touch with your feminine side and soy is not the answer). Just don't eat it. You should also stay away from dairy, it isn't as scary as soy, but still stay away. Coffee and Tea are approved foods, as long as you drink them without dairy or sugar. In place of cream or milk, you should try coconut milk or almond milk, or just drink it plain black. For the challenge, butter is okay to have. Grass-fed is preferable and can be found at Whole Foods. I've yet to try it, but have heard it tastes awesome.
Sugars
I may shed a tear or two at this part. No sugars. The first part is admitting it and the second part is not eating cake for breakfast. Sugar in any form is not allowed, including corn syrup. Natural sugars such as agave nectar or honey are not allowed during the challenge either. (sorry Syl, no Paleo cookies) You will be surprised how many things have sugar in them. Read the labels on everything you eat. Ketchup and barbecue sauce are loaded with sugar and corn syrups.Fruit are loaded with natural sugars and should be kept to a minimum, two fruits a day or so should be good. If you are goign to eat fruit, berries are the lowest in sugar and are the best options. With summer right around the corner, they should also be readily available. Obviously fresh fruit is better than dried. (dried fruit is basically candy bars in disguised...so you mine as well get the good stuff and just eat a snickers) Stay away from fruits if you are trying to lose wait. Similarly, nuts, other than peanuts, are okay, but should also be kept to a minimum. (a little birdie once said only 14 almonds a day)...(ps that's not a reliable source, just don't eat that many) For the challenge Tom is allowing 72% chocolate or higher. Your taste buds will get use to the higher percentage of cocoa and soon milk chocolate will taste like complete crap. Try not to go overboard with the chocolate and make it part of the 20%. (not everyday)
Condiments and Fats
Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and any other sauces or dressings with added sugar are not allowed during the challenge.Mustard, though, is okay. For a simple salad dressing try mixing three parts olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar. In terms of oils, coconut and olive oil are fine, as are avocados. Canola and vegetable oils are not allowed.
Dranks
...there's no alcohol. I know some of you think you can not function without your daily wine or beer, but you will survive, the rest of us around you just might not.
Well you can have water. Unsweetened iced-tea and hot tea, and coffee are all allowed and i guess you could drink carrot juice if you really wanted. No fruit juices, milk, sport drinks, or sodas.
Just some reminders:
The majority of your diet should be comprised of meats and vegetables. You don't have to weigh your food or eat at certain time intervals. It's simple; you eat good,. pure foods when you're hungry and don't eat when you're not. If you're not sure if you should be eating something take a minute to think about whether what you're about to eat could have been hunted or picked and if it could then you're in good shape. We could all embrace the mindset of Evan G and "treat our body like a temple".
In case you haven't noticed, the idea of Paleo, besides eating real foods is to limit insulin spikes in our body. Sugars, starches (which basically turn into sugars), and dairy all pack nasty insulin spikes. Whole grains are no better and may actually be worse, because the fiber in whole grains prolongs these spikes.There is a whole process, but for the basics insulin promotes fat storage.
So about 6 paragraphs later and that's the basics haha. I tried to just get all of the facts out there. This post has a lot of "this isn't allowed and don't do this", but you're all reading this blog because you've accepted the challenge for 60 days to improve your lifestyle and to feel better. I don't want this list to intimidate anyone, once you get the hang of it Paleo is simply going back to the basics.
30 Truths in 30 Days
It's this simple
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