A change of pace, and back to basics.

I've been moving back to an old way of eating recently.

At one point in time, I was completely paleo.  I was excessively ill a few years ago, would up in the hospital, couldn't walk right, had terrible headaches, etc. 

None of the doctors could figure out what was wrong.  It was frustrating, exhausting and the medical bills were ridiculous.  (Thankfully I had good insurance at the time and had no out of pocket expenses, but still.  The strain I put on the system was crazy.)

So I tried something radical.  I went paleo.

I felt great.  But it was crazy to keep up with that kind of lifestyle when I was out and about so much, and I was also a student and could barely afford rent in super-expensive Boston, let alone the grocery bills the diet racked up.

I've had a love/hate relationship with paleo/Primal for the past few years.  I feel amazing.  I love the way I feel.  I HATE how expensive the diet is.  I didn't exactly like how much cooking I had to do.

But things have changed now.  I'm tethered to my home because I have a baby who needs her naps, so if we leave the house, it's only for a few hours here and there.  I am now obsessed with my crockpots, which is actually a very easy way to make great paleo meals.  My husband works full time and I consult for my firm, so we have the means to make a diet like this work.

I didn't really "mean" to go paleo.  I just sort of only ate paleo foods for a day as a fluke, and I couldn't believe how great I felt that night.  ESPECIALLY because the baby was teething and sick and we weren't getting any sleep --- I just couldn't believe that I felt energized and I wasn't achy -- something that usually happens to me when I don't get enough sleep or when I am stressed out.

It was a fluke, but I knew it was because I hadn't had any non-paleo foods in the last 48 hours.  I've "gone paleo" enough times over the last few years to know that, for me, the benefits are almost immediate.  (I've read blogs and accounts from others who say it takes them upwards of two weeks to actually start to feel good eating paleo.)  I was happier.  I was nicer, according to my husband.  I was able to multi-task better.  When the baby woke up in the middle of the night, I was immediately alert, as opposed to other times, when I'm groggy for at least the first 15 minutes or so.

Will BEGGED me to stay paleo last week.  I hemmed and hawed, saying it's just SO EXPENSIVE and some quinoa or gluten free bread every now and then wouldn't be too hard on me.  And lentils were okay, too. 

Will informed me that I am not the easiest to be around after I eat legumes.  I'm cranky, I don't feel as great and I'm more tired. 

Guilty as charged.  I try to not be cranky, but I know I am. 

And then Will said something that I couldn't really disagree with:

"We don't go out to eat hardly ever.  We don't stop at Starbucks and get coffee every day.  We don't take crazy expensive trips.  You get the baby's clothing on Craigslist or freecycle or from friends.  You MAKE your own baby food.  You coupon for free paper towels and shaving cream.  There is enough extra because of this to afford large amounts of high-quality grass-fed meat and mostly organic produce.  And even if there wasn't, YOU FEEL BETTER THIS WAY AND YOU HAVE MORE ENERGY FOR YOUR FAMILY.  We can't afford for you NOT to eat this way."

Can't argue with that.  It's true.  

So I've gone back to paleo, and it's been a week since then.  And I feel great, and feel more energized and am thinking more clearly every day.  (This is actually odd, since we haven't been sleeping well since the little lady has been cutting something like four teeth.  Teething has been BRUTAL with her.) 

But what about the husband and baby?

They are not going paleo.

Will is still going to eat basically what I do, but he has asked that I make batches of beans and rice, or quinoa or something "starchy and carby" for him to eat so he can fill up on those foods.  With the amount of food that he eats, it really would be tough on us if he went full paleo.  And he says he just really doesn't need that - he feels great on more of a Zone-food diet, anyways.

The baby will eat lots of meat and veggies, as she always has.  But she will still have plenty of organic dairy products, and I will still have her eating some grains (mostly the multigrain Trader Joe's O's) and lots of sweet potatoes. 

I'm stuck at home a lot, anyways.  I was making most of our food from scratch to begin with.  I have a Meat CSA that I LOVE, and we get a huge box of produce every week from our produce CSA and have a great farmer's market nearby.  Trader Joe's is less than two miles away from our house.  I DON'T WORK FULL TIME ANYMORE - probably the biggest reason WHY we can do this.

It's going to be tough for me to swallow my couponing pride and do this, but I just can't argue with Will's logic here.  I do feel better this way.  I understand that in the long run (and short run) it is the right thing for me.  I've been a vegan, and that lasted four days.  I've tried to be a vegetarian, and that lasted a few months, and I've never felt worse.  I've done Zone-diet foods, and I've done gluten free, and while I certainly didn't feel terribly, I didn't feel great, either.

What works for me is Paleo. 

So today:

Breakfast:

Pork sausage patty (courtesy of Meat CSA goodness)
Hardboiled Egg
The half of a banana the baby didn't eat

Snack:

Apple

Lunch:

Leftover Thai Chicken Soup
One leftover Omega 3-enriched meatball (dinner last night)
HUGE SALAD

Snack:

Almond milk and frozen fruit smoothie

Dinner:

Eggplant Lasagna
Sauteed Green Beans