90.Days.Grain.Free: Day 16 ~ Paleo is not a diet... It's a lifestyle!

Whilst having a conversation with my partner this morning about paleo I realised something...
We were discussing the reluctance many people have in following the paleo way of eating despite all the supporting evidence telling us exactly how bad processed/refined food is for our bodies; people are still choosing to believe that grains and refined carbs should make up almost 70% of our dietary intake. ????

My partner then said something completely astounding... 'it's because people don't want to diet'...
At that point I realised he was right... people don't want to be imprisoned by a 'diet' because ultimately that is what we are conditioned to believe... we believe that 'diet' means confined to eating bland food that doesn't taste good, cutting out all fat content and not only that, but to many people it also means that sweet treats are completely off the menu and calorie counting begins.
No wonder people are terrified and disinterested in starting the paleo diet when there has already been so much negative reinforcement placed on changing our eating habits.
To many people the word 'diet' is so restrictive (that is why I prefer not to use it wherever possible) meaning all things that taste good are bad for you and the general consensus is that they are... (wrong)!
Well what if I told you that way of thinking is outdated and there was a way you could eat for taste that was good for you? Would people want to try it then?
Personally I don't see Paleo as being a 'diet' per se but more so a way of life...
...a lifestyle.
I don't crave or suffer in the same way I would on a restrictive diet... in fact, to me it's like quiting smoking... once you are ready and accept that smoking is really bad for you, you just simply say good riddens to cigarettes! Well that is exatly how I feel about the paleo way. I look at the food I used to eat and know exactly what it was doing to me and why I felt so shit and I immediately think good riddens to processed junk!
Who would still want to consume something which reduces your bodies performance and stops it doing what nature intended it to do?

Some people may be able to get away with eating grains by lacto fermenting them for long periods of time, with the large amounts of gluten, phytic acid and lectins my recommendation is to do this process for anywhere up to 20 days to get the desired result.
Although this technique is available and many people use it as a means to be able to consume grains I'm quite happy to avoid consuming them altogether and I don't intend to take them up ever again.
In only 16 days my life has been completely different, yes I've had to work harder preparing food and yes I've had to be more creative in the way I prepare food, especially for my kids, but in return my overall energy levels have increased and my body has started changing (weight loss, gaining muscle tone) finally!
...and all in only 16 days!

Paleo is a lifestyle... I repeat.... A LIFESTYLE... and any lifestyle requires commitment and hard work just like a job that earns you loads of money, or maintaining beauty with trips to the salon every week.
Paleo will work for you if you work for it. That is the most simple and accurate way I can put it. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and give it a go, you have nothing to lose, except for all that weight and baggage you're carrying around or that fatigue you've been struggling with for years...

Paleo Food List; The Contradictions

Use common sense when reading over the Paleo food list, things like bacon and sweet potato have been excluded yet diet soda of all things are ok... ??? as I said in one of my earlier posts, I wouldn't consume diet soda AT ALL but I perceive bacon (depending on its quality) to be 100% acceptable. I've been researching some articles on how to cure your own meat so I may also do a segment on making bacon sometime in the near future. If you haven't already noticed I updated my links list in the side bar and added a few goodies like meta-typing and a paleo food list although I'm really going to do my own version very soon because I just don't believe some of the items on the list are in their appropriate places. I believe starchy vegetables have a place in our diet, just not when we are suffering from leaky gut (white potatoes to be completely excluded). Also I have seen some websites today doing some more research for my blog and came across a food list distributed by a very well known spokesperson of the paleo diet. It included a few supermarket packaged foods that personally I would not consume e.g Dijon mustard (contains too much processed junk and refined sugar), all of these sorts of sauces you can opt to make yourself with paleo acceptable ingredients. Soy sauce is fermented but does contain gluten so Tamari is the only option for soy sauce on the paleo diet. When in the supermarket, read the ingredients label and if there is sugar, additives, msg and preservatives (generally characterised by numbers) I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Also any ingredient labels that say extract are basically msg (mono sodium glutamate) at the end of the day.
If we look back to when I did the paleo food pyramid remember that EFA's (essential fatty acids in the form of oils) are really important to the human body yet on some Paleo food lists they are frowned upon and we are told to reduce their consumption to minimise weight gain... ???? It is my understanding that only high insulin producing foods (foods that promote excess production of insulin in the body) can encourage weight gain, things like refined carbs, refined sugars over consumption of fruits and fructose containing foods. Fat is actually good for us as long as it is the right fat. Uncooked cold pressed oils are a great way to get EFA's and of course taking a regular fish oil will help also. Avoid consuming too many cooked oils because the structure of the oil changes and has less bioavailability (and trans fats), which is like most things when cooked except certain vegetables which need to be cooked to activate particular enzymes for better bioavailability.
Research as best you can and use your own common sense and remember there are always alternatives when wanting to eat healthy. Things like refined sugars can be replaced in moderation with coconut sugar which is low GI and has loads of antioxidants and phytonutrients so missing out on some treats may be a thing of the past.