Paleo-curious. That’s the word I use to describe my friends who are curious about this new(ish) lifestyle I’m living and want to know how I’m not miserable even though I’m “dieting”.
When one of these friends asked me to help him through his first Paleo reset, I drew up a tip sheet for him as it’s that time of the year that we’re waking up from winter, determined to eat healthier and get fitter. I’m going to share some of those tips here as well.
A reset is a fixed period of time during which you exclude all of the foods which are not part of the Paleo lifestyle - grains, legumes, refined sugars, dairy and processed or artificially made foods.
While most people stick to the diet 80/20, it is important to stick to the Paleo principles 100% during a reset. You can do it over seven, 14, 21 or 30 days, my preference is 30.
If you’re doing a Paleo reset for the first time, it can be incredibly challenging because it involves cutting out a number of food groups which have become a staple in the standard Western diet.
If it’s not your first time, it can still be challenging because you may have become relaxed and developed bad habits which need to be broken.
Whichever situation you find yourself in, it has been my experience that a reset is often less about the eating and the food than it is about addressing the relationships we develop with food.
Chantel Erfort Manuel is the editor of Cape Community Newspapers.
Plan ahead:
Familiarise yourself with what you’re allowed to eat during the reset programme and think about how you’ll incorporate these into your meals. When you’re out shopping, stock up on fresh protein sources like meat, chicken, fish, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables.
Clear out temptation:
If you’re trying to steer clear of sugar, dairy, bread and sweet treats, it’s going to be infinitely more difficult if you have a stash of them in your kitchen - and whatever you do, don’t buy them when you’re out shopping.
Get active: Your mind is going to be your major challenge during this programme, reminding you of all the things you “can’t” eat rather than all the things you can. Keep yourself busy so that you don’t find yourself sitting around fixating on food.
Anticipate discomfort:
Because you’re cutting grains from your diet, you’ll automatically be cutting down on your carb intake, which your body will react to if you’re used to eating a high carb diet. You could experience crabbiness, headaches, cravings for bread or sugar and flu-like symptoms. It gets easier.
Keep it simple:
Particularly while you’re getting used to the Paleo lifestyle, it’s important to focus on eating what’s allowed rather than trying to substitute what’s not allowed, with Paleo versions of those foods. Build nutritious meals with large portions of veg, a protein serving about the size of the palm of your hand, and a small serving of starchy veg if you want some carbs.
Learn to read labels:
In most packaged foods, there are ingredients you probably did not anticipate. For example, most commercially available sausages contain wheat or maize, and some biltong contains large amounts of sugar. Rule of thumb if you’re buying packaged foods: look for the label with the least number of ingredients. Also, learn to recognise ingredient names that refer to added sugar. According to SugarScience, there are about 61 different names for sugar, which include, sucrose and high-fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, maltose and rice syrup, among others.
Drink lots of water:
Because your body needs it.
Some experts believe that many people confuse thirst for the signals our body sends when we’re hungry. So, we think we’re hungry, but all we actually need is some water.
Follow @editedeating on Twitter