100% Paleo

Emilia and I had a healthy, pancake treat this morning! Paleo pancakes made from only two ingredients - bananas and eggs. Added some cut up strawberries, and, just in case syrup was needed, I have Coconut nectar. But no sweetener was required since the pancakes were delicious as is!

At the end of last year, especially with the holidays and the inability to exercise, I fell off the Paleo-eating lifestyle. I definitely notice there is a difference in energy level. I was more sluggish and more "bloated" associated with the intake of sugars and grains. My weight had gone back up a few pounds as well.

So, I love New Years and always use it as a kick-start to get back into positive habits. Since January, I have been focusing on healthy habits... going to sleep earlier (no late night bloggings anymore), getting consistent exercise and knee rehab, and back to eating Paleo. In fact, my former chiropractor was hosting an "8-Week Paleo Challenge" which I signed up for as extra motivation.

The Paleo Challenge starts and ends with hydrostatic body fat and composition measurements, which is known as the gold standard (most accurate) for body fat measurements. We have a scale at home that does have body composition measurement breakdown through bioelectrical impedance analysis and I have always measured in the "athletic" range.. which is where I want and expect to be. The bioelectrical impedance analysis though is not as accurate, and now I know, it is actually 3-4% lower than actual. I always thought I was in the athletic range and attributed it to good family genes, but now I know.. nope. If I want to be athletic, then I have to work for it. So, it was an eye opener getting my initial accurate body composition numbers. Yup. Knee injury was my excuse to becoming "lazy", and the numbers reflect it.

I am mentally back on track with being disciplined and consistent. Currently I am at the half-way point of the Paleo Challenge and it feels great to be 100% Paleo. My energy is back up and I can tackle the early morning workouts and also still have good amount of energy for the rest of the day. Weight is back down to where I like it to be. Two years ago I would have thought being 100% Paleo is crazy. Now, I am surprised it took me this long to optimize my food intake for efficient body performance.

A misconception people have of the Paleo diet, is that it means you get free range to eat any and all kinds of meat. Not true. You should still eat a balanced diet with meat consumption in moderation and other details such as eating in a way to naturally balance out your body's omega6 to omega3 ratios. I modify the Paleo for what works best for my body - lean protein, lots of variety of veggies and fruits. No processed foods, refined sugars, grains, beans, dairy, or nuts for me. (Nuts are Paleo, but I always feel not right when I eat nuts. Besides, Liam is allergic to nuts.) Family sort of goes along with it since I'm the one doing the shopping! We eat organic turkey, chicken/eggs, and bison meat (also sardines and beef tendon, though only me). All other meats are once in a while.

I aim to eat a pound of leafy greens a day (based on reading recommended nutritional intake from several sources from the raw food community), and 2-3 servings of fruit. On top of that, I try to eat foods that lower the omega6 intake and increase the omega3s. And yes, I DO have dessert! Healthy dessert. The kids and I eat banana strawberry "ice cream" almost every weekend. I recently tried Paleo brownies with yams and unsweetened cocoa powder. The texture is cakey-like and tastes very similar to a brownie if you follow the instructions. I would, however, next time, reduced the amount of sweetener to 1/8th cup, reduce the coconut oil/butter to 1/8th cup, and increase the cocoa powder by 1 Tbsp. This would still give a brownie-like treat, but lightening it a little.

And, since we have avos that fell off the trees from the recent storm... another avo recipe! Avocado Chocolate Mousse recipe! Super easy and decadent.

All in all, I am finally at a point where I am happy with my way of eating. It has taken 2 years to change to a healthier eating lifestyle and it now comes natural and easy without feeling like I am "missing out". As Paleo is becoming more main stream, there are even friends and co-workers that have started to go Paleo 80% and have felt the benefits. We share recipes, and help with research and discuss the finer details of what we should eat to optimize nutrition intake. So.. going Paleo, one of my 2012 New Years Resolution, is finally complete! Now I need to continue with getting my knee back to 100% so I can to catch up and complete the rest of the goals from 2012 and 2013!