The Paleo diet 101 - Beginner's guide and basic stuff

If you are a paleo newbie and looking for a hands-on approach, meaning you want to try being paleo right away and worry about the theory and science later, this article is for you. If you want a bit of science to throw into nutritional small talk check this post. 

Ok, let's have a good look at you. Welcome to the pack! The more the merrier! If people are completely new to the paleo diet I always recommend tostart with the basic a.k.a. old school setting of the paleo diet. If you suffer from any auto-immune conditions like Celiac's, diabetes or Hashimoto's disease you might want to check with a health professional first. Miles Price can help you here. He's a clinical nutritionist and paleo friendly. 

This basic setting is a bit stricter concerning grey area foods like dairy and legumes. You can transition into this setting either slowly or jump right into it. But it is important that you stay full paleo old-school for 21 to 30 days before you start personalising and customising your diet (more on that in a later post). It'll give you enough time for your body to get used to the new diet, heal all the inflammation caused by processed foods, and  get rid of sugar cravings. It would also important to mention that during this time you should take it easy on working out. Just light weight training and walks. Focus on one thing at a time. 

The basic/ old school paleo setting

Overview

1. Eat real food 
2. Include moderate to high amount of good fat
3. Include a moderate amount of animal protein
4. Keep your carb intake low to moderate but your fibre high
5. Limit/ Avoid added sugars, high-fructose items, artificial/ natural sweeteners
6. Get rid of gluten and food rich in anti-nutrients
7. Eliminate bad fats and oils from your diet
8. Avoid dairy... for now

Portion sizes
I found this useful infograph guideline for portion sizes on the website of paleo nutritionist Jane Taylor. She has done a good job in illustrating an easy way how to measure portions. Needless to say use your own hands to measure your own portion size. 

Details

• Eat real food 
  Get rid of all the processed junk food. If it is high in sugar OR has more than 5 ingredients of which at least one sounds like a chemical (e.g. propyl gallate) do not eat it.  

• Include moderate to high amount of good fat
  Do not be scared to add healthy fats into your diet. Butter, ghee, coconut oil, EVOO, avocado oil and animal fats are good for you. Cooking with these oils makes your food more tasty and more satisfying. 

• Include a moderate amount of animal protein
  There is the misconception that people on a paleo diet eat a looooooot of meat. But most paleo folks eat just the same amount of animal protein as people on a Mediterranean diet. We just pay more attention to the quality of the meat, eggs and fish we consume. If possible the meat should be grass-fed, fish  wild caught, and eggs and chicken free-range. Do not worry too much if you can't get access to ideal quality meat. Just pick the best what's available to you. For example: Pick non-organic lamb over non-organic beef, as lambs cannot handle grain feed and are therefore grass-fed. Also choose NZ or AUS beef over Chinese beef. Most cows in China are grain-fed while the good percentage of cows in NZ and AUS are pasture-raised. 

• Keep your carb intake low to moderate but your fibre high
  When referring to carbs we are talking about digestible carbs which can cause your blood sugar to rise. That's the stuff which the body uses for fast energy. We refer to carbs like that also as sugars. Fibre (found in high amount in vegetable and low to moderate amount in fruit) on the other hand is a carb which mostly cannot be digested, so the body cannot store it or convert it to fat. Still fibre is good for you. It keeps your gut healthy and fills you up without the calorie load. 
  Keep fruit at a low to moderate amount. Fruits still contain sugar in form of fructose. Treat fruit like a dessert or a treat at this point. During your transitioning phase I would also stay away from nuts and add them later once you're done with your 21-30 days. 

• Limit/ Avoid added sugars, high-fructose items, artificial/ natural sweeteners
  The body treats any kind of sugar the same. It does not matter if it comes from honey, maple syrup or coconut nectar. Try to keep your sugar consumption very low. You want your body to kick the sugar addiction and never suffer from sugar cravings again. If you need something sweet go for some fruit. Eat the fruit! Do not drink fruit juice as it's packed with sugar. It's much easier to drink the juice of 3 oranges rather than eating them. Also do not attempt to trick your body with xylitol or stevia. The body will trick you back with increased sugar cravings. 

• Get rid of gluten and food rich in anti-nutrients
  Cut all gluten containing grains like wheat, barley and rye which are the main ingredients of bread, pasta, cereals and pastry. Gluten is a protein compound which can irritate your gut, causes your gut to absorb less nutrients. It is also linked to another negative effects such us insomnia, brain fog, allergy symptoms. Another anti-nutrient rich food are legumes like peanuts (yes, it's not a nut), kidney beans, chick peas and especially soy and associated products such as soy milk, tofu. Legumes contain ant-nutrients such as lectins and phytates which can inhibit nutrient absorption and cause leaky gut. To keep your carb consumption low avoid gluten free grains like rice and corn during your transition time. 

• Eliminate bad fats and oils from your diet
  Stay clear of all vegetable oils (except for extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil) which include: rapeseed = canola, corn, sunflower, soybean. Add hydrogenated or semi-hydrogenated fats like margarine or vegetable/ soy spread to the don't-eat list. All these fats are highly processed which the body cannot handle well. You end up with more internal inflammation and more bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body. These fats are literally fattening and sickening.  

• Avoid dairy... for now
  Let your gut heal during the transition period and see if you're feeling better without dairy. If you are Asian chances are high that you might be lactose intolerant causing GI-problems. Another problematic component in milk with similar effects is casein. Milk is also a growth agent which makes sense because it the first food for mammal young. But for adults milk could cause weight gain and promote the growth of cancerous tissue. Organic butter and cream might be added back later as they are low in casein and lactose. 

This is it for now. Try to keep at it, but don't beat yourself up if you got tempted to eat a slice a pizza or had a cookie. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Aim for a 80/20 paleo quota. Stay paleo 80% of the time and give yourself 20% leeway. When you fall off the paleo wagon do not give up. Just get back at it again. Reach out to fellow paleo folks or share your experience on Pack of Packs. Good luck!