Grain Free/Primal/Paleo in January 2011!!! - Page 3

[Shazer]

Hello - Although I followed a LC/all natural diet for 4 years before DD was born in '07, I did go paleo while nursing when she had digestive issues.  I have leaky gut syndrome and after I nursed her for 27 months, I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue.  I weaned her at 28 months and incorporated more carbs into my diet at the recommendation of my physician.  Then I got pregnant with DS.  I didn't eat as well during his pregnancy, although still pretty good.  For his first four months after birth, I cut out nuts and dairy.  Then I did a test on dairy and he didn't react with digestive problems.  But when I took him to the doctor for what I thought was persistent ringworm, I was told he has eczema and that I need to cut out dairy.  I did that last Friday.  That lasted three days before I realized I should just cut out grains as well.  With dairy in my diet, I don't want as many grains.  Without dairy, I craved grains.  With PCOS, I used to have IR, and carbs are an addiction I'll never shed I suppose.  Full circle I've come and I feel rather silly that I didn't go back to grain free sooner.  I've known since '03 that being grain free is best for me.  I know I'll eventually incorporate dairy and from time to time I'll slip up and eat sugar/flour.  Yet this needs to be it for me.  Listing the diseases I've been diagnosed with (IR, PCOS, Adrenal Fatigue, Leaky Gut), I realize they are all related to a poor diet while growing up.  And when I cut out grains and sugars, I don't have symptoms.

So here I am, day two of paleo.  I'm free of dairy (except cultured butter), nuts (DS reacts to all nuts I've tried), legumes (except minimally in hummus or soup), and grains.

The best news for me is that DH decided to go paleo with dairy.  For a guy who, at times, has survived on Taco Bell, or has been on countless shake diets, this is awesome news.  He has been out of town for work, but when he comes back he says he will "eat what you are eating."  I don't know if this means he'll give up his Diet Coke addiction.  He says he will.  We shall see.

Anyway, I'm glad to see lots of people going paleo/GF.  As for the meal question from BlueBirdMama, I've found in the past that you don't have to prepare a big meal all the time.  I might cook twice a day: eggs for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, and then cook a dinner.  But I've always tried to double portions so I end up with multiple meals.  For instance, cooking a chicken generally yields one meal of the meat and several meals made out of stock/soup.  

My biggest concern is finding cheap meat/fat.  We used to live close to a farm that pastured its animals.  But we've moved out of the state and getting cheap meat is so expensive now.  I've found farms where I can purchase a 1/4 cow or a pig, but not until the slaughtering is done in the spring or summer.  The same thing goes for chickens.  Does anyone know of any decent online places to order from?

[crunchy_mama]

Hi- Shazer- welcome!  I am just starting to do some dairy here so it is interesting reading your experience I don't think it is affecting this babe but reactions can always build.  This intolerance business is so frustrating.

Still trying to break the holiday sugar habit.  Did pretty good yesterday, had some honey in a homemade beet flourless cake but otherwise was good, not enough protein.  Ended up doing hamburger patties, roasted spiced chickpeas(soaked), and some Bubbies relish for supper. 

[Katielady]

I just started reading "The Paleo Diet" by Loren Cordain and am a bit dismayed. I didn't realize how low-fat he wants us to eat...I'm not sure I can handle giving up dairy, grains AND bacon. And you're supposed to limit chicken thighs and legs? Whole roast chickens are a staple at my house. And no salt? Limit eggs? Wah!

Do any of you follow this particular book that closely? I'm thinking I'll modify it to suit my own needs, and hopefully I'll still get a lot of benefit. But it's discouraging to feel like I'm already having to "cheat."

[crunchy_mama]

I don't think anyone here follows Cordain's Paleo diet because it is so low fat and emphasizes bad fats although(iirc he has changed his stance since writing his book, at least to some degree. 

[Katielady]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mama 

I don't think anyone here follows Cordain's Paleo diet because it is so low fat and emphasizes bad fats although(iirc he has changed his stance since writing his book, at least to some degree. 

Dang! I got that one since it's what my cousin was using...which one do y'all like?

[Shazer]

Originally Posted by Katielady 

Dang! I got that one since it's what my cousin was using...which one do y'all like?

 I like Neanderthin by Ray Audette.

[Katielady]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Something to keep in mind is that often-times for the first week you'll feel ravenous.  Constantly eating.  Don't look at that and get scared - it's just detox, and usually passes within a few days.  Then the lovely appetite suppressing portion kicks in. 

Thank you for saying this! I have been ravenous since I started and sometimes it gives me this panicky feeling, like this diet is crazy and will never work and I'm suffering for nothing. Thank you for reminding me to work through this stage. I have been coping by eating small amounts of protein snack or fruit when I'm hungry and not letting it go too far.

[crunchy_mama]

www.marksdailyapple.com

Is a good site, it is some somewhat of a modified paleo, some dairy, lots of good fat.

Garden of Eating by Maetsz'

Is a TF book that is grain/dairy/soy free and really good.  Don Maetsz has his own blog as well that is always interesting reading.  I don't know that I follow a specific program here although I have loosely followed those at times.  My goal is no grains only unrefined sugars(and limited amts), lots of good fat, lots of protein, veggies, min fruit, nuts and beans.

[Koalamom]

Oh grain free is so hard especially with kids.   I don't know if it that I am breastfeeding doing this, but I have an uncontrolable hunger all the time.  I eat and eat and don't gain an ounce and I am worried that I will lose weight now with grains out.  But I feel way better without them.  I am craving quiona.  Is this  just my detox speaking?    Oh now I am thinking of chocolate cake.....

[Koalamom]

Thanks crunchy mama- off the check out maetsz's blog.

[phathui5]

Dinner = lettuce topped with ground bison, cheddar cheese and avocado

[PreggieUBA2C]

We've been grain-free since December 1st, 2010; dairy-free since the 3rd (we reacted badly to it suddenly, so it's out now too); no nightshades either (mouth rashes that got a lot worse once the grain was gone), and otherwise, we eat the same way: high-fat, whole-food, traditional European. It hasn't been difficult to make the change for me or dp. What has been difficult is keeping up with all of us having our IFing whenever it occurs, and our dc eating like teenagers (as in a LOT), but they've eaten a lot for a long time, anyway. We are just beginning to figure out how to have quick-foods available to them so that we're not preparing food all day.

Laohaire, we've seen some major changes in our well-being even this quickly. This change in diet and lifestyle is largely to be credited for the numerous positive changes he's made of late, healing his ADD and modifying his behaviours. He's doing the work, but he says he's able to think so much more clearly, able to switch and maintain focus that before was not possible for him; when he tried for too long before, he'd just get very sleepy and nod off or glaze over. He was using exercise to combat this before, but it wasn't enough. Now his whole disposition, temperament, and physical ability level have shifted to be much more stable than he says he's ever been. He's lost three pant sizes while eating gobs of fat, eggs, meat, and lots of veggies. We both drink green tea daily- one litre.

My own health is dire, as you know, but even still, I do feel better without grain and dairy. My major issue right now is improving my life daily. I'm looking forward to being physically well. I still have not recovered from the acute hypothermia episode I wrote about on MDC, which means that I am having trouble enjoying any food at all because my previously never-an-issue digestion is now completely wrecked. :( I'm going to ask about it on MDA.

Anyway, I love the changes I see in my boys! They have totally transformed into little caveboys! They've always been strong (we've never done the SAD), but now, their musculature is very visible, and they're still built like tanks, so not skinny- like warriors. Their sleep has dramatically improved without any tweaking what they eat before bed or giving them any supplements (except clo, fish oil like before, and D3). They are just uber-healthy now. I thought they were before, but wow, their faces have even changed in the last month. Two of them have had teeth shift in their jaws, which are now even more open than before. When we switched to high-fat TF years ago, the three youngest all changed from (various degrees of) heart-shaped faces to square in the first two months. Now it's happened again, in a shorter time, and I didn't know they could get any more square. Dp and I have heart-shaped faces, pinched noses and tiny jaws; I wish I could change that with diet.

Interestingly, the chub on my infant has changed from being a bit lumpy like the typical cottage-cheese look when squeezed a bit, to completely smooth and firm. Her skin is awesome. Also she has completely lost her previous gassiness, which was concerning to me.

I've had skin issues clear up, too, which was surprising because I didn't notice the problems until they were gone.

This summer, I might try to introduce goat milk cheese into our diet. We're European, so it's likely we can digest A2 protein, and we all really love cheese. If we can eat it, it would be great to have something so convenient to grab and eat. I don't know about tomatoes; they're the only nightshades we miss. This is only if our guts are healed by then, though.

Edited by PreggieUBA2C - 1/15/11 at 4:00pm

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1 

Oh grain free is so hard especially with kids.   I don't know if it that I am breastfeeding doing this, but I have an uncontrolable hunger all the time.  I eat and eat and don't gain an ounce and I am worried that I will lose weight now with grains out.  But I feel way better without them.  I am craving quiona.  Is this  just my detox speaking?    Oh now I am thinking of chocolate cake.....

How long have you been GF?  If it's less than a few weeks, it's probably just detox speaking.  It's also probably the detox causing the uncontrollable hunger.  Increase your fat intake, eat heavy protein snacks (deviled eggs are great for this), and drink plenty of water.  This too shall pass. 

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1 

Oh grain free is so hard especially with kids.   I don't know if it that I am breastfeeding doing this, but I have an uncontrolable hunger all the time.  I eat and eat and don't gain an ounce and I am worried that I will lose weight now with grains out.  But I feel way better without them.  I am craving quiona.  Is this  just my detox speaking?    Oh now I am thinking of chocolate cake.....

How long have you been GF?  If it's less than a few weeks, it's probably just detox speaking.  It's also probably the detox causing the uncontrollable hunger.  Increase your fat intake, eat heavy protein snacks (deviled eggs are great for this), and drink plenty of water.  This too shall pass. 

I have been more strict for about 2 weeks, but the other day we had a little brown rice cooked in bone broth and yesterday we splurged on homemade GF brownies.  I am ready to cut the rice out altogether as I still feel a bit crappy on it, but I just don't have alot of food option s then.  I only recently trialed eggs after having the out for over a year ahd I can only have them 1-2 x per week.  I just don't know what to eat anymore and I only feel good with meat mainly but I am getting tired of the same thing and so are the kids.  And I am sooooo hungry.  I need that grain filler. 
 

[cristeen]

Have you tried cauliflower rice?

How about potatoes? Squash? Sweet potato? Those do really well as fillers if you tolerate them.

How about some non-grains like buckwheat? Wild rice (not a blend)? I believe theres another one that i'm forgetting...

I completely understand boredom. If you post your restrictions and maybe what ingredients you have readily available, i bet we can help you come up with some new/different ideas.

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Have you tried cauliflower rice?

How about potatoes? Squash? Sweet potato? Those do really well as fillers if you tolerate them.

How about some non-grains like buckwheat? Wild rice (not a blend)? I believe theres another one that i'm forgetting...

I completely understand boredom. If you post your restrictions and maybe what ingredients you have readily available, i bet we can help you come up with some new/different ideas.

I don't know what cauliflower rice is?  A new kind of paleo grain?

We can do potatoes, kids wont eat winter squash (yeah they are the least picky kids except when it comes to winter squash), and we do eat sweet potatoes.  Ds is highly allergic to most grains and buckwheat is one of them.  I just wake up in the morning and sometimes want to go back to bed as I just dont know what to eat.  I used to be a great cook, but now I just dred cooking. 

Here is what we cant have:

Dairy

grain

nuts and seeds (except for almond butter)

bananas, mangos, and other latex fruits

oranges and grapefruits

soy

lamb

onions

and eggs most of the time

coconut

Now before realizing food allergies, we used to have a grain breakfast, and a sandwich for lunch and some meat, cheese, or bean dish for dinner.  Now we are far from what I know.  All I do know is that I feel amazing without grain, and my cheeks are not broken out anymore, and they were like that for years.

Any paleo food/meal/recipe suggestions would be great!

[cristeen]

Bluebird - i'll sit down and look over your list a bit closer when i get back from csa pickup. Just wanted to say that it looks similar to what we're doing. I have to be gf, ds needs df, no oranges. The hardest one for me would be eggs.

I just wanted to pop in and say that it looks like we're headed dairy free, DS definitely seems to be allergic (to cow anyway).

Oh, and caulufliwer rice is cauliflower shredded on a box grater and then lightly steamed or stir-fried like rice. It has much the same texture and blandness (if not overcooked), makes a nice neutral side dish. The only thing missing is the starchiness. We also do mashed caul to replace mashed potatoes, but that one uses dairy.

[crunchy_mama]

Have you tried apple pancakes, squash or pumpkin pancakes?  It might a good option on the days you do eat eggs. 

I would be upping the potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash, especially at first while you are feeling so hungry.

The cauili rice is awesome, I do it as fried rice and as mexi fried rice, both are delicious.  I have done a soy sub w/ beef broth, balsamic vinegar, molasses and some salt and it works ok.  Right now I am using the coconut aminos, which are awesome but of course out without any coconut.  But with any spices it is yummy.  Homemade hashbrowns for breakfast w/ some sausage or bacon is good- you can chop in other veggies as well.

[crunchy_mama]

I do mashed cauli w/ some chicken stock for some liquid and plenty of salt and pepper.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1 

Here is what we cant have:

Dairy

grain

nuts and seeds (except for almond butter)

bananas, mangos, and other latex fruits

oranges and grapefruits

soy

lamb

onions

and eggs most of the time

coconut

Ok, so we do eat nuts and lamb, but it's looking like bananas might be out also (I'm latex sensitive, so it's not surprising to hear those are linked, DS seems to react to them).  We're grain and soy free, with dairy, oranges and bananas being separate because DS is reacting to them - he's still young enough we can do that for now.  Can you not have any legumes, or just limited?  How about onions - is it the entire allium family (which would include garlic), or just some of them?

A lot of what I cook is dictated by what arrives in my CSA box.  I try to waste as little as possible.  The additions I make to my CSA box at the store are baby carrots for DH's lunch, mushrooms, potatoes/sweet potatoes on occasion, garlic/ginger/onion/fresh herb.  If I can find organic green grapes, I buy them, but that's pretty rare. 

I just picked up the meat CSA for the month - no lamb this month, so that might be good for you.  We got chicken, pork chops, pork roast, beef chuck roasts, cube steaks, ground beef and ground pork.  I have liver and tongue in the freezer, along with a few cuts from last month's box.  The veggie CSA box this week has mostly leafy greens, I'd imagine, given the time of year.  I haven't actually looked yet...  I'm going to go sit down with DH and meal plan and I'll be back to share with you.