Grain Free/Primal/Paleo for Spring!!! - Page 10

[IsaFrench]

I like to take my breakfast (with coconut oil) as soon as I get up ..... so when I was advised to take clay .... it felt a bit of a struggle to re-organise my prefered routine ... I was not sure how long I had to wait then ....

so you say that one hour distance with clay first on an empty stomach is "safe" ?

[Panserbjorne]

the thing to understand is that clay is essentially adaptogenic.  so some people will feel better taking clay with food, others away from it.  the only way to know how you're going to respond is to do both for a week or so and feel the difference.

[karen1968]

What is the clay for? What does it add nutritionally?

[Panserbjorne]

it doesn't add anything.  however it does remove a whole bunch of junk.  it's a way to manage excess crap in the system, return to homeostasis etc.  doing so allows nutrients from foods to be more easily assimilated.  pathogens out, good stuff in.

[Toolip]

so, a question about clay....

I have some bags of it but I haven't been taking it because I am worried.

I am worried about the aluminum but I'm not sure that it's a problem. Is there any clay that is free of aluminum?

And, how do you take it, and how much?

[Panserbjorne]

not all clay is created equal, so know your source.  Not all can be ingested.

I take 1-2 T. a day of dry clay (well, I hydrate it-duh) but yeah.  A good amount.

I used clay and we had verified metal issues in our family (we had environmental exposure apparently as all the profiles were the same.)  Anyway, clay was one of the therapeutic tools and aluminum levels came down.  I used (and still use) pascalite.

[karen1968]

Originally Posted by Panserbjorne 

it doesn't add anything.  however it does remove a whole bunch of junk.  it's a way to manage excess crap in the system, return to homeostasis etc.  doing so allows nutrients from foods to be more easily assimilated.  pathogens out, good stuff in.

So would diatomacious earth do the same thing?  I just can't imagine ingesting clay.

[Toolip]

Originally Posted by karen1968 

So would diatomacious earth do the same thing?  I just can't imagine ingesting clay.

Dry clay is really not that different than DE. Are you trying to imagine eating a hunk of pottery clay?

[Panserbjorne]

clay is far more powerful in many ways than DE.  I like them both but if I could only have one clay would win.  hands down.

it's quite easy to ingest.  some even say pleasant.

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by karen1968 

So would diatomacious earth do the same thing?  I just can't imagine ingesting clay.

I use liquid clay which is quite a bit easier to ingest.  I located a source of clay at my local HFS and hydrated it myself (2oz of clay to 1qt distilled water - and used an immersion blender to avoid clumps & chunks, because shaking didn't do the job) 

I take 1 tbs of liquid clay with 8oz of water in the morning and then I take 1 tbs of ground flax (in water/oj mix).  I've been doing this for a week just in the morning and next week I'll work on adding a second tbs before lunch.  I haven't noticed much of a difference yet, but again this is a slow process and will take sometime (months) to work up to the amounts of what PB is at.   This will be going hand in hand with adding some probiotics back into my diet (kefir, water kefir) to help balance my gut a bit better.  I'm riffing off of an idea PB that you posted a while ago in the allergies forum on this and tweaking it a bit.  

Oh and I just want to clarify this for me it has nothing to do with my primal diet but more with some of my gut issues incase anyone thought this was a part of a primal diet.

[momofmine]

That is interesting about the GBS+ and gut issues. I was GBS+ with my first child, and I definitely had gut issues. Between my first and second child though, I was on SCD, and when I was pregnant with my second, I was no longer on SCD but continued to eat mostly that way. I would occasionally have 1 or 2 pieces per day of sprouted grain bread, or an occasional Clif or Luna bar. But I was super strict about absolutely no sugar, no chocolate, etc. And then during that pregnancy, I was GBS negative.

[Piglet68]

Sorry to distract from the interesting gut conversation, but wanted to check in and share that I have reached the end of my fourth week on the Primal/Paleo diet and have lost a total of 8.5 lbs! I pulled some summer clothes out of storage today and was Sooooo happy with how they fit and looked on me! I also seem to have kicked my sugar addiction, after lord knows how many decades of it, so that has been a wonderful bonus, too!

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by Piglet68 

Sorry to distract from the interesting gut conversation, but wanted to check in and share that I have reached the end of my fourth week on the Primal/Paleo diet and have lost a total of 8.5 lbs! I pulled some summer clothes out of storage today and was Sooooo happy with how they fit and looked on me! I also seem to have kicked my sugar addiction, after lord knows how many decades of it, so that has been a wonderful bonus, too!

I think the best part of it is being able to look at food rationally, and not from an addiction standpoint! This is the first time in my life I've been able to look at a treat of some sort and pass it up because I know how it will make me feel later, and can recognize that it isn't worth it.

But I wish I could say the same about clothing. I'm at my lowest weight since who-knows-when (I'm thinking possibly early teens), so nothing I have really fits.

[karen1968]

Congrats, Piglet! I just passed my 60th day (with far too many cheats ) and am down 15 pounds. Most amazing to me is the 4 inches gone from my waist!   And only an inch off my hips, which tells me my body really didn't like the way I was eating.

We are traveling for a week starting tomorrow, and I'm a bit worried about eating. Not that I won't be able to pass up the breads or the sweets, but that we will, of necessity, be eating places with little or nothing for me to eat. Have any of you done much travel while grain-free, and have tips to share?  I've already had to eat at burger joints, and just don't eat the bun, so I've got that down if fast food is the only option.

[Piglet68]

We took a short vacation recently and chose to stay in a cabin with a kitchenette so we could bring our own food. We did end up eating out twice, however, and I've found it to be pretty easy. Pretty much every restaurant we went to had salads on the menu, and would happily top them off with grilled shrimp or chicken. That's basically what I ate. 

[wendyland]

Originally Posted by Piglet68 

Sorry to distract from the interesting gut conversation, but wanted to check in and share that I have reached the end of my fourth week on the Primal/Paleo diet and have lost a total of 8.5 lbs! I pulled some summer clothes out of storage today and was Sooooo happy with how they fit and looked on me! I also seem to have kicked my sugar addiction, after lord knows how many decades of it, so that has been a wonderful bonus, too!

That's awesome.  It feels great to not feel that sugar craving all the time.  I just reached the end of my 3rd week and have lost 9lbs, but I have a LOT to lose.  I love being primal.  I ate a few balls of sesame chicken last night from a chinese restaurant.  I really paid for it.  I didn't expect my body to react so much to it.  It was a good reminder to stay on track.

 

[Vaquitita]

It's been a long time since I've been here. Since the new baby, I just don't get much computer time. I've still been mostly following a grain free diet (lost all my preg weight and another 10lbs! woohoo!). But for the past couple months sugar and grains have really been sneaking back into my diet. I also recently realized I need to try going completely dairy free (I was cow dairy free already, but could eat goat dairy and butter) to see if my 9mo's congestion will go away. So I'm back, looking for inspiration and motivation from you lovely ladies.

For the past 9 days I've been laid  up with strep throat, which has interrupted my cravings for sugar. Yay! Right now I'm really craving fresh green things. Gotta go search for some grain free, dairy free recipes to inspire me to start cooking again (after I clean my disaster of a kitchen, of course. sigh... maybe I should stay sick for another day. LOL.)

[redclover]

does anybody do grain-free and struggle to keep weight ON? I am breastfeeding and already gluten free, just beginning to go grainfree, and I am terrified I won't be able to keep enough fats in me. Any tips? Or ideas? 

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by redclover 

does anybody do grain-free and struggle to keep weight ON? I am breastfeeding and already gluten free, just beginning to go grainfree, and I am terrified I won't be able to keep enough fats in me. Any tips? Or ideas? 

Yeah, I do. I am super hungry all the time and without grain, I am better in my cravings. I do eat alot of beef fat on what ever I am heating up and eat huge portions. Nut butters help to fill me up and give me the calories I need.

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by redclover 

does anybody do grain-free and struggle to keep weight ON? I am breastfeeding and already gluten free, just beginning to go grainfree, and I am terrified I won't be able to keep enough fats in me. Any tips? Or ideas? 

Yes. I've slowly but steadily dropped 30lbs from my weight immediately post-birth (and I only gained about 5lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight during that pregnancy), and my BMI is now around 20.5. My energy levels and immune system are great, and I'm not inappropriately hungry, so I don't think this is actually unhealthy, but enough is enough already!

Typical weight-gain suggestions tend to focus around adding more healthy fat. I'm not convinced that's right for a diet that is inherently lower carb. Fats promote satiety, and it's believed that one of the reasons low-carb diets are so effective is that people naturally eat fewer calories with less carbs and more fat. Including more fruit, carby veggies, and maybe legumes if tolerated might help more. Look at what people having trouble losing weight on grain-free diets are told to avoid, and eat that (as long as it still falls within your dietary restrictions) - usually dessert type stuff, and combos of fat and carbs.