Primal family - Page 4

[organicviolin]

OK so I have a question here.  This forum is fascinating.  I am a HUGE foody and have totally changed our diets in the course of 4 years.  At any rate...is that primal diet (from what I understand it to be, lots of meat, saturated fat etc and limited carbs/breads etc) similar to following the WAP guidelines?  We do eat fruit, loads of veggies, loads of meat and loads of butter, lard, coconut products and some grains that have been soaked and sprouted - they are also mostly GF.  Not the crap in the store though - homemade.  We also do a lot of bone broth.  Is that a primal type diet??  I just don't see the difference between WAP guidelines and primal and or paleo diets.

Any one care to clarify??  Are we primal(y)? lol

[lovestolearn]

So happy to find this thread!

I've been Primal for 9 months and am a regular on Mark's Daily Apple Forum. 

I eat a lot of grass-finished beef and lamb and some free-range chicken, eggs, goat's kefir, cheese of all kinds (prefer raw) and lots of spinach, cabbage and chard, some dark chocolate and a tiny bit of fruit (I have fructose malabsorption--a genetic trait, apparently!)

I work as a Pregnancy Coach and was asked to write a guest blog post on Primal Pregnancy.  The link will be active tomorrow morning, 10 am EST.

Here's the link:

http://www.primaltoad.com/primal-pregnancy/

Edited by lovestolearn - 9/12/11 at 6:01pm

[lovestolearn]

Originally Posted by organicviolin 

OK so I have a question here.  This forum is fascinating.  I am a HUGE foody and have totally changed our diets in the course of 4 years.  At any rate...is that primal diet (from what I understand it to be, lots of meat, saturated fat etc and limited carbs/breads etc) similar to following the WAP guidelines?  We do eat fruit, loads of veggies, loads of meat and loads of butter, lard, coconut products and some grains that have been soaked and sprouted - they are also mostly GF.  Not the crap in the store though - homemade.  We also do a lot of bone broth.  Is that a primal type diet??  I just don't see the difference between WAP guidelines and primal and or paleo diets.

Any one care to clarify??  Are we primal(y)? lol

Primal is basically a WAP diet without grains or legumes.  I was a WAP-er for 2 years, but dropping the grains (esp gluten) really improved my health on all levels.  I dropped 15 lbs of body fat as well!
 

[lovestolearn]

 Here are a few helpful links:

Primal Blueprint 101

Why grains are unhealthy.

Where to find grass-fed/finished meat, free-range eggs, pastured dairy:

Eat Wild

[Mom&BabyChiro]

Organicviolin - there are definitely a lot of similarities as you noted between paleo, primal, and WAP dietary guidelines. I am going to describe them as I understand, for myself as much as anyone as I've been reading about them for awhile, but just finally starting to dive in and actually make the big shift away from grains. They all recommend eating pastured, naturally fed meat. The initial Paleo Diet author, was very big on eating only lean meats and avoiding saturated fats as well as all dairy. He also in his original book at least allows for some diet soda. Ick! He also says no to all grains, legumes, salt, yeast, processed sugar, and starchy root veggies. His student who wrote the Paleo Solution, Robb Wolf, has updated the guidelines to include good fats such as coconut oils, some butter, no artificial sweeteners, sweet potatoes for some, and probably a few others I can't recall. But still not too big on dairy. Primal Diet by Mark Sisson is much closer to the updated Paleo one, emphasizing consumption of healthy fats, including eggs, coconut oil, and some grass fed dairy for those who tolerate. Primal also focuses on it being a lifestyle rather than a diet. Both are big on eating lots of fresh veggies and fruit. WAP and Sally Fallon recommend some of the same. The biggest difference is the inclusion of soaked and/or sprouted grains. While Paleo/primal say even soaked our bodies are not meant to eat them, whole grains are generally recommended when properly prepared. They also emphasize consumption of grass fed dairy, especially cultured, whereas primal more allows it in moderation and still thinks it is a bit "iffy". Were we really catching wild animals and milking them in Paleo times?? Probably not. But as we do start out our lives consuming human milk is it likely okay in moderation for most? I think that's what the primal followers think. WAP is more into fermenting foods and making bone broths. Paleo/primal are both good with it too, just doesn't seem to be discussed as much in their books and sites. Anyone else want to chime in? Am I missing anything?

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[lovestolearn]

Mom&BabyChiro~ Sounds mostly right on to me!

Soaking/fermenting does nothing to reduce the worst culprit in some grains: gluten.  Phytates are reduced but not eliminated by soaking/sprouting.  All the nutrition in grains is easily gotten through meat, organ meats, gelatin and bone broths.

Personally, I find my life HUGELY simplified by eliminating grains from my daily diet.  I will (on occasion) eat a few corn tortillas or some white rice when eating out, but we no longer need our oven (except to bake bacon, lol!) and most of our meals take about 5-10 min to prepare.

In my Primal community experience dairy is only "iffy" for those who are lactose intolerant or who have an allergy/inflammation reaction to it. 

[Mom&BabyChiro]

I forgot to say how excited I was to find this thread today from the MDC newsletter! I am finally ready to dive in and give this a try. Thought about it a few times the past couple of years, but with my husband thinking he couldn't survive without whole grains at every meal, never followed through. Now he's been doing crossfit for awhile and enough people talked about Paleo/primal he started reading. And it's really hard to argue with. Halfway through the Paleo solution and he hasn't touched grains for 4 days. Now to come up with food we can regularly eat for b,l, and d. I will explore some other recommended sites, but am specifically looking for ideas for my almost 2 year old. He still prefers breastmilk to food a lot of the time and loves meat. On the go snack suggestions for when we're not at home would be great.

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[2rubies]

Hi!  Subbing.  I've been toying with going primal for the whole family for a while.  I've been following the SCD, so it would be a smooth transition for me, and the rest of the gang is gluten-free too.  My DH, on the other hand, thinks he will die without rolled oats and all of their incarnations!  I'm hoping once he sees how well the kids and I are doing, he'll jump on the boat with us!

[sosurreal09]

Our snacks when home or out for the babe is always fresh fruits or vegs. Some days I will pack some almond butter as well to use as a dip. DD's faves are blueberries so we always have them on hand. I don't limit her fruit though.
 

Originally Posted by Mom&BabyChiro 

I forgot to say how excited I was to find this thread today from the MDC newsletter! I am finally ready to dive in and give this a try. Thought about it a few times the past couple of years, but with my husband thinking he couldn't survive without whole grains at every meal, never followed through. Now he's been doing crossfit for awhile and enough people talked about Paleo/primal he started reading. And it's really hard to argue with. Halfway through the Paleo solution and he hasn't touched grains for 4 days. Now to come up with food we can regularly eat for b,l, and d. I will explore some other recommended sites, but am specifically looking for ideas for my almost 2 year old. He still prefers breastmilk to food a lot of the time and loves meat. On the go snack suggestions for when we're not at home would be great.

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[sosurreal09]

So I found some "wild caught" whiting fish at walmart today...5lbs for $12. They are slim fillets but totally worth it. I made some for lunch sauteed in baby spinach and garlic, then squeezed a bit of lemon over it all YUM.

I am totally finding it is WAY easier to prepare meals primal style! I can just saute it all up in no time!

[lovestolearn]

 On the go snack suggestions for when we're not at home would be great

Cheese slices, cooked meat chunks (kept in a cooler, leftover steak is so yummy cold!), avocado 1/2s with a spoon...and fruit, of course!

[organicviolin]

very cool stuff.  I find some things interesting is that I've just naturally been cooking fewer grains....Dunno if it's because it's 90+ degrees or what. What health benefits have you noted being grain free??  What have you healed from?

[lovestolearn]

Originally Posted by organicviolin 

very cool stuff.  I find some things interesting is that I've just naturally been cooking fewer grains....Dunno if it's because it's 90+ degrees or what. What health benefits have you noted being grain free??  What have you healed from?

Constant bloating and loose stools are now a thing of the past. 

My chronic eczema disappeared. 

No more snoring!

I dropped 15 lbs of body fat easily and painlessly over 4 months.
 

[niengolina]

I started eating primal because I had so many food allergies. I started GAPS and went off of it after a few months. It was really difficult because I was the only one eating this way. However, we've just started eating primal as a family. My son has some behavioral issues and a friend has noticed marked improvement in her son (same behavioral issues) since switching to this way of eating. I love the weight-loss side effect :). I also love how much better I feel when I'm eating this way. Glad to find other families eating like this.

[Metasequoia]

For snacks we usually bring along rare steak, chopped up with some ferments in a jar - yesterday it was pickles & steak at the pool. We bring cheese for a snack a lot too. I reeeeaally try to stay away from fruits because I really believe it comes down to insulin/blood sugar. The more pure our diet of meats, fats & non-starchy veggies, the more balanced we are and less hungry in between meals. Sugar is sugar and to the body, grains, starches & sugary fruits have the same effect. I'm not that hardcore so we've been having berries lately because they're in season (OUR season) and we've been having some peaches from our tree - but I do think the peaches are throwing the kids off. In a month the local apples will start rolling in and I'll try to serve them as applesauce or baked (with coconut oil, cinnamon & nutmeg - with hand-whipped cream on top!!) Serving the berries/peaches/apples with cream definitely helps with insulin release (which isn't as good as avoiding them altogether, but it helps.)

[Deepfeet]

This is all very interesting to me!

Question (if this was answered previously, I missed it) -

Are primal families spending more money on groceries?

We eat fairly 'primal', but when we're scraping the bottom of the jar out comes a loaf of bread and the peanut butter (or something equally starchy and lifeless). 

[lookatreestar]

Originally Posted by Metasequoia 

For snacks we usually bring along rare steak, chopped up with some ferments in a jar - yesterday it was pickles & steak at the pool. We bring cheese for a snack a lot too. I reeeeaally try to stay away from fruits because I really believe it comes down to insulin/blood sugar. The more pure our diet of meats, fats & non-starchy veggies, the more balanced we are and less hungry in between meals. Sugar is sugar and to the body, grains, starches & sugary fruits have the same effect. I'm not that hardcore so we've been having berries lately because they're in season (OUR season) and we've been having some peaches from our tree - but I do think the peaches are throwing the kids off. In a month the local apples will start rolling in and I'll try to serve them as applesauce or baked (with coconut oil, cinnamon & nutmeg - with hand-whipped cream on top!!) Serving the berries/peaches/apples with cream definitely helps with insulin release (which isn't as good as avoiding them altogether, but it helps.)

i agree with this, i try to serve fruit with some kind of protein or fat.

[lookatreestar]

Originally Posted by Deepfeet 

This is all very interesting to me!

Question (if this was answered previously, I missed it) -

Are primal families spending more money on groceries?

We eat fairly 'primal', but when we're scraping the bottom of the jar out comes a loaf of bread and the peanut butter (or something equally starchy and lifeless). 

i say yes and no, i buy less easy to prep/box foods so we save money. but at the same time, grass fed meats and organics can get pricey. i find that it is an all over win because i eat less food. kind of similar with my cat, when he eats the high grain cheap food he is whining at his bowl at least 3 times day! when i buy the high quality (only meat) food he eats once a day and his bms are not horrific smelling and way smaller/more dense. sorry to go off topic but i noticed the similarity recently and i am giving the cheapy cat food away!

[Deepfeet]

Thanks lookatreestar,

Your answer makes sense to me. I hope one day DH will get on board and we can try this out fereal!

[sosurreal09]

We have managed to stay in the same budget.

We are dairy free so cheese or other animal BM products are off limits. DD won't eat much meat yet. I want to venture into jerky and see how she does. I try and do almond butter with it. there isn't too much I can do about it all right now and I think fruit is better than a more simple carb (like a cracker or something) no?

Anyways I have been stalking MDA and I noticed he always says "lean meat" I thought we were suppose to be eating more animal fats? I mean our ground beef is like 85% lean and everything else is pretty trimmed anyways (just b/c it comes like that) but I do go for dark meat chicken instead of breasts or something. Besides I thought more fat was good? Did I misinterpret something from the start?

Lost 2 more lbs btw!

I am having serious trouble kicking coffee! I can't use heavy cream b/c of DD's allergy and since I use coconut creamer (and think it tastes kinda gross in my coffee) I get mocha iced coffee. (which I know is horrible for me!) I feel like a total addict! It's basically that or nothing for coffee but for some reason I feel like I can't *just* drink water all day....

Any tips for me?