The Paleo "Un-Diet"

• Tomorrow marks one week that my husband & I started our new Paleo lifestyle. We have not completely converted our kids yet, but we are getting closer. To say that this week has been a challenge would be an understatement. For anyone not familiar with a traditional Cajun diet, it basically revolves around rice, bread, butter, and oh yeah, more rice. Then, for good measure, just throw in all the decadence that goes into traditional delicacies like king cake, boudin, & cracklin. Corn was one of the only "vegetables" that my husband & children really enjoyed. As for my daughter & I, our world revolved around milk. We drank it with breakfast, lunch & dinner. We drank it during the day when we were thirsty, like many people drink water. That is how we were each accustomed to eating almost everyday since we were old enough to eat solid food. Now, imagine our conversion to a Paleo lifestyle (a.k.a. The Caveman Diet) in which we no longer partake in grains, dairy, soy & refined sugar.  I'll give you a moment to put together that mental picture...  ...  ...  EXACTLY!!! They considered this to be the worst form of torture. If we were holding on to any top secret classified government information, my boys would have been selling out their country to any foreign enemies faster that you can spell treason... or pizza. 

•  This brings me to our one week Paleo-versary. I'm happy to report, it is becoming easier. There were no casualties and only minimal blood shed. We are already starting to notice positive effects: hubby has lost 4 pounds (damn him) & I've lost 3 ounces (maybe); BUT we both notice significantly less aches & pains from old injuries. Also, my kids seem a bit more chilled. I witnessed our teenager not only smile, but laugh, TWICE in a week. I thought I'd have better odds of having tea with Big Foot than get to see that in person for at least 4 more years. Great! They are beginning to realize that I may be on to something that will benefit all of us. 

•  Even though none of us have felt like we were starving or being deprived, my husband & I would comment that we didn't really feel satiated either -- until tonight. Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm still referring to food here. Due to my attendance at a late afternoon meeting and slim pickings in the fridge & pantry, my crew were left to fend for themselves until I returned from my post meeting grocery shopping expedition. The kids caved and ate sandwiches, even though my boys swore they would never eat the whole grain bread I swapped for their "white wheat" loaf. Exhausted & hungry, the parents in this house decided a lovely smoothie sounded like a perfect supper. Pinterest to the rescue! I searched for Paleo concoctions and right away pulled up an easy recipe for a tasty treat. I whipped up in our blender in no time & I think we chugged it down just as quickly. (For the record it was coconut milk, spinach, almond butter, frozen berries & a ripe mango. Delicious!) It was SO GOOD, that we decided we deserved seconds. After all, we were giving up our normal grilled steak/chicken/fish and roasted veggies for a damn drink. Sooo... VOILA! Lickety-split and pitcher #2 was ready to devour & we did just that. As I'm cleaning up the kitchen, I glance at the nutritional facts on the back of the coconut milk can. Calories = 140 / Total Fat = 14g / Total Carbs = 3g / Protein = 1g PER SERVING. Not too bad, right? My eyes scan back up to the top of the label: Servings Per Container: about 5. YES! FIVE!!! Allow me to do the math for you, that would be 700 Calories just for the can of coconut milk ALONE in just ONE of our TWO "batches".  I couldn't believe it. I start collecting all of the ingredients that went into our seemingly less-than-weight-wise-shakes. Here is what I discovered. By the time we emptied the contents of that second blender we had collectively consumed more than 1,410 Calories / 113 grams of Fat / 84 grams of Carbs / 20 grams of Protein. At least NOW we understood why our bellies felt so damn full. It was practically a Thanksgiving deja vu.

• Now giggling uncontrollably, I report my findings to my partner in Paleolithic crime. He sits back, takes in the information for a minute and says, "Oh man! We are going to be the fattest cavemen ever... & THEY ate dinosaurs!" That began our laugh fest at our own expense. We wondered if it were still possible to have our garments made out of Wooly Mammoth skins because that would be the only thing large enough to cover our posteriors if we kept indulging in smoothies.  My husband then chimes, "I can't wait for someone to ask me what size I wear so I can tell them, 'SIZE CURTAIN'."  I am not certain if our dance with delirium was attributed to dairy/grain withdrawals or the endorphins released from a happy belly, but it sure was fun! Clearly, we still have a lot to learn on our journey to healthier dining.

• "The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." ~ Thomas A Edison

• "The spirit cannot endure the body when overfed, but, if underfed, the body cannot endure the spirit." ~ St. Frances de Sales