The Challenges in Staying Paleo

When Paleoleander and I tried strict paleo last time, our biggest challenge was not resisting all the cookies and pizza that jumped out at us from supermarket aisles and restaurant menus, but rather hanging out with our families. Our eating habits worked great when it was just the two of us, and they were okay when we had people over, but when we were invited over relatives' houses for dinner, holidays, etc., we usually had very little choice as to what was served.

I am facing a similar dilemma today. Yesterday I called up my aunt and asked her if she would like to go out for dinner this evening, as I was going to be in her neighborhood and had to return a coat that I had borrowed from her. She agreed, and we decided to meet at her house at 5pm. Then this morning while I was at the gym she left a voicemail on my cellphone saying that she had decided to cook dinner instead, and that we would be having chicken parm, couscous and butternut squash. So what should I do? I'm a little nervous as to how my stomach is going to react to the onslaught of grains and dairy after eating relatively low carb for the past few weeks. And my stomach was just starting to straighten out, too! But I DON'T want to be one of those annoying family members who is always trotting their dietary restrictions out in front of everyone at family get-togethers, a la vegans. So I have decided to eat as best I can during the day, enjoy the forbidden fruits (well, grains and dairy), and see how it goes. I thought I could at least bring some kind of paleo dessert, but what kind of dessert can you get at the Stop and Shop that is paleo? I'm at work and don't have time or tools to prepare anything.

This will be an interesting exercise, because I feel that it was these kinds of situations that derailed our paleo eating last time. Every time I would indulge in sweets, pasta, or other non-paleo foods, I'd have to go back through the awful withdrawl symptoms when I went back to paleo, and after a few times I just got sick of it (literally!). But I don't want to be an actual cavewoman, holed up in her house and becoming more antisocial because I don't want family events to turn into confrontations. What have other people done to maintain their paleo lifestyle without alienating friends or family?

New York Times Article "The New Caveman Lifestyle Has Found a Home in the City"

Read the article here.

These guys are pretty intense. Having lived in the city, I know that Central and Inwood Hill Parks are glorious sources for wild edibles, and foraging is pretty easily done (Steve Brill even leads wild edible tours in the parks). I regularly came home with burdock, sassafrass, garlic mustard (considered an "invasive" by the parks dept., but it's delicious!), mayapple, even Kentucky Coffee Beans! Hunting in the parks I never tried, though. Several years ago Green Phoenix Permaculture was working with a parks dept. employee (and GPP member) to create a food forest garden in one of the parks, but the powers-that-be put the kibosh on it at the last minute. A lot of hard work down the drain, sadly.

Paleo Plate: Curry Butternut Squash and Ground Turkey Ragu

I've been exploring paleo recipes online for a long time, but I recently decided to start experimenting with my own. Here's attempt #1: Butternut squash with curry, cloves and spinach, and ground turkey ragu. Both recipes are very simple, don't take much prep or cooking time, and don't require long lists or hard-to-find ingredients. Check out the finished product!

My Story: PaleOlivia

Since Paleoleander has posted her background, I thought I'd do mine. I came to paleo by way of primitive skills, which I'd been interested in for a while prior. In researching indigenous cultures and their lifestyles, I began to uncover information on the hunter-gatherer diet and it made a lot of sense to me, so I decided to try it out. I joined Paleolander's challenge and saw significant changes in my energy levels, ability to concentrate, sleeping habits and general well-being. As a self-admitted sugar junkie, I did have to weather the initial symptoms of sugar withdrawl, which were very trying (as Oleander can attest, I became exceedingly grouchy!). Once that passed, the effects were very positive, with the exception of one important aspect: Our social lives became much more difficult to navigate. Going out to eat was often a chore, with most dishes incorporating some kind of starch or sugar in them. Visiting with my Sicilian-American mother was near impossible, and the inevitable work situations arose. I would love to have some discussions with other people who have been in similar circumstances and worked through them.

After the trial period we went off strict paleo, and I eventually went off paleo altogether, with predictable results. I've since become "paleoccasional", always meaning to get back off the sugar but never quite managing to do it. I started exercising regularly over the past year, which has helped me a lot health wise, but my diet seems to be the missing part of my whole health equation. So I'm ready to take another shot at it! Looking forward to feeling good again.

Hello from Paleoleander

Here here, PaleOlivia... and welcome everyone!

After the holidays of '09, I'm getting back into paleo. I try to eat as paleo as possible during what I call my "busy months" which are from approximately September to January. I have one more surge of busyness and then things calm down; I'll be able to cook more at home (read: paleo).

I have a few things I'd like to share right now about my paleo life.

Three years ago I was about 150 lbs (I'm 5'5") had strange acne on my face (mostly my chin) and was totally frustrated. I broke up with my boyfriend and lost a few pounds, but nothing significant. My best friend broke up with HER boyfriend and right after that we watched "Super Size Me". From that moment on, I vowed to myself that I'd never go to McDonald's* or any fast food restaurant again. We also decided that we'd do our own 30 day experiment - "What happens to us when we do strict paleo for one month?" After 2 weeks I had lost 7 pounds. After 2 months, I had lost about 20. My acne hadn't really cleared up, but my PCP told me to change my toothpaste so I did. My acne has cleared up! It is amazing how what we put into our bodies affects us. Three years later, I'm not perfectly paleo (I have a sweet tooth still) but I don't eat beans or corn and I try to never eat pasta. I do eat rice. My weight has stabilized around 132 (though I'd like it to be lower).

Over the holidays, I ate a lot of non-paleo foods and my face broke out horribly. It is still clearing up... I've been mostly paleo for the past week and I've added Pilates into my morning routine. I want to see where serious paleo can take me again with this added bit of exercise.

I'm excited to meet others in this area that eat the paleo way and to exchange recipes! Go Team Paleo!


*I have been to McDonald's once since that time and it was so my sister's kids could play in their "playground" area.

Welcome to PVP!

As paleo enthusiasts, we've decided to start a blog to see who else is out there in the Western Mass. Paleo world. We've been experimenting with paleo for the past 5 years or so, but recently there's been a surge of interest in paleo, and we'd like to share recipes, discuss the tips and pitfalls of managing a paleo life in a non-paleo world, and possibly organize some "meatspace" events. Pleased to meet ya!