FAQs Paleo

My most frequently asked questions about Paleo.

Following the list are the short version answer. Click on any of the hyper-linked questions to find a previous post with the long version. Updates will follow.

Email questions to: vibrantsexystrong (at) gmail (dot) com

Paleo Queries

1. What is Paleo?
2. What the heck do you eat? (Part 2)
3. Why do you eat Paleo?
4. If you are the only one with PCOS, why does your husband, your two-year-old son, and your 7-month-old daughter also follow a Paleo diet?
5. What does Paleo have to do with hormones?
6. I don’t believe all this science or history. Why should I try Paleo?
7. I don’t have a disease. Why should I try Paleo?
8. I am on Day 21 and feel  like crap. What gives?
9. How do you do it? I could never give up… (insert favorite food here: bread, cheese, ice-cream, soy milk, peanut butter, etc.)
10. How can I talk to my friends and family about Paleo?

Paleo Answers

1. What is Paleo?
The Paleo Diet is a lifestyle. It mimics the diet of traditional hunter-gatherer societies, as believed by many anthropologists. Someone following Paleo strives to eat what the cavemen ate, namely lean meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruit. The removal of grains, legumes, and dairy (along with sugars and processed foods) is an essential component of the diet with the intended outcome being increased longevity and optimal health.

2. What the heck do you eat?
In a nutshell (preferably macadamia since it give the most bang-for-your-buck), we eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruit, healthy fats (e.g. avocado, coconut, olives), nuts, and seeds.

3. Why do you eat Paleo?
You know all those PCOS symptoms I have? They completely, 100% vanish when I eat Paleo. Every last one.

4. If you are the only one with PCOS, why does your husband, your two-year-old son, and your 7-month-old daughter also follow a Paleo  diet?
My husband eats paleo because it helps him build muscle faster, improves his digestion, and

My two-year-old son eats paleo because he sleeps soundly now (instead of fitfully), he throws fewer tantrums, he isn’t hungry and left unsatisfied all day long, his eczema cleared up, his 2 1/2 year long diaper rash disappeared within a week, and his anxiety has decreased significantly. Also, we buy the groceries so he doesn’t have much say.

My seven-month-old daughter eats paleo because as a young infant her extreme fussiness was attributed to silent reflux; it turned out she had a milk intolerance. Now that she is eating solids, we skipped the grain and went straight for nutrient-dense options because she is a growing girl and I’m not taking any chances on injuring her gut-lining.

5. What does food have to do with hormones?
Everything.

6. I don’t believe all this science or history. Why should I try Paleo?
Shoot, if you don’t believe it, that’s fine. But you can’t deny your own anecdotal evidence. Try it for 30 days and if it doesn’t make you look or feel or perform better, then go back to what you were doing before. The only thing you have to lose is a month of your favorite desserts and your sandwich at lunch. And let’s be realistic–everyone could probably stand to lay off the desserts once in a while.

7. I don’t have a disease. Why should I try Paleo?
I have severe PCOS, but had no idea I felt terrible. It was what was normal to me. When I switched over, I was welcomed into a world of feeling awesome. I had no idea what I was missing! The same thing happened to my husband, my mom, my son, my daughter, and countless others.

8. I am on Day 21 and feel like crap. What gives?
First off, some bodies take longer to heal. Let’s chat at day 30. However, there are a number of real reasons this could be. I would ask the following questions:

1) Are you eating enough fat and getting plenty of calories?
2) Are you trying to substitute Paleo-fied bad foods into your diet? (ex: paleo pizza, paleo pancakes, etc.)
3) Are you positive you have gone 100%? Read your labels. Most things have additives. Even the artificial sweetener in your chewing gum or the soy in your tuna could be harming you. (what, you didn’t know there was soy in your tuna?)
4) Are you eating enough veggies? I feel sick on Paleo without adequate veggie intake, especially green-leafies.
5) Are you eating too much/too little ______…? (translation: let me see your food log and we can troubleshoot)

And if everything looks perfect, maybe there’s something else at play. Or maybe it doesn’t work for you and you need to seek answers elsewhere.

9. How do you do it? I could never give up… (insert favorite food here: bread, cheese, ice-cream, soy milk, etc.)
For a long time, I chose whole wheat bread and sharp cheddar cheese over being healthy and strong. The food was delicious. Now I choose healthy and strong over being fat and sick. Now life is delicious. Priorities shift.

10. How can I talk to my friends and family about Paleo?
Share your story. Focus on what you can eat and how it makes you feel. There’s so much junk science out there that anything can be refuted, and every pro-Paleo study has its opposite. However, your personal story is yours and yours alone. Nothing a scientist does to lab rats can change your experience.