Are you as sick of hearing about paleo as I am of thinking about it?

I subscribe to a few RSS feeds, one being Simplemom.net. I don’t always read it but usually, something they’re writing about catches my eye. I was surprised to get a link to this post today in my inbox. In case you don’t feel like clicking over, basically, Tsh is 10 days into a Whole30 program. I haven’t researched that specifically but it is a plan to go hardcore paleo for 30 days. What’s going on? What is so interesting about paleo to everyone these days?

You probably guessed from my post last week that I’ve fallen off the wagon. I am still watching my sugar intake and try to limit the grains but this weekend, I ate the way I normally eat.

Reading Tsh’s post made me realize that I might have a better shot at this outside of Lent. Unlike Tsh, I did not feel any physical benefits in the 2 weeks that I was pretty hard-core. I still felt weak and achy and stiff. Exercise would probably help that a lot and I’m figuring out what I can do without killing the knees, hips and shoulder.

I’m encouraged to continue to learn more about the science and chemistry of paleo. What I’ve read is convincing, but I’m not able to articulate it myself. Also, I think access to local and fresh produce will be motivating. I have an aversion to out-of-season produce. Maybe it’s physiological but I suspect it’s a result of reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. (I need to reread that and add it to my sidebar of favorite books over there on the right).

I’ll likely continue to post about my neurosis concerning this issue. It’s probably boring but it has been a good way for me to process this process. Make sense?

To be honest, I spend an inordinate part of my day talking to myself about why a committed paleo lifestyle will absolutely NOT work for me. But, for the most part, I’m hanging in there. At this point, it’s as much an exercise in awareness (about the things we eat) as anything.

Here’s what I’m finding so far:

1. I really don’t like meat that much.
2. There’s only so many ways you can eat beef-especially ground beef.
3. I like vegetables and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m actually eating fewer veggies 2 weeks in because frankly, I’m satiated.
4. I’ve never been a huge fan of salads in the winter-except occasionally.
5. I feel about the same. My rosacea did not miraculously disappear-it’s pretty much following it’s usual course.
6. I’m not willing to invest in or manage a large portion of grass-fed beef. I like not having a seperate freezer.
7. If I retrained my tastebuds to love more wild game (cleaner meats), I don’t have access to it (though Mark said he would be willing to start hunting) but…see #6 above.
8. I suspect that, overall, our family could benefit from a real paleo diet, (clean and organic everything, high in fat and low in simple carbs). I really don’t have it in me to fight that battle. Believe me, it would be a BATTLE!
9. Not sure how much longer I’ll keep at it. I will continue to abstain from part of the forbidden elements during lent. I’m running out of food options because I’m really not enjoying all the meat and I don’t think processed, packaged meats fits the bill.
10. I really think when my experiment ends, I’ll complain less about what to have for dinner-for a while anyway.
11. I feel lucky NOT to have to battle with allergies, autoimmune disorders and other types of food sensitivities. I will revisit allowing vegetable oil in various forms, high fructose corn syrup and chemicals into the pantry.
12. These 14 days, my mother-in-law’s mantra has repeated in my head…”Everything in moderation”. She lived to be almost 82 and she was pretty fit and active most of that time. Good advice.
13. I don’t feel like a failure. Rather, this is playing out as I anticipated. Maybe that’s why the sight of a bagel or a plate of pasta isn’t driving me crazy. I’ve known all along I would likely enjoy these foods again, but I guess I’ll try to enjoy them in moderation.
14. This makes me admire Kelly as much as ever. I’ve always appreciated her thoughtful and committed approach to all things family. Whether it be moving, budgeting, activities, whatever. And let’s be honest, when you’re a mother, nearly everything you do affects the whole family. I love how she’s made this change and stuck to it.

No, not about “Momentum on Monday”. I’m regrouping after our little weekend trip to see my aunt. It was great, I’m so glad we went and it was so nice to have everyone home together for President’s Day. So, here are some thoughts about flinging myself into paleo madness.I haven’t given up. I’m not craving things (surprisingly) BUT I am spending more time than I’d prefer-especially during lent-thinking about food. This paleo thing takes lots of planning and preparation. I do think the money that we spend on cereal, snacks and the very few convenience foods we end up buying could definitely go toward a quarter of a grass-fed beef. The problem with that notion is that I’m not inclined or prepared to impose my little experiment on the whole family. It is just not practical or realistic for us, at least right now. Also, there’s something about buying and storing more than 100 pounds of animal that turns me off. I simply don’t want the responsibility.

That grass-fed and wild animal thing is huge. My reading tells me this….fats from grass-fed and wild meats are great for you, fats from industrialized beef aren’t. Oh, and chicken, not so good. Whatever Omega6 is, chicken’s got a lot of it and it isn’t a good thing.

As I suspected when I decided to try this to see if my aches, pains and rosacea would improve, I’ll likely end up just limiting grains, dairy and sugar overall in my diet rather than eliminating them completely. I don’t think I suffer adverse reactions to those things (that I know of).

For now, I’m doing my best to stick to it. Not sure I’ll be getting through the 6 weeks. Eggs and/or meat everyday for breakfast is not appealing, I really don’t want to get sick of salads and I don’t have enough beef recipes in my repertoire to get us through. I don’t think eating less pasta, bread and sugar will hurt me, though.

I’ll keep you posted.

Kelly any input you have is much appreciated. I am marveling at how you made such a big switch but then again, your boys never struck me as complainers and always seem enthusiastic about new adventures (even in food). Maybe that made things easier.

So, I pretty much committed to trying a paleo thing during Lent. Admittedly, this was not thoroughly researched, planned or thought through. (I have read about it but felt that I could do that for years before committing. I was ready to go for it. I knew with Luke also committing, Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent would present a particular challenge. In spite of the sacrificial season and the ideal 6 week time-frame, we were challenged by our traditional food habits, the need for energy on the fly and our very predictable and boring pantry. Plantains, papayas, avacados, coconut milk and oil and something called kimche (which I’m still not sure I want to look into) are a mystery to this family.

I’m learning that grass-fed and wild (as in elk, moose, bison, gazelle or deer-I guess) are the real acceptable fatty meats. If you’re eating industrial beef, lean is safer. Chicken and pork are to be eaten in moderation. Fish is ok as long as it is wild caught in the Pacific. Alrighty, then.

Valentine’s Day presented a small challenge. Lenten sacrifices are usually outweighed by charity in my view. For example, a few years ago, our family was invited for the day to visit another family who does not abstain on Fridays. When the mom served chicken for dinner, it would have been uncharitable to mention our practice. Similarly, when Grandma Jane showed up on the back porch with snickerdoodles and valentine cards for each of the kids with the slightest hint of melancholy, NO WAY would we have mentioned that the kids were abstaining. So they inhaled those cookies!

Today, I was feeling a little nostalgic. Valentines Day has traditionally been a big celebration at home for me and the kids or with other homeschooling families. Because it landed on the day after lent began, we didn’t really plan anything. I couldn’t resist to buy the kids a box of mini donuts.

Tomorrow, we head to my aunt’s house on the border of PA and MD. She has a wonderful group of dear friends (lifelong friends) but is terribly sad after the death of my aunt (her youngest sister) this summer and the serious illness of another of her siblings. She is hurting and lonely. A visit to her always means extreme indulgence. Except for the abstaining from meat and even though she’d fully understand, this family will have to indulge her need to shower them with treats. For my part, I can resist the treats but it will be very difficult to plan paleo meals there since she doesn’t have a stove-especially on Friday.

I know it sounds like I’m rationalizing, I’m willing to pay for it in purgatory.

You might have thought at the beginning of this post that I’ve given up. Not so. I’ve resisted the pasta on Wednesday, snickerdoodles, sugar in my coffee and noodles with the beef stew I made last night. I’ll probably have pizza tonight, though and try my best to stick to the plan. Honestly, I don’t have the energy to plan or police the plan for anyone else while we’re away. We’ll resume our efforts when we return.