Paleo Lessons: Week 4

This week was my first week when it didn't feel like I was still adapting to eating Paleo - meaning no "low carb flu" symptoms. I'm trying to figure out what proportions of what types of food my body needs to consume to feel full and certainly still learning how to eat when I'm hungry and not eat when I'm not hungry. It's all about balance.

I saw this article earlier this week and it made me laugh a little. It's about a gentleman of age 26 in the United Kingdom who lived off of $18 of groceries for the week. Intrigued, I started reading and found that most of his diet is heavy in carbs. He said that it was difficult to get enough protein on such a low budget. He also struggled with getting enough fruit and veggies and mainly relied on pasta, bread, and potatoes to meet his caloric intake goals (which actually weren't met from what I can tell). Here's his original article (more extensive than the interview).

What does this have to do with anything? Since going Paleo, I've been spending what's felt like a somewhat ridiculous amount of money each week on food. Super A helped me put it in perspective (making purchases that will last a while, like spices, coconut oil, and nut products), but this article helped me realize that this might be the monetary price I'll pay for living a more healthy lifestyle. If I spend $25 more a week some weeks, but I eat healthier food, I can live with that.

I overheard a co-worked talking about his wife going Paleo and that he was doing it to support her. He said it was really, really hard because basically you can't get anything you normally would at the grocery store. It made me smile - it's surprising how much food you can still actually eat when you're Paleo, especially when you do your research and cook for yourself.

The last lesson for this week is stock up. Get food items that keep for a while, such as frozen berries, nuts, dried fruit, frozen veggies, frozen meat (check the ingredients list first), onions, sweet potatoes, and apples. Spices are also worth the investment and can make all the difference in a dish.