Common Paleo Eating Mistakes

Have you stayed your course thus far in 2015 with your new Paleo regime, yet you’re finding that you’re not yet getting the results you were after, whatever your health goals may be? Don’t worry, and don’t throw in the towel.  The answer is not in the form of a ‘weight loss tablet’ nor to draw the conclusion that ‘Paleo just doesn’t work for me’. I’ve noticed some very common trends with clients over the years who have tried their hand independently at Paleo but have gotten caught up with some of the less than accurate info in the media. As such, I was thrilled to read an article written recently by Dr. Terry Wahls, published on Mind Body Green’s Website, entitled, The Top Five Mistake Paleo Eaters Make. First and foremost, the source is incredibly reliable (if you’re not familiar with her work, you’ve got to make it a priority to learn!). She cuts right to the chase and outlines some of the most common errors people make when trying to ‘go Paleo’ but slightly missing the mark, though no fault of their own, such as swapping gluten-containing grain products for gluten-free grain products, not eating enough veggies (from both land and sea) and eating too much meat and the wrong type. Keep this in mind as your rule of thumb principle about what Paleo is all about: “The idea is to mimic the food groups our ancestors ate with food we can easily find in our farmer’s markets, grocery stores and even our own backyards“, to paraphrase Dr. Cordain. We can also refer to another succinct quote from Whole30, who also put it nicely on their site when they surmised: “Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients.” So, here it is.  You know what real food is, and you know what real food isn’t.  Pan seared sea bass, grass-fed skirt steak, roasted broccoli and raw kale salad = food. Brownies, waffles, cupcakes, bread= not so much. Again, as I’ve said and written many, many times before, having the ‘not so much’ foods as a special treat once a while, assuming you’re not following a specific protocol (such as the Autoimmune protocol, for which you’d want to be sure to avoid certain foods- like gluten- always), could be your individual balance to keeping Paleo the other 95% of the time. Eating healthfully most of the time is certainly better than not doing so at all, and it can be that your path might include small steps to the same end. Just be sure to make eating real food in a balanced, Paleo fashion the mainstay of your regime, certainly before you cut off your nose to spite your face and don’t give yourself a fair chance at reaping all the benefits. Click here to get some guidance in the form of a download plan to suit many custom needs.  How to, when to and how much to eat; it’s all outlined using real, 100% food.