Paleo Diet: Fad Diet or Life Style Change?

 Part 2 in the “Fad Diet or Lifestyle Change?” series is the Paleo Diet!

The paleo diet is when an individual eats foods that basically a caveman would eat, such as meat, fish, fruit, and veggies. This type of lifestyle has gotten a lot of publicity through popular sites like Pinterest and Facebook with in the past few years, although there are research articles dating back all the way to 1997 for the Paleo diet. There are also many celebrities who swear by it (such as Jack Osborne, Jessica Biel, Megan Fox, Matthew McConaughey, etc.) However, just because a celebrity endorses a product or diet/lifestyle doesn’t always mean you should hop onto the bandwagon.  Be smart and do your research first (which is what you’re about to read!)

The Paleo lifestyle is one that can be altered. Some individuals prefer to go extremely low carb (higher protein and fat diet), while others need those carbs in their diet such as potatoes, rice, or extra fruits and veggies. 

There are two main rules I found while doing my research with the paleo diet. 

First, eat whole and nutrient dense foods at all times. No, you do not have to act like a caveman, that’s just the “mascot”. You want to eat foods that are more healthful than harmful to your health. For example, your diet should consist of grass-fed meat and eggs, fresh veggies and fruit, as well as nuts and seeds in moderation.

Secondly, avoid all the processed and sugar added foods out there. Really try to stay out of the middle isles (however- I always like to get my beans, corn, and some other canned veggies that I just rinse under water).  You also want to avoid gluten, dairy, and other sugar or white carb type of grains while on this diet.

You may be thinking to yourself, this sounds great! Or you may be thinking, “this sounds terrible”… either way, here’s some of the benefits and consequences of going paleo.

Benefits:

•        Adapting an extremely clean lifestyle
•        Rich in nutrient-dense food
•        No calorie/macro counting, no grey area.
•   Paleo-style eating emphasizes whole foods, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and other healthy fats, which is a massive improvement over the average Western diet.
•      You may end up losing weight, gaining clearer skin, and overall feeling better. This is simply because you are eating right and getting rid of processed foods. However, you may feel fatigued at first when you switch over to a Paleo Lifestyle. This is why I always recommend to switch SLOWLY! 
•        The paleo diet truly shows you how awful packaged and processed foods are

Consequences:

•       You eliminate entire food groups, making yo more likely to binge eat them or develop intolerance to it, as well as lacking in a certain mineral. For example, you cannot eat dairy. This may work well for some, however this means no yogurt, cottage cheese, or milk! These things that contain protein and calcium are vital to your diet, and you must find these nutrients elsewhere. Another example is that if you give up dairy for an entire year, you could develop intolerance to it.
•        It may be harder to eat out, although most of the time restaurants are more than willing to accommodate your needs.
•        This is not a “one-size-fits-all” diet. Some people need dairy and legumes in their diet more than others. Find what works for YOU! Personally, I need some type of starchy carb (sweet potato, quinoa, or couscous) in my lunch or else I will be a hangry monster looking to feast the rest of the day.

Overall, what do I think? I think this is your choice! Paleo is such a great way to get acclimated in the clean eating world, or it's a great way to spruce up your diet! However, I choose to just eat clean. I believe that there are no good or bad foods when it comes to legumes, quinoa, couscous, dairy, etc. The only “bad” foods I try to stay away from are processed junk food like chips, baked goods, candy, etc. Remember that if you do want to go on a paleo diet, you MUST start phasing out all your processed foods for at least a week! You need to slowly phase these bad foods out so you do not put your body into shock and develop headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, etc. And if you feel the Paleo Lifestyle isn’t right for you, adjust slowly. Start phasing foods back into your diet to avoid bloating, headaches, stomachaches, etc.

Tip: Although I am not following the paleo lifestyle, (I feel that other than eating dairy, I follow it loosely) I love to search paleo recipes. These will typically be the cleanest and easiest recipes! Below is a chart that I feel represents the way I eat vs. Paleo. Tell me what you think! 

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Lingering Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas and other holiday Parties, and New Years parties all happen within 1.5 months of each other. This means cookies, festive drinks, party trays, and too many parties to count on one hand! How do you survive and have a great time during holidays without having to loosen a few belt buckles? I've got you covered!

1.) First thing is first- plan ahead!! If you are going to a party in the evening, make sure to keep it healthy all day, just like you would any other day. Eat a filling breakfast, light but protein filled lunch, and a small snack before the get together. When you eat a small healthy snack before a big festive get together, you're less likely to keep skimming the food and more likely to just enjoy yourself! 

2.) Drink half your body weight in OUNCES of water per day. For example, if you weigh 145 pounds, that means you need about 70-75 ounces of water per day to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated will help your body metabolize food faster, make you feel fuller and more awake, and will also help the next day (you know... in-case you had a few drinks the night before). Stray away from sugary and carbonated drinks as much as possible! These will bloat you and will not help hydrate you.

3.) Do not restrict. Enjoy yourself! However, do not go overboard either. We tend to have a bad case of FOMO this time of the year, meaning Fear Of Missing Out. SO many holiday flavors that only come once a year! This is where the 80/20 rule comes into play. You've eaten well all day, so let yourself pick 1-3 treats to eat! One big treat (such as a slice of pie), two medium treats (maybe a decorated holiday cookie), or three smaller treats (smaller pieces pieces of holiday bark, chocolate pretzels, smaller cookies, etc).

4.) Bring a tray of fruit that is cut into fun shapes using a cookie cutter. This will make everyone enjoy eating the fruit just as much as the treats! Or, try to bring a few healthier options, such as the fruit and maybe some steamed veggies for dinner. 

5.) If this is a dinner party, opt for lighter and more healthy options. For example, at thanksgiving choose turkey, salad, sweet potatoes, and other healthy options. Enjoy stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and other heavy foods in smaller amounts. Make your plate 80% healthy and 20% (or less) of the not-so-great foods. If you are still hungry after dinner, wait a few minutes, and then grab seconds of salad! Try filling up on salad before enjoying your main course so that you won’t be temped to fill up on stuffing and pie!

Busy Schedule, Healthy Life

Living a healthy lifestyle and becoming more fit are two goals that seem to always be put on the back burner. I get it- you have a busy schedule. I mean it’s 2015, who isn’t busy? Your mind is racing every minute of every day and it’s overwhelming. Life can be so stressful that some days you feel like you could simply break at the drop of a hat. So how do you stay fit (and sane) on top of school, work, home life, social lives, kids, errands, etc.?

Let me show you how I do it.

Right now, I am a full time student, part time employee (sometimes full time), on the side nanny, girlfriend, and Dog Mommy. I still make the time to workout 5 days a week and live a healthy life style. It seems crazy some days, but I know that the healthier I am the more likely I am to succeed in this crazy non-stop life of mine. So, what are you? Are you a mom, dad, student, employee, friend, or sibling? If so, people in your life need you to be the best version of you! So let’s take 5 minutes out of our day and figure out how we can live a healthy lifestyle on top of all this madness that we love to call our lives.

What are your goals?

This question seems so generic- trust me I tried to re-word it a million different ways. But honestly, what do you want out of life? Maybe it’s to run a 5k in a few months, fit into your skinny jeans for the holidays, or maybe your goal is to simply have the energy to play with your kids. Now, write down this goal of yours.

When you make a goal, be sure to have a reasonable time period to achieve it by. For example, my goal is to start seeing more definition in my stomach (ahem... ABS!) by the time I go to Florida in early January. Do I want a 6-pack? Not really. But I would love to see some flattening out of the stomach and a little bit of definition. So with that I have my goal, and my time frame.

How can you reach this goal?

What are you doing right now that is either helping or hindering your success toward this goal? Here is my example again.

Goal: Get more definition in the stomach area by January

How can I reach this? I already go to the gym 5x week and I eat pretty healthy yet my stomach is my main issue.

1-    Stop snacking on bad foods. Yes I know, I have a health and fitness blog therefore I must be so healthy. However, Halloween just passed and the kids I nanny for have SO much candy. It can be hard to turn down sometimes.

2-    Target abs more during my workouts. I hit arms, legs, and cardio perfectly. However, I always seem to skip out on core work. Which is not the greatest idea because working your core can improve your overall performance and form in the gym!

There are my two steps for reaching my goal.

Hold Yourself Accountable.

Get some friends to join this healthy lifestyle with you, or schedule it into your daily calendar in order to make sure you have the time to workout! For example, every Monday and Tuesday I workout at 6:00 am, Thursdays I workout at 3pm, my rest days are Sunday and Wednesday. Make a schedule. Hold yourself accountable! Find some great group classes that you can partake in to really get yourself motivated!

Prep Your Food For The Week!

Take one day, like a Sunday, and bake (or grill out) some chicken, veggies, and prep all of your foods in advanced! For example, on Sundays I like to cook up 3 or 4 chicken breast, wash all my fruits and veggies and put them into easy access containers, cut up all my Hearts of Romaine and wash it and store it in a container, wash off all my caned corn and black beans (I love making a chipotle bowl for lunch!) and then I like to pre package all my snacks into baggies to make packing lunch a lot easier. The more prep work you do, the more likely you are to succeed!

Tip: Keep healthy snacks at your works desk or just on hand. Kind bars, almonds, healthy trail mix, apples, etc. A great tip I found online: “Instead of hitting up the vending machine or office candy bowl for an afternoon snack, I bought five pieces of fresh fruit each week and displayed them on my desk on Monday morning. Whenever I wanted a snack, it was the first thing I saw, so I was able to keep my munchies light and nutritious. I also hated to see fresh food go to waste, so I never let a day go by without eating a piece, which helped keep my hunger steady so I didn't overeat later in the day”.

Lastly, Make it fun.

You’re supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Each time you hit this goal, put a dollar in a jar. Once you hit a certain amount, buy yourself a pair of new pants! You can also food prep or workout with friends as well. Make this whole process fun. Living a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be a chore, make it something you truly love and it’ll become part of your life!

Simple Changes, Big Results!

Okay, so we all want that “quick fix” to get fit, right? There’s no denying in the fact of how nice it would be to have one simple solution to get rid of unwanted body fat and those awful pounds we all want to loose. But if there were such an easy way, then what would be the point of healthy food and fitness centers? We have to work hard to achieve our goals, obviously. But here are some very simple switches for a healthier and leaner lifestyle. You can start today you will already feel more energized and happier with yourself by next week! So lets start of with the first step…

Starting out…

So how exactly should you start? Do you go to the store and buy every single healthy thing you see on the shelf and eat it? Do you spend 2 hours a day at the gym sweating your butt off? No!

1. First set your goal and make it small. Why do you want to start becoming healthier? Do you want to loose weight? Gain muscle? Gain energy? Once you have the reason of why you want to start becoming healthier go from there.
2. How will you obtain it? Remember the saying “calories in does not equal calories out”. If you eat 500 calories worth of junk food do not think that burning 500 calories on the treadmill will compensate for it. All calories are different; try to eat 500 calories of fruits and veggies and whole grains vs. 500 calories of high sugar junk food. Back to obtaining your goals though.. How will you do it? Keep reading for simple switches you can make to help YOU obtain your personal goals.
3. Stay motivated! Get friends together on this. It is a great way to stay on track, have support, and even become closer as friends. This isn’t a race to see who can loose the most weight. This is a fun support group to help plan healthy meals together, people to go on walks with and help you through the time when you truly want to give up. After all, what are friends for?
4. Do not make excuses! Everyone can live a healthy lifestyle in his or her own way. If you are always at work, try to pre-pack your lunch with enough protein and fiber to help keep you full. Get a cute and fun water bottle that you can take with you to drink lots of green tea and water! Stretch every hour; even do a few desk exercises or yoga moves at your desk to get oxygen flowing! Too busy with the family? Take walks together, do family time at the park and stay active. Not only will you start being healthier, but you will introduce your children to a healthier lifestyle that will help better their lives Physical Activity will reduce your depression, help you think and sleep better, and most importantly improve your health.

Before you go on, here is a quick recap.

1.)  Set your goal. Start of small.

2.)  Figure out how you will obtain it; use the tips below to help you get started!

3.)  Stay motivated with family and friends.

4.)  Sneak in small exercises and stretches to prevent fatigue while at work, or even get people from work to do a 30-minute stretch session with you!

Now, here are some very simple switches you can make in your life to help you get started!

–       Greek yogurt for sour cream. Sour cream is always a must have for taco or burrito night. To get that same “must have” taste, add a scoop of plain Greek yogurt to add the protein and reduce the fat! Also, swap out plain yogurt for Greek yogurt! It offers about 2x the protein and half the sugar, with the same amount of calories, or even less in some cases. Not crazy about the taste? Get a flavored version or mix it into a smoothie!

–       Frozen grapes for Popsicles. Weird idea right?  Pre-wash your grapes and put them in individual Baggies. Stick them in the freezer overnight and the next day you will have your own bite-sized snack vs. a sugar filled Popsicle.

–       Oatmeal for sugary cereal. Admit it. No one actually measures out a serving of cereal to eat. Admit it, you have packed that bowl full of your favorite cereal and added all that milk to get the yummy taste that you love. But… are you actually full after that bowl of Frosted Cheerios (even though you thought they were healthy…?). Try to make some oatmeal and add in healthy fruit, some cinnamon, or even raisins to add the flavor you love. Oatmeal provides high levels of fiber, low levels of fat, and high levels of protein to help keep you fuller!

–       Lean meats for fatty ones. For a boost of protein when watching fat intake, go after lean meats like turkey and chicken over pork and beef. Buy fresh meats and try to grill or bake them. Frying chicken will add the calories and fats you don’t want. Instead of bacon in the morning try turkey sausage, or if bacon is a must have in your house you can switch it out for turkey bacon!

–       Food Prep on Sundays for the week instead of eating out. Fire up the grill or the oven, even the crock-pot! Make some chicken or turkey (lean meats) and freeze it for the week. Right there, you are cutting out the preservatives in the already frozen packs of meat and you know it is fresh lean meat. All you have to do is de-thaw the meat and add it to a salad, egg white omelet, or even use it as the main dish! Also, cut up all your veggies and fruit and put them away in organized containers. You are more likely to snack on the food you pre-made vs. having to wash the produce each time you eat. Make sure your fruits and veggies are always fresh vs. being frozen.

–       Add in vegetables whenever possible. Just like above, prep out your food for the week and add in your veggies! They are great in soups, casseroles, pizzas, smoothies, omelets, and sandwiches. If available, juicing veggies is also a great way to get in your veggie servings! Try to stray away from the high sugar “fruit and vegetable” drinks. More than likely you will be getting more sugar than you bargained for.

–       Choose lighter versions of your favorite coffee drinks. Starbucks Vanilla Latte is 250 calories alone, 6g of fat and 35g of sugar. A “Skinny” version (non-fat milk, sugar-free syrup, and no whip crème) is only 180 calories, 0g of fat and 16g of sugar) if you get a Starbucks drink Monday-Friday every week this will cut back 350 calories, 30g of fat, and 95g of sugar per week! Do the math yourself by looking up nutrition facts of your favorite drink from your coffee place you go to.

–       Yoga instead of Facebook. Got a spare 30 minutes? Instead of hoping on Facebook or Twitter, hop onto a yoga website and get some good yoga moves. This is a great way to get some stretching and exercise into your day. This also gets oxygen pumping into your body and makes you feel more alert and awake!

–       Self-love for self-criticism. Last but certainly not least (this may be the most important!) People often focus on their negative features rather than their positive features. Become aware of your thoughts and actions and take small simple steps to change it. Becoming healthier and more active with family and friends is a great place to start!