How I Inadvertently Started Eating the Paleo Diet and Began to Feel Better

Here we are, trying to lose weight and attempting another fad diet… Wait, that’s not what’s really going on! Let me back up and tell you about my food sensitivities and how we stumbled on to this one.

I’m gluten intolerant, so I can’t eat your typical breads, pastas, and cereals. I’m also sensitive to corn, and rarely eat processed sugar, caffeine, or alcohol (just cause it makes me feel crappy!). I’m trying to lose weight (spraining your ankle and miscarrying repeatedly seem to be weight-gaining activities for me, imagine that!), so I’m cutting down on my intake of rice pasta, potatoes, gluten-free breads, and cheese.

For the past few years I’ve been thinking that I was completely worn out from being a mom — after all, being on call 24-7 IS exhausting! It turns out that it wasn’t just parenthood wearing me down. Evidently I wasn’t eating what my body needs.

I just started eating meat after two decades of vegetarianism and found it energized me. I stopped feeling worn out and tired all of the time. I started laughing and smiling more because I finally have the energy to really keep up with my four year old.

Over the past month I’ve realized that I feel best eating vegetables, fruit, nuts, and meat every day. Cut out the other processed crap and that’s what I crave. I wake up every morning and eat a meatball. Or a hamburger. With a big bowl of greens and some toasted nuts. And I feel great.

Oh my. Why, that’s the Paleo diet. I just can’t seem to help myself.

That being said, I still eat brown rice occasionally, put milk in my morning cup of tea, and love eating cheese, so I’m not 100% Paleo, but I’m curious to see how I’d feel if I cut those things out.

We’ll see how this goes. I’m typically as skeptical as you are right now… except that I’m feeling so darn good!