Eating Paleo

While this site focuses mainly on my calorie counting and exercising, it is also worth mentioning that a great deal of my quest to be healthy revolves around following the Paleo lifestyle. "Lifestyle" sounds pretty lame, but this is so much more than a diet. 

First, this video: 

When I found out last Christmas that I might have MS, this video is what really opened my eyes to how powerful proper nutrition can be. It's 17 minutes long, but I think it's absolutely worth watching.

Now, the Wahls diet is a lot more restrictive than basic "Paleo", which is how my husband and I eat now. While there isn't one set definition for what this means, most followers abide by the following:

-Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
-Grass-fed (or pastured) meats
-Plenty of healthy fats (cooking in animal fats or coconut oil, unheated olive oil is ok too)
- No gluten
- No dairy
- No sugar
- No grains or legumes
- No processed or unnatural foods (no foods with crazy lists of chemicals/additives as ingredients)

Everything in the "no" category causes inflammation in the body and harms healthy gut bacteria.

Now, this SOUNDS really restrictive, but it's not as bad as it looks. Yes, cooking takes awhile and trips to the grocery store tend to be a bit more expensive. But what I'm spending on food, I'm CERTAIN I'm getting back in health benefits. Totally worth it.

Also, it's worth mentioning that the food my husband cooks is AMAZING. I LOVE what we eat now, and I rarely crave non-paleo foods.

If you want to read books on various Paleo varieties, check out anything by Dr. Loren Cordain, Dr. Terry Wahls, or Mark Sisson. These will all go more in depth into the science behind all this. Since I'm now a firm believer in the science aspect, I use these sites daily to find recipes, get inspiration, and learn more: