Paleo diet includes unprocessed, whole foods that look like the way they are in nature. Switching from eating a standard meal to a Paleo diet will need a lot of effort because cutting down prepackaged food, legume, dairy, cutting out all grains will become a challenge. Eating a better diet will help you have a healthy habit of getting nutrients in your body. Understand what paleo diet is and how you can benefit from it. Basically to successfully start your paleo diet you will need to avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup, grains, legumes, dairy, vegetable oils like sunflower and soybean oil, highly processed food and go for vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, healthy fat and oil, fish and meat. Here are 8 tips that will help you change your Paleo diet successfully. It will help you ease the lifestyle change rather than a fad diet.
1. Remove all non-paleo food items in your home
Strip everything you’ve been eating from your current diet except some meat, veggies, and fruits. The first thing to do when switching to a paleo diet is to throw out food that you will not be eating anymore, you can share it with a non-paleo friend, feed some ducks or compost it. You can also donate them to a food bank and you will feel awesome separating yourself from non-paleo items. Cut out food with processed food chemical if there is any remaining. Cut out dairy products and legumes like snow peas, sugar snap, peas and green beans. If you have a family member who is not following your paleo diet you can separate them and store them in fridge designated non-paleo cabinet or any shelves in the cupboard.
2. Start the paleo diet with a mindset of changing your diet
Keep it pure while having your meal, add food at a time. IF you identify some foods that cause your health issues it is best to stay away from them. The moment you decide to transition to a paleo diet make sure you involve and consider other aspects of Paleolithic lifestyle like getting exercise, getting sun exposure, managing your stress, and getting enough sleep. If you want to eat bread chose the paleo bread. Focus on pseudo grain like quinoa and grains like rice. Set your mind to switch to other nut butter or almond butter rather than peanut butter. Avoid soy products or canned and dried beans. When purchasing food product at any outlets or grocery stores make sure you read the ingredient list to identify food that are non-paleo and those that are paleo.
3. Start cooking your own food and avoid regular food recreation
Prepare paleo pumpkin pie smoothie, paleo crepes, and fluffy coconut flour pancakes for breakfast, roasted Thai butternut squash soup, egg salad prepared with homemade mayonnaise and zesty chicken salad for lunch, paleo muffins, hardboiled egg with a spoonful of coconut oil and butter, apple slices with homemade almond butter for snacks, a few berries and some homemade chocolate, chocolate mocha, a small glass of red wine for dessert. While having dinner you can go for a choice of Santa Fe Steak and eggs, fried plantain in coconut oil and ghee and butter, winter greens Caesar salad and Thai coriander garlic shrimp scampi. Always prepare a snack before time and keep it simple. Start preparing large meals that can prove food leftovers which you store in your freezer and reheat and thaw it later on when you are too tired to cook or busy with something else.
4. Preserve a food journal
The moment you plan to start your diet your body will have some noticeable changes. By having a journal you are able to see if minerals, vitamins or a certain food group is missing in your diet. You can check it to see if the food trend you adopted is causing the extreme increase or reduction of weight. IS reducing or removing your sugar or coffee intake is causing tiresome. People react from different food than other individuals and keeping a journal will help improve your lifestyle. Keeping Educating yourself concerning what is in the food and the source of it.
5. Go for carbohydrates
Cutting your dairy, legumes, and grains will definitely reduce your carbohydrate intake. Include lots of fruits and starchy vegetables in your paleo diet. Eat meat like pork chicken and beef, fish, eggs enriched with omega3, vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach. Nuts and seed, high-fat dairy, fats, and oil like coconut oil, cod fish liver oil, olive oil, lard cut out high sugar and high sweetener drinks, soda, and juices. Avoid adding sugar to your tea or coffee.
6. Involve your friends and family
The toughest thing while switching to a paleo diet is by not understanding your family and friends. Talk to them and let them guide you on how to switch to a paleo diet. Some individuals may become intrigued when you start a new diet especially if it is restricting. Educate them on why you went for that choice cook for them or share a paleo snack and they will be able to understand why you chose to eat that way. After all, you are eating the way that suits you not what others think you should eat.
7. Start thinking about fats
Switch to using bacon, lard, coconut oil and tallow fat as your main cooking fat. Use macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil as your raw fats. If you are a person who eats a lot of meat preferably goes for fish oil supplement. Switch from taking omega-3 to omega-6. Find the online recipe that will best suit while preparing your food.
8. Start veggies
Start eating carrots, broccoli, and spinach cauliflower among others. To avoid doing much work roast your veggies it is the easiest way to get tasty meals and adds flavor, sweetness taste. Add your favorite spices to an oven with coconut oil. Examples are cauliflower, broccoli, turnips and carrots. Try different types of vegetables and cook them with protein providing food like eggs, fish and meat.