Why I follow a Paleo-ish Diet...

In 2003 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Lichen Sclerosis. I was told there was no cure and that all they could do for me was treat the symptoms. The symptoms are pretty miserable, and as a result I became depressed and despondent when the medications they prescribed did not really do much to alleviate them. So, with absolutely nothing to lose, and an inquisitive nature, I began to do some research.

I learned that many autoimmune diseases respond well to a Paleolithic diet, that is, a diet which excludes grains, beans, dairy, and processed sugars. I began to follow the diet off and on for the next five years, with periods of extreme faithfulness to it interspersed with periods of doubt and bingeing. I was living in Europe at the time, and didn't want to be so strict with my diet that I was miserable and missed out on all the great food. I certainly could have done a better job of following the Paleo guidelines. But during those years I read a lot about food, nutrition, disease and autoimmune response.

I learned that many things might be contributing to my disease that were not obvious. The role of lectins for example may be a huge factor, and in our processed American diet lectins are everywhere. Almost all processed food has either soy or corn in it. Both of these are high in lectins. Even soybean oil has lectins in it, and it is hard to find a mayonnaise or salad dressing that is not made with soybean oil. Even following a (modified) Paleo diet, I was exposing myself to more lectins than I thought.

In 2008 I moved home to the US, with no job, no prospects, and significantly more pounds than when I left. After a year home, I piled on even more pounds, my disease became unmanageable, and over the holidays this year (2009) I had a huge flare-up, and discovered that I weighed more than ever.

Enough was enough. I re-dedicated myself to the Paleo lifestyle. I am full-blown low carb Paleo now (with small amounts of grass-fed-raw-when-possible-dairy, chocolate, & alcohol). I walk every day, I do yoga (instead of weightlifting), and I sprint occasionally to remind myself that I can outrun my fate.

As far as what we usually eat, it is very simple:

Meat/poultry/fish/seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts and a little dairy.

Breakfast is eggs and vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, onion,) with a little bacon or sausage, and sometimes a little cheese. Sometimes my husband will just have fruit. Sometimes I will add a few berries to my meal. (I LOVE raspberries). I drink coffee with real cream at breakfast. We often skip breakfast entirely, although I always have my coffee...

We eat lots of leafy greens.

We eat around 4 ounces of meat, fish, poultry, or seafood each for lunch and for dinner.

A salad is our usual lunch with leftovers from the night before, and I usually make a salad to have with dinner as well. I put crumbled bleu cheese or goats milk cheese and fruit in my dinner salads and a few nuts regularly. I make my own salad dressings, although we got several bottles of yummy dressing /marinade as a gift for Christmas that we will use as well.

I have a glass of wine fairly regularly with dinner (several times a week) and a sometimes a small piece of dark organic chocolate for dessert. (Not very often, maybe once per week).

So there you have it. It is a Paleo-style diet. Less strict than some since it is one I must live with for the next YEAR! Therefore, not so restrictive that I think I cannot bear it.

I do not follow some of Loren Cordain's Paleo ideas for a variety of reasons. I do eat dairy--although ALWAYS organic, and whenever possible raw. I am not giving up my one cup of coffee with cream--at least not yet. I also disagree with Cordain's low-saturated fat approach to the diet. I eat grass fed beef, and free range chicken and pork, wild caught seafood and try not to eat overly processed oils. I do eat olive oil, and if I use mayonnaise I use light olive oil to make it. I prefer to follow general Paleo guidelines such as Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint, or Art DeVany's Evolutionary Fitness, or the recommendations of Drs. Mary Dan and Michael Eades.

One final note:

I do not believe in following any nutritional plan so vehemently that you cannot accept a piece of cake at a social gathering once in a while. I avoid grains whenever possible because eating them wreaks havoc on my digestive system, and because I fundamentally believe that in the US, we eat far too many grain-based foods, sugars, and highly processed foods. In small amounts from time to time, I can tolerate them, and will continue to enjoy them as a rare treat, just as our ancestors would have enjoyed honey or wild rice.

Update 2010:

As of the 1st of November this year, I am going hard-core Paleo with an autoimmune slant. I am avoiding all nightshade vegetables, (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers). I am replacing the cream in my coffee with coconut milk, and limiting my coffee to 2 cups in the morning. I am drastically cutting down on the eggs I eat. Limiting them to about 4 a week. Eventually I plan to cut them out entirely as there is some evidence that they can make autoimmune symptoms worse. I am cutting out the wine and chocolate for now (they are not a regular part of my diet any more, although I will have a little wine and probably a martini around the holidays.) I have cut way down on my "open" meals, restricting them to once a week, and still basically eating Paleo--just a bit more fat than usual, and a little honey. Due to finances, we are eating conventionally raised meat, the leaner cuts, and organic vegetables as we can afford them. I use the Environmental Working Group's list of top ten best and worst veggies to determine what we need to buy organic and what we can buy conventional.

Update March 2011:

After several months of paleo/autoimmune, (with no real progress as far as my symptoms go) I am changing a few things: I am IF-ing most days about 19-20 hours, and focusing on one real "meal" per day. Financially this is very beneficial--also it gives me one meal to plan, which works better for figuring out O3-O6 ratios, which I think really seems to make a difference. I am not eating much chicken or pork--rather, (even though it costs a bit more) I am focusing on ruminants, beef, lamb, veal, bison, venison, etc. I am also supplementing with omega 3 eggs, and pasture-fed cheese, cream and sour cream. I eat whatever veggies are on sale and have always at least one green vegetable. So far my LS symptoms seem to be responding well to this. I am still avoiding tomatoes and peppers--although I do eat them occasionally. Stress make them worse, so I try to supplement with sardines and seafood as much as I can afford it. I drink red wine every day (about 5 ounces)

As I am also wanting to lose weight, I am eating lower carb (30-60 grams of carbs per day) and walking about seven miles 3+ times per week. Every couple of weeks, I eat non-paleo-ish fare. (at the most, once a week, usually something with sugar in it) what can I say, I'm weak... :)

Also several times per month usually for a couple of days in a row I eat more frequently than once per day. Like breakfast, snack and dinner. Or lunch and dinner. Or breakfast, lunch and snack...(you get the idea).