About Me.

As of last week I had to make some big changes in my life that I am sure many people can relate to.  What I was eating was slowly killing me. My body was not functioning the way you would think a normal body should. I had not felt normal and healthy for as long as I could remember. Some days the pain was so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. Some nights it was so bad that I couldn't sleep. I got Migraines, Diarrhea (I know gross but true). I was alive but not really living. I never had the energy to do the things I needed and I felt depressed a lot of the time but couldn't put my finger on why. I was always bloated and had aches and pains all over, but here I am today feeling better than ever! I feel like I can really live now. I want to exercise, I want to spend time with my 2 wonderful kids. I want to try new things. And it is all because of my new lifestyle. It is all because of Paleo.

I have for a long time thought that I was eating healthy. I worked hard to lose weight after having each one of my kids, though I was never able to get it all off. I thought the things I was eating were good for me but it was all a scam, as I have recently learned. I should start with why I changed my way of eating to begin with.

The aches and pains and other symptoms I was having from the time I was in high school till recently were a symptom of a disease that was present in my body, unknown to me. One that I had no Idea even existed till some of my relatives and my younger sister were diagnosed with it. Celiac Disease. Celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. So the sandwich I took most days for lunch, the Dressing on my salad, the spaghetti we had once a week, all these things and more were destroying my insides and ruining my quality of life.

Tomorrow it will have been a week since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and my life has drastically changed. It is amazing what one week can do. The diet I follow (which I consider my new lifestyle, not a diet) is called Paleo. If you have never heard of it well you are in the same position I was a week ago. You see, the evening following my appointment with my Doctor, my Aunt Kim called me up to see how I was doing and answer some of the burning questions I had on my mind. Little did I know she was going to give me some of the best advise, I feel, that I have ever been given in my life. She does not have Celiac disease,but a wheat intolerance. Her Family started living gluten free quite a while ago because her husband and children have celiac. She told me  how she had all the symptoms that I had been having and decided to start this "Paleo diet".

After getting off of the phone with her I began searching whatever I could to learn about it and immediately started to eat as outlined. Basically I eat meat, vegetables, fruit, and nuts- NO STARCH, NO WHEAT ( which in my case I couldn't have anyways) NO DAIRY, NO LENTILS. I know it sounds strict but when you really understand it and think about it, it doesn't feel strict at all.

The Paleo Diet is based around the diet cavemen would have eaten. Its all about Hunting and gathering.  The skeptics say well what about milk, you will get osteoporosis. We need wheat in our diet, every commercial on tv about bread and cereal tells us so, well my friends studies have been done on people from that time period and they were just fine. They were taller on average than modern day people, they had more muscle, better bones, less cavities, better sight, and less disease. Until Agriculture came into the picture many of the diseases you so commonly hear about today were rare.  If you want are curious and want more info I would suggest you read the book "The Paleo Solution : The Original Human Diet" by Robb Wolf. I breaks it down as far as you can and has real life stories of people living this lifestyle.

I'm sure your getting tired of reading now so let me finish by saying, I have only been doing this Paleo thing for about a week now and I have so much energy its ridiculous. I don't feel tired and sluggish all day, my head is more clear, I don't get head aches, I don't feel bloated or gassy, and no more aches and pains. I have lost 7 lbs in 6 days. My clothes fit better, My food tastes better.No junk food could EVER taste as good as I feel. If you need a change I seriously suggest trying paleo. Try it for a week and tell me you don't feel better. I feel better and don't plan on turning back!