new guy from Portland, attempting to get onto/stick with paleo

[hakenig]

Hi folks. I'm Haim, I'm 39, and I live in lovely Portland, Oregon. After a year or two of being aware of eating this way via my naturopath, I'm finally starting to do it. I'm gradually shifting into it, but I'll admit that (some) old habits die hard (I really like beer and chocolate!) Anyway, I started getting lots more leafy greens into my diet about six months ago...mainly via smoothies, but at the time I began I didn't really change my diet in other ways. As these last months have gone by, however, I have noticed my cravings for sweets and starches have significantly lessened, and at the same time I am increasingly convinced that eating a paleo type diet (or one close to it) just simply makes sense. I've been reading Nora Gedgaudas' book and getting a lot out of it.

There are several reasons why I am choosing to do this. The main one is I want to be generally healthy for the rest of my life, and I know that one of the main paths to health is a clean diet. My mother is 69, and suffers from a wide range of serious health issues and I seem to generally take after her physically (my father lived to be 99 though, and just passed earlier this year). Another motivation is my skin - I have been dealing with relatively mild, yet persistent acne for as long as I can remember and it got a bit worse in the last couple of years due to a number of reasons. My health seems very good, otherwise. Finally, as stated above, eating this way just makes good sense when I think about it....individual sensitivities and allergies aside, there are some basic foods that seem to fit us as humans, and so many that do not.

I'm looking forward to learning from and participating in this community. 

[TylerDurden]

Check the 1st post of this thread:-

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/sticky-advice-for-newbies-wishing-to-slowly-ease-into-a-raw-animal-food-diet/

Also read the other threads in that forum.

[hakenig]

Excellent, thanks....I've always preferred real ale/cask beer so I must have been onto something (am a bit of an Anglophile though)!

[CitrusHigh]

Welcome Haim. Are you aware this is not just paleo but raw paleo? Only asking because there was nothing in your post to indicate that you recognized that distinction and often times people wind up here looking to go cooked paleo not realizing this is about raw animal and plant foods.

Either way there is plenty to learn from this site. What do you know about what makes quality foods. Can you distinguish traditionally raised meat from mere organic, or conventional?

Glad you found the place! Cheers!

[joej627]

Greetings.

Yea, don't be afraid to ease into it man.  Cut out the processed junk first.  Then focus on adding in easy, digestible things that your body seems drawn to.  (Fruits, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, raw eggs, slow cooked/rare meats).  I would personally try not to get stuck on the 100% raw thing.  A lot of people do better with cooked veggies here and there.  Another tip would be to start including "fermented foods" like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, etc into the diet.

-Joe

[hakenig]

Thanks a lot guys. Yeah I'm aware of the raw distinction, and I already eat a heavily raw diet apart from some lightly cooked veggies on occasion, and then most of my meat does get cooked so that will be the biggest change for me (and I eat what I assume is less meat than a lot of you do, I do not have it daily by any means).

I make/eat fermented stuff for sure, but for me that includes kombucha and of course that involves some sugar, so I'd ideally lose it but we'll see.

[jessica]

welcome friend.
what meats do you eat when you do eat meats?

[hakenig]

Thanks. I mostly eat fish (sardines and salmon most often, sometimes others), but also a fair bit of chicken and then some beef maybe once a week. Obviously I've not gotten too adventurous yet....I was vegetarian on and off since I was in my teens, but have been eating some meat uninterrupted for the last 7-8 years or so.

[joej627]

Salmon sashimi is an amazing food.  You will find a huge range of diets here.  All carnivore to some vegan and everything in between.  I am primarily lot of vegetables, fruits, fatty fruits (avocados, olives, coconuts), some cooked veggies, with smaller amounts of animal products.  I definitely would not feel right without them though. 

Sardines are a really good option.  You may find that eating the animal proteins/fats rare or very lightly cooked sits better with you than traditional heavy cooked stuff. 

Just cook everything "low and slow." 
And remember that everything you do affects what your body needs.  Activity levels, climate, season, stress levels etc. 

For instance, I need more animal proteins and fats when I am
A. In colder climates, IE: winter
B. Doing more heavy physical exercise, IE: weights, bodyweight exercises, moving furniture
C. Under more mental/emotional stress.

So yea, I think we are all different and you need to ease in and listen to your body and it will lead you right =)

-Joe

[Dorothy]

Welcome.

When I first started out all I did was look for better versions of what I was already eating. Sounds like you've already found better beer. The problem with chocolate isn't so much the cacao, but all the other additives and sugar. Essential Living Foods makes a really raw cacao that can be mixed with honey and coconut butter to make some yummy chocolate deserts.

Step by step as long as each step is in the right direction.

Look forward to hearing how you do over time.

[Adora]

You might want to try Inger's recipe for egg yolks, honey, and fruit all whipped up, then cook the whites. If your not ready for straight cuts of fish. You could make hand rolls from nori wraps and stuff with fish of choice, avocados, sprouts, baby greens, grated carot, cucumber, and season with sea salt and lemon.  So good:)
     A friend of mind mixes almond meal with egg, nut oils , fruit, and honey. I did the same for my daughter but I used flax instead of almonds. She wolfed it, and had it smoothie style with milk this morning.    Not sure if your having milk.

[sabertooth]

Just wondering, My wife's boyfriend is talking about moving to Portland someday, and he was saying there was a big underground neo primitive culture up that way. I was just wondering if anyone else could confirm the existence of the neo paleo underground in that part of the world?

[cherimoya_kid]

Just wondering, My wife's boyfriend is talking about moving to Portland someday, and he was saying there was a big underground neo primitive culture up that way. I was just wondering if anyone else could confirm the existence of the neo paleo underground in that part of the world?

It would be an easy place for such a thing.  The forests in that part of Oregon have enormous old-growth trees, and the abundance of high-quality fresh local produce, fish, and meat is amazing. I was there for a wedding last year, and I was practically in heaven at the Saturday farmer's market in Portland.  Grass-fed meat, fresh fish and oysters, fresh-squeezed raw apple, pear, and cherry juice from locally-grown fruit, fresh locally-grown veggies and fruits of all types...