Paleo Diet

I thought I'd share about the diet DH and I have been on this past month.  My doctor suggested I try a month of removing all grains from my diet, both to help with weight loss and bloating.  This is stricter than just going gluten free; it means no rice, no whole grains, no quinoa, no corn products. Basically, you eat meat, fruits & vegetables, and fats (eggs, nuts, etc.).  You're not supposed to eat much dairy but we didn't give it up completely.  We had yogurt for breakfast some days, and I still kept drinking tea/coffee with cream or milk.  We did this for a month!  I am actually surprised that it was not that hard.  The first few days we had crazy carb cravings, but after that, it became enjoyable to eat paleo.  We had 2 cheat days (one for Chinese food in Vancouver...yum, and one for pizza...bad idea) but otherwise stuck pretty close.  Towards the end I did crave in and partake in the Christmas baking that is floating around everywhere!  So I really don't know if the results are "true" results but this is what I DID notice:

I didn't notice that my stomach bloating went away; however I did notice that one the days where we ate a lot of garlic or onions with the meal, my bloating was worse.  For me, that confirmed that I have a sensitivity to garlic, which I have long suspected as both my mom and my grandpa do too.  I also noticed that a lot of my "puffiness" (face, stomach) seemed to die down.  I noticed more energy through the day.  And a total of 3 people around me commented on my glowing skin!  All in all this month, I think I've lost 6lbs.  I have been exercising daily (an hour walk with the dog or the gym) so I may have put on more muscle too. 

So, in case anyone is interested, I thought I'd share some of the yummy meals we ate.

For breakfast, we normally had yogurt with paleo crunch (like a granola made with nuts), eggs (in all shapes and sizes), or grilled kale and sausage (so yummy!).

For lunch, we had leftovers or soups.  I tried gluten free bread at the beginning, but I just don't like it so it's not worth caving into. 

And these are some of the dinners we enjoyed!

Paleo chocolate almond biscuits (for breakfast)

Turkey legs with cranberry glaze, acorn squash, roasted potatoes and salad

Veggie and sausage tomato sauce over egg noodles with beet slaw

Steak salmon with sweet potato fries, bok choy and coleslaw

Paleo crunch

Beef stew

Balsamic chicken thighs with paleo rice (sauteed cauliflower)

Korean beef ribs with spaghetti squash and lettuce

And finally, DH's breakfast creation: sweet potato hash with sausage and bacon, topped with poached egg and avocado.  Heart attack on a plate, but SO YUMMY!