A Month of Thanks - Day 8

Today, I am thankful for the knowledge and desire I have to eat healthy and keep my body strong and functioning as it should.  Kris came to me back in March with an interest to start eating Paleo.  At the time, we were currently grieving over our failed placement and the baby we lost.  I thought he was crazy - how could he think of anything else?  We'll, I reluctantly obliged and I have to say, so many things changed for me and my body in a matter of days.  You feel so light on your feet and energetic when you aren't weighed down by processed foods or foods your body fights to digest.  Two months ago, we took a break from the lifestyle, but now we are back and more eager and motivated than ever.  If you are interested, here is a brief summary of what Paleo is (taken from link referenced above). 

The Paleo Diet

is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago. These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). Dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods were not part of our ancestral menu.

Decades of research by Dr. Loren Cordain and his scientific colleagues demonstrate that hunter-gatherers typically were free from the chronic illnesses and diseases that are epidemic in Western populations, including:

• Obesity
• Cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancer
• Autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, etc.)
• Osteoporosis
• Acne
• Myopia (nearsightedness), macular degeneration, glaucoma
• Varicose veins, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, gastric reflux
• Gout

 And many, many more.

Choosing to eat the Paleo diet isn't easy, but it's so worth it.  Take it from a once skeptic to another.