One Year on Primal

Celebrating One Year since I started the Primal Diet, March 5, 2012.

I am grateful that Nic's aunt asked him if I'd ever considered eliminating gluten to see if it would help migraines.

Her question is what caused me to start reading everything I could find at the library and on the internet about wheat, grains, sugar, processed foods, and their connection to health problems.  The first two books I read were Wheat Belly and The Primal Blueprint.

  

Last March, Nic, Greg, and Melanie were in Colorado skiing; I was home alone, and decided to follow the Primal Blueprint plan, giving up grains and sugar to see if it would reduce the number of migraines I was having and if it might help me lose some weight. I can honestly say the Primal Diet did both.
  

For the past year, I haven't awakened at 3 am with a splitting head, or spent days holding ice packs on my head, unable to function. This year has been amazingly better in that respect!! (This is quite a change from having a migraine about 4 or 5 days out of every week.)

 

Another welcome change is that I don't get shaky and weak when I am a little bit late eating. Without the insulin swings, my blood sugar stays more level and I just don't have the low-blood-sugar which usually triggered a migraine as well.

 

Also, I am delighted every time I am able to wear my old clothes again. Without "dieting" and counting calories or being hungry, I easily lost 20 pounds by June.

 

Giving up bread was not really difficult. There were probably fewer than 5 times this past year when I did eat a piece of bread. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the day after eating bread I did have a headache. Perhaps it was because we were travelling and eating in a restaurant (or on the road and grabbing a burger) and there could have been some other ingredient in the food that caused the headache.  Most of the time when eating out, the bread is just not good enough to bother eating, it looks good, but it's cold, so why "cheat" for that? However, hot bread with garlicky butter is a real temptation, but since we tend not to eat out as much now, I don't have to face it. I still can't resist Macaroni Grill's hot focaccia bread dipped in olive oil.
 

Eating out in general is the hardest place to stay on the primal diet, but if I think ahead and tell myself that I will skip the bread, I will look for green vegetables on the menu, and I will not be tempted by dessert, it has worked out ok. Of course, this applies to a nicer restaurant; not so much if you have to stop in a fast-food place. We never eat fast food except when we are driving a long distance, but the last trip we took we avoided the problem by packing a picnic lunch. Even though it was January and chilly at the rest stop, our chicken salad, fruit, and homemade primal nut bars tasted so much better than a fast-food hamburger.

 

Confessions:  I admit that  I am not exercising like the Primal Lifestyle requires. Primal doesn't require you to run marathons (in fact, it doesn't even recommend them!) or spend 3 hours/day at the gym, but you do need to move some every day. It's not hard, I just have to do it! Going outside for a 30-minute walk every day would be a good start. This next year, my goal is to to exercise more and see how I feel in March 2014.

 

One more confession: For several months, I continued drinking a breakfast smoothie (with non-primal ingredients) because it seemed that I got hungry too soon with bacon and eggs and got tired of them as well. So while I easily followed the primal diet at lunch and dinner (and for snacks) I still drank a smoothie made with orange juice, milk, banana, other fruit, and 1/4 cup of oatmeal. While the ingredients sound healthy enough, the juice, milk, and oatmeal aren't on the primal plan. In the past few months I've been better at making primal smoothies and eating "primal approved" food for breakfast.

 

Breakfasts:  since breakfast seems to be the hardest meal for me to eliminate grains, I've collected some ideas for primal breakfasts, including:

• nut-based granola
• omelet or scrambled eggs with bacon or sausage
• frittata made with eggs and vegetables
• smoothie made with coconut milk, fruit, raw pastured egg, and a handful of greens
• banana topped with plain yogurt, fresh fruit, and almonds or pumpkin seeds
• See my pinterest board for more Primal breakfast ideas

Is Primal Worth It?  Yes! I think this is a rather easy way to eat a healthy diet all the time, maintain a good weight, and avoid health problems associated with eating grains and sugar. I have no desire to go back to donuts and muffins, toast and dry cereal, pasta, or dessert and cookies. They just don't appeal to me now.
 
Bottom Line: I'm very pleased and happy to continue with the Primal Lifestyle, aiming for 100% primal meals and increasing the exercise. I encourage you to Check It Out for yourself :)