I Can't...

What is holding you back from trying the Primal way of eating? Could you try it for just 14 days? Maybe you've thought about it briefly but concluded that I Can't...

• Give up cereal and toast in the morning
• Stop using sugar in my coffee
• Give up snacks
• Afford pastured eggs and beef or organic vegetables
• Cook like that
• Take time to learn about primal
• Chase after every fad diet that comes along
• Bother counting calories
• Give up wheat, I will feel terrible
• Make my family eat like this

Here are some of my responses:

Yes I Can...

Give up cereal and toast in the morning.  I said the same thing a few years ago when someone told me it was easy to lose weight by reducing carbs. "Oh I could never give up toast in the mornings!" is exactly what I said. It turned out to be pretty easy though, by eating some other tasty breakfasts. Stepping on the scale each morning and seeing that number get lower and lower was pretty good enticement to stay away from toast. (I weighed every morning for a while just because it was immediate feedback but most primal websites don't recommend checking your weight every day.)  The toaster is always there (put it out of sight in a cabinet), and put your bread in the freezer. You can always go back to toast if you have to after the 14 days are over.

Stop using sugar in my coffee. I had the same problem, but I've gradually reduced the amount of sugar I use, down to less than 1/4 teaspoon, until now I'm finally drinking it without any sugar at all.

Give up snacks. You might find that without the wheat and sugar causing your insulin to go up and down you can actually go from one meal to the next without needing a snack. Keep some nuts in a little container at your desk so if you do need something, they are available. Don't overeat nuts though, somewhere I read that 1/4 cup is probably enough if you don't want too many calories.

Afford pastured eggs and beef or organic vegetables. This is easy. When you stop buying boxes of cereal, cases of soft drinks, boxes of snack bars, frozen pizzas, and fast food,  you will have money instead for the healthier (and yes, more expensive) meat, eggs, and vegetables. Try to find a local farm where you can buy them more cheaply than the store. Get the best quality you can afford.   Americans are so used to cheap food, but we short-cut our health by eating junk. Your health might improve to the point that you don't need as many prescriptions or visits to the doctor -- that should save some money too.

Cook like that. Learning to make some basic recipes is not hard and cooking at home might take less time than going to a fast-food place.

Take time to learn about primal. There are several good books and blogs that lay it all out for you. It doesn't have to take months to learn. Start here with a summary.

Chase after every fad diet that comes along. This is not a fad diet, it's a return to an ancient lifestyle (as much as possible) using most of the healthier food that has been eaten by people before the advent of the western diet (before white flour and sugar mainly).

Bother counting calories. No need to! This is not a diet that focuses on calories in and out. You can eat meat, vegetables, and fruits until you are full (avoid starchy vegetables).  

Give up wheat. Some people do feel bad when they stop eating wheat; in fact, it's got a name: "low-carb flu," because your body is so addicted to wheat that not having it might cause flu-like symptoms lasting a few days. Wheat is addictive; see Say No to Drugs.

 Make my family eat like this. If you are the family cook, you can gradually introduce healthier foods at each meal. Don't even tell them why you are serving it; for example, instead of automatically having ice cream after dinner, serve sauteed pears, as a change. If you don't do the cooking, try to get your spouse on-board. Do it as a team, encourage each other.With children, make it fun, call it caveman food, make up names like dinosaur eggs. Let them help you choose fruit and vegs at the farmer's market and get them involved in the kitchen. Start a garden spot or a pot of dirt for them to grow lettuce mixtures and other fast-growing vegetables.  If you have really little kids, you are in charge of what they eat and you can influence them now with a diet that will lead to good health.  Sarah Fragoso has written several family-based paleo books and cookbooks that might give you some great ideas.

Can't you do it for 2 weeks? Is it worth the possibility to feel and look better? At the end of 14 days, if you can't tell any difference in the way you feel and look you have my permission to go back to your old way of eating! Haha!.

There's just one more: I Can't Imagine Why I'd Want to Eat Junk Again!

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* I refer to Mark Sisson and his blog or book The Primal Blueprint a lot, because his blog is interesting and the book is very readable. Yes, he has supplements for sale on his website but you do not have to buy any of them to get the benefit of his thoughts on the primal lifestyle, he puts it all out there for free every day on the blog. He has recipes to try, he investigates new foods, he points you to other information, and every Friday he reports on a success story which can be very inspiring to keep us on track. His book might be at your local library, so you don't even have to buy it. But it's just a suggestion for a starting place; I read a lot of books and blogs to get the viewpoints from several different people.