Converting to a Primal Diet/lifestyle can be about as painful as you choose to make it. Some advocate 'cold turkeying' off white starches, sugar etc. and going through your kitchen and pantry and making a clean sweep. Then replace everything with natural, organically grown foods. This might work well for some; particularly for wealthy masochists. Like many of you we can't afford to throw food away or even give it away. So we have opted for a kindler, gentler path. We're simply shopping our way into a Primal diet.
We had more than a loaf of bread left over after we decided to 'go Primal.' So we ate it. We had some dried pasta... ate that too. So far the transition had been easy and looked a lot like our old diet... then this week the bread was gone. the pasta was gone. Sugar? There's a bag in the fridge but we're not touching it until the holidays (hey, we're only human. right?) But as we continue to shop and eat the diet is getting less processed and more Primal every day. So what does 'shopping Primal' mean?
#1- don't buy processed foods. Limit your grocery shopping to the Produce, Meat, Fish and Dairy sections. Check the ingredients- be on the lookout for sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, chemicals and processed fats.
#2- Buy Organic when possible. OK, ideally you should buy Organic Free-Range Full-On Hippy Chow- but who the hell can afford that? I know that we can't! We are lucky in that we know a farmer. She raises organic produce, eggs and goats. We get fresh, un-pasteurized goat's milk and cheese from her as well as eggs and as summer comes on a bit more we'll get produce as well. Come slaughtering-time we'll be getting a whole goat. Shopping local Farmer's Markets can also be a good option; it's a bit more expensive than mass-agri produce but often less expensive than 'supermarket organic.'
A word of warning about buying un-pasteurized dairy products- it's risky. It's possible to get salmonella (you'll want to die) or E.Coli (you might die,) Any variety of food poisoning is bound to be unpleasant and some can have permanent effects on your health. So why do we do it? Simple- we know the farmer. We've walked her land, seen how she keeps her animals, seen how she prepares, processes and stores the products. In short we trust her. If at all possible join a collective for these sorts of goods and get to know the people that produce them.
Now a word of warning about fresh produce- wash it. During the e.Coli-spinach crisis the other year my mother-in-law was at her place in Mexico. After hearing of the outbreak her mexican neighbor asked, "Don't they wash their vegetables?" The short answer is 'No.' We are so used to supermarket produce that most people these days don't wash their food unless it is visibly dirty. This is how outbreaks happen. You can wash produce in a dilute solution of mild soap and water. Rinse it thoroughly and it will be fine. There is a nifty device produced by Tupperware (tm.) and Rubbermaid (tm.) called a 'lettuce-spinner.' It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. great for drying all sorts of produce.
#3- Eat Seasonally and Local when you can. Obviously if you live in Minnesota you can't spend the winter eating meat, fish and snow but when you can eat whats is produced locally and is in-season. Produce is cheaper and fresher in-season. You can also bask in the delightful Green glow that comes from supporting local farmers and reducing your carbon footprint by reducing transportation costs. Eating seasonally also connects you to the seasons- the ones that we evolved to survive and thrive in.
It's spring so we have Goat's milk, cheese, greens and baby carrots and the like. Carrots are a great snack of course- lot's of fiber and sweet and crunchy enough that you feel like you are really eating something. Good vitamins too. Walla-Walla sweet onions are fantastic for people in the Pacific Northwest; they start showing up in Farmer's markets as a sort of giant 'green onion' in late spring and keep right on selling through all their stages of growth into the fall. You can eat them raw, cook them in stir-fries, soups, put them in salads... Yum! As the summer moves on we'll have more fruit, berries and mature veggies. Fall is time for all sorts of good things- melons, squash, apples, green beans... you name it! It's also time for a special treat... Autumn is the time that our Hunter-Gatherer ancestors sought out and harvested grains. Rye, oats, barley and many other 'ancient grains' come onto the menu. With colder weather coming on the extra carbs will be welcome too. One should still remember to be as organic as you can afford and avoid processed flour. Moderation is going to be key with this, and imagination. Add grains to your soups; make some flat-breads. Make your own granola to supplement breakfast in the coming winter. Grind your own organic whole grains and make some bread or pasta. But DO NOT gorge or stuff yourself on these things or you'll be right back to fat-city and carb addiction. Make them occasional treats and save some for winter.
#4- Drink water, selzer or milk. Avoid fruit and vegetable juices- these tend to be fat-makers. I'm not sure why but everyone says to avoid them... Hey, I can't know everything! I'll look up the rational for this and get back to you. Certainly avoid commercial fruit-juices- they often contain chemicals and sugars that our ancestors didn't have access to and that our bodies aren't capable of dealing with. This might be the place to talk about high-fructose corn syrup. The producers of this product are running an ad campaign where they state that your body can't tell the difference between regular sugar and corn sugar. That is absolutely true. What they are not telling you is that 'high-fructose corn syrup' is not the same thing as 'corn sugar.' HFCS has LOTs of stuff in it that is not corn sugar. Recent studies indicate that this makes your liver and other organs stressed trying to deal with these ingredients. It's also seriously concentrated carbs (calories) and tends to throw off your blood sugar and insulin production. In layman's terms it's bad for you. Avoid it.
#5 Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. No processed sugar, no HFCS... but this doesn't mean that life can't be sweet. Molasses, sorghum and honey are still sweetening options. Sure, they should be used in moderation but you can cook with them instead of processed sugar. Learn how!
#6 Shop more often. The point of eating fresh foods is that they are fresh. You can't shop for fresh food two weeks at a time. Get used to shopping several times a week. If nothing else the walking is good for you!
#7- Don't be a psycho about it. Hey, your human! You are wired to crave things that are bad for you. You've had a life-time of training in how to eat as badly as possible. It's going to take time and you are going to slip occasionally. Allow yourself the grace of being human, forgive yourself and move on.
My wife and I know ourselves pretty well and we know our weaknesses. We are granting ourselves an Indulgence and planning our slips. One day a month is going to be designated 'Go to Hell Day' when we let our diet go to hell and eat and drink anything we want. We are also considering adding a meal a month where anything goes.
For the rest of the time the outlook isn't entirely bleak. There are a lot of healthy desert options for you to explore. Buy cookbooks, search the internet. Have some fun with it!
So the transition commences. The bread, kashi and pasta are gone. The remaining processed foods languish on the shelf. It's basically been four days since these things went away but Linda and I are already beginning to notice a difference in how we feel. No sugar rushes or drops. I feel a bit more stable and centered and seem to have more energy. We're sleeping better. It's early days and this could all be psycho-somatic but at this point I'm willing to have faith.
Off to a good start.... Next time I'll tell you what we have been eating.
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