This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter.
Okay, so it’s already heading into the last week of January and even though I promised myself I wasn’t going to make a New Year’s resolution… I did. I don’t like them because they are often unrealistic and starting out 2015 failing didn’t seem very fun. But hey! Everyone else was doing it so why not?!
Now, with one more week until the gyms become a little emptier and carbs are again loved, I’m feeling pretty good about where I am at with my resolution. So what is it?? I have become a cave woman!! Or at least I have dedicated my diet to eating like one.
During my trip back home to Portland, Oregon the word “Paleo” was on menu signs, food labels and even Whole Foods had a special section in their store for food that followed the diet. The paleo diet is not a joke. As a college student and chocolate lover, I have made some bends in the guidelines and even completely disregarded them some days but after we won the National Championship (O-H!) I was in need of Chex mix. The basic breakdown of the diet is meat, eggs, nuts, fruits and veggies! Not too bad!
My day starts off with usually an egg scramble, loading up on the veggies with a side of meat. Then for snack; a whole fruit or a trail mix with nuts and raisins—peanuts are not nuts and therefore not allowed, this make me very sad. For lunch, a salad and a protein of fish or chicken. I usually don’t eat too much of a snack in the afternoon but again it would be a fruit or nuts. As for dinner, I get to be really creative! My favorite thing I got for Christmas was a veggetti! It turns round soft veggies like zucchini and summer squash into noodles!! So those noodles with a tomato sauce or cauliflower sauce is so so so yummy!
Like I said, there have been some bumps along the way. First, over the course of college I have become addicted to chocolate so that had to stay. But when I eat it now I try and eat a bar with a high percent cocoa or cocoa nibs. It’s also really convenient to grab a quick snack that is processed, such as a bowl of cereal, piece of bread or bag of pretzels is hard for me to pass up and sometimes I give in. But I try my hardest plus eating as a caveman does have some wonderful benefits.
Eating mostly fruits and vegetables will make your intake of vitamins go up and choosing healthier fats such as cooking with coconut oil and nuts fuel your brain with omega-3. The paleo diet does not cut out any food group while grains are sugar are out of the picture carbs are consumed as fruit. A much healthier option. Eating less sugar has also helped my skin tremendously. Although the diet can help people lose weight, that is not my personal intention. There are also other parts of being paleo that fit into a whole lifestyle change, such as how much of your day is outside and how to exercise. Right now, I am just working on getting the eating this down. If you want to join me here are my basic principles:
Meat, fish, eggs, veggies fruits and nuts.
No peanuts
No beer or sugar filled cocktails
No dairy
85:15 strictness or 85% paleo, 15% not, this adds up to about 3 non paleo meals a week
Try and find chocolate that is 80% cocoa or higher—just like some people get use the bitter taste of coffee (I am not one) I have gotten to the point where I can eat unsweetened chocholate and love it.
Don’t buy foods on shelves of grocery stores
If anyone has been on the paleo diet or wants to start and has additional tips for me, comment below! I would love some feedback and hopefully by the end of the year I can say that I am a sucessful caveman!