Apparently I have become a Paleo eater.  I had never even heard the reference before until I was looking for gluten free recipes on Pinterest.  At first I thought it was an ingredient.  Maybe some kind of cheese or spice.  But then I realized that though the term Paleo was in the description of the recipes, it was never listed as an ingredient.  So, of course, I googled it.

Basically, the Paleo diet is also called the Caveman Diet.  This makes sense when we consider the word  “Paleontology” – the study of life and fossils from ancient/prehistoric times.

In a nutshell (no pun intended) the diet consists of lean meats, fruits, vegetables and nuts. No gluten, no legumes, no dairy. Basically a diet of things our bodies naturally digest the most easily and use most efficiently as fuel.

Now I’m not really a “rules” girl.  Especially when it comes to food.  I’ve always thought that anything-in-moderation was the way to go.  I’ve played around with not eating gluten and then cheated.  I’ve tried to go without dairy and then succumbed to an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  And the “no sugar” thing?  I can’t even last a day without some form of chocolate.

But lately, my body has seemed to react more intensely to things it doesn’t do well with.  The worst culprits?  Gluten and dairy and too much sugar.  Three of my favorite things in the world.  Grrrrrr!!!!

So, a few weeks ago, I started getting serious about helping my body feel better.  I stuck pretty fiercely to the things I knew wouldn’t give me pain and misery – meat, fruits and vegies.  The results were pretty radical even to this skeptic.

I realized for the first time in years what it felt like to have a pain-free stomach without cramping, bloating and nausea.  My joints stopped aching.  I felt lighter and more clear headed.  The effects of eating this way inspired me to want to keep going with it, just to feel this great all the time.

The only things that haven’t yet seemed to be positively affected are my blood pressure (way too high) and my cholesterol.  These, I’m told, are hereditary and will need to be controlled with meds.  Everything else inside this almost 49 year old body has benefitted from this new meal plan, both inside and out.

Like I said before, I’m not a hard and fast rules girl.  I will still have the occasional splurge and still throw a curve ball once in a while at my stomach with some of the dietary choices I make.  But I know what to do now to feel my very best.  It’s a matter of trading the temporary  bliss for the long-lasting joy.  (Hmmmmmm…now THERE’S an analogy that I need to remember…)

So that’s about it.  Nothing earth shattering or necessarily life changing today.  I leave you with just a hint of an allegory and maybe a little encouragement if you want to try something new.

Maybe I should don some fur and start writing in hieroglyphics….