Le Paleo Diet

Ahhhhh, the Paleo diet (also known as the Caveman Diet) is an interesting phenomenon in the dieting world. Some misconceptions about this diet are that you only eat meat (like lots of meat, like grrrrrr meat), that it's super boring because you can only eat meat, and that you're supposed to kill what you eat (so like no veggies because you can't kill those, so enjoy your meat). 

Well, you can eat more than just meat on the paleo diet. The basic rules are that you CAN NOT eat processed food. For example no sugar, artificial flavors, grains, legumes (a fancy word for beans, peas, peanuts, etc), processed vegetable and seed oil, and alcohol (I know *tears*). Things YOU SHOULD eat are animal protein (YAY MEAT), vegetables (yummm dirt), healthy cooking fats, fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and coconut keifer and to be honest I don't really know what these are but they're allowed!), and spices. There are also some foods that are kind of allowed and you should really only kind of eat. For example, fruit (veggies are better, lots of sugar in fruit), nuts and seeds, starches, diary, and natural sweeteners (like honey, NOT agave nectar). 

Wooo so after all those rules you're probably thinking, I LOVE bread and alcohol and can't even imagine what life would be like with out them. I feel the same way. It's a hard thing to give up and I have a hard time doing it. Quite frankly, I'm not a caveman and I can't stick to the Paleo diet if someone paid me a million dollars. 

I love the idea of eating only healthy things but lets face it, COLLEGE. I want to go out and drink (yeah I'm close enough to 21), and have awesome late night snacks, and eat cookies until I'm going to vomit. There's also no way I'm going to give up my Fluff n' Nutter (Fluff, Peanut Butter, and Nutella) sandwiches, it's my cocaine. 

So I've come up with a new diet called the Jillian Paleo Diet. It's all the perks of the paleo diet and you get to enjoy being in college (or whatever stage of life you're in)! 

Here are the rules:

1. Tell everyone you know, meet, see, imagine that you are eating paleo. Just tell 'em. Even if they don't want to hear it (so that people think you eat paleo).

2. Try to eat paleo. So like try to follow the rules but like only if you're feeling it.  

3. If you want that cookie, EAT THAT COOKIE.

4. Enjoy yourself.

5. Don't focus on how much you weigh, as long as you're healthy, be happy. 

6. Eat lots of veggies and healthy meat (no deep fried chicken, okay?)

There we go, the Jillian Paleo Diet. I also found this awesome cookbook called Nom Nom Paleo, by Michelle Tam and Henry Fong, that has these delicious recipes that make you forget that you're not drinking, or eating bread or potato chips, or doughnuts, or ice cream, or cookies, or cake, or whatever unhealthy thing you crave. Go buy it, or find the recipes online, because they really are nom nom.

xoxo
Jillian