Autoimmune Paleo

It's been awhile (again) since I blogged, but I can't stay away from it too long.  Very cathartic.  I have been busy working on my health and weight issues and getting into Autoimmune Paleo mode.  Autoimmune Paleo is Paleo (no sugar, dairy, legumes, grains or processed foods) plus AIP = no eggs, nuts, seeds or nightshades (chili pepper, cayenne, peppers - all kinds and, most importantly for me - no tomatoes), and to increase my use of organ meats (I'm struggling with that).

I am almost finished the first month of the plan I got from working with Mickey Trescott (Autoimmune Paleo), which meant reducing my stress levels (not doing too well there), getting more sleep (a bit better) and healing my digestive system (which is going well as long as I stick to the eating plan and take my Betaine HCL every time I eat).  I have also just added a soil-based Probiotic/Prebiotic for more healing.

Depending on how bad your gut is, some people can do 30 days and then start adding back non-AIP foods slowly, but I have had these problems for so long I think I am looking at a lot longer before I will risk adding eggs or nightshades.

It makes life a little more difficult, but there is still lots I can eat.  A sample days menu looks like this:

Breakfast:

• Decaf coffee with 1 tsp. coconut sugar and 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (Mickey has suggested I try to give this up, but not there yet).
• Two Simple Sausage (from A Clean Plate) with my own Carrot Catsup - delicious
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut (fermented foods are good for your digestion)
• 1 small avocado (the black specks are black salt)

Mid-Morning
Bone Broth

Lunch
Leftovers from the previous night's dinner - i.e. chicken, green vegetable, sweet potato

Mid-Afternoon
Kombucha (make it myself) - more fermented food

Dinner

• Grilled steak (it is BBQ season)
• Swiss Chard
• Baked Sweet Potato

Mickey Trescott has been so helpful and supportive and I got the chance to meet her in person on Friday night.  The Paleo Mom (Sarah Ballantyne), The Domestic Man (Russ Crandall) and Autoimmune Paleo (Mickey Trescott) all came to Vancouver for a book signing down the street from my office.  I have never been to a book signing before and it was great.  They all told their stories on what brought them to Paleo and what it has done for them - interesting stuff.  I knew a lot of it from reading their blogs, but so much more meaningful when you hear it in person.

I am also fulfilling a long-time dream of doing something related to food and/or nutrition.  I have signed up for the first to modules of a Holistic Nutrition course.  I am out of the habit of studying, so it is a little harder than I thought it would be, but where there is a will there is a way.