Most people associate the word "diet" with an attempt to lose weight. In a more general sense, "diet" means "the foods eaten by a particular person or group." It is simply a way of describing one's way of eating. I have never been on a weight-loss diet in my life. In fact, the only time I've tried to stick to any kind of diet is when my husband and I decided to be vegetarian for a few months. That got old fast. I've always believed in eating healthy and have lived by the philosophy "everything in moderation". That + good genes + exercise have worked for me. I have a little fat on my thighs and perhaps some tiny love handles, but nothing I'm concerned about or ever spent much energy trying to get rid of. Okay, by now, all my girlfriends have decided they hate me and have gone to find something else to read. But WAIT! Count your blessings . . .
I have had troublesome digestive/GI issues for at least 5 years now. It started shortly after we moved to Colorado, so I thought maybe it had something to do with altitude. It got particularly bad one day after a bowl of homemade ice cream, so I thought perhaps dairy was the culprit. I went lactose-free for a while, and that really helped. I slowly added back in skim milk and the occasional bit of cheese, and things seemed fine, so I went with that. But the past 2 years, things have been on the decline. Since I have taken up running, it has become more important to me to find a solution. It's really annoying trying to plan running routes around which parks have restrooms that are not locked for the winter!
I have thought about going gluten-free to see if that helps, but that seems so complicated . . . and flavorless. This past Saturday, I had decided that was the route I needed to go, though - a last-ditch effort before paying for another doctor's visit. Fortune/Fate/God had it that I ran into a friend that morning who, out of the blue, started telling me about this diet he just started. The Paleo Solution. In short, no dairy, no legumes, no grains - just eat meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit. The basic theory behind it is that for most of human history, we were hunters and gatherers. It's only in the past tiny fraction of time that we have become agricultural. As John pointed out, we are omnivores, and that is one of the reasons why mankind has survived so long. Yes, I agree. I'm not going to get all fanatical about this and say that the rise of agriculture is killing us. I'm just relating the basic theory behind this caveman diet. (You can read more at this site or buy Robb Wolf's book.) Anyway, when I started reading the prologue of the book and discovered Robb's theory that our bodies are not really meant to digest grains of any sort and that they just inflame the intestines and make your immune system work overtime, I was intrigued. This was the first diet that had ever resonated with me in any way. It seemed worth a shot.
I'm going to try it for 30 days. I don't think it could hurt, and hopefully it will help! So far (I've only done this for 2 days), I've had meals like this: ostrich steak wrapped in bacon and fried in a skillet with green beans, mushrooms and a side salad; salmon with rosemary and pecans; poached eggs and almonds and berries for breakfast, and so on. Everything is absolutely delicious. If nothing else, this will get me to give up Dr Pepper and sugar for a month.
I'll keep you updated.
