I am nearing the end of my third week of going strict Paleo, and I am feeling very satisfied with my decision to give this radical change a shot.
In an earlier post I discussed what the paleo diet is, why I decided to do it, and what my result has been thus far. In terms of Steemit rewards, it has been my most successful post to date, which is a further encouragement of the course I have charted!
I expected there to be plenty of health benefits, both emotional and physical, but there were a few things that have happened that I did not plan for.
Our Grocery Bills have gone up...A lot
By choosing to go Paleo, I had a feeling our grocery bills might go up a bit, but I was slightly unprepared for the amount they would increase.
Buying pasture raised meats is a large part of it, something I had expected, but it's the items you purchase to replace newly off limit ones that bring up the cost dramatically.
A pound of almond flour? Ten dollars. Coconut and Arrowroot flour? Five and six bucks each for a pound. While we've given up grains, we still want something to satiate our craving for grain-based products.
Instead of spending five dollars for a 5 pound bag of wheat flour, those combined flours total 21 bucks for merely 3 pounds. YIKES
Some Replacement Products are REALLY Good
Up until this diet, I had never considered buying Paleo pancakes. I assumed they'd be terrible, and a complete wasted of the extra dollars.
I. Was. Wrong.
We found a paleo pancake mix at that absolutely kicks ass. Made from cassava root and almond flour, this batch of hot cakes more than does the job of mimicking its grain counterpart. We tested it out with waffles as well, and they were just as good.
Throw some bananas or blueberries in with the mix, and damn, this shit is fire. If you see Birch Benders Paleo Pancake mix, get it, even if you're still on the 21st-century diet.
I Check the Fridge A Lot More, Specifically the Crisper Drawer
Because we're buying more fruits and vegetables, I'm finding myself checking to see what's there a lot more. We buy a lot more veggies and fruits, and because many of our snacks and meal accompaniments are off the table, the need to consume fresh produce has gone up immensely.
I'm usually checking the drawer to make sure we are using our fresh items efficiently and visualize what will go in the next few meals. Sure, we plan our meals quite a bit, but we usually leave some freedom to mix it up depending on what we have.
Our Farts Don't Stink
Ok, with the exception of one night of bad gas from a spaghetti squash meal, our gas no longer has any gag-inducing qualities to it. Grains, dairy, and legumes are all notorious for producing a difficult aromatic presence.
Image Source
I'm thrilled we are not gassing each other at. It's a breath of fresh air (sorry, couldn't resist).
Meal Planning Becomes Easier
In the beginning, it's a great idea to plan out what you're going to eat and have enough of it on hand so you don't get tempted to fall off the wagon. It was a bit intimidating to plan out practically all of our meals from the start, and it made it feel like it would be hard to maintain the diet.
But as we became accustomed to not having grains, dairy, and legumes as a food option, we figured out what food would allow us to be full and satisfied.
As with any major life change, it has become easier to do as time has gone on. I'm excited about more unexpected consequences and have faith that our grocery bill will start to become more efficient as well.
Here's hoping, anyways!
Title Image from Paleofoundation.com. Images not sourced courtesy of Pixabay.com or my personal account