Dookie of Earl
It was a surprise to see how much weight my sisters had lost when I saw them on my trip. Both have been doing the paleo diet for a while, and the results have been dramatic for them. I'm normally skeptical of trendy diets, but inasmuch as anecdotal evidence can convince me of anything, I'm now convinced. Of course, I'll always be a vegetarian and advocate vegetarianism, but I have to give some credit to the paleo diet. (It's worth noting, though, that the paleo diet can be made vegetarian, so they're not necessarily mutually exclusive.)
This does add some weight to my reasons for eating grains more moderately (and leafy vegetables in greater quantities). I didn't cut back on grains because of a weight problem (I was only overweight by a few pounds, which by American standards is almost gaunt), but I've noticed that since I've been doing it I, too, have been losing a bit of weight. (In my case, though, the weight loss is a bit of an annoyance, because now my pants don't fit well, and I don't have the time or money to buy a bunch of new pants.) I've noticed that I don't get headaches as often, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to replace grains with leafy vegetables as much as possible. I asked one of my sisters if she had noticed that benefit from the paleo diet, and she said she had (although she wasn't aware that her decrease in headaches could be connected to her decrease in grain consumption; she attributed it to feeling better more generally now that she's lost weight).
Eating meals with them--and with my mother--was interesting. As long as the meat is left out, a lot of paleo foods can make great vegetarian dishes. I filled myself up with sautéed squash and peppers, oven-roasted carrots, and fresh vegetables served as finger foods one night. When I got back, I adapted the oven-roasted carrot recipe for some parsnips and cauliflower; the result was nice.
I don't have much else to comment or reflect on at the moment. I just felt the need to write. I'm glad that feeling is coming back to me. For a while writing felt like a chore rather than a necessity to me. I'm glad it was just a phase that passed.
This does add some weight to my reasons for eating grains more moderately (and leafy vegetables in greater quantities). I didn't cut back on grains because of a weight problem (I was only overweight by a few pounds, which by American standards is almost gaunt), but I've noticed that since I've been doing it I, too, have been losing a bit of weight. (In my case, though, the weight loss is a bit of an annoyance, because now my pants don't fit well, and I don't have the time or money to buy a bunch of new pants.) I've noticed that I don't get headaches as often, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to replace grains with leafy vegetables as much as possible. I asked one of my sisters if she had noticed that benefit from the paleo diet, and she said she had (although she wasn't aware that her decrease in headaches could be connected to her decrease in grain consumption; she attributed it to feeling better more generally now that she's lost weight).
Eating meals with them--and with my mother--was interesting. As long as the meat is left out, a lot of paleo foods can make great vegetarian dishes. I filled myself up with sautéed squash and peppers, oven-roasted carrots, and fresh vegetables served as finger foods one night. When I got back, I adapted the oven-roasted carrot recipe for some parsnips and cauliflower; the result was nice.
I don't have much else to comment or reflect on at the moment. I just felt the need to write. I'm glad that feeling is coming back to me. For a while writing felt like a chore rather than a necessity to me. I'm glad it was just a phase that passed.