Why should I do the Paleo Reset Diet?
In illness, food sensitivities are often a contributing (and sometimes causal) factor. The reset diet will allow you to identify the specific foods your body reacts to; thus creating a sustainable nutrition plan that you can follow for the rest of your life.
How do I do it?!
We recognize this will be a dramatic change for many of you. The best way to do it is to just dive right in. Begin right now. If you procrastinate or delay, it just gets harder.
Plan each day or week. Print out your shopping list and head to the grocery store, farmer’s market, butcher or wherever you shop and stock up for the next week. All you have to do is think about what to eat and what not to eat. There are no calories to count, or special ratios to calculate or food combinations to consider. Just eat the foods that are allowed, and don’t eat the ones that aren’t.
Is this a “diet”?
We prefer to think of this as nutrition. Diets are unsustainable and result in the yo-yo effect (on and off). Think of Paleo Reset Diet as your blueprint for identifying foods you tolerate well, and eliminating the foods you don’t.
What those foods may be is unique for each of us. This is why it is so important to find out what foods work best for YOUR body. After identifying the ideal nutrition for you, it is recommended to maintain this.
Will I ever be able to eat (insert favorite food here) again?
Yes.
Sustainability is key with a nutrition plan. We have found that the eighty-twenty rule works well for most people. Stick with your nutrition eighty percent of the time. Enjoy the flavors of life for the other twenty percent. Note: This rule does not apply should you have a food allergy (celiac disease) or for certain medical conditions.
I’ve read about Paleo diets in the news, don’t they involve a lot of meat consumption?
There are two foundational elements the paleo reset diet emphasizes:
1) Nutrient Density – this is identifying the foods that have the most essential nutrients per serving.
2) Consuming foods our body’s have evolved to eat – this includes foods consumed before the agricultural revolution.
While meat does indeed agree with the above criteria (in fact it’s some of the most nutrient dense food we can consume), a balanced paleo diet should consist of starchy tubers (root vegetables), fruits, and green leafy vegetables.
Why do I have to give up whole grains? Aren’t they healthy?
Whole grains bind essential minerals making them unavailable to the body, and inhibit digestion and absorption of other essential nutrients, including protein. Some whole grains also contain toxins that damage the lining of the gut and provoke an immune response in susceptible people. One of these toxic compounds is the protein gluten, which is present in wheat and many of the other most commonly eaten cereal grains. In short, gluten damages the intestine and makes it leaky. And researchers now believe that a leaky gut is one of the major predisposing factors for conditions like obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disease.
What sweeteners are allowed on the Paleo reset diet?
We recommend eliminating all sweeteners, including all types of sugar, honey, stevia, and other artificial sweeteners. You’ll be having fruit on a daily basis, and additional fruit is allowed for those who need extra calories.
How many calories and what percentage fat/carbs/protein are we getting each day?
Should you follow our recipes (or eat similar portions), you will be coming in at about 1800 calories/day. Of these calories, 50% will be from fat, 25% from carbs, and 25% from protein. As you get more comfortable with the nutrition, we will look to alter ratios of proteins to fats to carbs based on your goals and/or symptoms.
I’m really worried I won’t have time to follow the meal plan as instructed. Should I bother with the program?
First step: Breathe!
Worrying about what you’ll be able to do before you’ve even done it is a surefire way to psyche yourself out of even trying. But if you give the meal plan your best shot and still find that you are really struggling to follow it, feel free to break away from the plan while still following all the dietary recommendations we’ve made in the preparation phase of the program. We don’t want this program to cause you more stress than you had in your life prior to starting, so do your best with the meal plan and know when to make adjustments based on your
current needs.
Can I make meals in advance and reheat them? I like to do all my cooking ahead of time.
Absolutely! This can save lots of time and energy in the kitchen. We’ve designed the meal plan to include leftovers for just that reason.
What should I do if I have to eat out?
Look for menu items that are as simple as possible. Anything that provides simply cooked (e.g. grilled, baked) meat or fish and vegetables is a good choice. Salads can be good options but the dressing is likely made with undesirable oils, so ask for olive oil and vinegar instead, and be sure to ask them to leave off any gluten or dairy items like croutons or cheese.
I can’t eat eggs. What should I do about breakfasts on this plan?
Check out these lists for a great selection of egg-free Paleo breakfasts:
• http://therealfoodguide.com/egg-free-paleo-breakfast-ideas/
• http://empoweredsustenance.com/egg-free-paleo-recipes/
I’m confused about butter, it’s not allowed on the Paleo Reset Diet but I’m told it’s a healthy fat. What gives?
Butter is a healthy fat for the majority of people, however during the Paleo Reset Diet, our goal is to remove many of the common foods that cause issues for people, one of those being all forms of dairy. Butter can be reintroduced after the Paleo Reset Diet is over, and if you feel well eating it, it’s a good choice as a fat for cooking.
Is the Paleo Reset Diet considered a ketogenic, low carb, or very low carb etc. diet?
Short answer: No.
We’ve designed this diet to provide about 25% of your calories as carbohydrates, which is about 110-120 grams per day. This may be low carb compared to the typical Western diet or the way you used to eat, but it’s not strictly “low carb” as most ancestral health experts define it. Further, we recommend adding in some carb-dense snacks like fruit if you are someone who needs additional carbohydrates, such as an athlete or a pregnant/breastfeeding woman. You can leave out the fruit for a lower carb (and slightly lower calorie) approach.
What do I use instead of dairy milk?
There are many milk alternatives available today. Our personal favorite is almond milk. Additional options include: hemp, and coconut milk.
What oils should I use for cooking?
We recommended frying with coconut oil or animal fats like duck, tallow, or lard. Industrial seed oils are to be avoided during the Paleo Reset Diet as they are devoid of nutrients and very high in calories.
When will I get results?!
The first few days can be hard. Your body will be going through withdrawal. Sugar and wheat in particular are addictive and you may notice symptoms like mood swings, strong cravings, irritability and fatigue as your body adjusts to life without them.
But at some point you will recover and start feeling better than you did before you began the program. Your energy will improve, your skin will clear up, your digestion will smooth out, your sleep will get deeper, your moods will stabilize and you’ll start shedding some pounds (only if you need to). Aches, pains and mysterious symptoms you’ve had for ages will – seemingly miraculously – begin to improve.
This program has the potential to change your life. I realize that it’s difficult, I know how much work it is, and I remember what it was like to cut out all of these foods. I’ve been there myself. But I also know from my own experience and from supervising many people through this transition that the results are worth the effort.
I thought fat was bad for me. Shouldn’t I limit it?
The biggest mistake people make on this program is not eating enough fat. You’re eliminating a lot of foods from your diet (bread, grains, beans, etc.), and you have to replace those calories with something.
Healthy fat is that something. Healthy fat doesn’t make you fat. Food toxins like wheat, fructose and seed oils – along with other aspects of the modern lifestyle – make you fat.
Fat is the preferred fuel source of the body, and should constitute about 60-70% of calories
A little cheat won’t hurt, right?
In general, once you’ve figured out your ideal diet, we wholeheartedly agree with that. But as I said above, this isn’t the time to cheat. Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. One piece of bread or one glass of milk could re-start the inflammatory process and throw your body back into the chaos that led you to this in the first place. If you can stick this initial period out, it will get easier. I promise you. At some point you won’t even miss those foods you think you can’t live without.
This is too hard. How can I make it easier?
No man (or woman) is an island. Making big changes is hard, and the more support you have in doing this, the easier it will go. See if you can enlist your spouse, significant other or a good friend to do this with you. (They may not be eager to join, but they’ll thank you later.)
Have a “paleo potluck”. Invite friends over to cook with you.
I’m taking a lot of supplements. Should I continue to take them during the reset diet?
This one’s a little harder to answer. If you know the supplement helps you, or you’re taking it for a specific goal or purpose (i.e. iodine for thyroid function), by all means continue. But if it’s something you started taking a while ago and you can’t even remember why, and it doesn’t seem to be helping you, then go ahead and stop taking it. You can always start again later if you need to.
