[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”12164″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’re no strangers to giving out dietary advice here in Only Natural and we do tend to practice what we preach for the most part! Nichola has been talking about the benefits of a Paleo diet for a while now so decided she needed to stop preaching and start practicing! Have a read below to find out how she’s getting on.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Working as a nutritional therapist, I think it’s only fair that if I advise a client to make challenging dietary changes, I need to know what those changes feel like myself. Having read yet again of the digestive benefits to the Paleo Whole30 plan, I decided to jump in.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Paleo Whole30
So what does this plan involve? It’s effectively a 30 day Paleo plan and for it’s duration you are allowed to eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, loads of vegetables including sweet potatoes and squash and some fruit… see their website for comprehensive list of allowed and not allowed foods. Based on previous experiments on myself, I have continued to eat dairy in small amounts but otherwise have followed the plan.
So how has it been??!! Wellll, first week was HARD, very hard. I would consider my diet to be pretty good but I do like chocolate. And home-made scones. And sourdough bread. My intestines don’t like them as much. So, whilst I felt pretty tired and lethargic after a few days, my stomach and bowels were much happier.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”24px”][vc_single_image image=”12154″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]
Nichola’s alternative to a bun burger – homemade burger in a bowl!
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Day 5 coincided with a long day in work that felt even longer. I thought I was getting the flu; I couldn’t stop yawning or sighing; I wanted toast with marmalade. I persisted and by the end of that week I was much happier. Since then I have noticed several changes. I have lots more energy, my mood is very stable, I am sleeping better but most of all, I’m not as hungry. I no longer obsess about when I will next eat or what I’ll have. I can generally get by on 3 meals a day. And as someone who has traditionally been a member of the ‘hangry’ club, it’s quite liberating. Would I recommend this plan to everyone? Not necessarily. However, I would recommend a lot of its principles. Eat proper, real food and cook it from scratch. Eat lots of vegetables and salads. Avoid too much sugar and processed foods. Cut down on alcohol, tea and coffee if you drink too much of them. Switch from white bread, pasta and rice to wholemeal versions of same…. these are changes that can yield very positive results.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12157″ img_size=”medium”][vc_column_text]
Probably Nichola’s favourite meal so far, it’s more about what you CAN eat rather than what you can’t!
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The 30 days are over in just over a week and I admit that I am looking forward to some sourdough toast with butter and marmalade. I will probably have some chocolate as well. However, the plan is to introduce foods gently and pay attention to my digestive system’s response. After a couple of weeks without cramping, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea, I’m loathe to welcome those particular symptoms back. So we’ll see what happens.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
