Definitions

Let's be clear, I'm not a nutritionist or fitness or wellness expert. I'm a working mom of an almost-two-year-old who is trying to set a healthy example for my kid. I work in the health industry but have no clinical training or expertise. The company I work for offers amazing wellness programs and incentives - including having a CrossFit trainer come to our workplace 3 days a week to not only conduct CrossFit classes but also to give us nutritional guidance. Coach has opened my eyes to a whole new world of diet philosophy and yet I'm still the same busy, lazy mom on a tight budget I was before. There's often a gap between the lifestyle we live and the lifestyle we know would be "best."

We don't need experts to tell us that fast food and sugary drinks are taking a toll on us as a society and as individuals. What we need is someone to sort through the plethora of (often conflicting) information out there and make it workable to our life demands. I'm just here to share my experiences and maybe provide a bridge between the diet someone follows now by default and the one they wish they had the time/money/energy/information/whatever to pull off.

The recipes I post will always be easy and have minimal ingredients because that's how I cook. I love cooking but at the end of the day I love my family and my books and leisure time more so I can't and won't spend hours in the kitchen every day. I figure most people feel the same way.

I also have to say - the diet I follow is just outside the true paleo definition. I allow myself cheese and other dairy occasionally. This is because I did the extraction diet and found that my body does not have an adverse reaction to dairy. Others may not have this experience. I have not yet reintroduced any wheat, grains, carbs of that nature but since its the only thing left to reintroduce, and I still feel so much better than before I did the Whole14, I am willing to bet I would have a bad reaction. I also don't eat exclusively organic or non-conventional. If I make a coconut curry I'll probably use conventional coconut milk which might have some additives. This is only because I know those additives don't have an immediate adverse effect on me. Down the road if I fall into a bit more money I'll be more selective. My point is things aren't always black and white. You have to start somewhere. I'll try to be clear in my recipes and other posts about the difference between what is "recommended" and what I actually do personally.

If you're exploring the idea of taking a more paleo or low-glycemic approach to your daily diet I strongly urge you to start by doing a Whole30 - or if that's too much right now try doing a Whole14. 14 days is not really enough to break your psychological response to food but its enough to feel most of the physical differences between eating like "everyone else" and eating clean. Then you have a starting point - you'll know how different foods affect your body and be able to make weighted decisions with that information. For info on the Whole30 program visit whole9life.com.

Here goes!