Day One - Thoughts and Questions page

[JillianMarie77]

I had a piece of bacon for breakfast. I meant to have 3 but I burned the 3 and there was only one left so I had 1. Then I had a banana. I don't like eggs (yet).

I'm looking at a green smoothie for lunch. I typically do 2 cups greens and one cup fruit with a little water and shredded coconut. Is coconut milk a good idea? I've done with coconut oil in the past but because the fruit is frozen the coconut oil ends up in solid bits. Totally tolerable, but wierd.

Big green veggie salad for dinner and I'm going to try to make a chicken breast, shred it and hide it in the salad. I'm thinking a citrus-y chicken?

So anyways, I'm definitely all about humanely kept, properly fed animals but today it's oscar mayer and whatever the brand of frozen chicken breasts is. As I transition to eating meat I might have a lot of staring contests with my food and I will likely lose some of them, so until I am comfortable I will buy cheap commercial versions. I know that I won't get the nutrition I need from these kinds of meats but I can't afford to throw the good stuff away, if that makes sense.

I'm hoping that once I get the grains out of my system meat will seem more palatable. Maybe?

Anyways I could use any good juju you'd like to send my way today. Thanks!

[Kris C]

Soon enough you will like meat again. It took me a bit, not too long, but I eventually loved it. The energy I had from having more iron in my body was just amazing, and addicting! And that was before I'd ever heard of Primal. Of course it was consumed on a standard American diet so that wasn't particularly helpful, but whatever.

And while others might scoff, microwave your bacon. I burn mine every single time in a pan (still, after years of practice) so I microwave it. I like mine crispy so 1 minute to one and a quarter minutes per piece. Put it on a plate, one paper towel under, one over the bacon. You can bake it too but I just don't have that kind of time in the mornings.

[HillsideGina]

I take it you're a veg going Primal? Try different cuts and preparations of meats until you find what you like best (find the most palatable). You will need to try really hard to get those fats into your diet. Do you do dairy? It's not primal-optimal but I do it and many others do. It will do in a pinch for some fats. How about nuts? Fats there too. Coconut milk is good. If the oil isn't good in the smoothie - just eat it straight with a spoon.

If I ate what you described above I would be light-headed from hunger and bloated from all the veggies!

Hang in there and good luck!

[TigerLily]

Welcome! You're off to a great start. I totally understand about the meat thing, as a former vegetarian. Adding in half an avocado and some nuts to your salad would be excellent, and you'll find that more fat keeps you full for a long time, as well as helps to stabilize your blood sugar. There is a recipe for bacon fat vinaigrette over at Balanced Bites | Holistic & Paleo Nutrition in San Francisco, CA | Nutritionist San Francisco, Nutrition Coach, Crossfit Paleo Nutrition, Food Allergy Nutritionist, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Nutrition.

[JillianMarie77]

Thanks guys. Yes I am veg going primal. I don't have a microwave, we ditched that several years ago. I love cheese but mostly with bread I also love nuts. Which reminds me - no peanutbutter? Ouch!

I completely agree that what I've eaten so far today is no where near enough. I guess I can buy and make more bacon? I will definitely put the coconut oil in the smoothie. Maybe I'll fry my chicken in it? Would that help?

Is there some kind of egg rich pancake type thing I can make?

[Pitter]

do you use a crockpot? it's like magic and melding flavors and turning out tender meat every time. I still rely heavily on mine since I never liked meat that I had to chew a lot. I also use a lot of ground meat for the same reason. how are you on fish?

[JillianMarie77]

I do have a crock pot! At this point I am eating no animal flesh at all. I've never even tasted fish. Do you have a fish that you recommend?
Please keep in mind that at this point I won't do well with bones or....anything that looks like what it is. Baby steps.

[TigerLily]

Both tuna salad and then, later, chicken salad are a great segue into meat. That's how I did it. You can add it onto your salad, hide it under some lettuce. I agree: baby steps.

[HillsideGina]

No peanut butter, but almond butter is okay. Yes, try cooking with the coconut oil, as well as with butter. I'm eating an avocado a day - they are great. You can melt your favorite cheese over some shredded chicken.

I made delicious lettuce wraps Vietnamese-style the other day. Cooked some ground beef and chopped mushrooms together, added Vietnamese fish sauce and lime juice. Served with baby romaine pieces, eating one piece of lettuce containing some of the beef, chopped cilantro, shredded carrot and green onion slices. Dipped in a little more fish sauce. Yummers - the fish sauce and lime juice kind of obliterated the beefy-ness of the ground beef. If that makes sense.

[Balance]

I do have a crock pot! At this point I am eating no animal flesh at all. I've never even tasted fish. Do you have a fish that you recommend?
Please keep in mind that at this point I won't do well with bones or....anything that looks like what it is. Baby steps.

A good fish to start off with is Tilapia. It doesn't have the "fishy" after taste like Salmon does and it is relatively low on the mercury list. Tuna is pretty yummy but since it is higher on the food chain they tend to have very high levels of mercury toxicity.

Also when you do transition to eating meat you will want to go with grass fed/grass finished cuts. Conventional meats tend to have a o36 of about 1:20 while grass fed cuts average about 1:3 which is way better when looking at inflammation.