Starting my new life page

[biel88]

Hi everyone. I'm going to begin the primal lifestyle today and I now know I probably should have prepared more. I mean, I threw out everything that was a grain and am now left with grass fed beef, chicken, pasture butter, coconut oil and organic eggs. I bought some veggies, like kale, spinach and chard. I make green smoothies every morning, no sweeteners or anything. Just water, veggies and an apple or berries(2 servings).

Ok here's my dilemma...I don't know where to start. Of course I will just eat egg whites and my green smoothie but that is going to get old. Plus I have no idea how to cook with coconut oil.

Any tips for this newbie would be greatly appreciated!!

[iniQuity]

Coconut oil is just like any other oil, don't over think that. Google for paleo or primal recipes and you'll have hundreds in no time. When I started, I knew how to make a few things, but I mostly made stir-frys for many months. Chop/dice up any veggies you want to include, do the same with your meaty proteins and fry everything up. I started with meat or chicken, then when that started searing up (but wasn't fully cooked) I would start adding my veggies in order so that those that needed more cooking time would go first, so ususually it would be broccoli, carrots or onions or something like that, then at the end I would add kale or spinach or tomatoes which I didn't want to cook for long. Once I had more time and wanted more diversity I started messing with other stuff. Practice and be patient.

[biel88]

Thanks! I am also concerned with portions. How much avocado can I really have? Am I allowed to have two apples a day? It all seems confusing. I use myfitnesspal and lowered my carb goal to 80 per day. I'm 5'4 and 135 pounds and would like to be at 120, 125. Ive also been diagnosed with pre-type 1 diabetes. I have the antibodies, but my sugars aren't out of control yet and I'm not on insulin, but I want to take stress off my pancreas.

[iniQuity]

A good rule of thumb regarding portions is this: When crafting a meal, emphasize protein first. Most often than not, a meat protein will come with a good deal of fat (which is a good thing) so let's say you have a piece of steak, chicken, fish, etc - next you want to get some veggies to round it off (though, you could just stop at the meat itself, but that's another topic) and that's about it. The protein and the fat in it, will be responsible for most of your satiety (feeling of fullness) and carry you to the next meal. An avocado is not a source of protein, but paired next to one, you'll probably have a hard time eating more than one - so there's your answer for the avocado.

I think you can safely have an apple or two a day, we are at Mark's Daily Apple after all.

Since you already know of an existing condition, you may want to hear from people that are or were in a similar situation though.

[MissJecka]

Why are you just eating the whites of the eggs? Eat the whole damn thing - yolk and all! There's no reason to skip on the yolk, which is where most of the nutrients are anyway.

Read the PB book and check out the beginners basics here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread17722.html

Work with the basics and tweak as you go along. What's "allowed" and "not allowed" is really subjective. I eat rice and sweet potatoes and raw dairy, while many folks don't or can't. When I eat avocados, I usually eat anywhere from half to one at a time. This weekend, for instance, I cooked bacon in a pan, cooked eggs and veggies in the grease, then topped the whole thing with ahlf an avocado that I cubed. I ate the other half of the avocado with some tuna salad and raw cheese for lunch. Don't worry about what other people do -- different strokes for different folks, ya know!

Don't be scared of coconut oil, either - just as someone said, it's just like any other oil. I just put a dollop in a pan and cook my veggies, meat, poultry, eggs, etc. in it just as I would with any other oil.

[biel88]

Thanks, MissJecka. I really have never eaten the whole egg. I've never enjoyed the yolk, runny, hard-boiled, nothing, so I always just skip it. I know it can contribute to a lot of waste, but it's just how I am. I love the whites - not really diet related.

and this raw dairy thing - I went to Whole Foods and purchased some cheese made with raw cow's milk, but didn't really know what to look for that would also be considered raw dairy. I have the PB book on my kindle, so flipping through it is kind of tough. I'll probably just go buy the hardcover anyway, lol. This is also a change for me as I am a college student. I don't live at school, but my days when I have classes are long and I hardly have a moment to eat. On the days I don't have class, I work in an office so it is a little easier to prepare food. I am willing to really give this plan a shot and I hope it helps.

When I spoke to my doctor about coconut oil, she was completely against it, so I'm not sure how to feel about it. I'll just use the rest of my olive oil for now until I learn more about it. I use coconut oil mainly for oil pulling and never cooked with it, so it won't go to waste anyway.