Family Paleo Trial Days 21-24

Day 21
Let's start this post with a funny story:
My four-year-old's Sunday School teacher told me that when she offered him a graham cracker, he said, "That's not on our diet. It has gluten in it." And then he ate it anyway. 

Now, some more serious details:
After I posted Day 20, which was Easter, I went to bed. The moment I lay my head on the pillow, my daughter awoke with a tummy ache. She moaned and groaned for four hours before she finally vomited, felt much better, and went back to bed. I asked her why she thought she was sick. She replied, "All that candy!" Then she added, "I don't want to eat sugar for, like, a week!" (Quite a statement for a child who is barely 7.) My other daughter fought a stomachache all day today. She, too, correlated it to the Easter candy.

See, I had a teachable moment. I could have restricted them, knowing it would make them sick. (I had no idea how sick it would end up making them!) But I chose to let them indulge and experience the consequences for themselves.

For myself, I had two pieces of Easter candy and two pieces of coconut cake (but don't be deceived--it was full of gluten, dairy, and sugar!) I had a little bit of a stomachache today, too, so I didn't eat much today. I had eggs, bacon, turkey, and squash today, and I went to bed at 9 pm, fatigued.

Day 22
Guess what?! I lost a pound! Unbelievable. It only took three weeks. Mr. Paleo asked if my stomach was still upset all the time, and when I told him not so much, he said, "I think whatever food has been making you sick has also been keeping you from losing weight."

Truthfully, I did cut out all fruits and nuts on day 15. I researched a little bit about IBS and Paleo, and learned that dried fruit, as well as onions, can really do a number on your gut. Well, for two weeks, I inhaled the dried fruit to satisfy my nibbles and my sweet tooth. I also covered everything in coconut oil, which I hear can be tricky to digest for newbies.

Also, today, even though I was up with the baby a lot last night (probably because her tummy was also hurting!), I finally feel like I have remarkable energy. I might even get a workout in tonight.


Day 23
We have noticed that our kids have had pleasant demeanors and  willing hearts for several days in a row. With certainty, lower sugar intake has contributed to this. Speculatively, lower gluten could be causing less digestive discomfort, leading to overall happier dispositions.

Day 24
Another grocery trip. Bacon and eggs have become our mainstay. I haven't made so many Paleo "treats" like muffins or pancakes this week. I made a choice to keep it simple for the sake of my sanity. I also realized that one of the biggest sources of my fatigue was the, ahem, digestive discomfort I had been experiencing each morning. I am quite energetic now. And happy.


Tips:
1. If you're experiencing digestive discomfort on the Paleo diet, cut out everything but meat and vegetables for a day. Slowly reintroduce other foods to see if you can narrow down the culprit. I read testimonies of people who said almonds were impossible to eat in the first month, but later they could handle it. According to my research, the following foods are highly probable suspects:
--dried fruit
--fruit
--coconut
--nuts
--onions
--too much fat
Also, according to the Paleo research, the American diet has wounded your gut, and you'll need time for it to heal. Stick with it for a few weeks and see what happens.
2. If your kids are bucking the diet, stop calling it a diet. When my kids ask to eat cereal, I just say, "We don't have it," or "That's not a healthy choice," instead of, "That's not on our diet."