The Primal Adventure

After living in Portland for a while, you start to get some weird ideas. You know, like that 70 degrees is swimming weather and socks with Birkenstocks is really not that bad of a fashion statement (ok, that's going too far). Eventually, you will become a little nutty and decide to try some sort of nutrition changes that most people find, well, odd.

Enter the Primal Blueprint. That is, a slightly modified version of what most people know as Paleo. No grains at all. Meat, healthy fats, veggies, fruits and nuts.

Truthfully, we didn't get to this diet via weird Portland channels. Instead it came through Shaun's workouts and reading on fat loss. But the more I read about it myself, the more I was intrigued. It's not just because of the promise of a little less fat on my hips and thighs, but also the chance to rid myself of some long-standing health issues. They aren't major ones, but they have been pretty annoying for many years.

Yes, I kind of buy it. The theory behind it is pretty solid. Grains are simply not good for us. They are nutritionally mostly useless, they cause insulin spikes that result in more stored fat, and for a lot of us they aren't good for the old GI system. Which has been one of my problems for most of my life.

So, we are eating Primal, and we are about a month in. At first I dropped a few pounds rapidly, then I leveled out. But the difference in my digestion is phenomenal. So I am forging on. I don't mind the eye rolls and the "Portlandia" comments. I kind of deserve those what with the hunt for grass-fed beef and the coconut flour pancakes. But I don't mind. I will take a few jabs in return for a stomach that doesn't hurt every time I eat and generally better health. I'm getting really serious about it this month, so expect to hear plenty of weird ideas and recipes out of me.

As for the kids, since we started eating this way they have consumed more fruits and veggies that they have since they were babies. We aren't cutting them off from grains, but increasing the amount of healthier choices they get. And they're eating it. That alone is worth the Portlandia comments, so bring them on.