Paleo: Day One

Welcome to Paleo: Day One. To get you started, here's a sample of what you might eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on your first day.

Day One Breakfast: Eggs

Whole eggs are nutritious, versatile, filling, convenient, and inexpensive. The perfect food! If you have been accustomed to tossing the yolk and eating just the whites, you’re in for a real treat. Paleo eating is about eating whole foods the way nature created them. Notice how colorful an egg yolk is? That indicates high nutrition. By eating a variety of naturally colorful foods, you’ll be getting the nutrition your body needs.

If you associate eggs with high cholesterol, now is a good time to begin thinking about natural foods in a new way. Every cell in our bodies requires cholesterol and without it we wouldn’t be alive. Cholesterol is made by the liver and if we don’t get enough cholesterol in our diets, our bodies simply make more.

Nora T. Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT, author of Primal Body—Primal Mind, says this about dietary cholesterol: “Restricting or eliminating its intake indicates a crisis or famine to the body.”

So, scramble up a couple eggs, have an omelet, or try a mini quiche.

Day One Lunch: A Paleo Salad

If the word “salad” conjures up an image of an iceberg wedge topped with slices of out-of-season tomato and a dollop of fat-free dressing, you’re probably ready to run for the golden arches and forget this whole Paleo thing. But bear with me. A Paleo salad is different than those uninspired salads. A Paleo salad is a meal in a bowl with ample amounts of protein, fat, nutrients, crunchy things and colorful things.

Our Paleolithic ancestors definitely didn’t have salad bars or produce sections, and most of their calories came from animal sources. But here in modern times, we have access to a varity of nutritious and delicious produce. As you continue your Paleo journey, you’ll discover that creating salads is fun, and eating them is a welcome addition to your diet. Day one is a good time to begin your appreciation for big salads.

• Start with mixed greens

Try baby spinach and arugula, or just a big bowl of romaine. Believe it or not, greens are uniquely flavorful. If you are accustomed to nothing but iceberg lettuce, you will notice right away that a Paleo salad is much more exciting.

• Add some crunchy, colorful vegetables

This is where you get creative. The list of vegetables is extensive, so try a few. Cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, yellow peppers, tomatoes, onions, beets, cabbage…the list goes on and on…

• Add some cooked vegetables

This is optional, but recommended. Adding cooked vegetables to a salad makes it much heartier. Try squash, brussel sprouts, green beans, or anything you happen to have handy.

• Add some cooked animal protein

Tuna or salmon (either seared a from a can), grilled chicken or beef, chilled shrimp, diced ham, and hard-boiled egg are all great in salads. Try different kinds of protein; it’s up to you.

• Add some fat

Some great fats for salad (in addition to the fats in your chosen proteins), are olive oil, avocado, and handful of nuts. Pine nuts are great in salads. You’ll also be getting some fat from your salad dressing.

• Top with home-made salad dressing

Enhance the flavors of your salad instead of hiding them. You don't want to drown your salad in chemical-laden goo. Instead, wisk 2 parts olive oil with 1 part apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Pour a little at a time over your salad, mix well, and enjoy.

Day One Dinner: 3-part Meal

A simple, 3-part Paleo meal starts with animal protein, followed by plenty of vegetables and finally, natural fats.

1. Animal protein

2. Vegetables

3. Natural fats

With the addition of spices, acids (like vinegar and citrus), and fruit, there’s no shortage of interesting meals you can make. Over time, you will have a collection of “stand-bys” and Paleo eating will become second nature. Day one will turn into day two and day three. The next thing you know you'll be eating Paleo every day.