Authors: Chris Kresser
Tags: #Health & Fitness / Diet & Nutrition / Diets, #Health & Fitness / Diet & Nutrition / Weight Loss
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Barbecue can be tough for the same reason Indian and Ethiopian foods are: the sauces often contain sugar, gluten, and other undesirable ingredients. Ask for your meat smoked or with a dry rub instead of sauce.
For even more detailed tips on how to eat out safely, I recommend Robb Wolf’s
Paleo Dining Out Guide
, a brief e-book with fantastic tips on planning ahead, choosing foods wisely, determining what’s safe to order, asking the right questions of service staff, and more. See ChrisKresser.com/diningout for more information.
Most typical snack foods—including so-called healthy snacks, like energy or granola bars, not to mention all the “healthy whole-grain” foods that jam the grocery-store aisles—are loaded with ingredients that you’ve eliminated from your diet. Fortunately, you can avoid eating those foods if you follow some simple advice.
•
Plan ahead.
Most people slip up because they haven’t planned ahead. They get in the car and head out on a trip (whether it’s a few hours of local errands or a true road trip) only to realize three hours later that they’re starving and they forgot to bring food. They’re stuck in a shopping mall or on an interstate highway and the only choices are the dreaded food court or the gas station’s mini-mart. Avoid this by referring to the chart below and stocking up on some safe travel foods, and take them with you whether you’ll be gone for a few hours or a few weeks.
•
Make big batches of snacks.
Let’s say you’re going to soak and dehydrate some nuts to have them around. Instead of doing just a few servings, why not do two pounds? That way you’ll have nuts on hand for a couple of weeks—and they’re one of the quickest and easiest snack foods available.
•
Eat before you go.
If possible, eat a substantial meal before you leave the house for an extended period. If you’re starving when you leave the house, and you bring only a small snack, it’s likely that you’ll end up eating something you regret while you’re out.
The following is a list of foods that are great for snacking and travel. See my website for a printable version of this list as a chart and for information on where to obtain some of these foods.
Food
: Grass-fed-beef jerky
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Buy soy/gluten/sugar-free varieties locally or online.
Food
: Prepared meats
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Salami, pepperoni, coppa, and other prepared meats, preferably from pasture-raised animals.
Food
: Smoked salmon
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Make sure it’s soy-free.
Food
: Nuts and seeds
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Soaked and dehydrated to improve digestibility and absorption.
Food
: Raw vegetables or fruit with nut better
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Macadamia, almond, and hazelnut butter are best.
Food
: Cheese
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: If you tolerate dairy products.
Food
: Hard-boiled/deviled eggs
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Eat with cherry tomatoes and avocados for a hearty snack.
Food
: Kale chips
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Remove ribs from kale, cut into 1.5-inch pieces, brush with olive oil and sea salt, and bake at 175 degrees F until crisp (or use a dehydrator if you have one).
Food
: Plantain/taro/sweet potato chips
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Slice thinly and roast at 400 degrees F in duck fat or lard for 10 to 13 minutes for best results.
Food
: Fruit smoothie
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Make with coconut milk, almond milk, kefir, or yogurt as a base, depending on preference or tolerance.
Food
: Olives
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Eat with nuts, cheese, or prepared meats.
Food
: Baba ghanoush
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Not recommended if you are following the autoimmune version of the Paleo diet (eggplant is a nightshade).
Food
: Thin-sliced leftover meat
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Enjoy with Paleo mustard or mayonnaise. See my website for recipes.
Food
: Canned salmon or tuna
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Eat with avocado or shredded lettuce.
Food
: Lettuce wraps
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: Make with leftover meats, fish, avocado, shredded veggies, or other fixings.
Food
: Full-fat yogurt or kefir
Follow Your Personal Paleo Code
: If you tolerate dairy (cow or goat); consume alone or with fruit and/or nuts.
Making the switch from a standard American diet to a nutrient-dense Personal Paleo approach to eating can initially be a shock at the grocery-store checkout line. This is especially true for people accustomed to buying cheap grain products like bread and pasta, canned beans, and conventionally raised animal products. That first big trip to the store to prepare for your Thirty-Day Reset might produce a terrifying bill
compared to what you’re used to spending—and it might even be enough to deter some from sticking with their new, healthier diet.
Fortunately, if you plan a little and find some smart shopping techniques, there’s no reason why eating Paleo should cost significantly more than your old way of eating. Granted, there may always be a slightly higher cost associated with eating high-quality real foods (isn’t your health worth it?), but there are several ways to keep your grocery bills from getting out of control. Here are seven tips for eating Paleo on a budget.
It’s cheaper to buy raw ingredients and cook food yourself than to buy prepackaged meals, snacks, and other food items. A lot of people who are new to Paleo tend to be overwhelmed at the grocery store and look for Paleo-friendly products like Larabars, nut milks, kale chips, beef jerky, and other items that can easily be made at home but are tempting to buy when you’re just starting out. Also, some end up buying one or more of the many premade meals sold online or at CrossFit gyms that have been designed to be compliant with the Paleo diet but that often cost an arm and a leg.
The more food you cook from scratch, the more money you’ll save. You’ll find some fantastic recipes for meals and snacks in
chapter 21
, plus there are countless recipes online (at ChrisKresser.com and on other websites). Another major advantage to preparing your own food is that you know what all of the ingredients are, and you avoid mystery additives, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.
Buying in bulk (online or at your local store) can significantly reduce your food expenses, particularly for pantry goods like coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, canned tomatoes, and so on. To save money on grass-fed meat, try a cow share, where you and a group of health-minded friends purchase a whole cow. The more people involved, the lower the cost and the less need for extra freezer space. Joining a community-supported
agriculture (CSA) farm allows you access to local produce for less than what you’d pay at most stores. (See
here
for more information on CSAs.) Having Paleo potlucks with friends rather than going out to eat is a great way to save money on social dining occasions while still eating well. The more food you share with neighbors, friends, and extended family, the more money you’ll save.
Buy ingredients that are versatile and can be used for a wide variety of dishes. Instead of buying expensive spices that you might use once, get the basics, like all-season salt, fresh garlic, onion powder, Italian/Mexican/Indian (fill in the ethnic food of your choice!) seasoning, curry paste, and anything else that can be used for a multitude of dishes. Choose a couple of go-to fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and butter and use them for all your dishes. Don’t be afraid of frozen vegetables, as they’re just as nutritious as fresh, can be used in many different dishes, and have a much longer shelf life than fresh veggies. For those who tolerate starches, white potatoes and sweet potatoes are cheap and filling and can be used at any meal. Avoid buying specialty items like gluten-free flours or other ingredients that sit in your pantry uneaten for months because you don’t know what to use them for.
Making large batches of meals (you can double many of the recipes you’ll find in
chapter 21
) yields tasty leftovers that save both time and money. As those living on their own know, it gets expensive trying to buy single-serve food items, and food waste can be a huge problem when buying in bulk. That’s why cooking large meals and saving the leftovers can be especially helpful for those cooking for just themselves or perhaps one other person. Try making multiple servings of an all-in-one meal like a soup or stew and freezing them for later in the week. Not only will you save cooking time but you’ll also be able to use ingredients bought in bulk and not have to worry about spoilage if you can’t eat all the meat or vegetables you’ve purchased.
Not everything you buy has to be organic, grass-fed, free-range, and local. There are many food items that are fine to buy from a conventional grocery store on a regular basis. While you always want to buy organic celery and strawberries, it might not be so important to look for organic onions or mangoes. See the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen Plus and Clean Fifteen lists (see
here
) for what to focus on. The same goes for animal products. While you would likely want to avoid conventionally raised chicken, pork, and animal-organ meats, you may be all right buying lamb, eggs, and some natural cheeses that aren’t from 100 percent grass-fed and organic sources. Canned fish like salmon, skipjack tuna, sardines, and herring are far less expensive than fresh, wild fish and are extremely nutrient-dense choices. Of course, you should always get the highest-quality animal foods you can afford, but not everyone has access to ideal sources of meat. It’s better to eat nonorganic eggs than organic cereal for breakfast, and it’s better to have a dinner of conventionally raised beef and nonorganic asparagus than a plate of organic pasta. If you’re unable to buy the best-quality meats and produce, it’s a good idea to do your homework and figure out which items are worth the splurge and which might be all right to spend less money on.
Write a list of those luxury items you buy—four-dollar coffees, bottled water, fancy ingredients you use once for an extravagant recipe, protein powders, and so forth—and cut them out. Yes, high-quality pastured-chicken eggs do cost two to three dollars more per dozen than conventional eggs, but simply forgoing your Starbucks Venti Mocha each day will easily make up the difference. Go through your food spending and see if you can identify what splurges are putting you in the red. Get rid of the nonessentials altogether or find a way to make them at home. Buy a good-quality reusable mug or water bottle and fill it up before you leave the house in the morning. Eat real food rather than expensive protein powders and supplements. Don’t waste money on items that you can easily do without.
A great way to save money on animal foods is by choosing cheaper cuts of meat, like brisket, chuck roast, and so on, and offal (such as liver and heart). These not only contain important nutrients that balance out those found in lean meats like steak and chicken breast (as we discussed in
chapter 9
) but also are some of the most tender and delicious cuts when wet/slow cooking methods are used. Many who can’t afford other pastured-raised meat can afford these pastured-animal cuts. And it’s especially important to buy organ meats that come from organic, grass-fed animals. These unpopular cuts are often just a few dollars a pound, and they deliver enormous nutritional benefits that will make a significant difference in your overall health.
If you’re still having difficulty, don’t worry. I know how frustrating that can be, but the truth is that making huge dietary and lifestyle changes can be hard, and sometimes it doesn’t go so smoothly. This doesn’t mean that the Personal Paleo Code isn’t a good choice for you; it just means you may need a little extra support.
To that end, I’ve created a Paleo troubleshooting guide, which you can download at ChrisKresser.com/PPC. It will help you break through the most common challenges that keep people from succeeding with Paleo, such as low energy and sugar cravings, digestive distress, and poor detox capacity.
Having a strong network of social support is essential for long-term success when it comes to making big dietary and lifestyle changes. Developing a Personal Paleo Code can be a challenge even when you do have family and friends behind you, but it’s much harder if you’re going it alone. Here are some ideas for how to build that support network.
If you live with family members, eating Paleo can be really tough if they’re not eating that way—especially if you’re not the one preparing the meals! Bringing your family on board is one of the best ways to ease your transition. But how do you do that? After all, not everyone in your family may be as enthusiastic about going Paleo as you are. Here are some tips:
•
Offer to take charge.
Change is hard. Sometimes the resistance to switching to Paleo is mostly about fear of the extra work involved in figuring out new recipes, new ingredients to buy at the store, and new ways of putting meals and snacks together. Even if you haven’t historically been the primary meal planner and preparer, consider assuming this role—at least during the transition. Use the recipes and meal plans in
chapter 21
and on my website to help you along.
•
Take it easy.
When you’re living alone, it might be easy to radically change your diet on a dime. But when you’re living with several family members, it’s often more complicated. And sometimes, the more pressure you put on others to change, the more they’ll resist. Consider starting with one Paleo meal a day (dinner is usually best). Once you’ve got that under your belt, you can move to lunch, then breakfast, then snacks. Before long, you’ll be where you want to be, and you won’t have alienated your family in the process.
•
Start with the biggies.
As an alternative to the one-meal-at-a-time approach, you might consider choosing one particular change at a time. For example, you could decide to eliminate sugar first, then gluten, then industrial seed oils (eliminating packaged/processed foods and eating out less), and then grains until you end up on a Personal Paleo Code approach.
•
Find Paleo substitutes for your family’s favorite meals.
Your family doesn’t have to swear off pizza, pancakes, and other favorite foods forever; simply substitute them with delicious Paleo versions! See the recipes in this book and on my website.