Wk 4 - Losing Faith

Today I feel lost, scared, overwhelmed, and pissed. 

In the U.S. today we hold doctors to a very high standard... which I would say they deserve for the many years of education they went through to become subject matter experts in their field.  That's the catch though... they are subject matter experts.  What is their subject?  Medicine, medical intervention, and more often than not, treatment of symptoms rather than treatment of the cause of the symptoms.  Our society tends to listen to what they say about subjects that they may or may not have extensive education on (nutrition, physical fitness, etc.)  If you are a paleo practitioner you laugh at the advice of medical professionals that say "Low fat, high complex carbs" is a heart healthy diet.   HA!

The more I learn about the Paleo lifestyle the more I doubt the blind faith I have had in my doctor to know whats best for me on endless amounts of health related subjects.  Yes, they know about medications, surgery, and now what my cervix looks like... but many have had minimal continuing education on the role nutrition plays in disease and health unless they have a particular interest in it and seek it out on their own.  They are experts in what to do when you get sick from the continued crap you eat daily, and how to use medicine so you can continue to eat the crap for many years to come.

I feel bad for our health professionals.  We expect them to know how to, and be able to fix all of our ailments from our diabetes to our depression.  We expect them to essentially know everything, and trust that whatever they say is golden!  Through my paleo journey I have realized this expectation of them is unfair and dangerous.  I no longer want to blindly follow any and all advice given to me.  I want to educate myself on my health, because it's just that... MY health!  

For Example:

So my doctor tells me to take a supplement with "folic acid" in it. I do some research on my own and find out that "folic acid" is not easily absorbed by the body (aka it's the pharmaceutical companies cheap knock off of folate).  You have to take the natural form of "folate" to have the best benefit (per Chris Kressers Healthy Baby Code advice I take 5-methylhydrotetrafolate, which is the natural form of folate and is most readily absorbed by the body).  Why doesn't my doctor know that?  Why doesn't she know that calcium is poorly absorbed when taken in a supplement or from dairy products?  Why doesn't she know the benefit of taking a high quality/pure fish oil supplement to my babies brain development?  It's because my doctor is not my dietician, and all of the above are supposed to be my dietitians job (if I had one).  Too bad most dietitians preach the food pyramid.  Ugh... 

So here I am.  Feeling a bit lost, scared, overwhelmed, and pissed that I am being slapped in the face with the realization that I have a lot more learning to do on my own to ensure I am the healthiest momma possible for my baby.  The easy way out would be to continue blindly following main stream medical advice on... everything!  The tough thing is to take a vested interest in my own wellbeing and start reading.

If you have come to the same realization I highly recommend Chris Kressers "Healthy Baby Code".  It's about $200 but is totally worth it.  If you are having trouble getting/staying pregnant its a must buy!  If you are not sure if Paleo is okay during pregnancy, it's a must buy!  If you just want to create the healthiest darn environment for your little embryo to grow, it's a must buy!  Dr. Kresser also has a lot of info on his website chriskresser.com if you want to check it out!  

Rollar Coaster Ride!

My thoughts/emotions for the last three days of knowing that I am pregnant:

YAY I'm pregnant!

Ugh... I'm PREGNANT!!!!!

Owweeeee It's gonna hurt!

I like the name Apple for a girl.  Apple Snyder! hahahaha Builds character!

I'm gonna be a beast in the weight room even when I'm preggo!

I want Cold Stone.

Oooo Look at the cute onesie!

I refuse to put my daughter in girl scouts.  Those cookies would never leave my house!

Ugh... this 20# dumbbell feels like it's 100#!

Am I being a pussy in my workout bc I know I am pregnant.... am I making this feeling up or am I actually not feeling well?

I'm not going to curse anymore because the embryo can hear me.

You don't like the name Apple?!?! I hate you!

Run Preggo Run!  You're growing an Olympian!!!

Wanna go on a picnic?

Do I just want Cold Stone bc I know I am pregnant and feel that I "deserve" it, or is it an actual craving?

Wait... will running shake the embryo loose?  Gliiiide Preggo Gliiide!!!!

WTF IS UP WITH ALL THESE ZITS?!?!?!?!?!

Press 5 to open a College Savings fund for your child. Beeeeep.

What is Paleo?

If you've stumbled onto this blog and are perplexed by the word "Paleo" (pay-lee-O) this will be a VERY quick crash course in this way of life.
Things to know about Paleo:
1) It's a diet... not a "diet" diet... capeesh?
Paleo is a way of eating.  It is not a diet program like Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, South Beach etc...  It's a way of eating that mimics the diets of our hunter/gatherer ancestors before humans learned how to farm.  Yes, I encourage anyone who is interested in fat loss to "go paleo", but I also recognize that once a person educates themselves enough in the WHY's of Paleo, it becomes a way of life.  It's interesting to note that our ancestors had very little disease/obesity/sickness in their lives.  In the absence of medical technology they were strong, lived long lives (unless they were eaten by a lion or fell off a cliff), and never experienced "old age" diseases as we do today.  In our country heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, Alzheimer's are all but inevitable as we get older.  Why? Why is that our "norm"? Why with our doctors, medicine, sanitary living conditions, and Purell are we sicker, and fatter than our ancient ancestors?  The decline in health in our country is directly related to our dependence on the wrong types of foods.  Not just McDonalds (we all know that McD's is not good for us... no not even the salads are good for you), but every convenience food out there (including the "diet" foods).  We no longer eat REAL food.  We eat stuff that has been grossly processed, mixed with numerous chemicals, additives, salts, sugars, fats, and put back together in a pretty box to sit on a shelf for 6 months to 2 years!  Ew ya'll.  That ain't right!  We've also been given some very bad advice.  The guidelines of healthy eating (low fat, high carb) is NOT working.  If it was working we wouldn't be the fattest and sickest country on the planet!  Lets rethink the food pyramid.

2) What food is Paleo?
Meats/seafood - Preferably ones that lived in their natural environments.  Without going into too much detail know this:  Meats/Seafood that comes from an industrial farm are COMPLETELY different from meats/seafood that comes from wild or natural habitats.  All the way down to the type of saturated fat that the animal contains.  And yes... it really does make a difference.  One will clog your artieries... the other will clear them! Look for grass fed, no hormones, wild caught, and/or pasture raised meats.
Veggies/Fruits - Any and all, and have them in their natural form!  YUMMMMMM!
Natural Fats - Avocado, olive oil, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut, etc.... Yes with Paleo you can eat FAT!!!  :D  No more counting calories for this gal!

3) What food isn't Paleo?
Grain - Bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, quinoa, etc
Soy - Soy is bad. (Here is one of MANY articles explaining why: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/dangers-soy/  Notice the section about soy formula for infants.... "the amount of estrogen producing soy in some formula preparations could be the equivalent of consuming 5 birth control pills per day." YIKES LADIES!!!!
Dairy - Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.  SIDE NOTE: Some Paleo practitioners continue to consume dairy in their diets but get it from grass fed/pasture raised cows.  Raw milk is also acceptable.  Most people find that they are intolerant to dairy once they take it out of their diet for a short period of time, then try to add it back in to see how their bodies react.  Don't worry you'll get plenty of calcium from your green leafy veggies in the Paleo lifestyle.  Calcium from dairy is poorly absorbed anyway, and with all the caffeine the average american takes in its even less likely to absorb.
Processed anything - If it doesn't look the way God made it... It shouldn't be in your mouth.  ;-)  Strawberry Special K bars do not count as a serving of strawberries!

4) Why the F would I ever go Paleo if I have to give up my cereal, cheese, soy latte, and pasta?!?!?! You. Are. Nuts!
Remembering that this is the "Crash Course" in paleo I will forward you on to the two books that best explain the Paleo lifestyle and all the reasons the above mentioned foods are not good for us (and trust me, there are PLENTY of reasons).  If you truly want change in your life, are just baffled by me saying whole grain and soy is bad for you, you want to lose excess fat, get off the darn medication you've been on for years, or just wanting to give your baby a healthy start in life, you will read one or both of these books.  Take it from a girl who ate grains/cheese for about 11 years as a "vegetarian"... The books changed my life.  They can change yours too!
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf (robbwolf.com)
The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain (thepaleodiet.com)

Also, Chris Kresser (chriskresser.com) has a personalized Paleo program you can purchase as well as a "Healthy Baby Code" for purchase.  I love the Healthy Baby Code!  It was eye opening!  What you eat, or don't eat really matters in the long term health of you and your child.