Meal Planing: Week #1 (Paleo/Primal)

Meal Planing: Week #1 (Paleo/Primal)

Figuring out the Paleo lifestyle and diet can be a daunting task, especially if you are not familiar with the in's and out's of the food philosophy or even a cook in the kitchen. BUT, fear not, help is here, and it's actually easier than you realize. 

1. First thing to know is that you have a very limited pantry with Paleo, which makes it super easy to cut through the noise of the grocery stores and focus only on the foods that truly feed and nourish your body. 

2. Second thing to know, is that recipes and cooking preparations can be very simple, just like the approach to food. There doesn't need to be fancy foods or preparations, granted there can be, once you get comfortable and want to go for the gold. But simple preparations are easy and still very delicious and satiating.  

3. Paleo is a 'whole foods' approach to eating and cooking. No prepackaged or processed foods. Stay away from all grains (rice, quinoa, wheat, etc.). Stay away from beans and corn. Limit your dairy to plain Greek yogurt (no milk, soft cheeses,etc). Paleo is high protein with lots of vegetables making up most of the diet and sugars only from fruit or naturally occurring like coconut sugar, honey and maple syrup. 

There are fancier explanations about Paleo out there and why a Paleo/Primal approach to food is the foundation to healing and nourishing our bodies, but for this blog's sake, we'll focus on one week's worth of meal planing and ideas. 

JUST REMEMBER "Every morsel of food or drink you put into your body either heals and nourishes or harms and aides in disease." 

The old saying "You are what you eat" is ALL TOO TRUE!  

Let's get started......

The shopping lists suggests Costco and Safeway, but any store will do. I prefer Costco, because you can buy meat in bulk, and being Paleo is such a high protein diet, I like to freeze my portions of bulk meat for later weeks. (see previous blog http://shedished.blogspot.com/2016/11/good-eats-4-easy-steps-to-tackle-whats.html) You should also go as grass fed and organic as possible, but it can be costly, so baby steps towards that goal. I am strict with my veggies and fruits being organic, and stores including Costco, can accommodate that task. Costco also has organic chicken and ground turkey, and grass fed ground beef. Do the best you can! 

This by no means needs to be your Week #1, but it's a start to ideas and how to approach your meals and snacks for any week in your new lifestyle change! 

Enjoy! You Got This!

Athletic Shoes: One Sole to Another

What’s on Your Feet? One Sole to Another 

By Katie Mitchell 

Whether you call them; trainers, kicks, joggers, sneakers, tennies, runners, or gym shoes; have you ever really thought about the evolution of your athletic shoes and how they came to be on your feet? As we trail blaze up mountains, run the rouged roads, or move swiftly across courts, we owe a great ode of appreciation to the soles that keep us grounded with a solid foundation to attempt these incredible feats.

These early athletic shoes, were known as plimsolls, named after the water line of a ship’s hull, and were worn by vacationers, and slowly started evolving, with details like engravings on the sole for added grip, as they made their way onto tennis courts and even on the feet of soldiers in the British Army in the early 20th century. Then came the company J.W Foster and Sons, who we can thank for inventing, what is recorded as one of the first running shoes, in which they added spikes to the soles to assist with reaching greater traction and speed.

Once these shoes made their way to America, the US Rubber Co. with the help of inventor Charles Goodyear, created the line knows as Keds, by putting canvas atop  a flexible rubber sole, and were marketed as ‘sneakers’ . The demand for sneakers grew post World War II, as sports and athletics came to be seen as a sign of patriotism. In the 1920’s famous athletes of the time spurred the popularity of sneakers, like famous basketball player Chuck Taylor and his endorsement of the nostalgic Converse All Stars.

And so athletic shoes took off, constantly reinventing and morphing into new styles or with emerging technologies. They come in many colors, brands, and styles. They have celebrity endorsements and are designed by some of the highest fashion houses.  Some with fancy embellishments, some with shoelaces and some without. Now and days it’s hard pressed not to get a kinesiology lesson when picking out athletic shoes, as they seem to have varying elements which compliment one’s use, body, or personal style. The days of the ‘Plimsoll’s have passed us by, by about 150 years, but it’s those early designs that kicked off generations of all new kinds of kicks.

I love my Chuck’s, remember my beloved Air Jordan’s, and now swear by my Brook’s Heritage Collection; but those are just my kicks for kicking it. When I’m ready to kick my own butt, lacing up my New Balance’s, have been a long tradition, and one that’s been a tradition for many dating back to 1906!

Now when you strap on your modern version of a plimsoll, give thanks and praise to the shoe gods, one sole to another !