Paleo fam.. Pros and cons?

JessieAlbin

I tried to follow a paleo diet a few years ago working with a great trainer.. Honestly I felt great and enjoyed it but eventually caved in to cravings for grain and dairy and decided it was "too hard", returning to a pretty mediocre way of eating. Now my husband has been looking into the paleo diet, and I'm open to it, thinking that two heads are better (and have more willpower) than one, and if we are both into keeping a (mostly) paleo lifestyle, we may have more success. For those of you who have a household that follows a paleo diet, what are your thoughts on it, and how has it worked out with your pregnancy? (Ms, constipation, cravings, aversions, comments from your doc, effects on your relationship, how you plan to feed your baby/toddler, etc)

tamaraaaa

My husband is doing paleo, and I tried.  I really did.  But if there was any hope for me eating, there was no way.  I had to eat carbs to get through the day....  And I'm not feeling guilty about it at all.  I know some people can do it, but I don't think you can stress about it unless you are super, super serious.  I'm just trying to get through at this point!

KatieGummow

toothpastechica said:

Honestly... I am all for trying to be healthier and making lifestyle change that are good, But I don't know that pregnancy is a very good time to start down a diet change road....I would focus on eating healthier period (assuming your ms lets you). By all means incorporate more paleo eating into your current diet and cut out unhealthy food habits but I think right now the focus needs to be on being healthy, not on prescribing to one train of thought when it comes to food...growing (and BF) babies need different nutrients then adults and subscribing to a rather strict diet/way of eating I would think would be best to focus on overall healthy habits from the 5 food groups right now.

I agree with this comment.  I think your body uses the complex carbs you digest while pregnant.  My neighbor is a dietitian and she recommends toast with peanut butter every morning, because the carbs are easily digested and gentle on your body....  But I think a semi paleo diet is a great way to incorporate a healthier variety of food into your lives while pregnant.

MrsT1024

I was doing pretty well with the whole thing until I the food aversions started kicking in. Eating Paleo is borderline impossible when the thought of eating meat makes you want to hurl.

porterlove525

My DH and I follow a strict paleo diet and have for over 2 years now. I love it and have never felt better...pre pregnancy of course. All I can stomach are bread and pasta now and not just sweet potatoes (and other paleo approved carbs). I still eat a paleo dinner since DH is still living our normal lifestyle and I plan to go back once the baby is here in April.

There are plenty of women who maintain a paleo lifestyle throughout their pregnancies and all have healthy babies. If anything eating a clean, in-processed diet is the best thing you can do for yourself and baby. However, I agree that it is a very drastic diet change and it's one that your body needs time to adjust to. Just read how the Lurong Challenge folks are feeling right now, 2 weeks in. Your body detoxes and that wouldn't be good for the baby. It took me about 3-4 months to adjust to eating strict paleo and once you commit you don't want to cheat, the consequences are not good hello stomach issues and living in the bathroom.

I would recommend cleaning up your diet and starting to introduce more clean foods and recipes and slowly start to eliminate processed foods, but I wouldn't recommend switching fully I paleo while pregnant.

beautifulstr13

We followed a primal diet before pregnancy but I couldn't keep it up. I crave grains constantly. I agree with the pp and wouldn't advise a radical diet change during pregnancy. Try just making lower carb or lower calorie choices. Work on getting your protein intake up. That will be a good beginning.

girliegirl827

I was eating Paleo since May but the past couple of weeks I've been giving into carb cravings because I just couldn't stomach the thought of eating meat. If you're interested in the effects of paleo on pregnancy though, I'd recommend getting the book Primal Moms Look Good Naked. It was definitely an interesting read.

DemoDoll

For pregnancy I would suggest clean eating. I am the type that believes dairy products fall under the clean category. However I do think milk and sweetened dairy products have too much sugar.

Once I get over my food aversions to fruits and veggies, I will start eating clean again. I felt so great and energetic when I started my clean diet. It's mainly the processed sugar and flour that does a number on your body.

JessieAlbin

Even if we did decide after tons of research that it was best for the whole family, obv a strict diet change during pregnancy would be a little crazy! Just looking into other moms' experiences to see if pursuing a long term goal of getting to a paleo lifestyle is something we want to do.

knotty-girl

I was doing paleo for a few months prior to my pregnancy and then conceived during a Whole 30, which is a strict paleo elimination diet (I truly believe it helped me conceive as I'd been TTC for over a year). Initially after completion I thought I'd have a paleo lifestyle and pregnancy. I changed my mind. First of all the pregnancy and morning sickness dictated what I can now eat. Meat, sweet potatoes, avacado, cooked veggies (raw are ok), plantains, coconut oil, curry... All the staples of my paleo diet make me sick. I've also had to add in more non paleo carbs for the ms and dairy to get enough protein without meat. I'm actually eating more of a high carb vegetarian diet because that's what I can stomach. The other reason I decided to not continue the lifestyle is I felt like I was beginning to suffer from orthorexia and have an unhealthy relationship with food. I began to feel extreme guilt about consuming any non paleo approved foods. Labeling foods like brown rice or black beans as "bad" is a bit extreme. Also for me I felt the lifestyle was all encompassing and was very time consuming. I spent lots of time (and money) planning, shopping, cooking, prepping, and thinking about food, which left me with less time to do other things I enjoy. It's very liberating to not be so strict about food. I'm trying to follow a mostly clean and balanced diet and treats in moderation without guilt. That is healthy and happy for me.

However I would never discourage anyone else from attempting a paleo lifestyle and I commend those who are able to adopt it permanently. There are many health benefits. Many women do Whole 30 while pregnant, they have a board dedicated to it on the Whole 30 website. I would imagine that it must be very difficult though, the Whole 30 was not easy for myself and took a lot of willpower. I know there is no way I would succeed if I attempted it again while pregnant!

I've attaching my Whole 30 results pics as a bit of a testament to how paleo can improve your health(although obviously weight loss is not a goal for a pregnant woman). Getting pregnant on it is the biggest testament to me.

Linnea503

My husband has done strict paleo before and is more relaxed about it now, especially during my pregnancy. We do eat very few grains and almost no processed food (when I'm not pregnant!). He added potatoes, rice, and dairy back in at one point.

Anyway, I plan to go back to Primal eating after the baby is here although I am not super strict about it. We use it as a general guideline instead of strict rules.

I will say it gets expensive!! 

smushi

We ate Paleo about 60% of the time typically after doing a Whole30 in January, but since I got pregnant, I've not been able to even consider cooking.  My morning sickness has been so terrible.  My diet has been pretty slim...

That being said, as soon as I get to a point where I don't want to constantly throw up, I'll be so glad to eat vegetables again!  I MISS them!  I plan to return to a closer Paleo diet (and of course with cheat meals), but come January, I'll more than likely do another Whole30.  Eating well is never bad for you  That, and after so much processed food lately (crackers, soup in a can, chips, and fast food is about all I crave/can stomach), I can't wait to wean myself off of it... 

thompson26

We are paleo just for health n(o medical reasons). I have had to break it a bit due to ms aversions and terrible cravings. But I continue to keep mostly only paleo items in the house and eat rice and potatoes more than I normally would. Now that ms is starting to for down I am finding it easier to stick with the diet more. Also dd who is almost 3 has been in the diet since she was one she eats what we eat. If we do go out to eat we will allow her to have Mac n cheese and other non paleo foods but we try to keep them infrequent.

CalinAZ

I did primal eating (paleo, but I think more emphasis on fats and dairy is okay if it doesn't adversely affect you) the month I got pregnant and loved it - lost 12 lbs! I also somewhat credit it with finally getting pregnant after 13 months of trying. With feeling sort of yucky, I've totally stopped eating primal, but plan to start up second trimester. I think it is super important to eat healthily for the baby and feel confident that primal eating will help me with that. DH follows fairly well, which definitely helps, since it keeps non primal foods out of the house. 

To PP who say that Paleo/primal wouldn't be healthy, I respectfully disagree. Based on what I've researched (and just thinking about what is in breads, pasta, etc), it is definitely healthier IMO to eat a diet focusing on high quality proteins, fruits, vegetables, and good fats. I do think it makes sense to have some more good high carbs like potatoes, rice, etc, since they aren't very processed (and that is recommended for athletes - pregnancy is sort of like being an athlete, right?) and some good dairy, which is also allowed with primal. I agree that snacking on some bread can feel good, but I don't think that makes it a healthy choice. I know that I had much fewer stomach issues when I cut out the whole grains and beans that I used to include in my "healthy" diet. I don't really see this as falling into the "Extreme diet" category - mine didn't change drastically, it's mostly just cutting out processed junk.

I look forward to eating better quality food in hopefully a few weeks

nicole mackenzie

I heard the paleo diet had some connections to people becoming intolerant to gluten...?

thompson26

nicole mackenzie said:

I heard the paleo diet had some connections to people becoming intolerant to gluten...?

I haven't heard or read this. I do know that when I follow the diet for a period of time and over cheat I feel yucky and sluggish. But I'm not intolerant. If I continue to cheat I return to how I was before the lifestyle change, but then when I get back to it and really watch what I eat (eat clean and healthy) i get so much more energy and just feel better over all...it's hard to explain. Following the standard American diet you feel fine, but once you switch to primal/paleo and your body detoxes you get more energy feel better, but until you make the switch you don't realize there was a better way to feel. Maybe someone else can explain it better