The basic premise behind Paleo eating is, to put it very simply, to adopt a style of eating which is similar to that of our distant ancestors. To simplify things even further, cut out all refined, processed, artificial foods, and basically any item that wouldn’t be found in the diet of our ancestral, or Paleolithic brethren.

The thing about Paleo is that it doesn’t always work for everyone, or rather, not everyone works with it all of the time.

Many people notice amazing benefits in the early stages of a Paleo-style diet: their skin clears up, they never get ill, nagging aches and pains disappear, and they feel more focused and are able to think more clearly.

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Over time, however, these same individuals may notice creeping feelings of lethargy and lagging energy levels, and may perhaps experience recurring sniffles, and so on.

So what is happening here? Why is Paleo not working for these people?

How to Make Paleo Work for You

Paleo-style eating is fantastic in that, just like any sound nutritional approach, it can be tailored to suit your body’s tolerances and energy requirements.

If you are fairly active, perhaps working a physical day job or exercising frequently, you’ll likely require a larger amount of carbohydrates compared to someone who sits at a desk all day and exercises rarely, if at all.

In this case of the former, a diet of just meat, nuts, and veggies really isn’t going to cut it; you’re going to need to get some starches into your system to fuel your daily activity.

Let’s take a look at some of the factors you should consider to make Paleo eating work for you:

Whole 30
When you first embark upon your Paleo journey, or if it’s currently not working for you, the best thing you can do is begin by running what is known as a Whole 30.

A Whole 30 is very simple; you are to eat nothing but the strictest Paleo-friendly food items for 30 days, including:

• Meat and fish;
• Eggs;
• Nuts and oils;
• Vegetables; and
• Small amounts of fruits such as berries.

During this period, you must completely avoid any item which is not Paleo-compliant, such as:

• Grains such as wheat, oat, rice, corn, and even quinoa;
• Dairy items except butter;
• Sugar;
• Artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings, MSG, and so on;
• Legumes;
• Potatoes (sweet potatoes are acceptable); and
• Alcohol.

This will enable you to effectively “reset” your digestive and immune systems, and from here you can begin to reintroduce foods to test your tolerance to various items such as dairy and eggs.

The added benefit of the Whole 30 is that you will be able to gauge what your energy requirements are; perhaps you are able to subsist on very low carbohydrates and ample fats, but on the other hand, perhaps you are a hard-training athlete and require a greater quantity of carbs. Either way, the Whole 30 will make things a lot clearer for you.

Withdrawal Symptoms
Many of you can probably relate to the addictive qualities of something like coffee; have you ever missed your morning caffeine fix and ended up feeling tired and cranky with a headache later in the day?

The same may be true for other substances found in foods, particularly ingredients such as sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and MSG. When you go “cold turkey” from these toxic substances, you may notice an initial negative response, so it is important not to mistake these withdrawal symptoms for Paleo affecting you adversely.

Are You Eating Enough?
To go back to our earlier point of energy requirements, the Whole 30 will enable you to figure out how much you require in terms of carbohydrates. It is vital that you become neither fat-phobic nor carbohydrate-phobic because both of these macronutrients can yield great benefits in terms of athletic performance, hormonal function, and body fat reduction; the key is to simply find a level that works for you.

If you decide that you need to introduce more carbohydrates into your diet, considering the following items:

• Sweet potatoes;
• Squashes (Spaghetti Squash makes for a great pasta substitute);
• Pumpkin; and
• White rice (although rice is a grain, it is largely free of anti-nutrients and makes for an easily-digestible carb source which is ideal for eating after your workouts).

Let Science be Your Compass

Our nutritional practices affect many areas of our life and significantly impact us on a physical level as well as an emotional one; please keep in mind that this is a scientific endeavor and if something isn’t working for you, simply look at the variables to ascertain what is at fault, and adjust accordingly.

Many of us, quite understandably, can become emotionally invested in a particular way of eating, and if our friends or peers are having great success following certain methods, it can be difficult to go against the grain and try our own approach. With this in mind, remember that your body is unique and you have your own individual physiology with its own strengths, weaknesses, and requirements, so take your time and let science be your compass, not impulse or emotion.

For those of us who have been living for many years on a diet of refined sugars and grains, and all manner of processed Frankenstein foods, the damage can be long lasting and can take quite a while to fully reverse.

Paleo-style eating typically involves loading your body with a substantial amount of nutritional-powerhouse foods, and you may have become chronically deficient in various nutrients over the years. When you re-introduce these vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and so on into your system, it can be quite a shock, so bear this in mind as you embark upon your Paleo journey.

The take-home point here is that your immediate results may suddenly slow down, or you may not notice any results early on, but by adopting a more flexible approach and figuring out exactly what your body wants and what it doesn’t, you should have far greater success with Paleo eating.

References

http://thenakedplate.org/helpful-hints/

http://chriskresser.com/paleo-diet-challenges-solutions-part-1

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/eat-your-starches-why-safe-starches-are-healthy/

http://theprimalparent.com/2013/04/19/starch-carbs-paleo/ [author_bio name=”yes” avatar=”yes”]