The first time I changed my diet to a semi-paleo one, I was unaware that it was. At the time, I was pre-diabetic and felt incredibly fatigued. My doctor warned me that I was pushing my luck, and that I needed to restrict my refined carbohydrate intake. Even complex carbohydrates, like brown rice and whole wheat, made me sleepy during the day. I knew something had to change, and I was determined to reduce my acne, and increase my energy.
Ever since I was in middle school, researching diet and nutrition has been one of my biggest hobbies. While normal kids would be messing around on You Tube in the computer lab, I would be hard at work typing in all of my questions regarding internal health. Starting my Freshman year, I used myself as a diet guinea pig. At first I tested out a protein bar diet, then a soup diet, apple diet, and a (laughable) instant hot chocolate diet. Granted, the hot chocolate diet was more of a snowed-in last resort than an educated experiment. Throughout all this, I never strayed from my life-long vegetarian diet. I'm not bragging, since it wasn't an option to eat meat growing up. Some veggies I know pride themselves on loving animals, being true to their religion, or being healthier than everyone. Which are all great reasons, and makes me wish I had a better one than the fact that my taste buds never adjusted. Now back to the topic.
I never was fond of foods with a high protein content. I am not nuts about nuts. However, I always fancied cashews, and decided they would be my main source of protein. Later on I found out they were really seeds from the poisonous when eaten raw tropical cashew fruit, go figure. I bought them in bulk at Fred Meyers, and there were a few rancid ones which I managed to pick around. I knew the importance of vitamin C to help me absorb the iron, so I decided on buying clementine cuties. For those who aren't a fan, they are smaller, sweeter, and tangier versions of an orange. At that time in my life I couldn't care less about variety. Cashews and clementines seemed like all I needed. Also water of course, plenty of water.
My diet lasted a month, which is surprising when I look back on it. The results were different than what I expected. I lost forty pounds, which was disappointing. I had a nice womanly figure before, and my clothes fit well. Afterwards none of my jeans fit, but at least my bra size stayed about the same. I had transformed from an hourglass into cone in one month. It may be shallow, but I missed the attention I got walking down the halls in summer school. Also, the last day my lips were chapped and hurt when I touched them. During that month I had intense cravings. At summer school, the snack bar tempted me with it's chocolate chip muffins. I succumbed to their chocolaty goodness a few times I'll admit. I had a dream about cheese. The cheese was just a mirage, and I woke up shaking. I knew there was cheese downstairs in the fridge, but restrained myself, and stuffed my face with cashews instead. I knew that my skin would clear up somewhat, but not to the extent that it did. I looked airbrushed for the first time since I was a baby. One result I didn't see coming was the disappearance of my dark eye circles, which made my complexion look radiant.
Despite the negative side effects and giving in, I didn't regret this experiment. I reached my goals if only temporarily. Later I would learn about the Paleo diet, and how balance plays a big role in over all health, not just partial. A quick overview of the Paleo diet. It's what our ancestors ate before the agricultural revolution. Anything that requires cooking to become edible is ruled out. This would technically rule out cashews, except that only their shell is poisonous and can easily be avoided. The diet includes grass fed meat and eggs, seafood, vegetables, fruit, herbs, nuts, seeds, and water. As you can tell this sounds like a dead end for a vegetarian. It's not, and I plan to be living proof one day when I decide to put down the block of cheese for good.
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