If you're not eating a paleo diet already, I'd like to invite you to join our 30-Day Paleo Challenge. I'm setting the official start date as June 1, which means those who participate will be paleo for the entire month of June.
30 day challenges are quite popular in the paleo/primal community. This is in part because most people can commit to a mere 30 days, and because that gives your body plenty of time to start to notice real changes in weight, body composition and general health. Some folks who have access to medical testing have gone so far as to have blood profiles done before and after the 30 day period to show the improvements a paleo diet can cause in various measures. I would LOVE to see someone do this here, but all I'm really asking is that you give the plan a shot for 30 days.
Typically, a 30 day period lets people see how their normal diet leads to health issues that are normally just under the radar - they impact your life daily, but in ways that it's not always easy to tease out of your normal daily experience. For example, many people are mildly allergic or in some way sensitive to dairy or grains, and they may have sinus issues, generalized aches and pains, sore joints, or digestive problems. During a 30 day paleo diet, many people find that a lot of these ailments fade or disappear entirely because the root cause was dietary. Once the 30 day period is over, you may feel so good you'll want to keep it paleo. On the other hand, once your system is clear of the irritants in your normal diet, you can slowly add certain non-paleo foods back in to see how well you tolerate them. This can help you isolate which non-paleo foods are the biggest problem for you.
I think this is a relatively convenient time to do a challenge like this. It's summer time, and there are plenty of fresh fruits and veggies in season. It's also really easy to do paleo-style cooking if you barbecue or cook out a lot. Heck, it's meat and vegetables - you don't get much more grill-friendly than that! Also, June 1-30 is nestled between the two main summer holidays in the US, so if you plan on partying and eating with wild abandon on Memorial Day weekend or the 4th of July, you can still stick to strict paleo in between.
I'll be posting some helpful bits and pieces leading up to the big kickoff, such as handy shopping lists and meal ideas. Also, I welcome any of your questions as to what is and isn't part of the paleo eating plan so you can be as successful as possible. I expect you will be surprised with the results in weight loss and well-being. Some people also find their grocery bill drops a bit, since you're buying fresh meat and vegetables instead of pre-packaged "food" in expensively designed boxes.
More to come as the countdown progresses.
Good luck and happy foraging!
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