Hi All,

After going LC (mostly paleo) in October and losing almost 20 lbs over several months, I found out that I was pregnant in February. I am embarassed to admit that I gave in to some cravings and I was so nauseated for a few months that I just ate what sounded good... mostly fruit juice and some crackers.

Now that I'm feeling better, I am trying to get back to my paleo ways. When I initially went LC, I cut out all carbs at once. I fet pretty bad for a week or so, but then it was easy. I don't really want to go through that again, and especially not while I'm pregnant. I've decided to slowly cut out the bad foods. I dropped wheat two weeks ago.. now I'm about to cut something else, but not sure what.

Does anyone else have any experience with a slow weaning to paleo rather than cutting everything all at once? What are the worst non-paleo foods; the ones that should be cut first? I already know that wheat was the worst and I am feeling a lot better, but I'm not sure what to cut next. Any thoughts? I also tend to go into ketosis pretty easily, and right now I would like to avoid that.

Thanks!

Personally, I reckon the first things you'd probably want to cut back are gluten foods, dairy and high fructose foods (whether from processed stufff, or more natural foods such as agave syrups, dried fruit products, fruit juices - fructose increases insulin resistance so could increase the risk of gestational diabetes plus it causes fatty liver disease).

Paleo doesn't have to be low-carb. Potato chips fall under some definitions of Paleo! Enjoy the carbs you can have (mostly root vegetables), and maybe that'll make it easier to get rid of the gluten and dairy.

If you're finding it hard to give up those two, I wouldn't worry about fruit. Berries are coming in season anyway, and they're relatively low in fructose.

Interesting.. I never thought of potatoes as being a paleo food. I'd be curious to hear how many people here eat them.

I do think that a next step after wheat is added sugar other than fruit. Berries are a great idea as they're not too high in fructose and will help with the sweet tooth.

Honestly, giving everything up at once is a bit easier because I detox and get it all out of my system. Just don't think I can do that now..

I'd keep the fruit, other than maybe the super-sweet tropical kinds. I'm not a big believer in the "fructose is evil" theory, but it's kind of beside the point anyway. If you want to stay out of ketosis during pregnancy, you'll have to get a substantial amount of carbs from somewhere, and eating 5 lb. of carrots isn't all that practical.

I don't see how potato chips could ever be considered paleo.

Most paleo eaters are a bit soft and bend the rues a lot, but that is ridiculous...

I think potato chips are just as paleo as skinless chicken breasts basted with flax oil. For me it's less a matter of principle and more a matter of what's likely to make you sick. In my experience, unless people have nightshade problems, potato chips don't cause the digestive, hormonal and neural problems that grains do.

Are you trying to justify eating potato chips?

Potato is not paleo, flax oil is not paleo and skinless chicken breast is a poor food choice.


Potatoes contain anti nutrients (saponins/glykoalkaloids) - solanine and alpha shikonin, which increase gut permeability which may contribute to autoimmune diseases.

Quote from: Wikipedia
Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family, such as potatoes. It can occur naturally in any part of the plant, including the leaves, fruit, and tubers. It is very toxic even in small quantities. Solanine has both fungicidal and pesticidal properties, and it is one of the plant's natural defenses.

Quote from: Wikipedia
Glycoalkaloids are a family of poisons commonly found in the plant species Solanum dulcamara (nightshade).[1] There are several glycoalkaloids (alkaloids + sugars) that are potentially toxic. A prototypical glycoalkaloid is called solanine (sugar [solanose] + alkaloid [solanidine] = solanine), which is found in potatoes. The alkaloidal portion of the glycoalkaloid is also generically referred to as an aglycone. The intact glycoalkaloid is poorly absorbed from the GI tract but causes GI irritation. The aglycone is absorbed and is believed to be responsible for observed nervous system signs. Glycoalkaloids are bitter tasting, and produce a burning irritation in the back of the mouth and side of the tongue when eaten.

Saponins are very strong adjuvants and may be used by the body to develop vaccines against it's own tissue.

I don't eat potatoes because I don't respond well to nightshades and they are way too high in carbs for me.

But I heard that cooking a potato destroys most of the properties to a negligble amount. I don't know for sure... feel free to correct me!

However, root vegetables can definitely be a part of a hunter-gatherer diet, in my book. I prefer to eat them sparingly and in moderation, and mostly during the winter and fall--- a time when they would have been really useful to a group. They could squirrel them away and they would stay useable for a really long time.

But, I am more of a sedentary hunter-gatherer type--not a nomadic one.

To the OP, I think root vegetable is a great idea to fill out carb cravings-- maybe look for beet chips, turnip chips, or rutabaga (mashed, roasted, baked, fried--whatever) to do the job.

I have also been making nut flour cakes and they are wonderful!

More importantly, potato chips are fried. Frying was not invented during the paleolithic era. Late paleo peoples may have eaten roots, but not those in the nightshade family. They would have been more like parsnips, true yams (Dioscorea ), or turnips probably.

But I think in transition the main focus should be eliminating ALL processed foods. A banana >>>> crackers or fruit juice. If it's in a box or plastic packaging, throw it out (haha, I'm not counting bagged salad, but salad from the farmers market is better anyway).

I think a good transition diet would be like the Kitavan diet documented here and here. It includes sweet potatoes, fruit, fish, greens, and coconut. It's more affordable too.

I think pan frying/saute-ing or roasting is probably the closest to the way that roots were prepared... not deep frying (invented by egyptians in 2500bc, apparently!). maybe boiled in stews as well.

But when you are pregant, I really think picking your battles is key. I would get rid of the grains and the dairy, and go easy on yourself about the rest of it.... you don't need to be stressing you and your little fetus out

Oh, and grilling over and open fire is pretty oldschool... but I'm not sure you will be wanting to do that when you're pregnant-- but maybe you do!

Parsnips can be pretty poisonous at times, I doubt Paleo people ate too many of them. They get a lot of psoralens when they've been exposed to frost.

parsnips are also relatively high in carbs

Same goes for nearly every tuber it seems...all are toxic to some degree. I was just reading about taro for example. I think I read something that said that hunter-gatherers started using them first during famines only and as they transitioned to larger populations they had to rely on them more and more. Same goes for acorns and chestnuts too on an added note.