Paleo Paleo Paleo

The Paleo Diet

This is a diet I have mentioned many times before but i've never really spoken about it in much depth. I thought i'd do a little more research into it and share my findings with you as a lot of people have been asking about it and how it benefits me and my MS.

It's all about discipline as well as enjoying and experimenting with the foods you can eat. This diet is great for anyone who wants to live a more naturally healthy lifestyle and wake up feeling energised on a daily basis.

The Paleo Diet is based on our hunter-gatherer ancestors and their diet. Understandably we don't need to hunt for our food so it's about making choices which reflect this historical diet.

I find so many diet websites confusing to understand and are usually bombarded with advertisements to buy their books and products so I hope to give a clear understanding below of what the Paleo Diet is all about in a more simplistic manner. It's more of a lifestyle change than a 'diet' as such.

So what does this 'diet' consist of?

- High intake of protein
- Low intake of carbohydrates
- High fibre intake
- Moderate to higher intake of GOOD fats (monounsaturated and Omega-3 fats)
- Higher potassium intake than sodium
- High intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants


What can I eat?

- Grass-fed meats (not grain-fed meats)
- Fowl
- Wild fish (not farmed fish)
- Eggs
- Vegetables (the darker the better)
- Oil (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil)
- Fruits (try those with thinner skins such as grapes and berries and again the darker the better)
- Nuts (Almonds are great!)
- Sweet potato
- coconut milk, almond milk

What can't I eat?

- Legumes (peanuts included)
- Dairy
- Gluten, Wheats, Grains
- Salt
- Refined sugar
- Processed foods - Takeaways, packet meals, anything bleached or artificial
- White potato


Want some tips?

- Eat little and often - SMALLER portions every 3-4 hours
- Drink green tea and water throughout the day
- Don't overload on fruit...it may be natural but contains high levels of fructose (sugar = carbs = fat)
- Don't be conned by 'gluten-free' foods, these are still processed and unhealthy
- Give it a go for at least 1 month to see results.
- Just because you eat one bad thing doesn't mean you have to write off the day entirely. Keep going!
- If you DO somehow find yourself eating 'bad' food...make the bad food gluten free at least... GF and Dairy Free dark choc, GF Pitta Bread and honey. Be realistic. It's better to be semi healthy than totally unhealthy.


Food Diary

Keeping a food diary can be a great way of monitoring how certain foods affect you. Think of the benefits of being able to look back at what you've eaten over a 5 - 8 week period. I write mine on a word document which I keep on my home and work computer and I've made it a habit of filling it out as the day goes on. BE HONEST: DONT BE SCARED TO LIST YOUR MISTAKES.. this will help you see where you may be going wrong or highlight 'good days'.
There are some great apps to help you track your intake of food such as My Fitness Pal.

I've been loosely following this diet since January however I don't feel i've been doing as well as I should.  I'm going to do a 30 day food diary and set myself some guidelines in terms of going to the gym and setting targets. For me it isn't about losing weight, as i actually want to gain muscle, so I will set some body fat percentage loss targets as well as some simple ones like eating clean for AT LEAST 5 days consecutively.

Most importantly you need to ENJOY the Paleo way of life. There are some amazing recipe books out there which can really help inspire you with your cooking. Happy eating!

P x

"UM...."

I'v been given the all clear to start steroids tomorrow!! 500mg a day for 5 days.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....This makes me SO happy because I might actually be able to see properly again. I had to abandon driving today as it just became too hard and dangerous.

P xx

MS Information Day - Elstree

ONE BIG HAPPY MS FAMILY!

I had a fabulous day at the Holiday Inn in Elstree today for the MS Education Day. It was full of interesting messages, information and new faces which was lovely. I can barely see the screen again so the video post is below. 

P x

I Dare You

"I dare you to live out your dreams. I dare you to get out of your comfort zone. I dare you to make people turn their heads because you're fit and you're on fire!

I DARE YOU. 

Challenge yourself, go out of your comfort zone and push yourself just that little bit each day. 

I can't stress enough how bang on Tesco's has it....EVERY LITTLE HELPS! 

You don't have to be an athlete to have this mentality...This work ethic will help you FIGHT MS. 

#MSSWAG

P x

If the cure to blindness was looking foolish would you risk it?

Yes I will risk looking foolish to cure my loss of sight....so here goes! 

(By the way: Documenting my progress isn't because I want to make myself 'public' and have people feel sorry for me... It's to raise awareness as well as keep track of my progress and development as this is a long term condition)

"Imagine if you were blind, complete darkness, no colours, no views, no beauty, just pitch black"

"If pushing yourself to your limits could give you sight..."

"If there was a cure, would you let anything stand in your way?"

"Do you really want to succeed?

Would you really care if they mocked you, laughed at you, pointed at you or bad mouthed you?

Would you be concerned about your extreme goal or just embrace the extreme work?"

P x

I C U

YO! So I have been rather ill the past few weeks...hence lack of posts and not just that but I've had trouble seeing out of my right eye due to a relapse. So using my computer etc hasn't been on my list of things to do recently.... It's actually still really painful so i'll keep it brief and post a really lame video highlighting all things I want to say :) Remember: STAY POSITIVE

P X

"I can't accept not trying"

I'm listening to: 

GRIMES - SKIN

I don't know about you, but I quite often have to battle my way out of negative mind sets.
I'm overly positive because I have to be. I'm using this obstacle which has been put in my way to my advantage. Rather than struggling to drag it everywhere I go, i'm slowly training myself to pick it up and  move it aside.

Don't be consumed and don't let every day become a constant battle to be on top. 
Days, moths and years will go by, but train your mind to let it come naturally.

Don't get me wrong, I find it SO hard sometimes, but i'm constantly reminded by great people in my life that I need to keep going. If I fall or slow down or struggle, thats ok as long as i've tried to get back up again.. (something I learned today because I wasn't trying to get back up).

"I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan / My PT today

Todays TRAGIC gym session went from bad to worse to good.  As mentioned, my current relapse has caused me to lose feeling in my right arm, hand, chest and back. This means every time I go to put the damn lid back on my bottle of water, and can't, I'm reminded of my situation and frustration kicks in. I'm almost started crying in the middle of the gym! In fact, i'm sure I shed a tear or two on those rubber mats.

After wasting some time being grumpy and arguing with my personal trainer, I decided not to waste the last 15 minutes of my session (or more I was TOLD I wasn't to waste the last of the session)..either way it worked and when I found out the exercise I was about to do is how Jodie Marsh trains, I quickly perked up and decided to release my inner body builder...

Now, having said all this... I can feel my shoulder again! My right boob and right arm are still quite numb but hey...I can feel my shoulder so left thumbs up!

P x

Miami Heat

Heat and MS:

*Heat causes MS patients to experience heat intolerance

What does it feel like?

- Decreased cognitive functions

- Numbness 

- Fatigue

- Blurred Vision

- Tremor

- Weakness

EVEN A SLIGHT INCREASE OF AS LITTLE AS 1/4 OR 1/2 DEGREE IN THE BODY'S CORE TEMPERATURE CAN CAUSE HEAT INTOLERANCE

It's definitely going to be a while before I'm back on the beach roasting myself, lying in the sun reading, hours passing by as my skin gets gradually more crisp and honey glazed! 

I'm incredibly sensitive to heat these days and even the recent rise in temperature in London has set off some inflammations somewhere in my brain or spinal chord. I believe that might be the cause of this recent relapse where i've lost a little feeling in my upper right side. This just means asking mummy to carry on paying for weekly massages, organic food and of course help me out with the Personal Training costs! Thanks mama :) Love you. 

The really annoying thing is that Vitamin D (the vitamin you get from sunlight) is actually vital in preventing relapses! So I can have sun but not the heat...Catch 22.

I'm thinking... 

Skiing holidays, British SummerBeach Days, Cornwall, Brighton, New York, City Breaks, Lake District, Paris, Germany, Water Sports!

I'm taking a moment to reminisce about my past holidays and my love for tanning...knowing I wont be going on a sunny holiday this year did upset me for a moment or two but I have more exciting, slightly different things lined up for a summer in the UK. Watch this space...

Reminisce with me...

P x

*ref 1. (http://ms.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/heat_intoleranc.htm)

"I've fallen head over heels in LOVE with the City" - NYC

That's right...I made it back in one piece! The Nemo arm is back BUT I have a new found love for New York City - excluding the excess dairy, carbs and gluten of course.

As much as I like to be unique, different, stand out... I am essentially your typical young 23 year old girl with a love for all things fashion. So of course I fell head over heels in LOVE with Manhattan.

Sex and the City style... Labels and Love. 

What is there not to love about the city?

G.L.A.M.O.R.O.U.S

I literally forgot all about my MS... I ran free and wild across the city. I saw (almost) everything I wanted to see but each day I thought i'd crossed things off my list, more popped up. This city is never ending. Every corner you turn and every person you meet has someplace new and undiscovered to take you.

The highlight of the trip had to be standing at the top of the Rockefeller Centre at 9am on a clear blue sky morning looking over Manhattan and it's infamous Central Park. I'm not lying when I say it actually made me emotional! Much to many peoples amusement, it's been an actual dream of mine to see this exact view. I've wanted to stand so high above the city and look over New York City for so long, I always imagined it would fill me with inspiration, and boy did it. A silence and peace came over me when I stood and looked over the skyscrapers so small. They looked so 'regular' from the Top of the Rock. Like a lego land. A play town.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU REALLY LOOK OVER THE CITY?

I FEEL...

EMPOWERED HUMBLED INSPIRED LOVED RAW ENERGISED CLEANSED CLEAR FRESH START PASSION MOTIVATED DREAM ROMANCE ENDLESS COURAGE DETERMINATION I SEE SUCCESS FREEDOM LIMITLESS

NEW YORK put a lot of things in to perspective for me. I let myself have fun, I let go and I did what I wanted to do. I went out and I had fun, I ate all the foods I wanted to eat and I did all the shopping I wanted to do. I've had to pay for it because I'm currently going through what I believe to be a minor relapse... I've gradually lost feeling in my right arm, right side of my back and chest and have started dropping things again. I REFUSE point blank to let this affect my life in a negative way. SO...back to the gym i trot...back on the rabbit food and Fiji water...but IT IS ALL WORTH IT.

I will happily live an overly cautious and healthy lifestyle 90% of the year if it means I can fulfil goals like the one to go to New York for the other 10%. Having MS doesn't mean you can't have it all...It means you have to be more disciplined in how you go about getting it. It's a clever illness and it's one which likes to challenge and push you to your limits, so I say; take on the challenge and beat MS.

I won't bore you with my entire trip...but please do enjoy a few photos I took and tell me...

WHAT DO YOU SEE AND FEEL WHEN YOU REALLY LOOK?

I see a really happy girl. I don't see MS.

P x