Rebecca is pretty standard in her food tastes and since she doesn’t cook much, this can be bonus. It can also be boring and can lead to unhealthy food choices….have you noticed how a whole lot of the stuff that falls into the “grabbing something to eat” category is junk? And expensive junk, too. Badness all around; from the pocketbook to the waistline. So, unless you are lucky enough to have a chef, ya gotta shop smart and actually cook to have a decent diet.
Oh, and make an investment in quality fridge/freezer containers with lids you can actually keep track of. When you are not cursing in the tupperware drawer you will thank me for this piece of advice.
Since puberty Rebecca has struggled with her weight. The struggle worsened when she moved to her own apartment and the combination of ready cash, some unfortunate social interactions and not really liking to cook have made for, shall we say, “issues”.
A good therapist and the appropriate antidepressant, limited access to cash, hiring good staff (that is a whole ‘nother post) and vigilance on the part of her sibs and myself are providing a safe and healthy framework. If you are reading this and you have a special needs person in your life, this all didn’t happen over night and it is an ongoing process with many opportunities to beat oneself up along the way. Do not be discouraged; it is worth it….we are not going to live forever and the goal is to help our family members be as happy, safe and healthy as possible. Hey…isn’t that what we all want?
But I digress.
While Rebecca became more fit, she still suffered from low energy and napped frequently during the day in spite of sleeping well at night. I blamed her anti-seizure meds for this but now I am not so sure they were the culprit. Taking her off of them was not an option so I re-visited what she was (and was not) eating. I wondered….would incorporating Paleo principles into her eating pattern keep her body from diving into a sugar/grain-based coma?
As i was modifying my diet, it was easy to introduce Paleo to Rebecca when she came to my place. Once she picked out favorite meals, we shopped, cooked one or two days a week and filled her fridge and freezer. (This is where the good food storage containers come in). I explained the rationale for this change to her staff and we started a recipe binder at Rebecca’s apartment. She doesn’t drink alcohol so that part was easy and we made Paleo-friendly pancakes and waffles. Sarah perfected a chicken enchilada recipe and so far that is Rebecca’s favorite.
I have cookbooks ordered but for right now, this is where menus and ingredient lists live; the recipe holder made by William when he was a Cub Scout is still in service!
It’s been about a month since we first changed eating habits and these are the benefits I have seen thus far:
Rebecca rarely naps during the day and she also gets up earlier in the mornings.
Shopping with menus in mind has decreased her grocery bill.
The surprise in all of this was the disappearance of the random abdominal cramping that used to make her quite uncomfortable; she has not complained about that since she stopped consuming cereals and bread.
So far, being “Paleo-ish” has been fun. Rebecca seems to feel better and I know I do. We shall see where this leads us; I look forward to reporting on the progression of the Wholam Paleo Diet Clinical Trial as the data rolls in!
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