264- Eat Like a Predator

I stumbled upon a great new Paleo/Primal blog the other day- THIS was the first post I read, and after that I was hooked.  I began reading other posts, and soon after added this page to my feed reader. 

 

A couple of days ago, I got the first new post since adding it to my reader, and wow, it was one that made me simueltaneously re-evaluate my current eating habits and wonder why I hadn't thought of this before.  The concept is so simple, I've literally been beating my forehead with the palm of my hand since reading this one tag line: "Eat like a predator, not like prey."

 

Right?  One of the major things I noticed my first go-round at Paleo and the few subsequent hard-core attempts after (including my current stretch) is that once my body adjusts to not getting its energy from carbohydrates (sugar) I can go for long periods of time without eating.  A sentiment that was echoed by this blogger (and so many other Paleo/Primal folks).  More so on weekends then during weekedays, I will forget to eat lunch.  It'll be around 4 or 5 pm, and I'll think, wait a minute, I haven't eaten since breakfast...and I'm not chewing on my arm, on the verge of tears, or so incredibly angry.  In fact, I can take food or leave it.  I usually choose take, because, hey, somethings are just programmed into DNA, you know?

 

I know there is this huge dichotomy with "going Paleo" and living in the modern world.  I mean, how far do you take the whole lifestyle?  To some people, everything is black and white.  When I explain that I'm attempting to replicate a diet of our pre-agriculture ancestors, these folks for will say for example, "ok, so you are going to cook all your meals over a fire pit and wear wooly mammoth skins?"  Where as others simply see it as a fad diet with nothing but restrictions and say things like "oh, so this is like Atkins.  You can eat all the sugar free jello and diet coke you want."  Um, no, and NO. 

 

For myself, without really realizing it, I slowly began taking on more and more "Paleo" traits, and continue to move farther away from modern situations.  Perhaps that is why, at this point in time, the thought of eating like a predator and not like prey resonnates so deep with me.  First off, I don't want to be prey.  Ever.  Never have, never will.  I knew there was a reason why I never trusted vegetarians!  Second, I don't necessarily want to be a predator, but if I have my choice of the two, I'd rather be eating then eaten.  Lastly, this way of eating sort of just happened on its own, and I haven't thought of a way to describe it until now.  Shortly after adapting a diet of meat, fat, vegetables, some fruit and nuts, the WAY that I ate changed as well.  I was not eating 3-5 small meals a day (grazing like an antelope or rabbit), instead, I find myself eating one small meal in the morning, and then one large meal later in the day (shark).  Substitute me standing at a desk for 8 hours as "the hunt" and you have me, a modern cavewoman.  Complete with an iPhone 4Gs and GAP jeans. 

 

I just find it incredibly interesting how things change- how resilient the body is when I stopped ingesting crap and started eating real food.  Its like I hit the "reboot" button on my body, and the cobwebs are clearing out.  My stomach lining and immune systems are repairing themselves from years of damage by gluten and lectins and as a result my allergies have disappeared, I have yet to get a cold.  I eat less frequently.  My body is shedding its inflammatory layers after years of damage by extra sugar, and broken insulin response.  My skin is clear and I rarely need moisturizer.  My elbows are never rough, I don't use chapstick. I'm getting stronger by lifting heavy things overhead, sprinting, jumping, pushing myself off the ground, and lots of walking.  I got rid of my chair at work and stand.  Whenever the sun is out (pretty rare here in the NW) I try to get outside to soak some up for 15 minutes or more.  During these shorter winter days, I've been getting 9-10 hours of sleep a night.  Some of these things are deliberate, others just happened because I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.