College, a.k.a. Candyland, a.k.a. Gluten and Sugar Fest

College should be renamed "gluten and sugar fest" or, perhaps, Candyland. Almost every event I go to has pizza, cookies, soda, cupcakes, chips, sandwiches, pretzels, ice cream... the list goes on. It's no surprise, then, that there's the "freshman fifteen" or just general weight-gain when some people go off to college due to the copious amount of craptastic food. Why eat healthy when you can just live on the free pizza at club meetings or the free pastries and soda at major campus events?

This is Candyland. It probably has the same sugar content as the food at some campus events:

Sigh.

It doesn't bother me that it's everywhere-- after more than a year and a half of Paleo/Primal, I got over the sugar cravings a long time ago. It does bother me, however, when there are no Paleo options at a huge food event on campus (or elsewhere, for that matter). Yesterday, my school's president hosted a Junior Welcome Back Picnic-- I went to the one for sophomores last year, and I had a ton of Paleo options (vegetable kabobs, berries, high-qualities cheeses [nom, brie!], chicken, burgers...), so I went this year. I had one option: the mini burgers (sans bun). And since the place was completely packed, there wasn't really the option of getting more than two of the tiny patties. Pssh-- those wouldn't keep anyone full!

So I was a little frustrated and ended up at the dining hall afterward anyway. Fine. But you know what bothers me more than lack of options? People that question the way I eat. When I ordered those mini burgers without the bun, the guy in front of me gave me this look and was like, "No bun? Seriously?" to which I responded, "Yeah. Gluten is evil." Then I walked away.

Since becoming Paleo, I've gotten a lot of comments from people about my decision not to eat like crap. I went to an event last year and didn't have a piece of cake, and a bunch of people were absolutely horrified, saying things like, "What do you mean, you don't eat cake!? How could you not eat cake!? That's crazy!" Or every time my friends and I go out for Indian (my favorite cuisine), people always comment on the fact that I don't eat rice, naan, or any of the desserts. Why!? I don't say things like, "Oh my god, you're eating cake/rice/cookies/pizza! How could you possibly eat cake/rice/cookies/pizza? That's crazy!" (However, I do think to myself that they are crazy for eating that crap-- I just keep my thoughts to myself, because food is definitely an individual choice and no one should tell you how to eat. That being said, if someone asks my opinion on said crappy foods, I will most certainly speak up!) So why is healthy eating questioned? Why do people feel the need to comment?

That's why it was so nice attending a Paleo seminar with Diane from Balanced Bites last weekend at CrossFit Center City (Philly). Not only did I learn an absolute ton of information about nutrition, but it my first time meeting Paleo people-- and it was even cooler meeting some big-name bloggers like Stacy from Paleo Parents and Kristin from Fast Paleo. (Paleo enthusiasts actually exist outside of the internet!!!! Ahhhh!!!! So exciting!!!!!) Having lunch there without any sugar or gluten in sight was amazing-- everyone was eating real food, and no one was questioning my food choices.

One of the things I love the most about the Paleo community is that we share a lot of the same experiences-- we all know how it feels when people question our decisions to avoid grains ("But how can you possibly be healthy without whole grains!? They're so good for you!!"), to eat fat ("You're going to get heart disease and become obese!"), to pass on sugary crap ("Oh, just one bite won't kill you!"), to not believe in anything the USDA says ("But you have to follow the food pyramid!"), to not eat grain-fed cows and chickens ("But vegetarian-fed animals are so healthy!")... We've all heard it before, and we know just how annoying it is when we get bombarded with questions about our lifestyle from people who only know what Dr. Oz and their doctors tell them. So to spend the day last weekend with members of the Paleo community who all understand my frustrations with people who feel the need to question how I eat? Priceless.

I'm an anomaly on campus. I don't support the Candyland-style approach to college eating, but I will never make a comment to those who do. It's not my place, and it shouldn't be their place to question my approach to eating either.

Quote of the Day:

"I call wheat one of Satan's excrements, throwing off fructose and linoleic acid in there too..." -Robb Wolf, Episode 95

SAD (and Other Acronyms)

I've noticed over the last few months that the longer I follow the Paleo/Primal/Caveman/Real Food lifestyle, the more horrified I become with the Standard American Diet. Since becoming a health and nutrition enthusiast during the last year, I cannot believe that I ate like that for nineteen years (minus the millions of dieting attempts). It's no coincidence that the acronym for Standard American Diet is SAD-- it's sad that so many health problems are caused by it, and it's sad that so many people still follow it!

(If you choose to follow the Standard American Diet, I will not condemn you. I will, however, worry about your health and offer my advice about healthier eating if the conversation arises... and I'll probably advocate eating Paleo/Primal as well.)

So what brought about today's post about the SAD (besides my need for a midterm study break)? I was sitting in class and the guy in front of me was eating lunch. Normally I don't really notice when people are eating in class, but the smells of some of the components of his SAD lunch were absolutely overwhelming-- I don't think I've ever had a reaction like that to foods that used to be staples in my pre-Paleo days. This guy had a PB&J sandwich on white bread, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, a biscotti, and a Coke. Fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, and more fake. There is nothing Paleo-approved in any of that "food"! How did I used to eat like that?!

I find it fascinating that since I've replaced bread with beef, Doritos with deviled eggs, and biscottis with blueberries, I've stopped all junk-food cravings... and that was thirteen months ago today. Any time I dieted, I spent all of my time wishing I was eating sugary, starchy foods instead, but this has not occurred since turning Paleo-- hell, now I just crave meat, fruits, and veggies. This lifestyle (rather than just another diet) broke my sugar addiction and opened my eyes (well, taste buds) to the plethora of real food options out there that I thought I didn't like because they were so far from the SAD. If you asked me a year and a half ago if I would ever eat vegetables on a daily basis, I probably would've laughed and called you insane! Me? Vegetables? Healthy foods 24/7 with no cheating? Joke! It's truly amazing how much has changed in a year though: if you ask me now if I will ever eat bread again, I'll just laugh and call you insane. Me? Bread? SAD 24/7 again? Joke!

Speaking of the Standard American Diet, I find it incredibly ironic that IHOP's National Pancake Day today raises money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. While I'm all for giving money to hospitals, isn't it kind of counterproductive to raise money by potentially causing health problems in everyone who eats those pancakes?

The Food Lovers' Primal Palate asked today via Facebook and Twitter, "In 10 words or less, what does Paleo mean to you?" I responded with the following: Eating well, looking great, feeling awesome, being healthy, permanent lifestyle. I'd say that's the exact opposite of both being sad and living on the SAD!

So because I really don't want to go back to studying, I've come up with a few acronyms for Paleo:

Powerful, Awesome, Lean Eaters Only

Protein Addicts Living (and) Eating Organic

People Avoiding Lethargy, Exhaustion, Obesity

Proud Association (of) Lively, Energetic Omnivores

Population Aware (of) Living Exclusively Outstandingly

And here are a few for Primal:

Person Realistically Imitating My Ancestors' Lifestyles

People Really Indulging (in) Meat, Animals, Lard

Quote of the Day:

"He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything." -Arabian Proverb

Something really cool: I originally saw this on Primal Palette's page, but it's popped up on multiple Paleo/Primal blogs in the last few days... Enjoy!

P.S. Art DeVany and Robb Wolf will be on ABC's Nightline tonight. Go watch!