Going primal – Quitting the diet mentality

July 15, 2010

By Kristen

Flickr Photo by kteague

I have to admit that even as someone who has not been a serial dieter, I was inspired by AndreAnna’s recent post at Bodies in Motivation.

I’ve done my fair share of eating low-fat and fat-free foods, as well as just generally obsessing about what I eat and how much I exercise. I also understand the function of low-fat and fat-free foods in our society as well as in the diets of some people.

But I think that they can definitely be abused and overused. And I’m a firm believer that managing portions of whole, healthy, real foods is much better for you and your body than eating a bunch of fat-free or low-fat foods.

And as someone who has no sense of portion size, it’s tempting to be sucked into that mindset.

Needless to say, that’s not exactly what her post is about. You’ll need to read it yourself to glean more. But let’s just say that living a primal life, a life with no “dieting” for three weeks, definitely had an affect on her. And it’s definitely something for all of us to think about.

Granted, it’s not a completely simple lifestyle choice. From my brief reading, you cut out a lot of different foods in your diet for various reasons – many foods that are pretty common in most American diets.

Not everyone can just simply drop grains out of their regular eating rotation. It’s a challenge.

But I will say those foods are also high on the allergen lists. And I’m not surprised that by cutting them out they have a dramatic and positive affect on the body.

I realize that a primal diet isn’t for everyone. Heck, right now, it’s definitely not for me. But I’ve done stuff like this before – a Macrobiotic diet. A Total Elimination Diet while breastfeeding. A vegan diet.

And I’ve always felt great while doing them.

Of course, it seems odd to call them “diets” when the idea is to rid yourself of “the diet.” But I think the difference is obvious. It’s a lifestyle change.

But there’s something to be said about making good, wholesome choices and staying away from the loads of crap that we put in our bodies every single day under the guise of “food.”

You can learn more about AndreAnna’s primal lifestyle and the primal diet at her blog Primal Matriarch.