Paleo Cookbook For Dummies (19 page)

Alcohol

Although no alcoholic beverages are superfoods, some are definitely better than others. When you want the occasional happy hour beverage, these Paleo drinks fit the bill because they don't have gluten:

Organic red wine

Organic white wine

Organic sparkling wine

Potato vodka

Tequila

Rum

Choose drier wines, which have less sugar. Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot are good red choices; for white wines, try Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño.

If you have a digestive disorder of some type, you should avoid alcohol 100 percent of the time because it can further damage your gut.

Chapter 4

Launching the 30-Day Reset

In This Chapter

Introducing the 30-Day Reset

Embracing great Paleo foods during the first 30 days

Getting the hang of Paleo portion sizing

Clarifying common Reset questions

This chapter is about resetting your body so it functions at a higher level. When your body recalibrates, you start naturally losing fat, your eyes brighten, and your skin glows. You begin to think more clearly, and your mood lifts. All these benefits are yours when you create a healthy environment and provide your body with deep, sufficient nutrition.

Just think of it this way: Where there is waste, there is weight. Where there is deficiency, there is illness. The Paleo Reset is your answer to all these situations. Your body fine-tunes and refines to a healthier state.

When your body isn't working hard to deal with what it doesn't need, it focuses on getting you more of what you do need. You get healthier, stronger, and leaner. When you take the time to clear out your body's waste, you'll be shocked how your body composition begins to change and your energy skyrockets.

The best way to transition to a Paleo lifestyle and diet is with a 30-Day Reset. In this chapter, I explain the Reset and its benefits beyond simply getting you on the Paleo track. I also highlight specific foods and portions that are appropriate during the 30-Day Reset, and I answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the Reset and how it will work for you.

What's a Paleo Reset Anyway?

A
Paleo Reset
is a way of eating for 30 days that creates the healthiest possible environment in your body for you to have long-term success with living Paleo. The Reset helps you achieve all the positive benefits of a Paleo lifestyle like losing weight, boosting immunity, healing conditions, and feeling energized and youthful. A Paleo Reset isn't a powder, a liquid, or pills you take hoping to clean out your system.

The fluid around your cells is your
internal milieu,
and this fluid must be healthy for you to be healthy. Think of your body like a fish tank. The water in your tank is your internal milieu. When you eat healthy and balanced food, you nourish this milieu; when you eat poorly, you clog and acidify this system, your cells become like sludge, and you look and feel toxic — like fish trying to survive in a dirty tank. The Paleo Reset helps clean out your fish tank and gives you a clean, fresh start.

I know the Paleo Reset seems intimidating. I know it seems strict and even hard. But remember what's truly hard: healing your body of serious disease or going through the depression of knowing that you're not living your life because you're tired, in pain, or overweight. From this perspective, 30 days is just a drop in the bucket. The Reset is challenging, and it's going to take some grit, but it's well worth the effort to get from where you are now to where you want to be.

Reaping the benefits of the Reset

When you commit to the 30-Day Reset, you jump-start your body's improvement in every way. Your body begins

Eliminating toxins:
When you drink plenty of water, toxins leave through liver, lungs, intestines, and kidneys.

Slaying your sugar cravings:
You're breaking sugar addiction, and your body is switching to using fat for fuel rather than using sugar and sugary carbohydrates.

Getting your gut health in order:
Every 21 days, your intestinal cells turn over (regenerate). All the
nutrient dense
foods (foods with lots of nutrients compared to their calories) you feed your body during the Reset provide the best raw material to form the healthiest cells possible.

Reducing inflammation:
The healthy fats and clean foods of the Reset quiet inflammation throughout your entire body. This concept is one of the cornerstones of eating Paleo.

Rebuilding and healing:
All the structures and functions of your body begin to strengthen.

Balancing your fatty acids:
Your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids improves, which is great for reducing inflammation.

Optimizing your metabolism:
The balance of
macronutrients
(the protein, carbohydrates, and fat that provide you with energy) helps you create an efficient metabolism.