Ellington

No wheat, no dairy, no refined sugar. Corn is also off limits, as well as beans, peanuts, canola oil and any processed food. In fact, the Paleo, or Cave Man diet is so restrictive it’s probably easiest to tell you what you can eat: meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and healthy fats. Oh and eggs…lots of them.

“We probably go through about a dozen and a half per week,” laughs Anna Adamson, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom to almost 3-year-old Haddy. An enticing aroma rises from the sautéing shrimp she’s stirring in her North Chattanooga kitchen. It will later be added to a carrot ginger soup and served to her husband Zack, 28, and her twin brothers, who announced a surprise visit earlier that day. “We’re not going to tell them it’s Paleo,” she says with a smile.

It wouldn’t be the first time she’s surprised her family with her new eating regimen. Last month she won over her mother, the “pickiest eater ever,” with a coconut chicken recipe. The couple has been eating this way for about three months, and while it’s called a diet, it’s more of a lifestyle. The majority of Paleos begin for weight loss, but both Zack and Anna were in excellent shape to start, Anna recently finishing her Ashtunga yoga certification. The idea was introduced to Zack at his CrossFit gym – a high-intensity workout program. Originally a nutrition major, Anna was intrigued. Add to that her recent gluten intolerance discovery and they both decided to give it a shot.

“I had tried desperately to stay away from gluten but didn’t have a ton of motivation to keep it going,” she explains. “I was eating a lot of gluten-free breads, cookies and crackers but the taste wasn’t great and the nutrients weren’t really there.”

While Zack and Anna have always been health conscious, she recalls most of the week not eating a vegetable until dinner. Now the produce drawers in their refrigerator hardly contain all the vegetables they consume in a week. Pasta is replaced with julienned zucchini or spaghetti squash. Pureed cauliflower stands in for mashed potatoes. For breakfast, they mix eggs with red bell pepper, onions and other veggies and cook in muffin tins for mini-quiches. They still eat baked goods occasionally but conventional flour is replaced with coconut or almond flour. And while most dairy is avoided, butter is allowed.

Obviously this new lifestyle means a lot more time in the kitchen, but so far they enjoy how cooking has become an event. “I don’t know if the novelty will wear off but so far it’s been fun,” says Zack. They’ve also been pleasantly surprised with how many restaurants can accommodate their new diet. As an insurance salesman, Zack is regularly on the road but finds traditional meat-and-threes accommodating.

Of course, they have to let some of the rules slip when dining out or at someone else’s house. “We’re not trying to do it perfectly,” he says. “The overall goal is to be healthier, not be strict Paleo. We’re certainly not going to stamp our feet and refuse to eat something.”

And while they talk at length about how their diet makes them feel better and sleep sounder, they usually adopt a “don’t ask/don’t tell” approach among their friends. “You have to ask me about it,” says Zack. “We’re not trying to convert anybody.”

Even so, Anna maintains that many people have a gluten intolerance but never figure out why they constantly feel bloated, nauseous or sluggish. “People don’t realize how food makes them feel because they’ve probably been eating the same way all their lives. If you’re having problems I think you have to cut it all out to discover what works for you.”

Caveman vs. Conventional

Paleo supporters contend that our nutritional woes began when we moved from hunter/gatherer to farmer, cultivating grain and legumes. They argue that returning to the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors allows our bodies to function as they were meant to. People who follow the strict regimen find themselves faster, leaner and stronger. Illnesses such as acid reflux, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol disappear after only a few months. But nutritionist Robin Darling finds it all a little hard to swallow.

“Most dieticians don’t believe in eliminating an entire food group,” she explains. “The body uses carbohydrates for fuel and when you eliminate them, it starts burning your fat stores. Initially that’s a good thing but over time your body could also burn protein stores, which could lead to lost muscle mass.”

She also cautions that the lack of soluble fiber, found readily in beans and whole grains, could lead to digestive problems down the road. As a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator with Memorial Health System, Darling consults countless individuals in weight loss and contends it’s a very individual process. Generally speaking she recommends restricting carbohydrates to about 100 grams per day for weight loss, with fruits and non-starchy vegetables as “freebies.”

Paleos strive for anywhere from 60 to 100 grams, but every carb is counted. One thing conventional and cavemen can agree upon is the importance of whole foods and the elimination of simple carbs found in things like dessert or soda. Even so, Darling is hesitant to reinvent the wheel.

“I’ve been a dietician since ’91 and there’s always something taking the blame for weight gain,” she says. “First it was fat, then trans fat, then high-fructose corn syrup, now grains and dairy. It just makes me wonder, ‘What’s next?’”