Organic v. All Natural

Since starting Paleo I have become a label reading Nazi.  I read labels everywhere, for everything, and if there is something in there that I don't recognize or doesn't seem possible without processing, I usually put it back.

Obviously this means I spend a fair amount of time in the little health market part of Dillons (as well in the actual health market, Natural Grocers, across the street).  And this also means that I spend a fair amount of time distinguishing between "organic" and "all natural".

My husband has, on a few occasions, brought home groceries very proud of himself because he thought he'd stayed within paleo, only to find that I can't eat all of it afterall.  Why?  Because "organic" is not necessarily Paleo.

Here's an example:  One night we were at Dillons looking for some stewed tomatoes.  We looked at lots of options, including Dillons' Simple Truth brand of organic products but most all of them had calcium carbonide in there as a preservative.  So, being the compliant Paleo participant that I am, they were out.  And the husband was really surprised because he had assumed that organic meant they were good.

So what's the difference?  Organic refers to the cultivation process.  For something to be "organic" it has to be grown or raised without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, etc.  Organic does not refer to what happens to the food after it leaves the farm.

"All natural" on the other hand generally refers to food which not only does not have the synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, etc., but also has been minimally processed - which is what Paleo is all about.

For the record, organic has a legal definition.  However, "all natural" doesn't have a legal definition so it can mean a lot of things.   Organic is a good thing, but it doesn't always automatically translate into Paleo.  And this is why I am an obsessive label reader. 

30 Days Come and Gone

Holy busy couple of weeks, Batman!  I've been busy at work, busy with charity stuff, and now busy with this awesome Leadership Lawrence program!  I've been so busy, in fact, that my I passed right on by my first 30 days of Paleo and didn't have time to comment. 

I can't remember what I put in my very first post but when I started this grand adventure, I implemented an arbitrary 30 day "trial period."  I would dive in head first to Paleo, no cheats, no 80/20 balance, full compliance with Paleo for 30 days to get used to this new life style and see if I could keep it up.  I also swore not to get on the scale for 30 days (other an a pre-Paleo weigh in). 

Well Day 30 was last week.  It was pretty uneventful in terms of Paleo (though I did make a pretty tasty spin off of this eggplant mushroom curry).  And I didn't have time to get to the gym for a weigh in until the weekend.

So, after 30 days, how's it going?

AWESOME!

I feel so much better.  I sleep better.  I have more energy.  I eat less at meal times and I almost never snack anymore.  I stay fuller longer.  I don't get that sleepy 2:30 in the afternoon thing anymore.  I've only had two migraines since I started.  In short, AWESOME.

And, what did the scale say?

I'm down 10 pounds since starting.  Honestly, when I look in the mirror, I don't really see it.  But I can feel it in how my pants fit.  And several very kind souls at work have commented that they can see the weight loss. 

So, needless to say, I'm going to stick with it.  The hard part now will be allowing myself the 80/20 balance.  I'll probably continue sticking to it pretty closely but I need to learn how to relax a little bit and not feel the need to read every label all the time.  One organic corn chip won't derail this train.