Last summer, in an attempt to lose some weight and live a healthier lifestyle, I set out to find a diet that was effective and manageable. At first glance, the Paleo diet seemed the opposite of manageable, however following the guidelines of the Whole30, I soon found out that it was not only easier than I thought it would be, but it also made me feel better than I ever had in my life.
The Paleo diet requires that you cut out all grains, dairy, added sugar, soy, and legumes, which makes it hard to follow while living in dorms during the year. For this reason, summer was the perfect chance to try it out.
When I first told my friends that I was going to give it a shot, they all looked at me like I was crazy and asked the same question: “So, what can you eat?” I soon memorized the answer: fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, and healthy fats. Essentially, you eat only real food like the cavemen did—nothing processed, no chemicals, no packaged foods with a long list of ingredients.
Although I know that I have lost weight while following the Paleo diet, the Whole30 guidelines suggest that you don’t step on the scale at all during the process. Weight loss shouldn’t be the goal when there are so many other health benefits. The diet is a detox from all foods that the body has difficulty digesting, so when I began, I felt the effects right away.
It has been proven to help people resolve health problems ranging from back pain, to diabetes, to mental health disorders. Here are just a few of the results that I found especially amazing that led to me following the diet for the second summer in a row.
Energy
If you ask my family, they always joke that I’m mean in the morning. I have never been a morning person. Getting out of bed was always tough for me and my ability to interact with people was pretty minimal. On the Paleo diet, however, I was amazed by how much more energy I had when I woke up. It allowed me to have a much quicker and happier start to my day, which I was looking forward to experiencing for another summer.
Acne
I’ve always struggled to keep my skin clear. Before I tried the Paleo diet, I had read several articles explaining how much dairy and sugar exacerbate acne, but I never really believed it. In a matter of days without dairy and sugar, my skin was clearer and more beautiful than it had ever been.
Cravings
A huge part of the Paleo diet is eliminating the need to eat unnatural foods. I thought this would be one of the harder results to achieve as I have always had a major sweet tooth. Regardless, after just a week or two of Paleo eating, I stopped wanting to eat anything that would taste extremely sweet or artificial.
Aches and pains
When I am eating Paleo, I almost never find myself complaining of headaches or joint pain. I can move more freely which allows me to be more active and healthier than ever.
Sleeping
While on the Paleo diet I slept way better than I usually do. I used to have a hard time falling asleep and would wake up in the middle of the night. These problems vanished as soon as I started to eat better.
Weight Loss
Although it started as one of my primary goals, the weight I lost during the diet was just an added bonus to all of the other incredible benefits. Losing weight wasn’t as difficult when I was more conscious of what I was eating. Last summer, I lost more than I even expected to during the month that I did The Whole30 and this summer I had a similar experience.
The only real difficulty I had following the Paleo diet was the amount of food prep that it requires. For this reason, I can’t manage the diet while living in my college dorm, but I look forward to following the Whole30 in the summers to come. I encourage anyone who is hesitant to go Paleo to try it out—the benefits really are worth it.