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Food Frustration Strategies: Keep Calm, Stay Strong

March 22, 2019 By Angie Leave a Comment

Food Frustration Strategies

One week into the Paleo Diet.

There are hissy fits. There’s boredom and depression.

And there’s the conviction that the diet is difficult to follow if you’re not passionate about cooking.

These are issues that come up for partecipants in my Paleo Reset 31 program.

Changing habits at the best of times isn’t easy. When changing the diet, a lot of things start shifting on different levels – physically, emotionally, mentally and unconsciously – and all of them are intertwined.

Thankfully, there are strategies that can get us through the heaviest of those food frustration times.

Body / Brain : Abstinence and Withdrawal Symptoms

As a one-day sugar and carbohydrate restriction expands into a week, the body/brain suffers acute withdrawal symptoms.

Food Frustration Strategies Pin

Sugar and wheat are addictive. As with other substances which create dependancy, the sweet taste and the gliadine protein in modern wheat stimulate the opoid receptors in the brain. Through continued consumption (from morning to night, day after day, year after year), two things happen.

Firstly, the brain becomes so accustomed to the feeling of euphoria produced by the opoids that it thinks this is the normal state. When we remove the substance, the lack of stimulus results in anxiety, depression and sadness. 

Secondly, tolerance builds, so that what was once sweet is, after time, not sweet enough. Gorgeously mature strawberries and peaches, for example, need to be sprinkled with sugar in order to satisfy the tastebuds.

So, after a few days with no added sweeteners and the usual excess of carbs, it’s quite common to want to punch someone, or sit down and cry.

Food Frustration Strategies: Withdrawal

  • Don’t punch anyone. Sit down and cry if you need to.
  • If anger is coming up, direct all that energy towards combatting the Sugar Dragon and the Carbohydrate Troll. Visualizzations can be fun here.
  • If it’s depression and sadness, then dig deep into the heart of those emotions. You might be surprised what you find. The sadness of not eating cake, for example, might be intimately connected with missing a loved one with whom eating cake was a joyful time. Explore loving the memory, without needing to re-live the food.

The Unconscious Throws a Hissy Fit

At the same time, the unconscious starts to realize that the restriction isn’t an anomoly, but that you mean business.

The unconscious is a beast of habit – and most of it’s habits are formed when we’re children. It interprets change as a threat to it’s own existence, and thus resists new behaviours at all costs.

So, it starts throwing little temper tantrums: “I want bread. Now. Why can’t I have it? Alright, I’ll just be angry and stupid and make life miserable for everyone around.”

Food Frustration Strategies: the Unconscious

  • Recognise the unconscious as your Inner Child, and talk to it as such. As with any misbehaving young thing, be both gentle and firm at the same time. “No, sweetheart. I know this is tough, but we’ve got to stick it out because it’s going to make life so much better in the long term”.
  • Write a positive affirmation and repeat, repeat, repeat. Remember that the unconscious learnt all it’s current habits through a process of repetition. So, in order to make a new habit stick, you’ve got to repeat it often enough that it cancels out the old pattern.

Food Boredom

Food Frustration, Boredom

Along with all of this, food boredom sets in. Without bread, pasta, rice, maize, cookies and desserts, meals seem plain old boring. The great range of Paleo foods available to us – quality protein, healthy fats, vegetables, salad, fruit, nuts and seeds – doesn’t seem enough.

Food Frustration Strategies: Boredom

  • Accept that boredom exists, and that food boredom happens to everyone.
  • Acknowledge that we actually don’t have a huge range of foods available to us any more. The agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution and the food industry boom has reduced our food options down to very little. Unlike hunter gatherers who ate a huge range of animals, insects and plants, we’re limited to those species which were easy to domesticate. Quality protein is basically beef, pork, lamb, poultry and eggs, fish and seafood, and game if you’re lucky. The plant families are even more limited because we’re not eating grains. So, yeah, boredome happens, but…
  • Recognise that food boredom is a 1st world issue. Let’s be truly thankful for what we’ve got.
  • Try new recipes! There are hundreds of delicious recipes here on Paleomantic and all over the internet.

It’s Too Hard Because I Can’t Cook

For those who aren’t accustomed to cooking, the emphasis on real, fresh Paleo food can be challenging. It requires ditching pre-packaged stuff, and instead buying ingredients which need to be washed, chopped and cooked.

But negative self talk about not being a Master Chef is a habit that’s easy to solve. We’re not talking here about becoming a gourmet.

It’s not about passion, but organization.

Food Frustration Strategies: Food Preparation

  • Buy the tools that make life easy:  a food processor, an immersion blender, an Instant Pot.
  • Repeat and practive the mantra of always preparing more than you need, so that you always have left-overs to throw together for a quick meal, or for snacks
  • Don’t worry too much about what your food looks like. Just chop up vegetables, throw them into a pan, add some protein, sauteè it for a few mintutes, job done.

Eating for Emotion vs Eating for Nutrition

Food Frustration: Eating for Emotion or Nutrition?

The role of eating is to provide our bodies with the nutrients needed to thrive. Emotions are a different thing. If not being able to eat what we want is giving us the hebbie gebbies, then we’ve got two different issues going on here. One is the emotion, which might be coming up for any number of reasons, as we’ve noted above. The second is the actual eating of food. 

Food Frustration Strategies: Emotions vs Nutrition

Separate the two issues and create distance between them. 

Eating = Nutrition: Right

Whenever we eat, we want to make sure that we’re consuming foods which

  • Support a healthy gut
  • Promote a strong immune system
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Keep blood sugar levels / insulin production low
  • Keep the metabolism in a fat-burning state
  • Keep the central nervous system calm and relaxed

Eating = Emotion: Wrong

The practice of Mindfulness is a powerful tool for recognising emotions, but not attaching ourselves to them. It’s not difficult.

  • Take a step back from the emotion and observe it. It’s useful to give it a name: anger, frustration, anxiety, boredom.
  • Really observe it. What is the feeling, exactly? Where is the feeling located – in your body, in your mind?
  • Play with the verbs that you use when referring to it. Instead of “I am angry, frustrated, sad”, try, “I have anger, I have frustration, sadness.” In this way, you create distance. You have anger, but you yourself are not anger. ( I have a book, but I am not a book). Then move even further away. “There is anger. There is frustration… “. But it isn’t yours. ( There’s a view. I can see it, but I don’t own it.)

The first few weeks can be hard going. And once over those withdrawal symptoms, consolidating new habits can take a really long time. Like any path of growth, there are peaks and lows. Temptation is everywhere, so re-charge your motivation as often as you can:

  • Connect with your objectives,
  • Maintain a healthy home
  • Surround yourself with like-minded Paleo people.

Stay strong! Stay switched on!


Need More Motivation?

How to Program Your Genes for Health and Happiness – The amazing thing is that it doesn’t take long!

10 Potent Health and Beauty Benefits of Bone Broth – It’s so good for everything, from your fingernails to the epithelial cells of your intestine.

What’s So Good About Fat? And Why You Want to Be a Fat Burner – Bring on the Bacon, the Avocado’s and the Butter!


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Best Wishes, Good Health and Happiness.


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Hi, I'm Angie. Thanks for popping by. I'm here to help you say goodbye to allergies, reduce inflammation and lose weight... naturally and forever. Scout around the website, there's loads of information. And when you're ready to make real, sustainable changes, get in touch and I'll talk you through my Primal Health Coaching programs. You don't have to live with the pain - trust me. Been there, done that, I know. I'm looking to meeting you, and I look forward to helping you live a much healthier, happier life.

Need help reaching your health and wellness objectives? Call Me for Coaching!

Angelina Brazzale is a certified Primal Health Coach. She cna help you reach your goals of health and vitality through evolutionary diet and lifestyle practices.

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I’m neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, but, as a Primal Health Coach, I can work in collaboration with them.  I’m a person with a passion for health, food and learning, and I want to share my findings with you. All opinions expressed here are my own. Be sure to seek the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or prescription medications.

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Instagram post 2193106748169072810_2122139797 DEAR SANTA, WHAT I’D LIKE FOR CHRISTMAS IS... Last night my friend, Giada @thealchemicgarden said that she’s asked her folks for an Instant Pot for Christmas. Oh, yay! 
That’s such a great thing to have on your wish list because it makes cooking nutrient dense food (like bone broth) so much easier & the ease means it’s also great for stress management!

If you could ask Santa (or your folks!) for one thing that will help you live in a healthier way, every day - what would it be? A stand-up desk? A year’s supply of collagen peptides or Omega 3 Oil? A subscription to yoga classes or a month with a Health Coach?

Let us know in the comments so we can all be inspired.

Oh - if you want the recipe for these super lovely Christmas Cut Out Cookies, here’s the link: https://www.paleomantic.com/christmas-cut-out-cookies-with-almonds-honey-and-spice/ 🥰

#christmaswishlist #christmascookies #christmasrecipes #christmascountdown2019 #paleocookies #paleochristmas #paleorecipes #glutenfreechristmas #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecookies #yourhealthmatters #womenover40 #womenover50 #beinspired #healthychoices #beyourbest
Instagram post 2191735457856087847_2122139797 C’MON, SWEET, THE DAYS ARE PASSING & YOU’VE GOT A LOT ON! There’s the the Christmas shopping, the menu to plan, the baking, the hair & beauty appointments, the Christmas cards, the drinks, the parties... let alone the normal life administration, daily chores, the family to organize, house to clean... HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET IT ALL DONE without becoming frazzled?

Okay, slow done. Stop. Take a deep breath & let the exhale out real slow. Do it a few times. Then... 1. Put things away. All the time.
Don’t let mess accumulate, declutter constantly.
2. Clean in small bursts. Set the timer for 15 minutes then go for your life. (Housework counts as daily movement and exertion!).
3. Make a list, mentally map where you need to go & what you need to do &
4. Meditate for 10 minutes (or more),
release tension, open into a space of trust that everything will flow... it will!
5. Delegate. Ask for help. Make agreements. Don’t think people can read your mind.
6. Keep your carb intake low, sugar very low, ditch fried & processed foods, save the alcohol for the social situations. Eat real, fresh food, quality protein & healthy fats.
7. No caffeine after midday so you’ll sleep well. Go to bed early.
8. A little bit of pampering every day: rub moisturizer into your heels!
9. Avoid the shops. Seriously. What can you recycle, re-give, create & make?
10. ..... This one’s for you... What are your Low Stress Strategies for this time of year?

#stressmanagement #christmasstress #stressfree #stressfreezone #stressfreeliving #womenshealth #womenover40 #womenover50 #stressrelief #meditatedaily #yourhealthmatters #healthylifestyle #stressbuster #loveyourself #ibelieveinyou
Instagram post 2190856878205004568_2122139797 GIRL, I HEAR YOU. YOU’RE AT THE DESK ALL DAY, most days, and by mid morning that familiar ache in your shoulders has already begun. It runs down into your forearms and your lower back hurts. When you get up out of your chair you’re stiff & have to move a little slowly. “Oh, Lord!”, you’re thinking. “I’m only ...( enter your age) - and I’m already moving like an old woman.” I know, I know. I’m at the desk most days as well. And I know the exhaustion of chronic pain. But I’ve also learnt how to relieve it!

1. Follow a low-inflammatory diet - link in bio for loads of recipes.

2. Lots of fun, full body movements throughout the day. Get out of the chair, get the arms moving in sweeping motions, do hip rotations while you’re talking on the phone, keep the joints lubricated. Dance to music inside your brain!

3.Sleep! Switch off the devices & hit the sack early. Dream.

4. Connect with the ones you love & the things you love doing. Like, really make time for those people & things. And connect with nature.

5. Be Smart. You matter, your health matters, but it’s not going to happen on it’s own. Make wise choices & do them often enough that health becomes your default setting. ❤️ #womenover40 #womenover50 #yourhealthmatters #youareworthit #selfcare #healthychoices #justmove #movemore #movementismedicine #dancelikenooneswatching #primalhealthcoach #healthcoach #liveawesome #chronicpainrelief #arthritisrelief #inflammation
Instagram post 2190140004483953743_2122139797 IT WOULD BE A LIE to say I only bake these at Christmas time. To be honest, the only time I we don’t have them in the tin is mid summer when it’s too hot to turn the oven on. 
They’re fantastic. If you click through for the recipe (link in bio, poke around under Recipes:Snacks) you’ll see they call for Chestnut Flour, but just sub for ground almonds if you like. And go the distance - use a full 100g block of Lindt chocolate, 85%min cacao. 
Let me know how much you love them!

#chocolatechipcookies #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecookies #glutenfreechristmas #lowinflammationdiet #glutenfree #healthyrecipes #healthychoices #eatwelllivewell #refinedsugarfree #diabeticrecipes #cookiesofinstagram #healthyanddelicious
Instagram post 2189482199615688824_2122139797 ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 1. FRIENDS, What surprise are you going to pull out of that little box or pocket? How are you going to start building that wonderful anticipation for Christmas?

Does it have to be with something sugary & sweet? Does it have to be with food? Can you fill that space with something else? Can you reinvent symbols & meanings & stories?

Yes! Of course you can. You’re the driver of your chariot. Girl, you’ve got the reins in your hand!

Fill those empty spaces inside you with positive actions & affirmations, with healing rites & self love. Let them be small steps towards your highest potential.

What act of self care will you do for yourself today?

#primalhealthcoach #healthcoach #selfcare #selflove #adventcalendar #christmasadvent #healing #heal #healthy #ibelieveinyou #youcandoit #lookafteryourself #loveyourself #loveyourbody #sugarfreeliving #stressmanagement #painrelief #chronicpain #womenover40 #womenover50 #yourhealthmatters
Instagram post 2188751716116112233_2122139797 SWEET AND SOUR LAMB, RECIPE BELOW! It’s pre- Instant Pot, hence the heavy cast iron pot. Now, I’d probably do it on the Slow Cooker IP function. It’s so simple, easy ingredients, everyone loves it & you keep coming back to it. 
The photo of the mountain dairy is like where we bought the lamb. And that’s Roxy, of course, head out the window, on the way up! 
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion sliced
* 750 g lamb on the bone
* ¾ cup water
* ¼ cup red wine, or red wine vinegar
* 1 medium tomato, cubed
* 1 tablespoon muscovado or coconut sugar
* 1 generous tablespoon pinenuts, toasted
* 1 generous tablespoon sultanas
* salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Heat 1 tb olive oil in a pan & fry onion until very soft. Remove the onion.
2. Add the rest of the oil & brown the lamb pieces on all sides.
3. Add the onion, lamb, wine or vinegar, tomato, sugar & water to a heavy cast iron pot.
4. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, and cover with the lid.
5. Simmer with the lid on for 1 hour.
6. Add the pinenuts & sultanas, and simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes or until all the liquids have reduced.
7. Buon appetito!

#paleorecipes #paleodiet #lamb #sweetandsour #lowcarbrecipes #highfatlowcarb #primaldiet #healthyrecipes #healthyeating #homecooking #homecookedmeals #healwithfood #letfoodbethymedicine #lowinflammationdiet #diabeticrecipes #diabeticfood #painfreeliving
Instagram post 2187252111096622215_2122139797 HEY THERE LOVELY! I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKYOU for all the ways that you make life fabulous. For all the times we’ve laughed over the silliest things. For dancing in clubs, in kitchens, under the big sky. For gorgeous meals cooked up & shared. For heart-to-hearts warmed up with red wine. For delving deep into books, art, health & happiness. Death & loneliness. The mystery of It All. For celebrating the rites of passage. For all the blessed and brilliant ways of loving. THANKYOU. Life wouldn’t be the same without you. ❤️ #thanksgiving #thanksgiving2019 #thankyou #thanks #gratitude #expressyourlove #givethanks #lovelovelove #besties #gratitudeattitude #celebratethelittlethings #celebratelife #fabulouslife #qualitylife #connection #celebratefriendship
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PALEOMANTIC

Hi there, I'm Angie.

My man, Fiorenzo, and I plunged into Paleo in September 2014. It wasn't easy - I'd been vegetarian for several years, so the animal protein component of Paleo was challenging. But we had nothing to lose. Our various health issues were chronic and debilitating. We'd tried everything, with no answers. Paleo was amazing. After just 12 days Fiorenzo renounced the pharmaceutical he'd been taking for 4 and a 1/2 years, and lost 35 pounds. My inflammation has decreased to the point where I no longer need painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

We live in Northern Italy. He plays trumpet. I teach yoga and meditation. We're passionately Paleo and a little romantic, thus: Paleomantic.

My goal is to help you on your road to health and happiness through sharing all I know about the Paleo Diet and Lifestyle. Welcome! Read More…

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