Many people think following a paleo diet is hard and not doable. Well, it is hard but it is definitely doable. It takes preparation, creativity and discipline (at first). A lot of known paleo gurus says it is a good idea to begin the paleo diet with a system flush. They will recommend doing a Whole30 or just taking out all grains, alcohol and sugar out of your diet for at least 30 days. I did not do this, not drinking alcohol for 30 days?? Are you nuts! I just slowly started making changes. First, I took out bread/grains then I tried cutting down my sugars by not consuming processed foods and only eating a small amount of fruit each day. It was tough at first, but the cravings will pass and it is okay to be lenient at times and allow yourself to “cheat.”
I used to do cheat meals once or twice a week but I am now to the point that those things don’t even sound appetizing to me anymore. I am an ice cream lover and a few summers ago when my fiance and I would be heading back home from our family cabin I would make him stop at Dairy Queen so I could get a blizzard. Every.single.time. Now, I couldn’t even tell you that last time I was at a Dairy Queen but I can tell you that I still eat ice cream. Dairy and my guts don’t really like each other that much so I stick to coconut ice cream (can be found at Target) or I make my own with my handy dandy ice cream maker!
The main reasons people fail on the paleo diet is usually the fact that they aren’t eating enough, they aren’t eating the right things, they aren’t adding any flavor to their food or they are depriving themselves. For your body to run smoothly and efficiently you need to eat fats (more than you think, too), protein and carbohydrates. Refer to this post to learn more about the right carbohydrates to eat on a paleo diet. Athletes especially need to be eating more carbohydrates and proteins. If you are an athlete or live a very active lifestyle I recommend following Stupid Easy Paleo.
If some of you say you just can’t step away from those deep fried crispy chicken tenders served at just about every restaurant, try these! The other night I wanted to change up how we eat our chicken so I thought I’d give them a whirl and I was pleasantly surprised. They were wonderfully delicious! Made the house a little smoky but it was well worth it!
Here are a few more articles that might help you to not fail on the paleo diet.
Why People Fail on a Paleo Diet
- For the Glaze:
- ¼ cup raw honey
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- ¼ orange juice (I cut a ¼ out of an orange and squeezed out the juice)
- 2 tbls lemon juice (from a fresh lemon)
- 1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- For the Chicken Tenders:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 8 strips (I used chicken strips)
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 eggs whisked
- 2 tbls water
- 1½ cup paleo friendly
- To Make the Glaze:
- Place all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to combine. Reduce heat to medium/low and allow to simmer until slightly thickened (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
- To Make the Chicken Tenders:
- Combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, sea salt, ground black pepper and paprika in a medium sized mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Place the two whisked eggs and water in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the fat in a medium skillet on medium/high heat. Working in batches, dip the chicken strips fully into the egg mixture and then fully coat in the almond flour mixture and place in the hot oil. Fry the strips until golden brown (3-4 minutes on each side). Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and continue with the next batch of chicken strips.