The Primal Parent

In case you don’t already know, Jimmy Moore runs the very popular low-carb website Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb. He’s a pretty busy guy in the low carb community and likes us Paleo folk because most of us are low-carb ourselves. So last month Jimmy did an interview with me to find out what I eat and what I’m up to in the primalshpere.

He had actually asked me a few months ago to be on his podcast Low Carb Conversations but I guess I kinda chickened out since I had abandoned the zero-carb lifestyle when I started eating sugar last summer. I thought, I can’t be on a low carb show if I eat sugar! Jimmy reminded me that I don’t actually eat all that much though. I guess I thought I was high-carb or something now that I eat the god forsaken, Paleo scorned, low-carb-anti-christ, table sugar. Moo ha ha. (Why not a more acceptable carbohydrate source like sweet potatoes or fruit, you ask? They just don’t jive with my digestion, that’s all. I don’t have anything against nutrients, I promise.)

So, yeah, of course Jimmy, you’re right. I am still pretty low carb. Duh! Compare me now to me then and, well, no. Compare me anytime to the rest of the world and yeah, I’m low-carb.

So last month I opted in for his Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb show and it was a lot of fun. He is a pleasure to chat with!

Please tune in at Jimmy’s website or on iTunes to hear the interview and find out just how much carbohydrate I eat after all.

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When I started the Paleo diet – and most of the years since – I didn’t eat dairy. So, when I was pregnant with Evelyn I didn’t eat dairy. It seemed like this put me in a bit of a predicament, though; a pregnant woman needs calcium, right?

I had to think.

What did people used to do for calcium before people started herding animals? What about modern tribes who don’t herd animals?

After a little thought, it seemed kind of odd that dairy was considered necessary during pregnancy. Was this some kind of American nutritional fallacy… again? Maybe dairy is great for some people, but is it really necessary for all people?

AmericanPregnancy.org recommends 1000 mg of calcium per day for pregnant women. This amounts to 3-4 servings of dairy per day. So, what about the bones of all the people in the world who don’t eat dairy? Are they breaking left and right or what?

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I was thrilled when I heard Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo had written a kids book and even more thrilled when she let me know she was sending me a copy for review.

You know when you’re looking for new books for your kids and flipping through the pages reveals, P is for Pizza and C is for Cake? Sandra is complaining about eating broccoli and Billy is stockpiling candy in his room. Doesn’t it just make you sick that our culture deliberately reinforces unhealthy habits and bad behavior?

Occasionally over the years these books have made their way into our house. It was sort of comical that my little one couldn’t understand a simple kids book with all the references to foods she’d never seen. When I found myself explaining pages of nonsense I’d just put down the book and move on.

Not so with Paleo Pals; Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship!

Paleo Pals is the first ever Paleo kids book out there. It’s something our kids can relate to and connect with. That’s why I was excited when I heard about it. But I really had NO IDEA how awesome it was going to be for us.

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The other day, on The Carnivore’s Dilemma, a really interesting fellow dropped a comment on a subject I’ve thought extensively about over the years – being one who went from the miserable, dramatic artist type to a happy, positive kinda gal.

How can you be an artist after going Primal and becoming your new, less emotional self?

Or, on another level, what is art without misery?

I’m going to give my experience with how my personal taste in art has changed since going Primal and suggest some ways to keep art alive even as a happy, healthy person. But first, read the comment. It is beautifully written and intriguing.

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In November I pulled my daughter out of kindergarten.

I’ve never been a fan of public school. I always knew that I wanted Evelyn to go to a private school like Waldorf or, better yet, that I would homeschool her.

But I don’t have a ton of money and I am not a stay at home mom. So in August, off to public school she went.

It was exciting at first. She seemed so grown up and so innocent at the same time. She was ready to take on the world and had no idea what the world was. She adjusted without flinching. She loved her homework. She loved making new friends. She loved her teacher. She’s a very positive kid and virtually nothing phases her.

But it wasn’t long before all of the positives were diminished by the negatives – in my mind anyway.
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