Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

7

The past years I had these nostalgic feelings towards eating SAD: enjoying it, without having to worry about my sufferings afterwards (which were present, I just didn't know), etc....

And from time to time I fell of the Paleo wagon or whatever you want to call it. Maybe fell off isn't even the right description because sometimes I just stepped off wondering how it would taste after a whole30, etc...

The thing is, everytime I experimented my "binge foods" tasted good. Maybe a little to sugary at first but after a few big bites through the sweet apple I eased into it. But now? I try them and they taste awful. Out of curiosity (because this seriously conflicts with my memories) I try something else and more and more and more until I'm left with my huge nostalgic feeling of what they used to be and how I so enjoyed them.

This has also repeated itself a few times:

The first time eating pancakes → doesn't taste good at all → must be because I tried a chocolate bar first. Second time eating pancakes → doesn't taste good at all → must be because I actually wasn't hungry at all. Third time eating pancakes → doesn't taste good at all → must be because they were baked softer in the past

SERIOUSLY, who am I kidding?! It somehow doesn't get into my head. There is no room left because of that "It tasted good so it still tastes good, you're the issue"-feeling, nostalgia and my latest issue with cooking 3 times/day and doing the dishes + my studies + shopping + lousy neighbors +....

Anyhow, I've had enough of it (been there already a few times but now it's for real [cliché]) and will have to accept crap tastes like crap and the past is and will stay the past. Also these face breakouts are definitely not worth the "cheats", stand alone the other health issues. Good night.

edited May 23 2012 at 21:55

asked May 23 2012 at 21:49

Sam
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StreakOfLean · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-23 22:28:53Z UTC

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I don't get nostalgic for the food itself, but I do recall fondly on the days when I didn't worry about what I ate, and my idea of the person I was when I didn't.

Maybe because I've had lots of problems pop up post-paleo. I think this idea of just "going back" somehow is more attractive to those whose stories' don't fit into the paleo-cured-all-my-ailments narrative.

answered May 23 2012 at 22:28

StreakOfLean
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And then you go back and hit another wall, right? – Sam May 24 2012 at 9:37

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Well "going back" is this unrealistic nostalgia for when food didn't cause me problems, I want that. It's like quitting smoking. Your brain plays movie-music over images of you smoking with no consequence at 19 years old, so you give in and smoke, and you're immediately back at "oh this is disgusting" point that made you quit in the first place. – StreakOfLean May 24 2012 at 17:22

Mike T · Answer 2 · 2012-05-23 22:03:21Z UTC

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Honestly, I'd say you're lucky. When I fall off the wagon, the SAD food tastes really, really good. After all, a lot of it is designed to. That makes it harder to climb back on the wagon.

answered May 23 2012 at 22:03

Mike T
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And did for me too. But now it doesn't anymore and I can't wrap my head around it. Maybe you'll experience it one day too and hopefully will be able to deal with it better. – Sam May 23 2012 at 22:23

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THIS. I long for the day when Nutella and Reeses cups will taste lousy to me. If I could smell pizza and think "ick," I'd be so happy. – Maria May 23 2012 at 22:27

I don't think "ick", it's more like "mèh" – Sam May 24 2012 at 9:21

And it seems surrealistic – Sam May 24 2012 at 9:29

Maria · Answer 3 · 2012-05-23 23:36:44Z UTC

I get nostalgic for all kinds of SAD food - bannock (family Christmas tradition; it's basically a flatbread with nuts and fruit), chocolate chip cookies (I remember baking them for my family and then having a ball eating them still warm from the oven dipped in a big glass of milk), sourdough bread (again, a family event to go to the bakery and come home and enjoy delicious fresh bread with our veggie soup for lunch), hot chocolate (cozy evenings around the fire)...somehow doing these things without the foods isn't the same at all and I'd rather not do them at all than do them wrong.

Joshua · Answer 4 · 2012-05-23 23:56:17Z UTC

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Most of the foods I have nostalgia for are not gluten-containing foods, so I tend to have less issues with testing the waters on them (grits, cornbread, french fries, ice cream).

That being said, those foods KILL my progress. I notice that I sleep like crap too when I eat them.

answered May 23 2012 at 23:56

Joshua
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The "I sleep like crap" part sounds very familiar. Not so pleasant waking up this morning... – Sam May 24 2012 at 9:22

Divrgurl13 · Answer 5 · 2012-05-23 23:32:27Z UTC

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Ugh...I have been doing paleo for almost a month strictly. I snuck a Hershey kiss at work the other day because I couldn't stand not having one, and I was very disappointed that it tasted different than I remembered. Certainly not what I was going for.

answered May 23 2012 at 23:32

Divrgurl13
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And will you go for a "second opinion"? – Sam May 24 2012 at 9:26

New things will taste awesome. For awhile my special treat was a raisin sandwiched between two walnuts. That might sound pathetic to some people, but it was a perfect little sweet for me. – Jessica G May 24 2012 at 23:48

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No, I will not go back for a second kiss – Divrgurl13 May 30 at 16:45

Kelly · Answer 6 · 2012-05-24 12:12:29Z UTC

No I don't really miss much at all, ok if I walk past a bakery and smell fresh bread baking, I might recall how that with a large slab of butter tastes.

In general if I binge, I pay for it, so I've replaced alot of those memories with PAIN and Payback!!

If I'm craving something, I go on line and google the heck out of it until I find a way to replicate the taste or close to it with pure ingredients.

I've also adopted a new motto, 'eat to live, not live to eat' helps to remind myself that its a necessary evil but should be done to fuel myself, while still enjoying it, but not to over do it.

Veriria · Answer 7 · 2012-05-23 22:06:12Z UTC

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EVERY DAY I'M AT WORK.

Thankfully, I don't get cravings often, but it's pretty damn hard. Have you ever been on an Amtr@k train and visited the cafe car? If yes, then you know what I have to sell, because that's my job. If no -- basically a sampling of the standard American diet: candy, pop, chips, muffins, bagels, sandwiches with lottsa bread, and so on.

answered May 23 2012 at 22:06

Veriria
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Haha, I've worked in a fastfood restaurant for almost a month. I quit because I just couldn't say "Enjoy your meal" anymore, stand alone being enthusiastic while saying it. Felt like poisoning people. "Enjoy your meal" + big fake smile – Sam May 24 2012 at 9:25

I wish I could quit here! But the $, benefits and RailRoad Retirement is where it's at. I am looking for different opportunities for advancement at the moment though in the company. Or I'd just love to go up to being an Engineer XD – Veriria May 24 2012 at 14:56

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I always wanted to go on Amtrak. I LOVE TRAINS!!! I wish I could work there - but not in the cafe car. I would only serve Paleo food and hide chocolates from customers or give them a dirty look. – VB May 26 at 7:26

Yeah it is kinda rough, especially when the parents push the food on the kids (when they really don't want anything). – Veriria May 26 at 17:04

VB · Answer 8 · 2012-05-26 07:24:50Z UTC

Usually I do not miss much, except for when I pass one house. They always have nice food smells. It reminds me of my mother's cooking. I feel nostalgic, but I do not get hungry. The craving disappears fast.

There is one thing I really really really really really miss. Not enough "reallys" there, but I think people will stop reading after the fifth "really".

It is chocolate ice-cream by Sammontana. If I knew that tomorrow is the end of the world, I would buy three trays and I would eat and eat and eat. At least I would die with a smile on my chocolate covered face from overindulgence.

If I had a genie, I would only have one wish: to make all my wishes come true. My next wish would be - I could eat anything I want as much as I want and not get sick.

And then I would eat three chocolate ice cream trays by Sammontana. I know they have traces of gluten but I would not care.

Here the song I dedicate to my favorite chocolate ice-cream. Listen only if you really miss something or somebody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eYXFoPzBBY

Bandman · Answer 9 · 2012-05-26 11:52:28Z UTC

I've been paleo for 5 months. Went to a farmers market this week and they had all kinds of SAD fare - lots of carnival/fair type foods. The crazy thing is that those smells overwhelmed me and made me feel nauseous. To think that I used to be able to polish off a loaf of bread a day pre-paleo.

I know that there are people who have not experienced this level of aversion so my question is what causes the change in taste and smell perception? Is it different if you have been super strict or done a whole 30 or Atkins type of plan for awhile? Different with LC vs VLC?

I'm pretty strict with my diet but I do eat dark chocolate and small amounts of dairy (mainly heavy cream in my coffee and some grass fed butter). I eat around 100 grams of carbs a day (less when I am not active and more when I am moving a lot).

Corbab · Answer 10 · 2012-05-26 16:46:05Z UTC

I'm just getting to the point where I realize all the foods I "crave" really gross me out. It happened a while ago with sugary drinks and fried foods when I cut them out, and it's starting to happen with bread, cookies, etc now.

The other day, I was ridiculously hungry after a workout, and spied some muffins lying around, but the "bad idea, those will be disgusting" impulse trumped the "om nom nom PWO." I'll still have a couple of cookies or something just to be sociable with the team, but I'm not drawn to them on my own any more.

I think getting over the final hump and quitting the binges altogether takes a lot of willpower. There will always be foods that culturally are "good," even if you don't enjoy them, and I think most people will always have that thought somewhere in the back of their head.

Doris · Answer 11 · 2012-05-26 13:56:21Z UTC

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I miss toast. I have a T-shirt with "I (red heart) toast" on the front. I have a toaster calendar showing a toaster of the month. I bought some gluten free bread from a local baker. "This will be good; I can has toast!" Bleech. Not tasty, like swallowing paste balls. Yesterday I had a bite of a beautiful crusty bakery baguette. No good either. Oh well, I am loving homemade ice cream made with organic ingredients. deliciious!

answered May 26 at 13:56

Doris
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	Could you post the ingredients/recipe. I miss ice-cream. – VB May 26 at 14:26
	There are recipes in Joy of Cooking. I've seen others somewhere in the paleosphere. The one we use use is from the manufacturer of our ice cream machine. Ingredients are 1 c milk, 1/2 c. sugar (can be less) 2 eggs, 2 c cream 2 tsp. vanilla extract. No stablizers or additives. – Doris May 26 at 14:50

Did you struggle with nostalgic feelings (toward eating SAD)?

11 Answers