Our Top 5 Tips for a Successful Week of Paleo

One of the best pieces of advice we used to give to our nutrition clients was, “you are only as successful as you set yourself up to be.” If you head off to work with no food plan, chances are, you’ll be much more tempted to make less-than-ideal food choices when hunger strikes. People can often become overwhelmed at the prospect of having to plan every meal – and we agree! It can seem like so much work – but it doesn’t have to be. 

Here are our top 5 tips for a successful switch to a paleo diet.

1. Make time every week for meal prep: This doesn’t mean that you have to prepare 5 different entrees for each day of the week and spend all day in the kitchen. In fact, 2 hours should be plenty of time to set your week up for success. For us, Sunday meal prep is less about making actual meals and more about taking care of the time consuming tasks like cutting, dicing, marinading, etc. so that when the time comes to actually put a meal together, you’ve got your work cut out for you (pun intended!)
2. Prepare all of your ingredients ahead of time: Dice fresh zucchini and onions and store in a glass jar for breakfast scrambles (we love these OXO Snap Glass Containers), chop 2 large hearts of romaine lettuce for easy-to-assemble salads, pre-mix a batch of homemade dressing in a mason jar, hard boil half a carton of eggs for quick and easy protein, marinate and grill 1-2 pounds of chicken thighs in a simple salt and pepper marinade, grill seasonal vegetables for an easy grab-and-go snack, defrost a bag of Bonafide Provisions bone broth in a beverage dispenser to simplify the portion process. Having plenty of prepared options in the refrigerator makes putting meals together so much easier!
3. Prepare to be hungrier than you may be used to: Once you remove “filler foods” like bread, rice, and grains, you may notice that you are hungrier than usual. Keep complaint snacks on hand like jerky, meat bars or even baby food pouches (sweet potatoes are a great option). Making sure you have something to satiate you when hunger sets in is the best way to keep you on track.
4. Choose foods that are multi-use: Foods like bone broth are great because they have many applications. Using bone broth in recipes is a great way to add collagen protein and nutrient-density to every meal. Bone broth also makes for a great snack option. Our bone broth contains 10g of collagen protein in 8 ounces. Sipping this between meals helps to keep sugar and snack cravings at bay while also nourishing you with amino acids and protein. Our favorite way to sip as a snack is in our Bone Broth Latte – it is so.dang.delicious!
5. Spices are the paint to your blank canvas: Eating paleo doesn’t mean every meal has to be a filet mignon. Save money and get creative! Experiment with different spices so that you don’t get stuck in the rut of “boring old ____”. Take organic chicken thighs for example: make multiple batches using different spices for a totally new take on the same ingredient. Experiment with different flavors like Italian, Mexican and Asian to keep your taste buds and your wallet happy. Our favorite spices are Primal Palate – their super gyro blend is a pantry staple.