This Paleo Plan is for my friend Leslie Dietrich. Our children play baseball together and Leslie and I had the pleasure of thrift shopping our way through Waco, Texas last summer when their team was in the Regional Little League World Series Playoffs.
Like me, Leslie has a host of auto-immune disorders. Unlike me, she still eats gluten and grains. Leslie asked me for an eating plan that she could try for one week to see if the symptoms in her hands and other parts of her body would change. One week is probably not long enough (30 days is optimal) for seeing results from a change in diet. So if you want, just repeat this meal plan 4 times, or make your own, using the recipes from this site and Paleo sites such as Everyday Paleo or Paleo Parents.
Please note, this eating plan is not designed for someone who is trying to lose weight, this is not a diet plan. This is an anti-inflammatory eating plan that can be used by some people to improve overall health and wellness. If you do need to lose weight, feel free to refer to Loren Cordain’s book The Paleo Diet or Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution, those 2 books have very specific weight loss plans that utilize the grain free diet as a base for weight reduction.
This post is for people that want to incorporate more nutrient dense foods into their diet by eliminating the grains that are toxic to a large percentage of us. So, eat your veggies. They’re far more nutrient dense than grains. Or as my dear Dad has been saying for the past 40 years, “Eat the rainbow!”
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Sunday
- Breakfast
- Silver Dollar Pancakes
- Turkey or Pork Bacon
- Fresh Berries
- Lunch
- Turkey Club Sandwich
- Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Dinner
- Sesame Salmon Burgers
- Garlic Ginger Bok Choy or Steamed Broccoli
-
Monday
- Breakfast
- 2 slices Paleo Bread
- 3 Scrambled Eggs
- 1 Grapefruit
- Lunch
- Turkey Club Sandwich
- Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Dinner
- Cod Piccata
- Roasted Broccoli
- Cabbage Orange Salad
-
Tuesday
- Breakfast
- Almond Butter Protein Shake
- Toasted Almonds
- Lunch
- Turkey Roll Ups
- Fresh Blueberries
- Dinner
- Cobb Salad
- Mushroom Soup
-
Wednesday
- Breakfast
- 3 Fried Eggs
- Turkey or Pork Bacon
- ½ Avocado
- Lunch
- Leftover Mushroom Soup
- Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Dinner
- Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Steamed Broccoli
-
Thursday
- Breakfast
- Greena Colada (add 1 scoop protein powder)
- Handful of Dehydrated Almonds
- Lunch
- Turkey Club Sandwich
- Veggie Sticks
- Dinner
- Chicken Soup
- Green Salad
- Roasted Acorn Squash
-
Friday
- Breakfast
- 3 Scrambled Eggs
- 2 slices Paleo Toast
- Fresh Raspberries
- Lunch
- Leftover Chicken Soup
- Green Salad
- Dinner
- Chili Chicken
- Cauliflower Rice
- Green Salad
-
Saturday
- Breakfast
- Almond Butter Protein Shake
- Lunch
- Leftover Chili Chicken
- Leftover Cauliflower Rice
- Dinner
- Stuffed Peppers
- Grilled Broccoli
-
Snacks
- Fruit
- Green Apples
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Other Fruit
- Veggies
- Veggie Sticks
- Protein
- Turkey Jerky
- Bacon
- Protein/Carbs
- Dehydrated Nuts
- Crackers
Some of the recipes above might not be super strict Paleo, however if you make quick and easy substitutions they can be. All are grain free and primal; they are Paleo friendly as well.
For the snack section of this plan, I have listed the lower glycemic fruits that work best for me. If you like to eat sweeter fruits, feel free to add those in to your plan. However, if you have trouble with sugar, it may be best to stick with less fruit and low glycemic at that.
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What is your favorite Paleo dish and what are your health goals for 2012?
Diane says
Many people with inflammation (and hence autoimmune) issues benefit from a plant-based diet. I highly recommend getting tested for food allergies (get tested for everything you can), and reading The Food Allergy Survival Guide. I was stunned to learn, for example, that people can have low-level allergies they never knew about. One week after switching my diet I was pain-free from issues that I didn’t even realize were connected to the internal inflammation I was experiencing. (I found out about the inflammation via a blood test).
I went vegan and am thrilled with the decision. It all started with the deeper understanding I got from the book mentioned above, which led me to read The China Study and other books (by Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Dr. John McDougall).
Magda says
Diane,
A lot of inflammation (if not all) is associated with grains, so just reducing/eliminating grains will do wonders for inflammation.
Be very careful with a vegan diet – many benefit at first, but longterm the diet needs to be supplemented for one to remain healthy. The China Study is flawed and has been debunked before…
Kristen says
For autoimmune disease go for the GAPS diet!
Magda says
Ditto!!
Marlise says
Dear Elana! Thank you for your amazing work! I check your site almost daily. All the best to you and your family! Marlise
Trina says
This is my favorite website!! Thank you for sharing all these yummy recipes!! Just started the paleo lifestyle after experiencing many food sensitivities and by far this has been my favorite go to for healthy meal ideas. Thank you for your kind heart and inspiring others to live a healthy lifestyle.
HappyWithout says
I am soo happy to have been following your blog. I am so glad to have come across this lovely meal plan. I am very dedicated to Grain free and I love to get new ideas for new meal plans.
P.s. I bough your books :)
Tania says
Just made the pancakes yesterday morning after getting your email. Oh, they were wonderful! All the kids raved about them. I had a few leftover and used them for snacks throught the day. Thank you so much!
Stephanie says
Wow! Thank you Elana for these recipes. I just served the stuffed peppers and cauliflower rice. It was a HUGE hit with my family.
Melissa says
This sounds delish! thanks for sharing!
Question – why eat dehydrated almonds, and are you dehydrating them yourself? I’ve never heard of dehydrating them before.
Thanks!
Magda says
Melissa,
This is done to reduce phytic acid which is an antinutrient. This method was described in Nourishing Traditions, a book written by Sally Fallon of the Weston Price foundation. You can buy dehydrated almonds but it’s best (and more cost-effective) to dry them yourself.
Brooke says
This is great! Could you please make a xls or pdf version? So much easier to print out that way.
Lisa says
Some anti-inflammatory diets recommend removing eggs as well in addition to grains, legumes, and dairy – just a thought in case your friend wants to consider this.