I’ve mentioned before how I’m trying to cut down on my carb intake. Since that’s my goal, I’ve been looking into the Paleo diet which is much more than low carb, so I’ll get into that later, but low carb is a big part of the “diet” or lifestyle. The idea behind Paleo is people should go back to the diet their hunter-gatherer relatives had: lots of protein, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. So basically, this diet means no dairy, wheat, legumes, or anything else that came out of the agriculture boom. It’s pretty strict when you think about it.
I’m not saying I’m “doing” Paleo because I’m not sure how I feel about it. Obviously, if you don’t eat carbs you’re going to lose weight. I just get concerned about what happens after the diet. Are you supposed to never eat carbs again? For me, that’s unrealistic so I assume you’d just gain all the weight back? I think some people reintroduce “good” carbs but overall, just try to eat less of them.
I get the dairy thing too. I’m not sure why any human adult would need dairy because we’re no longer growing. Babies and children need milk to grow, but I’m pretty sure I’m stuck here at 5’5″ no matter how much milk I drink. So, I get that. On the other hand, I feel like dairy can be a great way to get your protein. For example, plain, nonfat greek yogurt has around 20 grams of protein with very little sugar. It doesn’t get much better than that when you want a snack!
So, I’m on the fence about Paleo. That being said, I saw a recipe for Paleo banana bread on What Runs Lori’s blog that looked awesome so I gave it a try yesterday. Yes, Paleo bread…it’s almost an oxymoron. How can you make bread with no flour and no dairy? Well, I’ll show you!
Paleo Pumpkin Banana Bread
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup tahini (or more almond butter)
- 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup pumpkin
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tbsp honey
Combine all the ingredients except the pumpkin, cocoa, and honey, and mix until the banana is mashed up well (no need to over-mix it, chunks of banana is okay).
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Next, mix the pumpkin, cocoa, and honey.
Pour the pumpkin mix over the banana mixture and use a knife to swirl it into the batter.
Cook at 350 degrees for 35 t0 40 minutes, or until the center is cooked. Obviously, this was a tough one for me to figure out. The pumpkin mix on top stayed relatively soft the entire time so I think I overcooked it. Well, I definitely overcooked it.
At one point while it was cooking, I stuck a fork in it to see if it was done (if it came out clean, it was done, if not, nope) and brought out a huge chunk of the bread with me. Guess it wasn’t done yet.
The bread tastes good…it’s just super dry. Again I’ve cooked something and it’s ridiculously dry!! The hubs tried it yesterday and nearly choked on it.
Oh I couldn’t get it out of the pan either so my bread looks a little rough. Lori’s looked so pretty and moist, mine….not so much.
I really like the pumpkin-cocoa mix on top. It’s almost like a frosting. The rest of it…? Not so sure. Like I said, the flavor’s there, it’s just lacking some serious texture which obviously could be because I overcooked it.
I’m sure I’ll try it again. Lori has another one on her blog with zucchini which looks amazing.
But I don’t know…maybe bread sans milk and flour shouldn’t exist.
Have you heard anything on the Paleo diet? What do you think about dairy and wheat?
paleo is good and bad in my view. We tend to eat a lot like paleo (natural whole foods) but I think it almost puts a burden on our minds. ya know? I love oats for breakfast and goats milk yogurt. Both are good for us! So its 50/50 here. Kinda like you.
I like the idea of it Aimes! Cows are absolutely made for a baby calf to grow 500 pounds fast! Toss in some chemicals and cruel treatment…why would people want to drink that? And why cows milk for that matter? Cats have milk too 😉 You should probably check out some of Karyn’s recipes, she misses you!!! Mmmm veggie sloppy joe!! XO
I like the thought behind the Paleo diet, but it just isn’t something that I want to do. The only thing I’ve been able to cut out for long periods of time is dairy, but that has to do with how it makes me feel — the stomachaches alone are enough to keep my away. But I still have some now and then.
I think a Paleo diet is good because it seems so natural and intuitive- eating food that people ate before we started messing with food. I wouldn’t think of it as strict, just as a more healthy lifestyle. I don’t really do a ton of dairy anymore since rereading Skinny Bitch a month ago and since I realized that I can afford to spend a little more money on vegan ice cream vs. regular, same for milk. I eat pretty vegan except for the occasional cheese. And wheat I can live without, simply because it’s not something my tastebuds ever crave or want. In the Paleo diet I would miss sugar and other ‘fun’ stuff though.
I’ve heard of Paleo, I just honestly don’t think I could ever do it… I can’t live without carbs, or dairy!
That bread LOOKS seriously tasty!
I started paleo with the intent to “go back” after I lost the weight…and I’m now five months in and kind of think this is how I’m going to eat for life.
I feel better, I sleep better, I am losing weight, my fiance (who is doing it with me) is losing weight and also feels/sleeps better, and all in all I don’t see any reason to go back to grains.
I do cheat with dairy and if there are beans in the chili, well, I’ll live with it. I will also eat cake at my wedding, and have a baguette when I go to France, but aside from that, I have no reason to put grains back in my diet.
If you want the science of “why” to stay paleo, read Robb Wolf’s book. Lots of good info there.
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And that banana bread looks awesome!
thank you SO MUCH for your comment. its great to hear someones actual experience and that its been a good one. you’re giving me hope that its actually a doable “diet” or more like a lifestyle. thanks!!
This looked good but reading that you didn’t like it changed my mind. It’s all about portion control and limiting processed stuff. I agree, it’s unrealistic to swear off carbs all together. I have my own “skinny tricks”, but I’m looking to step it up a notch, so maybe I’ll look into this diet. Happy to have stopped by your blog. xx
Oh no! haha, you’re bread does look a little dry. Mine actually was super moist… hmmm… I wonder why. I’ll try my recipe again and see if the measurements are accurate. Sorry! Good try though. lol
Anyway, I feel like Paleo isn’t taking away carbs, it’s just replacing it with carbs in the vegetable sense. Definitely not taking them away- you’ll need those carbs for all the exercise! 😉
ya it was…special. haha yours definitely looked SO much better. i think i just overcooked it. ill try it again though!!
I like the idea that the paleo diet focuses on eating real food, but I don’t think its for me. There is something about a piece of warm, crusty bread at an Italian restaurant or a piece of cake on a special occasion. I also live on cereal 😉
It’s just too strict for me. I feel like my diet fits me well as it is.
I’ve been doing paleo for a few months now, took a break for my wedding and plan to go back. I recommend trying the 30-day challenge as a starting point. Losing weight was not my goal, but I do know many others that have seen impressive results.
I was more focused on general well-being. If interested, feel free to check out my results here: http://memyselfandfood.com/2011/03/paleo-challenge-mission-accomplished/
It’s less so a diet and more of a lifestyle which I would like to pursue 90% of the time. I love food too much to do it exclusively:)
Don’t be afraid to ask me any questions!
awesome!! thank you so much for commenting…im definitely checking out ur blog. ive been doing okay so far but i havent really set a day and started a 30 day challenge. i think i will though. ive heard really good things about it so thats definitely motivating. ill let u know if i have questions!! thanks again for commenting!