If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have noticed that for the past 30 days I’ve been trying out the Paleo diet, so called because you have to eat like a caveman.

Luckily that doesn’t mean eating ancient species of rodent but rather you eat unprocessed, natural and ‘whole’ foods.

Anything dairy is out as are grains (including legumes, so no green beans or mangetout. Sob) leaving you with a diet of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts (but not peanuts as these are a legume) and seeds. Healthy natural fats such as avocados, olive oil and coconut oil are allowed.

So here’s a typical day’s worth of food on my paleo diet:

Breakfast

1 x smoothie (banana + blueberries + mango + spinach + coconut water)

2 x hard boiled eggs (whites only)

Lunch

Mixed salad with poached salmon, beetroot and pumpkin seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice

Afternoon snack

Handful of carrot sticks with a teaspoon of natural almond butter

Dinner

Lean turkey marinara with sweet potato wedges and steamed greens

I decided to take on this paleo challenge after an incredible 2 weeks in India where I did nothing but eat white rice, garlic and cheese naan bread and paneer curry….

I felt fluffy, out of shape and wanted to get back on track. The first 2 weeks were easy as my motivation levels were high. I enjoyed all of the fresh food although eating out was very difficult when places weren’t flexible with their menus.

The final 2 weeks were much more of a struggle. I really missed plain yogurt, cheese and quinoa which normally form part of my everyday balanced diet. I ended up slipping a couple of times (one of which consisted of half a bag of kettle chips and 5 chocolate hobnobs but let’s not talk about that…) because I got frustrated that I couldn’t join in on family celebrations and eat some of the delicious food that had been prepared. Plus I was definitely over eggs. So many eggs.

All in all, after 4 weeks on the paleo diet, I hadn’t really lost any weight but I do feel leaner. My energy levels didn’t drop too much and I even managed to figure out how to bake paleo cookies to satisfy any sweet cravings. I think this diet would be good for those who want to build lean muscle but because of the higher fat content (from nuts, avocado etc.) it might not be such a good weight-loss diet.

However, I’m going to keep aspects in my diet, such as the healthier paleo treats and the morning smoothies.

Next up, the 30 day pescatarian challenge… GOODBYE MEAT!