Menu Samples for the Paleo/Hashimoto's Diet

Every now and then someone asks me what I eat and since this changes from time to time depending on what I've added or restricted in my diet, I thought I'd update.

Below are lists of meals. All food items are organic, healthy, and natural with meats grass-fed or wild-caught. There is no such thing as a specific breakfast, lunch, or dinner dish. I eat whatever I eat whenever it feels right. These meals are in order of most often eaten, followed by snacks, treats/cheats, and drinks.

MEALS:

Mixed Salad with Lettuce, Avocado, Carrots, Zucchini, Sweet Peas, Basil, Red Peppers, and Orange/Lemon Juice Dressing.

Hamburger Patty with Jalapeno Peppers
Original Sauerkraut
Spicy Garlic Sauerkraut
Onions
Avocados
Olives (sometimes)

Baked Cod or Salmon *
Broccoli or Carrots or Peas or Mixed Vegetables

Baked Chicken with Tarragon and Olive Oil
Delicate Squash or Olive Oil-Fried Zucchini

Baked Chicken with Beans, Potatoes (sometimes), Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemons

Chicken with Broccoli, Beans, Red Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Basil, Coconut Milk, Chile Flakes *

Pot Roast with Carrots, Onions, Garlic, and Celery
Delicata Squash

Chicken Soup with Carrots, Celery, Garlic, and Onions

Sauteed Prawns with Onions, Red Peppers, Basil, Garlic and Coconut Milk *

Hamburger with Red Peppers, Onions, Jalapeno Peppers, Garlic, Zucchini, Cilantro, Oregano, Cumin, Chili Flakes, and Cayenne Pepper

Salmon Salad with Olives, Basil, Garlic, Canola Mayonnaise, Green Onions, Avocados and Lettuce

Chicken Salad with Chicken, Celery, Onions, and Canola Mayonnaise on Lettuce

* About once a month I eat rice with one of these meals. And you'll notice some of the not-so-Paleo foods below. I found if I don't eat some carbohydrates, my body stops digesting fat. Strange I know. I started losing a lot of weight, but I worried about not getting enough fat soluble vitamins, too. I spent way too much money on doctor's who had absolutely no clue why I wasn't digesting fat and finally figured it out myself through experimentation. So now I eat carbohydrates every now and then, not often: rice, popcorn, corn tortilla chips, potatoes.

SNACKS:

Apples
Almonds
Almond Butter
Blueberries
Blackberries (in season only)
Raspberries (in season only)
Plums (rarely, in season only)
Apricots (rarely, in season only)
Oranges (rarely)
Fresh Figs (rarely, in season only)

TREATS and CHEATS: 

Apple Crisp (Apples, Lemon Zest, Almonds, Coconut, Coconut Flour, Butter, Vanilla)
Blueberry Crisp (Blueberries, Lemon Zest, Almonds, Coconut, Coconut Flour, Butter, Vanilla)
Unsweetened Carob Chips (trying desperately to break this habit)
Yogurt (currently trying to replace carob with yogurt)
Corn Tortilla Chips (rarely)
Popcorn (rarely)
Watermelon (rarely)

DRINKS:

Water
Peppermint Tea
Fresh Lemonade

Menu Samples for the Paleo/Hashimoto's Diet

WARNING: This menu list is outdated and only represents an early version of my diet. I no longer eat so much dairy (creates fatigue), absolutely no dried fruits (creates exhaustion), and no broth (yuck...besides it's high in glutamates and I belief I have a glutamate sensitivity). Check out the index for "Paleo-Hashimoto's Diet" and the most recent menu/diet sample should be at the top.

Here's what a typical food journal looks like for someone on The Paleo Diet with a Hashimoto's Twist:

DAY 1

1 cup of chicken or beef broth

3 boiled eggs
1 cup of green peas

1 cup yogurt with
1 peeled and shredded apple

1 handful of raw almonds
1 orange

1 cup chicken or beef broth
2 cups of salmon rice casserole (salmon, Thai rice, red peppers, onions, garlic, broccoli, fresh oregano, olive oil, sea salt and pepper)

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup raw almonds

1 hamburger patty cooked with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon mustard
1 slice raw onion
1 cup cooked carrots

4 tablespoons of almond butter


DAY 2

1 cup of homemade chicken or beef broth

4 ounces of cod, baked in coconut oil
3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup of zucchini sauteed in olive oil

1 slice of cantaloupe
1/2 handful of raisins

1 handful of raw pecans
1/2 apple

2 cups Thai chicken (chicken sauteed in coconut oil with garlic, onions, green beans, broccoli, a bunch of fresh basil, a handful of fresh oregano, jalapeno peppers, with coconut milk and red chilies)

1 avocado

4 ounces salmon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup green peas

4 tablespoons of almond butter
1/2 apple

Here are more rules:


Drink chicken or beef broth with every meal.

Eat some kind of protein every two hours.

Eat lots of veggies with protein.

Eat one veggie raw or almost raw with every meal.

Don't eat fruit with a protein meal unless it's high-glycemic then you need to eat with protein to keep blood sugar from spiking.

Don't cheat.

Don't break the rules.

Obviously I cheat and break rules a lot, sometimes just to be defiant. When I first started this diet I had no idea what to eat and how to make it taste not so bland. Vegetables not dripping with butter are really dull. Meat without the fancy sauces or paired up with a tasty side dish are boring. Dessert? What's that? Boredom is painful when seeing others enjoy their decadent dishes or watching people in restaurants eating gourmet food without restraint, worry or care. Hating what you have to eat is a real motivation killer for any diet.

This is why I break the rules. If I didn't now and then I'd give up. I shouldn't have processed condiments like mayonnaise and mustard, but I buy the organic kind, very expensive,  free of garbage, soy and sugar and I don't eat them often or in great quantity. Sometimes I buy dates or corn chips because one more day of snackless existence would send me over the edge, but that's rare. I've kept raisins although they are dried fruits high in natural sugar because they are high in iron and I pair them up with nuts.

About once a month I buy oysters or prawns and eat them just for a treat. They are high in the minerals and since I don't take supplements, this is justifiable so I don't feel too badly. Often I drink some kind of fresh fruit or vegetable juice at night, again for vitamins. I'd like to drink homemade chicken broth with every meal, but that would involve taking the time to cut up a whole lot of chickens too often to keep myself stocked up with stock. I run out too fast, because of this, I am very selective when I choose to drink the broth.  When I cheat I reduce the diet to a basic Paleo diet without the Hashimoto's Twist and I do it so infrequently, I don't think it causes much of a problem.


BUT on the positive side, I have not once cheated with gluten! I think that would be a deal breaker. I don't eat gluten, restaurant food, junk food, chocolate, soft drinks, caffeine, rarely if any kind of sweetener, hardly any dairy (yogurt), and rice is really the only grain and I don't eat it that often. Even with the rules I break,  it's a darn healthy diet. Nevertheless, willpower is a daily endeavor.

Can't Have This...No Matter What!

As I make my recipes in the next few weeks, I'll post them. They are quite easy. I know what it's like to start this diet and wonder if anything will ever taste good again.