hi,  we are new

We are a family of 3. My hubby has has weight issues since he was a child, but has lost quite a bit since we have been together and after some changes to his diet - his background is malay/english so there was a westernised diet with helpings of curry and rice and lots of sweets and potato chips. We cut out the rice alot ( I refused to cook it every night). He is also more active now which is great, coz we'd like him to be around for a long time   His father has had a triple bypass (clearly the diet wasn't the best) so we are keen to eat healthy and play happy.

My diet as a child to young teen was lots of veggies, white meats mostly with a little roo and lamb, plenty of fruit and fish (I was in a tropical climate at the time - and I would easily go pick fruit if I didn't like what was for dinner). It changed significantly when my family moved and suddenly fastfood, high carb meals were on the menu. My family put on weight quickly, and like the my grandmother and others, my parents developed health issues including lupus, diabetes and a myriad of other things ( arthritis abounds). Of all my family I have had the least health issues, my main ones beings a little fatigue and fertility issues ( well that could be both my partner and I ). I generally have good energy through the day and I am not a lover of bread or pasta but have eaten it due to other family wanting me to cook certain meals.

After quite a bit of discussion and some research I came across the paleo diet, it fits perfectly with what I had been calling " our traditional diet" and being able to find this info online has been vital in my being able to convince family members to at least give it a go.

So here we are, I am personally hoping to see changes in allergies ( hayfever and gastro problems), for some weight changes and for more energy. Also for ..a level of happiness or well being...I think.

We are looking forward to reading about other families on here, and getting some great recipes and ideas. Our biggest challenges will be ditching the sugar ( myself and my son) and for my hubby, curbing those carbohydrate cravings.

Welcome! Good luck with your transition. Paleo has turned my family's lives around - it can do the same for yours.

The key to controlling carb cravings in my experience is to get rid of it! Eating small amounts just makes you want more. Lots of protein and healthy fat will keep you satisfied. Put big, yummy paleo meals on the table and keep the fruit bowl well stocked, and the family will be happy. My family said they were actually enjoying the food more after we switched, because we were eating things we used to consider special more often, such as salmon, prawns, big roasts, berries and other expensive fruits, etc. Eating paleo has cost us more but the results have been worth it many times over.

I should add we don't do dairy because both myself and son are lactose intolerant, we only have a little butter but mostly substitute with coconut oil. I also can't eat bread because it does weird things to my stomach and I feel sick from it. So I have kind of fallen into a diet that has few grains/dairy anyway. I'm worried about diabetes which runs in my fathers family, as well as chrohns, lupus and arthritis which runs in my mums family. My husbands family have heart problems and diabetes.  Obviously we would like to avoid these health problems and hope that paleo is the way to go.