Hi - Thought it would be good to hear from fellow aussies on their progress and what foods they have found to be good in Australia.  What coconut milk do you use?  Anyone found suitable sausages?  Bacon?  I have been using normal bacon from the supermarket but am unsure if it is ok?  Not eating it everyday - so does it matter what kind I eat?  Same with sausages - I like them because they are a cheaper option.  Not sure if I have posted this in the 'right' section - new to the forum thing!!  I am also new to paleo but find it really works for me - am intolerant to wheat so have been on a gluten free diet for years but have never felt better than on paleo - I think it helps by having absolutly no grains - there isn't that option to cheat.  So fellow Aussies - look forward to catching up and your help in shopping for the right stuff!! 

Hi!

I'm from melbourne and have been doing paleo for about 6 months. I started out trying to shop at normal supermarkets and then starting going to organic stores and butchers, but now I really want to try and get as much as possible from farmers markets. They have local fruit & veg, grass-fed meats, deli meats without all the crap in them, pastured eggs, and local beers and wines - basically they rock my world now! And I'm a sudent, so not that cashed up either. Today at Bundoora Farmers market I scored grain-free sausages - just pork, fennel and spices. I also got bacon ends which are the nice fatty end bits

"Organic by nature" do cans of coconut milk without thickeners too, and my organic store has tinned tuna/sardines in organic olive oil which is a nice snack or lunch filler. I eat a lot of shredded coconut for snack as well as macadamia nuts. Love my dark choc - just bought some raw organic stuff with chilli in it ( by "LovingEarth"). My organic store also has heaps of great oils like walnut, avocado, roasted sesame, and pistachio.

I'm still a bit unsure of what fish to buy in terms of sustainability, but I always buy the wild-caught stuff from the mongers (except when I buy canned of course).

Since being paleo I've lost 4kg (was already normal weight but have some to lose), I've been more energises especially in the afternoons, I've started weight training which I love, and I've gotten inspired to cook more and experiment in the kitchen.

By the way - anyone in Melbourne looking to meet other paleo-types should log onto Melbourne Paleo Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Paleo/

AllyBelly

Hi, I'm in Ballarat. Ayam does a coconut milk and cream that is 100% coconut with water, no thickeners. It's available at our local Coles in the Asian foods section. I am concerned about BPA from the cans though, so I'd prefer to use creamed coconut. Monika brand from Sri Lanka is quite widely available at ethnic markets in Melbourne, but I haven't found it in Ballarat yet. I'm also interested in experimenting with making some sort of calorie bomb snack thingies based on creamed coconut for DH's lunchbox.

I eat bacon, a good quality dry-cured hardwood-smoked one from my butcher. It's delicious and we eat a lot of it, but we're considering cutting it to treat only status, because we know fresh meat would be better for us. We're still prevaricating on that one.

My butcher also does a good range of natural gluten-free sausages which we eat. I feel the same way about them as bacon, they're OK health-wise but not optimal. Long-term we'd really like to move to pretty much 100% fresh meat and fish. We're still eating them but once we're a bit more financial I think we'll drop them from the diet except for special occasions like the Australia Day BBQ.

I've been loving paleo too, loving the food and how great I feel on it.

Hi Jean, I am fairly new to Paleo and I live in Ballarat too. I was wondering what butcher you go to for your Bacon. I am having trouble sourcing healthier alternatives. Thanks

Hi Jean, I am fairly new to Paleo and I live in Ballarat too. I was wondering what butcher you go to for your Bacon. I am having trouble sourcing healthier alternatives. Thanks

Welcome macntia!

I go to John Harbour on Lydiard Street North. It's quite well up, nearly at Howitt Street on the left at the crest of the hill. He's fantastic! The meat is all good quality and well hung, and they will cut it any way you like on the spot. They don't do heaps of things in parcels, sauces and marinades that we don't eat anyway, it's mostly clean cuts and smallgoods. He's won prizes for his hams etc.

They're open Monday-Friday to about 5pm and Saturday to about midday. They break down beef carcasses on Monday, so if you want bones and fat, that's the day to go in and ask for them.