Humans of Paleo: Lisa Pelton

These Humans of Paleo posts were inspired by the Humans of....Facebook pages. This is our attempt to share very personal stories of Paleo with you, hopefully inspiring you to make changes with your diet and lifestyle.  ENJOY!

We'd love to hear your story, please reach out here if you'd like to share!

Meet Lisa Pelton of DPXGear!

What brought you to eating Paleo/clean?

I was working upwards of 80 hours a week at a large accounting firm in my mid 20s. I started having chest pains, crippling anxiety, asthma, and allergies; all things an otherwise healthy 26-year-old should not be experiencing.

Knowing only to seek conventional medicine, I went to an allergist for a skin prick test and was told I was very allergic to everything except cats. I was prescribed an inhaler, steroids, and a really intense stimulant decongestant.

Shortly thereafter I went to a two week training in Florida for work. In between the two weeks of training I scheduled myself to sit for a section of the CPA exam as well (no pressure...). During my time at the hotel I started having asthma attacks almost every hour. I went to go to a local urgent care and was prescribed an emergency inhaler.

I remember one night sitting in my hotel room trying to study and I started shaking uncontrollably. The only way I could get myself to stop shaking was to go downstairs to the bar and drink two beers...not a healthy way to cope with stress.

When I returned back home from the training, things were not improving. One day on my way into work, I decided to stop ignoring the chest pains and heart palpitations I was regularly having and took myself to a doctor who prescribed me Xanax without blinking an eye.

I started taking Xanax but didn't really feel any relief from my anxiety and started taking more. Then I started getting cocky and pairing it with a glass of wine looking for real relief from my anxiety but finding none.

I believe it was an episode of Dr. Drew's celebrity rehab show that I saw that featured a celebrity addicted to benzodiazepines (the family of substances in which Xanax is classified) and there was discussion about how awful and addictive they were and that flipped a switch in my brain and made me realize the true dangers of what I was so casually putting in my body.

It was at that point I decided there must be a better way.

I started seeing a naturopath and she had me take a food intolerance test. Turns out I was off-the-charts intolerant to dairy and eggs and moderately intolerant to nuts and gluten; things I was consuming regularly.

Taking those foods out of my diet along with some natural supplements like holy basil to support my adrenals completely cured me of my asthma, allergies, and anxiety almost immediately.

I became aware of the paleo diet when trying to find gluten, nut, dairy and egg-free recipes online. I did a three week reset following the autoimmune protocol from Paleo Plan and felt better than ever. For the first time I felt like my body was calm, happy and nourished.

From then on, I've been diving deeper into the paleo lifestyle and taking away more and more additives and chemicals from everything in my life.

What has been the toughest part?

Being labeled as someone who follows fads and the false assumption I'm eating the way I do because it's trendy or I'm trying to lose weight.

What has been the easiest part?

Not being hungry/tired/sick all the time.

What is the most satisfying part?

Finding joy in cooking with newfound, nourishing ingredients. There are so many great recipes and resources on the internet!

What are you going to conquer this year?

Getting married. 

What is your best quality?

Unwavering determination (sometimes also my worst quality)

What was the happiest moment of your life?

The day I picked my fiancee up from the airport after two years in Afghanistan knowing he wasn't going back this time.

One piece of advice to someone starting Paleo?

Ignore the haters and listen to your body.

Never leave the house without:

[Shameless plug] a DPx Gear knife.

What is your exercise regime:

Crossfit at least 3x a week, yoga as much as I can, and riding my bike to work.

Snack of choice:

Epic bars (bison is my fave).

Beauty essential:

Emu oil.

Skincare ritual:

Osmosis cleanser at night, moisturize with shea butter or emu oil morning/night, and sunscreen during the day. I'm finally learning that less is more after abusing my skin for 15 years.

A must read book recommendation:

The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

• Humans of Paleo: Alessandra Wall, Psychologist
• Humans of Paleo: Scott Mills, Chiropractor
• The Importance of Quality 
• Overcoming Obstacles to Paleo

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