PALEO NUTRITION

When people hear the word "diet" they immediately cringe. It makes them think about what they can't have rather than what they can. How many "diets" have you tried in the past? How many "diets" have worked for you in the past? How many "diets" have you stuck with? More often than not, the answer is none!

"Diet" typically implies a temporary change in eating habits. The difference with eating Paleo is that you are committing to a life of feeling better, looking better and performing better. By getting rid of the "anti-nutrients" in a typical diet, and increasing the nutrient dense foods, this will happen. Research from many scientific disiplines indicate the root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, infertility, cancer and diabetes is a result of our modern diet full of sugar, processed food and transfat.

This isn't a "fad." Paleo nutrition is simply us trying to emulate what our Paleolithic ancestors ate. In fact this is how we were made to eat!

The Who

This is for anyone and everyone. If your goal is to lose weight, gain weight, maintain weight... If your goal is to improve athletic performance, feel better, increase energy... If you have health concerns, including, but not limited to diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, migraines... If you are just a regular Jack or Jill wanting to take care of the one body you are given... then Paleo nutrition is a direction worth exploring.  Please take some time to read these testimonials.  Nothing better to help your realize this works than by asking the people that have tried it, acheived it, live it!

The What

  • - Say "YES" to meat, veggies, fruit and healthy fat!
  • - Say "NO" to grains, dairy, legumes, sugar.
  • - It's simple. Lean protein comes from animal sources (meat, poultry, eggs). Carbohydrates come from veggies and fruit (ideally seasonal). Healthy fat comes from plant sources (avocado, nuts, seeds, olive/coconut oils, etc)

The When

There is no better time than now. Start today! Why wait? Give yourself 30 days of a strict paleo diet and see how you look, feel, and perform. If you're not satisfied then go back to your old habits. The testimonials from so many people who have gone this route, prove it to be successful.

The How

  • Step 1: Rid your house of the "junk." This is not a suggestion to waste food, this is a suggestion to kill two birds with one stone. Take all the "no" food (grains, dairy, legumes, sugars) to a local shelter or another cheritable organization for donation. You have then helped others while helping yourself.
  • Step 2: Stock up! Use this grocery list to pick from what you like to eat. Head the store and stock your house with these items. Don't let yourself run out…that's asking for a disaster! Shopping at local farmer's markets is always a great idea and you know you will then have seasonal produce and quality meat sources.
  • Step 3: Food Prep. Food Prep. At first it may seem a bit overwhelming to have to actually cook all of your food (as opposed to pouring it out of a box or heating it in the microwave). Key to overcoming this stress is to prepare a lot at once. When you cut veggies, cut a bunch up (for stir fry, salad, eggs, or just snacks). When you cook meat, make extra. While the grill/oven/stove is on, cook enough meat for several days. Hard boil a bunch of eggs. Leftovers make transitioning into a Paleo lifestyle much easier in the beginning (and may be the way you do it forever). We're a society of "go, go go"…so to have food ready at our fingertips is huge. Just make sure it's healthy food!
  • Step 4: Be Creative. As you get more comfortable with this lifestyle, start to be
    creative. There are several books, websites, etc. that offer amazing dishes that are fairly simple to prepare. Also, just changing spices, types of veggies, and types of meat in your dishes will bring the meal a whole new taste.

The Why

Because it works! You will be healthier inside and out. Your biomarkers will be better, you will perform better, you will function better, you will reduce the risk of disease and your butt will look better in your jeans. For most people, that is enough. But for those of you that want to know more of a scientific explanation, take time to read the following book The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf (link to purchase with amazon and barnes and noble).

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982565844?
ie=UTF8&tag=robwol-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0982565844

B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Paleo-Solution/Robb-Wolf/e/
9780982565841?itm=1&USRI=the%20paleo%20solution

The following link to papers/abstracts on evidence that the paleo diet works.
Remember, this isn't a "fad"…this is science.

  • Diabetes

    Diabetes cases are growing exponentially in our country. This paper compares the approach with The Mediterranean Diet and The Paleo Diet toward insulin resistant Type 2 diabetes. The result – The Paleo Diet reversed signs and symptoms while there was little to no change with the Mediterranean Diet. Ironic since the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to be THE diet to follow. http://www.staffanlindeberg.com/DiabetesStudy.html

  • Cardiovascular Disease

    A disease that is plaguing the American society as the number one cause of death, is complicated with debates on how and why and what to do. This paper explains the issues related to CVD and dietary fat intake. Basically systemic inflammation caused by trans-fat and high carb intake with an imbalance of omega 3’s and omega 6’s is the root cause. http://thepaleodiet.com/ramsden-ce-faurot-kr-carrera-bastos-p-sperling-ls-de-lorgeril-m-cordain-l-dietary-fat-quality-and-coronary-heart-disease-prevention-a-unified-theory-based-on-evolutionary-historical-global-a/

  • Autoimmunity

    Our immune system is responsible for protecting us from infections by recognizing the invader, attacking it and clearing the it from the body. With autoimmunity, the immune system mistakes the body’s own tissue as that foreign invader. Research is proving that there is a relation between eating Neolithic foods (grains, dairy, and legumes) and autoimmune diseases including, but not limited to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis. Elements of these, and so many more autoimmune diseases, are likely at play when it comes to conditions like infertility and several types of cancers. Interesting enough, leaky gut and the autoimmune response, or damage to the gut lining allowing undigested food into the body, is a common cause between all of these supposedly unrelated conditions. This video by Loran Cordain explains how this all works in regards to Multiple Sclerosis. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59iwc_the-paleo-diet-and-multiple-scleros_lifestyle

Emulating a Paleolithic diet is still new to most people in the modern day.

Newness typically results in biased preconceived notions that result in skepticism. Debate is a good thing in that is requires more research and education and in this case has given more opportunity for the Paleo Diet to prove itself as the healthiest way of eating. Some of the most common arguments include that our Paleolithic ancestors lived shorter lives, questioning of genetic change since agriculture, the heterogeneity of ancestral environments, and innate human adaptability. It's your responsibility to educate yourself and to dive in and try it. Give it a 30 day trial period and if you don't look, feel or perform positively, then you can go back to your old ways.

Here are a few explanations of common arguments.

  • Diabetes

    Diabetes cases are growing exponentially in our country. This paper compares the approach with The Mediterranean Diet and The Paleo Diet toward insulin resistant Type 2 diabetes. The result – The Paleo Diet reversed signs and symptoms while there was little to no change with the Mediterranean Diet. Ironic since the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to be THE diet to follow. http://www.staffanlindeberg.com/DiabetesStudy.html

  • Cardiovascular Disease

    A disease that is plaguing the American society as the number one cause of death, is complicated with debates on how and why and what to do. This paper explains the issues related to CVD and dietary fat intake. Basically systemic inflammation caused by trans-fat and high carb intake with an imbalance of omega 3’s and omega 6’s is the root cause. http://thepaleodiet.com/ramsden-ce-faurot-kr-carrera-bastos-p-sperling-ls-de-lorgeril-m-cordain-l-dietary-fat-quality-and-coronary-heart-disease-prevention-a-unified-theory-based-on-evolutionary-historical-global-a/

  • Autoimmunity

    Our immune system is responsible for protecting us from infections by recognizing the invader, attacking it and clearing the it from the body. With autoimmunity, the immune system mistakes the body’s own tissue as that foreign invader. Research is proving that there is a relation between eating Neolithic foods (grains, dairy, and legumes) and autoimmune diseases including, but not limited to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis. Elements of these, and so many more autoimmune diseases, are likely at play when it comes to conditions like infertility and several types of cancers. Interesting enough, leaky gut and the autoimmune response, or damage to the gut lining allowing undigested food into the body, is a common cause between all of these supposedly unrelated conditions. This video by Loran Cordain explains how this all works in regards to Multiple Sclerosis. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59iwc_the-paleo-diet-and-multiple-scleros_lifestyle

Professor Loran Cordain provides more explanations for counter arguments here. For those of you that still may not be totally convinced or just want more science, check out a list of The Paleo Diet Published Research.