The Paleo Challenge

I frequently see clients who ask, “What can I do to help myself lose weight?”

My response, “Go paleo.”

Or they may ask, “What can I do to help with my digestive system?”

Go paleo.

Help improve my mood and have more energy?

Go paleo.

The paleolithic diet, abbreviated paleo diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era before the development of agriculture and grain-based diets.

Put most simply, the idea is to eat what our ancestors ate thousands of years ago.

Meaning…

NO: grains, legumes, dairy, refined salt OR sugar, and processed oils.

YES: fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, veggies, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts

Before I decided to take the paleo challenge, I was working out and I thought I was eating healthy – a bowl of cereal for breakfast with 2% milk, a turkey sandwich loaded with veggies for lunch, and a light pasta dish for dinner (notice all the grains), yet I felt stuck at the weight and size of clothes I was at. Then I took the challenge. And wow what a change! After just a few weeks I had lost a size, had more muscle definition and had more energy. I also noticed I wasn’t as bloated, my digestion regulated and I was more focused at school and with clients.

I am very weary of calling this a diet – to me diets are fads that run their course and eventually fall out of favor. Rather, going paleo is a lifestyle change. One must be mentally prepared to change their lifestyle in order for this way of eating to be successful.

To learn more about going paleo and the pros and cons of going paleo, check out these websites. Also, included is a website to one of my good friends in Kansas City who is a personal paleo chef who can help keep variety in your meals! Enjoy!