My View On What Is Paleo Diet

Just a heads up people. I will not suddenly feel the need to start writing articles ‘defending’ paleo. I know where I stand on this matter and quite frankly – I am not going to put any oxygen into these ridiculous ‘diet wars’ that seem to be happening across the internet. I will also NOT be aligning myself with any extreme paleo views. In this community, we are all different and just because you support ‘paleo’ it does not mean that you support the views of everyone in the ‘paleo’ community.

For the record my views currently are:

• Firstly – I know that in time my views will evolve. I am always open to new knowledge, education and research.
• Paleo does not automatically mean LC, VLC or even LCHF and I hate that they continually get lumped in the same category.
• I do not think that ketosis is the natural state for humans. I do not think LC or VLC suits everyone, but it has therapeutic benefits in certain conditions.
• To me – Paleo is eating a diet that is best suited to YOU as an INDIVIDUAL in order for you to thrive.
• Paleo is NOT about replicating the caveman. But it gets a bit hard defending this when every ‘paleo’ business has some form of a spear, loin cloth or caveman in their logo.

Unless you are eating more vegetables than a vegetarian – you are not doing paleo right.

Paleo is NOT just a high meat diet. You have a portion of protein with a meal…what is high meat about that? It is not an ‘all you can eat meat buffet’

Paleo diet is not all about fats

It is also not a free pass to consume endless amounts of fats. Use common sense. There is no need to over-do anything. I don’t think excess of anything is a good thing.
Paleo does not mean no fruit or even limited fruit. You are all individual. Eat seasonally – and if you want to…EAT FRUIT for goodness sake! Don’t be scared of real food.

While we are at it – if it suits YOU and you tolerate them well as an INDIVIDUAL: eat full-fat dairy, eat legumes, eat white potatoes, eat rice and possibly even soaked and sprouted grains!

Please don’t ask ‘is this paleo?’ – How about you ask ‘is this food a right choice for me’…end of story.

• Try to limit your intake of processed foods.
• Increase your intake of unprocessed foods 🙂
• I do not give out quantities of macronutrients that need to be consumed in order to be healthy – you know why? You are ALL different and I do not know your personal health circumstances, so how on earth would I be able to determine what is right for you?
• If something is not working for you – CHANGE IT.
• Don’t let your diet impact your happiness or your interaction with people. Continually stressing about what you are eating is also not doing your health any favours – so go and enjoy your time with your family and friends.
• Don’t get caught up in dogma and ideology.

Remember that other factors such as sleep, stress, overuse of technology, reduced ‘nature time’ etc all play JUST as an IMPORTANT role in your health as your food.

There is no ‘one truth’ and I always urge you to continue to look at new information, and not get caught up in dogma.

This ‘paleo’ label was once an easier way to try to explain to people how you ate. I am thinking more and more that this is now ‘lost in translation’.
Thank you so much for your continued support over this last year. Please keep doing what is right for you and keep questioning, learning, searching and have an open mind.

PS: Can I add to this as in the wise words of Matt Lalonde:

There has been insufficient and evolutionary pressure for complete seed consumption to arise in Homo sapiens. As a result, individuals that tolerate grains and legumes should be considered a minority and not the majority. (Lalonde, 2011)

We are all on that bell curve, you just need to find where you sit on it. It is not black and white and we need to make sure statements and media surrounding Paleo reflect this. It is for this reason and because I am a practitioner, I am very careful about what I promote as it is my duty of care to the best I can by people promoting an individualized and measured framework.