Paleo

If we have not met, my name is Viviane and it is my passion to educate,
and motivate others to achieve optimal health!

I am here as a facilitator and a support system to assist you in any way I can, whether it be from guiding you to make informed decisions about your health or helping to identify and remove any limitations that may be in your way of achieving your goals!

The Paleo Diet is often called the Caveman Diet, Primal Diet, or Stone Age Diet.

The premise is that all of the food is directly sourced from nature as our ancestors had hunted and gathered during the Paleolithic Era.

Before the birth of agriculture, about 10 thousand years ago, humans did not eat grains, beans, starchy vegetables (hello potatoes), beans, milk, or added salt and sugars!

Yet today, approximately 61% of human’s calories are from foods that were
UNKNOWN to us and our bodies prior to the start of food processing. Let’s summarize:

Meats, fruits, and vegetables = natural
Processed foods of any kind = unnatural
The modern diet of refined foods is COMPLETELY different from the way early humans ate.

Many refer to the Standard American Diet as it’s acronym: SAD.
Do you agree?

Foods to avoid:

• All dairy products
• Grains (rice, wheat, corn, oat, barley, millet, rye)
• Beans & legumes
• Starchy vegetables (potato and squash varieties)
• Sugary foods & artificial sweeteners
• High salt foods (processed or smoked meats)
• Soft drinks & fruit juices
• Refined vegetable oils

I know that may sound like a lot of restriction but stay tuned for all the YUMMY Paleo-friendly options!

So, what exactly CAN you eat? LOTS!

• All lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish)
• Eggs
• Fruits and berries
• Most vegetables
• Nuts and Seeds
• Honey (sometimes)
• Healthful oils (Olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, coconut)

The “Paleo Plate” consists of a majority of lean meats, a close second of vegetables, a serving of healthy fats, and some fruit and nuts. Oh and as always, a healthy amount of good ‘ol H2O!

Speaking of water, this plays a huge role in the paleo lifestyle!
We have all been told how important drinking water is for us, right? Dehydration affects everything from our digestion to the health of our skin. On the other hand, overhydration can even be lethal (A LOT of water has to be consumed for this to be an issue, and I mean A LOT)..

How much water should we drink, then? That’s complicated. We’ve been told eight 8-ounce glasses a day, but more studies are needed as things like body weight, nutritional needs, age, and activity levels all affect the amount of water we need daily.

I don’t mean to stray off, but…
Here are only a few benefits of drinking water:

• 1-Increases the speed of your metabolism
• 2-Improves muscle tone
• 3-Aids in digestion
• 4-Prevents fatigue
• 5-Supports detoxification
• 6-Strengthens joint health
  

How many glasses of water do you currently drink on average?

Back to Paleo!
Are you a little skeptical? It’s okay!

Luckily there is a lot of scientific evidence concluding the efficacy of a Paleo diet.
Some benefits reported are:

• Naturally Balances Blood Glucose Levels:
  • Most are aware of the inconvenient blood sugar spikes and drops throughout our day.
    Because of the elimination of refined sugar, our bodies have a chance to regain the natural balance of our blood sugar. This means no more mid-day crashes!

• An increase of Natural Energy and More Quality Sleep:
  • When you eat a balanced Paleo meal, you are providing your body with natural energy sources from all-natural sources! This is the way our bodies are meant to be fueled. Not to mention, our quality of sleep improves incredibly. This is done quite organically from cutting out the typical additives in our SAD food sources. The serotonin in our brains, signaling when it is time to sleep, is no longer drowned out by the chemicals in our food. Proper sleep = natural foods. See?

• Effortless Weight Loss and Lean Muscle Production:
  • The structure of the Paleo diet naturally promotes weight loss. Between cutting synthetic chemicals from processed foods, increasing our daily intake of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, AND providing ourselves with ample protein for muscle growth, we are setting our bodies up for SUCCESS.

• Keeps you Full:
  • Often people associate the word “diet” with “restriction.” While there are foods you can’t eat, you are NOT counting calories, seekings for cheats, or staying hungry. The Paleo diet promotes eating when you are hungry. The catch is, when doing it correctly, you will not as hungry as often. The emphasis on calorie dense healthy fats, whole foods, and plenty of fiber creates the perfect equation for satisfying satiation!

• Detoxing Effects:
  • Since we have halted our consumption of a lot of harmful additives (trans fats, MSG, refined sugar, and excessive caffeine), we are inherently giving our bodies a rest.
  • Additionally, our antioxidant, phytonutrient, and fiber intake increases aiding in the detox process.

• Disease Prevention:
  • Many diseases can be traced back to a single word: INFLAMMATION. Luckily, the Paleo diet is structured around anti-inflammatory diseases while cutting out many of the known inflammatory food sources.

Phew, I know that was a lot of information.
Did any of these surprise you?

I know that if I were you, I would be demanding some proof of such claims. After all, some of this seems a bit too good to be true, huh?
Here is a great resource of various published and reviewed research on the Paleo Diet dating back over 30 years: http://thepaleodiet.com/research/

Let’s backtrack…
Effortless weight loss? Now THAT sounds impossible.

The quality of our food is of the utmost importance when considering trying to lose weight.
Unfortunately, it is a common misconception that eating less is the answer to the weight loss epidemic. While it CAN be helpful to implement this with a FRACTION of people, it is more sustainable and appropriate to focus on QUALITY OVER QUANTITY.

So, let’s talk about quality…

The Paleo menu is full of taurine-rich animal products, Omega 3’s, and fiber-rich carbohydrate sources.

In short, Taurine helps propel fat cells into “weight loss mode.” This is done by reducing inflammatory signals to fat cells AND improving fat tissues’ insulin sensitivity. Omega 3’s, also, aid in pushing far cells into that “weight loss mode,” by 10 improving our metabolic health and overall lowering inflammation.

Lastly, fiber! The paleo-friendly carbohydrate sources are jam-packed with fiber. Carbohydrates that feature a healthy amount of fiber do not cause those blood sugar spikes I mentioned earlier.

With this diet change, we can REPROGRAM our fat cells for EASY weight loss.

Paleo might not be for everyone, but athletes may want to pay
extra attention.
Why is that, you ask?

The Paleo diet can potentially provide the following athletic benefits:

• Improved muscle recovery
• Improved digestion, allowing more efficient absorption of essential nutrients
• Improved glucose control (Bye, bye crashes. Remember?)
• Improved cognitive abilities and focus
• Overall, the Paleo diet provides the nutrition needed to have sustained energy, ability to grow and maintain muscle, and strengthen our immune system and cognitive ability.

I mentioned earlier a Paleo diet’s influence on preventing disease. I know that’s one of the things that interested me most about all of this!

The prevalence of autoimmune diseases has been rising for some time now. To summarize, an autoimmune disease is basically a condition where the body cannot decipher between our own healthy tissue from foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. Because of this, our immune system goes into “attack mode” too often, even attacking our own bodies. These attacks can go unnoticed for YEARS until an identifiable autoimmune disease develops.

We are dealing with Hashimotos and Celiac in our little family.

There are 80 different known varieties of autoimmune diseases as of right now, but more are being discovered DAILY.

So, what would we best in combatting this?
You’ve guessed it… to reduce inflammation!
That’s where the Autoimmune Protocol, or Autoimmune Paleo Diet, comes in.

Making these dietary changes helps to heal the immune system’s communication system with our bodies AND our gut’s healthy flora essential to an accurate immune response.

This may not be relevant to you, but with autoimmune diseases on the rise, I think this is one of the MOST important benefits.

Myth #1: You must become a caveman:
This one seems a bit obvious now that we have covered how realistic this diet is.

Myth #2: Paleo is a fad:
Calling Paleo a fad is confusing. A Paleo lifestyle is designed to feed our bodies with the food we are supposed to eat and how it has been done for a very, very long time before us.

Myth #3: It is an unbalanced meat-only diet:
Meat only equates to less than 50% of the Paleo Diet.

Myth #4: Portions are too small:
As mentioned we are not counting calories, instead, we are eating calorie dense foods. Therefore, food MAY seem less in volume, but it does NOT put us in ANY risk of not eating enough. Realistically, the SAD diet sets up to OVEREAT.

Myth #5: It’s too expensive:
There are PLENTY of independent experiments of those calculating their grocery shopping paleo versus not. Like anything, planning is in order to ensure the best bang 13 for your buck. But keep in mind eating paleo does NOT inherently mean pricey.

Food companies are often experts of depiction. As consumers, inconsistent labeling makes making informed choices about our food extremely difficult.
Paleo-branded food is no exception. While the increase of the “Paleo” label is a great tool for those looking to begin this lifestyle, it can equally make things more confusing.

Let me explain.

Food companies can engineer any food to follow any set of “rules.” Basically, that means junk food can be considered “Paleo” within certain guidelines.

So, how can you ensure you do not fall into the trap of assuming all “Paleo approved” stickers equate to a healthy option?

• Read the Ingredients:
  • With the knowledge of what is and is not paleo friendly, skim the ingredients in search for things like sweeteners, additives, and preservatives.

• Read the Nutritional Facts:
  • Pay attention to the macronutrient profile. For example, is it really “Low Carb”?

• Compare Prices:
  • You MAY be paying for the label more than the product. Sometimes it makes more sense to purchase a non-Paleo-branded version of a product that would fit into your diet’s structure anyway. Have you seen any Paleo-branded products lately?

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Although there are more guidelines in a Paleo diet versus the SAD alternative, make sure you are not limiting yourself from the foods you love!
Very often there are quick changes to a recipe to make it Paleo-friendly. Simply use Google to search for your favorite food and do a little digging.
Remember, this is FUN! You should be excited about trying new things, feeding yourself and family high-quality foods, and being able to share your experience with others!

Do you have a food in mind that you want to make paleo?

I know that I just shared a TON of information with you and there are probably some emotions surfacing…
-Overwhelm
-Excitement
-Maybe even some confusion

These are all GREAT emotions!!!

Your excitement will drive you, and your overwhelm will force you to take this process VERY seriously.

Healthy eating is a staple of a high-quality lifestyle, and it is something to put time and energy into as the side effects include more energy, improved self-esteem, and amped up vigor for life!

If you feel like you need support on your journey to a paleo lifestyle, I am here to help!

I love sharing this topic with people who are eager to transform their health. If you have any further questions, please contact me.

I am always here to support you!!!

XO,