There has been a lot of negative talk around Paleo over the past few weeks and much of it focuses on the extremism that is not the norm when it comes to Paleo. The media continually present Paleo as a fad diet that is full of meat and eliminates many of the so called essential food groups. This is far from the truth. Paleo is essentially going back to basics and focussing on a lifestyle that includes eating wholefoods that are nutrient dense with minimal processing, keeping active and minimising stress.
Here at Paleo Hero we love & live the Paleo lifestyle for what we think it should be. A template rather than a prescription. A set of guidelines to help people return from the Standard Australian Diet (notice that spells SAD!) to one based on wholefoods that everyone can benefit from. The Paleo diet is not a cure-all or a magic fix for all ailments, it might help some and it could certainly help prevent future illness, but, when tailored to each individual, what it CAN do is no harm. Eating food as nature intended rather than ‘food-like’ products loaded with preservatives & additives is always going to be better for the human body and our health.
We are never going to emulate the way our Palaeolithic ancestors lived exactly, we don’t have the exact same foods or the exact same lifestyles and nor would most of us want to! What we can take from their example is a few vital things.
- A diet based on real food rather than packaged, highly processed junk, is what we were designed to eat and what we will thrive on.
- We need to prioritize sleep, stress relief & movement.
-
And, community or ‘tribe’ is really important to wellbeing in whatever form that takes for you.
Enjoy the process of understanding what you are eating and how this can assist you to perform at your optimum level regardless of whether you are an elite athlete, a business professional or just a weekend warrior. Improve your energy levels, enjoy better sleep patterns and develop a stronger immune system to fight off illness.
At Paleo Hero we want everyone, no matter what their dietary beliefs, to be able to enjoy real, nutrient dense & delicious food. There is no ONE Paleo diet, there never has been. Find the foods that work for you, listen to your own body & JERF (Just Eat Real Food).
Article written by Paleo Hero Founder Mark Rockley & Health & Fitness Ambassador Shan Cooper