EVERYDAY PALEO

Let’s face it‐ eating healthy is hard. It’s not hard because it’s impossible, but rather because it can be so confusing. There are continually new studies coming out say a certain food is good, and a week later a new study says it’s not. Fad, celebrity‐endorsed diets come and go faster than we can keep track of. So where can you turn when you’re looking for solid, reliable nutritional advice? What makes recommendations so difficult is that there are a plethora of variances from person to person. Even if you are the same age, gender and weight as someone else, your calorie expenditure may be much different based off of lifestyle choices, level of activity, etc. Because of that, recommendations must be taken with a grain of salt. The Institute for Medicine recommends a breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins into percentage ranges (for adults): Carbs 45‐65% of calories Fats‐ 20‐35% of calories Proteins‐ 10‐35% of calories As you can see, even these ranges are ...

When you take on any new type of eating lifestyle, it can seem overwhelming figuring out what foods you “can” and “cannot” or “should” and “should not” be eating. Even more so, it can be confusing if you don’t understand the reasons why certain foods are good for you to eat and while others are best just in moderation. The Paleo diet is no exception. There are many foods that are considered Paleo‐friendly but that are also the basic “meat” of the eating lifestyle (no pun intended). Here are a list of some of those foods and just why they are important to consume. Meats: 1) Salmon‐ Full of Omega 3’s, protein, iron, zinc niacin, Vitamins B6 & B12. These properties help fight inflammation, contain antioxidants, supply a healthy source of protein and help keep your heart healthy. 2) Lean Beef‐ Lean cuts of beef pack a protein punch without a high amount of saturated fats. There are 29 cuts of lean beef to choose from. 3) Chicken‐ Versatile and healthy, chicken fulfi...

It’s no surprise that cooking and preparing your own food is the safest and healthiest bet. When you buy food already made, or go out to dinner at a restaurant, there is truly no way to know how it was prepared, where it came from, etc. By cooking your own food, you can at least know for sure everything that went into its preparation from start to finish. But what if we go so far as to say growing your own food is not only the ideal situation, but also a fun, tasty and inexpensive way to ensure you are eating the freshest foods possible? You certainly don’t have to be a Martha Stewart or own hundreds of acres of land to grow your own food. The process is rather simple and just requires regular attention and maintenance. There are a ton of methods by which you can approach growing your own food. Whether you use a raised garden, window garden, or grow them in pots, fresh veggies and herbs can be yours. Let’s take a look at the various methods...

Chances are you’ve heard the term Paleo before, and likely used in close association with Cross Fit. Paleo, short for Paleolithic, is a term that refers to a specific type of diet or eating style. The Paleolithic era, also known as the Stone Age, was a time in which primitive people (cave men) lived as hunters and gatherers. Their diets consisted of whatever animals they could kill or food they could gather. So this essentially means any foods that are in their rawest or truest form and available in nature. Think back to history class and images of cavemen‐ lean, athletic, muscular. I think it’s safe to say if cave men sat around eating Oreos off of golden trays, their bodies would be more like what we see in the general population in our world today. So there’s got to be something about what they were doing that worked, right? This is where Paleo diet advocators derive their argument for why it works. They believe our bodies were physiologically created to be able to prop...

Whether you’re a Paleo fan or not, there’s certainly common ground between those who follow the diet and everyone else. Obviously, our ancestors were doing something right when it came to eating and exercise. Food wasn’t simply grabbed off a shelf, tossed into a cart and driven to your home. It was hunted, killed, prepared and cooked. Nowadays, disease abounds and even with advances in technology, our lifespans are shortening as lifestyle choices create epidemics far out of our collective control. Little kids are obese and twenty-some-year-olds are suffering from heart attacks. So where exactly did we go wrong, and is there a way to fix it? If you take a look at countries who still practice subsistence farming and must grow and hunt the food they consume, some things haven't changed with time. The disease presence in these countries falls more along the lines of undernutrition than the issues we have elsewhere that are a result of over‐consumption. But there is cl...

Too much of a good thing can be bad‐ at least that’s what some people believe. We’re living in an age now where food is so unbelievably accessible that we find ourselves scoffing under our breath if we’re in a fast-food line for more than sixty‐seconds. The speed and convenience is great at times‐ especially for busy moms and people running from job one to job two. But too much of this has contributed to a worldwide epidemic of obesity, which is growing worse with time. Learning to balance healthy living in a world of processed foods isn’t impossible. While combo meals (what a deal!) and tempting propaganda can sometimes make healthy feel unattainable, it’s not. It just takes a little planning ahead of time and reinforcement of better choices. So what are some things you can do to eat healthy amidst a world of processed foods? Steam, Bake or Broil‐ If you take a food item in its rawest form, it has the potential to stay healthy. But the way you prepare it can be a dea...