Friday, November 9, 2012

Let's revisit our paleo definition

Writing my last post, got me to thinking that I wasn't exactly clear in my mind, what I think a 'paleo diet' consists of.  Since beginning my personal paleo journey a few years back, the lines have definitely been blurred...according to who I speak to, what I fancy to eat, what I twist the rules to allow me to eat (I totally read that dark chocolate is very good for you at the Doctors the other day!!!), the pictures I see on pinterest, or which current article I read.  So, I turned to the internet to confirm my version of the rules.  Reading Robb Wolf's blog, took me to this interesting article:

Dan's Plan

They suggest that there are five main ideas of what 'paleo' is.  After reading this, I decided that the closest version to our ideals is Mark Sisson's primary blueprint idea.  Mark states that:

 "we should be primarily eating plant foods as the bulk of our diet. He recommends brightly colored, organic, locally grown vegetables and fruits for maximizing nutritional value. He also recommends eating a variety of organic, grass-fed or wild-caught meats and does not suggest avoiding eggs or animal fats such as butter, lard, or tallow.
Foods that Mark says we should consume in moderation include: nuts, seeds, and their derivative butters; fruits with high sugar content or glycemic loads; coffee; dairy products (he prefers raw, fermented, or high-fat dairy products); fats and oils (with a preference for animal fats); starchy tuber vegetables; and wild rice. Mark also gives us a category of “sensible indulgences” in which he places alcoholic beverages, dark chocolate, and high fat desserts.
Food that Mark recommends we avoid entirely include the usual suspects of grains, legumes, trans and partially hydrogenated fats, processed foods, and sugars. "  (paragraph borrowed from Dan's plan)


However, as Robb wolf, so rightly states, when deciding what and how you want to eat, you should ask yourself the question - who and what?   "Who are we talking about (athlete, diabetic, autoimmunity) and What are we trying to accomplish."

for my family at the moment, it is mainly a health, fitness and well being bent that we are on.  Our future goals and projects involve us being in good physical fitness and as for our wee baby?  Well, we want to equip her with a well - balanced and nutrional diet including as many wonderful vegetables and healthy proteins, and for her, there will be some grain intake - my fear? That she will develop intolerances to grains that will cause her problems in later life - but that is post for another day!! Any feedback or advice about this would be most welcome. 

Thank you to Robb Wolf and Dr Dan Pardi, although I do not know you, I take heart in your lessons and endlessly thank you for your knowledge.


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