Paleo is simply eating in accordance with our genetics, nourishing the body in the way nature intended. A diet based on traditional, hunter-gatherer foods maximizes health, healing and wellbeing…and benefits all aspects of the body, not just digestion!
Eating within a Paleo template alleviates and remedies chronic aches and pain, weight-gain, poor energy levels, fluid retention, hormonal imbalance and other conditions aggravated by chronic inflammation, while simultaneously supporting heart health, bone & joint integrity, stable moods, immune function, sound sleep, mental clarity and much more.
Permanent Lifestyle Change Begins with the Diet
Poor energy levels? Unsatisfactory body-fat percentage? Aches and pains? Insufficient sleep? Brain fog? Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix to regenerate health - no assortment of pills, powders, supplements, detox plans, fad diets or cleanses will provide long-term health revitalization. A healthy lifestyle is a result of regular daily choices involving diet, activities and attitude! The good news is that those choices, and better health, are available to everyone.
There is no short-cut to vibrant, maintainable health. Rejuvenating health takes time to be attentive to your body, establish sustainable healthy habits and determine exactly what makes you thrive!
How Paleo Helps...
It takes curiosity to uncover your best approach for health renewal and maintenance. The best news is that Paleo principles do not require any fancy mixes or specially-formulated (and expensive) products. Just eat time-honored, traditional foods and your body naturally responds.
Here are five specific ways the Paleo Diet encourages permanent lifestyle change. Further information is thoroughly detailed in The Paleovation Workbook (specific section book locations are noted in parentheses; supplemental topic info is accessible in our printable Paleo Synopsis in the footer).
1. Hunter-Gatherer Eating Patterns Snuff out Inflammation (Prep Section A & B, Day 18) Inflammation is an underlying cause of all sorts of chronic conditions, from excess belly fat to heart disease to brain fog to insomnia! The Paleo Diet calms inflammation by focusing on traditional anti-inflammatory foods of our ancestors: vegetables, time-honored fats and animal products (especially from animals raised on a pasture the way nature intended). These foods provide bio-available nutrients in easy-to-digest forms to nourish the body head to toe. At the same time, eating within a Paleo Template removes highly-inflammatory modern foods: grains, sugar, industrial oils (like canola, soybean, cottonseed), dairy, additives, legumes and alcohol. These foods are excluded for just 3-4 weeks to give the body a chance to heal the damage they cause. Arteries become more supple, neural pathways gain dexterity, joints reclaim range of motion, energy levels return. People are amazed by how good they feel once inflammation recedes!
2. No Cookie-Cutter Results: Each Person Discovers their Optimal Foods (Days 25-26) The key advantage of Paleo is that once inflammation subsides, it is quite easy to recognize the signs that identify damaging foods. Every individual has different food tolerances, and in fact, these tolerance levels fluctuate over time. After an initial elimination period, modern foods are systematically reintroduced and negative symptoms are noted. For example, popcorn might cause painful bloating, deep-fried foods may cause lethargy, ice cream might cause an acne breakout, alcohol may cause insomnia. These signals are extremely difficult to distinguish while regularly consuming a modern unhealthy diet, but once the body has established a non-inflamed healthy baseline, the symptoms are astoundingly clear. Each individual determines his/her ‘Safe Foods List’ to consume without consequence…and as healing continues, that list will expand over time. There is no pill that is as effective as understanding personal trigger foods.
3. Paleo-Eaters Become Calorie-Liberated (Prep Section F, Days 2, 3 & 6) Eating within a Paleo Template stops the blood-sugar-roller-coaster that many modern diets exacerbate – have you ever felt hungry just an hour after a meal? Healthy fats, quality proteins and slow-burning carbs from whole vegetable sources provide filling meals which do not instigate the blood sugar spike-and-crash cycle. Not only do Paleo foods satisfy hunger longer between meals, they also interrupt sugar-induced carb cravings and effectively teach the body to burn fat. This eliminates the need for tedious diet management such as counting calories, points, grams or macros. Just eat within a “Veggie + Protein + Healthy Fat” template and say good-bye to counting calories. Read the full article on Calorie Liberation.
4. Dietary Change Prompts Curiosity about other Inflammatory Habits (Days 8, 10-13 & 20) A healthy lifestyle is not built on diet alone...other pillars of health include sound sleep, stress management, clean environments, sensible exercise and fostering connections to the self, others and nature. As individuals notice physical benefits of a Paleo Diet, they naturally become curious on how to actively support all pillars of health. The Paleo Lifestyle is an extension of the diet alone, duplicating ancestral habits and adapting them to the modern environment (like reducing screen-time before bedtime or expressing gratitude before meals). Explore lifestyle modifications detailed in the following book sections:
a. Digestive support – Day 8 b. Movement and hydration – Day 10 c. Identifying and managing stress – Days 11 & 12 d. Sound sleep – Day 13 e. Environmental toxins – Day 20
Note: Further reading suggestions on all these topics are available in our Book References
5. Physical Endurance Improves and Exercise Becomes more Enjoyable (Day 10 & 12) As Paleo eaters adapt to an anti-inflammatory diet, energy levels rebound and the desire for physical activity increases. Human bodies require particular movements to promote muscle coordination and strength, reduce inflammation and burn body fat. Certainly a sedentary lifestyle impedes these benefits, but perhaps more surprisingly, so does an overabundance of intense workouts. It may be hard to imagine, but running for miles and miles at a steady pace or working out on cardio machines for extended periods can be more detrimental than beneficial! These types of chronic cardio exercises cause stress to the body. The Paleo Lifestyle bases physical activity on traditional ancestral movements: lots of low-level activity such as walking and stretching, some moderate activity such as lifting or playing, occasional quick busts of speed and strength, plus plenty of rest/recovery time to allow muscle tissue to rebuild stronger.
A Lifestyle is Born Revamping an entire lifestyle is intimidating and often overwhelming, that’s what makes the Paleo Diet so valuable. The initial changes focus solely on dietary intervention – first stop eating inflammatory foods. Once the body and mind feel better, a natural interest develops about sleep hygiene, becoming physically active, nourishing the spirit, creating a supportive community, etc. The physical benefits of the Paleo Diet prompt other healthy habits to naturally unfold.
There Is No Catch! Simply Eating Paleo Naturally Induces Proper Body Function.
Just 2-3 weeks eating Paleo is enough to clearly realize vast improvement in health and vitality. All is takes is conscientious food choices: eliminate inflammatory foods and emphasize restorative, traditional foods. There are no expensive powders, special-formulated products or endless exercise routines necessary.
The body already has the innate ability to heal – Paleo simply creates the ideal set of circumstances to foster and sustain this natural healing.
How Do I Start?
Individuals new to Paleo often appreciate assistance identifying typical inflammatory foods, sifting through abundant Paleo resources, finding easy-to-understand information and staying prepared. This is the basis of The Paleovation Workbook: It’s like having a trusted mentor support the reader each day.
The Paleovation Workbook details the Why's and How's for healthy, long-term diet change
This workbook is arranged in easy-to-read, daily sections designed to keep the reader informed and organized. Each day reinforces the commitment to dietary change by explaining specifically why these diet changes improve health as well as how to implement them, loaded with ideas for snacks, recipes, socializing, practical planning assistance.
Substantial information is compiled in an easy-to-read “bottom-line” format with charts, checklists, templates and practice exercises. Additionally, to build a balanced approach to lifestyle modification, information includes other pillars of health such as stress management, sleep tips, sensible exercise and more:
How-To Topics:
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The advantage of this workbook is it teaches the reader what to do AND how to do it, ultimately increasing odds of lasting success.
Develop a Personalized Dietary Template Elimination diets are commonly used to test for food allergies or sensitivities. The method is simple, just avoid specific irritating foods for a set period of time, then carefully reinstate them to observe personal tolerance levels. Participants learn to connect the dots between their trigger foods and symptoms of inflammation within their bodies.
The Paleovation Workbook walks the reader through a 4-week elimination diet and reintroduction period. The beauty is that there are no cookie-cutter results – each person reveals a customized list of well-tolerated foods. In the long run, this knowledge is used to formulate a personalized, flexible approach to dietary success.
The Paleovation Workbook provides the framework to stay informed, motivated and accountable during the Paleo transition and beyond.
Cheers to your renewed health and vitality!
The Paleovation Team