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How many different diets, fasts or nutrition ideas have you heard about in the last week?
With Social Media and the internet, lately I seem to hear about something new every week, if not every day. Keto, Atkins, “The Vertical Diet”, Vegan, Blood Type diet, High Fat, Low Fat!!….the list goes on and on!
The problem is, many of these things are ineffective, just plain unnecessary or at worst damaging to our health. Unfortunately many people have latched on to the health and wellness sector as a way to make a quick buck out of people desperate for help. They lever our desire for a quick fix to make a quick buck, when what we really need are long term, sustainable interventions. The truth is, there is no silver bullet diet that will work overnight.
So what do we do?
I feel this is where the Paleo approach is helpful, and the Primal paradigm really shines! (Give me a shout for more info on the Primal way) Although there are many definitions of “Paleo” to me it simply means living in ways that our species has evolved to deal with. Eating nutrient dense, whole foods. Spending time in the sun. Sleeping a decent amount and regulating our circadian rhythms….Nobody denies that these things are good for us. Almost every nutrition regimen praises whole foods, green leafy veg and good quality meat. Nobody doubts the benefits of a decent amount of exercise…….So why not start with these things?
-Eat plants and animals
-Avoid poisonous things
-Move a lot every day
-Lift heavy things.
I don’t think anyone out there can argue with those statements. If we use this as a basis for a healthy life then we can be sure that we are 80% of the way there. 80% is great for the vast majority of humans, but as long as we have this base, we can then tweak certain criteria to suit our particular situation and achieve specific, more advanced goals.
Do you have a lot of body fat to lose? A ketogenic diet or Intermittent fasting might be useful to you.
Do you want to put on some lean muscle and hit high intensity crossfire workouts? Maybe some extra carbs would really help you with that goal.
Do you struggle eating lots of small meals? Maybe intermittent fasting with 2 BIG meals a day will be easier for you to stick to!
Our nutrition plans should work for us, not against us.
Good, satisfying food!
For many people, eating is an event. Enjoying time with friends and family over a meal is special and our eating plans should take that into consideration.
If you threw a dinner party and served dry, skinless chicken breast, some steamed broccoli and plain brown rice, you would definitely save on the cost of future dinner parties! But how about some juicy lamb, roasted sweet potato with butter and a great big, colourful salad? That meal is both tasty, nutritious and hugely satisfying!
Food should remain enjoyable and satiating.
So, get back to basics and eat what humans thrive on! Once you've become accustomed to this change away from the SAD (South African Diet), more tweaks and advanced techniques can happen easily and more effectively and nutrition will become an effortless, second nature.
If you'd like to chat about the Primal way and the Ancestral Health approach, give me a shout for a free discovery call.