Last week I had the opportunity to explain and discuss the Paleo Diet with the local Fox 4 Newstation. They wanted to know basically 4 things about it:
1. What it is 
2. Why it has gained so much popularity
3. Why it works
4. How to integrate it

A client of mine, Anne Keil, who has had immense success in adopting Paleo, joined me to discuss it in her own words, demonstrate a few exercises, and then head over to her kitchen to prepare a typical Paleo meal. I must admit, she worked far harder than I did! Thanks Anne!

"Adopting the lifestyle of our not so distant ancestors from the Paleolithic era, relying on simple foods and consistent exercise", is one definition I gave, the other: "Eat what we are genetically adapted to eat and be more active."
Definitions are great, but to put in a nutshell how and why something so seemingly simple works better and why people lose weight so quickly and keep it off, amidst the dizzying array of diets, pills, fitness mags, and infomercials is something different. "We have really over complicated eating" I said, and "It's portion control, choosing quality foods, and varying your exercise intensity instead of counting calories, weighing yourself everyday, and jogging." Losing weight is automatic when you eliminate typical food suspects which cause inflammation, toxicity, and an acidic environment. Grains, sugars, processed foods, vegetable oils, and crazy chemicals you can't pronounce reduce the body's ability to function at an optimal level. Relying on wild meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and nuts/seeds as fuel ensures the body isn't swollen it doesn't retain water; it absorbs what it needs and eliminates the rest.

The most important point, and the one thing I stressed above all, is that all carbohydrates get converted to sugar, glucose to be exact. Vegetables and fruit are good sources of carbohydrates, but add to this the rapidly digestible carbs most people chug down on a daily basis like grains, starches, soda, and the hundreds of foods they are added to, and soon you are taking in over a pound of sugar a day. This is so important, is the hardest concept for people to grasp, and, the one that is totally ignored by mainstream health gurus. The majority of the population is taking in upward of 70-80% of their daily calories from carbohydrates and the current state of health reflects it. This is a huge, huge problem. Too much blood sugar is the leading cause of almost every negative health condition we currently face.

The other two points I emphasized were: 

The interviewer Susan Highland said: "You know Bill, people just love a warm piece of toast with butter, or a hot bowl of oatmeal. How do you convince them something they grew up on is actually bad for them?" Here in lies the key point: Just because a food has been recommended for years, despite the notoriety of the person sharing the information, does not mean it is healthy or safe for the body. It's damn hard when every second commercial raves about the benefits of whole grains, but the science plainly states otherwise. Read THIS

Paleo, Ancestral Health, Hunter-Gatherer, Primal, whatever you decide to call it, is picking up steam. Results don't lie and proof is in the pudding, as my Mom used to say. Eat Simply - Exercise Efficiently - Challenge Conventional Wisdom - Be Patient

*The Paleo interview will air some time in May. I will post a link