Beyond Paleo: from a Paleo diet to a Paleo template
Over the last couple of years, as the popularity of the Paleo diet has expanded, a lot of controversy has emerged over exactly what a Paleo diet is.
Part of the problem is that there are now a number of authors and bloggers – from Mark Sisson to Kurt Harris to Robb Wolf to Paul Jaminet to myself – that advocate what might generally be called a Paleo diet, but with slight variations in each case. This has unfortunately led to some confusion for people new to the “Paleo diet”.
It has also spawned new terminology in an effort by each author/blogger to clarify the differences in their approach, such as Mark Sisson’s “Primal diet”, Paul Jaminet’s “Perfect Health Diet”, and Kurt Harris’ former “PaNu or Paleo 2.0″ and current “Archevore” concepts.
I suggest we stop trying to define the “Paleo diet” and start thinking about it instead as a “Paleo template”.
What’s the difference? A Paleo diet implies a particular approach with clearly defined parameters that all people should follow. There’s little room for individual variation or experimentation.
A Paleo template implies a more flexible and individualized approach. A template contains a basic format or set of general guidelines that can then be customized based on the unique needs and experience of each person.
But here’s the key difference between a Paleo diet and a Paleo template: following a diet doesn’t encourage the participant to think, experiment or consider his or her specific circumstances, while following a template does.
The articles below discuss an approach that goes “Beyond Paleo” and recognizes the biochemical individuality of each person. It also acknowledges that although observing the diet of our ancestors is an excellent starting place, it’s just that – a starting place. The fact that a food did not exist in the Paleolithic area is not alone a justification for not eating it. This is where modern science comes in. It allows us to confirm or disprove the hypotheses we generate by studying our Paleo ancestors.
Articles
- Beyond Paleo: Moving from a “paleo diet” to a “paleo template”
- Is Paleo even Paleo? And does it even matter?
- The biggest obstacle to perfect health is your mind
- Food fascism and the 80/20 rule
- Interview with Robb Wolf on the Paleo Solution podcast
- Paleo Nerd-A-Thon with Robb Wolf and Mat LaLonde
- 3 reasons why coconut milk may not be your friend
