I used to be a big fan of Paleo.
I first met the founder of the entire movement, Dr. Loren Cordain from Colorado State, in 2006 after following his research for several years. Working on my doctorate at the time, and being a poor college kid, I raised funds and invited him to deliver several speeches on our campus in Florida. I still remember when I picked him up from the airport in my VW vanagon. Without AC I knew he must have been miserable in the Florida spring time heat as he was wearing a suit when I gave him a tour of the campus. In hindsight… Sorry Dr. Cordain!
Going back further, I didn’t realize it at the time that I had actually studied the works of Eaton (who inspired Cordain) in my undergrad on the topic of Paleo as far back as 1999 in my anthropology class.
You can watch the short overview video by clicking here –> Debunking Paleo
Over the last 10 years a lot has changed. Not with Dr. Cordain or his research, rather, people have become more confused instead of clearer on the issues related to weight loss, improving energy, and ultimately reversing and preventing chronic disease.
People that follow a “Paleo” lifestyle can have tremendous results but this is only half the story. Alternatively, I have also seen people get worse.
To sum it up, there is one key distinction that more and more of my colleagues, other researchers, and clinicians are agreeing on as the root cause of: being overweight, chronic pain, unhealthy skin, acne, diabetes and even leaky gut and IBS to name a few. That distinction is Sub-clinical Inflammation. Not to be confused with inflammation. Big difference. I am doing an entire podcast series with a fellow researcher and professor that we will be releasing soon, so stay tuned. By reducing sub-clinical inflammation we are able to successfully help people not only lose weight, but also work towards reversing issues such as: diabetes, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, acne, IBS and many other health issues.
Here’s to making the rest of your years the best of your years,
Dr. Gala