For too long, we’ve relied on being told what to eat. But the food we’ve been told to eat for health seems to be making us sicker – obesity, diabetes, cancer are more prevalent than ever; children are being born with these problems, not even given the chance to prevent them in the first place. There is so much confusion with the enormous amount of food information out there. We hear the words low fat, lean, diet, enriched, processed, natural, organic, allergy free, gluten free and now Paleo all associated with food. On top of that we work long hours and have no time to eat well so we take easy options such as take out or microwave foods. Food product manufacturers drive our food industry rather than nutrition research based on what a healthy human body is required to eat or what we use to eat before the industrialization of food.
Think about all those words we all hear associated with food – there’s a gluten free aisle, a low fat everything, and now we’re seeing a Paleo section too. Add to that, there’s now certified definitions of “natural” foods or those grown according to “organic” standards produced under conditions that would meet the definition. They also include food labeling standards based on the percentage of organic ingredients in food. Natural is natural and organic is organic, or is it? It would seem that it is all a matter of perspective. We’re being expected to be naïve enough to believe that what we have traditionally thought of as pure, organic food, is still that way and in many ways it’s not.
So would you buy something labelled ‘Paleo’? What does the ‘Paleo’ label really mean? Have its ingredients have been produced under conditions that would meet a definition or labelling standard based on a percentage of ‘Paleo’ ingredients, like ‘organic’ food? If you have a product that you think is better than its non-Paleo counterpart because it has “certified Paleo” ingredients, and you buy it and think that you are getting healthier because you are eating mostly good, pure food.
It is the word “Paleo” that led you to believe this. However, if a Paleo ingredient is mixed with non-Paleo ingredients, doesn’t it become polluted? I hope ‘Paleo’ can retain integrity and trust for what it stands for, that they can charge a premium for premium perception and ingredients.
I still think that eating well is simple if you begin with how you value food. It’s all about source and processing – whether you call it organic, Paleo or something else. And I do believe that Paleo is a great starting template, thinking about my food alone will aid my digestion, but focusing on healthier fats, fermented foods and their enzymes as well as more of a balance over my grainy and sugary go tos can only have a good effect on my overall health. Then you can recognize what you need more of and pick those foods. You have to do what you can with what you have. Don’t beat yourself up, focus on progress not perfection
Our search for ‘safe’, Paleo or organic, food should begin in a place we know best, better than anyone else: ourselves.
