Get on Top of the Food Chain: ‘It Starts With Food’

At first I was very turned off by the Paleo diet. It felt like I was an outsider to their exclusive Paleo-VIP club. Second-class citizens who haven’t seen the light and converted to paleo may know what I’m talking about. I’m telling you these people come out of the woodwork when they hear the whisper of their dietary lifestyle.

Paleo preachers are out there and they give this diet a bad rep in my opinion. I’m not a convert yet, but Dallas & Mellissa Hartwig’s book; It Starts With Food is a serious page-turner. This husband and wife team really gives it to you straight. I’m honestly not sure how they turned scientific explanations into seriously engaging and easy to understand analogies.

Maybe you want some advice on ways to improve your energy, increase athletic performance, eliminate cravings, or lose stubborn belly fat. Or you’re curious about about the foods you are putting into your body and how they effect you, either way check them out.

The Hartwig’s have four “Good Food Standards”. They believe that the food you eat should:

1. Promote a healthy psychological response.
2. Promote a healthy hormonal response.
3. Support a healthy gut.
4. Support immune function and minimize inflammation.

Accompanying these standards, they make the following recommendations:

1. Eat foods that make you more healthy – meat, seafood, and eggs, lots of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of healthy fats.
2. Do not consume any added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, or dairy.
3. Do not attempt to recreate junk foods or desserts by using “approved” ingredients.
4. Do not step on the scale for the entirety of your program.

I love everything I’ve read so far (and I’m about a third the way through) because let’s face it, most of us have something we’d like to change or eliminate. Whether it’s losing weight or an ailment such as eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, IBS, chronic headaches, or acne. We often just ignore, cover-up, and/or accept this because change is uncomfortable. Let’s be honest here, there has been a time when we’ve allowed these conditions to dictate our daily life. I can think of a handful. Learning to just deal with these things on a daily basis isn’t the answer. If I can call all the shots just by eating certain foods, then maybe it’s worth trying…right?

xo

Engrid

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