Americans will be forever concerned with how we look. Appearance is nothing compared to how your body looks on the inside. Your inner health can determine your outside health, and more importantly, how many years you’re expected to live.
As humans, we are not meant to sit on a couch and eat potato chips. Humans are meant to be active, hunt, and compete! Let’s take an Olympic athlete for an example. Olympic athletes seem like they get younger every competition! Altough the rules for competition have not changed, their diets have. Most Olympians eat much healthier than the average American. Okay, maybe they hire people to tell them what and when to eat. Since many of us don’t have pocket nutritionists popping out with a meal schedule and meal requirements, we are forced to turn to other outlets to remain internally beautiful.

What are some ways I can start finding my inner beauty?

First step, turn to the Paleo lifestyle to start feeling more beautiful. Getting rid of dairy, gluten and sugar will help your feel lighter. You will have more energy to do the things you love. Use all this new energy on a mile run and don’t forget to bring your dog along! It is important to exercise three times a week. By taking some days off, you give your body time to rest and recover.

Got the exercise part down, but not the diet?

Start feeling free by working with the Paleo lifestyle, not against it. There are many helpful apps that help you track your fat intake, calories burned and calories consumed. Walking around, everybody has their phone out. We are addicted to our smart phone. Let your smart phone start working for you! You’re ready to start discovering your inner beauty! Keep your expectations within reach and your bad diet on the bleachers.

The Paleo Diet is more than a diet, it is a lifestyle. A lifestyle is you choosing to live your life a certain way. You make the choice to eat that Oreo cookie over fresh strawberries. We know that making the healthier food choice is hard at first. At the start of every lifestyle change, you will experience cravings. Cravings can be difficult to curb. When trying to get rid of certain foods, going cold turkey can be hard! Choose to slowly rid it from your diet. When you start to crave certain foods, it is your body trying to tell you to it needs a specific vitamin or nutrient. Your body doesn’t know that chocolate is bad for you, it only knows that by chocolate it can get magnesium. Find the craving you have frequently, and knock it out of the park!

Chocolate Craving

If your chocolate dessert is done right, it can be Paleo friendly. The problem is that the majority of chocolate is not Paleo friendly. We have already discussed how chocolate has magnesium in it. Let’s now focus on what you can choose to eat instead of chocolate. Nuts and seeds can have a higher level of magnesium in it compared to chocolate. Stay away from peanuts. We love to select edamame, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts instead of a mass produced chocolate bar. There are many more nuts and seeds you can choose to eat over chocolate that we didn’t list!

Sugar Craving

Let’s take moment and be honest, American runs on sugar and caffeine. Sugar is the ultimate drug for the majority of Americans. A sugar craving may mean that your blood sugar has dropped. It is commonly believed that if you are experiencing low blood sugar to eat cookies, candies, or other refined sugars. Well, don’t. Eating refined sugar will only make you dip in blood sugar worse. Select fresh fruit instead! By selecting fresh fruit such as strawberries or blueberries, you are giving your body what it needs. Your body craves real food, not food that is just a collection of ingredients you aren’t sure how to pronounce. Ultimately, help kick your cravings to the curb by choosing foods that have a short and simple ingredient list.

Start your kids off right with introducing them to the Paleo diet! Giving your child key nutrients through paleo is easier than most parents believe. Most younger children have food preferences, and going “cold turkey” on them is never a good idea. The best approach is to cut away gluten from their diet first. By cutting out gluten, you will see your child improve mentally and physically. The switch from Cheerios to eggs and sausage may by difficult as first, but worth it.

Which foods do I pack my children for lunch?

We suggest to focus the switch one meal at a time. Start with breakfast on day one and two. One day three, introduce a Paleo school lunch! The best way to introduce a Paleo school lunch is to pick their favorite food. The most popular school lunch parents pack for their kids is the all famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich. An alternate recipe would include:

• two tablespoons of almond butter
• two tablespoons of your kid’s favorite organic jelly
• two slices of Paleo bread

You may be thinking: How is there Paleo bread?! Simple the bread is made with Paleo ingredients! Check out the paleo sandwich bread recipe here! Once your almond butter and jelly sandwich is made, pack their favorite kind of apple and Paleo-friendly trail mix. Lean them away from chocolate and dessert with fresh fruit! Feel confident you are sending your child off to school with wholesome Paleo food. By making simple switches to their favorite foods, they will barely notice a difference!

The switch from normal processed foods to Paleo will be an easy transition for your children. Remember to focus on their favorite foods and learning how to alter them with Paleo options. Once they are accustomed to eating Paleo, get them involved with your diet! Invite them into the kitchen for prep time! Involving your children in the prep work of a meal will teach them necessary kitchen skills.

The paleo diet is a great resource for energy and lean protein. If your diet doesn’t stand up to your fitness routine, it can put wear and tear on your body. Protein in the best way to rebuild muscle after your fitness routine. For some sports like swimming and running, athletes can burn up to 1500 calories an hour! Learn how to recharge your body correctly and effectively with paleo.

What are the benefits of turning paleo?

The benefits of the paleo diet will kick your training into high gear! You will feel the difference and experience more energy to become better, faster, and stronger.

• More muscle, less fat. The paleo diet utilizes natural foods to give you the natural nutrition your body craves. Lean meats, vegetable, and fruits are essential to the paleo diet.
• Better gut health. Inflammation is caused by sugar packed and unnatural foods. When eating unnatural fatty foods, it can cause your intestine wall to secrete food cells before they are ready to be leaked. By cutting all that junk out, you will feel the difference in your workout within the first week!
• More energy. Eating paleo can increase your body’s efficiency in absorbing your food. Packing your diet with high glycemic index can inflate your body and cause slow absorption. Why would you want your body slowly absorbing the foods you are eating for your workout? You wouldn’t. Switch to the paleo diet today.

If I switch to paleo, how will I get my carbs for swimming?

It is not a secret that swimmers and runners need higher carbohydrates than other athletes. Munch on rutabagas and turnips rich dishes the night before your workout. Storing the carbs for when you need it most is beneficial for swimmers. If you sneak in a baked potato every now and then, we won’t tell.

With the fitness world blossoming, the diet world blossoms just as fast. There are many diets out there that lack in necessary nutrients that are deemed “the best”. What makes these diets the best if they are starving you of nutrients you need? Nothing; a diet that starves you will not last. In order to make a change in your lifestyle for the better, you will need to feel like your diet is better. A better diet is whenever your body is feed necessary “real” foods. Many people claim that the paleo diet is not a better diet. These people are wrong.

Busted Paleo Myths!

• I won’t get important nutrients by eating Paleo. False. Paleo is the most nutrient rich diets out there. Paleo focuses on lean meat, real fruits and veggies, and naturally deep nutrition our bodies crave.
• I won’t get enough calcium! False. Calcium is found in other foods besides over-processed dairy. Some powerful calcium packed plants include kale, spinach, seaweed, and much more. Olives, figs, and dates are packed with calcium!
• I won’t be able to drink alcohol! False. You will be able to enjoy alcohol, but not your typical beer. Choose wine! Wine is great for the paleo diet.
• I won’t be able to afford the paleo diet! False. Evolve Paleo Chef has many affordable options. Buy local ingredients to keep costs down, hit the food sales and farmer’s market.

The paleo diet is designed to work for you, not against you.

By changing your eating habits, you will experience better digestive health and weight loss. Cleanse your body by eating real and unprocessed foods. The paleo diet is more than a diet change; it is a lifestyle change. You are taught to pick the better food option. Bust Paleo myths, and yours by joining the better lifestyle movement.

With summer in full swing, more people want to grill out. Unfortunately, some people choose a boring diet that restricts them from grilling out. Why would pick a diet you that restricts you from enjoying one of the multiple perks of summer? Simple; you wouldn’t. You can grill out with the paleo diet! Stop boring diets! Paleo is more than a diet, it is a movement. By cutting out unnatural food and replacing it with natural food, you will feel rejuvenated. Join the paleo movement now by learning the secrets to grilling with paleo!

Professional Tips for Grilling with Paleo.

1. Gas burns cleaner than Charcoal. Make sure to pick the right heat source to add a nice flame flavor to your meat.
2. Get your meat from a butcher, not the supermarket. You want a fresh cut with minimal fat.
3. Watch the setting on your grill to stay away from burnt ends and overdone meat.
4. Marinate your meat for the perfect taste!
5. Check the temperature of your meat to ensure it is safe to eat.
6. After you grill, brush off the grill when it is hot!

The perfect addition to grilling is the paleo diet. The Paleo Diet consists of eating natural foods. Our bodies are not meant for processed, preserved, and artificial foods. Your body craves nutrition in the simplest form; natural. Lean protein builds and repairs muscles, while fruits and veggies provide vitamins and antioxidants. While plating your grilling masterpieces, remember to partner them with paleo sides! Evolve has perfect side dishes for your grilling
showdowns.

Paleo Side Dishes for the Win.

Select side dishes without sugar, wheat, legumes, dairy, and starches for the perfect grilling combination! Add paleo beef jerky and chef inspired trail mixes. Depending on your choice of spices, some sides may fit better with your selected seasoning. For dessert, select one of our paleo balls to top off your grilling pallet.

There are many rumors out there that following a Paleo diet is “bad to the bone.” But let’s think for a moment: there are plenty of lifestyles, diets, and even entire cultures out there that restrict dairy intake! Are all of those people doomed too? What about vegans or the lactose intolerant? When it comes down to it, the pitfalls and negative side effects of consuming dairy simply do not outweigh the benefits of the calcium content. There are many ways you can be making sure you’re getting enough calcium on the Paleo diet without pigging out on ice cream, yogurt, or cheese.

At Evolve Paleo Chef, we like to think of ourselves as experts on getting a well-rounded diet. We aren’t denying that calcium isn’t an essential ingredient, we are just arguing that there’s perfectly good alternatives to get your calcium! Some of the Paleo-approved foods to consume include:

Greens & Other Vegetables

Where do we start? There are SO many vegetables chock-full of calcium. We’ll just leave this list here for your enjoyment: collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, bok choy, Swiss chard, kale, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, summer squash, fennel, parsley, asparagus, celery, basil, leeks, romaine lettuce, black-eyed peas, and seaweed, to name a few.

If you order from Evolve, then you know how many of these vegetables we pack into our weekly meal plans! No need to worry about your calcium intake here…

Fish

Aside from vegetables, there are several proteins that contain a considerable amount of calcium, namely canned salmon (23% of your daily value) and sardines (32% of your daily value). Salmon and sardines are two of the most healthy fish to chow down on. Eat these options straight out of the can or on a calcium-packed leafy green salad!

Oranges

Most orange juice these days is fortified with calcium and one cup can provide you with about 50% of your daily value of calcium. Additionally, you may find that eating one medium sized orange packs a vitamin C and calcium punch to get you through the day!

Check out Evolve’s pantry with nationwide shipping to check out what great foods and ingredients we have there for you to use to make Paleo easy!

The nasty symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include: overall aches and pains, fatigue, difficulty getting around, susceptibility to infections, severe asthma, and even increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Many factors can directly affect the body’s vitamin D levels, such as exposure to sunlight, diet, digestive tract, weight, and more. However, since many of these factors can be controlled, there are great ways for you to increase your levels of vitamin D in your body fairly easily. One of the easiest ways is through the diet. While vitamin D supplements are available, naturally occurring vitamin D is a much better method of ensuring that you are receiving optimal levels of vitamin D from your diet.

At Evolve, we know that the approved foods for leading a Paleo lifestyle are chock-full of vitamin D. We also have some tips for great foods you can make for your whole family to increase the amount of vitamin D being taken in by the body!

Beef Liver

If cooked properly, beef liver can be incredibly delicious. A 3.5 ounce servicing contains 50 IUs of vitamin D, along with tons of iron, protein, and vitamin A.

Fatty Fish

Fatty fish, like salmon, trout, tuna, and eel are chock full of vitamin D. A 3 ounce serving of sockeye salmon contains 450 IUs of vitamin D (about 75% of your recommended daily allowance), along with heart healthy omega-3s!

Eggs

More specifically, egg yolks. You must use the whole egg if you want to get a dose of 40 IUs of vitamin D. Hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, enjoy this Paleo treat often!

At Evolve, we are here to help you meet all your goals on the Paleo diet. Whether you’re looking to trim down, tone up, or just be overall healthier, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for with the Paleo lifestyle. Use our incredible Paleo pantry foods to become more vitamin D conscious today!

If you order your weekly meals from Evolve Paleo Chef, you know that we support locally grown meat and produce. Whether it’s our grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, or pasture-raised pork, you can rest assured knowing you’re getting the highest quality local product out there. The Paleo lifestyle emphasizes sustainability and fresh foods, meaning that eating local meat and produce is right up every Paleo person’s alley. If you’re unaware of the benefits of eating local meat and produce, Evolve has just a few examples to persuade you to make the switch!

Better flavor

Sustainably raised, local meats and produce a far superior taste than their industrial farm counterparts. Most of us have had a tomato from a local market and a tomato from the grocery store..and do you remember which one tasted better? Exactly.

Additionally, pasture-raised and grass-fed meats tend to be much more flavorful and higher quality than factory farmed varieties.

Environmental benefits

In addition to stimulating the local economy and supporting local farmers, eating local has inherent environmental benefits in the community as well. Factory farms tend to completely destroy the environment surrounding them. They pollute the air, water, and soil with contaminants while local, sustainable farms tend to maintain the farmland in your area and leave an incredibly less significant carbon footprint.

Health benefits

When there’s less steps between your food’s source and your stomach, the less of a chance of contamination. Another benefit of having fewer steps that your food must take to your plate is that the nutrient value is still high. Traveling food from big grocery stores has diminished nutritional value, higher fat content, higher caloric content, and probably has quite a few hormones and food additives within it.

If you are within one of our delivered areas, be sure to order your weekly meals from Evolve Paleo Chef! We support local farms and communities by serving local meat and produce and we encourage everyone to take a trip to their farmer’s market and visit a local butcher for superior food in their diet!

“Good” fats: we’ve all heard of them, but what does it mean to be a good fat? What even are good fats?

At Evolve Paleo Chef, we are here to be your Paleo resource. According to one of our favorite Paleo blogs regarding good fats, “good fats don’t make you fat.” Food products that contain saturated fat are in the “good” category as far as Paleo goes, as fats can be a key energy source for many Paleo dieters since carbohydrates are not providing the body with energy. Fats to avoid at all times include corn oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, and grapeseed oil, as these oils tend to be high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Here’s a little bit more about Evolve’s favorite “good” fats and how you can be getting them into your diet more!

Ghee

Ghee is a product that’s made by removing the milk constituents (lactose and casein) from butter. Ghee is a highly saturated fat that’s excellent for using as a substitute for butter, is a good remedy for chronic inflammation, and it just so happens that Evolve has a line of incredibly delicious Paleo ghees, including sundried tomato, roasted garlic, honey, herb, and plain flavors to suit any kind of meal!

Avocados and Avocado Oil

Avocado is one of the only fatty fruits out there. It has incredible nutritional value, including vitamin E, B vitamins, fiber, and potassium, and is mostly a monounsaturated fat. Avocados are great with meat such as chicken, on salads, as guacamole, and the oil is a good product for salad dressings.

Animal Fat

As you know, the Paleo diet pushes the consumption of lean animal protein, and animal fats are highly saturated and heat stable to be used for cooking. You can ask your butcher for duck fat, pork lard, or beef tallow, render it (or see if you can get it pre-rendered), and use it for inherently healthier Paleo meals!