Why Paleo? Why Keto? Why Fast?

Nowadays Paleo, Keto and Fasting are tossed around on every food blog. It seems that every cookbook or foodie blog of these genres is based on assumptions about the benefit of ketosis to good health and longevity. The eating habits of cavemen and cavewomen aside, there is a lot to learn about nutrition.

As to Paleo, we are told that Paleolithic persons were hunter-gathers. What they ate and why they were healthier for it is the basis for many assumptions about a healthy diet. Suffice it to say that it makes perfect sense to base your diet on insights from ancestral eating informed by modern science-based nutritional research.

As to Keto diets, the idea of carbohydrate reduction and intermittent fasting makes sense and is consistent with modern nutritional research.

Fasting seems to be the key to some very good health outcomes, too. Intermittent fasting is all the rage right now – because it works!

At the Byrd House our guiding dietary principles are certainly informed by what we have learned from rational and logical sources of diet information. But, the names ‘paleo’ and ‘keto’ are really just short-hand for a whole foods, nutrient rich, lower carb, higher fat, toxin-free diet with intermittent fasting.

Nowadays, healthy eating is no more than a personal commitment to avoid the Standard American Diet, that is, eating mainly processed foods that are lacking in nutrients and stacked with sugar and other substances that are simply toxic.

So, having been convinced that paleo and kept were the way to go, we thought we would create a weblog of our journey into a better diet. Thus, Byrd House Paleo was born.

Our journey began as we read more and more about diet nutrition gurus, like Chris Kresser. who admits that just what comprises a “paleo” diet or lifestyle is up for discussion:

“I really wish there was a word (other than paleo) I could use to describe a nutrient-dense, toxin-free, whole-foods based diet. Because that’s kind of a mouthful, and it leaves a lot open to interpretation . . . So I go on using the term “paleo” to loosely refer to a diet that emphasizes animal protein and fats, starchy & non-starchy vegetables, fermented foods, raw dairy (when tolerated) and fruit, nuts & seeds (in moderation).”

Setting aside the arguments as to what cavemen really ate, suffice it to say, the advent of the agricultural revolution and the industrial capacity to refine, mass-produce and genetically modify foodstuffs has been both a blessing, and a bane, for society. Today, the evidence has become undeniable that modern processed foods of the Standard American Diet have caused an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and autoimmune disorders. Sad, but true. 

What is Paleo/Keto a Diet?

Simply put, the goal replacing wheat, sugar, industrial seed oils and other unhealthy foods with whole foods, that are nutrient rich and toxin free. Keto dives more into the idea of ketosis and its benefits. Adding fasting to the mix and you have a pathway for success. 

We’ve come to the conclusion that it is in our hands to make educated choices about what we eat and how we live. Always remember that the Paleo/Keto lifestyle is more than a diet – it’s an adventure in fine tuning and supercharging the one thing over which you have the most control – your diet!

We might add – healthy cooking is a lot of fun! Eating nutritious foods is even better!