You see "Paleo" and you think "long haired dirty caveman." You think "dinosaurs" (completely wrong by the way, by about 63 million years.) Maybe you think "skinny stuck up hipsters." That's a little closer, but it still doesn't cover what this "Paleo" thing is.
In the most narrow of definitions, Paleo refers to how we as humans lived before agriculture. Yes, before Corn Flakes® and Cheetos® and Snickers®, and even before corn.
In the broader picture, Paleo is a lifestyle aiming for perfect health based on how we evolved. We may not always get perfect health, but we certainly seem to do better than those folks wantonly finishing off bag after bag of chips (with dip.)
I know, I know, you want Paleo explained in a picture. Ok, let's start with these: Please share & tag us if you're on social! @paleotreats
Each one of those elements of a Paleo lifestyle (Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise, Water, Community, Mental Health, and Sunlight) all combine to help make your life way more enjoyable.
Can you skip any of 'em? Sure, but the quality of your life will drop a bit, and if you're anything like us you're aiming for the highest quality life possible.
What about Nutrition, that seems to be the most important part of Paleo, right? Sort of. See, Nutrition is one of those things that has a few basic requirements (caloric intake and a mix of carbs, fats, and protein), but beyond that we've found that different plans work exceptionally well for different people.
While we believe that Paleo is a great place to start (check out and feel free to share the following infographic), it's not the be-all end-all.
Again, it's not the only way to eat, it's just the best way that we (Nik & Lee) have found for us to feel really good as a result of eating. As a company we're dedicated to promoting this diet using paleo desserts as the gateway, but as humans we're just as stoked for you to find the diet that works best for you. If that's Veganism (and that's true for at least one of our friends, the magnificent Carla Naden over at Synergy Animal Rescue) then we totally support you in your quest for perfect health and happiness.
Does that make sense? Without getting bogged down in details or endlessly hammering you over why grass fed shade grown bird friendly organic yak brains are good for you, that's the easiest way we've found to put together a primer on Paleo. Hopefully it helps.
We wrote an eBook about this called "On Being Paleo" that goes into depth and includes our favorite recipes, check it out here.
Nik Hawks helps run the show at Paleo Treats. Fascinated by humans in all their strange glory, Nik is harnessed in and pulling hard in pursuit of excellence with the rest of the PT Crew. Enjoy!
Hi Geralyn,
Our lowest carb Treat is the Bandito, with 7g of sugar/serving. Many of our customers cut them in half to get the per serving sugars down to 3.5g. Depending on how you define low carbs, those can both easily fit in that category.
Hi I’m doing the keto diet. Can you tell me if your food is very low carbs. I’m not to familiar with the paleo diet. Thanks
Feel free to link back to us Rick, and let us know when the new site is up; we’ll make sure to send folks your way! Cheers, NFH
Love the images Nik. We are building a new web site, maybe some rebranding / “shiznit-out” our look – new horse needs a new saddle. I’d like to link back directly to your Paleo Treats biosphere.
Hi Marisa,
Thanks a bunch for the kind words, feel free to pull the images off and use ‘em, just link on back to us. Keep spreadin’ the good word!
Cheers,
Nik@PT
I am in love with your post and infographics! I just wrote an article called “Is the Paleo Diet Nonsense?”, in response to the media mentions on the subject. I end with stating that Paleo is so much much more than a diet; it’s a lifestyle. I will definitely be posting a link to this article and pinging your images! Awesome work! Hopefully I can update it this weekend…
http://mylongevitykitchen.com/is-the-paleo-diet-nonsense/