I’ve been learning about and following (more or less, off and on) a paleo or primal diet/lifestyle for several years now. These ideas have been gathering steam lately, so that at least the term “paleo” is something that many people have heard of.
With the strengthening of and adherence to an ideology comes the tendency toward dogmatic fundamentalism, which I try to avoid (both in others and in myself). You can find this illustrated in any comments section of any post on any web site devoted to any ideology or lifestyle.
It’s refreshing that there are people who can think about things with a bit more nuance. Like this guy, in this article.
Beyond Paleo: moving from a “paleo diet” to a “paleo template” (Chris Kresser)
I suggest we stop trying to define the “Paleo diet” and start thinking about it instead as a “Paleo template”.
What’s the difference? A Paleo diet implies a particular approach with clearly defined parameters that all people should follow. There’s little room for individual variation or experimentation.
A Paleo template implies a more flexible and individualized approach. A template contains a basic format or set of general guidelines that can then be customized based on the unique needs and experience of each person.
But here’s the key difference between a Paleo diet and a Paleo template: following a diet doesn’t encourage the participant to think, experiment or consider his or her specific circumstances, while following a template does.
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