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Paleo guide to Australia paleo network primal free pdf-min

All New Paleo Guide To Australia

Just a heads up that I've just updated the free Paleo Guide to Australia (and New Zealand) ebook. The current version now stands at 32 pages full of Paleo information – specific to where you are.

Following on from your suggestions, I've added more listings of Paleo suppliers in each state of Australia and New Zealand (farmers markets, grass-fed meat suppliers, fruit and vegetable suppliers, organic produce, fish mongers and fitness centres). I've also added a whole new section of Paleo Resources.

If you've already subscribed to my newsletter, just visit the same link to get your updated version. If you've not signed up yet, just subscribe using the link below to get your free copy!

I want to keep the Paleo Guide to Australia & New Zealand up to date with the best local Paleo places and stockists throughout Australia and New Zealand. If I've missed anywhere that you know about, please let me know and I'll make sure I add it to the next edition.

I'd also like to add in restaurants that do Paleo food – so let me know of any suggestions that you have in your local area.

Weston A Price Foundation Conference New Zealand Australia Events Sally Fallon-min

Weston A Price v The Paleo Diet

I went across to Auckland, New Zealand at the weekend to hear Sally Fallon-Morell, of the Weston A. Price Foundation, speak.

As with the Melbourne Sugar lectures, the audience was full of people new to the concept that the government approved low-fat diet is not the right approach. It is great to see so many people interested in making changes to their diet and I find it encouraging how many people were in attendance.

I meet up with Julianne Taylor at the talk – and I also meet and spoke Paleo with Rodney Hide. There’s nothing like being able to have real-life conversations on your favourite topic, is there? After the talk Rodney introduced me to Sally, which having had her book Nourishing Traditions for such a long time, was a real privilege.

WAPF-Paleo-Weston A Price Sally Fallon-min

Whilst there are some important differences between the Paleo style diet that I follow and the WAPF diet, I think it’s more useful to focus on the similarities, of which there are many. Whilst I believe a Paleo style diet is the optimal nutrition plan, if anyone were to convert from a SAD diet to a WAPF plan, I think they would see tremendous health benefits. If they then went one small step further to a Paleo or Primal diet, I think they’d see even more health benefits.

There are a number of principles that are the essence of the nutrition recommended by the WAPF.

FIRST PRINCIPLE: No refined or denatured foods

So much SAD food is refined or modified in some way;  sugar, flour, industrial seed oils, HFCS and so many more. If people did just one thing differently, completely removing these products from their diet would surely be the most beneficial. On this point Paleo/ Primal and WAPF are in complete agreement.

SECOND PRINCIPLE: Every diet contained animal products

As with Paleo, the WAPF believe that a healthy diet needs to include animal products and an optimal diet can’t exclusively contain plant food. Organ meats were mentioned a lot in the talk as an important source of many nutrients.

THIRD PRINCIPLE: Nutrient Density

The primitive diets studies by Weston Price were far richer in nutrients than much of the food available today. Mineral content in soil is depleted so many produce just don’t have the same nutrient density. This is where selecting good quality food comes in. Organic, home grown and grass-fed all promote far better nutrient density than the same items produced from intensive farming. Again, this is completely in line with Paleo.

FOURTH PRINCIPLE: All cultures cooked some or most of their food; but always ate some of their animal foods raw.

Weston Price noted that whilst primitive cultures did cook animal products, they also all ate some raw. This came down to raw dairy, which, whilst I agree it is absolutely better than pasteurised dairy, I find a big grey area. The talk focused on comparing processed dairy to raw dairy – where clearly raw dairy is the winner. Excluding dairy wasn't discussed, which is the approach taken by a lot of the Paleo community, myself included.  My areas of concern with dairy are around the insulin response and the growth hormone IGF-1, which weren't mentioned at all during the talk. I’d like to come to a more definitive view point on dairy, so had hoped to hear compelling reasons why dairy should be included. As it stands, until I find more conclusive evidence, I'm still of the view that dairy is best excluded.

FIFTH PRINCIPLE: High Levels of Enzymes and Beneficial Bacteria

This focuses on foods that provide enzymes to promote good digestion & metabolic health. Whilst raw dairy is noted as a good source, the super-foods here seems to be lacto-fermented foods such as Sauerkraut. The take-away point for me here is on fermented foods – something I need to make a conscious effort to include in my diet far more.

SIXTH PRINCIPLE: Seeds, grains, legumes & nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened

This principle starts off in line with Paleo, observing how components such as anti-nutrients, phytates and lectins in grains are not desirable. Where Paleo excludes grains and legumes altogether, WAPF promotes preparing these foods to minimize the damage. As with the dairy issue, I didn't hear any compelling reasons why it is better to have grains in this form, than not at all. This is the main point on which Paleo/ Primal varies to the WAPF – whilst I’m certain people transitioning from a SAD diet to a WAPF would see significant improvements by preparing grains and legumes – I think their health would be far more optimal foregoing the grains and legumes altogether.

Weston-A-Price-Lecture-Paleo-Sally-Fallon-WAPF-New-Zealand-Auckland-680x450-min

SEVENTH PRINCIPLE: Total fat content of traditional diets varies from 30% to 80% of calories, but only about 4 of calories come from polyunsaturated fatty acids.

This is a key point on which Paleo and WAPF are in agreement. I would probably promote this as the key point, since it concerns the importance of saturated fat and the dangers of the industrial seed oils.

EIGHTH PRINCIPLE: Nearly Equal Amounts of Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

This is also essentially in line with Paleo, stressing the importance of maintaining a good Omega 6/ Omega 3 ratio. This comes down to making the right choices in choosing quality meat and avoiding seed oils.

NINTH PRINCIPLE: All diets contained some salt

I think this point is hard to accept for people transitioning from Conventional Wisdom, where we are told how dangerous salt it. Once the processed food is removed the natural levels of salt remaining are often very low, so supplementing with a good mineral salt is very beneficial.

TENTH PRINCIPLE: All traditional cultures made use of bones, usually as bone broth

Another point I need to work on, bone broths are such a great source of nutrients, easy and cheap to make and very satisfying.

ELEVENTH PRINCIPLE: Traditional cultures made provisions for future generations

This principle was very interesting and concerns issues such as optimal spacing of children, nutrition of pregnant and nursing women and teaching nutrition to the younger generations. This seems to be all too often ignored or not considered in modern society.

Paleo vs Weston A Price?

I learnt a lot from this talk and it was a great reminder that I need to make sure I make provisions to include more organ meat, fermented foods and bone broth in my diet. I plan to make sure I include these regularly.

Whilst I completely agree that prepared grains are far superior to their refined counterparts – and that raw dairy is far superior to pasteurised, I didn't hear anything to make me consider changing my anti-grains, legumes and dairy stance.

What do you think about the Weston A Price principles? Do you agree with their stance on dairy and grains?

Weston A Price Foundation Conference New Zealand Australia Events Sally Fallon auckland sydney-min

Weston A Price in New Zealand

Have you booked your tickets to see Sally Fallon Morell and Geoffrey Morell yet?  They’re touring New Zealand with the Weston A Price Foundation talking about “the Key to Vibrant Health” and tickets are on sale now.




Sally Fallon Morell, founding president of the WAPF is going to be talking about Dr Weston A Price, the health benefits of saturated animal fats, raw milk, the dangers of modern soy foods, the value of bone stock and lacto-fermented foods.  Geoffery Morell will be talking about “healing for the millions”.

There are lots of dates and venues to choose from:

  • 25th March 2012, Invercargill
  • 27th March 2012, Christchurch
  • 29th March 2012, Wellington
  • 1st April 2012, Auckland
  • 2nd April 2012, Havelock North
  • 3rd April 2012, Hastings
  • 4th April 2012, Hamilton

I've booked my ticket for Auckland, see you there?
Weston A Price Foundation Conference New Zealand Australia Events Sally Fallon auckland sydney-min

Paleo guide to Australia paleo network primal free pdf-min

The Paleo Guide to Australia

When I first started with my Paleo lifestyle, I found so many fantastic books and blogs to steer me in the right direct.

My one frustration, was that a lot of the information seemed to be geared towards a US audience.  So many Paleo-friendly shops (Wholefoods anyone?)  and products are mentioned – but just aren't available in this part of the world.  Seasonal fruit and vegetables are in season at completely different times – even the intensity of the sun is different here.

Paleo Guide to Australia 680-min

I've therefore been busy putting together a guide to being Paleo in Australia (with a section on New Zealand too, so as not to leave our Kiwi friends out!).  This is the guide I wish I'd had when I started out!

In this free ebook you can find out where to buy all of the Paleo related food and products you'll need, what's in season when, listings by state and lots more about Paleo.  The listings identify local farmers markets, organic fruit and vegetable schemes, meat suppliers, fishmongers, meet-up groups, primal friendly fitness centres and much more – all across Australia and New Zealand.

I'm also going to be starting a monthly newsletter.  This is where I can share Paleo related news and events that don't make it into the blog.

So, if you'd like a free copy of the book, please subscribe to my newsletter in the box below, to get your free download of “the Paleo Guide to Australia”!

This book will be regularly updated, so I'd love to hear of any local tips you think should be included in the next version!

Weston A Price Foundation Conference New Zealand Australia Events Sally Fallon auckland sydney-min

Weston A Price in New Zealand

Apparently Sally Fallon Morell and Geoffrey Morell will be coming to New Zealand next year on a speaking tour with the Weston A Price foundation (WAPF).  Details are still to be announced and it will be between the 24th March and 6th April 2012.




Weston-A-Price-Lecture-Paleo-Sally-Fallon-WAPF-New-Zealand-Auckland-680x450-min

The Weston A Price Foundation approach is not the same as Paleo.  Dairy as well as grains are not discouraged.  Grains are soaked or sprouted prior to eating to remove some (but not all) of the toxins.  I'm certainly not interested in adding grains to my diet, but I am interested in learning more from the WAPF about things like fermented vegetables and organ meats, which I think could be a really beneficial addition to my diet.

I think a WAPF approach is a huge improvement on a typical Western Diet, and probably a good transition into Paleo.  In fact, a lot of Paleo people I have met started off with a WAPF approach before they discovered Paleo.

It should be a very interesting event to attend – and nice to have something like this in our part of the world.  I'll post the details when they are announced.

What do you think about a WAPF approach?

Is a fat tax coming to Australia New Zealand-min

Is a “Fat Tax” Coming to Australia and New Zealand?

With Denmark having just been the first country to introduce a “Fat Tax”, the online community has been awash with criticism.  Will governments in Australia and New Zealand impose similar legislation onto us in the future?

What’s happening in Denmark?

Denmark already had additional taxes on sugar, chocolate and soft drinks, but they have just introduced a tax on saturated fat.  A tax of 16 kroner ($2.95 AUD/ $3.72 NZD) per kilo of saturated fat, where the product contains over 2.3% fat, will be passed onto the consumer.  This would add about 50 cents AUD to the price of a pack of butter.  So if my calculations are correct, that would add on about $2.50 AUD to the one litre tin of coconut oil I bought last week – but under 30 cents AUD to the same volume of cheap, nasty vegetable oil?  The calculation sounds overly complex and it based on the fat used in creating a product, rather than the percentage fat in the final product.  This sounds like a recipe for Frankenfoods, rather than whole, unprocessed foods…

The motives of Denmark, which are to increase the countries average life expectancy, may be honourable.  However, their execution is based solely on the incorrect lipid hypothesis; despite it now becoming more widely accepted that saturated fat is not the cause of obesity and heart disease.

I also have serious concerns about a government deciding what we should or should not eat.  Where people have access to health information and resources it should be their choice what they eat.  This is even more imperative where the government in question is basing their health views on incorrect, outdated fads such as the lipid hypothesis.  Such a fat tax penalises eating a healthy Paleo diet, despite this being, what I would consider, the healthiest diet going.

Would-a-Fat-Tax-Target-the-Right-Fats Australia New Zealand-min

Would a “Fat Tax” target the right fats?

What about Australia?

With 60% of Australian adults and 40% of children being classed as obese, the “Obesity Policy Coalition” is lobbying for a “fat tax”, using the proceeds gained from “unhealthy” foods to subsidise “healthy” foods.  I've found it very hard to get to the bottom of what this coalition considers “unhealthy” foods, but have written to them to ask them to clarify this (I'll keep you updated if I get a response).  Looking on their site however, I fear they subscribe to the lipid hypothesis – which may mean they would endorse taxing on a similar basis to Denmark.

A proposal was bought to the Australian government in 2009 by the “National Preventative Health Taskforce” calling for a tax on “unhealthy foods” (again, I've not been able to see exactly what they define as “unhealthy” in this context).  This was not responded to by the government.  Indeed the federal health minister Nicola Roxon has recently said that the government are putting their efforts into tackling obesity using methods other than administration.  Hopefully this means no “fat tax” in Australia in the near future.

And New Zealand?

The “Food Industry Group of New Zealand” last week spoke out on the new tax in Denmark, saying it is very unlikely to have any positive effects on obesity levels.  They feel the tax will make food more expensive and could actually put health of children and elderly at risk.  They will not be recommending a similar fat tax in New Zealand.

So it looks like in this part of the world, we’ll continue to be free to make our own food choices.  I'm interested to see how the new tax is received in Denmark and how it changes the eating habits and health of the nation.

What do you think?  Should government dictate what we eat, using taxes?  Would a tax on all foods that aren't Paleo be justified?