I recently asked the fans of my Facebook Page The Paleo Network this question: “If you could go back and tell yourself a key health message ten years ago – what would it be?” What would your answer be?

There were hundreds of answers covering all sorts of aspects of physical & emotional health, here are some of them.

Quit grains

And sugar. This was (unsurprisingly) a very common theme. Here are some of the messages:

No grains
Grain brain
Give up wheat
Kick the sugar
Don't eat sugar.
Cut sugar n carbs
Stop eating grains
Put down the sugar!
Don't. Eat. Grains.
Go grain & sugar free
Don't eat lots of bread!
Don't eat so much sugar!
Give up wheat and sugar.
Eat less sugar and grains
Don't eat grains or sugar!
Stop eating bread and pasta
Fat is not the enemy…sugar is!
Don't eat candy or chocolate bars!
Cut the bread bro and lay off the booze.
Ditch the GRAINS, forget the SUGAAAAR!!!
Fat doesn't make you fat. Sugar is the enemy.
Reduce your carb intake, don't eat bread anymore!!!
Avoid grains and sugar, they make you feel like crap.
Give up sugar and grains. You honestly won't miss it!
put down the loaf of bread and spinage dip!… I have a long list…
Once a sweet tooth, always a sweet tooth! Cut out sugar from the diet!
Stop all grain not just gluten don't look for substitutes there really enough to eat….

Easy on the vices

Alcohol and smoking also featured…

Don't smoke
Don't drink beer
Drink less alcohol
Ease up on alcohol
Avoid alcohol better
Don't start smoking again
Don't smoke or hang out with those who do!!!!
Cut the grains and sugar and it will be easier to quit smoking.
Stop drinking alcohol it's poison. So is wheat dairy and sugar. Paleo paleo paleo

Fat?

I thought more people would have commented about body weight and body image…

Stop Eating!
Don't get fat!
You're not fat. Eat something
Being fat is not genetic and you're not big boned.

Ditch the soda

Soda and fizzy drinks were also prominent in your messages to your younger self

No soda. No diet soda.
Stop drinking pop and fast food
Drink water not coke or coke zero
To never touch diet drinks or diet anything and drink lots of water!

Fitness

Fitness was one of the most popular themes, with these messages being added:

MOVE
Stretch
Do yoga
Exercise!
Weightlifting
Don't overtrain
Stay strong fit and fast.
Don't quit weekend sport
Start CrossFit. Eat Paleo!
Don't ever quit sport/exercise!!
Don't stop exercising because of pregnancy
Put down the sugar and lift weights…. heavy weights
And start yoga young to keep u strong and flexible !!!
Keep moving…don't stop the exercise…even for a week!
Paleo and CrossFit….if only I had discovered this years ago!!
Don't wait till you gain weight to start exercising. Biggest mistake I made!!!
Go to the gym & get a trainer/training partner. I'd be so much further along in my physical development

And perhaps best of all, the random messages!

There are definitely some stories there…

Speak up
Sleep more.
Stay consistent
Don't marry him.
Pack it in. Idiot!
Bitcoins! Buy them!!!
Omg! Where do I begin?!!
Put the candy bar down fatty
You really are allergic to dairy
Stay away from the chocolate
Stay focused don't get complacent
27 is not too young to have babies
Don't get the flu shot and go Paleo
Your friends and chidren are amazing
Stay away from snotty nosed children!
Thank god u took the advice to lose 95 kg.
Stress less, not a food thing but a health thing
Don't ever stop, that's what I tell the youngsters.
Don't marry him! Hahaha. I would Def be healthier
Dont listen to your mother… and dont eat like her….
Take the time to feed your kids and yourself healthy!
Enjoy the small things! Work to live, not live to work!!
Stop making stupid excuses and get divorced now !!!
Nothing can be fixed until you sort out that zinc deficiency.
The habits I have will be the habits my kids will have. Eat clean!
NOTHING and I mean nothing, taste as good as healthy feels!!!!!
Don't take hormone contraceptive pills and quit that stressful job!
You are worth loving and you don't have to turn to food to feel loved.
Don't sweat it me, you are going to look better at 37 than you did at 27.
I would tell me to keep eating clean and switch degrees to sports science!
Don't shrug off the little things cause sometimes they mean there is a big thing.
My biggest down fall, closely followed by, avoid chocolate – it is not a meal!!!!!
Don't get lazy and give up. YOU'RE worth the EFFORT of cooking healthy food!!
Everything you've been taught about nutrition was false. The food pyramid is upside down.
Slow down, create more homemade meals (organic) than eating meals on the run (processed junk).
Exercise, laugh, set goals be flexible, action is the key to fruition, rest, relish silence, no sugar, grains, no dairy
Take a kids cooking class to master basic cooking skills – especially knife skills & don't be bloody lazy about eating properly!!!
Do not do the endometriosis treatment that your supposed specialised GP said was latest and greatest. It will ruin your health forever…
Don't have vital parts surgically removed unless you've been diagnosed with a deadly disease and the removal of said parts is the way to eliminate the disease.