Posts

Low carb down under paleo primal seminar conference event australia

Low Carb Down Under – Sydney

Saturday was the Sydney leg of the Low Carb Down Under seminar series, that has been touring Australia.

What a fantastic day it was! There were twelve speakers from diverse backgrounds covering a range of topics. I was honoured to be one of the speakers and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Almost 300 people attended the event and everyone seemed really keen to learn and soak up the atmosphere. There seemed to be a significant number of medical and healthcare providers in the audience, which is a great sign that the message is being spread to the right people.

So, here is my brief summary of the day.

Dr Ron Ehrlich—“Lessons from the Past”

Dr Ron Ehrlich is a holistic Sydney dentist who started the day with a great overview of where we are – and where we’ve come from. I found it interesting to hear Ron talking about how he looks for underlying causes – rather than treating symptoms, which seems to be the typical modern method.

Dr Simon Thornley—“Has Dietary Research Helped Us With Our Food Choices

New Zealand Public Health Physician Dr Simon Thornley has written a paper on sugar with Dr Rod Taylor and Dr Ken Sikaris (“Sugar restriction: the evidence for a drug-free intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease risk”). Simon is an academic who has conducted extensive research on sugar, scientifically coming to many of the same conclusions as those of us in the paleo community.
low_carb_down_under_jimmy_moore-min

Jimmy Moore—Update on low carb around the world

An update on the remarkable progress Jimmy is making with his N=1 experiment on Nutritional Ketotis. Interestingly a number of people I spoke to in the audience are conducting similar experiments of their own. It’s going to be extremely interesting to examine how this has gone in a few months time.

David Gillespie—“Sweet Poison and Big Fat Lies”

Author and Lawyer David Gillespie took us through his extensive sugar research – and findings. Many people in Australia were first introduced to the concept of giving up sugar through David’s books, so it was great to hear from him.

Sarah Wilson—“I Quit Sugar”

Sarah is the journalist who wrote the popular I Quit Sugar program. I was very interesting to hear her speak about her poor health, and how quitting sugar changed things for her.

I Quit Sugar Ebook

Costa Georgiadis—“Product Not Produce”

Costa has the most incredible energy! He bought along soil and compost and demonstrated to us the importance of understanding exactly where your food comes from.

low_carb_down_under_costa-min

Christine Cronau—”The Fat Revolution!”

Christine is author of the Fat Revolution. Her talk clearly spelt out exactly why we need to have fat in our diets and must not be scared of it.

Dr Rod Tayler—“Doctors, Health, Weight and Carbohydrates”

Anesthesiologist and giveupsugar.com founder Rod Taylor explained how damaging sugar is – and just how much of a problem it is.

Aaron McKenzie from Origin of Energy—”Combining Fitness and Nutrition”

Aaron spoke about fitness, from an evolutionary perspective

Suzanne Crawt – Paleo in Australia

My talk started with my story explaining how I found Paleo and the huge difference it made to me. I then spoke about the growing, thriving Paleo community in Australia and how people can get involved.
low_carb_down_under_me_paleo_network-min

Rob Blomfield—”A farmer’s  journey to primal health”

Rob is an Australian farmer who, on finding this lifestyle, made remarkable health improvements. It was great to hear from someone with an insider knowledge on farming.

Vicki Poulter – “Why grass fed animal foods are good for the planet”

Vicki, from Nourishing Australia, gave a wonderful talk in linking the land, animals, soil and our food. This really made clear the importance of eating good quality grass-fed meat.

We finished with a panel question and answer section. With so many diverse speakers, a great wealth of questions were answered.

low_carb_down_under_panel-min

The whole event was filmed, so hopefully those of you who missed out will be able to watch the talks soon.

It was wonderful to meet so many people interested in, and concerned about their health. It’s clear that the message is spreading and increasing numbers of people are finding out about this lifestyle. I wonder how many people will attend the next seminar series?

The seminar was in Adelaide last night and has one more date left. The final conference is in Brisbane this Saturday. There is still time (just) to buy your ticket at the Low Carb Down Under site. I’m heading to Brisbane this weekend, so if you’re there please come and say hi!

Have you been to one of the seminars this year? What was your highlight – and who would you like to hear speak next time?

Low carb down under paleo primal seminar conference event australia

Low Carb Down Under Seminar Series

The Low Carb Down Under seminar series is selling out fast – have you booked your ticket yet?

Jimmy Moore is going to be coming to Australia from the US to talk in Melbourne, Byron Bay, Sydney, Adelaide & Brisbane in just a few weeks time.

Jimmy will be joined by lots of other speakers from the Paleo and Low Carb communities, including David Gillespie (author of “Sweet Poison”), Dr Rod Tayler, Jamie Hayes, Vicki Poulter, Dr Ron Ehrlich, Christine Cronau (author of “The Fat Revolution”), Sarah Wilson, Costa Georgiadis, Dr Anastasia Boulais, Jamie Scott and many more! The speakers and line ups vary at each location, and full details can be found on the Low Carb Down Under site.

The dates of the Low Carb Down Under seminar series are:

Melbourne – Saturday 17th November

Byron Bay – Wednesday 21st November

Sydney – Saturday 24th November

Adelaide – Tuesday 27th November

Brisbane – Saturday 1st December

If you're interested in health, you won't want to miss this unique seminar series! If you've got friends who've expressed an interest in your diet, these seminars would be a great way of introducing them to a healthier lifestyle, so why not bring a friend? I hope to see you at one of the events! Have you booked your ticket yet?

Meetup paleo meet up groups events conference-min

Paleo Meetup Groups – Have You Joined Yet?

Exciting news! There are now Paleo meet-up groups in every state in Australia! Wherever you live, you can now meet up with local people who eat the same way as you do.

The meet-up groups arrange local dinners, barbecues, picnics, talks – you can even suggest a meetup of your own to the group.

Meetups are a great way of meeting people and finding out about Paleo restaurants and suppliers in your area, so if you haven’t already – join your local Paleo Meetup!

There don’t seem to be any New Zealand Paleo meetup groups yet – why don’t you start one? If you're in the US, Canada or the UK there are lots of Paleo meetup groups, so find your nearest and join up – it's free!

Paleo Meetup Groups Events Australia

With the exception of Sydney, Perth and Melbourne most of these groups are very new – so spread the word and help to increase the membership! If you live in Darwin, Canberra or Hobart there is also the opportunity to become a co-organiser.

Here are the Australian Paleo Meetup groups

NSW/ Sydney
Victoria/ Melbourne
WA/ Perth
SA/ Adelaide
Queensland/ Brisbane
NT/ Darwin
ACT/ Canberra
Tasmania/ Hobart

So sign up (it's free) get involved!

Have you been to a local Paleo meetup event yet?

MovNat Erwan Le Corre paleo primal movement natural

MovNat is Coming Back to Australia!

I was thrilled to see MovNat is returning to Australia early next year.  I didn't know much about MovNat until Erwan Le Corre's talk at the AHS earlier this year, but after hearing him talk and watching some of his demonstrations it looks amazing and I can't wait to try it for myself.




There are going to be two day workshops in Melbourne on 24th & 25th March 2012 and Sydney on 31st March to 1st April.

Erwan Le Corre is also going to be at PrimalCon 2012, so it looks like being a MovNat April!

Have you booked your spot yet?!

MovNat Erwan Le Corre paleo primal movement natural

Food & Health as Evolution Intended Nora Gedgaudas conference event paleo primal australia tour-min

Food & Health as Evolution Intended – Nora Gedgaudas

Yesterday I went to Nourishing Australia’s “Food & Health as Evolution Intended” seminar.  The seminar was held at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and featured five lectures by Nora Gedgaudas, and lectures by Bruce Ward on naturally grazing animals and Costa Georgiadis on the importance of where food comes from.

I’d heard Nora Gedgaudas speak at the Ancestral Health Symposium in August and really enjoyed her talk – it was just 45 minutes though, so the opportunity to hear her talk for a whole day, in my own city, was too good to miss.

meeting Nora Gedgaudas in Sydney

I was so pleased to see such a full lecture theatre yesterday.  The audience was a very varied mix of medical professionals, nutritionists, as well as people who had only recently heard about Paleo.  There were also a few familiar faces from the Sydney Paleo meet-up group.

Nora Gedgaudas Sydney

As much as I enjoyed the AHS in August, food wasn't included, and being on the UCLA campus good Paleo food wasn’t on hand.  At yesterdays seminar however, the event was catered and the food was fantastic.  Agape Organic Restaurant provided all of the beautiful food yesterday.  Whilst the food was organic and sourced locally, it wasn’t Paleo as it included a bit of dairy, quinoa, corn chips (!) and some sweetened dressings.  It was fairly easy to avoid these elements though and the good sized portion of beef and chicken at lunch was very satiating.

The seminar started with an overview of where we have come from and the food we evolved eating.   The other topics covered included fats and carbohydrates; grains, the link between nutrition & mental health & primal fitness.  The key messages I got from the conference concerned insulin and blood sugar.  Reducing the insulin requirements – by controlling blood sugar appears to be crucial in so many aspects of our health and longevity.  Gluten was also spoken about frequently – and I’m now going to be a lot more cautious to ensure I completely avoid it, especially when I’m eating out.

I really enjoy listening to Nora Gedgaudas, as she is a great speaker who has the ability to put across complex science and theories in a very accessible way.

If you’re in Australia and missed the Sydney seminar, they are going to be in Armidale on the 16th November and the Gold Coast on the 19th November; so it’s not too late to book!

nora_gedgaudas_sydney

Morning tea: Pumpkin, spinach and basil frittata, Ham, tomato and cheddar frittata. Salmon, pear, chilli, chive & quinoa tatare Corn chips Wagu & pork meatball & Cherry tomato relish

Nora Gedgaudas Sydney

Lunch: Grass fed wagu beef, Roast chicken

nora_gedgaudas_sydney

Lunch: Roasted Vegetable & Honey mustard dressing salad Broccoli, daikon, carrot, zucchini, adzuki & miso sesame dressing salad Beetroot, parsley, sultana & honey yoghurt dressing Spiced poached pear & cream

Food & Health as Evolution Intended Nora Gedgaudas conference event paleo primal australia tour-min

Nora Gedgaudas in Australia

I'm currently at the “Food & Health as Evolution Intended” Seminar in Sydney. Nora Gedgaudas is the main speaker and has just finished her first two lectures on “Diet and Evolution” and “Fats and Carbohydrates”. After first hearing Gedgaudas at the AHS, it's great to hear a lot more depth on these topics!

The lecture theatre is full of paleo curious Australians, the menu is provided by an organic paleo friendly restaurant – it's going to be a great day!

I'll post a full report about the day tomorrow!

Food & Health as Evolution Intended Nora Gedgaudas conference event paleo primal australia tour-min

Paleo barbeque meetup event social grill bbq primal-min

Paleo Barbeque

Yesterday was the Sydney Paleo meet-up group’s Paleo Barbeque.  We met at beautiful Tamarama beach, where there are a couple of public barbecues, which were in hot demand yesterday!  The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the barbecue, with sunshine and beautiful blue skies!

Paleo-Meetup-Barbeque-Summer-Sydney-Tamarama-Beach-680x450-min

I spent yesterday morning making a few dishes from the new “Make it Paleo” cookbook, to take along to the barbecue with me.

I made the guacamole to go with some raw vegetables I cut up.

paleo_barbeque_guacamole_dip_sauce-min

I made the barbecue sauce, which went beautifully with the organic grass fed streak I took along.  This had a bit of a kick to it with the mustard and paprika and proved very popular.  I’ll definitely be making this one again over the summer.

paleo_barbeque_sauce-min

I was really excited to try the Fennel & Orange salad.  The combination of the anise flavour of the fennel and the peppery flavour of the radishes made for an unusual, but very enjoyable salad.

make_it_paleo_orange_&_fennel_salad_paleo_barbeque-min

I grated up some carrot, which I mixed with shredded coconut (I love the combination)

carrot_&_coconut_paleo_barbeque-min

Finally, I roasted some seasonal vegetables which were colourful and delicious!

roasted vegetables veggies paleo barbeque-min

It was great to see such a good turn out to the barbecue – Paleo in Sydney seems to be well and truly gaining momentum.  Despite a few people attending for the first time, we were an easy group to spot; as the only party at the beach without bread, crisps and junk food!

I hope we’ll be able to have a few more outdoor Paleo meet-ups this summer – it seems so much more Primal!

paleo meets vegan vegetarian-min

Paleo Meets Vegan

There's an interesting talk at the Sydney Opera House tomorrow, as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.  The talk is entitles “What We Are and What We Eat”, by Jonathan Safran Foer.  Foer has written a book called “Eating Animals”, and it sounds like he has a strong vegan, anti-Paleo agenda.

From what I've read, it looks like he is very concerned about cheap, factory farmed animal produce, which is a viewpoint I completely agree with.  However, whilst I tackle this by sourcing very good quality, grass fed, organic meat, with a minimal degree of separation between myself an the farmer – I wonder if Foer's approach is tofu and grains?

I'm always interested in hearing and understanding differing viewpoints about diets and food sustainability, so I'm quite tempted to go along.

Must remember to take some beef jerky with me, I think they only sell sweets & crisps at the Opera House…

How to get cheap vibrams vff five fingers barefoot shoes running sydney australia-min

How to Get Cheap Vibrams

As I explained in my previous post, I love running barefoot, in VFFs.

My Vibrams

My Vibrams – I've got a pair of pink Treksports and black Classics. So far.

When I was in America for PrimalCon & the AHS this year, I was so shocked to see how cheap Vibrams were, compared to here in Australia.  I bought two pairs, the Treksport in pink from a big outdoors store in Texas and a pair of Classics in black from another store in San Francisco.  Each pair worked out at well under $100 AUD, including taxes.  Not only were they cheaper, but the stores stocked so many different models, colours and sizes.  I should have bought more.  It takes going overseas to realise how expensive things are in this part of the world.

The bigger sports shops in Sydney seem to carry just a few models, and you can forget about getting them in exciting colours.  The bigger Rebel Performance stores sell a small selection, for upwards of $169.99 AUD, which is a lot of extra money to pay, especially for a small selection.

cheap_vibrams_vffs

Vibrams can be expensive in Australia

I bought my first pair of Vibrams on Ebay last year.  I carefully researched the model and tried an equivalent pair on in the city, to make sure I ordered exactly the right size.  I still paid about $100, so not that much of a bargain.  They arrived and I was instantly disappointed with Vibrams in general.  The toes were all the same length – meaning only my big toe would fit properly.  The top of my other toes didn’t even reach the bottom of toe section!  I initially assumed this was just how they made them, perhaps I had freaky toes, as they weren’t all the same length?  On close inspection it became apparent that the box and literature in the box was quite odd too.  It was upside down and back to front.  I think I probably spent my hard earned cash on a pair of fake Vibrams.  So my word of warning is be really careful where you buy them from.  If you buy them online, be sure they are genuine!

Luckily I wasn’t put off and after meeting so many VFF owners at PrimalCon I soon realised how they were supposed to fit and behave.  I bought my next two pairs earlier this year.  The difference is incredible!  They are an amazing fit.  Wearing them feels as close to barefoot as I’m realistically likely to get in the city centre.

Prices generally do seem to be coming down in Australia.  I found a sale today at the Adventure Mega Store in Sydney CBD selling VFF’s starting at $99, which seems to be a great deal (but I'd love to find a better price in this country).  They had by far the largest range I’ve seen in Sydney.  I also saw an indoor yoga style for the first time (with 40% discount) which looked perfect for dancing, though I’d need to see how they would compare to my existing dance footwear.  I don’t have the “Sprint” model, and think this might be a good choice for my next pair, I’m very tempted.

cheap vibrams VFF

I found a good sale on Vibrams in Sydney today…

If your toes do happen to all be exactly the same length, I could do you a great deal on a second hand pair of VFF’s.  Unworn…

Have you found any good deals on Vibrams in Australia and New Zealand?  Have you found a great stockist with lots of choice?  Have you managed to get any “real” ones shipped here at a good price?  I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below.

How to get cheap vibrams vff five fingers barefoot shoes running sydney australia-min

Meetup paleo meet up groups events conference-min

Meeting Real, Local People – Who Lead a Paleo Lifestyle Too

Last night was the fourth meet up of the Sydney Paleo group – and the third I’ve had the pleasure of attending.  We met at a Korean Barbeque restaurant, tucked away down a side street, in the city centre.  A few of us had met before and there were some new faces to meet.  The food couldn’t have got much more Paleo.  We had all different types of meat, which we barbequed ourselves.

I’m becoming more and more obsessed with all things Paleo as time goes by.  I always want to talk about an amazing new blog I’ve found, or find out what others think about the latest research.  But I am aware that a lot of my non Paleo friends aren’t as interested in this as I am!  To be able to meet up with a group of people on the same wavelength is amazing.

We were able to jump straight into topics such as Jack Kruse’s Leptin theories, Nora Gedgaudas’s Australian Primal Body Primal mind conference, the AHS and how we handle social events with our non-Paleo friends.  We discussed our favourite blogs and books, how we do Paleo and local Paleo friendly suppliers & restaurants.

As much as I benefit from & value my online Paleo friends and the online community, there is nothing like meeting Paleo people in real life.

Next month we’ll be meeting again, only this time for an outdoor meet up.  A barbeque by the beach, frisbee, slack line & lots of paleo talk – I can’t wait!

If you don’t know any Paleo folk in real life, I suggest you join your local meetup group – or if there isn’t one – create it yourself!