Vibrant Sexy Strong

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Hey Y’all!

Posts have been sparse for some very exciting reasons, the best one being that I’m working with clients.

Eeeee!

If you are a long-time reader, you know my life today is completely different than three years ago. If you are a newer reader, let me assure you, my life kinda sucked before I got healthy. While I tried to have a good attitude, the horrible health issues and potential debilitating diseases associated with PCOS constantly goaded me into self-loathing.

Not anymore. I started with Paleo and I’ve done some additional therapies to get me to a place where I not only love myself, but I love my life as well.

My Readers Are So So Awesome

The countless emails I receive from you inspired me that I can’t keep this life energy to myself. You share your pain with me and it brings me back to that hopeless place I used to be in. And it doesn’t have to be that way. We can heal. We will heal.

So I started a business—named Vibrant Sexy Strong of course—to help people do just that.

A Little Help…Pretty Please?

Now…I have a small request from you. There is a lot to this online marketing stuff that I don’t know. I love to write on this blog and I also love to work with clients, but I must admit, it is a challenge doing both (especially while raising my Littles). I know it is possible, but I just don’t know how.

This is where you come in.

I entered a contest to win one of Marie Forleo’s B-school scholarships (for online marketing). It’s a YouTube video that makes me feel quite a bit more vulnerable than I care to admit. But I want this for myself, my family, my clients, and my readers. So I took a deep breath and recorded a small portion of my PCOS experience.

.@marieforleo needs @JenniferHuntVSS to #winBSCHOOL so more women can be Vibrant Sexy and Strong http://bit.ly/WBkddo

Today is an exciting day. Paleo for Women author Stefani Ruper released an eBook you want to read: PCOS Unlocked: The Manual. As I read the manual, all I could think about was Robb Wolf’s enthusiastic endorsement of The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson when he laments, “I will ALWAYS bemoan not thinking of Grok first!”

Now is my time to lament: Why didn’t I think of writing this manual first?!

What’s So Special About This Manual?

This is not just another nutrition book. It’s not about weight loss or food rules or having a hot body, though some of that may come. This eBook is about healing. It’s about repairing yourself inside your body and inside your mind so you can be the best you.

In my own battle with PCOS, I was able to overcome the physical symptoms as outlined by Stefani, but the mental health scars from being so dang hard on myself during my recovery are still fading. Stefani absolutely addresses the physical part of PCOS, giving you an outline of how to cure yourself. But she also acknowledges the oft-neglected Love Thyself portion of healing your mind and body. She lays out the expectation and then leaves room for you to be human.

What Can I Expect?

There is a lot of confusing and conflicting information about PCOS. No two cases are the same and no two women are the same.  Stefani knows this, which is why she synthesized all of her experience working with women with PCOS to create something entirely unique and tremendously valuable to the discussion.

There are three types of PCOS. Did you know this? I did not. I had an inkling that there were a handful of potential categories, but Stefani pinpoints three specific types and describes their differences, allowing you to discern which category you fall into. From there, she leads you to very specific lifestyle modifications that will alleviate your symptoms and cure your PCOS.

Will I Understand It?

This manual is designed for someone without a science background. Stefani gives the specifics, but then has a “Takeaway” section to summarize the most important parts. At the end of the manual, you will be able to answer the following questions (or at least go back through the manual as your Cliffs Notes):

• What is PCOS?
• Why do I have PCOS?
• How do I overcome PCOS?
• What are alternative treatments for PCOS?
• Where do I go from here?

Who Should Read It?

This manual is perfect for anyone who

• Wants to cure PCOS
• Manages PCOS well enough, but feels stuck in less-than-optimal health
• Has gaps in PCOS knowledge and wants to fill in the missing information
• Desires a stronger understanding of the hormonal underpinnings of PCOS

Final Notes

I was diagnosed with PCOS six years ago and had no idea what was going on. I’d never heard of it, I didn’t know where to search, everything doctors recommended to me sounded wrong, and I was paralyzed with fear. A manual like this would have been the brightest ray of hope in an otherwise very foreboding future. And now, it’s available. Hallelujah!

In honor of Stefani’s birthday, she is offering a reduced price of PCOS Unlocked: The Manual to the first 50 people. Hop on over there. And feel free to post any questions in the comment.

Disclosure: I received a promotional copy of PCOS Unlocked: The Manual. All opinions are my own and I do in fact wish I wrote this eBook myself!

Have you been listening to Underground Wellness’s Real Food Summit?

It’s not strictly Paleo, but here’s the thing: a lot of us Real Food eaters are on the same side. My sister-in-law is vegan and I’m Paleo, but it isn’t me vs. her. We both want better health and more ethical treatment of animals; we simply find our answers in different ways.

So if you’re interested in Real Food, I would highly highly *highly* recommend tuning in.

The details are all on the site, but the basics are:

• 9 days
• 3 presentations per day
• Presentations are available for 24 hours only–midnight to midnight PST
• Free during the initial viewing period, then sold in a package after the summit

And lucky for us, the first two days’ presentations have been extended until tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon PST. The presentation outline is available with the speakers’ presentations, but I’ll even give you a little preview of what were personal highlights:

Day 1 Presentations (<– link)

Joel Salatin. You may recognize him as the incredibly articulate farmer from Food, Inc.

Joel Salatin, Farmer.
Real Food Defined.
Food for Thought: Powerfully exhibits how we can break our addiction to the supermarket. Teaches how an ethical farm functions and the way animals, humans, and Mother Nature work together. Discusses sustainability and whether or not Real Food can feed the world (spoiler: it can!).

Chris Kresser, Integrative Health Practitioner.
The Role of Fish and Seafood in the Real Diet
Food for Thought: The vitamins and minerals present in fish and why mercury is not always as big of an issue as we may believe

David Getoff, Traditional Naturopath and Board-Certified Nutritionist
The Historical Truth About Raw Fruit Consumption…and the Best and Worst Sweeteners
Food for Thought: Caused me to examine the quantity of my son’s fruit intake in relation to his body size. Powerful stuff.

Day 2 Presentations (<– link)

Paul Chek

Paul Chek, Founder of C.H.E.K. Institute
Eating Whole Foods for Body, Mind, and Soul
Food for Thought: The soil is connected to our soul. We can eat less food if what we’re eating is more nutrient-dense. Fixing our physical health can really help our emotional health.

Jeffrey Smith, Author of Seeds of Deception
Genetically Modified Foods: What People Want to Know
Food for Thought: Answers basic questions about GMOs. A little sensationalist for my taste, but good information all the same.

Sarah Pope, Blogger at The Healthy Home Economist
The Bountiful Benefits of Bone Broth
Food for Thought: How to make bone broth and know you’ve made it right

Day 3 Presentations (<– link)

These presentations end at midnight so hop to it

Chris Masterjohn

Chris Masterjohn, Blogger and Doctoral Candidate
Weston A. Price on Primitive Wisdom (part 1 of 2)
Food for Thought: Gives me an entirely unexplored and deep love for Weston A. Price’s work and his credibility as a renowned researcher. I thought I loved him before, but I respect him so much more now. Also, Masterjohn sort of sounds like Matthew Broderick, so when I was listening, I was picturing Despereaux teaching me all about Dr. Price.

Mira and Jayson Calton, Authors of Naked Calories
Micronutrient Deficiency: The Missining Link in the Fight Against Obesity?
Food for Thought: (Still listening)

Aaron Lucich, Film Producer and Director
We Are What We Eat: How What We Eat Affects Everything Within and Around Us
Food for Thought: (Still listening)

Enjoy the Summit! I’d love to hear your thoughts, too.

All gorgeous photos courtesy of the incredible Omar Foster. If you are in the Las Vegas area, check him out at Camp Fit Force. All photos of my gorgeous children courtesy of my phone.

How did this happen?

On a windy January day in Las Vegas, I found myself asking, “How did I get in this tree?”

It was one of those refocusing, defining moments. Me–the quintessential non-athlete–trying to activate muscles I never even knew existed and swing my leg onto an uneven tree branch. With total clarity and flow a la Csikzentmihalyi, I felt powerful. Nay, I was powerful. I’d transcended the limiting beliefs about my capabilities and was acting on my true nature. This was MovNat.

My love affair with MovNat began on Halloween day, 2010. I was at Robb Wolf’s Paleolithic Solution Seminar in Houston and Erwan Le Corre (MovNat founder) was visiting. His quiet and humble presence drew me in. I could feel his energy and I observed him the entire day. Simply striking.

We hardly spoke–an unfortunate mistake on my end since he was entirely approachable. He smiled for, cooed at, and doted on my 4-month-old baby who came in twice to nurse and make googly eyes at all the Fitness Hounds in the room. But since I’d never heard of him or MovNat, I didn’t recognize my opportunity. I could feel that he was doing something special, but didn’t know how to say: “Hey Mr. Erwan, I can read your energy and my intuition is telling me you are going to change the world and my life.” The more I learn about him and his mission though, the less embarrassed I would be to make that statement.

From that point forward, I pined for a MovNat seminar. I wanted it badly despite my vehement dislike for physical activity and conventional exercise. I have absolutely no confidence in my athletic capabilities and believed MovNat could be the key to helping me become more physically adept. I almost registered for the session right after the Ancestral Health Symposium, but working out with a bunch of Paleo fitness fanatics was too terrifying of a prospect. Fourteen months later, my intuition finally won me over and I registered for the Las Vegas workshop.

I almost didn’t go. Two days prior, my baby got sick. And goodness knows I was looking for an out. But she healed miraculously and I found myself working out at Legacy Park with seven men.

7 Lessons

1. My body is strong and beautiful. Brian Tabor (MovNat instructor) moves like a cat-gazelle crossbreed. It’s glorious to watch and I found myself in awe when he would jump onto a trash can or leap through the air, landing in a diving roll. As we moved throughout the day, the bodies of the participants (including my own) transformed into something similar. Strong and beautiful, even if they were untrained or still building their physical fitness. Because they are human, they have the capacity to move naturally. There is an underlying strength that may have been forgotten, but it is present nonetheless. And that is beautiful.

MovNat Las Vegas. The strong and beautiful bodies.

2. It’s all in my head. The first person I saw was Paul. He is an enormous mass of muscle and was wearing a shirt that looked like something from the periodic table (It read “Ow: The Element for Pain“). I looked over at my husband and shook my head saying I couldn’t do this. I wouldn’t fit in here. I don’t like exercise, I am not strong, and I really really really hate pain. He let me blabber until I could pull myself out of the car. But there was nothing intimidating about these guys. There was an atmosphere of camaraderie (of which I attribute to Brian’s ability to build a safe culture in such a short amount of time) and my fears dissipated by the end of the breathing exercises. Any ability I thought I couldn’t develop was all in my head. I could do this. I was made to move.

Our true nature is to move

3. I am afraid of my body. I was born massively pigeon-toed and required special shoes to shape my hips. The shoes were removed early and my hips/coordination are still paying for it. Even more, I got glasses in second grade (bifocals in fourth) and my optometrist said my poor depth perception would prevent me from ever being able to play sports that involved hand-eye coordination (i.e. anything with a ball). These early experiences shaped the last 20+ years of body image and I never got to know my capabilities very well. The unknown is frightening, so my body was frightening. Even at the end of the workshop, I was still timid about catching a ball (thankfully Robert went easy on me).

My special shoes

4. My children are inheriting my fear. The biggest motivator to finally get to a workshop was watching my children. Because I parrot the safety mantra “Be careful. Don’t break that. That’s dangerous” all day long, my kids started to exhibit more fear and timidity. I was creating a very pseudo-dangerous world for them. At the park, I would have minor panic attacks when my son climbed the big rocks because I was afraid he would fall and crack his head open. I always envied my husband’s ability to just let our kids be kids. But because I didn’t know what my body could do, I didn’t know what my children were perfectly capable of either. Luckily, that’s starting to fade.

My 3yo son climbing those big scary rocks.

5. MovNat is for moms. And everyone else, yes, but I’m particularly interested in moms. I don’t know how to play with my children very well. I’m great on academics and great at loving them, but having pure, unadulterated fun is hard for me. MovNat showed me how to awaken my body, play with my kids, and create stronger bonds with my Littles. Eight hours well-spent. More on this next Tuesday.

Hiking Zion barefoot with the baby wrapped in a sling on my chest

6. I could stand to do a few more squats, lunges, and push-ups. Sigh. No surprise there. From a purely functional standpoint, it would be in my best interest if I gained a bit more strength. I was able to hold myself on the pole, but couldn’t shimmy my way up at all.

Paul on a pole in a totally non-Las Vegas kind of way

7. Exercise ain’t so bad. Please don’t tell. I have spent so long hating it, I am almost having an identity crisis.

The Best Part of MovNat

…was walking away a new woman. I found someone who was hiding deep inside of me, and I really like her. More confidence, more joy, more love.

And in case you’re wondering…When I finally managed to pull myself up onto that tree branch with the help of the mighty Brian Tabor, everyone cheered enthusiastically. I am so proud.

Big thanks to Brian, Robert, Tim, Phil, Phil, Omar, and Paul who all helped me find myself that day. And to think I almost didn’t get out of the car.

There is so much great content out there. Here’s a sampling of what I’m reading when I’m not writing.

Thanks for putting this together Sean Croxton!

The Paleo Summit is Here by Underground Wellness: Sad you didn’t get to attend the Ancestral Health Symposium? Never fear, 23 Paleo Rock Stars are doing FREE online presentations over 8 days, so register today.

Is Emotional Eating Always As Emotional As It Seems? by PaleoWorks: I have an internet crush on the PaleoWorks site, and I think they may very soon receive a whole Friday Link Love devoted just to them. Until then, this article highlights some of the biology behind emotional eating (which I think plays a much bigger role than we give credit).

The Paleo Diet Cures PCOS on Primal Toad: This is written by The Primal Parent Peggy Emch who is pretty freakin’ rad and just happens to also know a whole lot about PCOS.

Preschooler’s Homemade Lunch Replaced with Cafeteria “Nuggets” on Carolina Journal Online: A little girl’s “turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines” so it was supplemented with 3 chicken nuggets. I can understand the enforcer’s perspective, even if I don’t agree with it. What I have a hard time understanding is how my child’s lunch box could fall under the USDA’s jurisdiction.

MovNat with Brian Tabor in Las Vegas

Image Source

Well how about that? I ended up on the MovNat website this weekend. In case you were wondering about the one-day workshops…they’re awesome.

(I am shelving the binge eating series for a while. I’ve written and re-written the next post 8 times, but it’s still not feeling right. Perhaps I’m not quite ready to continue the public address. Emotional problems are a bummer sometimes. Sigh.)

I write a short letter to my children nearly every day. For a few months, I didn’t miss a single day. I had no goal, just a simple commitment that “Today I will write in my kids’ journals.”

When I finally missed a day, I convinced myself I could make it up. I never did, and I stopped journaling for two months because I was overwhelmed by how much self-imposed work I had to do.

This all-or-nothing scenario plays out a lot in my life, and eating (clean) is no exception.

My WholeNothings

Whole9 Foundations Workshop January 2011 with Dallas and Melissa (then-Urban) Hartwig (I have a history of awkwardness with blogebrities, which explains the arm placement.)

About a year ago, I was honored to be a featured Whole30 success story. I completed the Whole30 twice with excellent results and did a third one in March.

Since then, I’ve taken a page out of Walter Mondale’s book and lost the fire in my belly, replacing it with grains, sugar, and all manner of poisons. The program hasn’t changed its awesomeness and I’m still Paleo, but the 30-days-in-a-row-no-exceptions eludes me. I’ve started a new Whole30 at least 30 times, most lasting 1 day. January’s attempt made it to the 19th before my anxiety convinced me chips and salsa would fix my problems (spoiler: it didn’t).

My WholeFourMonths

Now I have a WholeFourMonthsPossiblyLonger staring me in the face. My baby is sick and her treatment would be optimal (but not necessary) with pure breast milk.

I’m told eating clean for 30 days isn’t as hard as quitting heroin or beating cancer, and I believe that. When I had the Big Bad PCOS Enemy to beat, the Whole30 was easy-peasy-puddin’-pie. Now that I’m out of survival mode and have a debilitating disease behind me, the motivation simply isn’t there. Perhaps there’s something to this stress junkie business.

Living in the Present

Image Source

I’ve come to the recent realization that there is a very fine line between planning things to better live your life and living your life to better plan. I cross that line often, and forget to live in the present.

So when I make a commitment to a Whole30, I forget that yes, I have a 30-day goal, but it’s not Day 30 that matters. It’s Day Today.

If I think about how I should eat Whole30-clean for four months until I get test results back for my babe, I am overwhelmed and run straight for the coconut milk ice-cream, Junior Mints, and lotus rice. If I remind myself, “Today I am going to eat clean,” the challenge isn’t so formidable.

I’m on my fourth Whole1 today. No guilt, no shame, no remorse, and no expectations of perfection. It feels good.

So much to update–Baby’s first appointment with a naturopathic doctor (Tim Gerstmar), PCOS study, Thanksgiving, how we did Halloween, camping-Paleo style, etc….

And believe it or not, I actually wrote a legitimate post this morning that needs a good edit tomorrow. Until then, I had to share this clip of Bob Harper putting Jillian Michaels through a CrossFit-style WOD (workout of the day for you exercisers of a different manner).

I can’t seem to embed the video, so here’s the link:  The Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper’s CrossFit Challenge featured on The Doctors (November 17).

I only watched The Biggest Loser for one season (with Sam and Koli). I don’t know what it is about that show; while it’s incredibly inspiring and leaves me in tears of celebration and sorrow, I can’t seem to get through an episode without eating crap. There’s something very guilt-inducing about sitting in front of a weight loss show, hoovering a pint (or two) of So Delicious Coconut Milk ice-cream. Plus, it wasn’t doing much for my insulin resistance.

Despite my lack of self-control, I like what Jillian and Bob do for thousands of people. Jillian’s 30-Day Shred motivated me to perfect my squats so I could complete the workout without aching knees and Bob’s Weight Loss Yoga helped clear my mind and increase my flexibility. I appreciate those two.

One thing I really respect about the above clip is that Jillian did not rock the WOD like I was expecting. It kicked her butt.

It takes a lot of courage to go on TV and suck at something you are known to excel at*. I applaud her for it.

Even more, I love that this will likely bring more CrossFit-style workouts to the general public. I am not a CrossFit elitist (I don’t think it’s the right workout for everyone…gasp!), but there are a lot of really powerful concepts in it that deserve to reach the women who are trying their hardest, but not achieving any results because they’re sticking to chronic cardio. If Bob or Jillian put that in their next workout videos, everyone wins.

* I do not wish to imply I would have done better, because I would most assuredly not have performed well.

I’ve been blabbering about this AHS business for 2 weeks, so now what? It’s nice to get smarter, but it’s pretty much only good for inducing guilt if I do nothing with my newfound knowledge. Where much is given, much is required.

So here are my next steps, in terms of my PCOS, my family, the continuing education that I need/want, and the AHS folks who inspired me.

Next Steps for PCOS and the inspiration behind it

• Realize I’m not totally crazy with my self-experimentation (Richard Nikoley) and be deliberate about those experiments (Seth Roberts). Richard Nikoley presented on self-experimentation and reminded me I’m not the only crazy experimenter (he doesn’t use soap or shampoo and smelled pretty good from where I was sitting). Seth Roberts spoke about which foods make his brain work better and systematically experimented on himself, taking daily math quizzes to assess progress. Fascinating! My experimentation has produced self-healing and I’m thrilled to learn from two others who do it better than I do. My only regret is I didn’t know of them earlier.
• Supplement with magnesium (Nora Gedgaudas and Robb Wolf). This has been on the radar for about 8 months, but I’m now just kicking myself into gear. Going with Natural Calm since my OB and pediatrician approved it (still nursing).
• Go gluten-free (everyone). Embarking on A Year Without Gluten. I don’t eat much of it in the first place; however, I am going to fully eliminate it from my splurges. Goodbye homemade flour tortillas. I miss you already.
• Get to work on my PCOS study (Lynda Frassetto). I am pretty excited about this one. Being a card-carrying nerd, I’m designing a PCOS-Paleo study. I definitely don’t have the resources to do it perfectly, but I am still designing one for personal fulfillment. I’ll be seeking out volunteers to participate in the near future, so give me a heads up if you are interested. More information to follow once I get all the kinks worked out.
• Switch to cooking with coconut oil and clarified butter and lower my chronic low-level inflammation (Guy-André Pelouze). Coconut oil has a higher oxidation point than olive oil, so that’s my new cooking oil of choice. Fats can still oxidize in my body if I’m inflamed, though, so just another reason to lower my inflammation further.
• Rewatch presentation From Cave to Cage and figure out why in the world I wrote down: Consider taking up MMA (Tucker Max). What did Tucker Max say that made me want to start mixed martial arts? There are plenty of physical fitness activities that seem better suited for me. (Aside from the fact that Tucker Max is the very last person on the planet that I would ever want my daughter to know–I say this with 99% surety that he would not be offended) I don’t like fighting, I don’t like violence, I don’t like sports, I don’t like competition, and I don’t like getting punched in the face. Seems like a pretty poor fit, if you ask me. I’m baffled by my notes.

Next Steps for the Family

1. Look into neurofeedback/biofeedback for my 3yo (Nora Gedgaudas). My son’s anxiety, tantruming, and sensory issues seem to have improved about 75% or so (percentages are arbitrary) since going on a Paleo diet, but I know there is more that could help him. Hoping this is an answer or at least something that leads me to an answer.
2. Everyone off gluten. No matter what. Period. End of story (everyone). Too many reasons not to. It’s challenging, but better than the alternative.
3. Get the babe eating more hard, raw foods for her jaw development (Michael Mew). I think I’ve mentioned several times how much I enjoyed Dr. Mew’s presentation. In speaking to him after the presentation, he advised my baby girl work on her jaw development by eating hard food that are about 1.5 times the size of her wrist. Yes, sir!
4. Look into heavy metals testing (Dr. BG and her sister Marisa). Dr. BG’s sister Marisa shared some similarities between her child and mine. She said heavy metals testing made a difference. Definitely worth looking into.
5. Keep my kids away from dairy (Pedro Bastos). One of the initial challenges I had when taking my son off dairy was the fact that he is in a period of rapid growth. I though I might keep him on dairy until he was older and then remove it when his growth slowed. Pedros Bastos suggested that because children are growing so rapidly, perhaps that is the most important time to stay away from the cow, sheep, and goat’s milk. Noted.

Sciency Business I Need to Understand Better

1. Gut flora (Dr. BG and Tim Gerstmar)
2. Causes of lipid oxidation and the oxidation process (Guy-André Pelouze)
3. Evolutionary psychology (S. Boyd Eaton)
4. Weston A. Price and Frances Pottenger
5. Draining nature of plants and congesting nature of animals (Don Matesz)
6. Why liver used to control our blood sugar, but the pancreas does now (Michael Eades)

Consider Reading

1. Baby-led Weaning by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett
2. Mismatch: The Lifestyle Diseases Timebomb by Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson
3. The Evolution of the Human Head by Daniel E. Lieberman
4. Primal Body Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas
5. Ronald Krausss’ meta-analysis on saturated fats
6. Wild Health: Lessons in Natural Wellness from the Animal Kingdom by Cindy Engel
7. Strong Medicine by Blake F. Donaldson
8. The Stone Age Diet by Waler L. Voegtlin
9. Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine by Randolph Nesse
10. Food and Western Disease: Health and Nutrition from an Evolutionary Perspective by Staffan Lindeberg

Phew! That’s a lot of homework. Given my personal history of setting overambitious goals, I imagine I will only be able to do one item per category before AHS12. But that’s good enough for me.

Sometimes when I read posts written by the segment of the Paleo crowd that loudly takes pride in how much meat they can eat in one sitting, I picture Uncle Rico hurling cuts of NY strip at unsuspecting vegetarians while simultaneously managing to drop a few bites in his mouth.

I am positive some of their meat fervor at the expense of vegetarians is in jest and I’m not offended by it in the least. I do, however, think it hurts the movement a little bit because, unfortunately, not everyone realizes it’s in jest. I have people telling me I eat Paleo “wrong” because I eat vegetables. Ummm, no.

To complicate the dynamic further, there are a whole lot of vegans/vegetarians-turned-Paleo. When Denise Minger asked the crowd (in her How to Win an Argument with a Vegetarian presentation) how many used to be vegan/vegetarian, my unscientific estimation is that 75% of the attendees raised their hands. The inclination to be a bit over-zealous about animal protein consumption is likely a response to the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle that failed them in the first place.

This is certainly not an indictment of anyone who loves meat. Truth be told, I wish I could embrace their love and joyously add more to my plate. It would make every meal easier if I looked forward to the act of eating meat rather than just eating it because it helps my skin, nails, bones, hair, muscles, and body grow (yes, I have to tell myself that almost every meal).

Nor is this an indictment of Denise Minger. Because Denise Minger, she was fantastic. Funny, personable, well-researched, and spot-on. She armed the audience with several ways to question the science presented by the Plant-Based Diet Doctor Squad that consists of Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, John McDougall, and Neal Barnard (I would also add Joel Fuhrman to that list). I loved her presentation and I fell in love with her, too. I only wish I would have met her, but since she was unofficially the best dressed woman at the conference, she generally had a crowd surrounding her (and I don’t do so well with crowds).

A love affair with meat just isn’t my thing, and I find great company in Nora Gedgaudes’ comment from AHS11:

“We need protein to be sufficient, but we don’t need to eat slabs and slabs of meat.”

Hallelujah. I have felt this way all along. The term plant-based diet is reserved for vegetarians and vegans, but the way our family lives Paleo seems to be plant-based as well. There are way more veggies on my plate than meat, and it’s nice to hear that every meal doesn’t need to resemble a churrascaria.

So if you love meat, eat on. If you don’t, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad.

UPDATE: Denise Minger posted a fantastic recap of AHS. Read the section Paleo and vegetarianism: let’s be friends! to learn more about Aravind the lacto-ovo paleo dieter. I would join his camp in a heartbeat if I could eat eggs or tolerate dairy.