5 Ways You Can Help the Paleo Movement... when? Right now!

[caption id="attachment_15471" align="alignright" width="325"]What's the Paleo Movement?[/caption]

Recently, I have conducted research around the Paleo movement, attending conferences such as PaleoFX  in Austin, TX the Slow Money conference in Brooklyn, NY and in general trying to better understand how to continue this movement and help convert it from a trend to a profitable mainstream way of doing business.

A question to ask yourself: How can I help the Paleo Movement?

We are all familiar with organic, gluten-free, even raw....these designations are in mainstream media and even have their own sections at Whole Foods and can be found in more conventional grocery chains.  It begs the question, why, then, is there no Paleo section?  Is it possible for the paleo movement to gain enough traction that big companies will take notice and the food system will change for the better?(meaning better for the small farms, ranchers and, in the end, consumers).  Or will big business, large profits and bad food options prevail?

There is so much buzz today around GMO, Monsanto, rising rates of disease and health care costs, even a documentary, Fed Up, that uncovers how big food companies have acted irresponsibly and aided in creating a culture addicted to sugar.

http://youtu.be/aCUbvOwwfWM

Why, then, is "fixing" this scenario not a priority for hospitals, doctors, the government, etc?  Why does change seem to come at a snail's pace?

Well, because it doesn't make business sense.  Big companies (government included) are about the bottom line, not the size of your bottom. And they really only care about the least expensive price for ingredients, the cheapest method to make those ingredients and path of least resistance to get this (crap) product into a consumer' hands.  Along the way, brokers, distributors, and retailers need to make a cut, as well. So when you add up all of this, having a paleo product hit shelves means less money in profits and, as a result, a not-so-appealing product for stores to carry.  To add to this problem, there are no government subsidies for "paleo ingredients" subsidies are reserved for sugar, corn and wheat products.

So how can we help turn the tide and get the attention of big companies, because until the dollars make sense, no real change will happen.

5 Ways You Can Help the Paleo Movement

[caption id="attachment_15468" align="alignleft" width="280"] Support local CSA's[/caption]

1) Join a Community Supported Agricultural Movement

Join a CSA, buy from local farmers and eat lots of veggies. CSA's are available in several areas, but there are new takes on the traditional Community Supported Agriculture, as well.  Check out Good Eggs and, if you are in, New York State, Field Goods  for alternative models to traditional CSA's. Also, this resource is a directory for farms across the country called Local Harvest.Org

2) Buy organic, grass-fed meats

Get creative, share with another person to help defray costs and experiment with different cuts of meat.  We recently did this at our CrossFit gym and were pleasantly surprised, and an added benefit: food shopping becomes a less frequent chore.  Check out this resource for grass-fed options across the country.

3) Don't buy crap... vote with your wallet

Sometimes adults adopt the Paleo diet, but they buy their children crap....this doesn't help our cause for two reasons 1) the message is not getting through that we mean business to large companies and 2) it is sending a mixed message to the next generation.

4) Have a Paleo-party...

Mall all the food "paleo" and don't tell anyone until afterwards.

5) Support small businesses like CrossFit, your local juice bar, Paleo Meal Delivery options

... a quick Google search in your area offers several options; or the myriad of business cropping up to help augment current healthy lifestyles: .  By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it offers some guidance.

Last week was small biz week in the US and according to the White House, the United States has 28 million small businesses. Two out of every three jobs in the country are created by small business. Small businesses are essential to economic growth and viability.

So in addition to the health benefits of eating Paleo, adopting this lifestyle aids in growing the local and national economy.  

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About Lisa:

Lisa Scotto's life is forever changed by the Paleo diet. After 14 years of working in corporate America, she was inspired to become an entrepreneur. In 2011, Lisa created Nutcase Crunch , a nut-based Paleo granola and cereal substitute. Her goal is to teach others about nutrition and the negative affects of the current Standard American Diet.  

Be sure to connect with Lisa on Twitter and Facebook too.