Is the Paleo/AIP Diet Unsustainable?
Many of us have run into some unsubstantiated claims that say things like, “The Paleo/AIP diet isn’t sustainable” or “All you do on the Paleo/AIP diet is eat meat!” People that say these things haven’t actually looked into the Paleo/AIP diet because if they had they would be reporting something much different.
In some circles the Paleo/AIP diet has become synonymous with meat which is a massive fallacy. Though it is encouraged to consume grass-fed beef, cage-free poultry, and wild caught fish the Paleo/AIP diet is technically plant-based. The Paleo/AIP diet food pyramid reveals that the base or what we should primarily be consuming is that of vegetables and fruit. This means loads of leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and some fruit…that sounds far from only meat right?! If we live the Paleo/AIP diet correctly then paleo and produce should go hand in hand. This means we can definitively say that the Paleo/AIP diet is sustainable individually.
What about environmentally and morally? Can the Paleo/AIP diet continue on its current trajectory? The short answer is yes! The idea that the Paleo/AIP diet can’t be sustained and is bad for the environment stems from the idea that all we eat is meat…which as we just discussed isn’t true. Unstainable farming practices are those of conventional meat, eggs, or dairy. In a previous post we discussed CAFOs which are farming operations stricken with disease. Essentially these farms employ the quick and easy way to raise these animals by confining and overmedicating them, among other things. Those who truly live the Paleo/AIP diet consume the organic, grass-fed, cage-free, and wild caught meats. So we buy from those who have been farming as people have farmed for centuries…it has only been within the last fifty to one hundred years have these unethical practices been used.
In conclusion to be truly Paleo/AIP is to be sustainable! Hopefully, at least, our readers can be educated and help us debunk some of the myths that continue to float around. This is why Autoimmune Health & Nutrition created the ever sustainable and delicious Paleo Perfection Protein line which is grass-fed beef collagen with organic superfood blend. The Paleo/AIP diet helps us go back to our roots.
