Stephanie Vuolo, Author at The Paleo Diet™

About Stephanie Vuolo

Stephanie Vuolo is a Certified Nutritional Therapist, an American College of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer, and a Certified CrossFit Level 1 Coach. She has a B.A. in Communications from Villanova University. She is a former contributor to Discovery Communications/TLC Blog, Parentables. Stephanie lives in Seattle, WA, where she is a passionate and enthusiastic advocate for how diet and lifestyle can contribute to overall wellness and longevity. She has been raising her young daughter on the Paleo Diet since birth. You can visit her website at www.primarilypaleo.com.

Paleo Diet and Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 1 Comment ↓

Human breast milk is often called liquid gold, and should be considered the most original Paleo food available in modern times. Although today’s standards for the human diet have migrated away from our evolutionary roots,1 research still supports numerous health benefits for both infants and their mothers when breastfeeding exclusively during the first six months of life.2 However, it turns out that is quite challenging for mothers today to stick to these guidelines, often citing insufficient milk supply or a still hungry infant as the main reasons to supplement with commercial formulas or to abandon nursing altogether.3 One study showed…

Tagged with: featured, Paleo Diet, paleo lifestyle, infants, breastfeeding, newborns, Paleo babies, Paleo newborns
Posted in Parenting, Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Women's Health, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Paleo Basics, Women's Corner, Hormones

Mom, Can I Eat It? The Slippery Slope of Food Choices for Paleo Kids

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 1 Comment ↓

Mom, Can I Eat It? The Slippery Slope of Food Choices | The Paleo Diet

“Can I try the bread,” my four year old asks me, when our server automatically delivers it to our table. It was the first time she asked to eat a grain, when I didn’t have a Paleo-friendly alternative, such as an almond flour cupcake at a celebration, and I felt ill-prepared to answer. I had a split second to make a decision: if I said no what message would that send, and if I said yes what implications would that have on future choices? How do you discern when your Paleo child will eat grains? Hunter-gatherers didn’t have to navigate…

Tagged with: featured, Paleo Children, food choices, Paleo kids, orthorexia
Posted in Parenting, Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Gluten Free, Paleo Basics, Women's Corner, Cooking, Digestion, Dairy, Legumes, Fruit, Beverages, Men's Corner, Sugar

Paleo Diet for Pets

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 2 Comments ↓

In a recent poll, 91% of pet owners consider their animals to be an important part of the clan,1 an evolutionary process that began over 12,000 years ago when the first hunter-gatherers began to domesticate dogs.2 In fact, Americans care so much for their pets, they spent approximately $60 billion on their pets last year, with close to $22 billion on food alone.3 However, although many commercial pet food brands market themselves as natural and organic, a Paleo style diet may truly be best for our pets. Scientific research comparing the health benefits of a Paleo Diet to the standard…

Tagged with: featured, Paleo Diet, dogs, cats, paleo pets
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Inflammation, Fatty Acids, Gluten Free, Paleo Basics, Autoimmune Diseases, Cancer, Digestion

The Definitive Guide to Traveling on a Paleo Diet

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 2 Comments ↓

Do you find it a challenge to maintain your Paleo Diet when away from home? Traveling on a Paleo Diet can feel daunting, whether you travel on a regular basis or only once in awhile. However, once you learn how to manage on the road it will become instinctive in how you prepare for future travel. Fortunately, we’re here to help with a few simple tricks to help you keep on target with healthy eating habits when you’re away from your regular routine that extends beyond subsisting on dried fruit and nuts the entire time. Planes, Trains and Automobiles Paleo…

Tagged with: featured, Paleo Diet, Paleo on-the-go, paleo travel, shelf stable Paleo food
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Women's Health, Gluten Free, Paleo Basics, Autoimmune Diseases, Women's Corner, Cooking, Cardiovascular Disease, Cholesterol, Dairy, Legumes, Men's Corner

Chronic Fatigue and The Paleo Diet

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 3 Comments ↓

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly called chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is an incapacitating condition marked by disabling fatigue of at least six months, accompanied by numerous rheumatological, infectious, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.1 However, in our modern day nearly 4 million people 2 struggle with these symptoms that impact their ability to fully engage in daily activities. Exercise can help fight common fatigue, while even minor efforts at physical activity lead to a significant worsening of symptoms for ME/CFS patients. This often encourages ME/CFS patients to cope with their illness by completely avoiding physical activity.3,4 Western medicine has offered little support for effective treatments…

Tagged with: featured, Paleo Diet, stress, fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, glutathione, magnesium
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Women's Health, Inflammation, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Paleo Basics, Autoimmune Diseases, Women's Corner, Hormones, Men's Health, Men's Corner

Paleo Diet and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Are Emulsifiers to Blame?

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 2 Comments ↓

We are often asked whether a Paleo diet can be a promising agent for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Impaired mucosal immunity in the gastrointestinal tract has been shown to lead to this debilitating condition.1 New data suggests that common food additives, called emulsifiers, could be contributing to the development of inflammatory bowel diseases, including colitis, by disturbing the composition of intestinal microbiota.2 This research has the ability to improve the health of 1-2 million people who suffer from ulcerative colitis,3 a major risk factor for colorectal cancer.4 Let’s take a closer look of how this research…

Tagged with: featured, colitis, inflammation, crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, emulsifiers, inflammatory bowel disease
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Women's Health, Inflammation, Gluten Free, Paleo Basics, Autoimmune Diseases, Women's Corner, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Digestion, Dairy, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Men's Health, Men's Corner

Spring Forward Foraging Wild Greens: Stinging Nettle Sauté

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — No Comments ↓

Hunter-gatherers foraged for seasonally available foods and with the spring season came an abundance of fresh, wild greens. Many wild greens like shotweed and dandelions are commonly considered weeds, and are neither desired nor used by modern man. Albeit, while these greens are bitter compared to commercially available vegetables,1 the variety and nutritional content in our diets have become limited2 through our reliance on grocery stores to source food for us.3 Spring is the perfect time of year to embrace the nutrient density these wild foods offer. Edible wild greens like quercetin4 are rich in phenols and antioxidants,5 provide significant…

Tagged with: featured, foraging, seasonal, nettles, wild greens
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Recipe Library, Paleo Basics, Vegetables, Paleo Recipes, Women's Corner, Cooking, Men's Corner

Speeding Up Your Metabolism

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 1 Comment ↓

A fast metabolism has wide appeal to modern humans, yet, it is exactly what our hunter-gatherer ancestors avoided to survive during periods of food scarcity. We are genetically designed to store extra calories, so what you feel is a sluggish metabolism, is actually a life saving measure to buy time to find your next meal. In times of food scarcity (or self-inflicted calorie restriction), insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by tissues is reduced, which prevents the body from relying on protein from muscle tissue as a product for endogenous glucose production.1 This process provided hunter-gatherers the ability to endure famine by retaining…

Tagged with: featured, exercise, metabolism, resistance training, workout, cardio
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Athletes, Women's Health, Exercise and Fitness, Paleo Basics, Women's Corner, Metabolism, Digestion, Men's Health, Men's Corner

Eliminating Hypertension with Coconut Oil and Exercise

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — 2 Comments ↓

Would you believe saturated fat rich coconut oil could improve your cardiovascular health? It seems counter intuitive based upon common impressions of saturated fat being detrimental to our vascular system,1 however a new study indicates that the combination of coconut oil supplementation and exercise has been linked to reduced body weight, reduced blood pressure, improved baroreflex sensitivity, decreased lipid peroxidation, and reduced superoxide levels.2 These findings have the ability to help over 67 million people struggling with hypertension, who have blood pressure levels greater than 120/80 mm Hg3, increasing their risk of heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, vision issues and kidney disease. The researchers…

Tagged with: featured, exercise, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, coconut oil
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Athletes, Women's Health, Inflammation, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Exercise and Fitness, Paleo Basics, Autoimmune Diseases, Women's Corner, Cardiovascular Disease, Men's Health, Men's Corner

Keep Your Weekend Warrior in Check

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Stephanie Vuolo — No Comments ↓

Does your life get in the way of your Paleo diet and how often you exercise? Our hunter-gather ancestors didn’t have near the demanding schedules we do today. Their lives revolved around sourcing food and attending to basic survival needs. They engaged in strenuous physical activity but recovered with ample rest on a daily basis. The activity pattern of modern hunter-gather populations demonstrates the intensity and duration capabilities of our body, as well the necessity of adequate recuperation time from these pursuits.1 Unlike our Paleolithic ancestors, we have the flexibility to select when and how to exercise, as well as…

Tagged with: featured, Paleo Diet, exercise, workout, schedule
Posted in Paleo Diet Blog Articles, Athletes, Women's Health, Exercise and Fitness, Paleo Basics, Women's Corner, Men's Health, Men's Corner

LOREN CORDAIN, PH.D.

Author Archives: Stephanie Vuolo