Inside Paleo f(x) 2017 + 3 Finds for Busy People

Paleo f(x), aka the Super Bowl of Paleo!

This is the one time of year where the ancestral health devotees of the world descend on Austin, Texas for 3 jam-packed days of the latest in holistic wellness! From cutting edge presentations by industry leaders like Robb Wolf and Dr. David Perlmutter, to fitness and movement workshops, to the energizing and inspiring paleo community, and of course, all the new and exciting paleo products, Paleo f(x) has it all!

These are the highlights from my weekend at Paleo f(x) 2017:

Paleo f(x) is rebranding as Health f(x)

2017 TRENDS

There were a couple interesting trends to emerge this year:

1. Paleo is moving away from the word “Paleo”
   • That’s right, the paleo community is trying to cast a wider net and spread the health, and to do that, they’re moving towards losing the word “paleo” and assimilating into the general health and wellness space.
   • “Paleo” has gotten a bad rep over the years of being the “caveman diet” and being incredibly restrictive, making it a turn off to a lot of people. But the science doesn’t lie. Countless people have drastically transformed their health with the paleo diet so in order take this method of healthy living to the masses, they’re ditching the word “paleo” and the stigma that goes with it.
   • The biggest evidence of this trend is in the 2018 rebranding of Paleo f(x) to Health f(x)! That’s right, goodbye Paleo f(x), hello Health f(x)!
   • What do you think about this rebranding? Leave a comment below!
2. Bio-Individuality
   • Paleo is no longer a one-size-fits-all diet. While we knew this to some extent, the science is becoming very clear that everybody reacts to differently to proteins, carbohydrates, fats, toxins, stress – you name it!
   • While the paleo diet is a great jumping off point, it takes experimentation and fine-tuning to find your personal ideal diet. For example, low carb and intermittent fasting may be the perfect solution for one person, but a higher carb diet with more consistent meal timing may be the key to success for another.
   • It’s all about finding what works best for your body!
3. Positive Mindset
   • A number of speakers emphasized the role of positive mindset and stress management in overall health and longevity.
   • It’s crucial to practice stress management and keep your cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in check, because stress leads to inflammation, and chronic inflammation results in disease!
   • Stress negatively impacts every area of your life from breathing, to your immune system, your eating habits, and it even compromises your ability to make sound decisions.
4. Infrared Saunas are IN
   • There were not 1, but 2 infrared sauna vendors at Paleo f(x) this year! It’s all about the detox!

THE PRESENTATIONS

There were so many great take aways from this talk that are applicable not only in business, but in life:

• Approach business and life with an “abundance mindset” versus a “scarcity mindset”
  • Abundance mindset means expressing gratitude for and wanting what you have. It means seeing your competitors as allies and instead of comparing yourself to them, instead, collaborating with, helping out, and celebrating them.
  • With an abundance mentality, you’re always appreciating the good, supporting and being supported by others, and it even has a positive effect on the energy vibrations in your body!
• Self worth = net worth
  • Your body is your #1 asset in business and in life
  • Your health isn’t a cost, it’s an investment
  • When you take care of your body, it produces a great return in energy, focus, productivity, and all aspects of your life!

Another fascinating talk was the “The Paleo State of the Union” also moderated by Michelle Norris (Paleo f(x) CEO & Founder), featuring Art De Vany (author, “The New Evolution Diet”), Dr. Josh Axe (DrAxe.com), Dr. David Perlmutter (author, “Grain Brain”), Dr. Sarah Ballantyne (The Paleo Mom), Mark Sisson (Primal Blueprint), and Robb Wolf (author, “Wired to Eat”).

While this panel focused on the latest and greatest in paleo, the one thing that really resonated with me was Art De Vany’s critique of the 80/20 rule. If you’re not familiar with the 80/20 rule, it recommends being strictly paleo 80% of the time, and giving yourself a break the other 20%. But Art made an excellent point, stating something to the effect of: the reality is that your cells never take a break, so really, you should never take a break from giving your body the best. MIC DROP.

EXPLORING THE EXPO FLOOR

While the speaker presentations and panels were incredibly informative, let’s be real, the fun part is sampling all the paleo goodies from the vendor booths on the expo floor!

This year, Paleo f(x) hosted approximately 150 vendors with a wide variety of paleo products including the “normal” (take that with a grain of salt!) stuff like meats, supplements, butter coffee, granola, kombucha, bone broth, cookies, muffins, bars, collagen, chocolate, and beef jerky… and then more “off the beaten path” products like portable infrared saunas, an oxygen bar, and mushroom coffee!

Here’s a little taste of the expo floor – and don’t miss my top 3 paleo f(x) finds for busy people below!

PALEO F(X) COMMUNITY

At the end of the day, the best reason to come to Paleo f(x) is the community. When you fill an event center with 6,000 people, all extremely passionate about the same topic, the energy is just electric! You can’t help but feel inspired, excited, and even more pumped up than you did before walking through the door.

Every time I walked into a presentation, visited a vendor booth, or sat down for lunch, I had the pleasure of meeting a new person with an incredible story of how the paleo diet changed their life. Some had achieved normalcy after struggling for years with a debilitating autoimmune disease. Some had been so inspired by their own health transformations, they decided to turn their passion into a career and change the lives of others. And I even met a handful of people who had beat back cancer with diet and lifestyle changes!

The connections I made over these 3 days profoundly touched me and reaffirmed why I’m pursing a career in health coaching: to put more good into this world by helping people transform their health and live healthier, happier lives!

3 PALEO F(X) FINDS FOR BUSY PEOPLE

And now, here are my top 3 product picks from Paleo f(x) 2017! Though the expo hall was filled to the brim with hundreds of delicious paleo products, these are the 3 that I lost my shit over because they are brilliant food hacks for us busy people.

These products hit the “easy button” on healthy living. They’re the epitome of convenience because they can be easily transported and quickly prepared (we’re talking 2 minutes or less!), yet they don’t sacrifice quality or taste. If you’re someone who constantly skips meals because you don’t time or if traveling leaves you feeling like your nutrition is out of control, these products are the perfect solution!

FAT FUEL COFFEE

Looking for a quick breakfast to go?

Or do you like butter coffee, but can’t get your act together in the morning to actually make the coffee and blend it with that magical combo of grass-fed butter and MCT oil? Not to mention having to clean the blender later… ugh.

Or are you constantly traveling and in need of an easy, nutrient dense breakfast you can make from your hotel room?

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to Fat Fuel Coffee!

WHAT: A single serving packet of instant butter coffee

HOW IT WORKS: Add hot water, stir, and drink. I kid you not, it’s that easy.

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

• It only takes a couple minutes to make (time to boil water + 30 seconds to open packet and mix)
• The only equipment you need is a way to heat the water (kettle, hot water heater, or even a hotel Keurig machine), a mug, and spoon to mix (no blender required!)
• It comes in convenient, single serve packets (perfect for a suitcase, just sayin’)
• It’s 5 simple ingredients: Grass fed butter powder, MCT oil powder, coconut oil powder, instant organic coffee, and Himalayan salt
• Because it’s such a nutrient dense fuel source, you don’t need to eat anything else for breakfast!

WHERE TO BUY: You can purchase Fat Fuel here!

MUFFINELSE MUFFIN MIXES

Perhaps you’re not a coffee drinker.

Or you’re someone who prefers to eat their breakfast as opposed to drink it.

But you still need something fast and convenient!

If that’s you, these instant muffin mixes from MuffinElse are the answer! Like Fat Fuel, they come in super convenient single serve packets and all you have to do is add water, pop them in the microwave, and voila! Paleo muffin perfection!

MuffinElse paleo muffin mixes come in 3 delicious flavors: Cinnamon Rising (pictured here), Double Chocolate, and Nutty Maple.

WHAT: A single serving packet containing all the ingredients you need to make a perfect paleo muffin

HOW IT WORKS: Mix a 1/4 cup of water with the contents of the packet in a microwave safe cup or mug and microwave for 90 seconds!

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

• Each muffin takes about 2 minutes to make
• The only equipment required is a mug, a microwave, a spoon to mix, and a 1/4 cup measure… (but let’s be real, you could eyeball a 1/4 cup if you had to, right?)
• It comes in single serving packets, making it super convenient to transport
• It has a solid macro profile: 11-12g fat, 13-16g carbs, and 7g of protein per muffin! And only 8-9g of natural sugar.
• Each flavor is made up of simple, real food ingredients.
• These muffins are filling on their own, but you can add additional ingredients to the mix for an even more filling breakfast or snack!

WHERE TO BUY: You can purchase MuffinElse Muffin Mixes here!

PEDERSON’S FULLY COOKED BACON

Bacon. ‘Nuff said, right?

But just in case you can’t believe your eyes, I’ll spell it out for you: this is fully cooked bacon you can literally eat right out of the package.

AND IT TASTES AMAZING!

Even though it’s cooked and packaged it still has that perfect “crispness” that makes bacon so darn good. And the flavor is everything good quality bacon should be!!

So yes, dreams really do come true. Now you can have bacon ANYWHERE you go!

WHAT: Fully cooked, ready-to-eat slices of high quality bacon

HOW IT WORKS: Tear open a package and chow down

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

• It’s bacon you can eat at a moment’s notice!
• It’s in a responsible portion size so you don’t lose control, overeat, and put yourself in a bacon coma
• It doesn’t need to be refrigerated before eating
• It’s Whole30 compliant (the bacon is sugar free!)
• It’s perfect to throw in a bag or a suitcase for a snack on the go
• It’s bacon

WHERE TO BUY: You can buy Pederson’s fully cooked bacon in single servings packages from Barefoot Provisions.

Disclaimer: I love sharing all this free content with you, but it does cost me money.  I want you to know I may make a small percentage off the products I link to, but I will only ever share products that I truly believe in and use in my own kitchen. So I would greatly appreciate your support by using my links if you plan on purchasing any of these awesome products!