Nourish Organic Market introduces paleo subscription with The Paleo Talks

Paleo is on the rise in West Michigan. Many businesses are now working to make following the paleo diet easier (for example, Nourish Organic Market, farmers markets and the West Michigan Online Co-op.) There is a group called the Grand Rapids Paleo/Primal Meetup Group, and CrossFit gyms in the area often encourage their members to use the paleo diet.

Now, Grand Rapidians who eat paleo-style will soon have a subscription option with Nourish Organic Market.

“There are a lot of people right now that are interested in the paleo approach to eating,” says owner Sheri Rop. “Their values about food line up with ours at Nourish in that they're generally committed to eating fruits, vegetables and nuts that are organic; meats that are grass-fed and pasture-raised and traditional fats. So Nourish is really the perfect food source for Paleos and we wanted to make that support even better.”

In addition to a typical CSA-type basket of vegetables each week, subscribers will also receive a grassfed meat item and a “challenge” item such as chicken feet. The 10-week session is $750 and also includes store discounts and advice on living paleo from dietician David Fisher.

“Paleo is a diet focusing on fresh, in season vegetables and fruits, fish, meat, eggs, nuts and seeds. It avoids, at least temporarily, grains like bread, pasta, oats and corn as well as dairy and beans. I say temporarily because I encourage people to reintroduce certain foods in specific ways to test their own body's tolerance," says Fisher. "In general paleo is an unprocessed, anti-inflammatory diet that helps with general health, weight loss, diabetes, autoimmune conditions and more.”

Two Paleo Talks are scheduled at From the Heart Yoga  onFebruary 6 and 27, from 7-8 p.m. The cost is $25 for the series, and the talks are open to the public. Fisher explains that these Talks will be helpful even for people who aren’t following the Paleo Plan.

“Nutrition is truly the cornerstone of health. Most people know they could improve their diet and in my talks I'll show how easy it is to improve your health using the delicious paleo diet. Attendees will leave with a solid plan on how to implement the diet including a shopping list and many resources. Lastly, they'll have a chance to ask a registered dietitian all their questions about nutrition, paleo or otherwise.”

Nourish plans to continue and expand its emphasis on education in the coming year through an expanded website, newsletters, classes and events. In addition to cooking skills, Rop says that she wants people to know about Nourish’s strong commitment to local sustainable farmers.

“From the start Nourish was created to connect people with the food grown and produced by local farmers and food artisans. The farmers we work with are the reason we're able to exist and, in fact, the reason we want to exist. One of our greatest educational goals is to help people realize that the food they eat is the handiwork of real people working really hard to bring them food that restores our bodies, our communities and the earth," she says. "Nurturing an awareness of this in our customers- an appreciation for what this food really means in human terms and as a result, nurturing gratefulness for the sacrifices and hard work that this beautiful food represents, is one of our most important tasks and greatest delights.”