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Canberra Today 22°/26° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

How Jayne ate her way to better health

 

Paleo Café owner Jayne McLaren... “People are starting to make the connection between health and food.” Photo by Andrew Finch
Paleo Café owner Jayne McLaren… “People are starting to make the connection between health and food.” Photo by Andrew Finch
PALEO isn’t all about caveman food, says Paleo Café’s newest franchisee, Jayne McLaren.

Jayne and her husband Andrew are opening Canberra’s first Paleo Café on Mort Street, Braddon; scheduled to open its doors on July 2.

The paleo lifestyle advocates eating veggies, lean meat, seafood, eggs, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, and avoiding dairy, grains, refined sugar, legumes and preservatives – but Jayne says there’s no one-size-fits-all rule.

“It’s not a caveman diet, and it’s not all meat – it’s just good, healthy food,” she says.

Jayne says her personal journey towards paleo started around 10 years ago when she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic.

“I was looking for answers, I was turning 40 and I wanted to sort my health out,” she says.

“I started exercising, lost some weight and my sugar levels stabilised, so it was fine for a while but a few years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and rosacea.

“I asked the doctor what I could do, and he said ‘nothing’ – that I was basically lumbered with it. But I just felt that it wasn’t the natural human state to be unwell.”

After some Googling, Jayne decided to try going gluten-free.

“Avoiding gluten led to my thyroid markers dropping, but I really noticed a difference in my rosacea after giving up dairy and soy,” she said.

“So I moved towards paleo gradually. It wasn’t a sudden thing.”

Jayne and Andrew, who ran kids’ entertainment company the Gecko Gang for more than 20 years, say they were looking for a new venture more in line with their lives now that their children had grown up.

“As I got further into paleo, I liked the idea of providing somewhere you could go out for lunch and be able to safely eat everything on the menu,” she says.

Jayne says that as well as her health improvements, she has embraced paleo because of the effect it’s had on her energy levels.

“There are no highs and lows, no afternoon slumps,” she says.

“At the Paleo Café we are there to answer questions if needed, but not to convert anyone to anything.

“There are no set requirements about what to eat. It’s going back to a time when things were more natural, and finding out what works for you.

“We offer fresh, seasonal and nutritious food and it’s great for anyone interested in healthy eating or with food allergies.

“People are starting to make the connection between health and food.”

The Paleo Café has branches all over the country, and Jayne says it offers a community atmosphere, with books, snacks and pantry items available, as well as breakfast, lunch, Elixir coffee, healthy hot chocolates, smoothies and bone broth.

 

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