Paleo Plan is run by two people, each with different talents and abilities, and significantly supported by friends and family. Primarily, Jason and Neely work together to provide the resources and content for the site while managing a fantastic community of devoted Paleo followers. Max Shippee joined the team as the resident fitness guru, and contributes guest posts throughout the blog. Molly Pearl manages all the recipes, their modifications, and the meal planning. She’s a big part of the reason every meal we make from here turns out fantastic.
Neely Quinn
I am a Certified Integrative Clinical Nutrition Therapist living in Boulder, Colorado, and I am part of Paleo Plan because I truly believe that this way of eating is what helps most people thrive. I started eating Paleo after I realized that my body didn’t tolerate grains or legumes very well, and it has been the best dietary choice I have ever made (and I have experimented a LOT). In my practice as a Paleo coach, I see a lot of people who struggle to make it through their every day lives because they’re too sick and too tired; witnessing them change their diets and improve their health is incredibly rewarding for me.
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a double major in psychology and zoology, planning to be a primatologist like Jane Goodall. But after I graduated, I became sick. Parasites, bacterial infections, asthma, constant dizziness and terrible digestive problems were among my main symptoms. After a couple of years of unsuccessfully going the conventional medical route, out of desperation I finally came to nutrition. I changed my diet, and when my symptoms started improving, I realized the profound impact that food has on our health. Starting in 2003, I attended Seven Bowls School of Nutrition, Nourishment and Healing for three years to deepen my understanding of that. My mission is to tell as many people as I can (whether they like it or not sometimes) what I’ve learned about food.
As far as my personal life goes, I moved to Colorado from Wisconsin 10 years ago because of the opportunities I have here for rock climbing, indoors and outdoors. In the summer, you’ll find me living out of a tent with my boyfriend and dog most weekends in Rifle Mountain Park, one of the best climbing areas in the country. I also hike in the beautiful foothills of Boulder most days with my dog, and I love playing Scrabble and watching ridiculous reality TV shows…
Jason Glaspey
I came to Paleo after starting CrossFit a few years ago. Our coach was currently advocating a Paleo/Zone combination, and it opened my eyes to a whole new way of eating. After a while, my wife and I decided to try pure Paleo, and it just seemed right. The more we read and learned we believed in its principals. However, we also realized how much work it was to pull off. I’m the kind of person who is terribly impulsive and make terrible decisions if I haven’t planned ahead for success… especially with food. We also were buying a ton of food and throwing away a significant amount due to improper planning.
Because I’ve formed my professional career helping people make websites and build their businesses online, I immediately planned a resource to help people just like myself. To give them a way to succeed in Paleo by outlining everything they needed to do and eat in order to be prepared while minimizing waste and planning. Paleo Plan was born and I’ve been thrilled to run it ever since.
When I’m not in front of my computer, which is often, I’m hopefully mountain biking in Whistler’s amazing bike park. Or if it’s winter, watching a movie or snowboarding or reading. But there’s a pretty good chance I’m in front of a computer :/
Paleo Plan Contributors
Max Shippee
Max Shippee grew up in a very small town in northern Maine, minutes from the Canadian border. Growing up in the woods, and being the son of a dance teacher, he’s been physically active his entire life. He has embraced health & fitness philosophies ranging from body building to endurance training, before finding CrossFit and its performance-based approach to lifelong fitness. Before finding a fit with the Paleo approach to nutrition, Max had also tried numerous nutritional practices, including raw flood, veganism, and Atkins. A father of three, he’s as proud of his family as he is of his business, CrossFit HAX in suburban Los Angeles. Max has Level 1, Kids, and Mobility Certifications from CrossFit. He likes the geeky things in life, including Legos, lasers, and computer operating systems named after cats.
Molly Pearl
Molly Pearl began to appreciate whole, fresh, organic foods at a young age. Raised in rural Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, a few gravel roads off of the Mississippi river, she learned to plant, harvest, cook and preserve. Molly later took many culinary classes while she earned an undergraduate degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. Molly worked in a downtown Minneapolis restaurant with a James Beard Award winning chef before venturing out to Portland, OR. There, she changed career direction and is now owner and licensed massage therapist at Molly Pearl Co. in northeast Portland. Molly enjoys cooking for herself and friends, running, Bikrim yoga, has an affinity for puns, is on a first name basis with the butcher at her local New Seasons store and has been known to burn many meals while recklessly kitchen dancing to early Madonna.
Paleo Plan is also proud to be Made in Portland.
62 Comments
@Amanda – I’ve been seeing this with readers more and more lately. Maybe I’ll write a blog post on it. We use coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut flakes on the meal plan occasionally, although it’s not very often. Coconut flour can be substituted with almond flour, but you’ll use less liquid than you would with coconut flour. Coconut milk can usually be substituted with almond milk, cashew milk, or sometimes just plain water and oil depending on the recipe. And coconut flakes can be substituted with nuts or seeds or just taken out of the recipe altogether.
Neely
Is the Paleo Plan able to customize for food allergies? I am allergic to hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, and pine nuts. I can eat Almonds and will be trying a cashew to see if those are possible too. I need help getting started as I know this is the healthiest approach to eating but most plans contain the nuts I am allergic to and then I get frustrated as to where to go next.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer – We don’t really use all that many nuts besides almonds or almond flour occasionally in our meal plan. If something called for some other nut, you could always just sub out almonds for it no problem. I don’t eat nuts, either, just so you know.
Neely
Neely
I have an awesome recipe for a carrot dish, that I am pretty sure is Paleo. May I share it?
Jim Gill
@Jim Gill – yes, please! You can send it to neely@paleoplan.com
Thanks!
Neely
Hi Neely
I’ve been reading with so much interest about the Paleo Plan after some friends recommended this way of eating who I do Crossfit with. I’m just wondering if you have had any feedback or information on it’s healing effects in regards to alopecia. My 10 year old son has this condition and we are doing many things to combat incl going gluten free – zinc, fibroplex, DHA and vitamin A supplements. He has embraced the gluten free eating but Paleo is definately another leap for him.
Cheers
Courtney
@Courtney – I can’t say I’ve dealt with this, and I can’t find much about how Paleo would help. I’m betting you’ve had doctors look into the matter with blood work, etc.? If so, have they looked into his hormonal balance, as well? I’d start there, but then say that it definitely wouldn’t HURT to try Paleo with him. Try it for a couple of months and see if it doesn’t balance things out.
Neely
I was diagnosed with celiac disease 3 years ago and have been following a gluten-free diet since. Lately I’ve been finding that this diet really isn’t helping me like it used to (i.e. GI problems are reappearing). I also have been having a lot of other health problems lately like vitamin B12 deficiency and have had to get monthly injections. I have so many complaints about the gluten-free diet and honestly am so sick of it. It’s so expensive and its really starting to take a toll on my bank account. How is this diet on the wallet? Do you think this diet would help the GI issues and B12 deficiency? I’m very interested.
Jess
I have PCOS and have tried several different diets to try and lose the weight to feel better. I generally am intolerant to most carbohydrates, and I have some food allergies to contend with that makes it difficult. Is this something that Paleo can help with?
Jamie
I also have Hashimoto’s disease, which gives me hypothyroidism…. I forgot to add that!
Jamie
@Jamie – The short answer is yes. Definitely. Hashimoto’s is strongly correlated with grains, and gluten in particular. PCOS is all about insulin resistance, and this diet can get even the most insulin resistant people to have normal blood sugar/insulin levels. I’d give it a shot!
Neely
@Jess – Yes, I do think it would help with the GI issues. The Paleo diet is notorious for helping people with that. B12 you may have to supplement for a while, but by eating more meat, you’ll be getting more B12. I don’t know what’s causing the gluten free diet to be expensive. Are you buying all kinds of gluten free treats/breads/pastas that are very expensive? The Paleo diet can be more expensive than a normal SAD diet, so I wouldn’t expect it to be cheap. But people eat this way on anything from $200-$600 a month, depending on how much organic/pasture raised/grass-fed foods you’re buying and whether or not you buy things in bulk.
Neely