Paleo In Portland For My CNS Exam

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Northwest Paleo Pride

Orca-whale-San-Juan-Islands-300x169.jpgIf you reign from the Pacific Northwest (like myself), then you know exactly why it’s nicknamed the “Great Northwest”… because living between the Cascade mountains and the Pacific Ocean is pretty dang great! Not only is it beautiful, clean, lush, and green, but it’s also an easy place to eat Paleo with an abundance of local, organic, and seasonal meats and vegetables available year round at farmers markets and local food cooperatives. I live up in the San Juan Islands of Washington state, and it’s especially magical up here. Check out the orca whale we spotted from our boat last summer!

Ok enough about Washington, let’s talk about Oregon, the other great state of the Pacific Northwest. Did you know that Paleo Plan was born and raised in Portland, Oregon? And did you know that in the mythical city of Portlandia, they have Paleo food carts!? That’s right cavepeeps, Paleo fast food to-go…it’s a Paleo dream come true!

Paleo Fast Food

Cultured-Caveman-downtown-cart-e1425189421498-191x300.jpgI was so excited to be assigned with Portland as my location to take the board exam for the Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS) certification last month, as I’ve been waiting for an excuse to venture down south to check out the fabled Paleo food carts. It was a whirlwind trip, but I managed to make time to visit not one…but two Paleo food carts while I was there! My mind was a bit blown to discover that there are actually THREE different Paleo food carts and one restaurant in Portland…each featuring a slightly different selection of piping hot PALEO FAST FOODS (I never thought I would be using those words in conjunction). Collectively, these four Paleo food havens are known as the Cultured Caveman.

Cultured-Caveman-e1425189260142-294x300.jpgAfter my 4+ hour monster of an exam, I was ravenous from all that hard-core thinking about nutrition, and was definitely ready for some nutrition myself. “Siri, take me to the Cultured Caveman.” >>>  It was a bit surreal standing in front of a food cart in the middle of downtown Portland, knowing that I could order anything on the menu without fear of it making me sick. I rarely dine out these days, because
eating industrial seed oils causes my autoimmune Cultured-Caveman-fat-sign-e1425189315966-232x300.jpgdiseases to flare. Since the vast majority of restaurants use crappy oils (i.e. canola, sunflower, safflower, soy, corn, “vegetable” oil, etc.) to destroy…I mean cook their food in, there aren’t many places I can go out to eat without becoming a vomitous hive-covered mess afterwards. So you can understand my cheerleader-like enthusiasm when I saw this signage hanging in the window at the Cultured Caveman! Whoo hoo!

Cultured Caveman Grub To-Go

Cultured-Cavemen-Liver-Heart-Meatballs-300x225.jpgSince I’m still mentally recovering from my long-term vegetarianism, organ meats tend to make me a bit squeamish. It’s amazing how true hunger obliterates those irrational thoughts (that organ meats are gross). Anyhow, I fearlessly chowed down some liver-heart meatballs at the downtown cart…and the only thing I thought twice about was how delicious they were! I ate them in a combination bowl with some Brazilian pulled chicken, Brussels broccoli mash, and warm collards & bacon. The service was so flippin’ fabulously fast, that it allowed me time to go visit the Alberta Street cart as well, where I took down an order of Paleo chicken tenders and some bacon almond dates for dessert. Did I mention that they have hot grass-fed bone broth to-go!? I felt like I was in Paleo heaven.

Cultured-Caveman-chicken-tenders-300x225.jpgI was (obviously) totally impressed with my trips to the Cultured Caveman, and can’t wait to visit their restaurant the next time I find myself in Portland. Turns out I won’t be returning to Portland anytime soon…at least not to re-take the CNS exam…because I recently received notice that I passed the board exam with flying colors! After many years of studying, training, researching, interning, and annoying all my friends with ongoing discussions about nutrition…I am so happy to announce that I now hold my Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS) credential! The CNS is heralded as one of the most prestigious nutrition credentials a person can obtain, and it’s the highest level of certification that I can achieve with my Master of Science in Human Nutrition. I feel like I’ve reached the summit of a mountain….and look! There’s Paleo fast food up here! ;-)

All Nutritionists Are Not Created Equal

Cultured-Caveman-Alberta-cart-e1425189484429-300x274.jpgUnfortunately the word  “nutritionist” doesn’t mean a whole lot in the sense that it can be referring to a person who holds a PhD in Nutrition, or someone who purchased their degree from a diploma mill. There are literally hundreds of nutrition programs and degrees out there, many of which are questionable to say the least. People working in the supplement and fitness industries often call themselves “nutritionists” or just dish out dietary advice as they see fit. However, many of these folks don’t have a lick of actual training in the field of nutrition. Unfortunately, the term “nutritionist” is essentially meaningless. The problem in a nutshell is that the field of Nutrition lacks a single governing body to regulate the various nutrition degrees, and the requirements also vary wildly by State as to what constitutes a “nutritionist”. This makes it extremely confusing and downright dangerous to clients who entrust their health care to someone who might be claiming to know more than they actually do.

While nutritionists and nutrition programs range from reputable to ridiculous, there are two highly regarded degrees which require a minimum of a Master of Science or doctorate degree from a regionally-accredited institution: the Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS) and the Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN). I worked my buns off for nearly a decade at the University level to finally obtain my license in nutrition, so it’s pretty frustrating (and scary) that virtually anyone can get away with practicing nutrition or calling themselves a “nutritionist”. It’s up to consumers to do their research before deciding who to trust for dietary advice, and the Center for Nutrition Advocacy has some helpful information to help guide folks in a safe direction. There are always exceptions to rules, but in general Kinsey-Jackson-CNS-300x2251-300x225.jpgyou should be in good hands working with a CNS, CCN, or a Registered Dietitian (RD) who has extended their thinking beyond the scope of the American Dietetic Association. The only way that the field of nutrition will ever become unified, is if consumers and credentialed nutritionists keep demanding a higher standard for licensure. In the meantime, make sure to do your research and question people’s credentials before you go trusting just anyone for potentially life-altering advice! If you’re interested in working one-on-one with one of our fully-certified and highly educated nutritionists at Paleo Plan, check out our Private Paleo Coaching page for more info about how to get started.

In good health,

Kinsey Jackson, LMP, BS, MS, CN, CNS

References:

The Certification Board of Nutrition Specialists (“CBNS”) owns the certification mark CERTIFIED NUTRITION SPECIALIST® in the United States, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete the initial and ongoing certification requirements established by the CBNS.