Thursday, August 23, 2012

Celebrating my 5-year Paleo Journey with a Giveaway of Practical Paleo!

The winner for this Giveaway has been chosen! Thank you to those who participated and shared your inspiring journeys with eating Paleo! Scroll to the comments section to read those stories.

The differences between merely surviving and living optimally are vast, and I would have never found that out if I didn't give Paleo a shot 5 years ago. It's been a great journey and I'd like to celebrate with a little giveway...

But first, back when I started Paleo I was lucky to have the help of a Paleo friend, but there wasn't much good literature available on the subject. I did pick up a few books upon my friend's recommendation that gave me insight into Paleo and what real food/organic movement is all about: The Paleo Diet by Dr. Cordain and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I really enjoyed Pollan's book as it sparked an interest in me to shop at farmers markets more and to get to know the farmers and ranchers that grow my food. 

Since then, the Paleo community has grown significantly and I'm honored to be part of it with my jerky business I started just a few years ago out of my personal need for a traditional, nutrient-dense snack made from quality ingredients, such as 100% grass-fed beef. Knowing the source of my food is very important to me, and I can see it is just as important to most of you. 

Lucky for us, there are very hard working people in the Paleosphere nowadays that are making our transition to Paleo much easier. From Mark Sisson to Robb Wolf to amazing recipe featured on The Food Lover's Kitchen. One of my personal favorite blogs is by Diane Sanfilippo called Balanced Bites, which is a great resource for a more holistic approach to health and wellness. 


Over the last year, I've gotten to meet and bond with Diane - she's been a great supporter of Jerky Chews and even mentioned Sophia's Survival Food brand in her newly released book - Practical Paleo. Diane is very passionate about helping people and just an inspiration with how she is capable of presenting easy to make recipes and breaking down the science behind Paleo in a clear way. In her Practical Paleo book, she does the same incredible job of laying out all the critical points about Paleo with incredibly easy to understand wording, diagrams and MEAL PLANS! All the recipes look very tasty and you don't have to be the Naked Chef to throw them together. In no time, you'll have a better understanding about how your body 'should' work, how certain foods react with your body, and ways to go about improving your health. I really wish I had this resource available to me when I started on this journey five years ago.



So, what's in the GIVEAWAY? A copy of Practical Paleo, of course!! I will also include new flavors of Jerky Chews and Real Salt Shakers!

How to enter:
  • Like Balanced Bites fb page
  • Like my Sophia's Survival Food fb page
  • Share in the comments that you liked the above pages, and if you'd like, mention a little about your paleo/real food journey with us!
  • And, last but not least: This contest is open to US residents only. 
I will announce the winner on Monday 8/27/12, at noon PST!

27 comments:

  1. You know I've liked both of these a LONG time ago! My journey actually started when I stumbled upon Sean Croxton's YouTube video on the dangers of MSG, then found the Balanced Bites site through his podcast, and the rest is history! Keep up the great work both personally and professionally, Sophia. Congrats!

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    1. Karina, right back at you! And thanks so much for your ongoing support!

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  2. Done and Done. Thanks for the awesome contest.

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    1. Hey, to select a winner I need a name. Thanks!

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  3. I would love to win this book! I like both your page and Balanced Bites on Facebook. I have an 11month old little girl and we are just beginning this journey.

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  4. Have loved Sophia's and Balanced Bites for a while now! "Liked" you both long ago! Been paleo for 2 years this October;)

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  5. Liked! Just hit my first anniversary as paleo. Still loving it, but would also love to tweak it here and there to improve life even further!

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    1. I am Erica, by the way. Tried to login it it didn't put in my name. Odd. Egifford at gmail dot com

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  6. I've liked both pages!

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  7. I have liked both webpages. I am just starting on the Paleo path and hoping in will make a difference in my digestive and joint pain problems that I have had since contracting Lyme disease in 1996. Getting rid of the brain fog would be a plus as well. There are so many sites with so much info, some conflicting, I am hoping to find MY path so I can keep what works and get rid of the rest. Thanks! My email is morgwynn@yahoo.com. For some reason it's not logging my wordpress account.

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  8. I liked both pages!

    Before my paleo lifestyle, I suffered from really bad acne. I tried to stay away from anything fatty and had a fat-free carb-filled diet. My energy was low, my body was like jelly, and my acne kept getting worse. One year later after paleo all of those things changed! no more acne, no more tiredness and I must say, I feel good about the way I look!

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  9. Liked both pages!

    I started eating paleo/primal about a year ago on a whim after reading a bit of Mark's Daily Apple. After a couple of weeks, I was feeling more energetic, less achy and just felt better than I ever have. Fast forward to today and I couldn't even imagine going back to the way that I used to eat and feel.

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  10. I've liked both pages! I've been paleo for a year now and I'm doing my first whole30. I''ve never felt healthier before, and I love this feeling. There is always more to read and research. I can not get enough! I really appreciate all that you bloggers do to put the word out there. Keep it up!!!!

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  11. Liked and liked. Thank you for your generosity!

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  12. I just liked both pages. I've been mostly Paleo for about 2 years. I enjoy all the blogs.

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  13. Hi I have liked your fb page for awhile now, just liked Balanced Bites fb page too. I am still learning about being Paleo as I am GF/CF/SF. Lots to learn but very thankful for wonderful food to eat :)
    I will at some point be able to buy some jerky from you, can't wait!
    Thanks for all the hard work and congrats on your accomplishments :)

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  14. I just discovered your Facebook page and website tonight and have liked :). My family and I have been on GAPS for about 3 weeks now and it has changed our life. We would love to try your jerky to keep our busy family sated while out and about! Thanks!

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    1. Blythe - congrats on winning my giveaway! could you please e-mail with your address!
      http://grassfedjerkychews.com/contact.html

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  15. I follow both regularly, and have for a long time :) I started my journey a little over two years ago when I was suffering from chronic allergies, eczema, and autoimmune issues. No one could give me any answers (or even wanted to help, for that matter).. I would not be where I am today - mentally or physically - without all of my "friends" in the online nutrition world and the wealth of information from those who also chose to take their personal health into their own hands. Thanks for everything!

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  16. I would love the book! I am gluten free 3 years now, and have been learning about Paleo. Thanks so much for doing this for someone to win!! :-)

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  17. I've liked both pages, great contest :) My Paleo journey started in May. I'm a professor of kinesiology and teach various exercise science, nutrition, anatomy and physiology, etc classes so my journey may be a little different. I had to really look outside the box (since grains are firmly embedded in the recommended guidelines) and do my own research. I decided to give it a shot, mainly for my type 1 diabetic husband to see if it helped with his glucose levels. Since May, he has dropped 25 pounds but the best news is that his insulin requirement has decreased by 50-75% which is unbelievable on so many levels!! I love it as well of course!

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  18. Liked both pages! I am 6 yrs post gastric bypass, and the surgery was a succes, but only in terms of weight loss. I was SO unhealthy ... couldn't keep anything down, anemic, hair falling out etc... then I found paleo. I've been living paleo for 5 months now, and already I can tell a HUGE difference. And my anemia is gone! Would love to have a copy of Practical Paleo to guide me through this wonderful journey! Thank you!

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    1. Don't know why it has me as Anonymous, and can't fix it, so I wrote a similar post on your Facebook wall! Thanks! Michelle S.

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  19. I like you both :-) I am coming up on my one year Paleo anniversary. I found out last December that I have Celiac disease and count it as a blessing in disguise. I LOVE living a paleo lifestyle and would LOVE a copy of Diane's book! Thank you for the opportunity to win!

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  20. I've liked both. I've been primal/paleo for over a year now. It's been quite the journey. I'm no longer on any medications or supplements for anxiety and depression, and being on and off SSRI's for about 7 years. I'm still learning a lot, but enjoying every tasty step :)

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  21. I've Liked both!
    Its time for a change and this giveaway is going to help my husband and I immensely!
    The day before Easter we found out that we had lost our little baby in a miscarriage... It broke our hearts into a million pieces and were finally ready to get control of our health again and start trying again for our first baby. We believe that food can give us everything we need and we don't support medicine in any other form, not even in child birth!

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