A few weeks ago I put together a list of evolutionary living sites to commemorate the New Year. I noticed that it was a party of men without an evolutionary woman in the company. I humbly admit that it’s probably my bias at times to start with sites written by males, sites that sometimes have articles that are uniquely written for a male audience. I say SOMETIMES because of course, for example, on Sisson’s site (and on the others, TOO!) you’ll find a wealth of information now matter what your gender, weight, experience, knowledge… it’s all useful.
In honor of upcoming Valentine’s Day, here’s a good rundown of some great sites anchored by ladies coming from various backgrounds: scientists, health experts, authors, artists, professionals, and culinary geniuses.
There are many female authors and sites anchored by females in this evolutionary living world that I follow. And not to make the same mistake I did in compiling my list from a “male point of view”, though the below sites have great content SOMETIMES more geared toward a female readership, their messages are indeed universal, and I’ve learned quite a bit from them.
This below list I would wholeheartedly recommend to my daughter or son, sister or brother, man or woman. So, here’s my primer list of Evolutionary Living Women.
Cassandra Forsythe of Female Fitness and Nutrition Scientist
In addition to her work with the rockstar Dr. Jeff Volek, Cassandra is a rockstar in her own right with the publication of Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life! and The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. If my daughters ever get any guff about women not being able to do math, not being able to be an astronaut or not understanding muscle, probably one of the first women that I’ll offer up as a role model to dispel them of such a notion will be Cassandra. Please see this write up of her that we’ve previously done in The Paleo Garden.
Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundation
Sally is the president of the influential Weston A. Price Foundation, read her bio there. She’s the author of such books as Eat Fat, Lose Fat and Nourishing Traditions. She was paleo before paleo was cool (to paraphrase the Donny and Marie song), and is the keeper of the torch that Dr. Price lit after visiting the hunters and gatherers from whom we learn so much in our evolutionary living community. To read Sally’s work is a delight, to listen to Sally speak on the subject is an inspiration.
Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth
Lierre burst out on the paleo scene in 2009 with the release of her book The Vegetarian Myth. There are points in this book that are made in which scales will fall from your eyes whether you’re reading this as a paleo adherent or simply as a concerned citizen about the environment. Her book was noticed by Eades, Mark Sisson and Richard at Free the Animal. Lorette Luzajic, who has a lot in common with Lierre, also read the book and loved it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear more about Lierre’s work from Lorette. Lierre’s respect and compassion for the intentions of vegetarianism makes her points that much more poignant, and I hope her message more capable of being received (or at least contemplated) by vegetarians and evolutionary living adherents alike.
Lorette C. Luzajic, author, writer and artist and awesome contributor to The Paleo Garden
Good segue from Lierre to Lorette. We’re really lucky to have had Lorette’s presence here in the garden. She has numerous accomplishments in literature, art, biography, gourmet and commentary under her belt, and a number of current projects going on to suit her various interests. One of her landmark pieces in the paleo world is I’m A Natural Born Killer written for Gremolata. For a great interview of Lorette, check out Fitness Spotlight, part I and part II. Lorette is one to watch, she’s ascending, and it’s been great here in the garden to watch her fly. Check out her work in The Paleo Garden, and if you’re interested in what’s she’s capable of professionally go here.
Girl Gone Primal is amazing. I think it’s the premiere website in the primal world to see what’s cooking. Recipes are explained with expert detail, yet simply in an unintimidating way. She’s the paleo Julia Childs in the sense that you really feel like YOU CAN cook all of the amazing dishes that are so beautifully described and photographed on this site. In addition, there’s very good perspective on Intermittent Fasting and other tools in the paleo toolbox. Girl Gone Primal should be one of your RSS feeds, PERIOD.
The header for this site says it all “You can’t have primal kids, if you’re not a primal mama.” If you want more information on how to be primal in a world of nonstop commuting and HFCS-laden juice boxes, Primal Mama is the site to check out. What’s encouraging here is that there’s no bravado about the information. If this hardworking lady may do it, it’s inspiring indeed that you are capable, too. And in the end, she shows you that it’s easier than you think!
YG is a great resource for the woman (and man!) on the go. YG keeps it fun, keeps it real, keeps it going. If you’re a busy professional interested in maintaining a balance between a paleo lifestyle and yet still living life without the restrictiveness that sometimes unfortunately is felt when looking at this lifestyle with the wrong perspective, YG offers great tips to keep it real. Great recipes for a person on the go, or for entertaining a party are featured here.
This Primal Life rounds out some of the premiere sites out there to help you navigate your way in the kitchen and in the supermarket to indeed lead a primal life. Before you go to the grocery store, check out the archives here, and pick something to try.
Melissa Urban, Crossfit trainer
Melissa is a Crossfit rockstar. This is her new site, but check out these videos for a confirmation that she’ll smoke 95% of you. The Whole 9 Life blog is one of the best ones out there that combine good Crossfit info with a paleo perspective for the paleo adherent or the hardcore Crossfit enthusiast (or the occasional CF dabbler like me). This site is done rather nicely, the services very well explained. We wish continued success to this fitness entrepreneur, her business colleagues and her clients.
Katie Goes Primal has just recently gone primal. From what I could gather from her writings she’s been on a primal journey for a few months now and doing CrossFit for about a year. Already, it seems, she’s learned quite a bit judging by her writings, in good physical and mental health, and is out there inspiring other women and men to go primal by sharing her experiences. I would recommend this site to someone just beginning to contemplate changing their direction from the horrid standard American diet and chronic debilitating cardio to a paleo diet and high intensity exercise. Plus, a tip of the hat to her and her crew for reading The Paleo Garden! Thank you, and good luck.
One more, props to Melissa who’s been living evolutionarily for awhile but just rolling out Hunter Gather Love, and it’s quite the debut.
And another. Karen De Coster is a voluntaryist, individualist, and libertarian vigilante. I’ve been reading her work much for many years more than my time since “going paleo.” Here’s a great post summing up her Primal Life.
This is just a sampling of the growing paleo remnant out there. If you have any others please do share them in the comments. 
This entry was posted on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 5:20 pm and is filed under Evolutionary Women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I love Melissa’s site. She writes about relatively random nutrition nerdery - my favorite!
I have to admit that sites about people’s fitness routines bore me to death.
Nicole,
Absolutely, Melissa rocks. In this, and I stress, INITIAL list of paleo efforts by awesome women I neglected to include yours out of the dozens and dozens great ones out there. Let me remedy that immediately!
You all have to check out astrogirl.com to read about Nicole’s interesting nutritional nerdery take on things, too! It’s been on my ever growing Google reader list for some time now. You’re on the list that I’ll be sending to female family and friends lest they think the “caveman” diet is just for wannabe brutish men who would like to return to a time to pull women around by their ponytails. Sigh… unfortunately perhaps there are some that may think that….
And let’s not forget Dr. BG’s Animal Pharm blog. She’s also teamed up
with DR. T and Billy E on the Nephropal blog.
Aaron,
Right you are. I have visited Animal Pharm a few times, but it got kicked off my radar. I just got through perusing it for the last 40 minutes, wow, thanks for putting it back on my screen.
Best Regards,
Zach
Thank you so much for linking to my blog. I’m humbled and flattered–especially to be on the same screen as Melissa Urban! I created my blog mainly as a training tool, but I an slowly trying to spread the word about paleo/primal nutrition as well. Keep spreading the message–there are so many people who could be so greatly helped by learning about this lifestyle (both nutrition and fitness)!
Wow! Thank you for the lovely, lovely words - and expressed with such effusiveness! You’ve made my head spin!
And to add to this great list idea, I’d add Dr. A from The Comfort Eater’s Diet, since she explores the feminine psychology in relation to food, as well as bringing together a wide range of scientific knowledge and resources, and gorgeous food ideas!
Katie Goes Primal, thanks for the message. I think we’re all on our own journeys. I came across your blog and thought that in this initial list there should be people who are just starting out and beginning to try new things. Your observations would be very useful for someone a few months behind you in the journey or just contemplating starting. And it’s not necessarily of course in a chronological order either, so your perspective adds to someone’s understanding that may have been doing Crossfit or paleo longer than you. Wish you continued success.
Girl Gone Primal, thanks for the reply. Thanks for introducing me to Dr. A’s The Comfort Eater’s Diet. Just checked it out.
What I love about your site is that I can offer it up to my sister, or a female coworker, or anybody for that matter, and give them in articulate words and great pictures that eating this way is not restrictive, eating this way is not something that’s “brutish”, living this way is something that can make one very healthy and happy, and the two have a connection. I have a goal to try to cook something from your website once a month, at least once a month. It only helps that there’s just so much to choose from. Cheers, and peace to you.
thanks,
[...] 4. 10 Evolutionary Living Women (plus two more) [...]
Thank you for linking to me! I’ve been pretty inactive on my blog, but I’m going to do either 21 or 30 days of strict Paleo/Primal, and I’m going to blog about that.
Nicole,
I’m planning on taking an extended “sabbatical” over the next few months, so in that sense “inactive on your blog” could be that you just needed to step away from it, like I intend to do, as well. But I’ll be back. Like hearing your message. Take care.
Best Regards,
Zach
[...] you want to know more about Lierre, please see our short introduction to her when we profiled the Evolutionary Women that we [...]
[...] trinity of wheat, soy, and corn is destroying animal habitats, human health, and planet earth. In Lierre Keith’s brilliant and viciously targeted book, The Vegetarian Myth, she points out that this trilogy forms [...]