Today, November 1, marks the 4 month anniversary of us embarking on our journey as The Food Lovers together. We think it’s safe to say neither of us thought things would amount to what they currently are, in such a short period of time – but here we are a few months down the road with all sorts of fans, friends and followers that have joined us on our journey of healthy eating and living. Some of you may define yourselves as Paleo or Primal, while others may just be gluten and dairy free, or maybe just lovers of all things food. The thread that brings us all together is a common desire to make great tasting, simple, healthy food that provides us with the best possible fuel for our daily lives.

While we all may choose a different way of eating, Hayley and I have a singular belief about eating that is simply non-negotiable: We do not eat chemicals.

Our good friend Samantha once said that you can burn off calories, but you cannot burn off chemicals. These words really resonated with us, and have served to guide our food choices since day one. A few months into writing the blog, Hayley and I were thinking about how we could better incorporate this message into The Food Lovers Primal Palate other than just being another post that eventually gets pushed further and further back into the archives. Our thought, then, was to make a shirt that proudly displayed our message: “i don’t eat crap.”

In addition to the bold text, a field of small, dark gray text in the background lists over 50 of the most toxic food-borne chemicals that are commonly found in today’s over-processed foods. We feel that no matter how you choose to eat, you should not be consuming chemicals, and you should be proud of the clean food choices that you make. We don’t eat crap, and we are proud of it.

If you would like to purchase a shirt, please visit our store. We have shirts in Men’s and Women’s styles, in S-M-L sizes. If you need a smaller or larger size, please contact us and we will put it in with the next run of shirts to be made. The shirts are ringspun cotton, which is very soft and has a vintage feel to it.

Our two models for the shirts don’t eat crap either. Jill and “Navy” Mike are two good friends of ours that eat, sleep, and breathe a healthy lifestyle. They both eat a primal / paleo diet, and make every effort to not consume chemicals. In addition to strong commitments to healthy eating, they both regularly exercise. Jill enjoys Pilates, Yoga and CrossFit, while Mike is what most would call a hardcore CrossFitter (he has been to over 70 different boxes at the time of writing this). Here is a bit more about our models.

About Jill:
Jill is a holistic health coach who just launched her own practice, First Comes Health (www.firstcomeshealth.com). She works with clients to help them discover how simple changes in lifestyle and diet can lead to a happier, more fulfilled and healthier life. Her style of health coaching is not to put clients on a diet or tell them how to live, but to act as a personal educator and guide who will walk with them as they discover new foods and healthy choices that affect all aspects of their lives. She believes that one of the keys to overall health and satisfaction is to be invested in where your food comes from, how to prepare it, and what it can do for your body.

About Navy Mike:
Michael Weyer, 31, is a 13+ year veteran of the US Navy. In September of 2009, Michael was 260 pounds and over 25% body fat. A good friend introduced him to CrossFit and soon after he was introduced to the Paleo lifestyle. Since that time, Michael has lost 50 pounds, gained tons of strength, and lives a much more active lifestyle. Michael travels extensively for work and pleasure and has learned to eat Primal even when not near his kitchen. His travels allow him the opportunity share his story with countless people; he catalogs his CrossFit experiences across the country in his blog ‘The Traveling CrossFitter‘. Michael believes that his life has been completely changed for the better with this lifestyle of combining CrossFit and Paleo eating.

We had a great time taking the photos of Jill and Mike the other day, and ended up with many more photos than we needed. Below are some of our favorites from the shoot. Again, if you’d like to buy a shirt, visit our store. Special thanks to our models, The Ryan Family and Mon Valley Crossfit for our shooting locations, and Commonwealth Press for bringing our t-shirt design to life. Enjoy!