Like most things in life the subject matter requires more than just a black and white approach. It’s unfortunate for most readers involved in the fitness, diet and health arena since this particular sect is filled with extremism and all or nothing propositions. So what exactly is the Paleo diet?
In a simplified nutshell it’s a somewhat of caveman approach to eating. As in hunting and gathering yet in a modern facade. The modern aspect here is quite important since right off the bat the premise and idealism of the whole thing is fairly flawed. Since there are no woolly mammoth or wild beasts roaming the earth any more, and we cant seem to exist outside the confines of our comfy apartments, we are not exactly eating like a caveman any time soon. And don’t get me started on the integrity of the soil either. So for those who relish the noble pursuit of living “100%” Paleo, 100% raw vegan or 100% anything for that matter… Get over it. There’s no coming close to that now a days considering we’re all typing on iPad type devices, wearing unnatural shoes, driving cars in polluted cities riddled with EMF’s and chemically laced toxic elements. None of this is meant to be negative since I’m one to believe that all these things have solutions (to be presented in future articles); but I’m just putting things into perspective. So what does a Paleo man or woman eat exactly?
Here lies another gray area, since within the Paleo camp there are major/ minor differences and many of their leaders agree on some points and disagree on others. Again in simple terms the foundational program begins with ideally grass fed beef, wild caught fish, pasture raised poultry, eggs, pork, and lots of organic vegetables, fruit, root vegetables, tubers (?), nuts and seeds. That’s pretty much it. So where’s the “healthy whole grains,” bread, pasta, beans and cheese? Not allowed. Here’s where the rubber hits the road and the camps disperse. And where I honestly and personally could care less about someone else’s theory. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate and value a ton of the great work that some of the Paleo folk- especially the true biologists and scientists have offered. But at the end of the day, for me, the dogma is out, my body speaks- I listen, and balance is the leading trend setter.
So to almost finish and not to go deeper into the whole mess, Paleo as described above is generally a pretty good solid starting point. Hey folks, it’s promoting a wholesome diet of real whole foods and yes it recommends getting as far away from modern industrial foods as possible- aka hydrogenated rancid vegetable (PUFA) oils (canola, corn, soy, cotton seed), high fructose corn syrup & processed white sugar, GMO’s (primarily wheat, corn, soy), pesticides, herbicides, factory farmed & mystery meats, and pasteurized factory farmed hormone laced dairy. All great things to avoid and in my humble opinion the “knowing is more than half of the battle” element. From there on it’s the individual nuances of whether pseudo grains like quinoa and/ or white rice work for some or not. Whether grass fed cultured raw dairy and especially butter are ok or not. Is low carb or regular carb, who gives a crap about carb, etc. Paleo or not? Is this Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf approved or not…
So to sum it up, Paleo does not seem to be another fad diet unless someone has taken a time tested solid eating program of whole natural foods and twisted it into their own modern idea of a diet. Eat from a varied canvas, listen to your body- hey maybe a little raw grass fed cheese here and there may be great for you specifically- eat some raw food, some properly cooked food, avoid the stress, avoid over thinking and know that there are other factors way more important than food at play, and your health will be in good shape. Enjoy life, be happy and be Paleo- or not.

My focus in this blog will be “all” things relating to health. This field has become extremely onionated (new word?) with layer upon layer of information, confusion, new concepts and a heck of a lot of crazy ideas. My goal is to sort out as much of it as possible and attempt to serve myself and those who happen to find their way here.

We will attempt to peel the onion and consider each layer as a new adventure. We will be constantly learning and rediscovering what makes us such a fascinating species.

So with that I welcome myself and all who find their way in to Life Food. Do I know anything about blogging? Not much. But to me at this point it doesn’t matter. As long as I know how to share a loving message of health and well being that drives this portal forward with a sense of significance, I’m cool with it. To your health and blessings.