Cheating??? Partly Paleo?

If you tuned in yesterday to The Dr Oz Show, you may have a question or two about the reference to ‘you can have three cheat meals per week’.

Do I recommend cheat meals?  In principle, no.

I have followed The Paleo Diet strictly since 2005 and I wouldn’t touch gluten (or any grains), dairy, soy (or any legumes) with a ten foot pole. I identified long ago that these items make me feel toxic and sick and as a result, I opt not to eat them.

So what’s the deal with the cheat meals?

Think about how most of America eats.   Many aren’t getting any vegetables all day long.  Many exist on processed, packaged, highly refined foods.  Many eat dairy, whole grains and beans thinking these are all healthy choices.

In that context, then, the idea of never having bread, pasta, a ‘treat’, a ‘snack’ or a ‘cheat meal’ seems insurmountable and subsequently, Paleo can appear too daunting and many will never give it a try.

If, however, they feel it can be approached in stages (which it can, thus my reference to the cheat meals being ‘part of one’s transition to True Paleo), they can begin to experience the health benefits.  The weight will start to come off.  The skin can start to clear, and the gut can begin to heal.

I have seen many people begin a ‘partly paleo’ approach and after their own experimentation, eventually see for themselves, based on their own body’s responses how much better they feel when they completely eliminate all grains, dairy and legumes.

I haven’t changed my message, I haven’t changed my approach. I’m simply working toward reaching people en masse and I have found that being uber-dogmatic, as passionate as I am about True Paleo, can easily put more people off than attract them to give it a try.

I do believe that we humans are meant to be eating this way and I do encourage all to at least try it with 100% compliance at least for thirty days.

See how you feel, test non Paleo foods if you feel you’d like to, and then you can see reactions that you may not have noticed before.  The ice cream you loved causes acne, the whole grain bread creates sore joints and that tofu dish causes bloating.

Is it worth it?

You decide.

For me, it comes down to simplicity: I don’t want to eat anything I know will make me ill..so I don’t.

You can get there, too.  If you want to do it in one fell swoop, that’s fantastic, but if you prefer to go step by step, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, either.

Do your thing and get there….that’s the important part!