For Crying Out Loud, It’s Just Food!

What if the word ‘Paleo’ didn’t exist?

What if we could just go into any restaurant and know that the beef were grass fed, that it wouldn’t be cooked in butter or manufactured oils and that it wouldn’t have been marinated in soy to ‘texturize’ it, courtesy of the glutamic acid (MSG) it contains? 

And what if it automatically came with a heaping serving of fresh, seasonal veggies?

OK- keep dreaming, right?

Those of us who have been Paleo for a while, as well as those new to Paleo who are doing it properly know what the deal is.  Eat a lot of fresh, seasonal veggies along with wild proteins and healthy fats.  Once in a while, make a Paleo-friendly treat for the kids or for a special occasion.

Putting clean fuel in the body helps the body get and stay healthy.

Pretty simple, isn’t it?

But it’s become so complicated.

 “Dairy is ok, as long as it’s from a grass-fed cow and as long as one feels they can tolerate it.”  What does that mean, exactly?  As if to imply that if someone consumes dairy but doesn’t feel stomach upset, that there is no damage occurring internally?

“Paleo treats are a great part of one’s daily regime”.  No, they’re not.  A grain-free, soy-free cupcake is still a cupcake.

“Fruits have far too much sugar and should be avoided at all costs”.  Really?   True, fruits have more sugar than veggies and I wouldn’t recommend eating eight bananas at one sitting, but there’s absolutely no reason not to enjoy a sliced apple as part of your pastured chicken salad or some berries as a lovely way to end a meal.

“Bacon is something we should eat every day”.  Um… where the heck did this come from?  All cured meats are high in sodium as well as nitrates and nitrites and should be eaten sparingly, if at all. Further, they should be from pastured pork and uncured.   Several slices of bacon is not interchangeable for a piece of wild salmon for a good protein option.

As the term “Paleo” is used more and more broadly, from things that may really be Paleo, to those that are pseudo Paleo, to foods that are not remotely Paleo, the bar gets lower and lower.  

Ultimately, it’s becoming a label that means less and less each day.

So, back to the theme- remove the word Paleo and what would happen?  Actually, a lot of good might come of it, as so many people are scared of the infamous “caveman diet” or what they think it might be.

If you were to host a dinner party and your guests were foodies, what would happen if you just cooked your typical Paleo cuisine but didn’t broadcast that the type of eating had a name?  

An arugula salad with pear, pecans, avocado and olive oil, followed by a wild, pan-seared local fish in a basil and lemon grass reduction on a bed of braised greens would hardly be a meal that anyone would categorize as boring or ‘diet food’.

I don’t know what the answer is and maybe I’m just rambling.

If we could just get the message out about what True Paleo really is…well, we could sure see some amazing changes occur.