No Beans Needed

Legumes… not a part of Paleo.   And if you really think about it, not that hard to give up, actually. How often do you really eat beans for their own particular flavor, compared to their use as a vehicle to carry a delicious sauce or to make an otherwise light meal a bit more hearty? For example, consider a serving of boiled kidney beans, with nothing on them.  Or a canned, rinsed, drained portion of black beans.  Or lentils.  Or chick peas. In my recollection, after not having eaten any of them in a decade (and believe me, I ate a lot when I was vegan!), they were always quite bland, and too filling. Two very good reasons to not eat them. And a third- their unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects, both short and long term. Since we get plenty of fiber from our veggies, and plenty of protein from our wild fish, pastured poultry and grass fed meats, there’s really not a good reason to include them in our diets from a nutritional standpoint, when we have the luxury of access to the superior quality of the foods such as said veggies and proteins. So many recipes and meals that come to mind which include beans are very easily made Paleo friendly simply by using veggies to take the place of the fillers. How about using pureed broccoli to create a hummus-esque version of the Middle Eastern classic?    Or serving your favorite curry on a bed of ‘cauliflower’ rice rather than basmati? With a little creativity and thought, you can quite easily make a healthier option without those unwanted side effects of those sneaky anti nutrients. No beans about it!