Paleo-Confusing
I’ve always been quite vocal about my feelings about the growing prevalence of pseudo Paleo when it comes to promoting ‘kinda/sorta Paleo’ to ‘not really Paleo at all’ foods to the masses. Sure- if you personally are mostly Paleo and opt to add grass fed butter to your diet, well, go ahead and do your thing. Just don’t say that’s Paleo and please, don’t sell books and products with grass-fed butter and call them Paleo.
You see where I’m going with this.
Just yesterday, I received the following email from a blog-reader turned friend who is based in the UK:
“I picked up a new book on Paleo being heavily publicised in Waterstones. The front cover had a picture of lean steak with kale and blueberries. So, I picked it up thinking how nice it looked and the first chapter on breakfasts was “pancakes with maple syrup” or “paleo granola”! It’s a really confusing name because all the books that have these types of food are surely missing the concept of paleo of using seasonal, local produce. For me part of the attraction and what helps me to feel good about eating is that it seems the most natural way that we as humans are meant to eat. “
Sure, if we pretend that pancakes, syrup and granola are part of the Paleo regime, more people would be inclined to buy books about it and more inclined to eat this way.
But guess what?
That’s not Paleo.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Read Dr. Cordain’s quote, straight from his site:
“The Paleo Diet mimics the types of foods every single person on the planet ate prior to the Agricultural Revolution (a mere 333 generations ago). These foods (fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood) are high in the beneficial nutrients (soluble fiber, antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, omega-3 and monounsaturated fats, and low-glycemic carbohydrates) that promote good health and are low in the foods and nutrients (refined sugars and grains, trans fats, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and processed foods) that frequently may cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous other health problems.”
Can someone explain to me how pancakes, syrup and granola mimics what ‘people on the planet prior to the Agricultural Revolution’ ate?
Come on, now.
If you want pancakes and syrup, go ahead and eat them but pretending that’s Paleo is akin to what we did in the early 90’s when we pretended that low fat and fat free meant we could eat all the Snackwells we wanted or when we pretend that gluten-free means it’s health food.
It’s not.
Eat food. Don’t eat things that aren’t food. And move. And you can quote me on that!
