I sometimes refer to the paleo diet as a whole-foods, grain-free, dairy-free, legume-free diet as a different shorthand than the word “paleo.” (Even though it’s not short!) This is because I’ve realized that talking about what is and isn’t “paleo” is beside the point. We want to eat foods that the paleo diet researchers are learning are good for us, as opposed to eating the foods that conventional wisdom says are good for us (ie “healthy whole grains” and low-fat foods). We want to avoid foods that are bad for us, and the paleo diet researchers have good science backing up their proscription of grains, dairy, and legumes, as well as of foods high in omega-6 fatty acids. “Paleo” is a guideline. The foods the true stone-age peoples ate varied per place and time, and those foods mostly don’t exist any more. That doesn’t take away the usefulness of the “evolutionary diet” guideline. But it does mean we should look at foods for what they contain and don’t contain, rather than whether they are “paleo” (eaten by stone-age man).
Here is a blog post by “That Paleo Guy,” a person I think of as the Robb Wolf of New Zealand. This post talks very clearly about the paleo paradigm, the paleo stereotypes or assumptions, and the bottom-line current consensus among paleo diet researchers.
As our Paleo Body Challenge wraps up this weekend, don’t forget to get your After picture taken by end of day Monday. And plan for our potluck at 11:30 on April 9, where we will announce the male and female winners and give away the prize money.
