I am not claiming to be an expert on Paleo eating. Here's some claims that I've heard since I started considering changing the way I eat and the best responses I've found for them.
The species our ancestors consumed in the Paleolithic era don't exist.
Seeing as most of the species of animals and plants that existed then are not present in today's world, or at least they aren't present in the same way, this is a valid point. I also don't think people are claiming to eat exactly the way our ancestors did. The idea is to trend toward how they ate - as a hunter-gatherer society, that means more meat and veggies and less grains. Grains happened after we settled down and turned to agriculture. Artificial sweeteners came from a lab. The big picture of Paleo eating means trying to eat more natural, less processed foods as much as possible while avoiding foods that mess with the natural biochemistry of the human body (such as grains and refined sweeteners).
There's no proof that eating Paleo is better for you.
Actually, a good amount of research has been done about the best foods for the human body to process. When I find a link to a good article, I'll do my best to add it here.
Paleo eaters don't eat dairy.
I will be eating dairy. I do not plan on giving up milk, cheese, and yogurt, but I handle lactose well and that's my personal choice. Besides, when I do a Meatless Monday where else am I going to get my protein? Eggs are well and good and all and I love them, but eating them for three meals a day would get very old very fast. Greek yogurt and milk are full of good yummy protein.
Probable retort to my explanation above: well then you aren't Paleo.
First of all, we can't know for sure what our Paleolithic era ancestor ate because we weren't there and there's not as much evidence as we'd like. Second of all, think about vegetarians (hold the typical Paleo-vegetarian comments). There's different degrees. Some vegetarians don't eat red meat or poultry, but are fine eating seafood and fish. Some vegetarians take it further and don't eat seafood and fish in addition to red meat and poultry. And then you have the extreme vegetarians, vegans, who don't consume dairy products either.
So yeah, I might not be hardcore Paleo in the strictest sense of the eating habits. I think I'm okay with that. I'll also be eating plenty of fruit and nuts, and maybe some sweet potatoes every now and then. I will have meals that aren't Paleo in the slightest, and that's okay too. This is the degree to which I'll be eating healthier. I'm aiming for the 80/20 Principle.
Adapting baked goods recipes to fit a loose definition of Paleo defeats the purpose of eating Paleo.
I have a confession. I like bread. I like pasta. I like cookies and pastries and cakes and pies. I grew up making homemade pizza dough on Friday afternoons, so you'd better believe I like pizza. BUT I think eating Paleo is healthy. I will be posting neat recipes I find that are consistent with the idea of getting most of one's calories from meat, fish, eggs, poultry, veggies, and fruit. Yes, some of them will probably be desserty. If I make popsicles from avocado and dark chocolate, does it matter if I eat them in their original forms or in a modified one? If I find a recipe for sweet potato brownies, yeah I'll try it. The point of eating Paleo is to eat healthier and more naturally. If making snacks and desserts that are similar to foods I would normally eat helps me keep eating healthy, I have nothing against it.
Here's some people who know way more about eating Paleo than I do:
Warning: they probably have a stricter definition than I do of what's acceptable and what's not, so consider yourself forewarned. They also have more information though, and more recipes. Some of them have books, which I have probably not heard of at the time of this posting, and I am only posting them because I have used/will use their websites/blogs as references as I move forward in this eating adventure.
Mark's Daily Apple
J. Stanton's Gnolls
Juli Bauer's PaleOMG
Michelle's NomNomPaleo
Paleo Parents
Primal Palate
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