A note on misinformation about Paleo

After an article in a magazine, a recent incident, and then a little while ago (and certainly not for the first time), enjoying a stroll through my Facebook newsfeed - it just never ceases to amaze me how much mis-information there is out there about the paleo way of eating. 

Here are just a few of the common misconceptions: That we are all high-protein eaters.  That we eat meat with every meal.  That because we've embraced paleo means we all do crossfit.  That we try to live "like cavemen".   That it's a fad diet, a new trend.  That there's only ONE way to eat paleo.  I've seen people completely misinformed about what the AIP protocol is, or how it works.  Then there are studies, flawed with cherry-picked results.  And my personal favorite: that because just because today's name for it is the word "paleo", it means we only eat what was available to paleolithic cavemen - which is impossible, given today's worldwide locations of the human race and the availability of food varieties - and that since it's impossible, that we are all idiotic frauds.

But you know what else I've seen? I've personally seen how many people eating "paleo" has helped.  Some do AIP, some do primal, some consume nightshades (our personal nemesis), some consume dairy.  There is no "one" version of ANY diet style that fits absolutely everyone. 
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It's about real, nutrient-dense, whole fresh foods.  It's about finding what foods do and do not work for you, so your gut, your body, can heal. 
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In our personal journey, we've learned what foods both I & my son cannot tolerate, and keep with a modified version of AIP - staying away from nightshades is a must - not just for my son, but for me.  We don't stay away from foods "just because it's the paleo way" as some have assumed, it's because those specific foods cause us issues, some more severe than others.  Sure, there are "paleofied" (is that even a word??) modern foods that we eat - let me be clear - which I also make note of in my cookbook - these are meant to be transition foods for those finding it difficult to commit to a whole fresh foods diet, and the more one commits, the less one consumes these transition foods.

I've been attacked, questioned, judged against many times since we began this journey almost five years ago, by those who have no idea what we've been through, what health issues we've overcome. Some assume I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't go into great detail (here, on this blog) about how it all works, like some of the many awesome paleo blogs out there.  Does that mean it doesn't work because I didn't personally write about it?  No.  (But you'd be surprised how many THINK that!) I know that it works for us and I encourage others to find their path to better health, be it Feingold, GAPS, Weston-Price, the mucusless diet, or any other diet-style that, at it's core, centers on whole fresh foods instead of processed, and is meant to help heal the body.

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