I was looking up food alternatives for the husband, who had come to the conclusion that it is not normal to “feel gross” every time he eats soy, other dried legumes, wheat, etc.
Then it turned out my thyroid is probably an autoimmune problem!
Then I started finding all the research discoveries connecting:
(a) Grains/Dairy/Legumes => (b) Autoimmune Disorders
and
(b) Autoimmune Disorders => (c) Mental/Behavioral Problems (like tendencies toward depression! anxiety! ADHD! OCD! etc!)
Awesome! Also, WTF?
It’s not always a one-to-one correlation, but the evidence is mounting, my friends!
So we are going to try out Paleo. Have you heard of it? It’s the newest fad diet for elitist, rich, white, single, urban males!
Wait, what? No, that can’t be right.
Well, it is and it isn’t. There are a fair amount of people out there who heard about this thing and started to think, “Great! I can live off sirloin steak, foie gras, and organic $8/head lettuce, and be fundamentally superior to everyone else! Just like I always wanted to be!”
But, there are also people who have families and a restricted budget, who understand the realities of global economics and want to be green and socially responsible, and – like – not hog all the protein. People who just have health issues or are trying to outrun an overwhelmingly strong family medical history.
In the practical sense, it not so much a “Paleo diet” as it is a framework and a form of mental-shorthand for a healthy diet that (at least for now, as an experiment) precludes grains and legumes and most dairy. If the Coast Salish did it not 150 years ago, I’m sure we can do it too.
One of the good things (for me) about Paleo as I understand it, is I can rescue a lot of First World throwaway foods (animal fat, livers, hearts, bones, etc) and just process them myself. Also, if it works out and seems like an advisable thing to make into Family Policy, I already have experience being a Dietary Freak. Because I was a vegetarian before it was cool, y’all.
Don't Panic 