What is Paleo?

If you've stumbled onto this blog and are perplexed by the word "Paleo" (pay-lee-O) this will be a VERY quick crash course in this way of life.
Things to know about Paleo:
1) It's a diet... not a "diet" diet... capeesh?
Paleo is a way of eating.  It is not a diet program like Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, South Beach etc...  It's a way of eating that mimics the diets of our hunter/gatherer ancestors before humans learned how to farm.  Yes, I encourage anyone who is interested in fat loss to "go paleo", but I also recognize that once a person educates themselves enough in the WHY's of Paleo, it becomes a way of life.  It's interesting to note that our ancestors had very little disease/obesity/sickness in their lives.  In the absence of medical technology they were strong, lived long lives (unless they were eaten by a lion or fell off a cliff), and never experienced "old age" diseases as we do today.  In our country heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, Alzheimer's are all but inevitable as we get older.  Why? Why is that our "norm"? Why with our doctors, medicine, sanitary living conditions, and Purell are we sicker, and fatter than our ancient ancestors?  The decline in health in our country is directly related to our dependence on the wrong types of foods.  Not just McDonalds (we all know that McD's is not good for us... no not even the salads are good for you), but every convenience food out there (including the "diet" foods).  We no longer eat REAL food.  We eat stuff that has been grossly processed, mixed with numerous chemicals, additives, salts, sugars, fats, and put back together in a pretty box to sit on a shelf for 6 months to 2 years!  Ew ya'll.  That ain't right!  We've also been given some very bad advice.  The guidelines of healthy eating (low fat, high carb) is NOT working.  If it was working we wouldn't be the fattest and sickest country on the planet!  Lets rethink the food pyramid.

2) What food is Paleo?
Meats/seafood - Preferably ones that lived in their natural environments.  Without going into too much detail know this:  Meats/Seafood that comes from an industrial farm are COMPLETELY different from meats/seafood that comes from wild or natural habitats.  All the way down to the type of saturated fat that the animal contains.  And yes... it really does make a difference.  One will clog your artieries... the other will clear them! Look for grass fed, no hormones, wild caught, and/or pasture raised meats.
Veggies/Fruits - Any and all, and have them in their natural form!  YUMMMMMM!
Natural Fats - Avocado, olive oil, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut, etc.... Yes with Paleo you can eat FAT!!!  :D  No more counting calories for this gal!

3) What food isn't Paleo?
Grain - Bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, quinoa, etc
Soy - Soy is bad. (Here is one of MANY articles explaining why: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/dangers-soy/  Notice the section about soy formula for infants.... "the amount of estrogen producing soy in some formula preparations could be the equivalent of consuming 5 birth control pills per day." YIKES LADIES!!!!
Dairy - Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.  SIDE NOTE: Some Paleo practitioners continue to consume dairy in their diets but get it from grass fed/pasture raised cows.  Raw milk is also acceptable.  Most people find that they are intolerant to dairy once they take it out of their diet for a short period of time, then try to add it back in to see how their bodies react.  Don't worry you'll get plenty of calcium from your green leafy veggies in the Paleo lifestyle.  Calcium from dairy is poorly absorbed anyway, and with all the caffeine the average american takes in its even less likely to absorb.
Processed anything - If it doesn't look the way God made it... It shouldn't be in your mouth.  ;-)  Strawberry Special K bars do not count as a serving of strawberries!

4) Why the F would I ever go Paleo if I have to give up my cereal, cheese, soy latte, and pasta?!?!?! You. Are. Nuts!
Remembering that this is the "Crash Course" in paleo I will forward you on to the two books that best explain the Paleo lifestyle and all the reasons the above mentioned foods are not good for us (and trust me, there are PLENTY of reasons).  If you truly want change in your life, are just baffled by me saying whole grain and soy is bad for you, you want to lose excess fat, get off the darn medication you've been on for years, or just wanting to give your baby a healthy start in life, you will read one or both of these books.  Take it from a girl who ate grains/cheese for about 11 years as a "vegetarian"... The books changed my life.  They can change yours too!
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf (robbwolf.com)
The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain (thepaleodiet.com)

Also, Chris Kresser (chriskresser.com) has a personalized Paleo program you can purchase as well as a "Healthy Baby Code" for purchase.  I love the Healthy Baby Code!  It was eye opening!  What you eat, or don't eat really matters in the long term health of you and your child.