The selection of Paleo Food is based on what our Cavemen Ancestors used to eat through gathering and hunting such as meats, fish, nuts, leafy greens, regional veggies, and seeds. As Modern Man realizes that our Food production is not aligned with the natural process and wants to return to eating food in its NaturaI state (I mean REAL FOOD), there are habits involved, one that a Caveman didn’t deal with. Modern Man has been bombarded with enticing food made to be addictive. So, to embark into making a change now would mean a huge sacrifice, one that requires Self-discipline to the point of trying to forget what one used to love…the Modern Food made from factories rather than from Nature. I didn’t mean to inject sarcasm but this is the truth.

So how is it that Paleo has become a success to many people? How did Bob & I last 5 years without getting off this food regime? I think it’s due to the flexibility of this lifestyle. What an enjoyment it is to be able to eat healthily without feeling guilty. This is what the Paleolithic Lifestyle allowed Us to have. Bob & I eliminated the MUSTs like Grains, Legumes, Refined Sugar and Oil, Food Preservatives, GMO and Pesticide grown food, most Tubers and Dairy products. We mindfully chose to eat real or close to real food. Yes, an almond ingredient is not limited to just the nut. We use the ground form but it is still an almond not altered or enhanced in anyway. This is what I meant by close to real food. I am grateful for this bright idea because we are able to go beyond the Cavemen’s diet through baking and “Paleolize-ing” many recipes.

Aside from the meat, nuts, vegetables and seeds in it’s natural form, we are able to add other ingredients like Maple Syrup and Raw Coconut Sugar as sweeteners and flours like Arrowroot, Coconut flour, Banana Flour, Tapioca flour, and Psyllium Husk to our diet. One of the problems why people think Paleo is hard to follow is the removal of Bread in their life! I don’t blame them and this is why I bake. Desserts and Bread are part of Modern Man’s life. If we had to follow the 100% Paleo food regime, I wouldn’t be able to get Bob on board, nor would I be able to stick to it forever because I just love desserts with my coffee.

Now how about Potatoes, Cheese and Wine? You see, this is the beauty of Paleo. We can have them too. Red potatoes are what we cook, Non-GMO Potato Chips are what we allow ourselves to have more often than not. You’ve got to have comfort food…unless you are trying to lose weight. Cheese is quite limited but hey, better than nothing. We buy the Grass-fed Cheddar cheese and/or the Organic ones. As much as I love Brie or want to use Mozzarella cheese, unless we find them with real food ingredients, we avoid them. It’s the same with wine we are limited now to only Organic wine. However, as a sinful pleasure both Bob & I enjoy having Single Salt Scotch.

We are definitely not practicing the 100% Paleo diet. We would once in awhile go back to the basics just to give our sweet tooth and carbohydrates overload a break. This balances the desire to eat for sustaining the body and eating for pleasure. So, are we 75%, 80% or 90% Paleo? Who cares, as long as we eat Clean & Real Food, we are looking after our bodies. All is WELL!