The Paleo Diet

Recently, a friend of mine has been looking into the “Paleo Diet.” I heard about this diet in an anthropology class.  Personally, I think it is weird.  Then again, I think being strict vegan is weird.

So what exactly is a Paleo Diet?  It is a diet based foods eaten during the Paleolithic age.  The gist is this is what our ancestors ate so it must be good.  According to the research, humans weren’t designed to eat dairy or grain products which this diet disallows.

Like other “research” I have read related to food, I find a lot of it designed to try and convince people that this or that is bad/good for you.  I will link several website regarding the Paleo Diet and none of them agree on what is the best things to eat.

One site Paleodiet Foods lists foods that are supposedly in the diet.  Looking down the list I have to wonder who much top sirloin (encouraged), extra –lean hamburger (encouraged), diet-sodas (in moderation) and beer (in moderation) paleolithic man had.

On Paleo Diet food/shopping list stresses the importance of grass fed beef and other “exotic” meats such as venison, buffalo, bear, etc. and has a link to Fossil Farms where one can get these meats special order. 

On the other hand, at Paleo Diet Lifestyle the story changes and they insist you eat large portions of fat and while technically a dairy product which are discouraged, butter is encouraged as a good fat source.

In the article I read for the anthropology class – The New Age Cavemen and the City even these guys couldn’t agree on what or how to eat their foods.

I find this diet too confusing to follow with too many contradictions between the so-called experts.

In the comment field below, please feel free to give me your opinion and thoughts about the Paleo diet.

Someone Actually Eats That!?!

A friend of mine posted an interesting photo on Facebook.   And, my first thought was:  EWW!

The photo was a can of pork brains in milk gravy. (This link is not to my friend's photo but a blog about the item.) Just the name of it is enough for me not to try it.  But even if I were so bold, and I’m not, the stuff has 3190mg of cholesterol…. It’s just heart stopping!

This photo made me realize there are a lot of foods that many of us haven’t tried or won't try. 

Here is a list of foods that may or may not be good. I’ll never know because I’m too cowardly to try them.

•  Birds Nest Soup :  Authentic bird’s nest soup is made from a cave swallow’s nest.  This swallow secretes an adhesive-like substance that holds the next together.  Yes, bird spit is the secret to bird’s nest soup.

• Chicken Feet:  The first time I saw chicken feet in the meat section of the grocery store, I was curious as to why they were there.  Then I found out that people actually ate them.  I’m not sure why.

• Rattlesnake:  I’ve been told that it tastes like chicken.  Trust me!  I’ll never find out.

• Poutine:  I first heard of poutine in a comic strip, so I had to look it up to see if it was real.  It is real and it’s not as strange as some other foods listed, but the combination doesn’t appeal to me.
•  Headcheese:  It’s not cheese.   It is head.  

•  Haggis:  I know it is popular in Scotland.

• Rocky Mountain Oysters:  Also called prairie oysters.  I first heard of these when I was a teenager.  After 35 years, I still haven’t and won’t try them.

In the comment section below, give me your thoughts, comments or lists of other strange foods you may or may not eat.