Day 1

Some of us crazy Baltimore losers are trying out the Paleo Diet - you know, no grains, no legumes, no refined sugar, eating like cavemen, wearing loincloths... we're also drawing a bit from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions and the research of Dr. Weston Price. Oh, and also Gary Taubes' book, Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Why are we doing this? Well, we all have our own individual reasons, but mainly, we're just trying to see what happens. I have heard arguments about grain being tolerable for a lot of people, but I haven't heard from anyone why they are necessary or why they should take up space on a plate where good meat or vegetables could go, so I figure we can get rid of them and see if we feel different. I'm hoping a lot of us feel better. I'm hoping we all develop a broader understanding and appreciation for food. I hope we bond and figure out better ways to navigate a really confusing and increasingly bleak food environment. I'm hoping to convince my friends to eat raw liver. That's pretty much it.

Last night, to kick things off, we had loads of collards, sweet potatoes, two different kinds of fish, and mussels in a coconut curry. We talked about food. It was nice. I'm one of those people who loves it when people post what they had for lunch of Facebook. Today, during the day, some people had difficulty, others did not. Seems like work and school make it difficult for people to abide by the diet. We'll try to figure out ways to make it work as the month goes on.

Here are the Paleo Basics

- No grains or legumes because they contain phytic acid and other anti-nutrients and they spike the blood sugar. Spiking blood sugar bad.
- Especially no wheat or other gluten-containing items because gluten is the devil
- Vegetable sources for carbohydrates that don't spike the blood sugar. Spiking blood sugar bad.
- No sugar (spiking blood sugar bad) or processed foods.
- Basically meat, vegetables, eggs, fruits, nuts, and some dairy