It's so easy, cavemen did it.

One word: Paleo. As in Paleolithic. Basically, it describes a way of eating similar to our ancestors. Funny thing about our ancestors...despite the information in antiquated history books we read in middle school, they lived a pretty long time. And you know what they didn't die of? Diabetes. Heart disease. Cancer. Autoimmune disorders. Massive populations didn't suffer from obesity, depression, fatigue, or infertility.  So why are we, 10,000 years later into an "agricultural revolution" and seemingly modern in every way, suffering from these things in unthinkable numbers? What are the differences between our Paleo ancestors and us? Sure there are environmental influences and genetics always play a part, but more basic than that, there are huge differences in our diets.

There are a few things Paleo's didn't eat that we now consume in massive quantities:
1. Grains - no cereal, bread, pasta, baked goods, rice, legumes, etc.
2. Processed seed oils (canola, vegetable, soybean, safflower, etc. etc.)
3. Sugar
4. Soy
5. Processed dairy

One expert, Chris Kresser, goes into all of the ins and outs and medical explanations of why the above things are essentially poisoning us. He calls them toxic because by the very definition of the word, these things kill the human body. Some people are affected early in life (ADHD, Celiac, Lupus, etc.) and are diagnosed and medicated. Some people are affected decades later (arthritis, Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, etc.). Others of us are affected in ways doctors have a hard time diagnosing (fatigue, stomach pains, headaches, depressive moods, etc.), but are still very real obstacles in our everyday life.

The bottom line is that we now deal with these illnesses and debilitating diseases in record numbers and modern medicine can't always cure or even manage them. Make no mistake - I'm not even close to saying a diet is a cure all!  But what if just maybe getting back to basics - before the dawn of high-fructose corn syrup and whole grain flour - makes a dent in how we feel everyday and lowers the chance to succumb to disease? What if shunning food marketers and the ole trusty FDA food pyramid and instead embracing real food helps us live happier, longer lives? What if our ancestors ate better than we do now? I think it's worth looking into.

I could write pages on the philosophy of Paleo eating, but there are many people who have already done it for me and have done it really well. If you want to read more, check out these sites and decide for yourself. I like:

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/ - This site is a crucial first read. He's the one I linked up above. I like how in depth his information is...though it kept me awake that first night. 
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/ - A simple way to dip your toes in - not too heavy.
http://everydaypaleo.com/ - I dig her. She's a mom. She's practical. She's got before photos on there most of us would burn.
http://thepaleodiet.com/ - This guy focuses on the science of it all. There are a lot of skeptics out there. He invites them into the ring.


For me, I'm on board....at least for a trial run. If you know me, you know I'm just about as play-it-safe as they come. I don't buy into fads or crazes easily. (I didn't even own an ipod until 2010 - no joke). And this whole blog is about going crispy, Kim...not going crazy. For me to say I'm into this Paleo thing is a big deal. I really want to see what this diet can do. So we are going Paleo for 60 days. Not just me. Not just me and Jon - ALL OF US.  What can it hurt? Absolutely nothing. What can we gain? Potentially, a substantially higher level of health. I mean, in my last post, I said I felt 3000x better just cutting out sugars. And I dropped lbs. If what all of these studies are saying is true about the above toxic foods, maybe I'll feel like a goddess in 2 months.

In all seriousness, I am definitely curious to see how my kids change. My son has stomach pains all the time - he's repeatedly been tested for what they can test for and it's all come back negative. But the poor guy still suffers from time to time. He's had to go down to the nurses' office for belly pains and I hate not being able to help him. My oldest daughter has been recommended for ADD testing. I'm really anxious to see if removing these toxins has an impact on her day to day. And for the younger girls, I'm just hoping to get more goodness into them and break the "kid food" habit (a.k.a. all the crap the food marketers say kids should eat) before it gets too ingrained as "normal" for them. It's not going to be easy (Look, Kids! Homemade kale chips for snack!), but I'm committed to giving it a go.

Tomorrow's task: Cleaning out the pantry. Stay tuned.