1. Proper nutrition - Working in a large office, a simple trip through the kitchen leaves me feeing sad for all the people thinking they are doing themselves a favor by "eating low fat, or whole wheat toast with margerine" etc.. Looking at other people's shopping carts is another doosie.

2. Exercise - Now, when I see people running for miles upon miles, I think to myself "man, I could find so many better ways to spend my time" Again, I feel sorry for people who are clearly overweight, yet trying so hard do shed pounds. It's just not going to work because they are going to work with the wrong toolbox.

3. Finances - By running contrary to Conventional Wisdom with my dietary choices and exercise, IF-ing, I have been able to really separate wants from needs. I no longer NEED to eat breakfast, I no longer NEED to get those new running shoes, no longer NEED to run 15 miles to make up for my cheat days. It is absolutely liberating.

4. EDIT to add - Also, as familygrok also similarly stated, watching my young nieces, nephews, cousins etc, get fed so improperly, and they have no say in it. That for me is rather frusterating.

These are just a few examples I can think of while at work. Looking over my answers, I guess I just feel really lucky that I stumbled upon this way of life, and I feel sorry for those who have yet to. Its flat-out liberating.

1. I have a hard time looking around the world and not being reminded of the book The Wump World and the movie Idiocracy. I believe that, inevitably, we will end up having ruined our world and filled it with ignorant, unhealthy, mediocre versions of humans. I'm very upset by the way humans destroy wild places and abuse resources. I feel like the positive that is being done is dwarfed by the damage being done.

2. Like Todd, I feel sorry for people who don't know any better. I feel sorry for obese people trying to loose weight by counting calories, and even more sorry for kids being raised by obese parents.

3. I wish I could reach out and educate all the people at the gym I see spending hours on treadmills and ellipticals. If only they knew how their bodies really worked, they would get better results in less time, and they would feel better.

4. I get extremely angry and frustrated with people who try to talk to me about health and fitness and tell me I'm wrong. A guy I work with tries argues with me about the calories in calories out mantra. I've largely stopped talking to anyone other than my close friends and family about diet and fitness because I'm tired of arguing.

5. I have no sympathy for people (like my roommate) who know how to eat better and refuse to. He is a diabetic and about 50 lbs overweight, and 45. He knows what food to avoid and what to eat and yet I have never seen him cook anything except a digorno pizza. He eats chinese food, pizza, drinks tons of beer and thinks the solution to his problems is to ride his stationary bike for 2 hours.

6. I often have a very hard time identifying with "normal people." I'm a back country guide. Living in the wilderness is something I do well. This lifestyle is so different from so many Americans. Most of the time, they can't even imagine what its like out there. They can't identify with my experience in any way. It is such a relief being around like minded people, even if they don't spend much time in the back country, at least they understand that mentality. Sometimes I wish for the fall of civilization, imagining stalking elk in moccasins with a bow and arrow, living off the land, being outside, active and self sufficient.

7. I love the paleo community. I love that other people think the way I do. They work to achieve warrior bodies and warrior minds. I like the value placed in being outdoors, embracing reality and the moment at hand and our connection as humans.

For me EVERYTHING takes on a context of time/effects on future generations. I see kids eating junk food, and I immediately feel pangs for them about their potential future diets as adults based on what they consumed as children. (I know it happened this way for me in my previous SAD existence!)

Food purchases (mine and others) take on a future effects context in terms of what the dollars go to support.

Breakfast looks good when I'm serving my kids, but I know (future goggles again) that if I can hold on for a couple of hours I can sneak in a workout and therefore train fasted, maximizing the effort.

So do paleo-goggles count as future effect mindfulness 4-D? :)

This is the subject of my website the paleo matrix. I have always been very opened minded but through paleo eating, it reconfirmed my perspective on life (which is very different than most). Learning that the government has lied to us to make a profit on our illnesses changes ones thinking in a drastic way if you know what I mean. Sometimes I wish I didn't know the truth and could return to the fake world which humans have made for themselves but I prefer to live in reality.

I've become one of those annoying prohibition-era women...except for sugar instead of booze. And I'm a guy.

The words "healthy" and "nutritious" mean absolutely nothing in mainstream culture. Case in point: while browsing at Chapters yesterday, I came across the section labelled "Healthy Cooking." Most books were of the vegan ilk, ok, fine, whatever. But an entire shelf, under the auspices of eating healthily, was dedicated to vegan cookies and cupcakes. Yep folks, cookies and cupcakes are now healthy, as long as they're vegan!

Veganism itself seems to have been anointed with a halo of "healthy," and its superior standing as "good for" human health and for the environment goes unquestioned.

People eat all kinds of junk food thinking it's "healthy". Another huge example is sushi. Everyone goes for sushi here, thinking it's some kind of alternative to fast food. Unless you're getting only sashimi it certainly isn't. The rolls that everyone gets are full of deep fried floury stuff, sugary sauces, and mayo made with questionable oils. But it's wrapped in seaweed and rice so people think they're being virtuous when choosing it over Wendy's.

Everyone is afraid of fat. Especially fat people. I am saddened when I see an overweight person eating an iceberg lettuce salad. I know they are unhappy and will be even more unhappy when they finish that salad and don't feel full, when they never feel full, and yet still remain fat.

90% of people look terribly unhealthy. Dry skin and hair, rashes, acne, weird body shapes. I work with a lot of young people and they look better in general but are always sick. Always sniffling, coughing, feeling tired, worn out, depressed.

I'd say that 80% of people I talk to in day-to-day life seem to be in some sort of "carb coma". It's hard to explain, but the eyes are glazed over, the person is sort of paying attention to you but not really hearing what you're saying, not engaged in you as a person, and generally seems to be completely spaced out and somewhere else. I've noticed it in myself, and usually after ingesting a large amount of carbs, which is why I associate it with that state. Could be caused by something else, I dunno, but I've really noticed it more since going paleo.

90% of products sold on TV or in the mainstream media are to treat or mitigate the effects of the SAD diet, and could be rendered almost unnecessary if we examined how we're feeding ourselves. Examples: heartburn medication (Pepto Bismol commercials are on every 30 seconds), cold and allergy remedies, depression meds for mild/moderate depression etc etc. The other 10% are for cars and horrible food.

I've been thinking about these for awhile. Good discussion, Adam Crafter.

Everyone's fat. And they don't even notice it.

I was eating dinner the other night and happened to look around the restaurant at the other tables. I noticed that every single patron, including children, in this restaurant was overweight. This wasn't a fast food place. There were multiple menu items that fit paleo choices. Yet everyone was mindlessly feasting on the bread basket and the pasta choices. One man was even boasting to his kids about how great the fried green beans tasted. Dipped in ranch, of course.

I used to eat mindlessly with this crowd. I would order fried calamari and congratulate myself on eating seafood. I would eat only half the dessert (which at a restaurant is way too big anyway) and be proud of my self-control.

Now, after reading about and adopting many paleo philosophies, I want to stand on my table and shout at everyone to realize they're killing themselves! I want to smack their forks out of their hands and tell them to eat a steak instead of spaghetti! Stop feeding your children mac n cheese! Refuse the bread basket! Take responsibility for yourself!

But I also realize that if I do get on my table and shout at my fellow humans, the only response I will get is blank (or maybe annoyed) stares and a free escort out of the restaurant.

1. I care so much less about watching and being confined by the clock. My whole concept of time has changed. Paleo has helped me to slow down and treasure what's important. Being more aware of one's body and taking the time to nourish it through food and activity, including play, has helped me to set aside less important concerns and live in the present. I no longer want to be part of the big rush the world seems to be in all of the time.

2. Paleo fits in very well with my shift over the last two years to simplify my life. This includes paring down my possessions, but it also includes items like getting proper sleep. I would rather get a good night's sleep and take longer to finish school. I don't want to be a physical wreck when I'm done. There's no badge of honor earned for working one's self to death and staying up all night doing it. Our entire culture needs to chill out and examine what it means to be human. We aren't machines meant only to produce, produce, produce.

3. I'm very concerned that my daughters learn to nourish themselves properly and can only lead by example.

4. I can see the unhealthiness more in strangers on the street. I see a reflection of my former self: expanding waistline, puffy face, etc. I look at old pictures of myself and cringe a bit because I couldn't see it back then.

5. I'll eventually have to leave Chicago. I need to be in a place where I can hunt and fish on a regular basis and be outdoors as much as possible. The wild within has awoken; I need more than a hike or a vacation for a few days can give. In this respect, I've become just like my father after all. :-) He grew up in rural Tennessee in the 40s and 50s, running barefoot through the woods and the fields.

I used to be frustrated by looking at people eating unhealthy, but no longer. I have come to believe that nothing that we do really matters in the great scheme of things, save for making us feel a certain way. Therefore, if someone values the feeling of eating whatever they wish to eat more than the effects that food has on their (bodies / perceived lifespan / anything else), I can perfectly understand that. Having said that, I will give someone healthy eating advice if they ask me for it and I feel that they have an open mind.

Also, I used to worry about the increasing pollution of the food chain, but no longer. We humans may or may not be around much longer, but either way, life is forever changing and adapting to circumstances. And if we eventually overpopulate / nuke the world / poison ourselves, at least I can hope that our collective demise will be a somewhat beautiful one. As always, the universe will be indifferent. Maybe we can learn from it and not "die a thousand deaths."

Through paleo glasses my bright-eyed acceptance of "Conventional Wisdom" is annihilated;
never to be resurrected--- a "born-again" healthy skeptic.

Being chronically sick has become the standard.

Mostly I agree with gone2croatan's answer (the first one posted).

But here's what I've observed recently -- and yes, it's because of the change in my own values and world view, and my aspirations for the future.

What's stood out to me most is the ridiculousness of the urban rat race. I live just outside DC, so most of my observations are based on what I see around me. (I work at the Pentagon, as a matter of fact...but I hate it and am only here until I can transition into something else...finishing a master's in nutrition in about 2 months. Woohoo!)

I've just noticed more and more that people don't really have lives anymore; we have routines. We have waking up and scrambling to get dressed, gather our purse or briefcase and possibly shove something down the piehole before hurrying out to the car or hustling to the bus/train. And if you don't have time to cram something down the piehole, you buy a donut/bagel/whatever else passes for breakfast either at work or along the way.

If you love your job, fantastic. But I think most people just sort of make do until the weekend. They might not actively HATE their jobs as much as I do, but the vast majority of people aren't exactly making a living doing their childhood dream. (And yes, I realize that's okay. There's nothing wrong in earning an honest wage for an honest day's work. And there's value in whatever you do - whatever you create, or the service you provide. I'm not trying to say everyone gets lucky enough to "live the dream." That'd be nice, but it just ain't the way of the world. And believe me, I realize darn well that "in this economy," as they say, anyone who has a job at all should be grateful. But you know what? That only gets you so far. I see so many people biding their time until retirement, just "making it through" each day until 20, 30, 40 years go by and by then they're too sick or decrepit to enjoy the time they were waiting for.)

I see people who buy breakfast, lunch, and snacks in the building at work. If they want to spend that much money on food here, more power to them. But it's a commentary on our times: no one's cooking at home anymore! I bring my food almost every day. (Partly because I'm cheap and partly because I just don't trust most of what's available for purchase here, not to mention about 75% of it is off-limits right off the bat because of the way I choose to nourish myself.) I know it's a morale boost and a treat of sorts to buy lunch, but it makes me sad that so few people take the time to prepare real food in their homes anymore.

And should I even mention the line at the Starbucks & Dunkin' Donuts in the building? It's endless. We live in a sleep-deprived, caffeine-addicted, sugar-addicted world.

My landlords/housemates are wonderful people. Love 'em. They've given me a fantastic place to live for what amounts to a total steal in this region. BUT...I see them struggling to have lives. They both work in the defense industry and are out of the house by 6:45am. Granted, they get home early too, but like so many people in this area, they work ridiculous hours for the sole purpose of avoiding the traffic. The more I learn about ancestral health and human evolution, the more wacko I find it that we have the same exact schedules come rain or shine, winter or summer, all year long. So even in winter, when theoretically, we should be sleeping A LOT more and sort of living off all the fat we were supposed to accumulate during the summer (gorging ourselves on fruit). So even though it stays DARK out until 7 or 8am, we're up in what amounts to the middle of the night to hurry to work in the dark and freezing cold. No wonder everyone's circadian rhythms are all screwed up.

They're both so busy that they've hired a cleaning service to clean the house. They bought a dog even though no one's home during the whole day, so they had to hire a dog walker to come and just get the poor thing out of the house for a little while. And they live on takeout, cereal, and microwave meals from Trader Joe's. They have the most gorgeous kitchen, and I'm the only one who uses it! (Not that I'm complaining...cooking is a very zen thing for me and I'd much prefer to be in the kitchen alone rather than tripping over other people and fighting for space on the stove.) Everybody's in such a damn hurry that they don't take the time to cook. (And they're both thin, dammit! If I ate the way they did I'd be 3x my size. BUT...neither of them is healthy. One of them pops antacids and aspirin like candy and the other is constantly trying acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Reiki, and things like that, when what she really needs to do is eat better and SLOW THE HECK DOWN for a while. Believe me, I don't wish illness upon them, but remembering that "thin" does not equal healthy and vibrant is the only way I can keep myself from feeling bitter toward them, and despite my observations of their lifestyle, they are genuinely lovely people.)

What all this amounts to is, they've essentially outsourced their lives.

** (I'm not necessarily against hiring a cleaning service. I know that people who can afford it would rather pay someone to provide the service and not use their own time for chores they might find disagreeable or...well, "chores." It's one of the benefits of having some disposable income. BUT, it still helps me make the point: they don't cook their own food, they don't clean their own house, and they don't walk their own dog. And I suspect this one example could be multiplied by a few million and we'd have a picture of at least some Americans. And they don't even have kids!! I can't imagine what families with multiple kids do if both parents work. It's so far beyond my comprehension. I'm single with no kids and I have a hard enough time just taking care of myself. But maybe there are reasons why it takes "more time" to take care of myself: I do cook real food. I try to go for long walks in nature b/c I'm trapped in a windowless cube all day under the harsh fake lights and stale air. I make time to sit in a comfy chair with a book and just be.)

What else besides this have I noticed since my values have shifted toward more basic, simple things? The absolute deficit of any sort of involvement with our environment. People don't trust the world anymore. They don't trust nature. They want everything sterilized, sanitized, individually wrapped, and pristine. We go from sitting in our offices in the air conditioning to sitting in our cars in the AC to sitting in our homes in the AC, much of it in front of some sort of screen, be it a computer, TV, or video game system. Very few people seem to have hobbies where we create anything anymore. Woodworking, sewing/quilting, even gardening or playing a musical instrument. (A lot of people play in grade school but don't keep it up as adults.) I just feel like we have so many lost and dying arts. Even cooking. I think it's absolutely tragic how few young women (and MEN for that matter) know how to actually make a meal from real, whole foods.

HAHAHA -- Looking at this post, I realize these are all very, very "First World" type complaints. (Oh, woe is me, I hate my stable, good-salary job, and I'm so miserable indoors in the nice air conditioning, and what a shame that food is so easily procured here that you literally don't even have to get out of your car.) I really hope that isn't how it's come off. You know that's not how I mean it, right? Ultimately, I just long for a simpler, quieter, slower life. (And I'm working toward it...this DC gig is merely a bridge, or that's what I'll keep telling myself until such time as I'm able to transition to a very different routine and physical environment.) I spent 6 weeks working on an organic farm in PA a few years ago and LOOOOVED it. Happy as a clam wearing dirty jeans and my old USAF desert boots, hauling bags of feed, feeding the pigs and chickens, picking veg. There was so much barter between the farming community. Cash rarely changed hands. Give me some pork, I'll give you some raw milk cheese. Give me some eggs, I'll give you some hay. Very, very trusting kind of existence. (Not that there wasn't money being spent or made, but you know what I mean. The whole approach to life is different. Almost nothing went to waste. Most food scraps were composted, everything that could be reused or recycled was, and most of the paper goods went to the fire pit they had outside. This is something I notice around me all the time now -- the sheer amount of GARBAGE we produce. All that food buying at work I mentioned earlier? Everyone gets a plastic bag, a styrofoam container (!!), and plastic utensils. What's wrong with reusing plastic utensils? Wash 'em off and use 'em again just like the real thing. No, most people just get brand new every day. Thousands upon thousands of people -- and I'm only looking at it from one building in one city. Forget recycling -- most of this stuff doesn't need to be used in the first place! People could bring real silverware from home and keep it at their desks (where most of them eat anyway, while trying to complete a hundred other tasks. And they wonder why they're addicted to Tums.) It drives me insane when I go into a supermarket and I'm overwhelmed by the number of plastic bottles and fancy packaging. Individually wrapped baggies inside boxes inside more plastic covering. WHY?! WTH? I dunno...looks like most people can't even be bothered to bring their own bags to shop with, let alone be concerned about the endless amounts of packaging around us.

Wow...sorry. I think this rant has been a long time in coming, and this happened to be a good place to let it out. Thanks for listening! Maybe someday when my life is different I'll post about all the nice things I've discovered to make up for this little tirade. ;-)

"In the world I see -- you're stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You will wear leather clothes that last you the rest of your life. You will climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. You will see tiny figures pounding corn and laying-strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of the ruins of a superhighway."

This question is, first of all, awesome, but second of all a funny coincidence. I was thinking this morning about the pop tart vs. fritos question, and about "conspiracy theories" and connections. Paleo has made me see them everywhere now: the reason that the pop tarts are in the machine is because the government subsidizes the wheat, because Earl Butz said to plant fencerow to fencerow back when Nixon was in office. The food pyramid and those "heart healthy grains" are just an extension of the Farm Bill, really. Then I thought about the ADA as I was brushing my teeth, and was thinking about how my daughter's dentist wants to seal her 6 year old molars, with something that contains BPA or something that we'll later find out is worse than BPA, and it's the reason for all of the little girls experiencing precocious puberty, and how the plastic people, and the dental people, and the pop tart people are all part of the bigger system whose sole purpose is growth, growth, and more growth, and we're just consumers waiting to be consumed, and the more I think about it, the more my head hurts and I just wanna scream "STOP!"

It all comes back to the Matrix, I guess. The paleo-goggles are like the red pill, and I'm still wondering how far down the rabbit hole goes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbYirSi08m4

Lies lies lies, they have been sucked in by lies. yep.