A bit ham-handed in its delivery, but the fellow makes a good point. There are a lot of "am I allowed to..." and "is this paleo?" sort of questions that make it sound more like a religion than a rational health strategy. A lot of people seem to miss the forest for the trees and begin to attempt to be as paleo as possible rather than as healthy as possible.

The whole "paleo" part of it is just a compass bearing to get you going in the right direction, not an endpoint itself.

Asking questions leads to more understanding, and then further research. That's how it started with me.

I've read the science, watched the lectures, listened to every podcast, interrogated local farmers, hired a strength coach, challenged and educated my doctor, argued with my friends, hurt my Mom's feelings, and freed my mind (well...sort of jimmied it free with the help of bacon grease), but I'm struggling a bit with the intention of your post.

Don't just free your mind...free yourself. Free your inner hunter-gatherer-lover-troll from spending your precious life energy reading things you don't like, hanging out with people you think are ignorant, and telling us all why we're wasting your time. You must have more videos of your cat to edit...

I like this place and the dialogue that happens here. I may ask redundant and obvious questions, but I appreciate the willingness of my fellow hackers to deepen my understanding of this new and sometimes confusing way of life.

Plus...ending a verbal attack with a smiley-face emoticon is sooo neolithic.

What I take to be the spirit of this question runs something like this: "Learn the food science because no one, absolutely no one, knows your body better than you do. Learn the food science so that you don't have to be dependent on anyone." and I couldn't agree more. I have an deep aversion to seeing paleo become just another belief system, too, or to seeing people going around with a "more-paleo-than-thou" attitude...paleo snobbery, if you will. Having said that, I also think that there are many people of all ages and backgrounds who are still working on becoming self-determining, so it is just possible that by coming to this board and seeing evidence of what self-determination can do for people, they might become more self-determined themselves, hopefully eschewing the impulse to turn paleo into an ersatz religion while they are at it.

I don't really care what people do with their diets or what questions they ask. When I'm not interested I skip on to the next one.

I See the point that you would prefer people think for themselves but I disagree with the Food Pyramid point. Some people have a more intuitive, less scientific inclination toward learning. Me, I learn by listening to my body, and anecdata from others makes pie charts and graphs more tolerable for me. Following a paleo diet without understanding every nuance of the science surely leaves me healthier than following the food pyramid.

Many on this board are very science-oriented, and have the education (including critical-thinking skills) and inclination to study and read all the evidence available. However, this does not apply to everyone, including the less well educated, the learning-disabled, those who have been under-served by society in gaining life skills, those who do not speak English as a first language, etc. Do those persons deserve to be left behind, in the dust, because they may not have the skills or experience to be able to break down all the evidence themselves?

I understand the frustration with those who are perhaps lazy, or who don't have a grasp of the basics. But perhaps it's more worthwhile to assume the best of people who are trying to do the right thing, and not be a jerk about those who know less. At the very least, you can always choose to ignore those who annoy you with their ignorance. Public calling-out seems mean-spirited.

I think you're a little confused about what it means to think for yourself. It does not mean you just sit in your little bubble and think everything up yourself. You are allowed to consider other people's points of view as you are making your own choices. It's not like any of us are twisting anyone's arm making them decide one way or the other.

Part of being Paleo is understanding who and what we are as a species, as much as possible. We are a social animal. Furthermore, we're a social animal that relies on transmitted culture as much as or more than inherited instinct. That means we ask questions when we don't understand something, and we listen to people's answers. If you don't get that, anything you might learn about the scientific side of Paleo eating is only going to take you so far.

And for the record I see no difference between looking up something on Google and coming to a site like this and asking a question. If you don't know what you're looking for you could wind up hopelessly lost. At least if you come here and ask, people who already have an idea what you're looking for based on your question can refer you to good books and websites so you don't waste the next five hours of your life reading crap.

Speaking of crap, and speaking of Cordain, if any newbies are reading this, ignore everything he says about fat intake. Lowfat Paleo, indeed.

I've read all of the books you mentioned. I have learned about the current science and continue to learn, here and elsewhere. There's always something new to consider. I would venture that this population consists of highly independent thinkers who don't believe everything they read and take the time to investigate, form opinions, and find what works best for them as individuals.

To me, this forum is about building a community where we can discuss what troubles folks and what they're curious about. It's also a place to share triumphs. It certainly isn't a place for high-handedness and self-purported perspicacity.

I agree but it is the nature of the interent to ask questions on forums instead of digging for the answer first. No law requiring someone to answer them all.

I agree totally but I see the same with fitness questions also people need to stop bein so anal I seriously doubt a caveman was worried about eating a food too high in Omega 6 if your hungry eat