A very famous historical figure once said something I think you should heed:

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I have learned to only give advice when people ask for it. And trust me, I know what you mean and still often feel the urge to preach.

Also, leading by example seems to help, especially for the people I care about and love. My wife was a bit skeptical at first, but bit by bit she changed.

People often thinks the evolutionary approach makes a lot of sense, but in the end they always ask something like: and what about your liver with all that fat? or: don't you have to watch you cholesterol? or: you look fine but you'r still young. or: really interesting, but every week there is a new diet? or... You probably all know these excuses.

Currently trying to convince my parents. They eat butter again!! They lessen their sugar! Next step: grains!

live by example ..if they ask i tell if they laugh oh well..im not here to convert people the only time im upset is with my family and the crap they feed the kids but i dont know what its like as i have none of my own so i cant really talk.....people dont respond to preaching usualy and are lazy too,,it usualy takes somthing drastic like disease or obesity to spark somthing in most...just what i think...let them have their S***t and Eat it too...i feel and look better and ill tell them how im doing it if they care thats how i feel

I love the whole9 health elevator pitch ('tis a bit of a mouthful though) when trying to let people know how you lost weight, have loads of energy, clear skin etc.

I eat “real” food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit. I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition. And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.

It’s not a low calorie “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine. Fat isn’t the enemy – it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I’m not trying to do a “low carb” thing, but since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.

Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body. It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym. It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

IMO no one can hear what they are not ready to hear. Preaching (even though you are right) will only make them turn off the message. I would absolutely answer questions from people - start with simple answers - don't lay it all out for them at once. Let them know that if they want to know more, you'd be glad to answer any other questions or point them info resource - IF they seem interested in your preliminary answers. If they are hostile, with the "you're going to die" type response, I would just say something like "Well, in my experience, this is working very well for me (I've lost xx pounds)" and leave it at that, unless they follow up with a curious or respectful question. If it's hostile still, you should probably agree to disagree.

I'm giving better advice here than I am sometimes able to follow myself. The urge is strong to try and save/better the lives around us, but I've found over and over that that info overload or preaching just doesn't work. Let them watch what happens to you, and if they become ready to hear, they'll come to you.

"Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conqured by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone." Ayn Rand

I don't care what other people (aside from close friends and loved ones) eat. I really don't. Their choices are not my problem. If they ask me what I'm doing, I tell them. If they don't choose to believe me, that's not my problem either. Why get frustrated about something I can't control? That's definitely not paleo.

Yes, yes, yes - I feel all those frustrations! I have to try to stop myself from being preachy or arrogant, and I suspect I sometimes don't succeed. Oops. Overall, I think you need to let people ask you, rather than broach it yourself, and try and give fairly topline answers at first, then go onto the science stuff if they ask more.

The guys from Whole9 were on Robb Wolf's show the other week, and said that instead of saying 'you can't eat grains etc', they talk about what they do eat, and how it makes them feel, and some of the benefits.

Sally Fallon from Weston A Price reckons all the dumb, lazy people who keep eating crap will die out, and the healthy people will rule the earth. OK, I am paraphrasing, but seriously, that's what she thinks. And I have to say, when the fat person in front of me at the checkout is buying six bottles of coke and tons of white bread, I think I must agree!

The paleodiet has now gone viral, and is breaking into the mainstream with articles and coverage in the mainstream press (although it's reported simply as a curiousity). There are also some honest-to-god studies underway which should make knowledge of the diet spread even faster. I bought Cordain's book in 2002 when it was still in hardcover, and started the diet then. It made a lot of sense to me on an intuitive level and I lost over 20 pounds in 2 months. When people asked how I did it and I explained the diet, they were basically dismissive, despite the evidence right before their eyes. In my experience, the single biggest problem people seem to have is with grain-based foods, especially bread.

"But bread is low fat." "it's the staff of life." "there's nothing healthier than pasta, what do you think marathoners eat it for?" "like cavemen? sounds like male-oriented marketing hype to me."

Grains, and foods made from them, are so culturally entrenched that it takes a paradigm shift before people can see the problems with eating them. The people I was talking to had such a problem with the idea that grains were unhealthy that they mentally shut down and didn't hear much of the rest of my explanation. I may as well have been telling them that the earth is flat and I have evidence.

So I stopped explaining. I simply said how much weight I lost, how healthy I now was, and what I ate, and that agricultural foods are so unhealthy that they should be regarded as starvation food only. If they had other questions, I answered them. I have faith that with time, and more and more paleos out there, the word will spread. And so will better health.

I've never been overweight or had any serious health issues so when I try to explain that there are certain foods I don't eat people can't understand why. I've started saying I'm Paleo for political reasons as I pour a big dollop of heavy cream into my coffee. ('Wheat is murder' is my new catchphrase - thanks Paleosister) I do get the urge to preach but I've come to realise that people who don't want to listen can always come up with an argument against everything so there is no point. On the other hand just generally chatting about my reasons with a bit of humorous self-deprecation thrown in "I know I'm weird but..." has led two of my co-workers to give it a go - one of whom has lost over 30lbs in 5 weeks. The biggest tongue-biting will have to be reserved for my 20 year-old niece who gets home from university this week having just turned vegan. I know there will be nothing I can say to someone newly converted and utterly convinced of their own self-righteousness. I think I'll just put her in the same room as my 16 year-old, anarchist daughter who has just read The Vegetarian Myth and stand well back.

Yes, but I don't keep my mouth shut although maybe I should. I think that people that come to Paleo are problem solvers so we see and want to fix other people's problems as well. You are right though about resistance. I'll tell people all about the diet, they'll say "wow, that really does make sense," and then they'll go right on eating the way they always ate. The emphasis on fat seems very hard for people to accept, the dropping of processed food and grains people seem a bit more open to

What about "vegetarians" that barely exist on cheese pizza and soda telling me I have 5 lbs of meat in my intestines! That's what I have to deal with!

Tell that d*mn coach that they are YOUR children and you , the parent, are legally responsible for their health and upbringing ........... BY LAW !

They must stop trying to derail your family's values. You could sue or just take your kids out of that curriculum .......... after all which is more important? I am sure you can find a pastime to jazz your kids up. Luck, Shirley

I am judgmental. Especially at those whom I have pointed out how I have done this with very little effort and they say "It's just so hard". Having been obese I can tell you that the effort in eating this way is nothing compared to being 100 pounds overweight and just getting up in the morning to face the day as some sort of land whale. Then there are those who have the mentality that they must suffer to lose weight and by trying to do so they "try" but in an effort to make it miserable they make it too miserable and then say it is too hard.

Now I try really hard to keep to myself unless someone asks about how I lost weight. I do find myself referencing my weight loss a bit because of how it affects my job and attire and other considerations, so that can be a lead in.

I find myself having to hold my tongue and work hard to contain the disgust when I see parents with young kids who are obese to the point of having fat rolls. Having been the fat kid all of my life and just recently in my mid-late 30's finally getting fit this strikes a deep nerve.

We are bombarded with so many health and nutrition "truths" and that makes people defensive about their choices. Many institutions are complicit and it keeping an open mind is difficult.

I just wait until they ask. If they are curius and persist I will copy an article for them or send them to a website. My friends are older, generally accepting and non-judgemental. A vegan friend cooks special meals for me when we are entertained at their house.

My outrage is barely contained when i see what parents allow kids to put in their mouths. When I stop for gas at a convenience store I have to bite my tongue.

Would you rather be right or happy??
That's what I like to keep in mind ;-)

Nice thread.

Marc

No- it is not my place to get anger. I can help explain but in no way do I want to act like a missionary bent on conversion over logic.

SET AN EXAMPLE. When people say- "You look great." Be great, not an ass.

My family is annoyed by me and at times angered by me because I am EXTREMELY judgmental.

No, if other people ate this way, grassfed meat might be more expensive. Supply and demand and whatnot :)

I think it is obvious that homo sapiens are the least intelligent creatures on Earth. Enlightening anyone can be very frustrating. Is it worth your stress? Galileo said the world is round, so they locked him away for the restof his life.

Pretty much all the vegetarians/vegans I know are overweight to some extent from mildly to quite obese. WTF, Mountain Dew is vegetarian, right? It is a challenge to refrain from comment, but I do. Last thing I want to do is come off as another strident food activist who turns people off to the message.