Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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It's getting worse- I can't sit at a restaurant without thinking the guy I'm talking to lost his hair because he eats SAD. Or thinking that my friend's (I really do like her) huge butt would get SO much smaller if she stopped eating sugary/juicy SAD. Or that her post prandial face flushing was exactly due to the plate of french fries she just wolfed down. Or that my sister wouldn't get so many colds if she just stopped drinking beer and eating toast. It goes on.

I want to jump around in front of these people and say "Look! Look, I'm 53 years old and jumping around! I have TONS of energy and am lean and fit! I'm not eating weird, you are!"

It seems that I look at everybody through paleo-goggles and it's becoming distracting! Am I judging? Why can't I leave well enough alone? Do I have a paleo superiority complex? Am I desperate? Do you experience this? Help!

flag	asked Feb 4 2012 at 14:37 Cacktus Wayfinder 3,884●7●20

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hey thanks for the down vote- didn't mean to bump your halo. – Cacktus Wayfinder Feb 4 2012 at 15:00

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+1 My paleo-grace is sufficient for you. – AlohaSpeck Feb 4 2012 at 15:04

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There's a saying in the parenting forum world of "once you know better, you do better" it's similar with paleo IMO :-) – Efaitch Feb 4 2012 at 18:15

Korion · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-04 15:12:14Z UTC

It's a good thing for me. In the past, when I saw an obese person, I always thought to myself "how can people be so lazy, they just have to eat a bit less and run". Now I know it's not that simple and I respect people with health issues.

My "paleo-goggles" just motivate me to make myself healthier so people notice and try the same thing out themselves. Trying to make the world a better place by starting with myself.

Matt · Answer 2 · 2012-02-04 23:53:59Z UTC

The urge to shake people and tell them to give up their SAD ways will fade with time. I'm happy to explain to folks why I eat the way I eat, but I'm not going to evangelize on the subject. Nor do I think everything is caused by SAD or fixed by paleo. My way of eating (which I can guarantee you is different than yours) works for me, and may not be appropriate for all.

Frugal Jen · Answer 3 · 2012-02-04 16:21:58Z UTC

The psychologists tell us that sometimes we can't control how we feel about something, but we CAN control how we act on those feelings. I believe that something similar applies here: you may just have to accept that you have the paleo-goggles, and school yourself to not act on the information they feed you.

Example: I was vegetarian in my early twenties, low-fat for a couple of decades, and now I'm low carb. Each time I have begun to view the people around me through the lenses of the WOE in question. Each time I have had to remind myself that "one WOE does not fit all."

So I think that your paleo-goggles are just human nature. What matters is that you notice it, and you're remaining polite anyway.

If you need more than that, then keeping a journal, or starting a blog about your experiences with paleo, can help you "vent" the things the goggles are showing you without aiming them at any one person.

Pat yourself on the back for staying civil about it all!

AlohaSpeck · Answer 4 · 2012-02-04 15:03:14Z UTC

All I can say is if you are passionate about helping others make a change for their good, then start in your local circles. Maybe just spend time with one person you know and share what you have learnt.

But remember that famous proverb of old:

'You can lead a human to wholefoods, you cannot make them put down the bagel.'

Caleb the Hobbit · Answer 5 · 2012-02-04 15:01:28Z UTC

My first thought is, 'how long have you been paleo?' As I've become more paleo, I too have found myself judging. But as my mate reminds me, I used to eat SAD, and at one point gluten-free but otherwise unhealthy.

A touch of empathy, I've been learning, is crucial when doing something like paleo. People don't want to change their habits, they have them for a reason. And in my experience, people are doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. Think of the FDA or other organizations. People in general want to trust these groups. To not do so puts a person on the margins, and some people aren't comfortable being there.

That said, I think paleo enthusiasm is great -- it's how we can spread the word about the lifestyle. People ask me questions when they've seen my results, and they know I am passionate about many different aspects of my life. It seems to me that you're the same way. So I say use that to open up conversations that you want to have but might find impossible.

And, in cases where it is impossible, live and let live. You can't force someone to change their ways.

Hack my paleo-goggles superiority complex!

5 Answers