Hellobee Boards

I have the same issue. I am seriously considering Paleo but haven't taken that step yet. Problem is, my family would think its silly to choose "a diet" over Ethnic food and they wouldn't go along with it because much of the Middle-Eastern foods don't fit into the Paleo guidelines.
My plan is to never ask anyone to make paleo food for me because I do think it is inconsiderate when eating at their place...but I still try to find something on their table that fits me, and just eat that. And if I am tempted (I will be!) to eat something else they've made, then I will do it in moderation.

I am also possibly jumping on the paleo bandwagon but it would be impossible for me to do it all the time--DH wouldn't give up a lot of the foods he likes and I'm not cooking two dinners. So I'm now browsing pinterest to see what sorts of things I can find that would work...

@Mrs. Pen: well, add rice & lentils to paleo and it is very similar to much middle eastern cuisine, haha:)

oh, totally. it's not always feasible to go 100%! I would often have paleo meals or non-paleo meals. Sometimes just by accident! I like chicken and broccoli and sweet potatoes, ya know? It was most often feasible for me to eat paleo breakfasts+lunches+snacks (or primal, b/c i like greek yogurt) but not so much dinner. Or i'd do a couple paleo dinners/week but not every meal. it's hard to take potatoes and rice and pasta totally away!

@blackbird: but chicken, broccoli and sweet potatoes are a paleo meal!

FYI: paleo's eat meat! It's a huge part of their diet

@Mrs. Pen: I think she meant she eats chicken/broccoli/sweet potatoes just because she likes it, not because it's a perfect paleo meal, so eats that way sometimes 'by accident'

I've been thinking about doing paleo part time as well. Maybe just during the week for breakfast and dinner. I don't think we can go completely paleo because we do go out to eat on the weekends and I do like to enjoy rice, pasta and other grains once in a while. But my kids are such junkies for rice/pasta/bread that if that is offered even with other things, they'll only eat the starch.

@JoJoGirl: Yeah, that's pretty much it.

@Mrs. Pen: I'm not familiar with them.. Michael Pollan isn't much of a diet (I was half-kidding), more of a philosophy. He has a bunch of "rules" - don't eat something your grandmother wouldn't recognize. Don't eat anything in a package with more than 5 ingredients. Basic "whole foods" rules. But those 3 are the tagline of his book.

Most people I know that eat paleo do it about 80% of the time, and eat non paleo when they go out. I don't think eating paleo is about being perfect, but just about being conscious of how you are eating. Most of our breakfasts and dinners are paleo, but our lunches and snacks tend not to be. I would just eat however works for you, and don't worry about labeling it!

@Mrs. Pen: He says anything found in nature is good for you - meaning sugars in fruits, whole grains (ie wheatberries, bulgar, quinoa.. not bread), and legumes are good. That's where I make the leap from him to Paleo - once you are talking no processed sugars (ice cream, cakes, desserts of any kinds) and no processed bread products/pasta, you're closer to the edge of Paleo territory. This is how I "try" to eat (or did before getting pregnant) - I'm not scared of whole grains (not whole grain bread, but actual grains) or legumes, but stay(ed) away from anything in a package. Now all I want is processed carbs and ice cream. Booo

I have a friend who does her shopping exclusively at farmer's markets - no grocery stores. Her kitchen is stocked with veggies, huge bags of grains and bags of beans, few meats, eggs. She makes the most delicious meals ever. I aim to eat like her.

I think even part time would be beneficial! I considered Paleo. But I've started with cutting out processed sugars first! I'm a little over two weeks in I haven't quite gotten rid of all but I'm becomming more aware and still making changes gradually!

It depends on why you're going paleo. One of the biggest tenets of paleo is digestive health. The reason paleo-ites don't eat grains, dairy, legumes etc. is because of the anti-nutrients/lectins they contain and the not-so-good effects those things can have on digestive health. And poor digestive health (e.g. "leaky gut") can have some very deleterious health effects such as hormonal imbalances and auto-immune disorders. So, if that is at all behind your reason to go paleo then it would be really counter-productive to only do it part of the time. I would say that any less than 80% of the time is probably not all that helpful to your digestive health. Most people I know who are committed to paleo-style eating, myself included, live by the 80/20 rule.

Having said that: paleo is not really the same for any two people (it's not a rigid "diet" like Atkins or something), so I guess you do whatever works best for you

@blackbird: I hear you. One of the reasons I ultimately drank the paleo kool-aid (as I was quite skeptical when I first tried it) was that I no longer got those afternoon lows. Love that!

I think @hergreenapples: got it right when she explained a lot of the rationale between the argument for being 100% paleo, but that said, I think there are still plenty of health benefits to following the "diet" part time.

You might also find that as you start heading in that direction, making more switches with your dining out/social situations becomes easier. I've done a few 30 day paleo challenges and it's not impossible to eat out or go to parties and avoid grains and dairy (seed oils are another story). Usually I would just try to order something appropriate off the menu with minor substitutions or eat what I could from what was offered, rather than ask for special accommodations.

marksdailyapple might also be a good place to start. His primal approach to paleo includes some dairy if you tolerate it, and he advocates a very livable 80-20 approach to the lifestyle.