Done with that! Spent four solid weeks paleo eating, and here’s what I can say just from the ever-unreliable introspection:
- it didn’t make my life wayyyy better
- it didn’t make my life wayyyy worse
- I had to cook a lot more, and particularly I had to cook a lot more meat. This was difficult for me, but a fun learning experience. I discovered things like short ribs, lamb shanks, chicken thighs, flank steak, pork shoulder; braising, casserole roasting, broiling; interesting stuff!
- I did feel a little healthier after eating a meal without grains, mostly because everything is real nutritious food. It’s all some vegetable or meat, no filler. So I ate as much as I want (which is a lot) and didn’t really feel overstuffed like I do sometimes with grains.
- eating out was not really that hard; most places have something that you can make paleo. Sometimes you have to be a little creative and order two appetizers instead of a dinner, say.
- special occasions were hard. I couldn’t really invite friends out for a beer, or an ice cream, or a waffle, or really any celebratory consumable. I started drinking the occasional liquor (under the flimsy argument that “I mean, the grain’s all fermented away anyway”) for social situations when I couldn’t really opt for a wine.
- uh, I was kind of depressed a month ago and am not now. But I don’t think that’s because of the food.

Stats to follow! Sometime. Going to Cleveland and Miami in the next couple days. I am not trying to avoid grains or dairy or beans or anything there.