Two Paleo Tales Told at a Farm

Today I went to our local farm to get some eggs, which I do every weekend.   We also buy our meat there.  The meat is fantastic and it is grass fed and pastured beef, chicken, pigs and goat.  I usually drop by, pick up the eggs, say hi and off I go. 

We got a half a pig there a while back, and I was going to ask him today if he usually gives the fat with all the meat and I also wanted to get some liver there to eat.  I have been wanting to render some lard to cook with and I noticed that we didn't get any with our half pig.  But he said he often times doesn't put it in because people usually just throw it away.  So he gave me some, the package that was missing.  The other guy told me that their family also uses the fat to render and we talked about how he does it.  All of us got to talking and I found out that they both eat paleo too!  Each with a separate story.

The farmer was a corporate worker down in San Francisco.  He was starting to have a few health issues that he had been noticing.  So his wife and him decided one weekend to purge all of the stuff in their pantry, everything processed, all grains, all conventional dairy.  The next Saturday they went to their local farmers market.  They bought grass fed pastured meat, fresh farm veggies, and all raw dairy.  They ate that way all weekend.  On Monday when he was walking to work he was thinking about how good he felt.  And it had only been the switch over the weekend.  He talked with his wife and said we have to start growing and raising our own food.  So here they are 8 years later, farming.  He said he feels healthier than ever.

The other guy was a husband and a dad of two children, 9 and 7.  They had been eating paleo for 2 years.  He said when they switched they did the same thing.  They purged all the food in their pantry and went paleo.  He said his son was dyslexic and having trouble reading.  He was also having emotional problems.  They had been taking his son to see a psychologist.  He said his daughter would always come in their room at 6:30-7 in the morning and instead of 'good morning' she would say 'I'm hungry'.  If they didn't feed her with in a half an hour, the whole day was ruined.  She would be moody all day. 

They started eating paleo.  All the problems, gone.  He said his son immediately started reading, feeling great, and they didn't need to take him to see a psychologist anymore.  His daughter no longer came in their room in the morning, she was satisfied and could read in her room till 9 with out needing to eat.  He also said how great he felt.  He said he'd never go back.  He told me how his kids never cheat because they know how bad it makes them feel to eat sugar or grains.  He told me that it was great we were starting with our kids so young, because they won't know the difference.  His kids had a few weeks when they switched that they were unhappy with the new choices.

I feel so inspired by the stories I heard today.  People say paleo isn't for everyone.  But I think it's worth a try.  It's worth the try to feel healthy and to get rid of life time health issues.

The farmer finished with a story.  He said, it's funny how when one of his animals is not feeling well, or when your pets aren't feeling well you immediately think 'I wonder what they ate'.  He said it's so weird how humans don't think that way, almost all problems are caused by diet.  But we just try the next fad of diets or take pills.  We don't even think about how every little issue could be changed by what we put in our body.

It is so true.  It was a good reminder to think about what you eat.  People say, 'it's fine in moderation'.  Is it?

 You could be living abundantly.  Or you could be eating yourself to death.