6.13.2012

Hot Off the Press!

front page news

It really is amazing to live in a town where my diet is front page news.

But seriously, who doesn't like being in the newspaper?

I'm flattered, really, but I have to say, I take umbrage with the phrases "stone age", "paleo", and "caveman diet", because in truth, I eat nothing like a paleolithic caveman from the stone age.  I think these adjectives are misnomers to describe our meat and vegetable diet.  Yet for lack of a more accurate term, even I use the phrase "paleo diet" when discussing our food choices.

The best description I've read of an actual paleo diet came from a history textbook we used a few years ago: The Story of the World. The first chapter of volume 1 discusses the first nomads to become farmers in the Fertile Crescent, and vividly describes a fictional nomadic girl who catches lizards while the women in her tribe are foraging.  Her mother makes a stew with them, presumably with some foraged roots and greens.  I have yet to find a good recipe for lizard stew, or convince my children to go out and catch some lizards for dinner.

The closest I've come to actual "paleo" food is eating wild trout caught by George.  However, he drove a motorized vehicle up to a mountain stream to fish, used a fly rod he researched and bought online, then prepared the fish using a recipe he found via Google.  I doubt our early ancestors ate fish basted with lemon, butter, and cilantro.

carrot, blueberry, sunflower seed salad

I also doubt our early ancestors ate such elaborate salads, recommended by friends via Facebook, originally published by The New York Times.  (Thank you Rashael! Can't wait to try the other 100 salad combinations.)  But as I was gathering blueberries for our salad from my backyard last night, I felt a slight connection to my foraging ancestors.  Fortunately, I wasn't on the lookout for predators while picking (though my chickens would have alerted me to impending danger - they squawk like mad when the blue jays threaten our cherry trees.).  We've come a long way, haven't we?  If it wasn't for modern technology, I wouldn't know nearly as much as I do about nutrition, growing my own food, and food preparation.  100% of the information and inspiration to change my diet for the better came via the internet, which I believe makes my diet progressive, modern, perhaps even revolutionary.

I've strong armed persuaded my family to take our diet up a notch with a 30 day challenge, beginning this Friday.  We're going to clean up our diet just a little bit more and eat only "yes" foods.  I'll go into more detail about "yes" foods in my next post, but in the meantime, if you're interested in a challenge of your own, make a list of all the foods you feel good saying yes to.  Omit the foods you feel you should say no to.  For me, it's ice cream and that second glass of wine.  The point is, for the next month, I want to feel positive  about every bite that passes my lips.  How privileged are we to be such picky eaters?

20 comments:

  1. i did not know this diet...the name of the diet made me search a bit because in my country "paleo" means old....really odd...congrats for your front page!!!!

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  2. you are such an inspiration!

    (oh, and my husband got a call for that interview....I will keep you posted. You never know, we might be able to take a CF class together one day)

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  3. And to say I knew you when. Congrats on making the cover. I love the idea of yes foods. We call them growing foods. I think we need to take our diet up a notch too. Perhaps we will join your family.

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    1. my friend amy calls them growing foods too - i love that expression! especially for young kids who are motivated to grow.

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  4. Loved reading the article and seeing the photos. Pretty great to be photographed sleeveless for a newspaper--and to be able to pull it off so well!

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    1. thank you, tricia! i knew there was a good reason why i've spent the last 9 months perfecting pull ups!

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  5. Great post Molly.
    I loved reading that story in the story of the world. We don't have lizards here but Fionna would be more than happy to come over and catch one for you :)

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    1. we've got plenty lizards around here! fionna and i could make a hearty stew.

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  6. I recently did the whole30 challenge...it rocked my world but for the most part i am sticking to it. bravo for front page news!

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  7. i love when special interest articles are front page news. too often we see articles i practically want to hide under the sofa so my kids don't read them! we are so privileged to be able to make choices about our food... to often, i am not such a good steward of making food choices.

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    1. good food, good news - we are privileged indeed. and i love the word "steward" applied to making food choices. very appropriate.

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  8. You are such a rock star! I had the privilege of being able to tell people "I work out with her every a.m. and she kicks my ass every time." :) Keep up the good work!

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    1. you're catching up with me - and making me work harder! thank you, amber!

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  9. Very cool! The front page; I'm impressed. While some people bemoan the internet and all its evils, it really is an amazing tool when used for good!

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  10. Sounds like a "whole foods diet" to me if you don't like the other terms. And congrats, being in the paper is fun!

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    1. yes, the term whole foods diet works, but isn't quite specific enough for me, perhaps because to me it implies a whole list of foods i don't eat. but i guess this begs the question, why do i feel the need to specifically label our diet? hmmm. fuel for a future post.

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  11. I read the piece online a few days ago, and it was great!

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  12. you're so famous :)
    my chicken squawk like mad when squirrels get in their run and steal their scraps. Which is all day long, so I'm on damage control with the neighbors.

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  13. AnonymousJuly 03, 2012

    i live in placer too! i need to check this article out!

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  14. I really appreciate that you ended this post with a statement about privilege. Too often we leave out the concept of privilege when food conversations devolve into debates.

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