Veggie x Paleo = ?

Is it possible to be Paleo AND veggie....?

 vs 

[a bog standard vegetarian vs an authentic cavewoman. who would win in a mud fight??]

[images (c) PETA; glamafit.com]

Your first reaction (if you know Paleo) is most probably... "NO".  

But in my opinion, it depends on what 'Paleo' and 'veggie' mean.  And of course that's open to interpretation.

I consider myself a pragmatic vegetarian.

I am against the exploitation of animals.

[Part of] This means:

I don't eat meat (red/white/blue/green/whatever)

I don't eat meat derivatives, such as beef/pork gelatine, meat stock, lard/dripping, calf rennet, all the other delightful products food companies like to secretly (or not so secretly) secrete within popular food choices

But I do understand that some people choose to eat meat.

.....I also know that some people just don't think about it (habitually/socially/deliberately).

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- I'm not freaked out by meat.  I'm not against "the idea" of it.

- I've found out lots about meat, and the processes behind it.

- I don't think animals are more important than people (seriously??).

- And I don't preach about my own beliefs, understandings, interpretations.  

I understand and respect the Paleo approach.  
In particular, I respect the Paleo preference for grass-fed, organic, pastured, local animal products, over hormone-stuffed, factory-farmed, industrialised meat and derivatives.  Paleo-approved animal products are as clean and ethical as it gets these days.  Its also as near to the diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors as we can realistically get, in the western world today.

But I still don't eat it.  

The only potential exception, within my ethical system, is wild, sustainably caught fish.  Not something I normally eat.  But  something I may be open to including in my diet, where necessary.  Confusing?  Not to me.

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That brings me to this Challenge:

I am doing the 30 Day Challenge, opting for the weight loss challenge (over the muscle gain challenge).  This means no dairy.  [And no high Glycaemic Load Carbs unless 0-2 hours post training]  And of course, no refined/processed foods.  Generally speaking, many Paleo-proponents also say to avoid legumes (as they can lead to inflammation in the gut amongst other things).  

Just to recap.  This means:

• NO milk, butter, cheese
• NO TVP (textured vegetable protein), soy protein, Quorn/fake meat...

And ideally:

• NO  tofu, soy, lentils, beans, hemp   (the legumes bunch)

This leaves me with.. EGGS!

I don't even like eggs.. (conceptually, ethically and taste-wise!)

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Realistically, I am going to struggle with motivation and maintaining my challenge if I eat only eggs for a month.  So I will be consuming some legumes.  And I may eat some wild sustainably caught fish.

*Does that make me a bad veggie?  

*Does it make me a bad "cavewoman"??  

I think it makes me pragmatic and realistic.  

....And that's enough for now..!

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For more info on the Veggie / Paleo debate, including some of the articles that have informed my opinions, please see my Links page.