This is Not What A Paleo Pantry Looks Like

The title of an article in a local paper this morning was ‘Creating a Paleo Pantry’.  I was thrilled!   Initially, that is.

At first glance, I thought about how cool it was that someone else was writing about, and suggesting, doing the very thing that I do- cleaning out the kitchen and pantry in order to facilitate following a healthy, Paleo eating regime.  After all, if you’re trying to lose weight, or alleviate health issues, it’s easier to not eat ice cream, chips or bread if they’re not staring you in the face every time you open the freezer or cupboard, respectively.

Boy, was I disappointed. 

Rather than suggesting getting rid of all the offending culprits, it turned out to a list of suggestions for swapping out baking ingredients from traditional ones, for gluten free items and organizing the kitchen to make it easier to find your ‘staples’ which are listed as including “almond flour, coconut flour and raw cacao powder”.

Since when are those staples in the Paleo diet?

Yes, gluten free baking is a step in the right direction compared to baking with all purpose flour, but to suggest these are staples of a Paleo kitchen goes hand in hand with the false perception that gluten free automatically means ‘good for you’ or that eating Paleo ‘treats’ ad nauseam is a good idea.

If only this article had been titled something else, perhaps something like ‘Organize Your Gluten-Free Pantry’, there would be no issue whatsoever.

So how does one go about creating a Paleo Pantry and doing a proper Kitchen Makeover?  Check out your copy of Paleoista and follow along with my step by step guide!