#1) I am OK with the Primal label, since it expresses the core of the lifestyle. To treat or bodies more as they were evolved to be treated. It requires some explanation and will get some odd looks sometimes, but whatever. It is not for everybody.

#2) Yes, not likely sustainable for everyone on the planet. We do not need to keep it a secret though, because much of the planet could not afford to live this way. We are very blessed that we have both the desire and means.

#3) Yep.

#4) I do not eat everything grass fed, it is not feasible. Great rule of thumb is to stick with leaner cuts when buying non-grass fed meats.

#1, why dont they come up with a better name so it doesnt sound so much like a fad diet or kookey fad. you know what i mean? because as soon as i mention paleo/primal people say "Well people died a lot sooner back then" and it just sounds strange. there should be a better name for it.

They're always going to come up with names that are marketable. If anyone asks, I just tell them I eat 'hunter/gatherer'-style.

#2, this diet is also met with the point from skeptics that it is not sustainable if everyone ate like this. and i sort of agree. so if everyone ate and lived this way it wouldnt be able to be sustained. and thats basically why it will never be accepted by the government because its too expensive and not enough profit margin. where instead they could pump everything with soy, give everyone thyroid disease and still make money. but anyways, knowing that, why are we bothering to spread the word? shouldnt this be the best kept diet secret? like more meat for us? or am i completely off? lol

Look at it this way. The world is burdened with massive overpopulation. What enabled it to happen? That's right - the development of agriculture! This ONE event made enough calories available so that small tribes could become large nations. Hunter/gatherer cannot be worldwide unless 80% of the population would die off.

Bottom line is, I eat hunter/gatherer because it is right for ME. I tell others who are interested because it could be right for THEM. But I in no way am under the delusion that the whole world could (or would) eat this way - mostly because most people are comfy in their ignorance.

#3 did you ever notice that the reaction to someone who is on the sacred whole grain kick when you tell them that in fact is not healthy, they react as a drug addict does when you tell them to stop whatever drug they are addicted to? like if you first tell someone about paleo and the science behind it first they deny it, then they get angry and sometimes start yelling as if they are protecting something so dear and sacred to them. anyone ever notice this? i noticed it with my whole family. we are italian so we naturally yell at each other but we got in a screaming match when i said starch was really bad. my one aunt like freaked out. it really reminded me of an addict. anyone else notice this???

Punching someone in the prejudice is never pretty.

I let my increasing health talk for me. My stepdaughter, who was scoffingly antagonistic at first, is now saying she'll switch to our way of eating "when she turns 30" (she's 22). Another year, and she'll be on the bus.

#4 how to do paleo on a budget? i cannot afford organic and grass fed foods its just not in the cards for me right now. any suggestions on how to stay on a budget while still eating whole natural foods?

Re-prioritize your budget. Once I realized that whole, organic foods was the REAL cost of eating, I got used to the idea that my food budget was gonna be bigger - and that I had to save elsewhere. FOOD is important. Lattes at Starbucks isn't.

Of course, I look for sales, buy in bulk where I can, and as others have mentioned, buy organic when it makes sense. I'm willing to pay a 15% premium for organic foods: when an avocado is $1.50 and an organic one is $1.89, I'll buy organic. When asparagus is $1.99 a bunch, and organic is $6.99 - I'll either get the cheap stuff or do without until the price drops.

Also: buy in season. When food crops come in, the price drops for a few weeks. Buy then and blanch/freeze. Eat whatever is seasonal (cheap) as it goes by - that's grazing, and that is the essence of hunter/gatherer: eating what's available in a natural context. Not: eating the same thing all year, because we can ship it from Chile in the off-season.

1. Yeah, it's a bit of a silly name. I generally just tell people I've found a good way of cutting out grains...most people who know me know the hell I've been through trying to cut out bread over the years (never thought about just upping my fat intake...duh!), so they don't really question it.

2. Likely is not sustainable for the entire world, no. But most people are pretty unlikely to try it anyway, given that it is so far from what conventional wisdom suggests.

3. I just tend to keep out of it. I'm not the food police, and other people can eat whatever they like. Their loss.

4. It does seem expensive on the face of it, but there are lots of ways to make it cheaper, chief among the being learning good, traditional cooking skills, in my opinion. Many of the cheaper cuts lend themselves extremely well to stews and the like, and making your own stocks can make a piece of meat last for a good few meals.

For instance, say I buy a free range chicken - it is somewhat more expensive than a factory chicken, but if I have it roasted one day, use the leftover white meat for a salad the next day and boil up the carcass for stock and add the dark meat to the resultant stock for soup, then I have spread that cost over three different meals, and it works out fairly economical.

Also - organ meats! I cannot stress this enough, they are cheap, and when prepared properly, absolutely lovely (and super nutritious). I have a bit of an advantage here inasmuch as traditional British cooking uses a lot of organ meat, and I was brought up eating it, but i really urge anyone squeamish about it to give it a try.

As mentioned above, fruit and vegetables in season are much cheaper (and usually at their best tasting). If possible, you could also try growing your own vegetables, or enquiring about organic produce boxes in your area.

If you live in the countryside, you could also do your own hunter-gathering - even if it is just gathering your own blackberries or perhaps going fishing. Make the most of your own particular environment - Personally, I live near the sea, so can go and buy fresh fish from off the boats (and it's cheaper than the supermarket!), and perhaps gather some mussels at the same time. Use your ingenuity, and you can find ways to make it cheaper.

Yep, silly name.. I just tell people I'm a "conscientious omnivore" and let them work that out. :bigsmile:

Timely post on Mark's Daily Apple in regards to question 2:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/can-we-feed-the-world-on-the-primal-blueprint-diet-part-1/#axzz1nhqCYATw