It was about 4-5 months ago that I first learned about the Paleo Diet. Alasdair and I met some people at a party who happened to live in our neighborhood. They, in turn, invited us to a BBQ. A Paleo BBQ. I had never heard of “Paleo” before, but I was excited at the prospect of trying out a new diet because, as you might have noticed, I’m a little obsessed with diet fads. I didn’t want to turn up at the BBQ totally ignorant, so I did my research. Thank goodness for that otherwise I might have brought my tortellini salad. Instead, I went with my Paleo-friendly Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus.

I checked out The Paleo Diet website, and learned that the diet is based on the understanding that the best human diet is the one to which we are best genetically adapted. The problem is, our bodies never adjusted properly to eating all the grains that we’re now farming.  As Robb Wolf (the author of The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet) puts it, think of a 100-yard football field.  The first 99.5 yards are how long Homo-Sapiens spent as hunter-gatherers. As they became REALLY good at hunting and gathering our bodies adapted to that lifestyle over thousands of years.  That last half-yard represents our species after the agricultural revolution. Our diet has shifted but our genetics haven’t.

You know what, it makes sense. If you look at most of the diets out there that are focused primarily on health rather than weight loss, they advocate for fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and seafoods just like the Paleo Diet. And there is a lot of testimony out there that this diet helps to clear up acne, slows progression of autoimmune diseases, reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes and does a lot of other great stuff.

Now, I’m no expert on the Paleo Diet and I’m not a hard-core follower because I obviously do not have that type of discipline, but I support the movement just like I support most diets that make sense. So, with that in mind, I will include some Paleo-friendly recipes on my site.

Disclaimer: As I stated, I’m no expert on the Paleo Diet, so my Paleo-friendly recipes may not be 100 percent Paleo. They may contain the wrong type of oil or butter or too much salt. Take my Steak and Mushrooms with Basil Marsala Sauce. You may have to subsitute olive oil for the butter and use a Paleo stock but the overall recipe idea is Paleo-friendly. Just as with my recipes marked “Gluten-Free,” please double check my recipes marked “Paleo” if you’re a hard-core follower. If you do make any of my recipes and make Paleo adjustments, let me know how they turn out!

In the meantime, try my Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus. The Paleo BBQ attendees gave it two thumbs up! Click here for more Paleo-friendly recipes.