That is exactly how I feel.  My main medical complaint that led me to paleo
was acne.  My acne's severity seems to be directly proportional to how
strictly paleo I am.  If I see a wonderful homemade cheesecake with
strawberries and whipped cream, by golly, I'm going to eat it.  I might
break out a few days later, but it sure is worth it for a good cheesecake.

If I had a serious medical issue such as cancer, or if I were older, I'm
sure I'd feel a little different and take the food-as-medicine approach.

However, doing things like eating about 90% fewer grains than I used to and
trying to get my food in real, whole food, unprocessed form alone gives me
most of the benefits of paleo without being totally anal about it and
appearing obsessed about my food.

So I see no problem looking for things like almond flour as a substitute for
wheat flour/breadcrumbs, etc.  Like somebody else said, paleo is a way of
eating, not a religion.  For me, it is an ideal to strive for.  Back in the
bad old days of the food pyramid, I tried to eat what I considered
"healthy".  I certainly didn't eat that way all the time.  Same thing here.
Though with paleo it is much easier to say no or at least limit my servings
of things like candybars and cheesecake.

I regard "paleo" as a kind of ideal
> that I'm happy to orbit, sometimes closely and sometimes less so.
>
>