On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:12:17 -0600, Edwina B  
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> - eating so much meat after being mostly a veg and seafood/fish only  
> eater for the last ten years or so
There is a transition period.  I moved from being vegetarian to eating  
paleo.
I started with chicken and fish, gradually including pork and lamb, and  
finally
beef.

> - feeling guilty about eating so much meat given not really happy with  
> the farming of large animals or the killing of them even when they have  
> supposedly been farmed ethically (the difference with seafood is it  
> lives an unfarmed life and so it doesn't feel as bad to me)
To me it's very important to only eat meat/chicken from animals raised  
ethically.
The moment of slaughter is quickly over; it's the lifetime of good  
treatment
and content with others of their kind that matters.  After all, in nature,  
practically nothing dies a natural death, and most critters die way worse  
than what happens with
humane slaughter.  It's best if you can find local growers and ranchers,  
and see the
life the animals lead.

It's the fish I have the most trouble eating now.  Practically all fishery  
stocks
in the world are overfished, many are sinking to extinction.  Chickens and  
cows are
NOT endangered species; swordfish and shark are.  I refuse to eat  
endangered species.
The factory farming of fish and shrimp is terribly polluting; many farmed  
species are
fed wild fish (usually herring) which is depleting those wild stocks too.   
I may have
some wild-caught Alaskan salmon once or twice a year; that's it for  
seafood for me.

> - finding it hard not to feel a bit bored without using some of the  
> condiments I've always enjoyed such as balsamic vinegar, black bean  
> paste, oyster sauce etc, mostly I've gone back to using them
Many paleo eaters have no trouble with vinegar; it is a natural product.   
Leave that
fruit juice alone long enough and it'll become vinegar by itself.  People  
who are
MSG-sensitive need to be careful on a lot of those sauces and condiments.

The big thing is to stay off the grains, dairy products, sugar, and soy or  
dried
beans as a staple of your diet.  I'm sure there are some otherwise  
faithful paleo
eaters who use soy sauce occasionally, or some other condiment, or butter.

> - finding it hard to find the time to shop and cook Paleo in a busy life
There have been some really excellent posts on this subject; check the  
archives.
Paleo food is generally easy to cook, since you don't have to make the  
elaborate
sauces, cakes, breads, etc. etc. etc. which take so much time.  You're  
eating
meat, vegetables and fruit, simply prepared.

> - feeling a bit of pressure from my partner who is not interested in  
> eating Paleo and although he respects my choice he says it feels hard  
> for him that it's not so easy for him to cook for me anymore
Always a hard situation. I'm the cook in our family; sometimes I fix some
different dishes for my husband and myself.  If he's a vegan, you're  
really in
for some trouble; if he fixes mainly vegetable dishes, you can have some
grilled chicken or beef and just add to your portion, omitting the rice for
example.

> - finding it enormously hard not to eat chocolate when premenstrual  
> which is the only time I'm remotely interested in it.
Although it is not exactly "Paleo" you could try supplementing with  
magnesium.
You can also find some herbal teas that can help you through that time,  
such as
raspberry leaf.

	Lynnet