Hi Robin,
 
Welcome!  Give yourself credit for being bold and stepping out of the box!
 
I disagree with Cordain to some extent.   I prefer  lots of fat in my diet, sometimes in greater quantity than protein, and feel it all depends on quality and context.  If you live in a hot climate, and sit behind a desk all day, you might not want as much fat as a paleo eater who lives in a cold climate and works outside.  Even if you lived off the wild, there are different animals who offer different fat profiles.  I've eaten beavers that were dripping with fat.  There are wild turkey that are lean and mean.  Today we killed a doe that was loaded with fat because she was still lactating (yeah, I felt bad about that too, but then again, she was off with two bucks fooling around in the rut with her fawns left no where in sight).....fish range from fatty salmon to lean haddock.  There's a buffet of choices within paleo to keep you satisfied.  The more you eat this way, hopefully, you will listen to your instincts and cravings, and tune out the
 other voices.   DOn't be afraid to eat as much as you need.  That's totally paleo.  Being neurotic about food portions is completely media driven and totally unpaleo.  If you need to eat a 20 ounce prime rib with all the fat, go for it.  If you can afford grass fed/organic, eat it.  If not, stick to paleo principles and do your best.    If you feel turned off by meat, then take a break until the taste for it returns.  Once you get the grains out of your diet, you will develop new yens for paleo foods.  Eat when hungry.  Don't eat when not.  Its pretty simple.  DOn't overcomplicate things.  
 
SO back to the question of dairy:   To quote Nancy Reagan, "Just Say NO!"    Getting back to the doe story.  She had milk in her udders.  Guess how much?  1/4 cup (yeah, I measured just so I could tell this story... LOL!).   Clearly if you were living a pure paleo life eating only wild game, etc., where would milk come from?   Try getting a wild doe to stand still long enough to  let you nurse on its teat!    
 
SO how about coconut milk kefir?  You can get it unsweetened from "So Delicous" as an alternative.   Also, you can make delicous nut milks from almonds.
 
Read Neanderthin and just keep it simple.  All you can eat crab legs at a Chinese Buffet also works!
 
Good luck,
Batsheva
 
 
 


________________________________
From: Robin Temple <[log in to unmask]>
Hello Folks,
  I have been lurking on this list for some time  now.
Have decided to give Paleo an honest try, but have some  questions for you 
if I may?

Just read Cordain's book. He seems to be in disagreement with  info I have 
read, i.e., meats should be lean. Other info says to eat the fat on  the 
meat as well. Case in point, cooking food in bacon grease. Cordain says no  to 
bacon.

Also, for a few years now I have been making protein shakes  for breakfast 
with my homemade Kefir from raw milk. I seem to do very well on  this. Paleo 
recommends doing away with all dairy. How much trouble am  I in, from the 
Paleo perspective, if I continue with the Kefir? My  holistic guru advises me 
to stay away from dairy but says Kefir is ok and very  healthy because it 
is fermented and made from raw milk from a cow that is grass  fed and gets NO 
grain ever.

Thank you,

Rob Temple