Throughout my week, I get quite a few emails and Facebook messages from my followers. The truth that I am a Christian bleeds out onto my blog posts and often into my daily encouragement to others. I just can’t help it! 😉 Many say to keep your beliefs and political opinions off your page, but I can’t sometimes, and never will change who I am…let alone what I want to say. I am not very good at holding my tongue…in good situations and in bad. A majority of my emails are from others who are confused on how I can be a Christian at the same time as being Paleo. Many give me encouragement for being the first Christian Paleo that they have ever known. And then others are, well lets just say, are not so nice. You see, people link Paleo to evolution.  You might be surprised to hear that I do believe in the evolution of some species. I do not believe in the evolution of our ancestors from mangy looking, hunched over, cavemen to straight and upright human beings. I don’t know how old the earth is, nor do I very much care or ever want to end up in a heated debate over it.  I do know how long it took to be created.
Whatever the case may be…
I am Christian.
I am Paleo.
You can be both.
You can be Christian and you can be Paleo because Paleo, is just a way of eating…nothing more.
So before I write anything else, here’s my disclosure: I am not writing this to debate religions, creeds, or claims. I am not writing this to convince you that Christianity is the only way. I am not writing this to start a fight or argument.
I am writing this because I want to encourage those who are Christian that eating Paleo can compliment a Christian lifestyle.
But how can I be a Christian and follow Paleo?Â
1. Paleo is not a religion . First of all, I’ve never scrutinized this before…nor I have I ever thought that I couldn’t eat Paleo because I am a Christian. I don’t think Paleo is a religion, thus I feel I can be a Christian and follow the Paleo way of eating without betraying one-or-the other. Both are completely different. Christian is who I am. Paleo is what I eat. Christian is what I believe. Paleo is something I just credit as useful and makes my body feel good. One is something I cannot change…not even on a bad day. The other is something that DOES and CAN change, depending on if I want to indulge and eat a brownie. One I can’t walk away from. The other I can walk away from….and very easily.
2. “Well, didn’t Jesus eat grains?” I don’t hate bread, nor do I think it’s evil. I just don’t eat bread and grains because they are, to me, an inferior source of nourishment. They are, mostly, genetically modified and DO NOT resemble the grains that were spoke about in the Bible days. After eliminating them from my diet, then adding them back in moments of “indulgence”, I am now aware of the effects they have on my body. So, I choose not to eat them. This article at Wellness Mama talks in-depth about what, specifically, the Bible says about grains. A few points:
- the grains of the Bible are much different from the grains of today
- the grains of the Bible were prepared much different from the grains of today
- grain consumption didn’t begin till after the Fall
- grains were eaten in times of hardship
- meat is linked with times of celebration or redemption
- Jesus is the Bread of Life
3. I believe my body is a temple so I treat it well. I am attracted to eating Paleo because it is a very clean way of eating. Eliminating processed foods, growing and harvesting your own food, eating foods that are good for your body…all fall under the eating Paleo. Eating Paleo has grown in me a love for real food…a love for our local, hard-working farmers, and a love for cooking good, healing foods for my family. It has made me conscious about what I feed my children, about what I feed my pets, and about what I feed myself. I’ve had amazing results from eating Paleo. It has helped with depression, it has helped me lose over 60lbs, it has helped my energy levels and helped me sleep better. Should I discredit those results because some people believe that the Paleo diet is the same diet as our “pre-human” ancestors?  When you hear testimonies like mine, does it matter if I believe in evolution or creation?Â
4. There is nothing in the Bible that tells me not to eat a Paleo diet. In fact, in Genesis 18 God, personally, sits down and has a meal with Abraham. What did he eat? He ate red meat, butter, and raw milk (He, also, ate very high quality, properly prepared bread…this is how things have changed). I believe that God has given us a perfect menu on this beautiful earth He has created. I believe He gave us things to eat that would nourish our bodies, grow our bodies, keep our bodies healthy, and build strong beings. I believe He created natural remedies for sicknesses and that the food He created should be our medicine. I don’t believe in changing the genetic molecule of our foods. I don’t believe in filling our foods with unnatural preservatives. And I don’t believe in filling our foods with garbage.
5. Eating Paleo complements my Christianity. It has taught me to appreciate the whole animal. It has taught me to consume all the animal and not waste anything. It has brought about a respect for God’s creation that just, simply, being a Christian never did. It has taught me to source our meat and love our food that we eat. The day will come that we will start butchering our own chickens, rabbits, pigs, and cows. Paleo has taught me to treat them well and to show gratitude to them for providing nourishment for our bodies; to give them a good life for the food they will provide for my family. As Christianity bleeds onto every aspect of my life, so has eating Paleo.
Conclusion
Paleo is not a religion and to treat it as one is just ridiculous. The main reason people cannot get over the whole “how can you be a Christian and Paleo?” is because of the evolution aspect. Once again, Paleo isn’t a religion, nor is evolution a religion. Just as grains should not be the focus of Christianity, evolution should not be the focus of Paleo. The beautiful part of eating Paleo is that you are eating the cleanest your body, probably, ever has. You are making steps towards limiting processed foods, sourcing good, sustainable meats, shopping as organic as possible, and, maybe, you are even growing a garden now.
Paleo changed my life. Christ has changed my life. Because of Paleo, we are now homesteading, raising goats, chickens, and growing organic food. Because of Christ, we are living our life to the fullest, acting upon our dreams, and celebrating the beautiful life God has given us. Christianity fulfills me spiritually, whereas, Paleo fulfills me morally and ethically when it comes taking care of God’s creation. It also fully fills my belly!
For more reading on this topic:Â
- Can Christians Be Paleo? Christianity, Faith, Evidence, Dobzhansky, Evolution, and More
- Can a Christian Follow a Paleo Low-Carb Diet?
- Grains and the BibleÂ
- The Paleo Diet and the Christian
Well said. I never know why people care so much to write emails criticizing prople over food and beliefs! Your post about trying to milk goats make me spit out water, I was laughing do hard. I love your posts, keep up the great work!
I agree Sinead! And thank you…glad you enjoyed the laugh!
I am so happy to hear you are a Christian, and it comforts me to know you are not like most Paleo eaters. However, how do you defend eating dead animals? You mentioned WellnessMama’s article that people did not eat grains until after the fall of man, but there was no dead animal consumption until after sin befell humanity. You realize Adam and Eve were vegetarians, right? If you read Genesis 1:29, God plainly states that the plants of the earth were to be their meat, no animal meat. Dead animals can only exist in a sinful world. I’m not saying eating dead animals is a sin, but you must realize God did not give people permission to eat dead animals until AFTER the flood (read Genesis 9:3). In addition, the ONLY Blue Zone in North America is in Loma Linda, California. Why is that? Because a huge part of our community is made of Seventh-day Adventist vegetarians. No dead animal consumption here. I am aware that ancient grains are different than they are today, but to say they were only used in times of hardship is very incorrect. Jesus, in perhaps the most famous prayer ever, mentions eating daily bread (Matthew 6:11). Whether or not you want to eat grains doesn’t matter, but to not eat grains BUT says eating a dead animal is okay is very picky and choosey indeed. God may have allowed us to eat animals, but that doesn’t mean that He wants it for us.
I am a theology student and as far as I can tell when God kicked out Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden He clothed them in animal skins, so God was teaching sacrifice to Adam (Genesis 3:21). Also, Abel was said to raise livestock. Livestock is not raised for fun because it takes too much work so that would mean that Adam taught Abel about sacrifice and thus the meat that was not brunt in sacrifice was eaten. Also, later on in Gen. 7:2 God instructs Noah to take 7 pairs of clean animals and one pair of unclean animals. If Noah understood this then they were eating meat because they would take more clean animal pairs to insure that they had food but also that the species they ate was not wiped out. Just some “food” for thought.
Ha! this is a great way to start my day! I, too, am Christian, and though I haven’t gotten the question yet, I’m sure it’s coming one day lol. I usually can keep people’s comments at bay by saying it myself first. I’ll say, “the premise of the Paleo diet/lifestyle is to eat like our Paleolithic ancestors. So despite the fact that I’m a Creationist, I still agree with the premise of not eating all of the processed crap that industrialization has introduced into our diets.”
Thanks for the post! I’m with you 100%
Very good response Kristen!
Amen!
Well said! It never occurred to me that someone would be critical about promoting well-raised meats and vegetables as a way of eating bc it doesn’t fit in CHRISTIANITY?! But it does! The whole caveman part just made me laugh. Look, people. Just as eating vegetarian isn’t for everyone, neither is Paleo. Listen to your body and hear and feel how it reacts, and you’ll find the foods that work for you. So far I have YET to see someone slim, healthy, and flourishing on the Pre-packaged, Processed Food Full Of Sugar and Chemicals Diet.
I too am a Christian and I to follow Paleo. And I love this post!
When reading the literature I usually substitute “created to” for “evolved to.”
Its easy. Its simple. And, as you have laid out here, it is not in conflict with my faith!
Well done!
Simon L Smith
http://www.paleoforthepeople.com
@paleo4thepeople
Oh, and a reply to my own comment. My mom pointed out that I am following a “diet” based on evolution and my “token apostate” brother is following a “Garden of Eden” vegan diet!
I love irony.
Wow, I’ve never even thought about someone wondering that. I love your reply though. So true!
I love this!!! I am a Christian and new to paleo eating – my GI doctor recommended paleo for some chronic health issues, and I just finished my first month. The results I have already experienced have been amazing – I am off of medicine that I have taken 15 years for severe acid reflux! I am sleeping better, handling stress better, feeling happy and vibrant with boundless energy…I’m no longer having to push through fatigue to get through my daily responsibilities – I’m LIVING in each moment! My husband and children have seen the positive changes and healing in me, and we have enjoyed all being in it together – looking through recipes, trying new foods, reading labels, etc – my boys are becoming educated about the importance of food choice with me! For all of these reasons and many others, I am THANKING God for leading us down this path and want to use my health, happiness and energy to give him PRAISE and GLORIFY his name! Thank you for your post and sharing your faith!
LOVE the way you explained this to people. I LOVED it and may reread it several times to make me stronger! Thank you again for having this wonderful site. I look fwd to your posts and have saved recipes. Thank You, Thank you, thank you! Tammy
Agreed! You are SOOO right on!
Love this! Christian here as well, and a paleo eater for over a year. I’ve never had this thrown at me despite having a brother and sister-in law that are creationists, but I assumed it was because they already know that evolution/creationism is a non-issue to me. Does my understanding of how God created us affect my daily walk with Christ? Not at all. Why should it? Did Jesus make a big fuss about it anywhere in the New Testament? Then why should I?
I have only heard of paleo in last few weeks, then came across people advocating low carb high saturated fat, and blood type diet, fructose. My mind and body are certainly in confusion about food, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome .
the internet is an amazing thing. I typed in the question can Christian be paleo, and surprised to find so much about it. I questioned this when I read that Abel did not raise animals for food , they were only for sacrifice to God , as a Type of the shed blood and body of Jesus..
I have enjoyed this blogg, and the comments.
I do think it is important to know that God created us. Eve was Built from a rib from Adams side. Eve is a Type of the Church which is being built from the life that flows from the dead and resurrected Christ. His side was pierced and out flowed blood for redemption and water to represent His divine life which is springing us in us into eternal life. Also we are created in the image and likeness of God. We differ from the animals in that we have more than a body and soul,we have a human spirit. This spirit is regenerated when we are born again . By our human spirit we receive the Lord Spirit and worship the Lord in spirit and in reality. Jesus said I will build my church. The church will be presented to the resurrected ascended Christ as a bride, just as Eve was presented to Adam when awoken(resurrected) from a deep sleep. I praise God for His wonderful word , which contains a precious account of His eternal plan.
This was so refreshing to wake up and read this morning! I reference you and your recipes a lot on my own blog. I love your blog, your recipes and now how eloquently you have addressed this. I am also a believer. Although, I’m not a strict paleo dieter, I try to cook and eat as paleo as I can. I sort of mish mash clean eating/paleo/gluten free all into one. I’m new to this whole paleo world, but I’m loving all that I’m learning about the food, not the “lifestyle” it comes from. As everyone has said, well done. Thank you for being honest and true to yourself.
awww, thank you Lindsay for sharing…and thank you for referencing my blog on YOUR blog!!!
I’m not surprised you got this response, Paleo Mama. I had a young Christian man question the validity of the Paleo diet because he doesn’t believe in evolution. I explained what the Paleo diet entails. I also explained that I chose to follow this diet because the guidelines work best with my food allergies (dairy and beans) and mild gluten intolerance. Religion and “theories” on how this world came to be had nothing to do with it. 🙂 Though, as a Wiccan, eating cleanly and exercising (as the Paleo diet encourages) fits perfectly with two of the 13 Tenets of Wicca (“give your body healthy food” and “exercise your body”).
Kudos to you for giving such a gracious and well-thought out response. May your spiritual path continue to be blessed. And may your clean eating habits continue to heal your body and the bodies of your family.
And I also believe the body is a temple. Well said. 🙂
That’s great Shannon!!! Thank you for sharing…and thank you for reading my blog!!! <3
You are very welcome! Your blog is awesome! I get great insights and ideas from reading it. Keep up the amazing work you do and wisdom you share.
Beautifully written, I love reading your blogs.
awww, thank you!!
to paleo mama I love reading your blogs I haven’t ben on it very long I was reading about your paleo eating I to have Acidreflux and no energy lots of stress in my life right now I would love too try your Recipes too see if I can feel better with my health and my life I haven’t seen eny of your Recipes on here could you send me some too try thank you if you can ( Geneva Hall )
Go to my homepage and look at the top. There is a tab titled My Recipes!
My return question would be, as a Christian how can you rightfully eat things that have been genetically created to harm our bodies, and cause diseases that should have never existed in the first place?
I am a Christian and feature Paleo recipes on my blog. I believe God leads us to what is best for our bodies, and if you have a gut in tact, you may very well be able to eat some grains, and that is great for you. I know that for me, God has led me to the Paleo diet to aid in healing. I wish there was more supporting each other in our own paths instead of condemnation for doing things differently than we do. Thanks for speaking boldly!
You’re welcome…thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your encouraging post. I have had a hard time reconciling this myself, just because the name of the diet implies that I believe I evolved from a caveman. But you know what, it could be a good springboard for sharing my faith in Christ and in the Bible. God has used you to motivate me to eat better :0). After reading your paleo testimony, and the book It Starts With Food, I don’t care what the diet is called, I just want my mind and body to be healthy again- to have the best quality of life I can, by the most natural means I can. (On day 10 of the whole30, and feeling a big difference already!). Thanks for addressing this topic- you GO girl!
Thanks Jen!! Day 10 of Whole30?!?! You are doing awesome!!!! You must be feeling amazing right now!
Awesome!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Hi!
I am a Christian, mother of two little girls (one who may have some gluten sensitivities), wife and daughter-in-law to a family from India, and sister to a creation science evangelist working now with Alpha and Omega Ministries having written part of the book “The Genius of Ancient Man.”. I’ll admit I haven’t read all of this book yet, but it has some info on how climate, history, technology all this has changed the earth and people in the roughly 6000 years creationists believe the earth to be old. It discusses what people were like during the beginning. To me caveman is just what people did early on. In the garden God gave all plants for food for humans and even animals. There was no death even in animals until sin entered the world. The tree of knowledge of good and evil was a special tree. We don’t know if we are eating its fruit today, we don’t know if God had other plants that we’ve never seen in the garden back the that provided even more nutrients for people and all animals that He hid when He closed the garden and killed the animals as clothes for the people. Since everything was perfect then, all the plants were perfect and they met our needs perfectly. As time went on and humans had to toil for food, and climates changed and habitats changed perhaps our dietary needs and availability changed also. As referenced above, look how much wheat has changed in just the 2000 years since Jesus walked on this earth! In 6000 years the earth and everything on it has seen a lot of change (some people may like to call this evolution). To me eating a diet as close to how God created it and intended it still makes sense, and then you have to see what the needs of this current body is as well. The human body has changed through centuries as it adapts to what it is eating. For many we see gluten intolerance because many bodies have not genetically been able to handle the change of the wheat through the genetic generations. Some generations now may need to cut out grains until the food industry gets back to nature with these (if they can). Then some generations later they can once again eat properly prepared generations. I have learned a lot from my Indian mother-in-law as well about traditional foods and things like wheat chappatis/roti which have become increasingly quickly prepared and not as well digested in the new generation (ie. her son my husband and our little girl). All over the world we need to look back to our ancestors and back to God! Umm…thanks for reading! I had a lot of thoughts and no blog yet to write on. Caveman equals early created/ancient man to me and paleo his early not-too-changed food! Thanks so much Paleo Mama and Wellness Mama!!!
I’m Christian as well and it never occurred to me that eating Paleo might be considered a conflict with my religion because of it’s caveman reference! I find the whole idea pretty humorous. That having been said, I actually do have kind of a conflict with the Paleo. That conflict is with eating pig! It was recently pointed out to me that the bible lists which foods we should eat and which foods we shouldn’t. (Learn something new everyday right?!) Anyway, much to my dismay the pig is on the should NOT list! What no bacon?!?! I was wondering if you have ever heard this before? If you have heard this before, do you refrain from eating pork, ham and dare I say it … bacon?? Either way, I’m curious what your thoughts and feelings are. Thanks
I saw the question about bacon wasn’t answered and I wanted to answer it. Here is some great info on it https://garyeugenehowell.com/hearinggodsvoice/what-does-the-bible-say-about-eating-pork/
Love this post! I’m also a christian and the link to evolution is funny to me. I eat paleo-ish because it works -for MY body. I am learning to respect the temple that God gave me and have greatly lessened the poisons I put in my tummy. The results are that I am so much more at peace physically, emotionally and spirituallly. Yep, when my body is out of whack, everything is off kilter. I believe that God created that connection for a reason. Thanks for this!!
Great post! Bless you!
I am a Nutritional Therapist and I have gotten this question a lot from clients who are not Christians and also from others as well.
At first it really surprised me because I never thought about it, and my stance is like yours. They are two different things. Yes, there are people out there who treat Paleo as their religion, but they are the ones going overboard and probably suffering from orthorexia.
Great article, I have shared it on my page and look forward to hearing feedback.
Thank you for sharing Sandra!!!
I have been gluten/dairy intolerant ( and essentially grain-free except for some rice) for most of my adult life. My parents, who are devoted Christians understand this from a health point of view. However, they flat out refuse to read any book with “paleo” or “evolution” in the title. They did, however, read Wheat Belly stating that it was a medical doctor giving advice!! Just too funny to me. People can be fickle.
Great post! I just kinda laughed at the title because it never occurred to me that they would be contridictory – I live in a community with a lot of Christians and a lot of scientists. Almost everyone believes in Jesus AND considers evolution fact. I also think of paleo as more of a lifestyle and diet choice rather than an affirmation of evolution.
Out of curiosity, the section on Jesus eating bread brought up a question: what do you do for communion? Do you take the host as part of your 20%, do you only take wine, or do you do something else entirely? I am getting confirmed this spring, so when I do an elimination diet in the summer, I will actually have to think about that. Last time I wasn’t taking communion, so I didn’t worry about it.
have you checked to see if your church has a gluten-free option? mine does and I think a lot of them do now.
Praise The Lord for your boldness! I can see why someone may misinterpret what Paleo really is, but WOW!! Really? Keep up the great work that you are doing. Continue encouraging others while finding amazing recipes and by keeping God in your “talk” it only Glorifies Him, so if someone doesn’t like it, the. They miss out on what you have to share!!
Thank you Cheri!
It’s so interesting to me that the two can be seen as conflicting — to me it’s about eating what God created for my body to eat! I hadn’t heard of Paleo being linked to evolution — specifically the monkey-to-humans evolution.
Right on!
In my experience eating Paleo has brought me even closer to God…. ♡
Although I don’t agree with any religion anywhere, I truly respect your choice to take care of your body and mind.
Another Christian here! Thanks for this post, and all you recipes and posts. I agree with you on all of it – I’ve been eating Paleo for a year, and I love it! (gluten/grain intolerance).
Whaaat? I don’t even get why there would be an issue here…maybe I’m too literal, but what part of “In the beginning” is negated by paleo? Does someone believe that “paleo” came BEFORE “the beginning”? Very odd in my concept of Christianity, but I’ no Biblical scholar, just a lowly Christian believer so what do I know. {shakes head — moves on}
Hi! I just found your blog as I was Googling “Paleo Encouragement”! I am a Christian and the idea that eating Paleo contradicted that hadn’t even crossed my mind. However, I can see how some people might have a question or two when the “Eat like a caveman ate” phrase is said. But, hey…David lived in a cave! LOL Anyway, I’m excited to find your blog. About a month ago, our son challenged us to go Paleo for 30 days. However, only a week or so in, we were hooked! Personally, our son’s challenge to us was an answer to prayer. (I love how God answers our prayers in such fun ways sometimes!) I have lost 5 lbs and feel better than I have in years! My emotions have had a huge boost, my skin has cleared up (ya…this “older” lady started to get break outs!) and I feel great! I am so excited about this new way of eating and cutting out the junk that I’ve even started a new blog to chronicle our journey! (I’ve been a devotional blogger for 5 years at my other site). Anyway, I’m going to check out your site more!
Blessings, Joan
Paleo Mama! Thank you for writing this blog. We are very much alike in our beliefs and I thank you for writing this blog! It was a relief to to read that some else feels the way I do about the Paleo diet. I just wish it wasn’t called the Paleo diet. I am really hoping adopting this eating life style will help me with autoimmune disorder. I want to try to slowly bring my children in on it but veggies are on their do-not-eat list!! I’m pretty sneaky though!! I get them in sauces and casseroles one way or another:)
Jessica Abe
Love this!! I have gotten this too….but Jesus ate bread? Why yes, he did, but it was not genetically modified garbage that we are being sold today. I am SO stealing your line, Jesus is my bread of life! It’s so true. Seriously, it’s not hard. Eat REAL food and treat your body the way God intended you to, like a temple! Great post!
Thank you for your post. It is encouraging to see how many people have been helped, healed and relieved of many health issues by transitioning into a Paleo lifestyle. My family and I have also been changing our eating habits and slowly, but surely, transitioning into a better way of eating as well.
I have many friends who do the whole Paleo thing with me, and we have fun with it. We are also all Christians. In some of our conversations, it has never come up as a Paleo -vs- Christian debate. However, what has come up, and I believe to be part of the “battle”, is the foundation of the Paleo way of eating. If you look at many of the sites and read about the very foundation of the Paleo lifestyle, most talk about how our ancestors ate millions of years ago. This can be difficult to buy in to, when the foundation of the Paleo lifestyle is based on something that some/many Christians do not believe in. I know that for some, buying in to the whole thing when the very foundation of it is inaccurate, can create problems for some Christians, not all, but some. Again, I know for some, it’s not about the actual food that is the rub, it’s the grounds for which the support comes. When the very foundation of something appears to be against what you believe, I think we would be remiss if we didn’t examine it, and come up with our own thoughts about it, for our own families. One of the things my daughter pointed out is that if you change the foundation of it’s origins, it remains the same. So if it helps you, then keep doing it.
But, just like anything and everything else, it doesn’t have to be a debate. Research, research and try what is best for your family, and go from there. Isn’t it about eating healthy? I don’t think anyone can argue with that 🙂 So we should all have grace in either circumstance. It may be right for you and wrong for someone else, so let’s just show a little grace to all involved. Do what you believe is right and if you are a Christian, ask the Lord to guide you and He will.
Please keep up the great work you do. It is helping others around the world. May the Lord bless you!
Thank you so much momof6!!!
You lost me at grains are “genetically modified.” Grains are NOT GMO, they are hybridized. Big difference.
Even if you aren’t a fan of the hybridized grains (I’m not either), have you tried einkorn or spelt? Both grains from the Bible. They taste better, too, and many people do not feel the I’ll effects from them that they feel from modern grains.
I am honestly stunned! Folks can create hatefulness out of any ol’ thing. There are blogs I’ve read and not agreed with or was offended by — I stopped reading those blogs. No need to spew hatefulness to those folks — we all are entitled to our opinions/beliefs — chose your browser and move on. Who knew what you believe combined with what you eat could be so controversial! Thanks so much for doing what you do and sharing what you have learned. This change has not been easy — there is a lot to learn — especially when converting the entire family. (the benefits have outweighed the difficulty) It’s been months — each month gets easier and it is due IN LARGE PART to what I have learned here. I appreciate you.
I was completely confused when I saw your post. I’m also a Christian and follow the Paleo lifestyle, but have never been asked this question. I think it depends on what denomination or type of Christianity people follow. My denomination sees evolution as hand-in-hand with God’s redemptive work. I know other strains of Christianity don’t, and would say that my denomination is not Christian because of this belief.
I am a clean eater, mostly raw actually. My only hang up with the paleo diet is the reference to evolutionary theory. The supposed caveman who ate this diet were here 50,000 years ago, a time when I believe the earth was formless and void. To me it would be like working the front desk at a psychic office and saying you are no more than a secretary. True, you may be a secretary but where you are working is what you are aligning yourself with. While you know the bible clearly speaks against fortune telling and conjuring spirits would you feel comfortable working there as a secretary? Even though the bible clearly states that it was created in 6 days and gives an amazing genealogy putting its age at around 6000 years, are you comfortable aligning yourself with the evolutionary belief that God had nothing to do with creation? I am really struggling with this right now. I enjoy clean eating and getting healthy but I can’t call myself a paleo. I Aunt told me to just shut up and eat. 🙂 I am hoping you can help me come to peace with this.
Hi Jackie,
Thank you for writing this blog. I have been a Christian for 22 years and only started a Paleo lifestyle 5 months ago. It was a God thing and though a variety of circumstances, He led me to this. It is the best lifestyle change I have made and will never go back. I also agree with this lifestyle I have have a greater appreciation for that God has provided for us to eat. I have also discovered all for the love of money our government/big business are selling a lie as to what is “healthy” and acceptable to consume. It angers me. Fifty years ago, inexpensive food was the good food. Now the inexpensive food is the garbage that is making our society obese and sick.
My weight loss journey has taken me down 118 pounds and the last 26 of it has been with this lifestyle. I never ever thought that this would be against my Christian faith in any way, shape, or form. A previous reply I read mentions that meat was not eaten until after the flood. I was taken immediately to the account in Acts when God told Peter not to say something is unclean that God has declared clean. In this world, we have the freedom of free will and can eat whatever we please, but Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12 says “Everything is permissible but everything is not beneficial. Everything is permissible, but I will be controlled by nothing”. For sooooooo long I was controlled by food/sugar cravings. Now when I have food choices, the first question I ask myself is if it is beneficial to me or is it something from my past that would have control over me. Not to say I don’t have a cheat day every now an again.
If I were to recommend any eating style to anyone (Christian in particular) this would be it. Nothing bad can be said about eating foods that way God created them – putting something in your body that your body was designed to digest and deal with.
It’s a good thing!
I look forward to reading more from you.
Blessings,
Karen
Very motivating to say the least 🙂 I happen to be of the rare “species” that believes in evolution as a result of creationism 😉 And am just starting out implementing the Paleo diet into my life. Awesome site!
As a fellow Wiccan I agree, yet I’ve had many Wiccan’s argue with me because when you kill a animal you are harming something and there for a vilation of the Wiccan Rede. I disagree but that’s just me.
Wow! I am so glad I read this post! I was just saying to my husband how weird I feel being a Paleo diet following Christian. I feel like I don’t fit in anywhere. I didn’t end up following the Paleo diet because of any wish to emulate cave-man ancestors. I found out about it the day I received my list of foods to avoid because of intorlerances causing me huge physical issues. I sat outside the doctor’s office and cried when I saw how long the list was- ( many of the regular paleo foods and then not so coincidently the automimmune foods to avoids too) – then I went to the bookstore to try to find some sort of allergy cookbook that would give me an idea of what to cook— the Paleo cookbook had the least amount of the allergic/intolerant foods on my list. I bought it and my health improved dramatically. Interesting side note– I actually got started researching the possibility that food might be at the bottom of my health troubles after God began to nudge me to stop eating wheat. It seemed like the wackiest answer to prayer ever — and I felt so much better within 48 hours, that obviously it WAS a huge part of the problem. Well, I’m now 45 and possibly pregnant and trying to figure out which diet recommendations to follow- the Paleo or the SAD– my gut says Paleo, but my fears keep saying go with what’s safe. This was great to read!!
Thanks for sharing this. I sent the link to a reader who took issue with me using the term “paleo” as a Christian.
I think any diet that incorporates fresh whole foods is going to be WAY better for people than the standard American diet that most people eat and most will feel a difference after switching. Personally I don’t eat Paleo but I do eat 80% raw vegan. The diet based on the bible for me is more accurate and healthful. I agree about most grains, not all. The grains we eat today are nothing like the grains from the past. They found some wheat seeds in an Ancient Egyptian tomb and planted them and they actually grew. The wheat was 3 feet tall. Man has been cross breeding and cross pollinating everything to his liking which the bible specifically warns against in Leviticus so who knows what man has done to mess things up and make food indigestible especially now that they are changing food on a cellular level, incorporating animal DNA and even human DNA into our fruits and veggies.
Thanks for sharing this, Jackie. I shared a bit of my own thoughts on my blog, but I think the Paleo trend promotes a lot of clean eating – something we Christians can celebrate. I do question how sustainable the diet is, both personally and socially, but I’m encouraged by the changes you’ve made in your own life to make it sustainable for you.
Amen! So beautifully stated!! I am so encouraged by your desire to express the truth and benefits about God and the miraculous and nourishing foods that He has blessed us with. Not to mention, that simply because ‘man’ has labeled a selection of foods as ‘Paleo’, does’nt mean that it still did not come from God and that we shouldn’t partake in them as Christians. Thank you for your post & blog! Good work!!
Good article. Thank you. I too am a Christian but I choose to not use the term Paleo. I eat a low carb/high protein and fat diet. Yes, the word Paleo is shorter but the evolutionary connotations are enough to cause me to avoid it.
Folks, let’s not get crazy here. The Bible is “profitable for reproof, for correction, for doctrine, for instruction in righteousness…” It is not a dietary manual! Honor your health, but please don’t use biblical examples to deem your way of eating righteous or unrighteous. That’s mishandling the scriptures.
The grains during this time were completely different but were still high glycemic. This was probably of little concern because of how active people were during this time. They didn’t rely on cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and they didn’t have desk jobs. They were moving all day long which allowed them to burn these carbs without a problem.
I have a question based on your biblical recount of eating grains. I am not trying to argue. I am just trying to understand your reasoning for that was the purpose of me coming to this post. You said that grains were not eaten until after the fall. The same is true regarding meat. Genesis 1:29-30 says that He gave every seed-bearing plant and every fruit as food for man and animal.
My opinion is that no diet is contrary to God’s Word unless it is being worshiped. I do not believe that the Paleo diet is a problem to follow as a means of taking care of your body, but to say (as the diet does) that man was created to eat this way is not true according to scripture.
I agree completely with you that putting an eating plan on a pedestal of worship certainly is not biblical. I do not argue with others about the Paleo diet, and believe each person will adapt it to their own situations. I would also refer you to my blog here: https://thepaleomama.com/2013/05/why-we-are-20-not-so-paleo/
Thank you for your I also am a Christian my healrh care advisor put me on this diet because I have crippling arthritis. For the first time in years I see a light at the end of the tunnel concerning a recovery the paleo diet is a large part of that. Thanks for the encouragement.