Paleo Brownies? What the…..?

So a few of the roller derby girls are doing a Paleo diet and they were talking about Paleo Brownies that they made.  We all agreed that if you are going to have brownies, just have the real thing….with real flour, sugar, oil, cocoa, etc….its not as if we eat brownies everyday.   Then I got to thinking, paleo brownies? Really?  Is this just a way for those to say they are on a strict “Paleo diet” and still have dessert?  For those of you unfamiliar with the Paleo diet, it is in accordance with how our ancestors used to eat in the Paleolithic era, also known as the Stone Age, which was in the age between 20,000 to 2.5 million years ago.  The diet consists of most of what I promote here: fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and natural meats.  It does not include processed foods, for obvious reasons, nor potatoes, beans, or dairy.  It is an extremely simplistic diet and one that I would promote, but I also think that other foods can be included for those of us that want a little more variety and as modern equiment has made other items available like dairy.   I am pretty sure that our Paleo ancestors did not make brownies, nor did the have the means to do so.  They for one, did not have ovens that heated to exactly 350 degrees, and probably did not have access to cocoa or spend their time grinding almonds and other nuts into flour.  Paleo brownies are the equivalent of someone saying that they are going to make a solid wood table and then it is some crappy particle wood….yes, its wood, but its certainly not the same.  I don’t have a problem with these brownies in particular, but they aren’t Paleo.   I am not sure if some that do this are searching for a way to have dessert, to make dessert healthier, or just trying to be elitist in their food options, which many people do, but it is definitely not the roller girls I know.  Brownies and other dessert, can be included in a healthy diet, but if you are eating them so much that you feel the need to make them “healthier,” then you may want to reconsider how often you have dessert.  Some people that have a gluten intolerance, certainly couldn’t have regular brownies, so these brownies that have no wheat flour, would be a good option.  Bottom line, if you want to eat a brownie or another dessert, eat it.  If you want to make it healthier, then do so by using almond flour and better ingredients, but don’t glamorize them into a Paleo diet….it just makes me roll my eyes.  Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

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