Rant: Selling Stuff on a Paleo Blog

***  This blog entry is in no way connected to or endorsing Mark's  Daily Apple or any of his products. ***

While wandering through my RSS reader earlier this week, I was surprised to see Mark of Mark's Daily Apple touting a new product: Primal Fuel.  Having been a long time fan of Mark, I clicked on the link, read the information and watched the video...and promptly had to walk away from the computer.  Walking away was better than beating my head against the desk.

To me, the Paleo/Primal diet revolves around the idea of REAL food - protein, fruit, vegetables and fat all from natural sources.  I've read Mark's blog for almost a year now and felt that he was a true champion of the cause.

So, you can imagine my surprise and shock I clicked on that link to find him hawking a "ready to eat" shake that was supposedly Paleo/Primal friendly.  How could that even be possible?  There's no real food in there...and if there is, it's been processed within an inch of its life to be shelf stable.   It's like saying Cheetos are healthy for you because the ingredients are all natural.  Come on!!!

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, here is a screen shot of the nutritional information from his website:

Source

The last time I checked, I can't go out into nature and find "Whey Protein Isolate" or "Inulin" or "Guar Gum" without a lot of processing...and that's just the beginning of the ingredient's list.  Can someone explain to me how a shake full of processed compounds is Paleo?  Huh?  Anyone?

Now, I understand that Mark has to make an income somehow and I know that he's been selling the Primal Blueprint book and supplements to cover his costs, but I think this is is really stepping over the line.  

Maybe I come from higher morals but I believe that if you must sell things, then sell items that stay within the lines of your teachings.  To do anything else is only stabbing the Paleo/Primal movement in the back....all for a few bucks....