Paleolithic (Caveman) Diet

chris_claxton
chris_claxton Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

Has anyone had any experience with the Paleolithic diet? I've read a lot of things about it but I think cutting out diary would be quite difficult - I've heard that calcium levels are lower in people on this diet (which isn't good for bones!)...
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Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,128 Member
    Yeah, lets try and eliminate everything that wasn't available then and eat nothing that resembles their food today and call it success. Sounds legit.
  • CJsf1t
    CJsf1t Posts: 414 Member
    I am off to get some popcorn :D
  • ShortMrsN
    ShortMrsN Posts: 177 Member
    No coffee or alcohol......not the lifestyle for me!! :o
  • Captaincove
    Captaincove Posts: 26 Member
    For accurate information on this diet take a look at the Primal/Paleo Support Group on this site - listed under GROUPS.
  • daynerz
    daynerz Posts: 227 Member
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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  • jerarant
    jerarant Posts: 5 Member
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    Interesting. I wasn't aware that diabetes/cancer didn't exist until our modern times. It's a good thing that cavemen/women had literally no way to check for cancer or diabetes (assuming anyone ever had it, which they didn't), otherwise things might have gotten a bit sketchy. ;)
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    Blood PH is regulated within a very tight range and if your diet significantly effected your PH you would be dead.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    chris_claxton wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Has anyone had any experience with the Paleolithic diet? I've read a lot of things about it but I think cutting out diary would be quite difficult - I've heard that calcium levels are lower in people on this diet (which isn't good for bones!)...

    I think it's a good idea to stick to a diet comprised of mostly whole and nutrient dense foods and the paleo diet does tend to do this but this feature is not unique to the paleo diet. The elimination of specific food items are without merit in many cases, so an alternative that you could consider would be to adopt a strategy where the majority of your diet consists of whole and nutrient dense foods, but you don't abide by any particular nonsensical rules about arbitrary food restrictions based on inaccurate records of "what our ancestors ate".

    That way you still reap the benefits of a nutrient dense diet without too much junk food (but some, if you prefer) but you don't have as many rules/restrictions.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    IF you have already reached your desired weight and fitness goals, you might want to try this very restrictive diet. IF you are not yet at your desired weight and fitness level, it will be easier and more sustainable to first get your caloric intake down cold and find what food combinations (of all kinds of food) help you to get through the day. Starting off on such a diet can be frustrating and confusing for anyone new to calorie counting and finding your best macro set up. Start with the basics.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    edited November 2014
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3


    I also heard it helps you achieve moral superiority - can you speak to the validity of those claims? Or possibly provide scientifically supported research that backs of of the claims made in your response?
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    Diets work by eliminating certain foods. Stop the diet and watch what happens.

    When I lost my 75 pounds I did Atkins, weight watchers, and counting calories. All of them worked pretty well...Guess what...3 years after reaching my goal weight, I still count calories. It works because it is sustainable for a lifetime. Atkins (low carb) and weight watchers (low fat) were not a good long-term choice for me.

    I will NOT give up my bourbon! I just count the calories in it and adjust my food intake or exercise accordingly.
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
    edited November 2014
    chris_claxton wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Has anyone had any experience with the Paleolithic diet? I've read a lot of things about it but I think cutting out diary would be quite difficult - I've heard that calcium levels are lower in people on this diet (which isn't good for bones!)...
    It's very healthy - no argument there, but count me out. I try to eat real, whole foods and succeed about 70% of the time.
    I try to focus on lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies, beans, nuts, whole wheat products and raw dairy. Modern processed foods are just junk, but hey, life is also to be lived.
    I want to strive toward some ideal of "clean eating" without being too restrictive.
    Good luck to you!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited November 2014
    Here is a really good read: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat/

    The concluding paragraph:

    "What we can say for certain is that in the Paleolithic, the human diet varied immensely by geography, season and opportunity. "We now know that humans have evolved not to subsist on a single, Paleolithic diet but to be flexible eaters, an insight that has important implications for the current debate over what people today should eat in order to be healthy," anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University wrote"
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    Unless you're a hunter/gatherer, there is no WAY you can eat a an actual paleolithic diet. Which, as far as we can tell, was varied as hell depending on where you lived. Oh yeah, and we can only more or less guess at diet, as anthropological evidence on it is a lot of conjecture.

    Seriously. All that produce you see, those veggies that are touted as so wonderful. They didn't exist in that form in paleolithic times any more than modern wheat or rice. That Granny Smith as big as your fist, and those bell peppers? Didn't exist. Ever eaten a crab apple? That's closer, but not quite the same thing.

    Do I, personally, feel better if I don't eat much grain or grain-based products? As a matter of fact, I do. But I'm educated enough to know that's anecdotal evidence rather than scientific, and that I'm still not eating even close to how a caveman ate.

    I'm also aware I can eat that way due to INCREDIBLE amounts of economic privilege. The human race expanded as it did because grain and agriculture allowed us to get enough CALORIES AT ALL to be able to survive and breed more rapidly. There are lots of areas of the world that are dependent on grain crops for mere calories for survival.


  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    I had oatmeal for breakfast. I'm out.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    References, please, for the claims of no diabetes or cancer. I have read evidence to the contrary.

    http://discovermagazine.com/2013/julyaug/16-history-cancer-afflicted-people-since-prehistoric-times-fossils-show
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    I know the Paleo guy has implied that his diet will cure cancer and schizophrenia. It's not true. He is lying to you in order to sell a book. It's a sleazy scam.

    The cavemen may very well have had diabetes and cancer. It would have killed them, much like strep throat may have killed them and many other things. Hell, winter may have killed them. They all died very young because everything killed them. They didn't have anything close to the sort of healthcare we enjoy today.

    I don't know what toxins you think were floating around in your body and have now been decreased. Do you?

    I know you are trusting people and getting bad information. If you just google "metabolic acidosis" you will find that the topic is much more involved than what sort of food you eat.

    People lied to you and you believed them. It makes them losers and jerks, not you.

    Spend more time studying actual nutrition and less time studying fad diets. You will learn how to be healthy and will not be suckered by these sleazy people who lie to you in an attempt to get your money. You'll be too smart for them. :)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    in…because these are always fun ..

    OP - why not just eat in a moderate calorie deficit and enjoy all the foods that you currently eat..

    paleo is not some magical unicorn that you can ride off into the weight loss sunset...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    so cavemen did not have cancer, and how, pray tell, do you know this?

    burgers are unnatural, oh really????

    you know, you really just need to stop posting in the threads…99.9% of what you post is ridiculous…PH Scale for your body, really????

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