Paleolithic (Caveman) Diet
chris_claxton
Posts: 1
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!)...
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
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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.0
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I am off to get some popcorn
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No coffee or alcohol......not the lifestyle for me!!
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For accurate information on this diet take a look at the Primal/Paleo Support Group on this site - listed under GROUPS.0
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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
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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
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.
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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
Blood PH is regulated within a very tight range and if your diet significantly effected your PH you would be dead.0 -
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.
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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.0
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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
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?-1 -
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.0 -
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.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 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!
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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"0 -
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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.
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I had oatmeal for breakfast. I'm out.0
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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
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-show0 -
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
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.
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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...0 -
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
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????0 -
I'm all for healthier options for eating but almost all foods, excepts some wild grown exceptions are Neolithic. Meat today, except game, is much higher in fat and lacks Omega 3 oils. The interesting thing is that few that follow the Paleo/Primal/Caveman diets actually follow them strictly so I doubt that even if it did what it's advocates claim that it's really something we can sustain.0
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I have a hot tub time machine and can confirm cavemen had no cancer, Case closed.0
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As far as I know, body's pH is maintained in the normal range by kidneys and lungs. Also acidity or alkalinity of food has a very small effect on the pH balance. If it was as high as you mentioned all of us would be sick. And to cause an imbalance that high either kidneys or lungs should be malfunctioningIn 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
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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.
side steel for the win, once again!
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »I'm all for healthier options for eating but almost all foods, excepts some wild grown exceptions are Neolithic. Meat today, except game, is much higher in fat and lacks Omega 3 oils. The interesting thing is that few that follow the Paleo/Primal/Caveman diets actually follow them strictly so I doubt that even if it did what it's advocates claim that it's really something we can sustain.
most of the paleo folks that post around here never even do it 100% …they always seem to morph it into whatever fits into their world view...0 -
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.itsfuntobenormal wrote: »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?
Since I don't like to hunt I'll stick to eating "normal" foods. I also like cheese, coffee, beans, bread ...0 -
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
Not true
here's an article about a cancerous tumor found in a neanderthal skeleton dating back to 120,000 years ago: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0064539
also, the main reason why there was *less* cancer in palaeolithic times is that a lot of people didn't live long enough to get cancer. It's a disease that affects mainly old people (yep young people get it too, but more rarely) and few neanderthals lived past their 40s.
As for diabetes - recent genetic research suggests that they carried the gene that predisposes people to type 2 diabetes.
The main health benefit from being a hunter-gatherer is the fact that you can't eat without doing a crap ton of exercise, as in you had to hunt and gather food before you could eat it. That involved stalking, chasing and fighting with wild animals (middle palaeolithic people used close range weapons like thrusting spears, because they hadn't developed the stone tool technology for projectile weapons yet) and also walking miles through the countryside to find all the edible plants, fungus, insects etc that you can collect.
Also, palaeolithic people ate grains and legumes. Proto-neolithic people didn't just suddenly start to cultivate plants that people had never eaten before. They cultivated plants that were relatively easy to cultivate, from the kinds of food they ate already. The difference is, palaeolithic people would have eaten grains as a seasonal thing (most of their food would in fact have been seasonal) while mesolithic people figured out how to store some foods for long periods so they didn't go hungry during the winter, and neolithic people figured out how to cultivate and store plant foods, and how to domesticate animals to get milk and eggs and similar (as well as for meat) - dairy is the only truly post-neolithic food.
So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
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Does walking to the grocery store count?neandermagnon wrote: »[
So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
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Does walking to the grocery store count?neandermagnon wrote: »[
So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
Only if you are carrying a spear and wearing a loin cloth.
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