What's your opinion on paleo?

KrazyKrissyy
KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I had been having allergic reactions after eating certain foods and recently got an allergy test. I'm already lactose intolerant which I knew about for years and have been dairy free. But apparently I'm also allergic to gluten, grains, sweet potatoes/yams, cantaloupe, and peanuts (which makes sense according to the timing of my reactions and what I had eaten during those days). I did some research on Paleo. Am considering giving it a try but I need opinions first. Is it sustainable? Do people who eat this way tend to lack nutrients? How about building muscle, losing fat, etc? I'm not trying to go on a short term diet but instead switch to a lifestyle that's easy to follow with all of these food allergies. Opinions?
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Replies

  • KrazyKrissyy
    KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
    SideSteel wrote: »
    KrazyKrissyy wrote: »
    I had been having allergic reactions after eating certain foods and recently got an allergy test. I'm already lactose intolerant which I knew about for years and have been dairy free. But apparently I'm also allergic to gluten, grains, sweet potatoes/yams, cantaloupe, and peanuts (which makes sense according to the timing of my reactions and what I had eaten during those days). I did some research on Paleo. Am considering giving it a try but I need opinions first. Is it sustainable? Do people who eat this way tend to lack nutrients? How about building muscle, losing fat, etc? I'm not trying to go on a short term diet but instead switch to a lifestyle that's easy to follow with all of these food allergies. Opinions?

    1) I think you should just eliminate foods you know you are allergic too. That way, you don't have to abide by the rules of any particular dietary philosophy.

    2) If you don't mind my asking, where did you go to get tested and do you know what type of test was administered? I'm interested in this topic but I don't know a ton about it.


    Thank you!

    Thanks for your helpful answer. That's a good point now that I think about it. And to answer your question, I got tested at two places. One was DuBois Regional Medical Center in PA. Another was in Clearfield/Jefferson Head and Neck Surgical Associates INC in PA. They're skin reaction tests. The doctors are otorhinolaryngologists (that's what it says on the papers).
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    I agree with just cutting out what you're allergic to. If you do decide that you want to Try paleo, it's a learning curve and you have to cook a lot, but it is nutrient dense and sustainable. Google Robb wolf for a good starting point, as he talks a lot about building muscle as well.
  • 8healthy3
    8healthy3 Posts: 11 Member
    Paleo is cool!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    It mostly makes sense to me, although the diet starts t seem gimmicky when they start making normal diet (SAD) diet types of food substitutes and recipes... like cupcakes or candy. Seems to miss the point.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    Paleolithic of my favorite eras! Top 5 anyway.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,227 Member
    I agree with cutting out what you can't have and sticking with what you can, rather than further restricting.

    I have a fairly negative view of Paleo, largely due to Pete Evans, or "Paleo Pete" here in Australia, who makes me want to kick myself in the face until I bleed out, and to my best friends flatmate who is hardcore Paelo and also an insufferable git. What can I say. I'm subjective like that.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Dropping this in for fun:

    http://www.everywhereist.com/i-went-paleo-and-now-i-hate-everything/
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    KrazyKrissyy wrote: »
    I had been having allergic reactions after eating certain foods and recently got an allergy test. I'm already lactose intolerant which I knew about for years and have been dairy free. But apparently I'm also allergic to gluten, grains, sweet potatoes/yams, cantaloupe, and peanuts (which makes sense according to the timing of my reactions and what I had eaten during those days). I did some research on Paleo. Am considering giving it a try but I need opinions first. Is it sustainable? Do people who eat this way tend to lack nutrients? How about building muscle, losing fat, etc? I'm not trying to go on a short term diet but instead switch to a lifestyle that's easy to follow with all of these food allergies. Opinions?

    My opinion on paleo is that is a stupid made up diet that has no true meaning that is a nice media hang. however if it fits your food desires and tolerances then there's no reason not to follow any form of dietary control because what you eat should totally be up to you. I suppose it just doesn't need the name especially not one designed to make people who understand how people ate in the Paleolithic era laugh at the naivete of some journos.

    You do seem to have rather a lot of significant allergies rather than following another prescriptive course would you not be best designing your own.
  • not_my_first_rodeo
    not_my_first_rodeo Posts: 311 Member
    Given the restrictions you have, I would think going paleo is going to be even harder. On the other hand, going gluten free and avoiding peanuts is way easier than it used to be. I would just avoid the things you're allergic to.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    If you have restrictions due to allergies, adding more restrictions to follow a diet can make it more difficult. I followed paleo for about 9 months and I couldn't sustain it. Too much restriction, even on healthy foods such as legumes, which made it harder for me to sustain a deficit.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited October 2016
    Paleo has some weird rules with no basis in facts so it kinda turns me off. I'm too old for gimmicks. I'm with the others about focusing on your allergies and not worrying about some fad'ish diet plan.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Sorry you have to deal with those restrictions.
    Of course makes perfect sense to avoid things that you react to but restricting other foods based on a rather silly fashion diet doesn't make any sense to me - just making a difficult situation worse for no benefit.
    If you like some of the "Paleo" recipes (sabre toothed tiger cooked in a forest fire....) then why not just incorporate them into your wider diet?

    Building muscle / losing fat is primarily a function of your training and supported by your macro/micro composition of your overall diet. Would the Paleo diet let you sustainably hit your dietary goals?
    For me additional restrictions would only seem to make that goal harder.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    edited October 2016
    Paleo is essentially a no/low carb diet with lean protein and fats.

    So to address your questions:
    Is it sustainable? Yes, but realize that being low carb you will be hurting if doing any extensive cardio. You can do it...just no easy fuel to use up while doing, so you're likely to feel drained and tired.

    Do people who eat this way tend to lack nutrients? Depends on your diet, but since it is ok to eat fruits/veggies, I don't see you being deficient if you eat balanced meals. Take a daily vitamin and you will definitely be fine.

    How about building muscle, losing fat, etc? You will build muscle during rest (sleeping at night), so as long as you keep your protein intake high, you should have enough raw materials to rebuild muscle. NOTE - lots of protein can be hard on the kidneys. Be sure to stay hydrated to allow the kidneys to flush properly. If you're going to try and lose weight (fat) WHILE also building muscle, you will need about 1 gram of protein per pound (goal body weight). If you are 200 lbs, but your range ideal weight range 120-160, you need about 140 grams of protein a day to make sure your body eats away at the fat and not use your muscle as fuel.

    Opinions? I wouldn't jump on a diet now. I would first try to figure out what my body likes and what it doesn't. I have Fructose Malabsorption and a sensitivity to whole grains (gluten). Took me years to figure out why a greasy cheeseburger was ok on my digestion, but a chicken sandwich on whole wheat would tear me up. Or why bananas and oranges were fine, but apples and grapes made me cramp and gassy. Once I got use to a low fructose diet, then I started tweaking to match my exercise requirements (bulk - more protein, lose weight - up the cardio and carb intake from foods that didn't aggravate).

    Eat what you can that's healthy, take a multi-vitamin, keep a calorie deficite, and exercise. If once you get this routine down (few months) and want to try it....at least you'll have a base line and it won't be such a shock on your body trying to adjust to so many things at once.

    my 2 cents...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    jondspen wrote: »
    Paleo is essentially a no/low carb diet with lean protein and fats.

    So to address your questions:
    Is it sustainable? Yes, but realize that being low carb you will be hurting if doing any extensive cardio. You can do it...just no easy fuel to use up while doing, so you're likely to feel drained and tired.

    Do people who eat this way tend to lack nutrients? Depends on your diet, but since it is ok to eat fruits/veggies, I don't see you being deficient if you eat balanced meals. Take a daily vitamin and you will definitely be fine.

    How about building muscle, losing fat, etc? You will build muscle during rest (sleeping at night), so as long as you keep your protein intake high, you should have enough raw materials to rebuild muscle. NOTE - lots of protein can be hard on the kidneys. Be sure to stay hydrated to allow the kidneys to flush properly. If you're going to try and lose weight (fat) WHILE also building muscle, you will need about 1 gram of protein per pound (goal body weight). If you are 200 lbs, but your range ideal weight range 120-160, you need about 140 grams of protein a day to make sure your body eats away at the fat and not use your muscle as fuel.

    Opinions? I wouldn't jump on a diet now. I would first try to figure out what my body likes and what it doesn't. I have Fructose Malabsorption and a sensitivity to whole grains (gluten). Took me years to figure out why a greasy cheeseburger was ok on my digestion, but a chicken sandwich on whole wheat would tear me up. Or why bananas and oranges were fine, but apples and grapes made me cramp and gassy. Once I got use to a low fructose diet, then I started tweaking to match my exercise requirements (bulk - more protein, lose weight - up the cardio and carb intake from foods that didn't aggravate).

    Eat what you can that's healthy, take a multi-vitamin, keep a calorie deficite, and exercise. If once you get this routine down (few months) and want to try it....at least you'll have a base line and it won't be such a shock on your body trying to adjust to so many things at once.

    my 2 cents...

    Paleo is NOT low carb. It can be low carb if you implement it that way, but by no means is it intended to be low carb. I was hitting over 200g on Paleo. Second, the only people that have issues with energy on low carb are those who struggle to become fat adapted and those doing highly anaerobic exercises. There are many LCHF athletes, including marathon runners and cyclist. So you would have to see if you respond well to it.

    Building muscle and losing fat, is definitely difficult and it is really more than just high protein. You need progressive overload training, good genetics, and a small deficit. If you have a large deficit, you can only hope to maintain, let alone gain muscle. And protein goals are based lean body mass, not goal weight.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    KrazyKrissyy wrote: »
    I had been having allergic reactions after eating certain foods and recently got an allergy test. I'm already lactose intolerant which I knew about for years and have been dairy free. But apparently I'm also allergic to gluten, grains, sweet potatoes/yams, cantaloupe, and peanuts (which makes sense according to the timing of my reactions and what I had eaten during those days). I did some research on Paleo. Am considering giving it a try but I need opinions first. Is it sustainable? Do people who eat this way tend to lack nutrients? How about building muscle, losing fat, etc? I'm not trying to go on a short term diet but instead switch to a lifestyle that's easy to follow with all of these food allergies. Opinions?

    1. My opinion on paleo. It is a ridiculous concept that has absolutely nothing to do with how actual paleolithic peoples ate.

    2. If you are allergic to certain foods, just eliminate them from your diet and start there.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    My opinion on the paleo diet is that there is no such thing as the paleo diet, at least not anymore...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    jondspen wrote: »
    Paleo is essentially a no/low carb diet with lean protein and fats.

    It's not though unless you implement it that way. There are plenty of "Paleo approved" sources of carbohydrates...

    As to the OP...I like that fact that Paleo gets people eating more whole foods....I dislike how Paleo then arbitrarily restricts certain whole foods.

    I personally see little point in piling on arbitrary food restrictions to necessary food restrictions. Just restrict/eliminate those foods for which you are actually allergic.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    Okay, Paleo is becoming more of an umbrella term. Some people eat low carb, others do not. There are some people who eat paleo who still consume some legumes, dairy, and grains. That is considered to be more "Primal". Mark Sisson is a good source if you ignore his sales pitch.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Hamsibian wrote: »
    Okay, Paleo is becoming more of an umbrella term. Some people eat low carb, others do not. There are some people who eat paleo who still consume some legumes, dairy, and grains. That is considered to be more "Primal". Mark Sisson is a good source if you ignore his sales pitch.

    because we all know that paleolithic people milked cows and had access to cheese and milk....
  • Sloth2016
    Sloth2016 Posts: 838 Member
    edited October 2016
    As a concept, I think it's still in its primal stages and it's going to be interesting to see how it evolves. That said, the menu options in this way of eating seem like they would be natural selections for an ascendant segment of the population. But, I would supplement the menu with my favorite Starbuck's selections. Cuz Java, man! ;)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Hamsibian wrote: »
    Okay, Paleo is becoming more of an umbrella term. Some people eat low carb, others do not. There are some people who eat paleo who still consume some legumes, dairy, and grains. That is considered to be more "Primal". Mark Sisson is a good source if you ignore his sales pitch.

    Sisson invented his own diet called "primal" that is based on paleo but includes some dairy and is low carb. "Primal" isn't really a thing otherwise.

    Paleo isn't really a thing in that it's not based on how real paleo folks ate, but it is a reasonably established way of eating and it means no grains, no dairy, and no legumes. If someone eats those foods, one has to ask why they are using the paleo name.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    edited October 2016
    Ok...I stand corrected. TECHNICALLY...paleo is NOT low/no carb, since you can substitute in stuff like quinoa.

    BUT....if you look at most diet guides on paleo...it ends up being a low carb diet, just because you're cutting out the majority of grains available in the western diet. So while it might not be a low carb diet...it typically turns out that way due to dietary restrictions.

    Both of these links talk about the diet, and I for one don't see any high carb food items in either.
    http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet-paul-vandyken/
    https://www.nerdfitness.com/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet1/

    Regardless....it's not a diet I would do. I agree people in the stone age had a different diet and different body type. But 1 - we aren't going out and killing/gathering our own food everyday for survival, so it's an apples to oranges comparison. 2 - our bodies have evolved over thousands of years, and we can now digest foods our primitive ancestors could not. Cow's milk is a perfect example of how our digestive abilities evolved to accommodate surviving on the foods available. So not sure how one could say drinking cow's milk is bad for the body, when the body has now adapted to use this as a food source.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    jondspen wrote: »
    Ok...I stand corrected. TECHNICALLY...paleo is NOT low/no carb, since you can substitute in stuff like quinoa.

    BUT....if you look at most diet guides on paleo...it ends up being a low carb diet, just because you're cutting out the majority of grains available in the western diet. So while it might not be a low carb diet...it typically turns out that way due to dietary restrictions.

    Both of these links talk about the diet, and I for one don't see any high carb food items in either.
    http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet-paul-vandyken/
    https://www.nerdfitness.com/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet1/

    Fruits and tubers are both higher in carbohydrates. It would be perfectly possible to eat a moderate or high carbohydrate diet while including both of those types of foods -- and vegetables -- in one's diet. Paleo isn't low carbohydrate, although people can certainly do a low carbohydrate version of it if they choose to do so.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Hamsibian wrote: »
    Okay, Paleo is becoming more of an umbrella term. Some people eat low carb, others do not. There are some people who eat paleo who still consume some legumes, dairy, and grains. That is considered to be more "Primal". Mark Sisson is a good source if you ignore his sales pitch.

    Sisson invented his own diet called "primal" that is based on paleo but includes some dairy and is low carb. "Primal" isn't really a thing otherwise.

    Paleo isn't really a thing in that it's not based on how real paleo folks ate, but it is a reasonably established way of eating and it means no grains, no dairy, and no legumes. If someone eats those foods, one has to ask why they are using the paleo name.

    And don't forget the ridiculously expensive supplements he also sells :p
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited October 2016
    jondspen wrote: »
    Ok...I stand corrected. TECHNICALLY...paleo is NOT low/no carb, since you can substitute in stuff like quinoa.

    BUT....if you look at most diet guides on paleo...it ends up being a low carb diet, just because you're cutting out the majority of grains available in the western diet. So while it might not be a low carb diet...it typically turns out that way due to dietary restrictions.

    Both of these links talk about the diet, and I for one don't see any high carb food items in either.
    http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet-paul-vandyken/
    https://www.nerdfitness.com/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet1/

    I have a couple of friends who do Paleo for whatever reason...they eat a ton of potatoes and sweet potatoes as they are also athletes and carbs are solid for performance...they also eat corn and corn tortillas and polenta, etc...and if Paleo were actually anything like a true Paleo period diet would be, it would be a lot of tubers, not a ton of meat.

    I personally think the whole "antinutrient" thing in regards to legumes and grains is really misguided and very lacking in understanding, but that's just me.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    LOL....one of the first things marked off the paleo diet links I have found was potatoes. Granted...they are not the only tubers (beets and carrots are tubers crops also), but in western diets when you say tuber...people think potatoes. It is the poster child of tubers to us in the west. When was the last time u ran down to Wal Mart and pick up a 5 lb bag of Idaho Jicama! :)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ...and if Paleo were actually anything like a true Paleo period diet would be, it would be a lot of tubers, not a ton of meat.

    Not sure about that...but I'm sure our daily intake of ants, grubs, and maggots would increase if on a true Paleo diet. :wink:

  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
    What's my opinion on Paleo? I think James Fell said it best.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    jondspen wrote: »
    LOL....one of the first things marked off the paleo diet links I have found was potatoes. Granted...they are not the only tubers (beets and carrots are tubers crops also), but in western diets when you say tuber...people think potatoes. It is the poster child of tubers to us in the west. When was the last time u ran down to Wal Mart and pick up a 5 lb bag of Idaho Jicama! :)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ...and if Paleo were actually anything like a true Paleo period diet would be, it would be a lot of tubers, not a ton of meat.

    Not sure about that...but I'm sure our daily intake of ants, grubs, and maggots would increase if on a true Paleo diet. :wink:

    All of the restrictions seem very unwarranted...I was reading something and they were talking about how much more nutritious a sweet potato is than a potato...they obviously never looked at the actual nutrition...they're fairly on par...it's all pretty friggin' silly IMO. Dietary restrictions for absolutely no reason...

    I found this though...
    Paleo, starchy vegetables and potatoes
    Another misconception running around in the Paleo community is that starchy vegetables are unhealthy and that regular white potatoes are especially bad. The bias against starchy vegetables probably comes from the low-carb ideas about a healthy Paleo diet.
    It’s important to understand that our ancestors probably enjoyed calorie-dense starchy vegetables as much as they could once they knew how to cook them properly, which dates back a very long time ago. The amount of amylase, an enzyme that digests starch, in our saliva is much higher than in most other mammals, showing that we became adapted to eating and digesting starchy vegetables.

    http://paleoleap.com/fatty-meat-potatoes-dairy-and-paleo-2-0/

    Basically, I think that whole movement just makes up whatever *kitten* they feel like with no real basis in science.

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