Paleo SHIFT

SnicciFit

I know there's a lot of dissent out there about the so-called "paleo diet," but I think this article sums up how I feel about it. It's not a "diet," it's not about restriction or "bad" foods vs. "good" foods. It's about what works for YOU. For me, NOT focusing on calories, but instead focusing on the quality of my food and avoiding the foods that were making me sick, was the key to getting healthy and finding & maintaining a healthy weight. (I know all the calories in/calories out people are going to jump in and say "that's because you ate in a deficit!", and I probably did, but that's not the point. The point is I didn't FOCUS on how many calories I was eating/using.)

As the article states:
"it eases you into making healthier food choices that work for your lifestyle instead of being based on someone else’s list of perfect foods."

http://primaldocs.com/opinion/paleo-shift/

Obviously, the author is looking to gain clients and earn money (and that's ok!), but all of this can be done without her. All you need is an open mind and willingness to try something new. It can really be as simple as replacing your pasta with veggies, filling half of your plate up with veggies and the rest with meat and healthy fats, trying to eat veggies at every meal. You don't have to call it Paleo. Call it "I eat mostly veggies & meat and occasionally have treats."

verdemujer

I like your post! My doc put me on Atkins last fall and we did it but its way restrictive. My bro has done Paleo and it's really worked for him. Until he was plateau-ing. Then he really looked at the calories of all those nuts and went "ooops". Me - I love my cheese. But I find I cook more Paleo-like than anything. We eat a lot of protein and veggies and some fruit. Once in a while we have some thing that is bread but I'm not going out of my way to bake those 'fake' paleo bread/cakes/cookies recipes. If I wanted those carbs, then I would never have gone to Atkins. I do still need to count my calories because I have a life time of not eating enough and when I don't eat, I don't lose. And since I can be very happy eating less than a 1000 a day, I have to track to know I actually eat more than that. Its all about eating what makes me feel healthy and happy and able to still function.

SnicciFit

Its all about eating what makes me feel healthy and happy and able to still function.

:flowerforyou:

ash8184

I agree! It's what works for each person. I have paleo friends and raw vegan friends, and everything in between. If they're happy and healthy, so be it. I am just like you though - I just don't tolerate yeast/gluten/sugar well, so I stay away from it. And "restrictive" is such a negative word... I think healthful is a better word. Cutting out sweets and breads/pastas isn't restrictive so much as healthful! Great job

extra_medium

Cutting out sweets and breads/pastas isn't restrictive so much as healthful! Great job

But it is not required to cut these out in order to lose weight and be healthful, in which case many people would see it as being pretty restrictive.

MUALaurenClark

I think for me, eating paleo is about putting foods into my body that our bodies were designed to handle.

Our bodies really weren't designed to handle bread and processed foods.

shardown

I follow a semi paleo diet. I have cut out a lot of carbs from my diet but will eat things like multi-grain bread and potatoes (on occasion). I agree that it is about making better quality food decisions and it's made me cook a lot more! So while I'm not 100% paleo, I still follow it as much as I can and have several paleo cookbooks!

Akimajuktuq

Cutting out sweets and breads/pastas isn't restrictive so much as healthful! Great job

But it is not required to cut these out in order to lose weight and be healthful, in which case many people would see it as being pretty restrictive.

Yes, for many people, it is a requirement to cut out these foods to be healthy. Just because you haven't experienced something doesn't make the experience of others invalid.

STC1188

I followed Paleo pretty hardcore, but I honestly believe there is nothing special about its food selection. Sure, the focus on meat and veggies and fruits is nice, but whenever I had a "bad" reaction to foods while Paleo was psychosomatic (or so my current eating habits have revealed). It's fine if you need to eat that way or need to somehow mentally discipline yourself, but it, strictly speaking, is not necessarily better or worse than any other diet (for example, if ALL you ate was pork and broccoli--both Paleo friendly--you would have just as many health problems as anyone else with a poor diet).

DatMurse

im glad that the people base their diet off of a time when the average age of death was 30

eric_sg61

im glad that the people base their diet off of a time when the average age of death was 30

We were only designed to live that long..............its only natural

iechick

Cutting out sweets and breads/pastas isn't restrictive so much as healthful! Great job

But it is not required to cut these out in order to lose weight and be healthful, in which case many people would see it as being pretty restrictive.

Yes, for many people, it is a requirement to cut out these foods to be healthy. Just because you haven't experienced something doesn't make the experience of others invalid.

:huh:

MyChocolateDiet

I know there's a lot of dissent out there about the so-called "paleo diet," but I think this article sums up how I feel about it. It's not a "diet," it's not about restriction or "bad" foods vs. "good" foods. It's about what works for YOU. For me, NOT focusing on calories, but instead focusing on the quality of my food and avoiding the foods that were making me sick, was the key to getting healthy and finding & maintaining a healthy weight. (I know all the calories in/calories out people are going to jump in and say "that's because you ate in a deficit!", and I probably did, but that's not the point. The point is I didn't FOCUS on how many calories I was eating/using.)

As the article states:
"it eases you into making healthier food choices that work for your lifestyle instead of being based on someone else’s list of perfect foods."

http://primaldocs.com/opinion/paleo-shift/

Obviously, the author is looking to gain clients and earn money (and that's ok!), but all of this can be done without her. All you need is an open mind and willingness to try something new. It can really be as simple as replacing your pasta with veggies, filling half of your plate up with veggies and the rest with meat and healthy fats, trying to eat veggies at every meal. You don't have to call it Paleo. Call it "I eat mostly veggies & meat and occasionally have treats."

which is exaclty what the slim fast plan tells you to do. only a little carbs too which I beleive Paleo calls "potatoes", so yeah how about I modify my Paleo to include other starches like brown rice and the occasional tortilla, and a little bit of legumes and slim fast and I call it Slim Fast. How 'bout that?

Mr_Knight

So...SlimFast is Paleo?

Cool.

SnicciFit

which is exaclty what the slim fast plan tells you to do. only a little carbs too which I beleive Paleo calls "potatoes", so yeah how about I modify my Paleo to include other starches like brown rice and the occasional tortilla, and a little bit of legumes and slim fast and I call it Slim Fast. How 'bout that?

If that's what works for you!

SnicciFit

I followed Paleo pretty hardcore, but I honestly believe there is nothing special about its food selection. Sure, the focus on meat and veggies and fruits is nice, but whenever I had a "bad" reaction to foods while Paleo was psychosomatic (or so my current eating habits have revealed). It's fine if you need to eat that way or need to somehow mentally discipline yourself, but it, strictly speaking, is not necessarily better or worse than any other diet (for example, if ALL you ate was pork and broccoli--both Paleo friendly--you would have just as many health problems as anyone else with a poor diet).

About the psychosomatic symptoms, I do believe that some of the "bad" reactions are simply due to your body not being used to those foods anymore, but after a year of being very, very sick with no explanation from any doctors and now a year with very little of those same symptoms, there must be something to it (for me). I did add back non-gluten grains and some legumes (and of course I have sugar once in a while!) without any ill effects (other than eating sugar makes me want to eat more sugar!). You are right, it's not necessarily better than any other diet, but I think it's a nice alternative to calorie counting (which I find tedious and annoying and NOT life-time sustainable!). If calorie counting doesn't drive you up the wall and you feel good and are happy with your weight (or where it's going), then that's great too!

MUALaurenClark

im glad that the people base their diet off of a time when the average age of death was 30

they lived in a time when they didn't have proper shelter...or grocery stores to buy food..they had to hunt...and escape from bears and crap...and didn't have doctors. No **** they live short lives.

ndj1979

I think for me, eating paleo is about putting foods into my body that our bodies were designed to handle.

Our bodies really weren't designed to handle bread and processed foods.

why are our bodies not designed to eat grain? Humans have been eating grains for thousands of years....

ndj1979

Cutting out sweets and breads/pastas isn't restrictive so much as healthful! Great job

But it is not required to cut these out in order to lose weight and be healthful, in which case many people would see it as being pretty restrictive.

Yes, for many people, it is a requirement to cut out these foods to be healthy. Just because you haven't experienced something doesn't make the experience of others invalid.

this would only apply to some kind of medical condition ..

you can eat carbs and sugar, be in a calorie deficit, and lose weight....

SnicciFit

im glad that the people base their diet off of a time when the average age of death was 30

they lived in a time when they didn't have proper shelter...or grocery stores to buy food..they had to hunt...and escape from bears and crap...and didn't have doctors. No **** they live short lives.

Ugh... and seriously... nobody believes they are REALLY eating like a caveman.

ndj1979

Irony = OP posts that one should do what works best for everyone, and then goes onto promote Paleo as healthy eating that we should all "try" to switch to...bahahahaha

pastryari

It can really be as simple as replacing your pasta with veggies,

*kitten* no.

Yanicka1

It can really be as simple as replacing your pasta with veggies,

*kitten* no.

What she said^^^

MrsBingley

*this is not directed at anyone in particular*

There's nothing wrong with eating "Paleo", if it works for you, you love the food, and you don't feel deprived. That said, there is nothing magical about this diet. It is not the golden ticket to health.

You aren't really a Paleo eater anyway.

There was no time in human history where our diet exactly matched out physiology. If we are "designed" to do anything, it is to eat a wide range of foods and make do with what is available.
There was also no Paliolithic person who had access to mango and zucchini at the same time.
European cavemen often went long stretches of time without any fresh plant matter in the winter.
Seaside cavemen did not eat the same diet as mountain cavemen. Etc. Etc.

Plenty of people are perfectly healthy while eating wheat and beans.

People can get adequate nutrition from "synthetic" food. My aunt has a paralyzed stomach and has subsided off a dietary shake pumped directly into her small intestine for years.

In extreme cases, diets like this can lead to orthorexia. Though the diet may be perfectly adequate, it isn't exactly mentally healthy if you can't bring yourself to take a bite of the chocolate chip cookie your nephew just baked for you.

ETA: the Egyptian slaves who built the pyramids subsided almost entirely on beer...maybe I should peg that era as the golden age of human nutrition

zyxst

I sense this thread will go places.

DatMurse

edit: not gonna bother with paleo zealots

albertine58

I agree, above all do what works for you...but I just can't get behind Paleo advocating eating "mostly meat and veggies." Veggies yes, duh, but the grain-fed, factory-farmed, hormone-and-antibiotic-filled meat we eat is not "what cavemen ate." And grass-fed organic meat is crazy expensive, and still not a health food.

I don't want the world to go vegetarian, I just think meat needs to be in moderation, not half your plate at every meal, Paleo-style. Study after study has shown that every serving of red meat increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, and many other chronic diseases. Obesity certainly does too, but you don't need to eat meat every day to lose weight.

LolBroScience

I think for me, eating paleo is about putting foods into my body that our bodies were designed to handle.

Our bodies really weren't designed to handle bread and processed foods.

tell me more, tell me more. This is a prime example of why people have an issue with Paleo. Blanket statements based upon anecdotal success stories. Just because YOU feel better not eating bread and processed foods, doesn't mean the entire human race is supposed to avoid those foods and that they should be demonized.

Also, you might want to double check your scientific history....

http://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Inactive_Content/Program_Books/PTC_2013_Program_Book/Aragon.pdf

^ see slide 12.

zensugi

There was no time in human history where our diet exactly matched out physiology. If we are "designed" to do anything, it is to eat a wide range of foods and make do with what is available.
There was also no Paliolithic person who had access to mango and zucchini at the same time.
European cavemen often went long stretches of time without any fresh plant matter in the winter.
Seaside cavemen did not eat the same diet as mountain cavemen. Etc. Etc.

TA: the Egyptian slaves who built the pyramids subsided almost entirely on beer...maybe I should peg that era as the golden age of human nutrition

Fantastic reply. I was going to put designed in air quotes and point out that there is no scientific basis for the paleo diet.

Alluminati

I sense this thread will go places.

SueCottle

Paleo involves lifestyle changes, not just dietary changes. In 2005 my immune system crashed. I developed severe depression, diabetes, constant migraines, aches and pains everywhere, and peri-menopause started. In 2009 I started vomiting every time I ate. Not because I was trying to, but because I couldn't keep food down. I was diagnosed with a Hiatus hernia of the oesophagus - the valve was burnt open at the top of the stomach! The doctor gave me drugs to reduce the acid my stomach produced, but that didn't stop the vomiting.
2010 I went and saw a dietician who specialised in FODMAPS - intolerance to various food sugars. She also suggested I might have IBS and leaky gut - no kidding!

I went on an elimination diet. No more pip fruit, stone fruit, onions, and various veges like broccoli. Eliminated gluten and lactose. Oh yay - no more vomiting, but I still wasn't well.

2011 - discovered Paleo/Primal. Rob Woolf, Sarah Ballantyne, Mark's Daily Apple, Dr Cordaine and others. Removed all grains from my diet, all legumes, all nightshades, almost all dairy (except for some cheese and butter). Diabetes control looking much better. No more vomiting, no more headaches, let alone migraines, no more aching joints. I lost a bit of weight, my gut is much better. The depression is less worse, the anxiety attacks are less frequent.

Then earlier this year I decided to try Keto-Paleo. Max 50g carbs, 90g ish (mostly) Saturated Fats, 160g protein daily. Goodbye coffee and wine. The weight is falling off, people are commenting what a happy, bouncy person I am. I'm feeling the best I can ever remember.

Paleo/Primal IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. But for those of us who have been chronically unwell for most of their lives, it is a LIFESAVER. Try it before you dis it.