Paleo or South Beach?

AlannaD1990

I tried Paleo. I had heard really good things and in theory it made a lot of sense. but like you, I was a begginer and personally I found the diet being so strict was really hard to follow, and although I had the best intension i was often falling off track. If you have a family thats not following your diet, paleo is easy to get sabotaged too!

I just eat clean and carb cycle ... seems to be working well.

If your just starting your journey I'd say start with small changes like not eating out, not eating processed ready in 2 minutes foods, chosing whole grains, avoiding dressings/dips/moisnaise/ketchup and enjoy fresh foods with spices and then work your way up to a diet like Paleo?

Although i have to say, when I removed dairy from my diets I noticed a difference immediately. So Thank you paleo for that!

njitaliana

I love South Beach Diet. I lost 126 doing it before, which I kept off for quite a while, until several injuries and illnesses resulted in gaining back the weight. I am now back on South Beach Diet.

SBD is not a restrictive diet. I have wheat allergies, so I eat wheat-free bread, crackers and pasta. All are whole grain, as SBD recommends whole grains, not refined grains. There are several gluten-free choices you can have and still eat your grains. I'm not sure why you want to go totally grain-free, but South Beach Diet doesn't recommend going grain-free. I eat three servings of whole grains every day.

If you aren't going to eat any grains, you will have to eat a lot of beans to get enough fiber, in addition to fruits and vegetables. South Beach recommends 5.5 servings of veggies each day, in addition to fruits. 1/2 cup of beans is one serving, and SBD recommends having at least that much each day.

You can eat seafood every day on South Beach if you choose. It's low in calories and low in saturated fats.

South Beach Diet recommends sticking to naturally-occurring sugars, such as the natural fruit sugar in whole fruits; the naturally occurring milk sugar in low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and so forth. They don't recommend using added sugar. Stevia works well to sweeten things. It's not an artificial sweetener and it doesn't raise blood sugar levels.

I had IBS for years and years. After 4 months on SBD, it went away completely. Once I got injured and stopped eating right, I got IBS back. So, I find it works well for digestive issues.

Someone here said SBD is some quack diet that is restrictive, but it's obvious that person never did SBD and has no idea what it's about. I'm doing SBD on the advice of my family doctor, my GI doctor and my diet doctor. It's a healthy well-balanced diet.

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

Key word is "some".
Not really a basis for all people to eliminate from their diet as most Paleo absolutists would recommend.

You should never listen to absolutists in any forum, whether Paleo or not. But, there is a reason they choose to eliminate them, regardless of whether it individually affects each and everyone of them. And if they can get their nutritional needs met through other sources, who cares? Who cares if they avoid beans because of the lectins issue or because they just don't like the taste of them? You can decide differently. But that doesn't make their choice (1) a lie or (2) based on pseudoscience.

I know it's a crazy thought around here -- but reasonable people can disagree.

njitaliana

No, it's not. See my other post.

Is South Beach really all that restrictive?

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

That may be one of the less educated applications of science ever.

All whales are mammals, thus all mammals must be whales. Talk about failing to understand correlation and causation.

lindsey1979

No, it's not. See my other post.

Is South Beach really all that restrictive?

I also don't think Primal (a variation of Paleo) is very restrictive either, at least I feel like it's great. But, I'm also not a big bread, pasta, rice fan, so cutting grains wasn't a big deal for me, which is probably the biggest restriction on the diet.

nicolegrimes35

I love to carb cycle! It's the only thing in this whole weight loss journey for me that has made sense, and worked, I mean really worked!!! But you have to figure out what works best for you!

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

That may be one of the less educated applications of science ever.

All whales are mammals, thus all mammals must be whales. Talk about failing to understand correlation and causation.

Um, no.

I didn't say all vegetarians were healthy or that all diets were vegetarian or that "all" anything... But when you have milliions of people eating a food as a dietary staple and remaining healthy, that DOES mean the food is not "unhealthy."

Spewze72

I have a few issues with fructose and with wheat, plus I have chronic reflux, so I am strict about moderating certain things in my diet. But other than that, I eat what I want and stay within my calorie allowance over a 7 day period. So far I'm losing weight consistently, my spastic intestines, oesophageal spasm and reflux aren't giving me any trouble, and I still have the "bad" stuff occasionally...avoids me feeling starved/bored/deprived so I can stick with it more easily.

I've done the faddy diets, in my experience they just don't last. But good luck, whatever path you try, and I hope you feel better soon!!

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

That may be one of the less educated applications of science ever.

All whales are mammals, thus all mammals must be whales. Talk about failing to understand correlation and causation.

Um, no.

I didn't say all vegetarians were healthy or that all diets were vegetarian or that "all" anything... But when you have milliions of people eating a food as a dietary staple and remaining healthy, that DOES mean the food is not "unhealthy."

Or it may show that those people have an adaptation that allows them to process that food particularly well. As I said before, I haven't seen Paleo/Primal say legumes are wholesale "unhealthy" -- but explain why lectins are issues for many people (and perhaps all people), legumes have a high number of them, so that's why they choose to avoid them.

If you want to get all hung up on the healthy vs unhealthy differentiation, go for it. But, that seems sort of silly to me.

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

That may be one of the less educated applications of science ever.

All whales are mammals, thus all mammals must be whales. Talk about failing to understand correlation and causation.

Um, no.

I didn't say all vegetarians were healthy or that all diets were vegetarian or that "all" anything... But when you have milliions of people eating a food as a dietary staple and remaining healthy, that DOES mean the food is not "unhealthy."

Or it may show that those people have an adaptation that allows them to process that food particularly well. As I said before, I haven't seen Paleo/Primal say legumes are wholesale "unhealthy" -- but explain why lectins are issues for many people (and perhaps all people), legumes have a high number of them, so that's why they choose to avoid them.

If you want to get all hung up on the healthy vs unhealthy differentiation, go for it. But, that seems sort of silly to me.

What "issues" do you believe all these heatlhy people who eat legumes regularly have specifically with legumes?

WendyTerry420

OP, my husband has Crohn's disease, so I understand a bit about GI issues. For him, it's certain spices and certain vegetables that must be avoided, which is often the same with Colitis. I hope you find out what's wrong. It might be an endocannabinoid deficiency as well. Honestly, I would stick to a diet of soft, bland foods until you know for sure. Best of luck to you.

WendyTerry420

Thanks for the advice, everyone! Looks like I have some homework to do!

To be clear, neither of these fad diets has "exactly" the plan I am looking to follow- I need the high fiber that Paleo can't offer, and I can't eat the breads, pastas, etc. that South Beach starts introducing after a couple of weeks. I was on Weight Watchers before I got pregnant- and I LOVED it. I lost 25 lbs. and felt great- and I was still eating foods that I loved. I was lucky back then- had no digestive issues and could eat whatever I wanted and have a bowel movement 20 minutes later. Now, if I so much as LOOK at a piece of bread my body shuts down. Nothing is the same as it was before and I am MISERABLE. It isn't just the weight anymore.

Anyway, I will look into some of the websites and "clean eating" resources you guys suggested. I think this might be my best bet. Also- to the person who suggested a licensed dietician- thanks! I go to a colon hydrotherapist and she is also a licensed dietician. I actually texted her as soon as I saw your post;) (don't know why it didn't occur to me to just call her in the first place).
Thanks for the help yall!

What is a colon hydro-therapist!!?

I know a lot of Registered Dietitians ( i.e. they have a degree). Are you sure that your person is a dietitian not a nutritionist?

It's just what it sounds like, a person who uses water to cleanse the colon. It is intended for people whose colons are not functioning properly, and can prevent a blockage that would otherwise require surgery.

WendyTerry420

The point that eludes you guys is my point is when a doctor says stop eating all carbs and gluten, and it works, it really is not very helpful. So, my suggestion is for the OP to eventually work to learn the specific issue, rather than a large ridiculous belief that an entire macronutrient is 'bad for her'. It may not even be the case at all. It's what they call a false positive result. You think it's carbs and gluten, it might be neither, really.

And my point is that there is little utility to knowing WHY and that you would be the kind of patient that would go through any time of expense and misery and doctor shopping to know WHY...even though a simple solution resolves your issues. Knowing WHY isn't always possible, for a variety of reasons I've already stated. And you don't have to give up on a food forever. You have a false impression of the elimination diet. You slowly add suspect foods back into your diet after a period of abstinence, and track your symptoms.

That's what I was saying. Thanks for reiterating it.

Except for the "not knowing why part". That's not a smart way to approach eliminating a bunch of stuff, including an entire macro-nutrient, from your diet. But, do whatever you want. i'm tired of arguing with people that are close-minded and can't see past their forehead. Data is data. You can do research, learn, and explore. you don't have to spend thousands at a doctors office. in fact, I advocate not doing that, because doctors tend to be kind of campy with their silly watered-down pop-science advice.

^^ This too. A lot of general medicine docs are *CLUELESS* about GI issues. I'm wondering about the advice for a high fiber diet for someone with colon problems. :huh: :ohwell:

HardcoreP0rk

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- *we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract.* That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

Your purely biological basis is not based in biology. Sorry.

We lack the GI necessary to process large volumes of insoluble fiber. That doesn't mean we can't achieve optimal health on a plant-based diet. In fact, the availability and low cost of meat in America is very new and region-specific.

bcattoes

The point that eludes you guys is my point is when a doctor says stop eating all carbs and gluten, and it works, it really is not very helpful. So, my suggestion is for the OP to eventually work to learn the specific issue, rather than a large ridiculous belief that an entire macronutrient is 'bad for her'. It may not even be the case at all. It's what they call a false positive result. You think it's carbs and gluten, it might be neither, really.

And my point is that there is little utility to knowing WHY and that you would be the kind of patient that would go through any time of expense and misery and doctor shopping to know WHY...even though a simple solution resolves your issues. Knowing WHY isn't always possible, for a variety of reasons I've already stated. And you don't have to give up on a food forever. You have a false impression of the elimination diet. You slowly add suspect foods back into your diet after a period of abstinence, and track your symptoms.

That's what I was saying. Thanks for reiterating it.

Except for the "not knowing why part". That's not a smart way to approach eliminating a bunch of stuff, including an entire macro-nutrient, from your diet. But, do whatever you want. i'm tired of arguing with people that are close-minded and can't see past their forehead. Data is data. You can do research, learn, and explore. you don't have to spend thousands at a doctors office. in fact, I advocate not doing that, because doctors tend to be kind of campy with their silly watered-down pop-science advice.

^^ This too. A lot of general medicine docs are *CLUELESS* about GI issues. I'm wondering about the advice for a high fiber diet for someone with colon problems. :huh: :ohwell:

Oh, I missed the colon problems, but that could explain the low-fat recommendation.

lindsey1979

Your purely biological basis is not based in biology. Sorry.

We lack the GI necessary to process large volumes of insoluble fiber. That doesn't mean we can't achieve optimal health on a plant-based diet. In fact, the availability and low cost of meat in America is very new and region-specific.

So you think humans are herbivores?

dayone987

Thanks for the advice, everyone! Looks like I have some homework to do!

To be clear, neither of these fad diets has "exactly" the plan I am looking to follow- I need the high fiber that Paleo can't offer, and I can't eat the breads, pastas, etc. that South Beach starts introducing after a couple of weeks. I was on Weight Watchers before I got pregnant- and I LOVED it. I lost 25 lbs. and felt great- and I was still eating foods that I loved. I was lucky back then- had no digestive issues and could eat whatever I wanted and have a bowel movement 20 minutes later. Now, if I so much as LOOK at a piece of bread my body shuts down. Nothing is the same as it was before and I am MISERABLE. It isn't just the weight anymore.

Anyway, I will look into some of the websites and "clean eating" resources you guys suggested. I think this might be my best bet. Also- to the person who suggested a licensed dietician- thanks! I go to a colon hydrotherapist and she is also a licensed dietician. I actually texted her as soon as I saw your post;) (don't know why it didn't occur to me to just call her in the first place).
Thanks for the help yall!

What is a colon hydro-therapist!!?

I know a lot of Registered Dietitians ( i.e. they have a degree). Are you sure that your person is a dietitian not a nutritionist?

It's just what it sounds like, a person who uses water to cleanse the colon. It is intended for people whose colons are not functioning properly, and can prevent a blockage that would otherwise require surgery.

According to a link posted on another thread, apparently anyone can set up shop as a colon hydro therapist, no licensing required.
Kind of scary IMO.

bcattoes

Your purely biological basis is not based in biology. Sorry.

We lack the GI necessary to process large volumes of insoluble fiber. That doesn't mean we can't achieve optimal health on a plant-based diet. In fact, the availability and low cost of meat in America is very new and region-specific.

So you think humans are herbivores?

Do you think vegans don't exist?