Paleo vs. Clean eating?

each_day_stronger

I think when we talk about restricting food what we are really talking about is feeling limited/deprived.

Some people will give up processed junk and feel so sad because ALL THEY WANT IS TEH JUNK. If they can lose fat and feel healthy even by eating the junk because it fits in the macros or a big calorie deficit or whatever, then good for them!

Some people will give up processed junk and feel GREAT. Even though they are restricting/limiting things from their diet, they felt sick from those things and getting rid of them actually gives them energy and happiness in addition to fat loss. In which case, good for them!

If paleo/clean eating isn't appealing to you, no one is making you do so! But since the OP asked for people with this perspective...people with this experience are presenting their experiences.

tennisdude2004

Therefore by that reasoning everybody is on a restrictive diet.

This morning I was going to have some eggs - but I chose not to (I was late for work and didn't have time to cook them).

So today I am on an Egg restricted diet.

Okay that makes sense - thanks for clearing that up.

Do you understand the difference between "I didn't have eggs this morning" and "I do not eat eggs"?

Seriously just stop being obtuse.

I'm sorry but I do not think I am the one who is slow to understand.

People calling certain diets restrictive (for everyone) are basing there assumptions on their own limitations.

Most people happily enjoying the benefits of paleo/primal/clean eating - you name it, have moved beyond craving food they choose not to eat and no longer want to eat those types of food - therefore there not restricting anything from their diets.

likitisplit

How about a moderate calorie deficit, with some attention paid to macro and micro nutrient content?

pfffff who needs that when you can put on a loin cloth, grab a spear, and go hunt down a wooly mammoth….?

just in the interests of scientific accuracy..... palaeolithic humans would not have bothered with the loin cloth. Modesty is a modern concept and any depiction of palaeolithic people in loincloths is purely so as not to offend the sensibilities of modern people, and is also totally unrealistic. Loincloths are utterly useless as clothes as they don't keep you warm. They're only for people who for whatever cultural reasons prefer to keep their genitals covered, which seems to be a modern phenomenon.

agreed…..I was just putting that in there for idiotic emphasis..:)

that's cool I wanted to emphasize some of the wider implications of being hardcore about going paleo........ don't just eat paleo,... wear paleo.... i mean modern people tend to be lacking in vitamin D due to not getting enough sunlight on their skin... :happy: :drinker: :bigsmile:

I love you so hard!

likitisplit

IIFYM

I have a gif for that but sadly I think it will be deleted - all gifs 'in moderation' right.

I think I have posted - a number of times - I am not anti calorie counting (it just is not for me) I understand it works for a lot of people and that's great.

IIFYM is certainly one way of achieving your goal. If you are unable to cut back on your carbs and your happy and healthy with that then that's another way. If you want to eat low carb, high fat that again is another way.

All and yes I will use the words ALL diets have restrictions - some cannot live with the restriction of cutting out certain foods and that's fine.

I personally cannot live with the restriction of having to stop eating when I am still hungry, because have reached my calorie target for the day!!! Different horses for different courses.

All diets require a sacrifice - you just chose the one that's easier to bear.

Well I think I'm face palmed out for the evening.

Night all.

Honestly, if you are hungry, you should eat even if that means going over. One day won't hurt. There are weeks I do not lose weight because it's more important to me to enjoy foods. For me, this is a long term goal, not a short term thing. For example, in two weeks we are having a going away party for a colleague of mine. It is going to be an all you can eat Korean buffet. I would be heart broken if I don't hit 10,000 calories. I am getting my moneys worth. It may be my only meal that day, but its soooo worth it.

If you don't have a medical issue, you should be able to eat to satiety and not be hungry until right before your next meal. It might take some experiment to figure out what foods work for you to get you there.

While I like the *idea* of not doing anything you can't do for the duration (especially in relationship to juice fasts), in practice, I've tried a whole bunch of strategies at different times and continued using the individual tactics that work best for me when the strategy became untenable.

lindsey1979

Isn't most of this debate silly? Eat Paleo or don't eat Paleo. There are some that apparently think doing so is a status symbol or makes you douchy. I have no idea where these people live that such a diet is a status symbol, but so be it. Others think that such an assertion is ridiculous.

Do what works for you and don't worry about the peanut gallery.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Isn't most of this debate silly? Eat Paleo or don't eat Paleo. There are some that apparently think doing so is a status symbol or makes you douchy. I have no idea where these people live that such a diet is a status symbol, but so be it. Others think that such an assertion is ridiculous.

Do what works for you and don't worry about the peanut gallery.

It is silly.

OP, I wouldn't do it if what you're doing is working. If later on you're stalling and you try something new and it works for you, more power to you. My personal advice on adhering to a certain "diet" is to not do anything you don't see yourself continuing for the rest of your life. That applies to exercise too. Do something you enjoy and benefit from.

tennisdude2004

Therefore by that reasoning everybody is on a restrictive diet.

This morning I was going to have some eggs - but I chose not to (I was late for work and didn't have time to cook them).

So today I am on an Egg restricted diet.

Okay that makes sense - thanks for clearing that up.

Do you understand the difference between "I didn't have eggs this morning" and "I do not eat eggs"?

Seriously just stop being obtuse.

I'm sorry but I do not think I am the one who is slow to understand.

People calling certain diets restrictive (for everyone) are basing there assumptions on their own limitations.

Most people happily enjoying the benefits of paleo/primal/clean eating - you name it, have moved beyond craving food they choose not to eat and no longer want to eat those types of food - therefore there not restricting anything from their diets.

If you CHOOSE... to not eat a certain food... as a part of your diet... you've RESTRICTED IT...from your diet.

That's it. That's how language works. Now you may not like the word "restrict" so you want to use something else, but that's too bad. Because you don't get to decide what words mean based on your little feelings.

Now I will take the good advice above and put you on ignore. Because everything I've read in your postings leads me to believe you're not very bright or effective at getting ideas across. Whatever your motive is behind debating on a calorie counting website the ineffectiveness of calorie counting...trust me.. you won't find many takers here. You're free to continue to waste your time. But I can do the smart thing and not read anymore of it.

Also even your memes have terrible spelling.

Check my posts - I have not every stated the inefficiency of calorie counting - I think it works very well for a lot of people.

In fact I advocate different diets for different people.

Whilst MFP is primarily a calorie counting website - it does welcome all styles of diets (I just don't think that message has filtered down to the masses).

• Flexibility
- our system can support any diet like Atkins, the South Beach Diet, the Zone, and more. No matter what diet you're on, we can help.

As you have put me on ignore I'm sure I am typing this for my own piece of mind.

Incidentally I do agree with your interpretation of restrict - I was being obtuse!! sorry.

I personally believe that all diets to a degree require a sacrifice - be it a food group or stopping eating when your still hungry. The one someone will be best suited to is the one that feels like the least payment to make.

It does baffle me that some people don't get it?

likitisplit

Isn't most of this debate silly? Eat Paleo or don't eat Paleo. There are some that apparently think doing so is a status symbol or makes you douchy. I have no idea where these people live that such a diet is a status symbol, but so be it. Others think that such an assertion is ridiculous.

Do what works for you and don't worry about the peanut gallery.

It is silly.

OP, I wouldn't do it if what you're doing is working. If later on you're stalling and you try something new and it works for you, more power to you. My personal advice on adhering to a certain "diet" is to not do anything you don't see yourself continuing for the rest of your life. That applies to exercise too. Do something you enjoy and benefit from.

I agree with this. If you don't like a food, don't eat it. If you do like a food, then eat it. If you don't like an exercise, don't do it. If you do like an exercise, do it.

You are an adult and understand that some things take a few tries to really know whether you like it or not...and also know that not everything is going to be super-stimulating but need to be done anyway - like flossing.

However, adding things you don't enjoy or limiting things that you do because of over-blown health promises...that's where you need to consider your goals and whether the change will get you there if the health promises don't pan out.

wamydia

If you're goal is just to eat food that you feel is healthier, I would suggest that you just do that and not worry about definitions or what food belongs to which diet plan. Just gradually start cutting back on the things that you feel aren't so healthy and start introducing more of the ones you think are. No need to dump out your pantry if what is in there has been working for you. Just gradually shift your eating habits a little away from the boxed and processed to the fresh and lean. And I really do believe that a gradual shift is best. Making a sudden leap to a whole new way of eating can derail people sometimes.

geebusuk

Thanks for the reply.

I stated that For the calories you consume I think there are plenty of MICRO nutrients missing - compared to more nutrient efficient alternatives.

Well yes, if you're eating anything but a vitamin pill, that statement can be true for ANY food!

The rest of your answer goes on about a McDonalds meal. I was specifically talking about the meat.

Interesting that you don't know the difference, yet are a big proponent of it.

Me, I like to UNDERSTAND before I decide on my choices. So I've done a little research.
As it goes, it turns out grass-fed beef likely does offer some advantages. (Organic won't make any difference that I know.
The biggest advertised is Omega-3. Unfortunately most of the information comes from places trying to push this product/lifestyle and so on and it's taken me a while to wade through. They go on about ratios, but crucially don't mention AMOUNTS.
This author is obviously very much 'pro' the product, but takes a much more balanced view:
http://grassbasedhealth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/is-grass-fed-beef-really-rich-in-omega.html

But promoting grass fed beef because of its n-6:n-3 ratio is, at best, misleading. Beef, regardless of how it is fed, in not a “rich” source of n-3 or n-6 fatty acids

It MAY/probably offer higher levels of few other micronutrients, but from what I can tell not to a significant amount. Unfortunately my example does make it a little harder to compare as details for McDonalds burgers include the bun and so on, while I can separate out pure grass-fed-beef - so the percentages for nutrients in the fast food meat will naturally be lower as it's not all meat as it's listed per 100g of product.

So, from what I can see, in reality it's pretty similar in anything that actually matters when considering total amounts per 100g.

So, lets get back on to the MEAT. Not comparing a pile of varied steamed veg with some bread. I had copied and pasted my question yet again, but this time I've made the words 'meat' bold, so you can more easily see these meaty word.

Do you believe the meat in a McDonalds burger has less micronutrients than the meat you eat? Now that I've done my research - I'll add the caveat - to a degree that matters.
If you do, could you provide some backup to explain why you believe that.

Next, if you have already had enough micronutrients of that kind, do you think that having more will be beneficial?

DamePiglet

Therefore by that reasoning everybody is on a restrictive diet.

This morning I was going to have some eggs - but I chose not to (I was late for work and didn't have time to cook them).

So today I am on an Egg restricted diet.

Okay that makes sense - thanks for clearing that up.

Do you understand the difference between "I didn't have eggs this morning" and "I do not eat eggs"?

Seriously just stop being obtuse.

I'm sorry but I do not think I am the one who is slow to understand.

People calling certain diets restrictive (for everyone) are basing there assumptions on their own limitations.

Most people happily enjoying the benefits of paleo/primal/clean eating - you name it, have moved beyond craving food they choose not to eat and no longer want to eat those types of food - therefore there not restricting anything from their diets.

I'll say this once. Slowly, simply. I know it won't sink in. But the idiot in me has to try.

If you CHOOSE... to not eat a certain food... as a part of your diet... you've RESTRICTED IT...from your diet.

That's it. That's how language works. Now you may not like the word "restrict" so you want to use something else, but that's too bad. Because you don't get to decide what words mean based on your little feelings.

Now I will take the good advice above and put you on ignore. Because everything I've read in your postings leads me to believe you're not very bright or effective at getting ideas across. Whatever your motive is behind debating on a calorie counting website the ineffectiveness of calorie counting...trust me.. you won't find many takers here. You're free to continue to waste your time. But I can do the smart thing and not read anymore of it.

Also even your memes have terrible spelling.

+1
If I DID choose to eat Paleo/Primal, I would tell NO ONE on MFP for fear of avoid being associated with certain posters.

tennisdude2004

Therefore by that reasoning everybody is on a restrictive diet.

This morning I was going to have some eggs - but I chose not to (I was late for work and didn't have time to cook them).

So today I am on an Egg restricted diet.

Okay that makes sense - thanks for clearing that up.

Do you understand the difference between "I didn't have eggs this morning" and "I do not eat eggs"?

Seriously just stop being obtuse.

I'm sorry but I do not think I am the one who is slow to understand.

People calling certain diets restrictive (for everyone) are basing there assumptions on their own limitations.

Most people happily enjoying the benefits of paleo/primal/clean eating - you name it, have moved beyond craving food they choose not to eat and no longer want to eat those types of food - therefore there not restricting anything from their diets.

If you CHOOSE... to not eat a certain food... as a part of your diet... you've RESTRICTED IT...from your diet.

That's it. That's how language works. Now you may not like the word "restrict" so you want to use something else, but that's too bad. Because you don't get to decide what words mean based on your little feelings.

Now I will take the good advice above and put you on ignore. Because everything I've read in your postings leads me to believe you're not very bright or effective at getting ideas across. Whatever your motive is behind debating on a calorie counting website the ineffectiveness of calorie counting...trust me.. you won't find many takers here. You're free to continue to waste your time. But I can do the smart thing and not read anymore of it.

Also even your memes have terrible spelling.

+1
If I DID choose to eat Paleo/Primal, I would tell NO ONE on MFP for fear of avoid being associated with certain posters.

jmv7117

So I've been reading up on Paleo.. it looks pretty interesting? Do any of you do Paleo? or Eat Clean.. Im having a little bit trouble finding the true definition of Eating Clean.. Correct me if I'm wrong.. does it mean no processed food... as in nothing coming from a box? or is it something else?

I'm hesitant to jump on the band wagon since i have a lot of stuff in my pantry but I'm really fascinated by it. Can anyone of you give me some insight or share your experience how you started or transitioned in to Paleo or Eating Clean

Thank you
Happy

Our friends' daughter and her family eat Paleo. Her kids are the same age as our grandkids. They eat Paleo while our grandkids eat like us, pretty much clean most of the time. Her kids are always sick! I honestly can't believe how often they are sick whereas our grandkids are seldom sick. As far as clean goes, we were eating that way before it became trendy and I hesitate to call it clean eating. We rely heavily on locally produced foods free of food additives and avoid artificial anything. We prefer home grown, organic and organic foods. We buy directly from food producers so very little of our food dollar is spent at a conventional grocery store. We do try to adhere to foods produced within a 100 mile radius of our home. Our meat is bought directly from the farmer. It is grass-fed and hormone free. A large portion of the fish we eat is locally caught. We preserve our own foods by drying, freezing and canning when in season to get us through the rest of the year. We very rarely eat fast food, about once a year. So, our diet is fairly clean. Again, this is how we have always been. It would likely be a big change for someone who relies heavily on the grocery store and processed foods though.

I eat Primal (a more relaxed form of paleo) and the diet you have just described as you are eating is exactly how anyone eating Primal would (ideally) eat organic produce (grass feed steak), limited junk food. Meat with plenty of veggies is kind of a staple meal (minus grains).

Is it possible there may be another cause for your friend grandkids getting sick - have you covered all of the bases in your investigation of their health or is your conclusion based on just the observation of their diet (which in the end may be quite similar to your own)?

We are quite close with the parents and see her and the kids on a regular basis. I'm getting it right from the parents (the kids grandparents) and the kids (parents of the kids) themselves. I will note that their diet is radical in comparison to ours which leads me to suspect on the basis of comments, some of their recipes and observations that although they are eating Paleo, their version is very restrictive.

lindsey1979

However, adding things you don't enjoy or limiting things that you do because of over-blown health promises...that's where you need to consider your goals and whether the change will get you there if the health promises don't pan out.

What are the over-blown health promises?

The only one I know of is that you *might* feel better. I found that to be true for me and many others. What are the other ones?

Acg67

However, adding things you don't enjoy or limiting things that you do because of over-blown health promises...that's where you need to consider your goals and whether the change will get you there if the health promises don't pan out.

What are the over-blown health promises?

The only one I know of is that you *might* feel better. I found that to be true for me and many others. What are the other ones?

"Do you want to lose fat and stay young, all while avoiding cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and a host of other illnesses? The Paleo Solution incorporates the latest, cutting edge research from genetics, biochemistry and anthropology to help you look, feel and perform your best"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Solution-Original-Human/dp/0982565844/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1394725601&sr=8-6&keywords=paleo+diet

da_bears10089

Clean Eating is an undefinable phrase. To one person it's one thing, and to another person it's another thing.

All things in moderation here.

bcattoes

Im having a little bit trouble finding the true definition of Eating Clean.. Correct me if I'm wrong.. does it mean no processed food... as in nothing coming from a box? or is it something else?

Yeah, clean eating has lost any single definition. When I first heard of it a few decades ago it referred simply to eating whole natural foods. The closer a food was to its natural state, the cleaner it was.

But now there sites that specify meal timing, macro breakdowns, eliminating certain food groups, etc., all in the name of clean eating. Things that really have nothing to do with whether the food is natural or not.

ldula88

It's just a fad, it seems most people would rather brag about themselves being Paleo or "clean eaters" than anything. I guess they think it's a status symbol to uneducated unfit people but the rest of us just think they are pretentious and wasting their time.

Calorie deficit and get all of your nutrients and you will be healthy and lose weight! You could even eat McDonald's!!!!! O.o

I.C.E. Cream Official Tester
IKEA Professional Put Together-er
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Been in fitness for about 2 years and have studied kinesiology, nutrition and Dinosaurs

Ummm... ouch? I don't brag about eating paleo, and I've never told anyone else that they were wrong for not eating the way I do. As I've said before, Paleo makes me feel great and is the easiest lifestyle for me to maintain, but it's not for everyone. Rather, I find people who insist that Paleos follow a "fad diet" are rather more pretentious. I plan to eat this way for life, it's by no means a fad or a gimmick for me.