Paleo diet?

5em9

what I don't get is why would we want to eat like they did thousands of years ago when the lift expectancy was less than 40 years of age??

^^^^THIS^^^^

but that was because we were nomads, having to scratch out an existence everyday. We died from things like exposure and being killed by predators and poisoning and crazy stuff! When we began living in communities we could devote less energy to self preservation, and more to social development. That had some drawbacks too, diseases evolved from so many people living in close quarters. Basically there are many factors that contribute to life expectancy that aren't diet.

ganesha303

Who says I can't back it up? Wanna take a look at my biomarkers pre and post-paleo?

Hey, I'd like to see this for inspiration!

Dragonwolf

I truly don't understand the venom of some of the anti-Primal/Paleo posters on here.

What venom?

People on here are giving OP their opinions and advice. If their responses seem venomous for you, then relax and take a step back to figure out why. And as always remember that what you think is right is not always going to be what everyone else thinks. It doesn't make them rude, evil, or automatically wrong for differing from you.

I think you may have asked a little too soon.

That said, I don't think they meant "here" as in this very thread, but "here" as in the boards in general. Like the threads about veg*anism, paleo threads tend to degrade into religious arguments.

ajbeans

Here's my take on the whole thing:

I believe that what is healthiest for each individual will largely depend on their ancestry. People do evolve in order to adapt to their environment, so if your ancestors were from a place where plant-based foods were scarce, they'll do better on a high-protein diet. If they're from a place where vegetarian fare has been the norm for millenia, they'll do better on a vegetarian diet. And then there's a whole spectrum in between. For me, I do better on a higher protein diet with very low sugar (both refined and natural). But that's me. I also do better when I stay away from dairy, because I have an allergy. Not everyone has that allergy, although I will point out that humans are the only mammal to drink milk past early childhood, and no other mammals will drink the milk of another animal in nature. So dairy isn't really necessary, but I don't think it's harmful for everyone.

My point is, try it. See if it works for you. If it does, great! If it doesn't, try something else. Doesn't mean it's wrong for everyone, just that it's wrong for you.

ctime

Some people can handle sugar and carbs just fine, some people can't. Why does everything have to be black and white? Why is it that some people can run faster or other people have a higher alcohol tolerance and then again some people never seem to get fat? It's because WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT MACHINES.

For ME: Sugar = Obesity, High Blood Pressure, high Triclycerides, Diabetes (ie. early death)

Paleo Diet? Minimal Sugar = OK
Primal Diet? Minimal Sugar = OK

USDA Food Pyramid: NOT OK

Carbs (Yes, Virginia, even complex carbs) = Sugar
Wheat = Mostly Carbs, some gluten protein.

mrsdizzyd84

Just out of curiosity, why is it that the makers of the diet believe that paleolithic humans did not eat grains? During that period grains grew wild, no?

MotorCityFemmeFatale

You are correct. So I'll just end with this.... It obviously works for me, so I'll keep doing it. Eveyone else should do what works for them. :flowerforyou:

this

ajbeans

Just out of curiosity, why is it that the makers of the diet believe that paleolithic humans did not eat grains? During that period grains grew wild, no?

I believe it's because most grains need to be processed in some way (ground, boiled, etc.) in order to be edible. Don't quote me on that.

mwest11

what I don't get is why would we want to eat like they did thousands of years ago when the lift expectancy was less than 40 years of age??

^^^^THIS^^^^

Because is paleolithic times they had animals as predators and a broken leg meant you died... HAHA

PaleoPath4Lyfe

I have been doing a little research on meal planning that cut out processed foods and sugar. I stumbled on the Paleo or Paleolithic diet. It is a diet that reflects how we ate as early humans 150,000 years ago. Some parts I think I can deal with, I have been contemplating cutting out the processed foods and refined sugar for a few weeks now. But, they instruct you to cut out dairy, grains, and legumes. I just don't know if I can conceive in my mind that yogurt, whole grains, and beans are bad for you! Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts, advice, or experience from the Paleo diet?

There is so much evidence that grains and legumes are not what they are claimed to be, especially gluten containing grains.

Dairy is allowed in the raw form and if your body is tolerant to dairy products.

KBGirts

Just out of curiosity, why is it that the makers of the diet believe that paleolithic humans did not eat grains? During that period grains grew wild, no?

I believe it's because most grains need to be processed in some way (ground, boiled, etc.) in order to be edible. Don't quote me on that.

Also, it is possible that they did eat them, but very little due to them having to be processed. It wasn't until modern agriculture that grains became so prevalent in our diet. Now we eat them constantly, where before they were hard to come by.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

One of my MFP friends and his wife have been on the Paleo diet for about a year. It sounds like a total lifestyle for them, and they don't appear to waver. He has lost 94 lbs. I looked into it, but I just think it'd be a really hard thing to stick to. Eating out must be a nightmare, and for me, it would remove a lot of the enjoyment out of food and dining.

Eating out is really easy............We don't eat out very much anymore, but when we do it is easy to find stuff to eat.

I take my own salad dressing........

Order a salad, steamed or roasted vegetables and demand that they be cooked with no oils and ask to have butter brought to the table. Steak, grilled / baked chicken, sea food, fish, etc no sauces added.

Mexican restaurant, order fajitas with sour cream and extra guacamole and salsa. No beans, rice, or tortillas.

Easy Peasy.

mrsdizzyd84

Just out of curiosity, why is it that the makers of the diet believe that paleolithic humans did not eat grains? During that period grains grew wild, no?

I believe it's because most grains need to be processed in some way (ground, boiled, etc.) in order to be edible. Don't quote me on that.

Also, it is possible that they did eat them, but very little due to them having to be processed. It wasn't until modern agriculture that grains became so prevalent in our diet. Now we eat them constantly, where before they were hard to come by.

Unless you were in the Americas right? Peoples in the Americas have been processing grains for many many thousands of years. Or do I have a hold to the wrong end of the stick?

nikolaim5

Healthy people lose weight on paleo not because of what they don't eat, but because of how much they don't eat.

The comment about dairy and wheat not being good for you is completely false. Show me the data. A book for sale does not count as fact. "Wheat belly" is a book with an agenda and thus cherry picks it's "facts. It's like the tobacco industry's research claiming smoking isn't harmful to your health. Access to good research is free. Certain individuals have intolerances to certain foods. This does not make them unhealthy. My girlfriend is allergic to apples, therefor apples are unhealthy?

neanderthin

One of my MFP friends and his wife have been on the Paleo diet for about a year. It sounds like a total lifestyle for them, and they don't appear to waver. He has lost 94 lbs. I looked into it, but I just think it'd be a really hard thing to stick to. Eating out must be a nightmare, and for me, it would remove a lot of the enjoyment out of food and dining.

Eating out is really easy............We don't eat out very much anymore, but when we do it is easy to find stuff to eat.

I take my own salad dressing........

Order a salad, steamed or roasted vegetables and demand that they be cooked with no oils and ask to have butter brought to the table. Steak, grilled / baked chicken, sea food, fish, etc no sauces added.

Mexican restaurant, order fajitas with sour cream and extra guacamole and salsa. No beans, rice, or tortillas.

Easy Peasy.

Cherry picking foods that aren't paleo and saying these are fine is like the kettle calling the pot black.. Sour cream and butter is dairy and tomatoes are nightshades. If that's the case why not have grain?

primal_p90x

Slowly switched to Primal back in Sept. 2011 and I haven't looked back since.
Commit to going Primal for 21 days.
You can always gain the fat back if you do not like how you feel after 21 days.

mwest11

Well, thank you everyone for your helpful thoughts and opinions. I have set these goals for myself:

1. Cut out processed/fast foods
2. Increase fruits and veggies
3. Decrease refined sugars

I doubt I will be able to follow the Paleo diet explicitly, I don't think there is anything wrong with low-fat dairy in moderation, and I also think there are some benefits to whole grains. I don't know that I am sold on wheat being poison just yet.

Someone posted a comment about not being able to lose weight and increase muscle. I should have worded that differently. I have fat mass to lose and then would like to concentrate on muscle gains. I understand that you can't have a calorie deficit and see muscle gains. But, I think you must research and educate yourself on nutrition and the body, and that's my goal. So THANKS!

nikolaim5

Well, thank you everyone for your helpful thoughts and opinions. I have set these goals for myself:

1. Cut out processed/fast foods
2. Increase fruits and veggies
3. Decrease refined sugars

Generally good goals but don't get too hung up on "processed". Whey protein for instance is a highly processed food source. "Processed" often (but not always) goes hand in hand with nutritionally scarce and calorie dense, that's when it should be avoided or consumed in moderation.

nikolaim5

I understand that you can't have a calorie deficit and see muscle gains

This is technically false. The relatively untrained individual can build muscle on a moderate caloric deficit. The more trained the individual and the lower the body fat, the more difficult it will be.

puggleperson

bump