what are people's thoughts about the paleo diet

k_gilphy

I learned that eating anything in moderation was the key.

WORD.

skywa

You don't have to eat paleo to reconsider your food sources. I support local farms for a number of reasons but I don't eat Paleo. I also wonder how sustainable the paleo diet is environmentally. I can do everything you have said and still eat grains from my local farms.

There are 7 billion people on earth. You're not feeding them all without grains.

There actually probably is enough. Over 40% of the food we make in the US is wasted/thrown out by the average american anyways. >->

UponThisRock

You don't have to eat paleo to reconsider your food sources. I support local farms for a number of reasons but I don't eat Paleo. I also wonder how sustainable the paleo diet is environmentally. I can do everything you have said and still eat grains from my local farms.

There are 7 billion people on earth. You're not feeding them all without grains.

There actually probably is enough. Over 40% of the food we make in the US is wasted/thrown out by the average american anyways. >->

You think that 40% (minus all the grains) is enough to feed the world in the absence of grains? The U.S. only has 200-250 million people.

How is the percentage of the world living on less than a dollar per day supposed to afford all of this meat, vegetables and coconut milk anyhow?

Marll

I think for short term to clean out your body of impurities in your diet it's awesome, long term it's expensive, time consuming and you will miss bread. Lifestyle change is much easier.

I'm not sure how it's more expensive? I've been eating like this more or less for just short of a year and my grocery bill went DOWN by about $150/mo. I don't miss bread at all, though occasionally will make bread with almond flour and other ingredients that are not grain based and be happy. I eat it and don't get the craving for MORE bread.

And how is a lifestyle change easier? Going this direction is a lifestyle change in itself. Paleo/Primal is more than just food, it's trying to really think about your food sources, making good decisions and buying from local farms whenever possible. Its about getting enough rest and exercise together and trying to reconnect with nature. If I was a vegan saying the same things people would think that I'm a genius.

I don't know where you are, but here, local meat is much more expensive than regular supermarket meat. Grass fed butter and other things like that that I have seen people who follow this diet eat are outrageous in price. Vegetables are also more expensive unless I can get them at the Farmer's market when they are available. Last year was a bad year, so it wasn't as easy.

You don't have to eat paleo to reconsider your food sources. I support local farms for a number of reasons but I don't eat Paleo. I also wonder how sustainable the paleo diet is environmentally. I can do everything you have said and still eat grains from my local farms while riding my bike.

I live in the Seattle area, one of the more expensive places to live in the country due to high taxes. I still find it to be less expensive or at the very least on some months equal to my purchases when on a conventional diet.

I'm also not saying that you have to be paleo to consider your food sources, vegetarians have been talking like that for years, and again if I told people that I wasn't eating processed stuff, eating natural locally grown produce and lost 60+lbs I would get all kinds of praise, soon as you mention low carb/paelo/primal you get the evil glares and the under the breath mutterings of "you're an idiot" more or less.

I would say that overall the paleo way of eating is much more environmentally sustainable than mass scale farming. Cows and other animals don't need millions of square acres of land to be raised for food and they actually give something back to the land whereas overfarming is an issue that can leave many areas devoid of nutrients in the soil and barren. I'm trying to find the article, but not much luck, that shows that an American brought many head of cattle to an area of Somalia or Kenya that was mostly desert and mimiced original wildlife migratory patterns and was able to turn barren areas into forests again, which was able to sustain even more local life. Water and trees returned as well as grass that the cattle were able to eat on their next pass through the area.

dsciarrino

I wouldn't do it.

Marll

it sounds gross to me. i think it's important for people to do what's healthy overall, not what helps lose a bit of weight. i'm a vegetarian so i eat lots of whole grains, colourful veggies, fruits and lots of nuts, legumes and soy products. (and contrary to popular belief, soy is not bad for you. it's a real bean from a real plant) i also drink a lot of tea...

Soy is also not great for you, especially if you are a man. Go find some studies that show the hormonal interactions and you'll see that soy raises estrogen levels. Soy is a fad and will eventually fall out of vogue. Same reason why I don't heat anything in plastic, the leeching of BPA and other plastic compounds that are very close in chemical composition to birth control pills/estrogen make it something that I don't want to consume as a man, and certainly won't be doing so for my 2 year old son.

bigdawg62

In theory its great, in practice the reality is that in todays world with all its temptations its next to impossible to maintain this diet long term. I tried it for 3 months. Worked ok, but after 3 months I went on a non paleo binge. The longest anybody I know has gone on this is 6 months. Just like the Atkins diet lots of folks swear by it but when asked if they are still doing it the answer is NO.

Marll

Here's what I think is funny about Paleo - it's all, "oh, we eat things that cavemen ate" ... but then you see the Paleo folks posting recipes for things like "Paleo ice cream" and "Paleo pizza" made with 'approved' paleo foods.


I guess I just didn't realize that cavemen mixed water with almond paste to make 'milk' to add to things ... or that they ate 'pizza' with cauliflower crust.

It really seems to me that it's nothing more than a fad diet touted by people that prefer rigidity and structure to a fault.

This. Additionally saying "Cavemen = healthier" is just dumb. How long did they live? How tall were they? How were their teeth? What about infant mortality rates? Really, as a group, they are probably the worst role models one could chose.

Try reading up on anthropology a bit before you make assumptions. Sure, as a general rule the AVERAGE lifespan of a caveman wasn't necessarily long, but people love to act like that was because of a poor diet or disease, not environmental factors. Scientists have found that while infant mortality rate and childhood mortality rate were higher than we have now, if a caveman lived past childhood they generally lived long lives. The more common causes of death appears to be war, accidents, animal attacks, but disease that was killing people hand over fist was not common.

Secondly it is common knowledge that the best way to tell of an caveman era skull is a fake is that the teeth are not all intact and white. That's right caveman as a general rule the world over had much better dental health than we do today. They were also quite tall and robust compared to our ancestors during the agricultural revolution, where you can witness a shrinking in stature, and the massive decay and loss of teeth. Coincidence? I think not.

Marll

In theory its great, in practice the reality is that in todays world with all its temptations its next to impossible to maintain this diet long term. I tried it for 3 months. Worked ok, but after 3 months I went on a non paleo binge. The longest anybody I know has gone on this is 6 months. Just like the Atkins diet lots of folks swear by it but when asked if they are still doing it the answer is NO.

About a year here, and did Atkins in the past for 3 or so before I made bad decisions that I knew were wrong. Turning the ship around again, but still totally sustainable.

3dogsrunning

it sounds gross to me. i think it's important for people to do what's healthy overall, not what helps lose a bit of weight. i'm a vegetarian so i eat lots of whole grains, colourful veggies, fruits and lots of nuts, legumes and soy products. (and contrary to popular belief, soy is not bad for you. it's a real bean from a real plant) i also drink a lot of tea...

Soy is also not great for you, especially if you are a man. Go find some studies that show the hormonal interactions and you'll see that soy raises estrogen levels. Soy is a fad and will eventually fall out of vogue. Same reason why I don't heat anything in plastic, the leeching of BPA and other plastic compounds that are very close in chemical composition to birth control pills/estrogen make it something that I don't want to consume as a man, and certainly won't be doing so for my 2 year old son.

Soy is a fad? Hasn't it been consumed in Asia for thousands of years?

sarahdawnross

I'm not here to argue or try and defend statistics with all the angry anti-low carb people... but for the record I've been maintaining a low carb diet for the better part of a year and it has not been difficult for me, I've seen great results, and my doctor has given me the thumbs up to keep on doing what I've been doing.

To be more specfic, I do not eat pasta, rice, bread, flour, potatoes, or sugar.

Marll

it sounds gross to me. i think it's important for people to do what's healthy overall, not what helps lose a bit of weight. i'm a vegetarian so i eat lots of whole grains, colourful veggies, fruits and lots of nuts, legumes and soy products. (and contrary to popular belief, soy is not bad for you. it's a real bean from a real plant) i also drink a lot of tea...

Soy is also not great for you, especially if you are a man. Go find some studies that show the hormonal interactions and you'll see that soy raises estrogen levels. Soy is a fad and will eventually fall out of vogue. Same reason why I don't heat anything in plastic, the leeching of BPA and other plastic compounds that are very close in chemical composition to birth control pills/estrogen make it something that I don't want to consume as a man, and certainly won't be doing so for my 2 year old son.

Soy is a fad? Hasn't it been consumed in Asia for thousands of years?

Fine, I'll conceed your point. What is a fad is how American food companies are putting soy in EVERYTHING and touting how great it is. Bottom line it's a cheaply produced crop that has high yields. Follow the $$

3dogsrunning

Soy is also not great for you, especially if you are a man. Go find some studies that show the hormonal interactions and you'll see that soy raises estrogen levels. Soy is a fad and will eventually fall out of vogue. Same reason why I don't heat anything in plastic, the leeching of BPA and other plastic compounds that are very close in chemical composition to birth control pills/estrogen make it something that I don't want to consume as a man, and certainly won't be doing so for my 2 year old son.

Soy is a fad? Hasn't it been consumed in Asia for thousands of years?

Fine, I'll conceed your point. What is a fad is how American food companies are putting soy in EVERYTHING and touting how great it is. Bottom line it's a cheaply produced crop that has high yields. Follow the $$

I agree with that.

Cait_Sidhe

Please note: This post is meant to be tongue in cheek and light-hearted. Eat in whatever manner best fits your lifestyle.

This was caveman's ideal woman:



The ancient Greeks included wine, cheese, and bread in their diet, and this was their ideal woman:



All hail Dionysus!!! :drinker:

And this wins. Hands down.

Elizabeth_C34

It's not something I really am interested in. I like bread and dairy, and I'm doing just fine without paleo.

AntWrig

I'm not here to argue or try and defend statistics with all the angry anti-low carb people... but for the record I've been maintaining a low carb diet for the better part of a year and it has not been difficult for me, I've seen great results, and my doctor has given me the thumbs up to keep on doing what I've been doing.

To be more specfic, I do not eat pasta, rice, bread, flour, potatoes, or sugar.

I am far from ant-low carb. The difference is I don't make grand claims just because something makes me feel better. I lift heavy weight because it helps improve body composition and increases my cardio capacity, studies prove that. I fast because it allows me to focus better and I don't have to worry about eating multiple meals. There are study proving that fasting works.

When you're going to make claims, back them up with solid research. There are also studyies proving that low carb dieting is no better than a traditional diet.

kcmg0730

I'm not here to argue or try and defend statistics with all the angry anti-low carb people... but for the record I've been maintaining a low carb diet for the better part of a year and it has not been difficult for me, I've seen great results, and my doctor has given me the thumbs up to keep on doing what I've been doing.

To be more specfic, I do not eat pasta, rice, bread, flour, potatoes, or sugar.

I am far from ant-low carb. The difference is I don't make grand claims just because something makes me feel better. I lift heavy weight because it helps improve body composition and increases my cardio capacity, studies prove that. I fast because it allows me to focus better and I don't have to worry about eating multiple meals. There are study proving that fasting works.

When you're going to make claims, back them up with solid research. There are also studyies proving that low carb dieting is no better than a traditional diet.

And there are studies proving that paleo dieting works as well, and it's true, there should not be grand claims on either side of the argument if both sides haven't been researched or considered. I am not going to quote every book I've read on each side of the issue when people are fully capable of doing the research for themselves.

I was at a plateau for 4 months, and NOTHING else worked. I cannot live with moderation as the 'key' because I have had issues in the past with binging and compulsive eating, so I have to be very diligent about what kinds of food I keep around. I have done research spanning about 8 years on processed food, and based on that research have been on the road to eating whole, un-buggered about with food because I don't want to eat manufactured crap. I have done all sorts of diets, and none of them were successful and all of them left me feeling hungry, miserable and deprived. I do research...that's what I do for a living, so I don't make rash decisions based on trends; I need to have some historical and medical perspectives. There is evidence to support that eating this way can make a difference. There are critics, who I also read, but they weren't compelling enough either in their experience, their profession or their arguments. AND...it's working!! No more plateau, I feel great, I am spoiled for choice now with the meals I can eat, I am not constantly thinking about food, I'm not hungry to an extreme, I have more energy than I did before I started and I don't feel like forgoing manufactured food is a sacrifice. There is freedom in not counting every calorie and weighing every single thing I put in my mouth...there is LESS restriction in my diet now than ever before. So, I am convinced, based on my own reading and from my experience that FOR ME, low carbing and /or eating whole foods IS better than a traditional diet (and since when do 'traditional' diets mean factory made food? Have people historically eaten processed stuff?).

Will I be realistic and expect that at a party I will indulge in a slice of cake or a pint of beer or a couple of glasses of wine? Of course! Can I MOSTLY expect that I will be able to eat the way I'm eating now in the long term? Absolutely. I am not so black and white...I do realise that life happens, and flexibility is key.

I won't be coming back to this thread, but thank you very much for the debate...I hope whatever you're all doing is working for you, and that you continue to live long and healthy lives!!

chrisdavey

to the pro paleo kids: Can you please explain why asians are thin? (compared to the western world)

Acg67

to the pro paleo kids: Can you please explain why asians are thin? (compared to the western world)

Soooo easy, it's all the white rice, it's killing them and making them thin (disregard their long life expectancy)

Phrak

Funny; people who preach paleo, dont really eat paleo at all. Today's "Paleo Friendly" foods are so far removed from what they actually ate due to selective breeding and genetically modifying of produce.

Acg67

http://www.lift-run-bang.com/2011/04/cavemen-muscle-mass-keto-diets-milk-and.html

mikefarinha

Interesting conversation going on here! I'm new to this site and like this back and forth exchange! I have my own two cents which I'll post up later :-)

MsMo4DE

hey just trying to get a feel for what people think about the paleo diet so please let me know what your thoughts are on it

I would follow it more, but I like to eat larger amounts of veggies (especially raw) and eat less meat. Unfortunately, with the higher fat (even though they're mostly EFA's) with my lack of gall bladder, it puts me in a bad state. Other than that, I'm all for it. Dr Mecola highly recommends people with hypothyroid (which I have) to go on that diet.

mikefarinha

MsMo,

The Primal Blueprint suggests that veggies should be the bulk of the diet by volume and meat should be the bulk of the diet by calories.

MsMo4DE

MsMo,

The Primal Blueprint suggests that veggies should be the bulk of the diet by volume and meat should be the bulk of the diet by calories.

I'll have to go back to Dr Mercola's website and look at it more. I was sure that the ratio was approx 30-35% plant and 65-70% meat.

My son has Asperger's so with both our ailments we should follow it more. We already Eat Clean and are pretty much gluten/grain free anyway. We've never been heavy dairy eaters and make our own almond milk. I like using coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk in all my recipes.

I would like to suggest people to watch Food Matters, Food Inc, Ingredients and get better educated on GMO's and learn more about what's in processed food.

I don't follow any particular diet but I use food as medicine. I take what works for me out of everything that I incorporate into our lifestyle, including veganism, vegetarianism, paleo, raw food etc.

Marll

to the pro paleo kids: Can you please explain why asians are thin? (compared to the western world)

Because as a general rule they eat more rice and less to no wheat (traditionally) and their diet is basically for the most part unprocessed otherwise. Lots of meat and vegtables and really not a ton of sugar. That is changing though as you see a more and more western style of eating creeping into Asia, the rate of obesity is actually on the rise in Japan, China and Korea.

Of grains rice is considered the most neutral.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-asian-paradox-how-can-asians-eat-so-much-rice-and-not-gain-weight/#axzz1mfveCAhz

Again, carbs in general are not necessarily the enemy its the kind of carbs that you eat. If you are getting them from vegtables, some fruits and nuts it is defientaly not the same as getting the same amount from white sugar or a soft drink.

UponThisRock

Again, carbs in general are not necessarily the enemy its the kind of carbs that you eat. If you are getting them from vegtables, some fruits and nuts it is defientaly not the same as getting the same amount from white sugar or a soft drink.

What will make you fatter, 300 calories of white bread or 300 calories of coconut oil?

armaretta

A lot of Asian foods and staples have plenty of gluten

grinch031

Again, carbs in general are not necessarily the enemy its the kind of carbs that you eat. If you are getting them from vegtables, some fruits and nuts it is defientaly not the same as getting the same amount from white sugar or a soft drink.

What will make you fatter, 300 calories of white bread or 300 calories of coconut oil?

Whichever one has the worse hormonal effect on the body. So for someone with insulin resistance, probably the 300 calories of white bread. Even if it doesn't directly add more weight, it can stimulate further eating in these individuals.

UponThisRock

Again, carbs in general are not necessarily the enemy its the kind of carbs that you eat. If you are getting them from vegtables, some fruits and nuts it is defientaly not the same as getting the same amount from white sugar or a soft drink.

What will make you fatter, 300 calories of white bread or 300 calories of coconut oil?

Whichever one has the worse hormonal effect on the body. So for someone with insulin resistance, probably the 300 calories of white bread. Even if it doesn't directly add more weight, it can stimulate further eating in these individuals.

Yet studies comparing high carb to low carb diets show equal amounts of weight loss. How is that possible?