Paleo - Pros/Cons
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My opinion is that the whole theory behind it is total nonsense, on the other hand, its not such a bad diet plan, compared to the many silly diets around. I could benefit by reducing my dairy intake,but I do not see any reason to give up dairy completely.
Why give up foods like brown rice, beans etc. that are wholesome and allow a variation in eating that makes meal planning easier.0 -
If you can maintain it, then I don't see how it's bad really. Whole quality foods are generally a good thing.
I just know that personally, there is no way I could ever maintain it long-term so I'm not going to go there. I just eat as much whole quality food as I can and keep the junk and processed foods to a reasonable amount. Works well for me.0 -
There really is no cons. You eat whole foods but not dairy or grains.
No Dairy or grains sound like two pretty big cons to me.
You sound like a pretty big con.
Did you write that? It's almost as clever as "I'm rubber and you're glue".
I see that your avatar is one of my heroes, Ron Swanson. Ron Swanson would not speak to an MFP member in this manner. Ron Swanson probably wouldn't speak to anyone at all unless he had to (or if it involved meat-- a beloved Paleo staple). Ron Swanson would completely ignore this thread and many others.
One day, Ron Swanson will discover paleo and join us just so he can eat all of the bacon and eggs that we have.
EDIT: Paleo should really be renamed The Man Diet or The Mostly Carnivore but A Little Omnivore Diet.
MEAT!! That is all.0 -
I won't list the numerous pros (for me, anyway) but I will say that a downside could be that it will be more expensive.
But what price health?
I guess people are understandably defensive because they don't like to think that "their way" isn't optimal. And maybe it seemingly is for them at this time in their lives.
I certainly ate and drank with apparent impunity whatever the hell I liked 20, 10, even 5 years ago. Yeh, I gained some weight occasionally but I lost it with a lot of exercise and one stupid low fat diet after another.
I can see now that I wasn't doing my metabolism any favours and my last weight loss effort wasn't going anywhere until I kicked the grains and sugar.
I mean everyone is different, maybe some can survive, even thrive, on the grains and processed foods. I would venture that these people are in the vast minority though and yer average joe is just incubating issues further down the line.
I have commented elsewhere that older people, maybe perversely, seem more receptive to alternatives to the mainstream way of doing things and I suspect this is because their system has been screwed more over the passage of time.0 -
It's crazy to me how people get so riled up about Paleo, especially compared to other "diets". There are some Paleo folk who can come across as proselytizing, but sometimes I think the anti-Paleo crowd is just as bad. Who knew grains would be such a point of contention?
That said, I loosely follow Paleo, but not because it's what cavemen did and it's not because I subscribe to the hivemind, but more because it works for me. I do avoid grains and legumes, but occasionally I'll drink alcohol, I do include some forms of dairy in my diet and sometimes I'll cheat and have a piece of cake or soemthing. Overall though I like to say I lean "Paleo". I prefer to eat whole, local and fresh foods. I buy my fruits and vegetables from a local farmer's market, I buy my meats from a local butcher who raises his own animals, I eat fish out of the local rivers and lakes.
I think Paleo works for some people, but I feel like most will find it too restrictive, particularly those accustomed to a standard American diet. (Full disclosure: I don't live in America). There are a lot of foods you have to give up and it requires a significant time commitment to plan and prepare Paleo foods. Once you get the hang of it though, it can be really easy and enjoyable. I feel happier and healthier now with grains/legumes, etc than I ever did with them. That's just my personal experience.0 -
Cons?
no rice,
no quinoa
no spelt
no legumes (beans) (in most definitions of paleo)
....
no wine....
no booze....
People on Paleo drink wine and tequila.
Cavemen had tequila?
I love the arbitrary inclusion/exclusion. Milk and grain is evil cuz paleomon didn't have it, but distilled spirits are OK (even though distilled alcohol has been around for less than 1000 years).
It is not about what "caveman" had. This is a template for healthy living.
Tequila is made from agave and wine is made from fruit - allowed due to not being grain based like most liquors and beers.
It's distilled alcohol. Why do you think there's a whit of difference?
In what fantasyland is anything remotely related to grain/dairy/etc. poison, but 80 proof alcohol is A-OK?
Hilarious.
There is fermented tequila too. Not all is distilled.
Stop making things up.
Tequila is, by definition, a distilled spirit. There may be fermented agave (beer?wine?), but it ain't tequila.
That's like calling beer "undistilled whiskey".
You are officially on ignore because you are just silly and not worth my time.
Go look it up.
I have.
Words have meanings. I challenge you to show a link to tequila that isn't distilled.
(Not that it would make the arbitrary inclusion any less silly).
The Spaniards introduced the distilling process in production of tequila, but the Aztecs fermented it.
Fermented tequila is way more expensive than distilled tequila.
Look it up for yourself.0 -
Cons?
no rice,
no quinoa
no spelt
no legumes (beans) (in most definitions of paleo)
....
no wine....
no booze....
People on Paleo drink wine and tequila.
Cavemen had tequila?
I love the arbitrary inclusion/exclusion. Milk and grain is evil cuz paleomon didn't have it, but distilled spirits are OK (even though distilled alcohol has been around for less than 1000 years).
It is not about what "caveman" had. This is a template for healthy living.
Tequila is made from agave and wine is made from fruit - allowed due to not being grain based like most liquors and beers.
It's distilled alcohol. Why do you think there's a whit of difference?
In what fantasyland is anything remotely related to grain/dairy/etc. poison, but 80 proof alcohol is A-OK?
Hilarious.
There is fermented tequila too. Not all is distilled.
Stop making things up.
Tequila is, by definition, a distilled spirit. There may be fermented agave (beer?wine?), but it ain't tequila.
That's like calling beer "undistilled whiskey".
You are officially on ignore because you are just silly and not worth my time.
Go look it up.
I have.
Words have meanings. I challenge you to show a link to tequila that isn't distilled.
(Not that it would make the arbitrary inclusion any less silly).
The Spaniards introduced the distilling process in production of tequila, but the Aztecs fermented it.
Fermented tequila is way more expensive than distilled tequila.
Look it up for yourself.
That's pulque, not tequila, as it does not meet the official standards to be called tequila.
Getting back to the OP's question, I don't think there is anything wrong with the diet itself, other than being exclusionary without having any basis for it. IMO, the rationale for the diet is unsound, but the diet itself should be fine if you can swing it.0 -
The Spaniards introduced the distilling process in production of tequila, but the Aztecs fermented it.
Fermented tequila is way more expensive than distilled tequila.
Look it up for yourself.
Its more so just terminology at this point but there really is no such thing as fermented tequila. There's fermented agave but its not tequila until it's distilled.0 -
this may be one of the more rediculous thread de-railings I have ever read...
When I was paleo-ing I coined the phrase paleo-wino to describe my adherance... I refuse to believe that paleolythic (sp) man didn't get his drink on!0 -
Why are the anti-paleo people so against it, I'm curious? No ones saying you have to eat this way too.
Appears to me as though they are trying to point out cons about the Paleo diet because that's what the OP asked for.
One con is that you are arbitrarily eliminating foods without taking into consideration whether or not said elimination is necessary. Arbitrary inclusion/exclusion is silly.
EDIT: And one pro is that it will hopefully teach you to consume whole and minimally processed foods.
To be clear, I do not think Paleo is a "bad" diet. I just don't think it's necessary to adopt a set of food rules that are based on nonsense.0 -
Why are the anti-paleo people so against it, I'm curious? No ones saying you have to eat this way too.
A significant proportion of the paleo community are heavy sermonizes who hold their noses high and belittle those that don't follow the almighty path of paleo. Nowadays you can just about find at least one source that considers eating paleo to be the cure for pretty much every known disease or malady. If there is one group that paleo people belittle more than those that haven't yet been born again onto the true path, it is those in the medical community who are by and large clueless know nothings to paleo folk. Paleo people take Whole Foods elitism to a whole new level.
And then there is the great irony, which really makes it the hipster diet, in that its aherants can rattle off crap as if all they read is scientific journals, yet at the very core of the diet it a total rejection of all of all food technology and science aside from the fire, the rejection of all food processing and preservation techniques and all manmade/significantly enhanced foodstuffs (which includes things like grains, which requires cultivation to become remotely feasible as a source of food).0 -
I mean everyone is different, maybe some can survive, even thrive, on the grains and processed foods. I would venture that these people are in the vast minority though and yer average joe is just incubating issues further down the line.
Honest question here: how much study is possible of the long term health benefits (and I am not arguing either way as to whether there are or not) of this diet when the life expectancy of the people this diet is being based on was about 35? We cannot use the aboriginal Australians (as one person mentioned they might be described a modern day paleolithic people) as an example - their life expectancy is 20 years less than non-aboriginal Australians (but I do not think this is actually attributed to their diet). If there is a study of modern paleolithic humans it would be interesting to see the results. So, unless there are valid studies, it is just as easy to say that people on a paleo diet just have incubating issues further down the line (I am not saying they are or not anymore than anyone else - just not seeing the logic of the statement).0 -
I mean everyone is different, maybe some can survive, even thrive, on the grains and processed foods. I would venture that these people are in the vast minority though and yer average joe is just incubating issues further down the line.
Curious how this diet is so new despite its oldness (humans haven't really actually eaten the paleo way by and large since paleo times), are people finally waking up as to what it takes to thrive, something they haven't done for the last 20,000 years or so? The lack of thriving really has taken its toll on the human population.
Also, you do realize that our bodies are ridiculously efficient at preventing things from "building up", right?0 -
I find the premise nonsensical and unscientific (there have been some great paper written on paleo/neolothic diets, and 99.9% of them look NOTHING like the "paleo" diet). Also the stuff about arbitrary foods being inflammatory is completely fabricated, and easy enough to verify scientifically (see the MRT--mediator release test).
That annoys me a lot. It's like watching creationists talk about how evolution is "just a theory"
The diet itself is fine. Tough for building muscle and heavy strength training though.0 -
There really is no cons. You eat whole foods but not dairy or grains.
No Dairy or grains sound like two pretty big cons to me.
Well the OP can't have dairy. Personally, I don't like the idea of removing all grains anymore. Maybe OP can keep the grains in.
When I said no cons I meant in terms of health. Can get all the vitamins and minerals without the dairy and grains. I think low carbers can have certain vitamin and minerals lacking in their diet0 -
There really is no cons. You eat whole foods but not dairy or grains.
No Dairy or grains sound like two pretty big cons to me.
Well the OP can't have dairy. Personally, I don't like the idea of removing all grains anymore. Maybe OP can keep the grains in.
When I said no cons I meant in terms of health. Can get all the vitamins and minerals without the dairy and grains. I think low carbers can have certain vitamin and minerals lacking in their diet
Grains on their own don't even taste good. its pretty much just filler food. If you don't need any fillers, how is that a con? Oatmeal for example, who actually enjoys a bowl of plain oatmeal? I personally stopped eating oatmeal simply because its gross without some type of sugar.0 -
Why are the anti-paleo people so against it, I'm curious? No ones saying you have to eat this way too.
Appears to me as though they are trying to point out cons about the Paleo diet because that's what the OP asked for.
It's not only in this thread I notice. Every other Paleo thread just turns into some argument.0 -
Why are the anti-paleo people so against it, I'm curious? No ones saying you have to eat this way too.
A significant proportion of the paleo community are heavy sermonizes who hold their noses high and belittle those that don't follow the almighty path of paleo. Nowadays you can just about find at least one source that considers eating paleo to be the cure for pretty much every known disease or malady. If there is one group that paleo people belittle more than those that haven't yet been born again onto the true path, it is those in the medical community who are by and large clueless know nothings to paleo folk. Paleo people take Whole Foods elitism to a whole new level.
And then there is the great irony, which really makes it the hipster diet, in that its aherants can rattle off crap as if all they read is scientific journals, yet at the very core of the diet it a total rejection of all of all food technology and science aside from the fire, the rejection of all food processing and preservation techniques and all manmade/significantly enhanced foodstuffs (which includes things like grains, which requires cultivation to become remotely feasible as a source of food).
Maybe this elitist phenomenon just exists on the internet I suppose. The paleo people I know in real life aren't pushy at all. A lot of them even admit to eating paleo around 80% of the time and the other 20% they have some leeway in their diet for anything else. Most of the crossfitters I know aren't hardcore 100% paleo. I've met some crazy elitist vegans but I haven't met anyone who was crazy and pushy about Paleo like that yet in real life.0 -
Pros -
You will feel a whole new energy within yourself
Your skin and hair will look really healthy
You become adjusted to smaller amounts of food and feel full
You have a clear guideline of what you can/can't eat and it becomes a general rule pretty quickly.
Cons-
It's difficult to stick to
People will often discourage it and possibly pass judgement
Difficult to eat out or on the go i.e going into a convenience store when in a rush
If you slip a few times it'll be VERY hard to get back to the routine.
It can disagree with you and make you feel a little sick/nauseous0 -
Also the more of a believer a person becomes, the more biased information surfaces to support their decision. That's just human nature to want to belong to a club/fraternity of some kind. Consuming a balanced diet from whole natural foods is not enough, it's not enough of a pendulum swing and not enough juicy detail for a sales pitch and people can't make money from it, and lets not kid ourselves, the same people that like to join fraternities are generally willing to pay for the privilege.Why are the anti-paleo people so against it, I'm curious? No ones saying you have to eat this way too.
A significant proportion of the paleo community are heavy sermonizes who hold their noses high and belittle those that don't follow the almighty path of paleo. Nowadays you can just about find at least one source that considers eating paleo to be the cure for pretty much every known disease or malady. If there is one group that paleo people belittle more than those that haven't yet been born again onto the true path, it is those in the medical community who are by and large clueless know nothings to paleo folk. Paleo people take Whole Foods elitism to a whole new level.
And then there is the great irony, which really makes it the hipster diet, in that its aherants can rattle off crap as if all they read is scientific journals, yet at the very core of the diet it a total rejection of all of all food technology and science aside from the fire, the rejection of all food processing and preservation techniques and all manmade/significantly enhanced foodstuffs (which includes things like grains, which requires cultivation to become remotely feasible as a source of food).0
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