Thoughts on Paleo

Options
1235

Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Options
    Hey all - first time poster here.

    I thoroughly researched the Paleo diet a while back and encountered the same odd dogmatism I am seeing here. It caused me to develop a new rule when looking for any kind of dietary or medical advice: listen to the guy who's not trying to sell you anything, be it book, miracle food or supplement.

    What I did find is this:

    http://www.archevore.com/

    A blog written by a doctor who started out as being intrigued by the Paleo diet, but decided to eliminate any parts of hit he found to be pure fantasy. He clearly explains his reasons why, and his diet goes like this: Here are 12 rules. Start at the top and adopt as many as you feel comfortable with. The End.

    He ranks them in order of importance, and most importantly - he explains WHY he ranks them that way. And perhaps most importantly of all - he gives all this advice away for free. There's no book, no video, no supplements, nothing at all to buy.

    I have heard his diet referred to as "Paleo 2.0". And I think even he would balk at the concept of someone being ridiculously dogmatic and making inflammatory statements like "you will get cancer if you keep eating that" or whatever.

    Anyway. I tried and enjoyed it for a while before falling off the wagon. Check it out. Perhaps it will work for you.

    Good luck. :)

    Interesting blog! I stopped after #2. I can't live without #3 and #4 for sure!
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    Options
    Agree if we eat too much of anything will be over weight! I am somewhere in between Paleo/ Atkins. Seems to wrk well for me when I follow it!
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    Options
    A cookie won't give you cancer but research has shown inflammation is the leading cause of most disfunction in our bodies. And the leading cause of inflammation is sugar.
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
    Options
    A cookie won't give you cancer but research has shown inflammation is the leading cause of most disfunction in our bodies. And the leading cause of inflammation is sugar.

    Cites please? Primary sources or articles that cite them?
  • MoveTheMountain
    MoveTheMountain Posts: 764
    Options
    why should I completely eliminate these foods instead of just having them in moderation within a balanced diet?
    Don't be stupid - grains are killing all of us. Americans consume grains because of a great conspiracy between the government and the farming industry. All of the clinical studies done to show that grains are harmful have been buried by the governemnt cover up. Gary Taubes is a genius - all hail Gary Taubes.

    The above is a small example of what to expect from the Paleo community. Yes, by all means do your research and proceed with caution. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with eating a balanced nutritional diet and exercising on a regular basis. Keep it simple.

    Okay, other than personal slams on the 'Paleo community', so far I haven't heard much that should be disagreeable. I admit, I need to do more research before I can speak with any depth.

    Why would the concept of eating whole foods trigger such a disproportionate back lash?

    Because people are so addicted to the fast food, chain restaurants and junk, processed food products the thought of having to give them up makes people lose their minds.

    I've never read the book, so I definitely don't consider myself a Paleo, but it turns out I'm a little closer to that type of eating than I had realized. Over the past few weeks, I've passed on the rolls, the bread, the cereals, etc. - and of course, sugar - and gone with more greens and I've eased up on restricting the meat and fat. And weirdly, I've dropped weight, and I feel good.

    As far as timeframes go, it's been quite a journey - I used to let myself have the occasional burger at BK, etc.; and if someone told me that I'd give that up, I would have told them they're nuts. I really liked them, and looked forward to them. But after a winding rode, I'm at the point where I really feel deep down, no, I don't want to put that in my body. (I confess, I do indulge in a piece of pizza about once a month, but I always pay for it... I bet by the fall, I'll have totally moved off that, too)

    So, my experience has been a slow progression. I never gave up anything until it seemed the right thing to do. I really eat pretty well at this point, but I could never have made a complete switchover all at once. Baby steps.
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    Options
    Take gluten and dairy for example, I am a person who has no problem eating gluten and is not lactose intolerant...why should I completely eliminate these foods instead of just having them in moderation within a balanced diet?

    Ummmm hello, inflammation.

    Even if you don't know that you have it, it is there, making you feel forever less good. Chemicals from processed foods will build up in this inflammation and will give you cancer. The inflammation will cause nutrients to not work and not be absorbed and you will not be healthy. This will cause large insulin spikes when you eat any food containing even a grain of processed sugar which will make you fat and make it impossible to diet off.



    Your trying to tell me everyone who consumes gluten and dairy get cancer?

    Apparently some don't see the blatant sarcasm in my post.

    The comedy of which is the not sarcastic post immediately following mine. LOL.

    Paleo is the cure to all that could possibly ail you. If everyone were Paleo, medicine and doctors would be obsolete.

    No sarcasm doesnt always come across in text unfortunately LOL It went over a couple people's heads. That being said I'm relieved you were kidding.
  • ndbex
    ndbex Posts: 61 Member
    Options
    I think eating whole foods is a wonderful thing, especially if they are all organic. Personally, I'm not sure how anyone knows that paleolithic people were healthy. Are there preserved tissue samples that have been analyzed? DNA extracted from their teeth perhaps? I don't understand where the science is behind this so if someone has a legitimate source, I'd love to read it. (A source other than someone selling a book.) Surely that archaeological find would have been in the news or in a journal.

    I come from a family of homesteaders/farmers. I think that people started to get obese when they moved off the farm, into town, and quit doing so much physical labor for a living. Add that to the post-WWII manufacture of plastics and Hungry Man dinners, and you have an obesity epidemic. I don't think we need to look as far back as prehistoric times to really understand that we need to stay away from junk food and move more.

    I also fail to see how lactose and gluten are the enemy of all people. I know true Celiac's who are so pissed that everyone is now claiming to be sensitive to gluten. It has belittled their suffering and now products all over the place are claiming to be gluten-free when some of them are not. My family has a history of autoimmune disease, which I have inherited. I resent the implication that my conditions are caused by gluten. That's not how the diseases work. I see one of the top rheumatologists in my state and we have talked about diet. There is no scientific evidence to support diet as a cause for things like RA. If I had to hazard a guess, I would blame chemicals in our entire environment for weakening our bodies, especially BPA. I did, however, try going gluten and dairy free and it did not help my symptoms. In fact, my disease got worse.

    I think people lose so much weight on this diet because they are eating low-carb and low-fat diets. That certainly is good for your body. So really, there is no harm in doing this diet. However I do not condone people coming on here and acting like a nutritionist and a doctor and a scientist while making claims that dairy and grains cause cancer. That's incredibly irresponsible to make such claims that are not true.
  • leenie96
    leenie96 Posts: 65
    Options
    Thanks for all the input guys!

    I'm gonna go ahead and give it a shot, maybe 2-4 weeks just to see how it goes. I anticipate some dairy withdrawals lol
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Options
    A cookie won't give you cancer but research has shown inflammation is the leading cause of most disfunction in our bodies. And the leading cause of inflammation is sugar.

    Cites please? Primary sources or articles that cite them?
    This article seems to cite a lot of studies but if you're interested in reading them it shouldn't be too hard to dig them up.

    http://173.254.46.30/articles/diet/sugar-is-pro-inflammatory.html
  • game05
    game05 Posts: 5
    Options
    i started off trying Paleo but the organic/grain-fed foods were too expensive. hard to argue about the dangers of eating all the chemicals we do, but just pricey. i've switched to Keto and love it. it's the same sort of philosophy, but pro-dairy and you won't get a finger-wave after eating processed stuff. a difference, though, is that it's even lower-carb. the first week is as low as 25g net carbs per day to kickstart you into ketosis, before you can up the carb levels just slightly.

    no sugar (including fruits) and no grains. took a few weeks before i stopped cheating, but i'm sticking to around 25g of net carbs per day and the weight has been flying off. there's a website somewhere that has a script you can download for this website to track Net Carbs.

    if you really want to keep your milk and whipping cream, or don't want to buy grass-fed beef, look into Keto.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Options
    Meh, *every* crossfit group will tell you to eat Paleo (which isn't actually paleo, which is what makes it clearly a fad).

    That said, I do feel really good when I follow the basic principles. But for me cutting out sugar and yeast works better than worrying about carbs or wheat.
  • kodakdigitalcamera
    kodakdigitalcamera Posts: 67
    Options
    paleo is the best diet their is because all addicting food is eliminated. Starches are evil
  • Josette89
    Josette89 Posts: 244
    Options
    I absolutely love the Paleo Diet. I tried it for a month, although my grocery bill was a bit pricey, I felt much better and looked much better. :) Paleo is short for Paleolithic, as in the era in which cavemen lived. They were strong and healthy because they lived off of the land and ate many plants that were available to them. They didn't have easy access to animals so they maybe ate that once a week. It's not really a "fad diet" it's going by what foods humans used to eat that made them so fit and strong. If you've never tried it, I would suggest to do it at least for a month. :) It feels great. I still like to follow the whole idea of animal protein once a week, sometimes I slip, but I feel great and have a lot of energy without it.
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    Options
    Hi an awesome book I read that is fact filled with various studies is called 'primal mind, primal bodies'. At times it can be boring but it is fascinating and will allow you to make your OWN educated choice. I personally feel better with a low carb diet and kind of eat between Paleo and Atkins! People are being rude, hang in there!
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    Options
    Hi an awesome book I read that is fact filled with various studies is called 'primal mind, primal bodies'. At times it can be boring but it is fascinating and will allow you to make your OWN educated choice. I personally feel better with a low carb diet and kind of eat between Paleo and Atkins! People are being rude, hang in there!

    Nora Gedgaudes is GREAT
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    Options
    Meh, *every* crossfit group will tell you to eat Paleo (which isn't actually paleo, which is what makes it clearly a fad).

    That said, I do feel really good when I follow the basic principles. But for me cutting out sugar and yeast works better than worrying about carbs or wheat.

    WOW, eating REAL food is a fad now?????
  • sgstarling
    sgstarling Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    There might be some truths in the paleo diet... maybe, but there's certainly a lot of untruths:

    http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-paleo-diet-is-uncivilized-and-unhealthy-and-untrue/
  • rcthale
    rcthale Posts: 141
    Options
    The only thing we know for sure about our Paleo ancestors is that they reproduced. There's no proof that they lived healthfully or happy. Try it, and stick to it if it actually works for you. But, there is no silver bullet.
  • Eve23
    Eve23 Posts: 2,352 Member
    Options
    I must admit that I am curious about it. Mostly because I have to be gluten, dairy and soy free. So perhaps I am already doing some of the things it says to do. Not sure itis right for everyone it is hard to eat like this all the time.
  • SocWkrBee
    SocWkrBee Posts: 374
    Options
    Do a diet that works for you....If Paleo works for you and you feel good - then do it! We're all different and our bodies react differently to different foods - do what makes you feel good :happy:

    ^This! I am trying a paleo type meal plan this month. Hopefully I will notice a difference. If not, moving on. IMHO, some people believe that they know what everyone should and should not do. That is not the case. Eat meat. Don't eat meat. No dairy. Dairy is good for you. No sugar. Sugar from fruit is OK.

    Blah blah. We are all here to get healthy. Let's support each other in that...:flowerforyou:

Categories