To Paleo or not to Paleo?

newjourney2015

I know I'm opening a can of worms here but I need some input from others who have tried or are eating the Paleo lifestyle. If you don't agree with Paleo please simply move on quietly - no comment is necessary. I know there are Paleo haters and I really don't want to start a war here. I really just want input from those who have had or are experienced with the Paleo lifestyle.

Pro's AND Con's.

preslyann50

I haven't done it only because I know my friend did and she lost a boat load of weight but now anytime she eats carbs she gets really ill. I like carbs to much to do that. But she swears by it. Good luck whatever you decide!

D8L10

I have been Paleo for 2 years and will never go back to the American way of eating again!!
I have lost weight, BF, feel better, train better, and i'm sick less often. I will agree with Smarkwordt in the ill part. I do get extremely sick and get very bad migraines if I eat grains/gluten/ and refined sugar. If you are serious about going Paleo, you don't need to worry about these things because "cheating" the correct way will only mean intake of potatoes or green beans. You don't get sick from eating those on the Paleo Lifestyle. You can also eat dark chocolate in 70% or more without feeling it in any way.

Cons are... you have to be mindful of eating out and it does take a bit of time to figure out where and what is safe. You will get the hang of it though. I can eat at any restaurant (minus drive thru) with no issue.

I can friend you if you need someone to lean on. The transition is hard if you are alone.

Dee

BaconMD

I am eating Paleo! But not strict Paleo - I still eat lots of breads and pastas and beans and dairy and whatever else I want because, hello, I like happiness.

REDI4CHANGE60

Bump - want to see where this one goes

D8L10

I'm interested as well to see where this goes. Being Paleo for so long, you often don't get to see others take on the matter when it is different from your own. I do, however, don't believe you can call yourself "paleo" if you still eat bread and processed foods. Just my opinion.

caribougal

Wow... congrats to BaconMD on 101 lbs lost!!!

To avoid the Paleo haters, you can also post this to the Paleo/Primal support group and you'll get great answers and support.

I've been Primal since July (Primal = Paleo + Dairy).

I also will never go back to SAD eating. Paleo is NOT for everyone, since it does require you to really check labels and cook more. Since you'll be eliminating (or reducing) your consumption of processed foods, soy, grains, dairy, added sugars, unhealthy oils, and legumes... that makes eating out more challenging and requires a greater focus on what you choose to consume. There's not a whole lot of "mindless eating" on Paleo.

Exactly BECAUSE of the foods that are eliminated, I have found this way of eating very helpful. For some people, eating everything in moderation works really well. For others, such as me, it does not. I like having a list of "yes" and "no" foods, because in fact, most of the foods on the "no" list are exactly the foods that I tend to overeat, and once I eat them, I tend to to crave them and overeat them more. So, I find that eliminating them gives me POWER over them. Now... when I eat them, it's a conscious choice, and not a craving.

Some people really like Paleo because of the idea that it relates to our "hunter/gatherer" ancestry, although the science behind that is hotly debated. Some people focus more on the nutritional/psychological aspects of the yes/no lists. There are reasons behind the eliminations of the "no" foods, which you can learn about at some of these sites:

www.whole9life.com
www.marksdailyapple.com
www.robbwolf.com
www.chriskresser.com

A good book to read is "It Starts With Food".

My favorite cooking blogs are:
www.nomnompaleo.com
www.paleOMG.com
www.civilizedcavemancooking.com (although he bakes LOTS of treats)

What appealed most to me about Paleo is the idea of eating the best quality foods I can find and afford, including organic produce when possible, and humanely-raised meats, preferably obtained locally. I was already leaning in that direction, but eating Paleo pushed me to a greater commitment to that. It's forced me to make more room on my plate for veggies, veggies, veggies. I now get a weekly organic produce delivery from a local CSA delivery service which forces me to eat my veggies. Before, I filled half my plate with the high-carb options like rice, bread, pasta. Now I fill that space with double servings of veggies.

Some people choose to try eating Paleo by going "cold turkey" and doing a Whole30, or close to it. That's what I did. Others ease their way into it, perhaps by eliminating gluten first, then all grains, then added sugars, etc. It's really more of a preference thing... I chose to just buckle down and eat pretty strictly for the first few months. I decided not to eliminate dairy, which made my diet more Primal than Paleo. Now that I'm 6 months in I have a much better sense of how and when I choose to ease the restrictions. Many people choose to eat more like 80% Paleo / 20% whatever. That might end up looking like eating Paleo at home, but not worrying about it when eating out. Or, not stressing over cheats/treats when they come up, as long as 80% is Paleo.

When the above poster talked about her friend getting ill from carbs, that's probably because her friend was actually gluten sensitive, or maybe even gluten intolerant, and the "carbs" mean wheat or other gluten-containing grains. What I found personally is that when I first eliminated gluten, and then reintroduced it, I did get sick. That's because when you give your body a good 30+ days break from foods that are chronically irritating your gut (like gluten, for some people), your gut has time to heal. Your body stops producing antibodies to fight irritant, and thus reducing the chronic inflammation. This is why many people report reduction in joint pain when they eliminate gluten... the reduction in chronic gut inflammation also means a reduction in systemic inflammation. Then, when you re-introduce the irritant (gluten), your body has a more pronounced reaction to it. I found personally that this has subsided over time. I can now eat small amounts of gluten without the severe reaction I had in the beginning, but I generally still avoid it.

The basic idea of Paleo is that you eat foods that promote health, not detract from it. You'll find people turned off by Paleo because of the idea that legumes are eliminated. Legumes have lots of good fiber and they're cheap, they are a big part of many diets. My feeling is that you can get that fiber (plus additional nutrients) from fruits and veggies without the gastric distress that legumes can cause (think bloating/gas). But in my mind, at the end of the day... eating or not eating legumes is a minor part of the Paleo diet. It's a nitpick. And by the way... green beans are legumes, but they're are A-OK on Paleo because they are more pod than bean. Peanuts are legumes so they're verboten. This is also a deal breaker for many people, which I find to be silly, since in my mind, freshly ground almond butter tastes amazing. Again... if you choose to be Paleo except for your "MUST HAVE" daily TB of peanut butter... go for it. The Paleo Police won't be happy, but you do what works for you.

I say try it for 30 days. A good way to start is to do a Whole30. There are 1000's of people signed up for the January Whole30 on the Whole9 website, and we have a January 2013 Whole30 group here on MFP to help each other. It's very hard, because the idea of a Whole30 is no cheating. No exceptions. No logging. No calorie counting. No weighing yourself. Just eat the "yes" foods and avoid the "no" foods for 30 days. That way you give your gut a chance to heal from anything that might be bothering it, and you give yourself 30 days to get over any sugar "detox" and form new habits. After 30 days, you can experiment with adding foods back in one at a time, and see what effect they have on you. Then you are a more educated eater, and you can make conscious decisions about how to make eating Paleo sustainable for you, and eat the foods that best promotes your health.

Sorry for the long post... I really love eating this way, and highly recommend it if you think it appeals to you.

Acg67

Pros: The general idea of eating mostly whole minimally processed foods, one step closer to being Elite™

Cons: Cutting out perfectly healthy foods like grains, legumes and diary, therefore making it more restrictive then it has to be

caribougal

Pros: The general idea of eating mostly whole minimally processed foods, one step closer to being Elite™

Cons: Cutting out perfectly healthy foods like grains, legumes and diary, therefore making it more restrictive then it has to be

Hi Acg67. I've seen you post the EliteTM thing before. What do you mean?

Acg67

Pros: The general idea of eating mostly whole minimally processed foods, one step closer to being Elite™

Cons: Cutting out perfectly healthy foods like grains, legumes and diary, therefore making it more restrictive then it has to be

Hi Acg67. I've seen you post the EliteTM thing before. What do you mean?

Elite™ is what the top crossfitters are, and a paleo or zone diet is a must to get there

caribougal

Ah, ok. Well then, yes... if your goal is to be a top Crossfitter, OP... then go Paleo! Or Zone.

I personally don't crossfit because it intimidates the sh** out of me. I live in a town of athletes, so crossfit is pretty extreme here. We have 4 crossfit boxes in my 25 sq mile town, and I just read today a 5th is opening on Jan 1.

I'm waiting for my PT to open her own gym in Feb... and... I've convinced her to try eating Paleo.

AnneC77

bump for info

BringbackGrok

This thread is 2 years old. I hope you chose Paleo/Primal and it treated you well. In case you are still looking for advice (or in case you are someone else other than the original poster who wants info on this)....

1) The evidence is mounting in support of a primal lifestyle as the optimal way to avoid chronic disease through overall reduced inflammation

2) EVEN IF THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE, the primal lifestyle just sounds like COMMON SENSE:

-Eat Real foods: Plants as they have come out of the ground, and animals that eat plants as they come out of the ground.
-Stay active by doing lots of LOW INTENSITY ACTIVITY like walking, occasional brief heavy lifting/sprints, and playing around. Aka Always moving but never burning out. This makes sense because this is what our bodies have evolved to do in the wild to get by. Avoid this chronic intense cardio that only serves to burn out and increase inflammation - there was never any evolutionary advantage to that.

Common sense. Anyone that tells you that those statements sound like a fad are probably not worth listening to. Even if they are doctors. I know this b/c I myself am a doctor and 99% of the doctors I know are completely ignorant about nutrition. They will spew out the mantra of "calories in calories out, avoid saturated fats, do as much cardio as you can" even though they are unaware that the source of that statement comes from 1970s non-evidence. And at the same time, virtually all of them demonstrate their lack of credibility by being unaware of even the most basic of nutritional concepts (eg unaware of what omega fats are and the 3:6 ratio, unaware of the difference between small and large LDL particles etc... shamefully, the list is huge b/c we are not taught nutrition in medical school).

The best summary book out there is actually written by a non-physician and is called The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. It outlines the concepts extremely clearly.

Other books written by academic high profile physicians (who have decided to actually research nutrition instead of just pretend that they know it by default b/c they have an MD degree) are
Wheat Belly - Dr. William Davis, Cardiologist
Grain Brain - Dr. David Perlmutter, Neurologist

Also, there is a FREE 1.5 hour lecture by Dr. Robert Lustig, Pediatric Endocrinologist about the effects of Sugar which is a fantastic starting point as well.

To weight pros and cons:

Pros: Health

Cons: COST (unfortunately, real food is pricey because big food has taken over such a large proportion of our food supply, thereby making 100% grass fed meats and wild fish hard to come by.)

But.... one can argue that the cost of eating real food may be less than the cost of medication and treatment for the chronic diseases you may suffer through if you don't.

martinel2099

Pro's- Avoiding processed foods and most fast food in general may have health benefits. You won't be tempted to get that double double white mocha with extra whipped cream.

Cons- You won't be able to enjoy any of your favorite foods which are processed. No twinkies, Ice Cream, soda, pizza, bread and the list goes on and on. Also whole foods can be pretty expensive, prepare to have a lighter wallet.

J72FIT

All diets succeed and or fail for the same reasons. So IMO, just choose one you enjoy and can maintain for life. That said, don't get caught up in diet dogma. You have to be willing to change what you are doing if and when it no longer works for you. Be flexible...

RodaRose

I know I'm opening a can of worms here but I need some input from others who have tried or are eating the Paleo lifestyle. If you don't agree with Paleo please simply move on quietly - no comment is necessary. I know there are Paleo haters and I really don't want to start a war here. I really just want input from those who have had or are experienced with the Paleo lifestyle.

Pro's AND Con's.

I love Paleo and did it with my husband for a while. It worked well for both of us. One of the pros is that it is still easy to eat out -- order a meat with a double veggie and some butter.
But I dropped it. For now I am eating vegetarian.