Paleo/ primal eating?

Bambalama

Anybody else into this kind of eating and lifestyle? I've started taking a swing at it, but I think I have a lot to learn. I'd be interested in friending folks who are into it, so we can share info with each other. I've only been doing it for a couple weeks, and while I don't know yet if I've lost any weight, I do seem to have more energy. I know calories in vs. calories out has to be a factor no matter what other factors I'm playing with, but I'm thinking there is something to the blood sugar spiking issue. That's certainly been a factor in my development of Diabetes. Any input is appreciated, and I'd like to hear from yea sayers and nay sayers, as long as as info provided can be backed up by evidence or at least by some correlative results that would merit further investigation.

pastryari

I don't believe in restricting any foods, unless there is an allergy or intolerance.




http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/37-primal-paleo-support-group

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/621-the-primal-life-tips-from-the-cave

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/438-primal-paleo-challenges

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/852-paleo

LishieFruit89

I'm kind of with Aldini here.
If I don't like it, I'm not going to eat but I have decreased the amount of pasta, granola bars, & white bread I eat.

There are groups that she posted where you'll find all the support you want.

Google "Marks Daily Apple", pro-paleo/primal info is provided there.

A google search will show you both sides so you can make an informed decision.

I like the premise of it, however for me, it's not do-able. I like cheese, the occasional yogurt, sugar, etc.

In my opinion, I would eat as fresh as possible and limit (or eliminate) processed foods.
Just my two cents, no studies or whatever to give to you though

Bambalama

Thanks, LishieFruit and Adini for your help. You other two: can it. Also, I don't eat canned things except for tuna. I guess Diabetes would qualify as an intolerance to foods that spike blood sugar, but the question remains that if I had eaten primal my whole life, would Diabetes had ever developed? I guess the only important question for me is if it's good for me now. I haven't given up dairy, however, and I don't plan to, especially my plain, fat free greek yogurt and cottage cheese, both which provide probiotics, protein, and are low in carbohydrates. Also, I don't have a dairy intolerance.

Bambalama

Thanks. I joined a couple of the groups. I'm not trying to be a tee totaler (my usual mistake), and I'm sure that my approach can't be the best for everyone. Also, it looks like primal is more my style than paleo for the same reasons.

Bambalama

Thanks, I like Mark's Daily Apple. I also like that he says any plan should be 80%-20%. I need to work on that.

LishieFruit89

Compare your fat free yogurt to full fat versions - I bet the full fat will have less sugar.

Canned tuna is alright - get packed in water and drain it, can you rinse tuna in a can?
I use beans from a can (pure laziness & lack of foresight) for cooking and I drain & rinse.

PikaKnight

Compare your fat free yogurt to full fat versions - I bet the full fat will have less sugar.

Canned tuna is alright - get packed in water and drain it, can you rinse tuna in a can?
I use beans from a can (pure laziness & lack of foresight) for cooking and I drain & rinse.

They also have tuna in packs if you need to take with you.

Also OP - there are Paleo groups if you are looking for specific types of answers without worrying as much that someone will interject a little humor in the thread. They also tend to have stickies with info, suggestions and more.

Not trying to be an as[url]s, but telling people to "can it" just for a little humor, isn't going to work in your favor. Just putting it out there and I wish you the best in your goals. :flowerforyou:[/url]

Bambalama

Apparently you are all already friends, so it was all kind of in good fun, but, how was I to know? Look at it from the eyes of a stranger not privy to that. I just didn't want some lady I don't know getting cat called on my thread. No big deal, like I said, I don't really care.

imfivebyfive

I eat very paleo, hardly any processed foods.

I also try to avoid anything common in modern agriculture such as wheat, corn, oats, grains, etc. (paleolithic man did not engage in farming)

You can check out my food diary if you want.

MeganDominique

Hi!!!

I live a primal/paleo lifestyle by choice . Ill tell you about my experience
This summer I did the hcg diet ( DO NOT DO IT) but I liked the way I felt only eating those foods ( no dairy, no gluten) . After completing hcg I found I was allergic to dairy! And when I reintroduced gluten my acne got super bad and I gained weight like crazy. Not wanting this in my life anymore I cut both out ( dairy for the obvious reason of not enjoying the trip to the bathroom following it's consumption). Eating primal/paleo I have found :
My bmi% and bf % has dropped
My skin is nearly always perfect minus hormonal
I have way more energy than if I was to eat gluten ... I get sluggish when I eat any kind of it
My metabolism has increased greatly , I eat snacks a least every 2 hours
I no longer hold fat in my tummy area as much as I did before
I feel happier!

Really and honestly if your considering paleo for crossfit or a lifestyle change invest in the book practical paleo ... Everything in that book is gold and explains why we are meant to eat this way. As well it provides recipes and meal plans for certain things ( thyroid issues , gut rot , weight loss) . Try it for thirty days! Just try it .
Another good source for 30 days is the whole30 ( google that) but honestly for 30 days you'll feel a difference yourself .

Paleo means : Paleolithic - era of the caveman . Eat only what a caveman could of eaten , no gluten dairy or processed foods , sugar , legumes, processed oils or booze

Allowed: meat & seafood , fruit and veggies , tree nuts and oils , healthy fats ( bacon, avacodos), and eggs .

Potatoes aren't supposed to be eaten alot ...
Only in small portions.

And i admit I'm not perfect! I don't need to be with the exception of dairy , so if I need to cave I cave a little normally one little thing will keep me in check every week.

melissabatmcnet

I have been doing this for about 1 month now, Because my Endocrinoligist wanted to see how it would be with my sugars to keep Carbs between 50-70 grams. ( I am type 2 diabetic) My Sugars have been really great, Makes me wonder also If I hadn't been eating all those Carbs (even plain Cherrios raises my sugar) I try and get my carbs from veggies and fruits.. I have only lost a few pounds but hoping that will get better over time as my body adjusts.

lrochardt

I mainly eat a paleo diet, it did stem from a diabetes II thing and guess what? i totally cured myself! my A1C level in my blood was extremely low!! Whoop! I have different horomonal deals going on so I don't eat gluten or soy. ANd also a thing to watch is where your sugars are coming from (processed foods = bad i.e. corn). Even watch where your meats are coming from (best to get grass fed meats where you can because they don't fatten them up w/ corn and grains in the last 90 days of their lives).

Mainly I don't do processed sugars, dairy, soy, gluten, corn, or grains (except millet and quinoa and I do use the raw sprouted protein shake). Then I do lean meats, lots of veggies, some fruits (apples, berries, oranges are my go-to, but I believe in a traditional paleo that any fruit is ok-correct me if I'm wrong), and nuts. then I do the occasional cheese or bread here and there but not often.

I include lots of super foods (goji, acai, wheatgrass, sprouts, supergreen mixes, cacao - unsweetened, etc.)
I feel pretty awesome!

I also think it's good to be intuitive with your eating - what makes you feel good vs. bad?

that's my 2 cents, good luck!!

PaveGurl

Technically, I'm "primal" because I'm not dairy free.

It works for me. I avoid grains, beans (soy and peanuts were my biggest toughies), and [most of the time] refined sugars. I'm not SUPER FREAKOUT OMG about it - I don't ferment, I don't do fish oil, or whatever. I just avoid grains and beans for the most part, but I don't sweat it. I shoot for 80/20 in my week. Each body will have things that work best for it. This method works for me.

rmkramer003

Really and honestly if your considering paleo for crossfit or a lifestyle change invest in the book practical paleo ... Everything in that book is gold and explains why we are meant to eat this way. As well it provides recipes and meal plans for certain things ( thyroid issues , gut rot , weight loss) . Try it for thirty days! Just try it .
Another good source for 30 days is the whole30 ( google that) but honestly for 30 days you'll feel a difference yourself .

I love that book!

MeganDominique

It's my bible

Bambalama

I just ordered "The Primal Blueprint," so I'll read that one, and I might check out the suggested paleo book as well. I'm trying the same thing you are for now. Mostly paleo but also dairy. I also have a whey protein supplement that I use, though when I'm through with the bag, I may try replacing all that with the greek yogurt. The only time I use it is pre and post workout. I blend berries with protein, cinnamon, greek yogurt, flax, and cacao. I only recently added the fatty, fibrous nuts and seeds to the shake. I'm guessing that as a Diabetic, I'm not needing a protein and carb slam with no fat or fiber to slow it down. I'm still kind of guessing about the whole thing, but I'm learning.

MeganDominique

You may want to try a vegan or hemp protein powder once you've finished it of considering paleo, just a thought .

_noob_

It's really just asinine IMO to eliminate dairy and grains (and legumes) because people other than yourself have sensitvities/allergies (assuming you don't have some sensitivity) .

Strive to eat whole, nutritious foods, but a "good" vs. "bad" ideology leads to ragequit if you aren't mental to begin with.

Eating a higher percentage of your diet from nutritious foods will make you feel better, paleo or not.

whierd

Didn't cavemen die at early ages?

_noob_

nm

elleceetee729

I have been eating 100% "primal" for the last month and I feel fantastic. I really do feel a change from how I was eating before. The first couple of weeks were really, really hard but now I have tons more energy and I eat WAY fewer calories now that I eat so much more protein and fat. Try it out and see if you like it - what's to lose?

PaveGurl

It's really just asinine IMO to eliminate dairy and grains (and legumes) because people other than yourself have sensitvities/allergies (assuming you don't have some sensitivity) .

Strive to eat whole, nutritious foods, but a "good" vs. "bad" ideology leads to ragequit if you aren't mental to begin with.

Eating a higher percentage of your diet from nutritious foods will make you feel better, paleo or not.

Depends on which science you're looking at, really. There's a significant amount of evidence that suggests those foods are bad for the human body. And I find I function more effectively, feel better, and have better health screens when I omit them, despite having no known "allergies." I do know when I eat wheat or gluten-containing foods, I feel like crap - I am itchy, I can't get full no matter what, I"m constantly hungry, and I break out. Why does it matter to you what someone else eats?

FWIW, I've been 80/20ing primal since about June. No murderragekill here, except when I go off book and eat too much refined added sugar. Things go off the rails then *laugh*


@wheird: Yes, but it's not believed to be a result of diet so much as incredibly difficult living conditions. Anthropological evidence suggests (via bone records and such) they were healthier than neolithic (agriculturally based) societies nearby.

Aloemilk

I've been studying primal living for more than a year now, and I absolutely love it. I have to be honest, I do miss bread slathered in butter, but I'm trying to avoid falling off the wagon as much as I can. I already had a year to cheat twice a week; time to make a change :laugh:

Something that has become really important to me, is to look into bioavailability of nutrients. E.g., spinach has a lot of Calcium, but you end up being able to absorb less than 6% due to its high amount of antinutrients (compounds that attach to nutrients, changing their structure and thus making them unsuitable for absorption). Grains and legumes are full of those, too, and it's the main reason I don't include them in my diet.

linbert57

I've been doing primal for a little while now. I'm feeling so much better, great amount of energy. I'm glad you visited Mark's daily apple. Did you get all the freebies (e-books) from the site. There is tons of info out there but I feel Mark Sisson can get you going in the right direction with the eating, fitness (playing) etc. You can friend me if you'd like. Good luck on your journey

MeganDominique

Didn't cavemen die at early ages?

Ah the didnt caveman live to only be 30 argument well:
1) no moder medicine meaning infant mortality was high as well as
Deaths from the flu and other vaccinations we folks today have.
2) infectious infections killed people off without things like rubbing alcohol , polypsporin ect
3) they were vulnerable to alot bigger and scarier predatory animals than we have today
4) they were vulnerable to the elements due to a lack of structure security hence people' like the ice man have been found frozen alive .

Also I've been enlightened to further believe we aren't supposed to eat grains by my introductory anthropology class... " the fossilized bones show evidence of faster deturation and suffering in those who consumed grains"- my textbook

jahowell

i feel better eating no grains or dairy, I do every once and a while, the first place I feel it is my knees, my joints hurt so bad....I less cravings, anxiety, ect. I think its a great way of eating!

_noob_

I didn't do it for the sake of eating paleo, but I cut out grains from my diet for about 3 months.

My intestines HATED me...

6 months later and my cholesterol and other bloodwork have actually improved from already good numbers...

The paleo diet is a healthy diet (most of the time) in spite of itself not because of itself IMO.

You take people eating garbage and start them eating nothing but whole foods and you see improvements? That there is MAGIC (or not).

If it works for you (and it probably does as long as you make sure you get the micronutrients that its foods tend to lack), good for you. Ideologically, I think it is a witch hunt at best, and I think there are better ways to go about thinking of foods other than "this is good, this is bad".

Not a sole outside of the last 50 or so years had all the varieties of safe foods we have readily available either....

RhonndaJ

I actually think the paleo/primal eating style isn't a bad thing. It sounds incredibly healthy aside from being very restrictive. It works for a lot of people and I suspect it would work for me as well, if I was willing to go into a restrictive eating lifestyle. I am not.

That all said. I just wish to heck they'd find a different name for it. What we know about what the 'caveman' ate could fit on the sharp end of a pin, and even whether that is known as fact is debatable. All that knowledge is nothing more than educated guesses based upon what we think we know, and in comparison to modern day cultures. The other thing that seems to be rarely taken into consideration when selling points besides the actual benefits of the food choices is that humans have evolved from that 'original' state. What might have been good and healthy for the 'caveman' is not necessarily good and healthy for us.

In summary, I don't think the eating habits promoted are bad, I just think they're based on an exceptionally unstable and unproven foundation.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Apparently you are all already friends, so it was all kind of in good fun, but, how was I to know? Look at it from the eyes of a stranger not privy to that. I just didn't want some lady I don't know getting cat called on my thread. No big deal, like I said, I don't really care.

That is the problem................they aren't making the comments in good fun.

They are doing it as a way to belittle and start crap on any Paleo / Primal threads.

I wish people wouldn't come and interject nonsense into a thread where people are actually trying to learn and conversate with one another about a particular topic.

OP, please feel free to friend me.

pastryari

Apparently you are all already friends, so it was all kind of in good fun, but, how was I to know? Look at it from the eyes of a stranger not privy to that. I just didn't want some lady I don't know getting cat called on my thread. No big deal, like I said, I don't really care.

That is the problem................they aren't making the comments in good fun.

They are doing it as a way to belittle and start crap on any Paleo / Primal threads.

I wish people wouldn't come and interject nonsense into a thread where people are actually trying to learn and conversate with one another about a particular topic.

OP, please feel free to friend me.

Actually, they are my friends and yes they were joking. Their jokes had nothing to do with belittling your precious lifestyle. OP and I already talked about it. So once again, don't come flying in and go about slinging mud. I posted links to paleo groups, even though I stated that I don't agree with it.

Your argument is invalid.

I won't come back into this thread now that you're in here because every time you show up, threads turn to crap.


Op, as I've already said through PMs , best of luck to you!