How do I drive my paleo coworker crazy?

Lucylaser

Started a new job last week. Sharing a tiny office with a crazy paleo guy. He spent the day lecturing me about beans making ricin and leeching nutrients from my colon.

He is VERY preachy and I just don't need that. I am not a junk food person at all, I eat mainly just good home prepared food. I really don't believe the hype about eating such extreme diets where you cut out so many foods and eat so much bacon and steak. Not my thing.

I'd really like to have a bit of info to toss back at him when his mouth keeps flapping and all of this nonsense tumbles out. Any ideas?

neanderthin

That will probably make it worse, I would just give unrelated responses. :happy:

If you really need/want some ammo, then it would be better or even imperative, if you were specific......BTW paleo is not about eating bacon and steak.

kfesta52

Oh geez, sounds like fun. My advice is the same thing I tell my husband when the kids are pushing his buttons - do not engage!

Just do not engage. Let him burn himself out, anything else will just feed the fire. The best response to anything related to the topic is just a polite yet disinterested and completely non-committal "hmmm", and change the subject or get back to work.

Good luck!

Lucylaser

That will probably make it worse, I would just give unrelated responses. :happy:

If you really need/want some ammo, then it would be better or even imperative, if you were specific......BTW paleo is not about eating bacon and steak.

He seems to think that steak and bacon are hugely important. Along with veggies that are not potatoes (which I am way onto).

Unrelated responses do seem like a good idea. But I'd really like to let him know how annoying he is.

fishnbrah

there probably wont be anything you can say to change his mind if he is brainwashed into the paleo thing. if you know about calculating macros you could tell him about that. or just show him pics of jacked dudes that eat pop tarts everyday

MarisaDLS2

Ricin comes from the castor bean.

"One of the most dangerous poisons known, ricin, is a lectin derived from the seeds of the castor bean Ricinus communis (not a true bean and totally unrelated to the legume family Fabaceae); this is not, however, the same lectin found in beans and other legumes.

Kidney beans and fava beans do not have ricin, they have a lectin (protein) called phytohemagglutinin (PHA), which is toxic but only if the beans are eaten raw or not boiled.

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) can also be quite dangerous when consumed raw, but in this case the culprit is a different toxin altogether: linamarin, a cyanogenic glucoside."

Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2385/#ixzz2SlmF0wMk

Obviously he is not a "Breaking Bad" fan, otherwise he would know this key fact about ricin

There was also a very lengthy study done in China, correlating high animal protein intake with increased rates of cancer.
(Please note I did not state "causing")

"The China Study (2005) is a book by T. Colin Campbell, Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and his son Thomas M. Campbell II, a physician. It examines the relationship between the consumption of animal products and a variety of chronic illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancers of the breast, prostate and bowel.[2] The book had sold 750,000 copies as of January 2013.[3] It is one of America's best-selling books about nutrition.[4]

The China Study of the title is taken from the China-Cornell-Oxford Project, a 20-year study that began in 1983 and was conducted jointly by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Cornell University, and the University of Oxford.[5] T. Colin Campbell was one of the directors of the project, described by The New York Times in 1990 as "the Grand Prix of epidemiology".[6]

The study examined mortality rates from 48 forms of cancer and other chronic diseases from 1973 to 75 in 65 counties in China, and correlated them with 1983–84 dietary surveys and bloodwork from 6,500 people, 100 from each county.

It concluded that counties with a high consumption of animal-based foods in 1983–84 were more likely to have had higher death rates from "Western" diseases as of 1973–75, while the opposite was true for counties that ate more plant foods in 1983–84. The study was conducted in those counties because they had genetically similar populations that tended, over generations, to live in the same way in the same place, and eat diets specific to those regions.[7]

The authors conclude that people who eat a plant-based/vegan diet—avoiding animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, and milk, and reducing their intake of processed foods and refined carbohydrates—will escape, reduce or reverse the development of chronic diseases. They also recommend adequate amounts of sunshine to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D, and supplements of vitamin B12 in case of complete avoidance of animal products. They criticize low-carb diets, such as the Atkins diet, which include restrictions on the percentage of calories derived from complex carbohydrates.[8]"

This information is also repeated in Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" book.

Hezzietiger1

Ricin comes from the castor bean.

"One of the most dangerous poisons known, ricin, is a lectin derived from the seeds of the castor bean Ricinus communis (not a true bean and totally unrelated to the legume family Fabaceae); this is not, however, the same lectin found in beans and other legumes.

Kidney beans and fava beans do not have ricin, they have a lectin (protein) called phytohemagglutinin (PHA), which is toxic but only if the beans are eaten raw or not boiled.

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) can also be quite dangerous when consumed raw, but in this case the culprit is a different toxin altogether: linamarin, a cyanogenic glucoside."

Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2385/#ixzz2SlmF0wMk

Obviously he is not a "Breaking Bad" fan, otherwise he would know this key fact about ricin

Just print this.. lol

zombiemusicgirl

Just agree with everything he says. I have some newly converted vegan friends. While I totally support them, they do tend to get a bit preachy when someone asks why there isn't cheese on their pizza. Then it's no holds barred vegan talk for the next 45 minutes.

So I just say - yeah, I've heard that too. Or "no I totally agree that humans are the only species to consume another animal's milk." After a while it isn't any fun for them to tell someone something that they are just getting yessed to. Sometimes passion is annoying. But it can be diverted with feigning interest.

MyChocolateDiet

Wait what? Did you just start working at my husband's work? he's been driving me crazy with his paleo for months! so what I do that drives him CRAZY NUTS BONKERS is continue to drink my slim fast shakes on a steady basis. And then when I agree to eat his paleo food I put it on a tortilla or piece of sourdough bread right before shoving it in my mouth. Just when he thought he had me.

So yeah unsure why the slim fasts drive him so nuts since i started dieting first and was doing that before him unsure why he expects me to stop but yeah. Drink GOGO juice or something really out there right in front of him while he says Paleo ish to you and just be like AAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhh, and gulp it loud and be like really obvious about it.

littlebudgie

Noncommittal "mhmmm" answers to everything he says is probably the best way to go.

However, if you really wanted to, you could develop a passion (real or feigned) for something else and switch the topic to it whenever he starts talking about paleo.

Joehenny

Ricin comes from the castor bean.

"One of the most dangerous poisons known, ricin, is a lectin derived from the seeds of the castor bean Ricinus communis (not a true bean and totally unrelated to the legume family Fabaceae); this is not, however, the same lectin found in beans and other legumes.

Kidney beans and fava beans do not have ricin, they have a lectin (protein) called phytohemagglutinin (PHA), which is toxic but only if the beans are eaten raw or not boiled.

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) can also be quite dangerous when consumed raw, but in this case the culprit is a different toxin altogether: linamarin, a cyanogenic glucoside."

Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2385/#ixzz2SlmF0wMk

Obviously he is not a "Breaking Bad" fan, otherwise he would know this key fact about ricin

There was also a very lengthy study done in China, correlating high animal protein intake with increased rates of cancer.
(Please note I did not state "causing")

"The China Study (2005) is a book by T. Colin Campbell, Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and his son Thomas M. Campbell II, a physician. It examines the relationship between the consumption of animal products and a variety of chronic illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancers of the breast, prostate and bowel.[2] The book had sold 750,000 copies as of January 2013.[3] It is one of America's best-selling books about nutrition.[4]

The China Study of the title is taken from the China-Cornell-Oxford Project, a 20-year study that began in 1983 and was conducted jointly by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Cornell University, and the University of Oxford.[5] T. Colin Campbell was one of the directors of the project, described by The New York Times in 1990 as "the Grand Prix of epidemiology".[6]

The study examined mortality rates from 48 forms of cancer and other chronic diseases from 1973 to 75 in 65 counties in China, and correlated them with 1983–84 dietary surveys and bloodwork from 6,500 people, 100 from each county.

It concluded that counties with a high consumption of animal-based foods in 1983–84 were more likely to have had higher death rates from "Western" diseases as of 1973–75, while the opposite was true for counties that ate more plant foods in 1983–84. The study was conducted in those counties because they had genetically similar populations that tended, over generations, to live in the same way in the same place, and eat diets specific to those regions.[7]

The authors conclude that people who eat a plant-based/vegan diet—avoiding animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, and milk, and reducing their intake of processed foods and refined carbohydrates—will escape, reduce or reverse the development of chronic diseases. They also recommend adequate amounts of sunshine to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D, and supplements of vitamin B12 in case of complete avoidance of animal products. They criticize low-carb diets, such as the Atkins diet, which include restrictions on the percentage of calories derived from complex carbohydrates.[8]"

This information is also repeated in Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" book.

BREAKING BAD FANS!?!?!?!?!??

Thought I was the only one obsessed with it

Warchortle

Well, considering how long the entire human race has lived and survived on different foods you can tell him to go **** himself because without grain and sedentary life we would've been destined to be nomads for eternity. Grains gave us free time to develop technology, so all the 1st world things he enjoys today were made possible by carbs.

nikilis

id just say "cool story bro, tell it again" after everything he says.

works for me.

Joehenny

There are a plethora of rants on the paleo diet.

Marc Lobliner on Keto (similar): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gruPs6hlYRA

Layne Norton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOUW2ruT8wA

Or just tell him: Last time I checked, I'm not a caveman.

shade0343

Memorize brief passages from 'A brief history of Time' by Stephen Hawking. Spout them out whenever the co-worker starts in on their hobby horse. I also like move quotes.....

If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bull****!!!

majasmi

just stare in his direction and try look right through his head with the most blank look on your face and pretend there is food stuck in your teeth so your mouth keeps making weird movements and possibly sounds... i think that would get him to stop talking. or ask you what you are doing... 'me? entertaining myself'

ninerbuff

Easy. Just say "sounds good", then continue eating. Let him spout then say "sounds good". Eventually he'll get the hint. If he doesn't, then tell him you'll report him for "food harassment".:laugh:

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

dakotawitch

Ask if, since he's so into eating the way paleolithic human did, if he has any recipes for roadkill or insects. Maybe even something like, "So, I passed this dead possum on the side of the road this morning and couldn't resist. Since anthropological evidence says early humans were hunters rather than scavengers, I was thinking that you would have a cool paleo recipe I could try."

EricMurano

LOL just tell him you just ate an entire tub of 'gluten'.

Or ask him whether cavemen really had the ability to cure bacon.

I just tell him to get ****ed

MarisaDLS2

bump

katcunock

Carbs.

Lots of carbs.

girlykate143

sounds like he got religion. Put in some headphones when you walk in, so right away you're jamming out to some tunes and minding your own business.
Be direct - tell him that you eat what you want to eat, he eats what he wants and to keep his eyes on his own plate. You don't need to be "saved."

neandermagnon

Started a new job last week. Sharing a tiny office with a crazy paleo guy. He spent the day lecturing me about beans making ricin and leeching nutrients from my colon.

He is VERY preachy and I just don't need that. I am not a junk food person at all, I eat mainly just good home prepared food. I really don't believe the hype about eating such extreme diets where you cut out so many foods and eat so much bacon and steak. Not my thing.

I'd really like to have a bit of info to toss back at him when his mouth keeps flapping and all of this nonsense tumbles out. Any ideas?

he might like my blog:

http://cavepeopleandstuff.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/paleo-bread-recipe/

http://cavepeopleandstuff.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/the-lower-palaeolithic-diet/

http://cavepeopleandstuff.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/the-reality-of-palaeolithic-diets/ <-- tell him if he's not eating hippos he's doing it wrong....

btw I'm a palaeoanthropology nerd and studied a lot of this at university (albeit more than a decade ago and I'm still catching up on recent developments in palaeoanthropology)

I have nothing against the concept behind the palaeo diet, i.e. eating the diet we evolved to eat, however a) it's a bit extreme and not strictly necessary to cut out foods like dairy if you're not actually allergic or intolerant to them... humans are highly adaptable... and b) most of what gets put on the internet about the paleo diet is pseudoscience. Dairy is the only truly post-neolithic food (you can't milk wild animals), because neolithic man sure as anything didn't start cultivating foods no-one had ever eaten before...! They certainly didn't invent them, they just cultivated them. The main issue from a health standpoint is that the hunter-gatherer diet was wide and varied, while the neolithic diet relied very heavily on large quantities of a small number of plants, which led to nutritional deficiencies. There is an issue with cultivated varieties being more allergenic, and it's true that people from populations who have been hunter-gatherers until recent times have higher levels of lactose intolerance (which is evidence that people from populations with a long history of farming have adapted to be able to digest dairy!)... but there's no actual need to give up foods you're not allergic or intolerant to.

When I was at uni, one of the palaeoanthropology lecturers told us about the concept of palaeo dieting (this was in the late 90s) yet what he presented was totally different to what's on the internet now... the diet he talked about advised eating a very wide range of different plant foods rather than 2-3 staples, and also (where possible) to choose wild meat over farmed meat (domestic animals have undergone selective breeding just as domestic plants have!). Additionally, the main thing that stopped palaeolithic people from becoming obese is the amount of exercise they had to do to find food in the first place.

The upshot of it is if he's being self righteous, you can probably shut him up from some actual palaeoanthropology from actual peer reviewed journals. There's a phone app out there that you put a food in and it tells you if it's paleo or not........... Yet the journal of human evolution can't do that, so how is some food guru's phone app going to be able to tell me stuff about the diets of palaeolithic peoples that peer reviewed journals can't? "Caveman" (not the most accurate term really because most palaeolithic people didn't actually live in caves, just that caves preserve the remains of those that did a whole lot better than those who lived and died on the plains, in forests, etc) ate wild grains and legumes, and if you get into the whole wild v cultivated thing, you'll find it's practically impossible to get wild vareties of anything except meat and fish/seafood nowadays. Practically every plant in the supermarket will be a cultivated variety that's been subject to some degree of selective breeding. Look up how different wild bananas are to the cultivated varieties of banana and plantain you get in the supermarket.

shadowkat57

I like turtles.

Correct response for everything.

darwinwoodka

Rum and coke?

slkehl

Ask him what he thinks about the lactose tolerance mutation: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/070401_lactose

siqiniq

Majority of nutrients are absorbed by the jejunum (middle part).

Duodenum absorbs iron, ileum absorbs most of the nutrients, the ileum and first part of large colon absorbs Vit K.



I've just cut and pasted this from an earlier post. If the "majority" of nutrients are absorbed by the jejunum, how can The ileum absorb "most " of the nutrients?

theedge56

I sugest the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wRXa971Xw0

Delicate

Sounds like a veggy in my place of work

i just ask does he eat haribo, and he seems to shut up (he eats beef flavour crisps which i find wierd!)

Nor am I the obese one.

You will always get preachers no matter what

im sick of hearing WW/SL say 'its free' and preaching about points in food too.

smantha32

Started a new job last week. Sharing a tiny office with a crazy paleo guy. He spent the day lecturing me about beans making ricin and leeching nutrients from my colon.

He is VERY preachy and I just don't need that. I am not a junk food person at all, I eat mainly just good home prepared food. I really don't believe the hype about eating such extreme diets where you cut out so many foods and eat so much bacon and steak. Not my thing.

I'd really like to have a bit of info to toss back at him when his mouth keeps flapping and all of this nonsense tumbles out. Any ideas?

I would just say I don't care and to shut it, or you'll eat chips in front of him with your mouth open. Or something like that.

Lupercalia

You said you wanted to let him know how annoying he is, so why not just tell him that in no uncertain terms?

If you get into these scientific or anthropological discussions with him, it's going to just keep going on and ON, which I'm guessing you don't want. He'll register those sorts of comments as you being interested and will take great joy in coming up with new pseudoscience talking points. Just leave it. Tell him directly that you have no interest in his paleo "research" or his dietary habits.