Thinking of trying the Paleo diet...advice please!

SkullMama73
SkullMama73 Posts: 33
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been plagued with autoimmune disorders plus anxiety, depression, fatigue, joint pain, arthritis...blah blah blah. I have gone gluten free before and that helped but I'm wondering if taking it one step further with paleo would help even more. I'm just curious if you've done it, if it worked, if it was just too hard to do or if you found it easy. Any advice or testimonials would be appreciated!

Replies

  • hockey7fan
    hockey7fan Posts: 281 Member
    I eat fruits, veggies, nuts, lean proteins, eggs, good fats like olive oil and try to avoid carbs and processed foods as much as possible. It works well for me. I have Celiac so I avoid gluten.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    Practical Paleo has a 30 day plan for autoimmune disorders. It's basically normal Paleo (no dairy, grains, legumes) with additional restrictions (no nightshades, eggs, nuts and maybe others I can't remember off the top of my head). It is very restrictive and wouldn't be my first go-to but it might be a place to start and then add back in various foods to see if they cause a reaction.
  • SkullMama73
    SkullMama73 Posts: 33
    Practical Paleo has a 30 day plan for autoimmune disorders. It's basically normal Paleo (no dairy, grains, legumes) with additional restrictions (no nightshades, eggs, nuts and maybe others I can't remember off the top of my head). It is very restrictive and wouldn't be my first go-to but it might be a place to start and then add back in various foods to see if they cause a reaction.

    That does seem too restrictive. I'm going to do as much research as possible before making a decision.
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
    Wait? Paleo has no legumes at all?

    So that's no beans, peas, peanuts etc? How odd.....
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Wait? Paleo has no legumes at all?

    So that's no beans, peas, peanuts etc? How odd.....

    Yup, which is why I couldn't do it.

    OP, there are several groups that deal with paleo, and a lot of them get attacked when they post in the main forums, so they don't necessarily come over here any more. Try looking for the paleo groups and posting in their sub forums; you'll probably get a lot more answers.
  • CysterWigs
    CysterWigs Posts: 136 Member
    I do a modified Paleo diet. No wheat (I have an allergy - it gives me hay fever), some legumes (but only in small amounts for the fiber), lean grass fed/hormone-free/free range meats that are minimally processed, eggs, lots organic fruits and veggies, very little soy (despite the controversy has been found to be hormonally reactive within the body - just don't know to what end, so I avoid it), very, very low grains (maybe a serving of whole grain - like quinoa - a week), and virtually no fruit (a lot of the stuff you find in the store has been cultivated for maximum sweetness and minimal nutrition, so I eat weirder fruits more often than the conventional fare).

    The anthropology behind the diet is sketchy, at best, but the concept is a solid one. the diet is actually a pretty practical departure from Atkins or other low-GI plans, IMHO.

    The key is to listen to your body. If you can't interpret your body's signals, follow the Paleo plan more strictly for a while and you'll be AMAZED at how quickly certain foods you used to enjoy become sickeningly sweet or disgustingly rich. It will help you get more in tune with what your body needs. I love it and have found it very beneficial in taming my gluten issues, allergies, and GI problems. Plus, I've lost 14 lbs in a month by eating delicious, wholesome food. Good luck to you.
  • SkullMama73
    SkullMama73 Posts: 33
    Thank you for your responses. It may benefit me to try Paleo for a couple weeks, then slowly introduce dairy and grains back in to see what affects me. I know I would greatly benefit from cutting out gluten so in the long run, I may not end up going full paleo, but I'll be eating what is best for my body. I know the paleo diet has its advantages and disadvantages, and I hate calling it a diet because its a way of life, not a short term fix. I will continue to weigh the pros and cons.
  • booyainyoface
    booyainyoface Posts: 409 Member
    i eat paleo, i don't have any medical problems, but it has made WORLDS of difference for my joints, cravings, and energy levels. you may also want to check out the "whole 30"

    you will get a lot of people who talk a lot of crap on paleo on the main boards... just try it for yourself and see how it works for you- everyone is different. also i would check the paleo/primal board for input from others who eat paleo with autoimmune disorders.
  • SuprDadOf4
    SuprDadOf4 Posts: 9 Member
    I have a friend who has lost well over 50 pounds on Paleo in just over 6 months with the diet as the main source of weight loss (not exercise). She was advised to try Paleo by her doctor to help ease a variety of health issues (all of which have greatly lessened). I just started a week ago and am easing into it. I have found with previous diets if I jump in too quickly. I have cut all processed foods and all dairy except for a little half and half in the coffee. The Paleo dinners that I have made the past week are amazing, filling and low calorie.
  • clara0505
    clara0505 Posts: 1 Member
    can anyone give me tips on the Paleo diet what foods to eat etc,

    as i hate nuts, advocado's , etc etc
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,226 Member
    can anyone give me tips on the Paleo diet what foods to eat etc,

    as i hate nuts, advocado's , etc etc
    You could try the urban hunter-gatherer diet that involves mostly refined foods, no fire required and diet pop, because the can is more shinny. kidding.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    I have an auto immune disease as well and cutting out all processed and refined (or as many as possible, I am not going to tout that I do not eat something refined here or there, but do pay for it in pain) has lowered my pain levels on normal non barometric pressure days by 50%. It has been suggested to me by several that paleo would work even more miracles for me but it is too restrictive. Beans and quinoa are a big part of my life, I am not ready to give those up just yet. I am, how ever, not going to say I will never do if my pain levels become unmanageable again. Its amazing what a person will do when they have serious chronic pain.
  • fivosgirl
    fivosgirl Posts: 6 Member
    I suggest trying "primal" its less restrictive than paleo but same concept. Marksdailyapple.com is a very informative website.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    You'll need a time machine.
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    Paleo seems so restrictive to me. I actually enjoy hot sauce, greek yogurt, almond milk, peanut butter, rice cakes, cheese...... all of which I mentioned I eat almost daily and they are not "bad" foods for you. They are also gluten free. Just because our ancestors didn't eat them, I shouldn't eat them? I don't eat any type of frozen meals, "junk" food such as chips, candy bars and the like, but I do enjoy my processed "healthy" food such as peanut butter and yogurt. So paleo wouldn't ever work for me.

    If you want to try it, go for it. It may work for you. I just think it eliminates a whole range of healthy food that could be incorporated into a lifestyle. Too restrictive for me.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    the paleo diet was officially renamed the placebo diet 3 weeks ago.

    apparently they weren't following "truth in advertising" regulations with the former name.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    just do a water cleanse.
  • slarobinson
    slarobinson Posts: 41 Member
    Wow, it's funny you put this out. I was just doing research on the Paleo diet and Clean Eating yesterday. I'm going to start small. Because i think it may be drastic and expensive to completely stop all processed foods. Let me know how it works out for you. I've decided to buy quickly fruits and vegetables from my local farmers market. I know not really a big deal but for me it is.
  • Thorbjornn
    Thorbjornn Posts: 329 Member
    Wait? Paleo has no legumes at all?

    So that's no beans, peas, peanuts etc? How odd.....

    The reasoning is that legumes can't be eaten in their raw state. Iirc, they are actually toxic. The premise behind paleo is simply "meat, leaves, berries". Even fruits as we know them today are technically off-limits. True paleo entails only what you could get by foraging and hunting. Tubers like potatoes and parsnips are actually OK, but not in abundance, because the ancient varieties were not as sugary as today's are. Fruits as we know them today did not exist in paleo times... no bananas, apples were small, hard and sour. Most fruit was wild berries. And definitely no grains. It's restrictive only if one is dependent on grains and legumes as a major part of the diet. Dairy is iffy. I believe it's A. Weston Price who claims that the paleo Indians of North America did consume the milk of slaughtered buffalo cows when they consumed the teats (nothing went to waste). But I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure. :tongue: I've used dairy products on paleo.
  • LisaGNV
    LisaGNV Posts: 159 Member
    Check out http://whole9life.com and also the book It Starts With Food. Going grain/dairy/legume free for a time period (they suggest 30 days) to clean out your system then slowly reintroduce one group back at a time to see what (if any) negative effects you may have. 30 days isn't hard if you see dramatic improvements.

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