Paleo diet, great or another fad?

Warning: Geekery ahead

Paleo makes some sense to me from an anthropological perspective, I just don't like the bleed over into "raw" foods. Fact is, most of our ancient human archeological sites include things like campfires and butchering areas - our ancient ancestors did cook their food. Not near as much as we do now, but they certainly did cook.

Wheat suggests agriculture and permanent settlements because it takes so much wheat to make much of anything, so it may not be the most primal food source for us. But that doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, though it can be. I mean ultra-enriched bleached white flour which has all chaff, bran, germ and a significant amount of gluten removed is just a lot of empty calories. Your body really does consider that the same as candy when it comes time to metabolize it. Compare that white stuff to a true fresh ground whole wheat flour which has all of that stuff still in it, and you're in a completely different nutritional ballgame with protein, fiber, more complex carbohydrates, etc.

I always liked this quote: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

It might be a fad, just like being a vegetarian or vegan is considered by some, but I enjoy being paleo because it makes me feel good.

My experience with it? I know that after being paleo for a while and going through testing to be a kidney donor that I was one of the healthiest kidney donor candidates they've ever seen. I've also had an amazingly easy post-op recovery, which I've learned is apparently kind of rare. I'm sure that the fact that I exercised regularly prior to surgery attributed to that, though. Upon being released from the hospital the nutritionist asked me about my diet and when I told her I was paleo she laughed and said, "you have no dietary restrictions in that case." Though I do not have kidney disease, I have to live a life as though I do to protect my remaining kidney; which means that if I ate differently I would have some dietary restrictions. But, it is recommended that those suffering from kidney failure to reduce their protein intake because the kidneys may not be able to process urea normally, they didn't seem to be concerned about this for me. I do try to make sure I don't go overboard with it, though.

A couple of people have mentioned that you still have to count calories. For some that may be true, but not for me. I've eaten anywhere between 1,800 - 2,300 calories a day since starting the diet and continued to lose weight with exercise.

Anyway, these are just my experiences. Research it and do it if you feel it's right for you. I started with Whole30 and liked it so well that I decided to continue with the paleo lifestyle.

I did a 'Paleo Challenge" for 60 days with my gym. The nutritionist who spoke about it said it was based around eating the food with the greatest nutritional value and leaving out food with little value. The only reason it's nicknamed the 'caveman diet' is because you're mostly eating meat, fruits and veggies... or things that are found in the wild. It has nothing to do with actually aspiring to eat like cavemen ate.

If you look into it, you will find reasoning behind the food they exclude. Mostly, they exclude food that can cause insulin spikes, promote inflammation, or have high calories and low nutritional value. I really enjoyed the 60 day challenge because it forced me to lean how to cook and eat healthier. Though I am not on it, I learned a lot and incorporate what I learned into my daily eating habits.

In my opinion, Paleo is fantastic just for what it can teach you about food. For me, personally, I wouldn't commit it to my lifestyle.

Paleo is the best thing I have ever done... and I honestly believe I will do this for the rest of my life!

Why can't it be both? I don't do diets, but if I was going to do one, it would be Paleo. If there is one thing that is positive about Paleo, it's that it's a good response to the low-fat dogma that is still stubbornly refusing to die. I'm not saying high-fat is good for everybody, but it's not the evil that was portrayed by the government and media for 30+ years.

I'm about to rail on Paleo so I should say something positive about it first. The whole paleo avoid processed foods and chemicals you can't pronounce thing is WONDERFUL, ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
However, I have several problems with paleo.
First it's kind of like a religion. It's the only right way to eat. Everyone else is doing it incorrectly. There is special knowledge like a religion. No one else knows this. They are all deceived, because whole grains are EVIL. I'm thinking, "Whole grains are evil???" What the heck? So all these studies are just bunk?
It just smacks of pseudoscience. "Reprogram your body to burn fats instead of carbohydrates"????? Where are the studies for this? Robb Wolf has a refutation on his site. Says there are studies. http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/science-research/
U.S. News said they looked at the studies Robb cites. Quote "U.S. News reviewed the five cited studies and referenced four of them in this profile. The studies were small and short, making strong conclusions difficult. The “one tiny study” related only to weight loss, not to the Paleo diet broadly." http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/paleo-diet
They are reinventing the wheel. Lots of studies have shown that eating LOTS of meat can be harmful. I will never give up red meat. PLEASE don't get me wrong. I just bought a 1/4 of beef. I use a little lard in my refried beans. Shoot, I just made bbq'd pork ribs on Saturday, but to just eat all that all the time as much of it as you want with no repercussions? If it sounds to good to be true, than it probably is.
Oatmeal is bad for you??????? Sorry you lost me at Oatmeal is bad for you, and you are going to reprogram your body to blah, blah, blah. Oatmeal is bad for you?? That's absurd.
One other thing that really turns me off is that their body just FLIPS out when they eat like a couple of cookies or whatever. I mean they gain a couple of pounds and their stomachs are all upset and they feel just horrendous. Sorry, but your diet is messed up if you can't handle drinking one beer. Something just has to be wrong. Doesn't that mean your body is weak?
Here is another nice review on the paleo diet. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-review-the-caveman-paleo-diet I'm very negative on it. Both reviews I cited here are not really. There is plenty of good in it. The bad turns me off enough to not want to touch it. Oh, okay that I'm of Mexican decent and would never give up tortillas (real tortillas btw, not paleo "tortillas" has something to do with it also.

Definitely a fad. Like most diets, it works IF you can stick with it. Most of the people I know who eat paleo seem to divert from it quite a bit, especially when eating out and socialising. It makes it very difficult to eat anything that is not home-prepared (which is where I think most of our food should come from but I still like to eat out from time to time). The main problem I have with it is that it cuts out grains and dairy when most people can eat these as part of a healthy balanced diet without any issues.

I became interested in paleo about 3 years ago, lost about 15 pounds then stopped losing weight. A few months ago, I omitted salt, sugar, grains, and dairy from my eating plan, and since then I've lost a consistent 1 3/4 pounds/week.

I did not set out to do Paleo in this round, and my main sources of protein are eggs, egg whites, and nuts. I feel MUCH better than I did before starting. No cravings, no binges. I also eat within a 21/3 IF scedule.

I agree with many of the Paleo criticisms already mentioned. For myself, my current eating plan is monotonous and repetitive, and I'm very happy with that.

I feel strongly that we must each find our own path to successful weight management.

I've just heard about the Paleo and was curious if it is any good or just another fad? Why should I choose this diet instead of the many others out there?

It seems very restrictive me and for no good reason. For example, most legumes aren't on the paleo diet, as I understand it. I would think it would be better to be on a less restrictive but still healthy diet, as you would be more likely to stay with it in the long run. But that doesn't sell cookbooks and such so /shrug.