I guess almond flower would be ok because it's just crushed almond if unadultured.

You got me on the potato question, those always grew somewhere in the wild.

I believe that potatoes are debated in the paleo community. My guess is that it's because they're an case of paleo dogma not lining up with carbophobia. Beans are another example of this.

checking paleo groups may lead you to a more paleo answer.

Frankly, I'm afraid of the posts I'd get. Paleo/Primal and Clean all seem to be the equivalent of religion and politics on this forum -- everyone has an opinion but no one seems to have an answer.

I'll just resign myself to never understanding why artificial sweeteners are okay (according to some) but the corn my neighbor gave me from her backyard garden isn't.

I'm not suggesting that you post it in the general forums, I'm suggesting you find a paleo specific group and ask there, since their members will (presumably) be paleo eaters and hopefully among them you may find someone educated in paleo that can answer the question.

from what I understand, and this is just my vague understanding...

Paleo is based upon the historical understanding of what primitive cultures ate....and this is based on loose and sparse studies of stomach contents of people exhumed from primitive cultures...

so if their studies aren't showing any potatoes in the stomach contents the idea is that the people didn't eat it...

at least that is how it was explained to me as per a fellow historian that was looking at paleo...AND THEN....to top it off, you get the paleo zealots making up rules as they go along, to include things that they want to include that make no sense...like artificial sweeteners..

so really it's just a crap shoot...

From the perspective of a palaeoanthropology nerd... there is no logic behind the majority of what gets touted as paleo on the internet. It doesn't bear any resemblance to actual palaeolithic diets, and most people peddling it don't seem to know very much about palaeoanthropology at all. (there may be some exceptions, there are people out there who take a much more informed approach to the paleo diet, but they tend to do it quietly and not mouth off about wheat being unfit for human consumption or whatever else)

the original concept it was based on is fairly sound, and in fact when I was at uni back in the late 90s, one of the palaeoanthropology lecturers actually taught us about the concept of the paleo diet, but what he said was very, very different to what gets touted on the internet nowadays. It's based on comparisons between modern hunter-gatherers and post-industrical cultures, and also the fact that a lot of foods that people are commonly allergic or intolerant to are those that have been introduced or significantly changed by selective breeding, since the start of the neolithic era (i.e. the start of farming, as opposed to hunter-gathering), e.g. dairy (only breastmilk for babies and small kids was available prior to dairy farming) and wheat (some varieties have been subjected to millenia of selective breeding).

The way we live our lives in modern times is very different to how our fairly recent ancestors lived, in fact the last 10,000 years or so has seen very rapid cultural and technological development that's happened more quickly than we've been able to adapt (for the most part, but there has been adaptation) - so we're on the whole better suited to hunter-gatherer life than sedentary post-industrial life.... but a lot of it is about being sedentary as opposed to walking for miles each day, carrying heavy things and exerting yourself for tasks like hunting. In terms of diet, lactose intolerance is more common in populations that have remained as hunter-gatherers until recent times (e.g. native Australians), but this proves that those who are cultures that have practiced dairy farming or herding for thousands of years actually have adapted to be able to digest lactose as adults. So while the principle that palaeo is based on is fairly sound, there is also evidence that many people have adapted to the post-neolithic diet. Additionally, humans' ecological niche is adaptability, we can adapt very well to a huge variety of cultures, diets, ways of living, so it doesn't stand to reason that we all have to imitate the diets of hunter-gatherers.

But I do think that there is a benefit to considering what our bodies are adapted for, and using this knowledge to improve our health. We are not adapted to be sedentary, we're adapted to be very active, and our ancestors didn't get to eat if they didn't exert themselves to obtain food. The modern obesity epidemic is mostly because it's too easy to get food. Even in the much more recent past people walked to the shops much more, they did more physical jobs, they did physical work in the home, e.g. washing clothes by hand, but now many people don't have to exert themselves for anything much. We're adapted to eat after exercising (as exercise was for the purpose of acquiring food), which is why good post-workout nutrition is very important. We're adapted to share food and enjoy eating as a social event (food sharing in humans seems to go back at least 2 million years according to the archaeological evidence, and probably a lot further seeing as chimpanzees occasionally do co-operative hunting and share the meat, which until recently was thought of as a purely human behaviour). Ignoring the social aspect of eating when trying to be healthy and lose fat can result in people being unable to stick to their eating plan, because they never eat out with friends, and they become miserable... because we didn't evolve to eat alone, we're not meeting our emotional needs if we always eat alone. So there is a lot that you can learn from viewing dieting and fat loss from an evolutionary perspective. But when you do that, what you end up with isn't the same as "The Paleo Diet" as you read about on the internet (though as I said before, there are paleo dieters who take a more intelligent approach.. but what you read most commonly online about it isn't that)

As for why (add food here) is included but (add another random food here) is not included, is because the people saying it don't know much about palaeoanthropology. Another example is why wheat is demonised but bananas are okay... they're both the same from an evolutionary perspective, i.e. both have been cultivated for around 10,000 years and due to selective breeding are very different to the wild varities... go take a look at a wild banana and you'll see what I mean!! Banana allergy is also pretty common, so it's like wheat in that respect too.

It does my head in how little people who promote "paleo" on the internet actually know about how "cavemen" actually lived (including the fact that most palaeolithic people probably didn't live in caves), it makes me cry sheldon tears ("I cry because people are stupid and that makes me sad") and you get them saying the most ridiculous things that make no sense whatsoever, which is a real shame because like i said approaching diet and fitness from an evolutionary perspective can be very beneficial. But in a lot of cases it's like they're getting their info on "paleo" by watching the Flintstones....

Why is almond flour considered acceptable on a Paleo diet but an ear of corn is not? If the point behind Paleo is to exclude processed foods, why is bacon acceptable but potatoes are not?

Or am I misunderstanding the whole thing?

bacon is not a palaeolithic food, pigs, cows and sheep have undergone a lot of selective breeding and are very different from their wild counterparts. Palaeo meats would be wild boar, bison, venison, kangaroo.... and not forgetting animals that are now extinct like woolly rhino....

(more examples of how they don't really know very much about the palaeolithic era, or about exactly how foods have changed since the neolithic era....)

Wish there was a Thank or Like button.

Thank you bumblebums and neandermagnon.

I'm trying to understand the philosophy, reason, and principles behind Paleo/Primal eating. I know I'm not disciplined enough to give up chocolate so I'm not considering the diet for myself. I do want to understand the thought process behind the lifestyle. I'm struggling with the logical holes in the information I've found. The explanation and the linked resources are helpful.

You are welcome. As the links I gave should make clear, the exclusionary criteria in the Paleo diet are not based on evidence. If you are looking for a diet whose health benefits are proven by scientific evidence, I believe the Mediterranean diet comes the closest at the moment.

EDIT: There is also common sense: eat a variety of foods in moderation. Unless you have a medical reason to exclude a food, you might as well have some. Chocolate is awesome.

Hey there,

Let my begin by saying that I don't personally like the name "paleo" or "caveman" because those words create lots of misconception and propel misinformation. OBVIOUSLY we cannot eat 100% like our "ancestors" in 2013. Also, I second the comment than many paleo people come off as spouting a religion. Paleo people get a little cray cray, but it's mainly because we are cutting out most of the decadent foods, and misery likes company.

I struggle to maintain a consistent paleo diet because my boyfriend is a pasta-cheese vegetarian. But I try to eat paleo because namely, I feel better when I eat paleo and it DOES make a lot of sense for me and by body. Allergies disappear, my skin clears up, I feel awake and non lethargic, I sleep better, etc.

My diet typically consists of: non-starchy vegetables, grass-fed/organic/free range fish, meats & proteins; healthy oils like coconut, olive oil; nuts, olives, dark chocolate, agave syrup, honey (the latter two very seldom).

My menu from today was as follows:

B: 1 piece Bacon, 1/2 avocado, 3 strawberries, and 1 egg. Coffee + coconut cream +2 tsp of raw sugar (non-paleo but I can't do black coffee and I think fake sweeteners are evil for lots of reasons).
S: Smoothie made with coconut milk & berries
L: Wild salmon, asparagus, baby broccoli with garlic & lemon
S: a couple pistachios, a couple strawberries, 2 pieces dark chocolate, coconut water (6 oz)
Grass fed filet mignon cooked in ghee & fresh rosemary; brussel sprouts with a little bacon & caramelized onions.
Dessert: Watermelon

My biggest issue eating paleo is that the food is so nutrient-dense that it is relatively high calorie. I'm finding it REALLY challenging to stick to my Weight Watchers points or calorie limits on it. The second issue is cost, although I combat that by reducing my protein to 3-5oz of meat per meal at most. Also, I think that most paleo people don't discuss portions enough, and it really is key to weight loss.

Finally, the reason we avoid corn is that it is really a post-industrialist food that has very little nutritional quality but is used in everything because its cheap and companies like cheap. Yes, it existed before the industrial revolution, but it is now used as a filler food. Michael Pollan has some great books that describe the evils of corn in more depth. Soy runs along the same lines and causes lots of imbalances and inflammation in many people.

Is an ear of corn healthier than processed sugar-free products? OF COURSE.

The way I see it, eating paleo helps you avoid lots of anti-inflammatory foods. Considering that no other animal in the wild weans off of another animal post childhood (especially of another species), it's super weird for us to do that as well and have cheese, yogurt, dairy makeup large chunks of our diet. There's a reason so many people have dairy allergies. Sugar causes disease and inflammation, so we limit our sugar (although dark chocolate is fine in small quantities!) Wheat, gluten, grains and legumes are often foods that many people suffer allergies from (although they may not realize it) and most Americans rely WAY too much on starches to propel them through their days. I consider potatoes to be fine, but try to stick to yams and sweet potatoes because they have more nutrients.

So as you can see, I tailor it to my life. I promise you that if more Americans ate like this 80% of the time, we would have a much healthier society with much less disease and inflammation!

Happy eating & I apologize for all the grammatical errors... it's the end of the day for me. ZzZz

Why is almond flour considered acceptable on a Paleo diet but an ear of corn is not? If the point behind Paleo is to exclude processed foods, why is bacon acceptable but potatoes are not?

Or am I misunderstanding the whole thing?

bacon is not a palaeolithic food, pigs, cows and sheep have undergone a lot of selective breeding and are very different from their wild counterparts. Palaeo meats would be wild boar, bison, venison, kangaroo.... and not forgetting animals that are now extinct like woolly rhino....

(more examples of how they don't really know very much about the palaeolithic era, or about exactly how foods have changed since the neolithic era....)

^^always interesting to read your posts.

\