Paleo diet, can someone tell

Tigermum9
Tigermum9 Posts: 546 Member
in Food and Nutrition
me what it is and how it differs from Atkins

Please? I have been told its a healthier option. Also, could I have gravy lol
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Replies

  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    Bump because I want to know too. I saw on a show someone who lost weight on that diet said that if she couldn't kill it or pick, she didn't eat it. I'm sure there's more to it than that though! I'd love an in-depth explanation too.
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  • charitybroderbond
    charitybroderbond Posts: 2 Member
    You can look it up on a search but it's basically fruits, vegtables, meats(grass feed), nuts and seeds. no dairy, legumes, and grains. It's very involved. i know people who have tried it. Hope that helps.
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    No gravy.

    :sad:
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  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
    stick to foods that work for you and take out foods that don't. I have done this by experimenting along the way and paying attention to the way I feel both good and bad after eating. Paleo is such a stupid name. Use your own brain and take control of your own food choices. Otherwise it will always be something that you are on or doing instead of making your own choices based on the way certain foods make you feel.
  • tinytemple
    tinytemple Posts: 87 Member
    Paleo and Atkins are different because you could do an Atkins style diet eating a lot of processed food and diary. Atkins is really about minimizing carbohydrates in the diet, increasing fat and protein. Paleo is about going back to eating natural foods or foods that were available before the agricultural revolution (with the introduction of processing).

    I've been paleo for a year and I love it - just basically back to basics natural food that doesn't have to be processed in order to be eaten (i.e. no grains, legumes, junk food, margarine/vegetable oils, sugar).
    Dairy is debatable - standard cow's milk is a pretty firm no although some people drink their local farm's raw milk/cream or have some goat/sheep milk/yoghurt/cheese which is much better for the human body than cow's milk. I would say it's more important to get rid of the real junk and grains from your diet first.
    Again fruit is also debatable - depends on your goals. If you want to loose weight the cut the fruit due to high sugar content or just have some berries/small local seasonal fruits.

    I've also recently done an Atkins style diet (a ketogenic diet) with eating Paleo food and this is a very effective weighloss tool for many people.

    So really basically Atkins is about changing the macros of your diet and Paleo is about changing the quality of your diet.

    Hope that helps!!
  • tinytemple
    tinytemple Posts: 87 Member
    No gravy.

    :sad:

    That is rubbish!! You just make your own like everyone used to before the invention of Bisto!!!
    The other night I roasted a piece of beef, when it was done I took the beef out of the roasting pan and poured some boiling water into the pan. I put the pan back on the hob, added some salt, pepper, herbs (you can also add coconut flour for a heavier consistency but it's really unnecessary) and used a wooden spoon to get any leftover beef and drippings of the bottom of the pan and stirred it for a few minutes --- voila! The most tasty, natural gravy in the world!
  • MsCLR84
    MsCLR84 Posts: 10
    There's a book you can get, but in a nutshell what Paleo's should and shouldn't eat:
    http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet/

    And some recipes to try - delicious!!:
    http://thepaleodiet.com/paleo-diet-recipes/

    xo
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  • 13ftw67
    13ftw67 Posts: 35 Member
    Tiny Temple nailed the explanation!! You can cook meat on a Paleo diet as well. it's not a raw meat diet as someone suggested.

    Manufactured food is full of unnatural things and that's not healthy for the human body. Beware of genetically engineered food options as well with added pesticides and hormones. This can get expensive shopping for more natural foods as well. I recently even stopped at a roadside fruit and vegetable stand only to learn that the items were not locally grown produce but trucked in from the big corporate farms instead.

    UGGH the search continues. I choose not to eat any dairy products, refined sugars but I eat peanut butter (processed) an occasional slice of bread and NYC Pizza as a treat to myself. I just try to limit it to 15% of my total food intake. Then its back to the meat, Fish, Fowl and veggies nuts and fruits etc.

    Sorry Gravy is forebode in my eating realm. as is pre manufactured salad dressing, cake icing and Ice cream, doughnuts etc...but damn I miss gravy fries sometimes... and hence the lunacy of figuring how to eat healthy.. best wishes
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    Rather than asking on the main forums of MFP or some other general health/fitness website, you should really read one of the MANY books on Paleo, as you're going to get all sorts of responses here that vary from totally incorrect, to exactly right.

    Another confounding issue is that there isn't one singular version of Paleo. You'll find that people will do Paleo differently for all sorts of reasons, some health related, some lifestyle related, etc.

    Books I like:

    The Paleo Solution (Robb Wolf)
    The Paleo Diet Revised (Loren Cordain)
    Practical Paleo (Diane Sanfilippo)
    The Primal Blueprint (Mark Sisson)

    You might also consider researching by googling for the websites of these authors/books.
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  • petermcgunnigle
    petermcgunnigle Posts: 2
    Just completed the OWLS weight loss and lifestyle programme in Oxfordshire England - diets do not work long term and there are no quick fixes. Lifestyle change is the only long term realistic solution. I weighed 280lbs and am 5ft 8 - morbidly obese BMI over 43 - I started cycling and between September and February do diet but lost 14lbs. In February I changed my lifestyle and lost 42lbs further that 56lbs 20% body weight but am still obese with BMI of 34 so a way to go yet but you have to count calories in and estimate calories out - I have reduced portions, cut out the 'bad' foods sweets desserts pastries fried foods and definitely no fast food. I have virtually no bread these days as I am addicted to it. I have more fresh fruit vegetables and good salad leaves with healthier non oil based dressings. It was hard at first but gradually things become habit and you get used to it. I feel guilty now if I haven't done some exercise in a day. Better than getting used to injecting insulin every day with diabetes or having major heart surgery or a stroke? My kids didn't think I would do it, my wife didn't think I could do it I didn't think I could do it - we are all surprised but immeasurably happier - OWLS taught me diets always make you feel bitter and in deficit mode as you resent having to reduce what you like - real lifestyle changes can lead to mind set change and acceptance that this is the way to live - my advice - avoid fad and fashion diets - some work great in short term but they paper over the cracks. Took me until 54 years old to realise I had been making too many bad choices in lifestyle - hopefully never again ;-)
  • petermcgunnigle
    petermcgunnigle Posts: 2
    That photo is me at 280 lbs in a shopping Mall in New Jersey August 2012 in the 'old life'
  • wonderbolt
    wonderbolt Posts: 48
    Read this :)

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/
  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
    Just completed the OWLS weight loss and lifestyle programme in Oxfordshire England - diets do not work long term and there are no quick fixes. Lifestyle change is the only long term realistic solution. I weighed 280lbs and am 5ft 8 - morbidly obese BMI over 43 - I started cycling and between September and February do diet but lost 14lbs. In February I changed my lifestyle and lost 42lbs further that 56lbs 20% body weight but am still obese with BMI of 34 so a way to go yet but you have to count calories in and estimate calories out - I have reduced portions, cut out the 'bad' foods sweets desserts pastries fried foods and definitely no fast food. I have virtually no bread these days as I am addicted to it. I have more fresh fruit vegetables and good salad leaves with healthier non oil based dressings. It was hard at first but gradually things become habit and you get used to it. I feel guilty now if I haven't done some exercise in a day. Better than getting used to injecting insulin every day with diabetes or having major heart surgery or a stroke? My kids didn't think I would do it, my wife didn't think I could do it I didn't think I could do it - we are all surprised but immeasurably happier - OWLS taught me diets always make you feel bitter and in deficit mode as you resent having to reduce what you like - real lifestyle changes can lead to mind set change and acceptance that this is the way to live - my advice - avoid fad and fashion diets - some work great in short term but they paper over the cracks. Took me until 54 years old to realise I had been making too many bad choices in lifestyle - hopefully never again ;-)
    :flowerforyou: Congratulations!
  • lcyfrn
    lcyfrn Posts: 121 Member
    Read this :)

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/

    I find this explains it quite well, 'The Caveman Diet' is maybe a better name. You're basically eating what man USED to eat before processed food etc came about.

    Read the blog post above, it explains it in an easy way to understand.
  • mspoopoo
    mspoopoo Posts: 500 Member
    I just call it plain old food. It is really hard to eat a lot of calories on it as I am always very full.
  • tinytemple
    tinytemple Posts: 87 Member
    No gravy.

    :sad:

    That is rubbish!! You just make your own like everyone used to before the invention of Bisto!!!
    The other night I roasted a piece of beef, when it was done I took the beef out of the roasting pan and poured some boiling water into the pan. I put the pan back on the hob, added some salt, pepper, herbs (you can also add coconut flour for a heavier consistency but it's really unnecessary) and used a wooden spoon to get any leftover beef and drippings of the bottom of the pan and stirred it for a few minutes --- voila! The most tasty, natural gravy in the world!

    Thanks for the scolding. Chill out and relax. Your gravy sounds horrible. Btw.

    Haha love that you took my gravy passion as a scolding... it's not "my" gravy it's just what gravy originated from - technically 'jus'.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    stick to foods that work for you and take out foods that don't.
    This is the easiest form of dieting in existence.....just don't give it a marketable name and ruin it
  • ecdce
    ecdce Posts: 129 Member
    You've gotten good information here already, but I would add (because it was confusing to me in the beginning) that there's really no 'right' way to eat paleo/primal/caveman/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. I think those terms initially meant specific, slightly different things, but they're mostly used interchangeably now from my experience. There's the general guideline of no legumes, no dairy, no grains, etc. But from my experience everyone does it to varying degrees. Some people eat sweet potatoes, some people don't. Some people eat things like peas, which are legumes I think, but can be eaten raw. Some people don't eat any added sweetener, some people only eat less refined sweeteners as a treat, some people eat artificial sweeteners. Some people even monitor their insulin response to food to see what's okay for them personally. Some people eat that way 100% of the time. Some aim for 85% (or whatever works for them). Some people have 'cheat' meals or non paleo days. Some people change their exercise habits to be more in line with what they'd consider paleo, too.

    So, where Atkins has a rigid plan and structure that most people who do Atkins would adhere to, the paleo diet/lifestyle is just more a way of eating. If it's something you're interested in, but don't want to go without dairy, for example, don't let that stop you from giving it a try -- there are some paleo people who can be sort of militant about their approach and see any deviation from their approach as sacrilege and offensive, but they're the exception, not the rule. There are plenty of people who do paleo+dairy or paleo+dark chocolate or paleo+whatever. Most people seem to have a 'do what works for you and if eating x doesn't hurt you, then have x in moderation'.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    Thanks for the scolding. Chill out and relax. Your gravy sounds horrible. Btw.

    Poor lamb has never had real gravy before. Pity.
  • Tigermum9
    Tigermum9 Posts: 546 Member
    Thanks guys!!! I have a better idea now, I did look it up first but just got a loa of flashy advertising shpeel. And even thought I dont want to be part of the gravy war. Gravy is gravy. I HATE dry food.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    You can make all sorts of gravy/sauces on a paleo diet so I wouldn't worry about that! I agree with the previous poster, it's basically eating real food, try to stay away from processed foods, grains (some people make exceptions for rice), legumes (although there are better and worse preparation), and soy/vegetable oils. Also, sugar :)

    But you can be as strict or as open as you like. I aim more at primal, which includes dairy, because I love cheese and I throw cream in my coffee.

    When I make gravy, I do go ahead and chuck in a bit of flour but gravy is more about the liquid and fat, the flour is just for thickening. You can do without.

    OH! Almost forgot - it differs from Atkins because it's not so restrictive and you can make it higher or lower carb as you like. Fruits, potatoes, root veggies, etc...all included to the levels you choose.
  • erica_bunny
    erica_bunny Posts: 15
    I started eating Paleo in January and lost 25 pounds in 3 months... then took a break for my birthday week, which turned into a month, and then 2 months after the death of my grandpa. I just started Paleo again this Monday. Surprisingly, I didn't find it as difficult as I thought, as long as you get past the headache in the first few days (mine is currently today) then you'll be fine. And don't be afraid to be creative! My Paleo friend makes his own "paleo mayo" which I would rather just stay away from, but I'm sure you can figure out a crafty way to make some gravy :) Give it a shot... just hold on past the headache stage and you'll feel much better. Great results so far too... no more pain, better sleep, more energy, and weight loss.

    Good luck - I hope you try it. The books are helpful, but sticking to a basic Eat/Don't Eat list works just as well :)
  • fastfoodv
    fastfoodv Posts: 41
    The Paleo diet is one that’s based on how people ate over 10,000 years ago. It includes those foods that one could “hunt and gather.” So it’s a high protein diet that excludes food groups like grains, sugar, dairy, legumes, potatoes, processed oils or more modern foods 10,000 years or younger. I don’t recommend it.

    Get an exclusive look at Lisa's new book STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! at www.stopthediet.com and visit Lisa Tillinger Johansen at www.consultthedietician.com on Facebook at Lisa Tillinger Johansen and on Twitter @LisaTJohansen
  • mosseho
    mosseho Posts: 6
    Paleo is great and easy diet. Easy from that point of view that you don't need to care about calories, you don't need to count anything. You just eat what you want and as much as you want, until you are full.
    What is quite difficult for some peple is that you have to remove some foods from your list... - no grains, no dairy, no processed food. All you can eat is meat, fowl, fish, eggs, vegetables, oils, fruits, nuts and tubers. It might seem you cannot eat almost anything, but actually, there are plenty of recipes for very tasty foods.
    Basically the Paleo diet works in the way that your body takes energy by burning fat while on todays food your body gets energy from burning carbs. What that means is that your body is getting hungry all the time...
    After just about a week on Paleo, you will be able to see the improvement of your lifestyle. You have more energy, you sleep better, there are some people that their allergies were gone... And if you want to loose weight with this diet, you will have to control how much fruits and nuts you it, because those two are the only sources of sugar.
    Paleo is definitely worth a try, even just for 30 days. Than you can decide to continue or go back to your previous lifestyle. Just choose recipes you like at http://paleofoodcooking.net/ and set up your meal plan and go for it.;)
  • darkangel45422
    darkangel45422 Posts: 234 Member
    Like others have said, there's no one strict definition of Paleo/Primal; most agree with not having many grains or legumes but dairy is usually a harder point; some allow it in moderation, others suggest lumping it in with grains and legumes. The easiest way I see it is try to eat natural goods that are minimally or not at all processed - meats, vegetables, eggs, healthy oils, nuts, seeds, fruit, etc.

    But the most important thing I'd say is to make it your own. Experiment and see how your body reacts to different foods. A good way to start is eliminating everything (no grains, legumes, dairy, processed foods, sugar, etc.) for 21 days, and then slowly reintroduce one food at a time to see how you react. No bad side effects? Then you can probably eat some of it as part of your diet (though don't make it a staple). If you don't react well, then you know you're sensitive and should avoid it most of the time.

    This is a lifestyle, so its really about finding a way to be healthy and happy.
  • KyleinSD
    KyleinSD Posts: 2
    Atkins is a diet. The basics are high protein and low carbs. As with any diet, you will see short-term results from following this plan. The problem is sustainability. The right kind of carbs are essential to good health, and restricting a macronutrient from your diet isn't a good recipe for long-term health.

    Paleo differs in that it's really more of an eating lifestyle than a diet. The restrictions are: no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar, no vegetable oils and no preservatives. You can eat all the carbs you want from fresh fruits and vegetables. You basically are just eliminating all the processed foods and sugars found in the typical American diet.

    At the end of the day, weight management is a simple, calories in vs calories burned equation. That's why tracking your intake with a tool like myfitnesspal is so valuable. With Paleo, you can pretty much eat as much as you want as long as you eat the right kind of foods.

    I thought is sounded a bit restrictive at first. And I have to admit that I'm far from perfect in terms of following it to the letter. But since I started Paleo about 6 months ago, weight management is no longer an issue for me. Here's a link to a great Paleo recipe book if anyone is interested: http://getleandiet.net

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