We don't know what constitutes a true paleo diet!

For everyone assuming that a primal diet is set on a religious belief that we have to eat exactly like our Neanderthal ancestor, please have a read of this blog.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/we-dont-know-what-constitutes-a-true-paleo-diet/#axzz2uEX690KH

It probably (definitely) won't stop all of the scepticism and I am sure you will have lots more questions - which is fine, asking questions gets us closer to our goal of enlightenment.

As a P.S. - Primal/paleo is not for everyone. Some people will have greater success following the principles of these diets and some will have less success.

Calorie counting is a great way for weight loss and works for a lot of people. I am not claiming primal is the best diet to do (it is for me personally), but I am different to you and you are different to the next person.

Different horses for different courses.

Well that said enjoy the read. :smile:

As a P.P.S. - YOU DO NOT NEED TO CLICK ON THE 'PRIMAL BLUE PRINTER STARTER PACK' ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG (THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISMENT).

In fact I am happily following the primal diet and have not spent 1 pence/dime on it.
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Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    It's the lack of knowledge about palaeoanthropology that disturbs me about the paleo diet.

    "our neanderthal ancestor" ---- you mean the one that had an affair with our Homo sapiens sapiens ancestor who'd just moved into Europe (approx 40,000 years ago), thus accounting for the 1-4% neanderthal DNA in our genome? ("our" as in "mine and yours" but this doesn't apply to all modern humans as not all have any neanderthal DNA. Not everyone here actually has any neanderthal ancestors at all)

    Palaeoanthropologists actually know rather a lot about the kinds of food various palaeolithic people ate (which spans several different species of human and they didn't all eat the same things) but they're things that are either extinct, or not palatable to the sensitive tastes of modern people. For example, woolly mammoth, hippos, honey with bee larvae still in it, and various other insects and insect larvae. Oh yeah, and scavenged lion kill, i.e. smash up the bones to get the brains and marrow and eat it raw. That appears to be one of the main staple foods of the earliest humans.

    As for not having to actually emulate the actual diets of actual palaeolithic people............... call the diet something else FFS!!!! you guys wouldn't get one tenth of the stick that you get if you called it the "allergy, intolerance and sensitivity avoidance diet" or the "food like your great grandmother ate" diet, or something, and also weren't going around perpetuating a whole lot of misinformation about palaeolithic people. There's enough ignorance about human evolution that's the direct result of creationists (or, more specifically, schools hesitating to teach it properly for fear of "being controversial" which really means for fear of upsetting any creationists), without paleo diet people adding to it.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    call the diet something else FFS!!!! - sorry dude (that's down to the marketing department).

    There's a lot of things 'given the ability' I would change the name of!!!!
  • :drinker: Are crumpets Paleo?
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    :drinker: Are crumpets Paleo?

    Depends what you make them from.:smile:
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    call the diet something else FFS!!!! - sorry dude (that's down to the marketing department).

    There's a lot of things 'given the ability' I would change the name of!!!!

    well this "paleo diet" is a modern phenomenon. If everyone starts calling it something different, and the people on the internet start promoting it under a different name, it will change after a while and the old name will go out of fashion. write to Mark's Daily Apple and ask him to change the name. Maybe even call it "the ancestral diet" - ancestors could be a lot more recent like great great grandparents, it would be more similar to that. Or the "pre-industrial" diet would be good. Lots of pre-industrial diets exclude dairy products, and many excluded wheat, as you'd be talking about pre-industrial diets on a global scale. It would be more accurate, as it's the industrialisation of food (i.e. factory processing and packaged food) that you guys object to in the main, although some people do need to avoid gluten and/or dairy as well, but as i said, those foods were absent in many pre-industrial diets worldwide.

    or even start your own blog.... with a more accurate name and fewer people scoffing at you because you're not eating woolly mammoth and insect larvae, it'll have a good chance of taking off. Yes there will be people who disagree with you because they find it excessively restrictive, but at least that criticism comes from what the actual diet is like, not from a silly name that it has. Additionally, trying to eat like people did a few generations ago isn't so illogical and restrictive and you don't have to hate on grains either. Just go for more traditional varieties. Ezekiel bread springs to mind. And people can adapt it to suit their food issues, e.g. whether or not to omit dairy or grains, based on what they can digest.

    ETA: I don't personally agree with overly restrictive diets, or that processed food is evil etc, but the above I think is a more flexible and sensibly-named approach that's still true to the original idea behind the paleo diet. And it's free from the abuse of palaeoanthropology as well, which is a big bonus.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    call the diet something else FFS!!!! - sorry dude (that's down to the marketing department).

    There's a lot of things 'given the ability' I would change the name of!!!!

    well this "paleo diet" is a modern phenomenon. If everyone starts calling it something different, and the people on the internet start promoting it under a different name, it will change after a while and the old name will go out of fashion. write to Mark's Daily Apple and ask him to change the name. Maybe even call it "the ancestral diet" - ancestors could be a lot more recent like great great grandparents, it would be more similar to that. Or the "pre-industrial" diet would be good. Lots of pre-industrial diets exclude dairy products, and many excluded wheat, as you'd be talking about pre-industrial diets on a global scale. It would be more accurate, as it's the industrialisation of food (i.e. factory processing and packaged food) that you guys object to in the main, although some people do need to avoid gluten and/or dairy as well, but as i said, those foods were absent in many pre-industrial diets worldwide.

    or even start your own blog.... with a more accurate name and fewer people scoffing at you because you're not eating woolly mammoth and insect larvae, it'll have a good chance of taking off. Yes there will be people who disagree with you because they find it excessively restrictive, but at least that criticism comes from what the actual diet is like, not from a silly name that it has. Additionally, trying to eat like people did a few generations ago isn't so illogical and restrictive and you don't have to hate on grains either. Just go for more traditional varieties. Ezekiel bread springs to mind. And people can adapt it to suit their food issues, e.g. whether or not to omit dairy or grains, based on what they can digest.

    ETA: I don't personally agree with overly restrictive diets, or that processed food is evil etc, but the above I think is a more flexible and sensibly-named approach that's still true to the original idea behind the paleo diet. And it's free from the abuse of palaeoanthropology as well, which is a big bonus.

    Additionally, trying to eat like people did a few generations ago isn't so illogical - Agreed.

    I think we could call it the 'granddad diet' (has a cool sound to it). People that fall off the wagon once in a while could be called 'slippers'.

    I actual like the name primal for the diet (it appeals to my carnivore inner self).
  • transmute
    transmute Posts: 50 Member
    I think we could call it the 'granddad diet' (has a cool sound to it). People that fall off the wagon once in a while could be called 'slippers'.

    OMFG thank you for the laugh, that was the most brilliant pun I've heard in a long, long time.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    My grandmother died just a couple of years ago. She ate the occasional twinkie.

    Her parents were the generation that had the constipation issues from all the white bread they were eating...

    Diseases of poor nutrition, like rickets and goiter, were rife in the past. They used to adulterate food with sand and lye. Tuberculosis was caused by unpasturized milk.

    I'm not sure that eating like ANY of our ancestors is the way to go.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    I wish I could say something but I've never tried it. :happy:
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
    My ancestral diet included lots of dairy and also rye. I'm Finnish!
    And lye= pretzels and bagels. Yumm!
  • OverDoIt
    OverDoIt Posts: 332 Member
    Dude, I use the MHP paleo protein exclusively. It has real paleo maltodextrin from maltodrextrin trees in Kenya, picked fresh by real cave people that have traveled here to now to the future. I have silk aminos derived from real dinosuar turds. They are so powerful I forgot how to spell. Sorry, just having some fun.
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
    I think we could call it the 'granddad diet' (has a cool sound to it). People that fall off the wagon once in a while could be called 'slippers'.

    OMFG thank you for the laugh, that was the most brilliant pun I've heard in a long, long time.

    Hahaha I agree! Good one. I like the Granddad diet--my grandma kept him very well fed!
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    My ancestral diet included lots of dairy and also rye. I'm Finnish!
    And lye= pretzels and bagels. Yumm!
    ...and lutefisk :noway: (I know it's Norwegian)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    My ancestral diet included lots of dairy and also rye. I'm Finnish!
    And lye= pretzels and bagels. Yumm!
    ...and lutefisk :noway: (I know it's Norwegian)
    Or Hakarl, it's traditional in Iceland (rotten shark). Had it in Reykjavik quite a few years back, that was memorable.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.

    I think you missed out peanut butter M&M's!! lol
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.

    I think you missed out peanut butter M&M's!! lol

    Meh. Plain M&M's were implied in my mention of trail mix (tee hee). I actually am not a big fan of M&M's by themselves. They are for using in trail mix, cookies, etc. :bigsmile:
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    This is why the paleo diet has kept me so trim. Indigestible and hard to find.

    863142_2.jpg

    leo_dicaprio1_300_400.jpg
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.

    <insert any baked item here>
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.

    I think you missed out peanut butter M&M's!! lol

    Meh. Plain M&M's were implied in my mention of trail mix (tee hee). I actually am not a big fan of M&M's by themselves. They are for using in trail mix, cookies, etc. :bigsmile:

    I'm disappointed Wendy how can you Not be following a paleo diet and Not be eating peanut butter M&M's do the others know?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.

    I think you missed out peanut butter M&M's!! lol

    Meh. Plain M&M's were implied in my mention of trail mix (tee hee). I actually am not a big fan of M&M's by themselves. They are for using in trail mix, cookies, etc. :bigsmile:

    I'm disappointed Wendy how can you Not be following a paleo diet and Not be eating peanut butter M&M's do the others know?

    Hey, I *do* eat chocolate-covered peanuts - same thing, just no candy shell.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    Legumes and all dairy are what I just laugh at with this dietary concept and have the most problem with. Those are excellent foods for the unsensitive majority.

    Also the air of superiority that first came from its followers still lingers in my consciousness (even if the now vocal majority makes fun of it here).

    For the vast majority that don't have allergy/ sensitivity issues with foods I think it is uncessarily restrictive and ascinine in it's rationale. Non sensitive individuals can eat all that is good about the diet without having to jump thru proverbial hoops to get the nutrition that you avoid by excluding certain foods. One can eat a whole food diet without eliminating food groups.

    I do applaud the folks who "need" this diet to make themselves eat a majority of their diet as whole foods. If you need a slice of self righteousness with your motivation, then good for you for finding something that works for you.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    any paleo diet adherent that owns a refrigerator is a fraud.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Reasons to avoid paleo:

    peanuts, roasted/salted
    peanut butter
    chocolate-covered peanuts
    trail mix
    sugar
    milk
    cheese
    yogurt
    sour cream
    russet potatoes
    wheat bread
    white bread
    Italian bread
    French bread
    croutons
    biscuits
    white rice
    spaghetti
    linguine
    lasagna
    macaroni & cheese
    macaroni salads
    fruit salads made with Cool Chip
    candy/candy bars
    cookies
    cake
    brownies
    cream cheese
    cheesecake
    white chocolate caramel "cappuccino" that magically pours into the cup when you push the button
    muffins
    pancakes
    waffles
    crepes
    whipped cream
    chocolate chips
    seedless watermelon
    maraschino cherries
    Jonathan apples
    red delicious apples
    granny smith apples
    any other hybrid fruit (or veggie)

    ...and that's just off the top of my head.

    I think you missed out peanut butter M&M's!! lol

    Meh. Plain M&M's were implied in my mention of trail mix (tee hee). I actually am not a big fan of M&M's by themselves. They are for using in trail mix, cookies, etc. :bigsmile:

    I'm disappointed Wendy how can you Not be following a paleo diet and Not be eating peanut butter M&M's do the others know?

    Hey, I *do* eat chocolate-covered peanuts - same thing, just no candy shell.

    I don't want to appear contentious (lol) but they are not the same thing - I could never get addicted to chocolate covered peanuts - where as peanut butter M&M's - shweet.

    Their not readily available in the UK if they were I would be on the Peanut butter M&M's diet.:smile:
  • This content has been removed.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member

    Hey, I *do* eat chocolate-covered peanuts - same thing, just no candy shell.

    I don't want to appear contentious (lol) but they are not the same thing - I could never get addicted to chocolate covered peanuts - where as peanut butter M&M's - shweet.

    Their not readily available in the UK if they were I would be on the Peanut butter M&M's diet.:smile:

    Hey, no, feel free. You are absolutely right. I once walked up and down the candy aisle of a convenience store, not finding Goobers. The clerk advised me that they had peanut M&M's, and I'm like, no, that's not the same thing. I left and found some at a different store up the street.

    goobers.gif
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    Legumes and all dairy are what I just laugh at with this dietary concept and have the most problem with. Those are excellent foods for the unsensitive majority.

    Also the air of superiority that first came from its followers still lingers in my consciousness (even if the now vocal majority makes fun of it here).

    For the vast majority that don't have allergy/ sensitivity issues with foods I think it is uncessarily restrictive and ascinine in it's rationale. Non sensitive individuals can eat all that is good about the diet without having to jump thru proverbial hoops to get the nutrition that you avoid by excluding certain foods. One can eat a whole food diet without eliminating food groups.

    I do applaud the folks who "need" this diet to make themselves eat a majority of their diet as whole foods. If you need a slice of self righteousness with your motivation, then good for you for finding something that works for you.

    Where is this paleo self-righteousness? Are you talking about in life in general or on this site?

    I ask because I'm quite new to the site (back after several years hiatus), and I just haven't seen any of this paleo self-righteousness, though I have seen a lot of what appears to me as needless paleo bashing from the non-paleo bunch. It just has me scratching my head for the most part.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    any paleo diet adherent that owns a refrigerator is a fraud.

    :drinker:
  • wildrosegeo
    wildrosegeo Posts: 27 Member
    Any "paleo dieter" who consumes blueberries, tomatoes, potatoes, cashews, brazil nuts, bison, turkey, chocolate, sunflower seeds, avocados is also a fraud! No paleolithic person had access to these delicious New World crops/foods.

    Having spent a lot of time in remote indigenous communities in northern Canada, I see no parallels between the average hunter/gatherer's traditional diet and the modern, urban "paleo's" diet. Lean meat alone will kill you. The fat is where it's at! And the entrails. Of course, to a western palate none of this tastes good.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    Any "paleo dieter" who consumes blueberries, tomatoes, potatoes, cashews, brazil nuts, bison, turkey, chocolate, sunflower seeds, avocados is also a fraud! No paleolithic person had access to these delicious New World crops/foods.

    Having spent a lot of time in remote indigenous communities in northern Canada, I see no parallels between the average hunter/gatherer's traditional diet and the modern, urban "paleo's" diet. Lean meat alone will kill you. The fat is where it's at! And the entrails. Of course, to a western palate none of this tastes good.

    Why do people get so hung up on the label? It's a guiding principle not a black-and-white testimony on to paleolithic ancestors. I've never seen so many people so focused on the literal before coming to this site. It just boggles the mind.