Debunking the paleo diet
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ascrit
Posts: 770 Member
Video Link:
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-Christ;Featured-Talks
My dietician sent this to me and I watched it last night. Basically, the idea of "eating as our ancestors did" is complete BS from an archeological perspective if for no other reason than at that time a person's diet was based strictly on which region they lived in and the availability of foods in those regions. And when you factor in the differences in the regions plus the seasonal impacts it is impossible to gain any sort of consistency.
That being said, per the presenter there are some lessons to be learned from the past which I feel do provide value into what is emphasized in the paleo diet; dietary diversity, eating FRESH foods, and eating WHOLE foods.
At the end of the day, while the message is good, calling it "paleo" or "primal" is misleading and poor branding in my opinion.
What do you think??
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-Christ;Featured-Talks
My dietician sent this to me and I watched it last night. Basically, the idea of "eating as our ancestors did" is complete BS from an archeological perspective if for no other reason than at that time a person's diet was based strictly on which region they lived in and the availability of foods in those regions. And when you factor in the differences in the regions plus the seasonal impacts it is impossible to gain any sort of consistency.
That being said, per the presenter there are some lessons to be learned from the past which I feel do provide value into what is emphasized in the paleo diet; dietary diversity, eating FRESH foods, and eating WHOLE foods.
At the end of the day, while the message is good, calling it "paleo" or "primal" is misleading and poor branding in my opinion.
What do you think??
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Replies
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I agree that Paleo is a piss-poor name for the way we eat. But, societ wants to name stuff, so I guess Paleo is the name they pulled from the hat.
What do *I* call it? Well, I call it Paleo b/c that's what everyone knows... how do I describe it? I don't describe it as ancestral eating. I don't describe it as "eating like a caveman/dinosaur/etc,etc,etc". I describe it as eating whole/minimally processed/fresh foods, avoiding industrial seed oils, refined sugars, grains, blah blah blah b/c that's what it is... it's not eating like our ancestors did, point blank, b/c like she said and everyone from Robb Wolf to Mark Sisson has said - we simply can't eat like our ancestors did (i.e. same exact foods, etc) b/c we don't know what they ate... but we can eat like they did "IN PRINCIPLE" alone - they ate whole unprocessed foods... we do, however, know they what they did NOT eat...
They did NOT eat soybean/canola/peanut oil. They did not eat bread. Did they eat grains? Possibly the wild growing versions, but not this GMO, pesticide laden garbage we have now. Did they eat olive oil or coconut oil... no, but those have been proven to be good for us time and time again.
One could argue that grains have been proven to be good for us too, nutritionally speaking b/c of the added vitamins and stuff... but I can get those same vitamins from other non-processed stuff, so I'm gonna go that route. Will I eat a piece of bread someday in the future? probably... but not b/c it provides quality fuel...
These debunking things drive me bonkers b/c they miss the point entirely. The point is to avoid processed junk that is branded as food. That is all... nothing more.
Sorry... I'll step off my soapbox now...0 -
We could call it food.0
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I don't believe in evolution. So I disregard the theory behind it. I changed my eating habits to control my diabetes. It was only 3 months later when a friend said the way I was eating was "Paleo." Nowadays I call it Paleo or low carb. If I get questioned further, I can go into detail without referring to the evolution behind it. So whatever you want to call it, I do believe it's the healthiest way to eat: no chemicals, additives, preservatives, just pure clean wholesome foods. BTW, diabetes is under control.0
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There's a discussion going on about that very article on the Nutrition board. It's ridiculous - and it's all about the name, not the food choices made by those who follow it.0 -
So what would you like to call it?
For me the name doesn't really matter. As with the others, I may refer to it as Paleo because that's what some people recognize.
What I do know it that while I have always been reasonably thin, I wasn't where I would've liked to be. I spent a couple decades trying to drop 10 pounds exercising and eating "low fat" to no avail.
Two babies and a hypothyroidism diagnosis later, I eat mostly Paleo and I weigh 17 pounds less and it wasn't even hard.
My triglycerides were running high, and they're optimal now.
It works for me. Call it a banana if you want!!
) 0 -
Hi there.
Here are some responses to the ted talk that I found informative:
http://robbwolf.com/2013/04/09/debunking-paleo-diet-episode-178/
http://youtu.be/bmL0gKEz00Q 0 -
There's a discussion going on about that very article on the Nutrition board. It's ridiculous - and it's all about the name, not the food choices made by those who follow it.
I saw that too, and it drove me nuts. I do agree it's a poor choice of names really. It actually bugs me when it's called the Cave Man Diet. Like we smack animals over the head, then drag them to a fire. I picture something out of the Flintstones, lol.0 -
So what would you like to call it?
For me the name doesn't really matter. As with the others, I may refer to it as Paleo because that's what some people recognize.
What I do know it that while I have always been reasonably thin, I wasn't where I would've liked to be. I spent a couple decades trying to drop 10 pounds exercising and eating "low fat" to no avail.
Two babies and a hypothyroidism diagnosis later, I eat mostly Paleo and I weigh 17 pounds less and it wasn't even hard.
My triglycerides were running high, and they're optimal now.
It works for me. Call it a banana if you want!!)
I'm in for calling it the banana diet, but based on the discussion going on in the other message board, that would be ridiculed too... b/c well, you're not really eating JUST bananas, you know. 0 -
So what would you like to call it?
For me the name doesn't really matter. As with the others, I may refer to it as Paleo because that's what some people recognize.
What I do know it that while I have always been reasonably thin, I wasn't where I would've liked to be. I spent a couple decades trying to drop 10 pounds exercising and eating "low fat" to no avail.
Two babies and a hypothyroidism diagnosis later, I eat mostly Paleo and I weigh 17 pounds less and it wasn't even hard.
My triglycerides were running high, and they're optimal now.
It works for me. Call it a banana if you want!!)
I'm in for calling it the banana diet, but based on the discussion going on in the other message board, that would be ridiculed too... b/c well, you're not really eating JUST bananas, you know.
I have to avoid bananas! Don't name it that!
Paleo is a silly/inappropriate name but who cares? Other lifestyles have stupid names too. Cuz Slimfast and WeightWatchers are so brilliant in comparison.
There were indeed many variations of the Paleolithic diet, but they ALL had a very few important things in common:
1. Nutrient dense
2. Locally available/seasonal (different peoples did great with different foods. Kitivans=high carb. Inuit=high fat. Not one society was ever vegan.) Societies with the most use of seafoods tended to be the most robust (eating similarly today would mean being careful with where seafood is sourced of course, but I guess that goes for everything).
3. Fermented/Rotten stuff (see bracket below)
4. Bone broth/marrow/organs (sometimes only in small amounts depending on the society, but absolutely essential in some amount for bioavailability of fat soluble vitamins)
5. Specialized knowledge in what plants were edible (and not) and how to properly prepare them for safety and health benefits
6. Emphasis on specific foods to heighten fertility and ensure healthy pregnancy.
How about the "Biologically Appropriate Human Diet" or "Minimized Processed Food Diet". Whatever. Nothing will ever appease the moronic masses. And why what this lifestyle is called bothers them so much, I'll never know and am beyond caring.0 -
There's a discussion going on about that very article on the Nutrition board. It's ridiculous - and it's all about the name, not the food choices made by those who follow it.
I saw that too, and it drove me nuts. I do agree it's a poor choice of names really. It actually bugs me when it's called the Cave Man Diet. Like we smack animals over the head, then drag them to a fire. I picture something out of the Flintstones, lol.
I've been known to do exactly that. :bigsmile:
And eat raw meat. Yum.0 -
What I like about the paleo community is that the "diet" is open to interpretation/change based on what the latest science shows us. So in the beginning it was all "eat lean meats! never do dairy! forget about rice and carbs!" Now that we've been doing it for a while, it sounds like there's more of an acceptance of "well some of you might be able to do full-fat dairy or white rice, or a white potato, try it out for yourself and see how it works for you"
While the caveman thing is somewhat intuitive I think it's true that we were not all eating one consistent diet, and I also think we have evolved to eat SOME grains and SOME dairy.
It's less about what paleo is and more about what paleo isn't. So much of what is in the grocery store is less like real food and more like "edible foodlike products" and what paleo is about is recognizing what is ACTUALLY food again.0 -
I call it Delicious0
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I call it Delicious
I concur!0 -
I wasn't even going to bother to comment but...
Those that want to hate this lifestyle will do so. I don't care. They can eat their crap and be negative all they want
I'm not being evangelical and trying to change the world to being like me, I simply want those around me to be healthier.
Some say the paleo diet is about NOT eating certain things. While I don't really think about it that way, it is sometimes easier to explain or for people to comprehend. We know that ancestrally or paleolithic times did NOT have the primary things we are talking about not eating.
"The Perfect Human Diet" movie goes into many studies of what was eaten long ago. Yes, it is what is available locally - and NO the high carb processed crap wasn't available.
" plus the seasonal impacts it is impossible to gain any sort of consistency".
THIS ^, is kind of the whole point of living a paleo/primal lifestyle.
Eat Local.
Eat Seasonal.
Variety is essential.
Eat from farmers, ranchers & fisherman.0 -
Video Link:
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-Christ;Featured-Talks
My dietician sent this to me and I watched it last night. Basically, the idea of "eating as our ancestors did" is complete BS from an archeological perspective if for no other reason than at that time a person's diet was based strictly on which region they lived in and the availability of foods in those regions. And when you factor in the differences in the regions plus the seasonal impacts it is impossible to gain any sort of consistency.
That being said, per the presenter there are some lessons to be learned from the past which I feel do provide value into what is emphasized in the paleo diet; dietary diversity, eating FRESH foods, and eating WHOLE foods.
At the end of the day, while the message is good, calling it "paleo" or "primal" is misleading and poor branding in my opinion.
What do you think??
As a follow up, here is a nice write up/critique/response to the video:
http://robbwolf.com/2013/04/04/debunking-paleo-diet-wolfs-eye-view/0 -
I have the same bone to pick with the South Beach Diet. I've seen a ton of people eat in South Beach and that's not at all how they eat...
For Paleo, I think the name discredits the diet somewhat, but I do believe that there is some truth to eating closer to what we've evolved to eat so in that sense, it's a fitting name.
Do I need grains? No. Do I feel better without them? Yes. Do I feel more satisfied eating meat, vegetables, and fruit. Yes. To me, that's all that matters.0 -
I have the same bone to pick with the South Beach Diet. I've seen a ton of people eat in South Beach and that's not at all how they eat...
For Paleo, I think the name discredits the diet somewhat, but I do believe that there is some truth to eating closer to what we've evolved to eat so in that sense, it's a fitting name.
Do I need grains? No. Do I feel better without them? Yes. Do I feel more satisfied eating meat, vegetables, and fruit. Yes. To me, that's all that matters.
And don't get me started on the Mediterranean and Okinawan diets...
The way I look at it is that humans like to name things, and English speakers are horrible about overly simplistic names that don't necessarily jibe with the true nature of the thing (koala bear isn't a bear, bearded dragon isn't an actual dragon, etc). In computers, we call that "lossy compression," because in an effort to condense the thing, you inevitably lose information. English is a very "lossy format" language, IMO. It gets worse once marketing gets their hands on something, and you know marketing had their hand in a lot of the subtitles, if not main titles, of a lot of the Paleo books out there.
In the end, though, haters gonna hate. :ohwell:0 -
In the end, though, haters gonna hate. :ohwell:
Lovers gonna love.0 -
I think we mostly agree that the names, Paleo and Primal leaves a lot to be desired. "Whole Foods Diet" sounds like a grocery store commercial. Real Food takes too much explaining to people who think a Taco Bell Grande is real food.
I'm eating like my family ate before "better living through chemistry" became the norm.
When I tell my 90+-year-old aunt some of the things I'm eating (marrow, bone broth, whole milk products), she says things like "My grandmother used to make that", or "I haven't had that in years".
So, Ancestral Eating Plan works for me.0
