Paleo vs. Clean eating?

A small suggestion.

I'm not sure why you're on mfp but introducing too much can in some cases be a bit of a stumbling block.

Depending on how you define eating clean - I would expect that you'e eliminating the processed junk (fast food, boxed and canned food, etc.) and shopping the outsides of the grocery store. Paleo being even more limiting.

I would start with, and make sure you can maintain for a fair length of time, just the basics. Portion control, logging and keeping within your calorie goals. For some people (like myself) just doing that takes some real getting used to without introducing anything overly restrictive.

That being said - I'm sure there are some real overall health advantages to eating clean and possibly paleo. Just make sure you don't set yourself up for too much change all at once.

I like the idea of Paleo but I couldn't give up my greek yogurt, cottage cheese and oats .

I love paleo. I have auto immune issues and eating "whatever" fits in my macros doesn't work for me. Food makes or breaks me ..... I am actually slightly stricter than paleo, and if I veer I am exhausted and plagued with joint pain and migraines

We are all different though.

Both are based on rather shaky foundations.

I suspect in both cases they may work as a bit of an exclusion diet - if you actually have problems with a few things and cut out big swathes that include them, some feel better.

It can also help some people keep to a calorific deficit by excluding a good many foods, so less choice means less things to binge on.

Some time ago I tried 'clean' (which really has no useful definition and I find most that practice it often don't even follow their own definitions if you look into it) - I'm doing much better now eating whatever fits my macros - because I'm using more 'science' in that and other areas.

There is no 100% clear cut this is the paleo diet, this isn't, especially these days. There's a variety of people out there who look into how foods affect us, what foods might make some(or possibly most) of us sick, and looking at what people ate before the invention of modern day diseases for inspiration, if not replication exactly. I have been slowly making my way towards a more primally inspired lifestyle, by avoiding sugars and grains in particular gluten. It can seem radical to some, but it really is making a world of difference for me. I've done other dietary approaches before and have never felt as good as I do when I take primal/paleo eating approaches seriously.

I would definitely check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ since it tends to be a bucket of resources and has A LOT of success stories.

I would also encourage you to check out the paleo groups here which have great reads for more info.

I eat according to my macros, processed or not! That's healthy for me

My definition of eating clean is washing my hands before I eat!

"Modern day diseases" ? Would that be the ones that are a lot more seen now because our lifestyles mean we live a lot longer on average?

No, they would be the ones that have only occurred since we've started eating too much processed food full of additives, preservatives and junk food such as diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic cirrosis of the liver, bowel cancer and the like some of which are occurring in children and teenages and people under 40 so not because we are living longer as children have never had these diseases 50 or more years ago.

Before the 1930's or so, these diseases were so rare they didn't even have names, and there were plenty of old people around then too.

Can't you eat 'clean' and be 'paleo'? It seems they have rather similar ideals, actually.

Paleos eat "clean," but not all "clean-eaters" eat Paleo, if that makes sense

Can't you eat 'clean' and be 'paleo'? It seems they have rather similar ideals, actually.

Paleos eat "clean," but not all "clean-eaters" eat Paleo, if that makes sense

That's about what I figured. Similar ideals, but of course clean eating is a wider category that can include just about everything.

That said, neither appeals to me.

I can't speak to Eat Clean as I don't really know about that program, but I eat Primal and love it. It's a more permissive version of Paleo -- essentially you can eat dairy if it agrees with you and you aim for at least 80/20 compliance. So if you want that occasional cookie or ice cream, go for it -- just try to stick with Primal/Paleo stuff the vast majority of the time. For me personally, I probably end up eating 95% versus 80%, but it's nice to just have that emphasis on progress rather than perfection.

For me, this ends up being a combination of high quality protein (steak, chicken, pork, etc.), healthy fats (avocado, coconut oil, etc.), full-fat dairy (cheese, full-fat yogurt, etc.), veggies and fruits. To me, it's not restrictive at all. I don't eat grains, but I don't really miss them either or have good substitutes (like spaghetti squash for my vodka sauce rather than penne pasta or for curry rather than rice). It takes some adjustment in that regard, but once you get used to it, it's pretty darn easy. I still have a sweet tooth, but even that's been considerably reduced -- good dark chocolate tends to go a long way in that regard, or I'll whip up some panna cotta or creme brule from time to time.

I also restrict my carbs too (80 g or less most days), which isn't a Paleo/Primal thing, but just how I feel better. After changing my diet, I learned I have a thyroid issue and insulin resistance, which is probably why I feel so particularly awesome on a carb restricted version of Primal. I know a lot of people have such experiences and I suspect that they probably had an undiagnosed condition or food sensitivity.

I'm not sure why it gets so much grief on this website,but I couldn't recommend it more highly for overall health. Someone else recommended marksdailyapple.com for info and I think there is a lot of good info on there.

I tried paleo for about 6 months because my wife had a gluten intolerance from a heart condition. Personally, i found the diet way to restrictive and costly, if you follow the book. Additionally, there were many restrictions of foods I personally loved. Due to all that, I found myself binging more often and preventing me from reaching my goals. I find when I eat bread, Chipotle Burritos and other stuff in moderation, i have done much better. My overall goal is making sure I hit my protein and fat goals or come close and then let the rest be carbs. I eat 2500 ish calories a day, and aim for 30-50g of fiber. I eat a lot of lean meats, fruits, veggies, and throw in breads and rices almost daily.

Having said that, if something is working, it wouldn't be wise to switch. If you want to make some small substitutions of processed foods to whole foods (however it's defined) then it's great. Realistically, you should be looking to eat foods rich in nutrients; both from a macornutrient and micronutrient level.