For Those Considering the Paleo Diet

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  • thelassiemickyjames
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    nice post!
  • hugh_jass
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    This study is a little misleading... like most studies involving whole grain. It shouldn't be that whole grain will help you live longer but rather that whole grain is better than refined grain. If you eat white bread and fruit loops every day and switch to Kashi and whole grain bread then yes you will live longer as a result. If you eat NO grains and start eating whole grain will the same thing happen? We don't know because all studies involving whole grain are based on replacing refined grain.

    I'm still a skeptic on the paleo diet but I wouldn't point to this study to dismiss it.

    I know pointing to a pro-paleo website to counter this article is probably the wrong way to go but the research seems solid.. plus the original source is behind a pay wall:

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/will-eating-whole-grain-fiber-help-you-live-longer/#more-19756

    "Eating more whole grains (and grain fiber) inevitably goes hand-in-hand with eating fewer refined grains. And this is precisely what makes grain studies so squirmy and misleading: Measuring the effects of whole grains indirectly captures the effects of refined grains, too, and they’re hard to untangle."
  • Pange33
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    I personally think it's a weird diet. But I eat a vegan diet, so what do I know? I just can't imagine quinoa NOT being good for you! :P
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    quinoa is a seed and not a grain.
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
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    @thelassiemicky: Thanks!

    @hugh_jass: You clearly did not read the article.

    @Pange33: Totally. Oatmeal and lentils are the top two things for your heart. But banned from Paleo diets. Says a lot.

    @XFitMojoMom: Quite correct.
  • Pange33
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    quinoa is a seed and not a grain.

    Good point! I wonder then, why my mother gave me all she had left, after telling me she was on this diet. So can Paleo's eat quinoa?
    And after some research, here's the answer:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/278303-quinoa-paleo-diet/
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    Paleo works, atkins works, Spike Diet works, they all work if they restrict calories. The key is finding out which plan you can carry over to a lifestyle. Otherwise once you go off said diet you'll gain weight back.
  • sweet_lotus
    sweet_lotus Posts: 194 Member
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    I'm unclear about this - isn't the paleo diet a hunter-gatherer type diet, meaning things people ate before agriculture? Meat, fish, nuts and fruit? So no vegetables, beans, or grains, right? Or is it something different?
  • Pange33
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    I'm unclear about this - isn't the paleo diet a hunter-gatherer type diet, meaning things people ate before agriculture? Meat, fish, nuts and fruit? So no vegetables, beans, or grains, right? Or is it something different?

    Here's a site that explains it all pretty well:
    http://altmed.creighton.edu/paleodiet/Foodlist.html

    The tabs to the left of this page give you the theory of it and such. Hope that helps :)
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    Under the 80-20 principle, yes Primal's can eat Quinoa... since it's a seed, similar to nuts. Some very strict Primals will not touch it however.
    I'm not strict, but I do watch where my carbs hail from. No grains, slightly intolerant so I bloat up and look about 6 months pregnant. But honestly I don't miss them... I find when I do allow wheat, I tend to spike and get ravenous and crave sugar and alcohol. In fact on a bender right now - emotional drinking.:sad:
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
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    The other point is that Paleos disagree on what's bad. Some drink milk, some don't. Some eat beans, some don't. Could be the MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong Diet.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    without being facetious - I think most diets are as such, so don't just point out one plan. People need to take the whole 'diet plan" less literally and use it as a principle.

    Fun & educational reading:
    http://graemethomasonline.com/carbohydrate-restriction-the-numbers-dont-lie/
    http://graemethomasonline.com/low-carb-or-low-fat-let-science-settle-the-debate/
    http://graemethomasonline.com/dumb-things-smart-people-do/

    and my favorites:
    http://graemethomasonline.com/8-wildly-overrated-health-foods/
    http://graemethomasonline.com/is-yoga-making-you-soft/
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    People need to take the whole 'diet plan" less literally and use it as a principle.

    Completely agree!!! While I follow Paleo MOSTLY, I do it because I like eating natural, unprocessed foods, and I do find better performance eating this way...that being said it isn't the END ALL and BEST diet - a good diet is one that works for you and is a lifestyle, not how you associate yourself!
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    The other point is that Paleos disagree on what's bad. Some drink milk, some don't. Some eat beans, some don't. Could be the MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong Diet.

    And what diet plan do you follow?

    It’s easy to show study after study that supports your theory, all you have to do is ignore that data that doesn’t support it.

    You mentioned that Hugh_jass didn’t read the article, you obviously didn’t read the link he posted debunking that grade school-ish study you champion as your end all proof.

    It is clear from this and past post you have an ax to grind with paleo/primal “diets”. I put diet in quotes because it’s not really a diet in the conventional wisdom sort of way, it’s more of a natural way of eating, a (and THE) way humans are suppose to eat. As for disagreeing on milk and beans, that is just a degree of adherence, most primal advocates will tell you milk or beans is not ideal for the body, but as long as you know the reasons (just as with grains) why they are not ideal, you can make an informed decision as to how/when, and how much of these non-ideal foods you want/can eat.

    In case you didn’t see it above, tell us all here, what diet plan do you follow?
  • ceebs9
    ceebs9 Posts: 511 Member
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    I love Paleo. I've had great results and I feel better than I have in all of my 45 years. That's all the proof I need. But I would never try to talk anyone in to it. Not my style.
  • MissKim
    MissKim Posts: 2,853 Member
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    You should never bash anything that you don't know about. and for every article of "proof" for one thing, there's ten more for the opposing view. Why waste our time? Really? Just co-exist happily and focus on what works for you to be healthy and happy! Sounds like you just wanted to start drama.
  • hugh_jass
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    "@hugh_jass: You clearly did not read the article. "

    How so? I read the article and I agreed with it's premise. It's just misleading because it credits whole grains as the only reason people live longer when there could be many other factors. I would love to see a study that compares people who eat whole grain to people who don't eat grain at all. Like I said, I'm still skeptical about the paleo diet so a study like that would definitely be very helpful.

    @Russellb97 "Paleo works, atkins works, Spike Diet works, they all work if they restrict calories. The key is finding out which plan you can carry over to a lifestyle. Otherwise once you go off said diet you'll gain weight back."

    I'm not an expert in Paleo but the diet is not about restricting calories. It's more about eat what you want but stay away from grains, legumes and processed foods (and possibly dairy depending on what you believe). Of course people mention that if you want to use paleo to lose weight then you should also restrict your carbs.

    Most paleo people follow an 80/20 ratio. Try to eat paleo 80% of the time and allow 20% for those times when you want a grain product or your somewhere that doesn't allow you to follow your diet (guest in someone's home, at a restaurant). It is a pretty restrictive diet if you follow it to the T, but if you make some allowances it's not too bad. I mostly enjoy eating whole foods, I don't think you can go wrong doing that.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/health/20monkey.html?_r=3&hp

    "Fat Albert, one of her monkeys who she said was at one time the world’s heaviest rhesus, at 70 pounds, ate “nothing but an American Heart Association-recommended diet,” she said."

    Let that sink in, the worlds heaviest Rhesus monkey was on a Strict “American Heart Association” diet. This did not come from some Paleo/Primal advocate, this is from Dr. Hansen.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I'm unclear about this - isn't the paleo diet a hunter-gatherer type diet, meaning things people ate before agriculture? Meat, fish, nuts and fruit? So no vegetables, beans, or grains, right? Or is it something different?

    I understand that veggies as grown today might not look the same as in Paleo times, but yes veggies are an important part of Paleo diet.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Paleo works, atkins works, Spike Diet works, they all work if they restrict calories. The key is finding out which plan you can carry over to a lifestyle. Otherwise once you go off said diet you'll gain weight back.

    I understand what you are saying and will assume you meant to add “as long as it’s healthy” because after all you can lose weight by eating nothing but Twinkies as long as the calories in is less than the calories out,,,, right? I will also assume you were talking only about losing weight when you said any diet will work. But for me the weight loss is secondary to the health benefits of a healthy diet.