Paleolithic (Caveman) Diet

2

Replies

  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    [
    So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
    Does walking to the grocery store count?

    Only if you are carrying a spear and wearing a loin cloth. B)

    Pics or it didn't happen!
  • theskinnyonme
    theskinnyonme Posts: 443 Member


    [/quote]
    Does walking to the grocery store count?

    [/quote]

    ^^^ wants to see this
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    FINALLY! An appropriate place to post this!
    rpe4fxml04q3.jpg
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    [
    So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
    Does walking to the grocery store count?

    Only if you are carrying a spear and wearing a loin cloth. B)

    Palaeolithic people probably didn't wear loin cloths. Lower palaeolithic people would have gone naked. Middle palaeolithc people had clothing but it almost certainly was mainly functional, probably was decorative to some extent but it's unlikely they had modern ideas about modesty, and a loincloth is completely pointless from a functional point of view, and isn't that good from a decorative point of view as it covers what's often considered to be the most sexually attractive parts of the human body. Upper palaeolithic people were culturally diverse enough that some of them may have worn something akin to a loin cloth, but going by modern hunter-gatherers, most probably didn't.

    So for a really authentic palaeo walk to the grocery store experience, you should either go naked, or wear an animal hide around your shoulders to keep warm/keep the rain off, but not worry about covering your genitalia. You can decorate it with red ochre if you like though, or charcoal.

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    FINALLY! An appropriate place to post this!
    rpe4fxml04q3.jpg

    yeah lol I like that :)

    I would have made the punchline be connected to the scarily high rate of fractures in neanderthal male skeletons and the fact that they had to kill large mammals with close range thrusting spears before they could eat.

    This is my "neanderthal problems" blog post: http://cavepeopleandstuff.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/neanderthal-problems/
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    FINALLY! An appropriate place to post this!
    rpe4fxml04q3.jpg

    yeah lol I like that :)

    I would have made the punchline be connected to the scarily high rate of fractures in neanderthal male skeletons and the fact that they had to kill large mammals with close range thrusting spears before they could eat.

    This is my "neanderthal problems" blog post: http://cavepeopleandstuff.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/neanderthal-problems/

    Ha! I like those. I'm still trying to figure out how eating paleo means you won't get cancer? How exactly does changing the food I eat prevent my cells from reproducing exponentially and uncontrollably due to anomalies in my DNA?

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    Not true

    here's an article about a cancerous tumor found in a neanderthal skeleton dating back to 120,000 years ago: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0064539

    also, the main reason why there was *less* cancer in palaeolithic times is that a lot of people didn't live long enough to get cancer. It's a disease that affects mainly old people (yep young people get it too, but more rarely) and few neanderthals lived past their 40s.

    As for diabetes - recent genetic research suggests that they carried the gene that predisposes people to type 2 diabetes.

    The main health benefit from being a hunter-gatherer is the fact that you can't eat without doing a crap ton of exercise, as in you had to hunt and gather food before you could eat it. That involved stalking, chasing and fighting with wild animals (middle palaeolithic people used close range weapons like thrusting spears, because they hadn't developed the stone tool technology for projectile weapons yet) and also walking miles through the countryside to find all the edible plants, fungus, insects etc that you can collect.

    Also, palaeolithic people ate grains and legumes. Proto-neolithic people didn't just suddenly start to cultivate plants that people had never eaten before. They cultivated plants that were relatively easy to cultivate, from the kinds of food they ate already. The difference is, palaeolithic people would have eaten grains as a seasonal thing (most of their food would in fact have been seasonal) while mesolithic people figured out how to store some foods for long periods so they didn't go hungry during the winter, and neolithic people figured out how to cultivate and store plant foods, and how to domesticate animals to get milk and eggs and similar (as well as for meat) - dairy is the only truly post-neolithic food.

    So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
    boop.gif
  • TiberiusClaudis
    TiberiusClaudis Posts: 423 Member
    About 6 months out of the year, I follow a fairly strict paleo diet. No booze, no dairy..almost all meat and vegs. I don't eat a lot of nuts. I do however drink coffee...a lot. But eatting that way and watching my macros is effective in letting me lose the weight I need before a comp. So yes, for me, it works.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    edited November 2014
    As you can see, OP, the reasoning (snort!) behind the Paleo diet is completely bogus. It's just a low carb diet with a trendy name. If you want to check into the merits of low-carbing, do that, but please don't buy into the bogus crap that goes along with Paleo.

    Personally, I and many others find that eating a variety of whole foods provides our bodies with what we need without resorting to cutting out entire food groups (we even eat the occasional "junk" food). Some people do find, though, that it's easier to stay within their calorie goals if they cut carbs, but keep in mind that the science does not support doing this long term. Sooner or later, you will have to find a way to develop a healthy relationship with your food. All of it. Even the ice cream and bread.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Sooner or later, you will have to find a way to develop a healthy relationship with your food. All of it. Even the ice cream and bread.

    not really. Deciding you do not want to eat something does not mean you have an UNhealthy relationship with that food item. There are no absolutes like the above.
  • I could never go palio or primal. I couldn't hunt for my food, I would never survive, besides I don't even know where sandwiches live.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    [
    So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
    Does walking to the grocery store count?

    Only if you are carrying a spear and wearing a loin cloth. B)

    Pics or it didn't happen!

    You will need to wait till spring for those!
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited November 2014
    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    [
    So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
    Does walking to the grocery store count?

    Only if you are carrying a spear and wearing a loin cloth. B)

    Palaeolithic people probably didn't wear loin cloths. Lower palaeolithic people would have gone naked. Middle palaeolithc people had clothing but it almost certainly was mainly functional, probably was decorative to some extent but it's unlikely they had modern ideas about modesty, and a loincloth is completely pointless from a functional point of view, and isn't that good from a decorative point of view as it covers what's often considered to be the most sexually attractive parts of the human body. Upper palaeolithic people were culturally diverse enough that some of them may have worn something akin to a loin cloth, but going by modern hunter-gatherers, most probably didn't.

    So for a really authentic palaeo walk to the grocery store experience, you should either go naked, or wear an animal hide around your shoulders to keep warm/keep the rain off, but not worry about covering your genitalia. You can decorate it with red ochre if you like though, or charcoal.

    Lol I knew you wouldn't let that anachronism go by! ;)
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    [
    So if you really want to recreate the health benefits of palaeolithic life in modern times, then you should not allow yourself to eat until you've done exercise that imitates hunting and/or gathering.
    Does walking to the grocery store count?
    That all depends on which neighborhood you live... B)

  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
    I could never go palio or primal. I couldn't hunt for my food, I would never survive, besides I don't even know where sandwiches live.

    The magical Isle of Sandwich, ruled by the Earl of Sandwich: Sir Loin.
  • If you want a good read about how man is very adaptable and as long as he is eating "food" he can survive and thrive on pretty much anything read "Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of Us" by Matt Fitzgerald. I like what he espouses, which is "Healthy Agnostic Eating" which means exactly what it says. He says that a "Diet Cult" believes there is only "one true way" to eat for maximum health, and that their appeal is their power to make healthy eating easier for some people by offering a food-based identity to latch onto. Hey, I have no problem with people "believing" that what THEY are doing works, but when it becomes nonsense like "we were only MEANT to eat such-and-so way" etc etc I tune out.

    Happy reading!
  • hhumphries578
    hhumphries578 Posts: 8 Member
    I found that in doing the Paleo diet, I effectively lowered both carbs and sugar in my diet! It made it a lot easier to hit a good number of the fats and proteins that normally I had a hard time with before. Paleo diet made it a lot easier to stay within my calorie limit too, as a meal of only meat and veggies is pretty low cal compared to sandwiches and such, and still filling.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I found that in doing the Paleo diet, I effectively lowered both carbs and sugar in my diet! It made it a lot easier to hit a good number of the fats and proteins that normally I had a hard time with before. Paleo diet made it a lot easier to stay within my calorie limit too, as a meal of only meat and veggies is pretty low cal compared to sandwiches and such, and still filling.

    well yes, if you eliminate a whole group of foods because they are "bad" or "modern" then yes, it is easy to eat in a deficit…

    you can do the same thing, but just eating less of all foods….its not magic..
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    rowlandsw wrote: »
    I could never go palio or primal. I couldn't hunt for my food, I would never survive, besides I don't even know where sandwiches live.

    The magical Isle of Sandwich, ruled by the Earl of Sandwich: Sir Loin.

    is that next to unicornia…?
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rowlandsw wrote: »
    I could never go palio or primal. I couldn't hunt for my food, I would never survive, besides I don't even know where sandwiches live.

    The magical Isle of Sandwich, ruled by the Earl of Sandwich: Sir Loin.

    is that next to unicornia…?

    I hear unicorn is tasty.

    e5a7_canned_unicorn_meat_parts_diagram_embed.jpg
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rowlandsw wrote: »
    I could never go palio or primal. I couldn't hunt for my food, I would never survive, besides I don't even know where sandwiches live.

    The magical Isle of Sandwich, ruled by the Earl of Sandwich: Sir Loin.

    is that next to unicornia…?

    I hear unicorn is tasty.

    e5a7_canned_unicorn_meat_parts_diagram_embed.jpg

    if unicorns existed, neanderthals would have hunted and eaten them
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rowlandsw wrote: »
    I could never go palio or primal. I couldn't hunt for my food, I would never survive, besides I don't even know where sandwiches live.

    The magical Isle of Sandwich, ruled by the Earl of Sandwich: Sir Loin.

    is that next to unicornia…?

    I hear unicorn is tasty.

    e5a7_canned_unicorn_meat_parts_diagram_embed.jpg

    if unicorns existed, neanderthals would have hunted and eaten them

    Maybe thats why they dont exist.....hmmm.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Dave198lbs wrote: »
    Sooner or later, you will have to find a way to develop a healthy relationship with your food. All of it. Even the ice cream and bread.

    not really. Deciding you do not want to eat something does not mean you have an UNhealthy relationship with that food item. There are no absolutes like the above.


    You disagree that sooner or later you have to develop a healthy relationship with your food in order to eat in a healthy manner? The specific examples were just that...examples. So, if you didn't like ice cream, or were lactose intolerant, obviously you would not eat ice cream...but the point was that cutting out carbs is not healthy in the long term, as evidenced by scientific studies, and so sooner or later you will have to deal with your relationship to them.
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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    emily_stew wrote: »
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    Do you have any proof for any one of your absurd statements?

    I bolded the dumbest of your statements for you. What is an unnatural burger? Is it those plastic burgers you find in children's play sets? Because you're right, those are pretty gross.


    don't hold your breath …that person is not coming back ..she jumps in threads and spouts nonsense and then never comes back to defend said nonsensical statements...
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    emily_stew wrote: »
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    Do you have any proof for any one of your absurd statements?

    I bolded the dumbest of your statements for you. What is an unnatural burger? Is it those plastic burgers you find in children's play sets? Because you're right, those are pretty gross.



    I guess this would count as a natural chicken burger -- as long as it's free range, right?

    aaxoza4pfmrs.jpg


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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    emily_stew wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    emily_stew wrote: »
    daynerz wrote: »
    In terms of health Paleo is great. No diabetes and cancer in those days, makes sense to eat this way. Great way to eat, I had done it before. Primal way to eat, not a fad diet, it's actually the all natural way. Most people are whiny and emotionally attached to food and remain in denial while they keep eating their unnatural burgers.

    Give this approach a go, body composition will change. I had great results, no brain fog, lots of energy, less toxins. Make sure to eat greens if you are a big animal protein eater. The end of the day, it matters how balanced on the PH scale your body is, a body too acidic (burgers, meats) is one for disease... however greens and fruits will even it out, being alkaline.

    GL, give it a go <3

    Do you have any proof for any one of your absurd statements?

    I bolded the dumbest of your statements for you. What is an unnatural burger? Is it those plastic burgers you find in children's play sets? Because you're right, those are pretty gross.


    don't hold your breath …that person is not coming back ..she jumps in threads and spouts nonsense and then never comes back to defend said nonsensical statements...
    Sigh, I know.

    But she studies NUTRITION!


    something tells me it is a troll account….

    just because one studies nutrition does not make them a genius on the subject lol…

    have you seen some of the stuff people post on here about what their "nutritionist" told them to do….
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  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    SideSteel wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Has anyone had any experience with the Paleolithic diet? I've read a lot of things about it but I think cutting out diary would be quite difficult - I've heard that calcium levels are lower in people on this diet (which isn't good for bones!)...

    I think it's a good idea to stick to a diet comprised of mostly whole and nutrient dense foods and the paleo diet does tend to do this but this feature is not unique to the paleo diet. The elimination of specific food items are without merit in many cases, so an alternative that you could consider would be to adopt a strategy where the majority of your diet consists of whole and nutrient dense foods, but you don't abide by any particular nonsensical rules about arbitrary food restrictions based on inaccurate records of "what our ancestors ate".

    That way you still reap the benefits of a nutrient dense diet without too much junk food (but some, if you prefer) but you don't have as many rules/restrictions.

    For your sake daynerz send a friend request to SideSteel and listen and research for yourself what he says. He's one of the most reasonable people on this site and will help you reach your goal of becoming a decent nutritionist using critical thinking.