Let's talk about...the Paleo Diet

Most folks turn to the paleo or primal diet if they have issues like IBS or other gut issues. Removing grains and legumes seems to help.
Some remove dairy if they are not seeing much weight loss success.
A lot of paleo or primals also stay low carb. Others don't and include more starchy carbs like sweet potatoes.
Any diet will help you lose weight, the trick is choosing the one you can maintain for life.

And some other folks turn to Paleo / Primal when we have major inflammation issues such as Fibromyalgia, Arthritis and such.

Seems that the science I have read backs up what most everyone says is merely antcedotal evidence. It is mighty funny then that removing the grains, legumes and dairy has cleared up my swelling, joint aches and pains and I can move freely do get some exercise.

I have no more acne, digestive issues, etc..............I am living pain and medication free for the first time in years.

UGH.

YOU may have a sensitivity (or allergy) to grain. This does not, in any way, imply that the majority of the population would benefit from eliminating it.

By that rationale, nobody should eat peanuts, shellfish, etc.

tigersword,

I think you are underestimating the role of genetics in obesity. I found quite an interesting article with Stephen O'Rahilly, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry, who specialises in this area, which includes this quote:

“Before O’Rahilly began publishing his findings, a lot of scientists considered humans exempt from biology,” says Rudolph Leibel, head of the division of molecular genetics at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. “Now we can no longer get around the presence of genes as a regulator of body weight.”
http://discovermagazine.com/2000/may/featfat

O'Rahilly himself says:

"Anyone with an ounce of scientific nous couldn’t go away from a talk I give about the genetics of obesity and say I don’t believe that genes have anything to do with being obese – it would just be ridiculous having seen what the data look like. I am emphatically not saying that approaches towards reducing portion size and improving the quality and quantity of food we eat aren’t important – of course those things are crucial – but I want people to see that there is another side to this issue."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046085/

I'm not a scientist, I haven't looked into his work. Maybe you are, and might wish to do so. My personal anecdote about coming from 3 (known) generations of obese people would be pooh-poohed, but would appear to be based in some kind of wider truth. Obesity can be biologically inherited, just as being ectomorphic can- my OH hasn't gained a pound in 20 years. He'd be the first to admit that he eats huge meals and junk food, does little exercise and is a beer drinker. He looks anorexic, he's underweight for his height. What would you put that down to? If I said that was due to his individual genetic make up, would that be an "excuse"? If he just ate more and exercised less, he'd put weight on in a flash? Or is it only an excuse when fat people say it? Because fat is "bad" and needs excusing, but skinny is OK, whichever way it's achieved?

I tried eating Paleo but my wooly mammoth got eaten by a saber tooth tiger and now I have nothing to ride on to the grocery store.

I tried eating Paleo but my wooly mammoth got eaten by a saber tooth tiger and now I have nothing to ride on to the grocery store.

These are the unproducrive, ignorant comments I am talking about that is just goading an argument.

If you have nothing productive to say, then why say anything at all. I swear some people get their rocks off on saying ignorant stuff.

I tried eating Paleo but my wooly mammoth got eaten by a saber tooth tiger and now I have nothing to ride on to the grocery store.

These are the unproducrive, ignorant comments I am talking about that is just goading an argument.

If you have nothing productive to say, then why say anything at all. I swear some people get their rocks off on saying ignorant stuff.

Or maybe they like using humor to illustrate their opinions. For instance, one might say that the lack of carbs makes some people a little grumpier than they need to be. But I won't say that, because I don't want to get yelled at for it.

I am not grumpy in the least. I do not like ignorance.

I don't go around making fun of others, I don't get pleasure from doing so.

I prefer to treat others as I want to be treated, so I don't delve myself into ignorance.

And just to clear up all the "ignorance" I've been spreading in this thread...

Owning a wooly mammoth and defending it from saber tooth tiger attacks IS IN NO WAY a required part of the paleo diet!

Carry on!

That ties into where I said "different shapes and sizes." None of that changes the way the body functions. You burn more calories than you take in, weight decreases, you take in more calories than you burn, weight increases. You match intake with burn, weight maintains. Individual set points vary, but the concept doesn't change.

How does one explain those that do seem to rev up thier bodies metabolism and loose weight when removing the vast majority of processed, grain foods....

Just saying - I had a diet that included complex carbs from grain sources and some processed foods and I was lucky if I saw a weight loss of about a lb a month -

Once I dropped all processed foods and carbs from grain sources I started loosing more all while intaking and expending out the same amount of calories...

For SOME people it isn't a matter of simply calories in - calories out - WHERE those calories come from and how it fuels your body is far more important...

A lot of the people who choose the Paleo lifestyle do so for a variety of reasons - some have health issues and need to be on a low carb/low sugar - which Paleo is easily adjustable to do...others like myself have tried the "traditional" way and found it doesn't work - so they read...I READ A LOT to come to the conclusion to try it - I figured it couldn't hurt if the "traditional" way wasn't working so great for me either...

Bump...can't wait to see where else this thread goes!

For me 'Paleo' isn't a diet or way to lose weight, its a way of feeling energised and healthy. Ever since giving up grains for the most part I feel sooo much less sluggish and happier, and is the only 'diet' for me that I have been able to maintain. I actually can see people gain a lot easier on paleo, as they may disregard calories an think 'oh, this is natural, so its fine' and eat 3k cals worth of nuts haha!

Admittedly paleo has helped me shed body fat but EVERYBODY is different, at the end of the day its calories in calories out, no magic formula of low carb or diet (btw my carbs are fairly high ue to the amount of veg I eat) so regardless of the way you want to eat/spread those calories is completely your choice. For me I just need as much energy and liveliness as possible for my A Level exams so I choose this way of eating

I have no doubt many people have lost weight, feel better etc while following the Paleo diet, but instead of anecdotal evidence let's try and delve into the scientific backing of the diet

Oh wait

I...I...I...

[img]http://img822.imageshack.us/ img822/6366/gdfgde.th.png[/img]

Reading comprehension? On this board?

Good luck with that.

I have no doubt many people have lost weight, feel better etc while following the Paleo diet, but instead of anecdotal evidence let's try and delve into the scientific backing of the diet

Oh wait

I...I...I...

[img]http://img822.imageshack.us/ img822/6366/gdfgde.th.png[/img]

Reading comprehension? On this board?

Good luck with that.

Low carbs...

Yes.

What attracted me to make comments on this thread, was the premise of finding out a scientific basis for the Paleo diet.
Same way as the author of this thread, I know there is plenty of anectdotal information, but what interests me are Scientific studies, or at least arguments based on scjence.

Also, as expresed before, I realized the larger question was:
Why even care of how the Paleo men ate? What makes you think they knew best, or that their diet was optimal?

No one here has responded to that question.
Anyone? :huh:

Ok what I don't get is why paleo people think everyone else is eating crap and unethically?
I eat clean, buy local in season, try hard to only eat grass fed ethically raised meat and dairy, and I eat no processed foods. Yet I am not paleo, nor would I ever wish to be....anyones choice is theirs.....I go by the addage Eat food, not much and mostly plants.
And don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. HOWEVER....I don't shove this opinion down anyones throat or say my way is better(I may think it but keep it to myself)...except of course my children who I am responsible for feeding!

Ahhh gotcha. Well, I'm going to say that it is not the Golden Diet. It is by no means appropriate for everyone.

Personally, I think I always suffered from some form of gluten intolerance, so going grain free could be the reason why I feel so much better. I also do have lactose intolerance to some degree as well, so while I can eat a cheeseburger or use butter in my eggs, cream in my coffee - I could never drink a glass of milk or eat a bowl of cereal without paying for it afterwards.

I have a friend who is a strict vegetarian - and her diet is working great for her. I also a friend with Celiac disease, who is grain-free, but that's where her ties to Paleo end.

To me, a diet is only as effective as the individual practicing it. I found that by following the Paleo/Primal archetype (and making a few tweaks to fit my lifestyle), I've been able to eat cleaner, which has helped my gains at the gym and body-fat reduction.

I'm just glad that your investing time into researching the subject, and not basing your views off of something you saw on Dr. Oz (I like his show, but he hates Paleo from what I can gather).

All this diet bashing is just shameful. Just sayin'

Oh and to the person who posted the historical art (LorinaLynn), The first image was a fertility goddess. Not a representation of a "Paleo woman".

Yeah. I know. I'm an artist. It's a joke... but also evidence that humans have been enjoying grains and dairy for thousands of years. You know... "processed crap."

I wouldn't be surprised, though, if the fertility goddess was their ideal woman. It's only been in very recent history that a slender woman was desirable. Having a woman with ample body fat was proof that you were a good provider. In good times, when there was a lot of food to be had, I'm sure people were pretty darn big, no matter if they ate an excess of bison or grains. In times of famine, they were lean.

Edited to add: I don't care how anyone wants to eat. I just don't think there's any magic way any of us should eat. My sister does great on low carb. I do great on lots of carbs. A friend with a gluten allergy avoids gluten. A friend with a dairy intolerance avoids dairy.

I'll totally concede that I might have a flatter stomach if I didn't like breads so much... but I'm perfectly happy with both my stomach AND the foods I eat. The amount of happiness that I might get from having a six-pack would not outweigh the happiness I get from my breakfast bagel or weekly pizza. And one happiness is not any more or less valid than another.