Paleo diet

blah blah blah everyone thinks their way is the right way. The truth is, different things work for different people.

I've been on and off paleo for a few months. When I stick to it, I get lean However it can be quite hard to stick to. I do lots of cooking at home, but it is very easy to 'fall off' when at someone else's house, or away from home.

I don't buy into the idea that we were meant not to eat grains.... but there is no doubt that a low carb nutrition plan helps shed fat. Is it the only way to shed fat? Hells no. But it does work.

Also wheat and grains have been seriously modified from what our ancestors ate..... the book "wheat belly" is a good read. Kinda freaky what's happening to our food these days.

Oh for ****s sake

NOBODY IS SAYING THAT!!!!!


YOU are the one's telling people they shouldn't eat things because YOU have a problem with them (or have been brainwashed by some dip**** paleo propaganda)

Do you have the mental capacity to tell the difference?

I know this was directed at someone else but just want to throw out that most people eating paleo arent trying to indoctrinate people. They'll share info if you ask but I dont see many going crazy telling people who dont care

Are you denying that they vilify foods based on their own personal preferences?

The people making fools of themselves are those that believe that healthy grains, like brown rice, or whole wheat bread (especially bread made yourself) is any further from "natural" than eating veggies and lean meats. Rice is a staple in the diets of the most healthy people on the planet. And dwarf wheat saved an entire population from starvation. Eating naturally is a great thing, but grains are natural, if you eat them correctly. And if you people want performance, name me an endurance athlete that eats strictly paleo. You need carbs from grains to round out a balanced diet, especially if you are an endurance athlete. Whole wheat pasta, long grain brown rice, and natural multi-grain bread are vital contributors to a well-balanced diet. I've tried paleo. I've tried atkins, south beach, Mediterranean, you name it. If you want a total eating plan, try the Biggest Loser diet. No fads, no gimmicks, just sound nutritional advice based in real science, not "common sense" ethereal garbage.

Some people, including myself, found a better weight loss once the bulk of carbs were cut from daily eating...the best way to restrict carbs is to bypass grains (breads, pastas, crackers, etc...) and choose lower carb veggies and fruits as a carb staple...

Not to say people can't eat a diet in moderation and have it include a healthy amount of carbs from grain sources and loose weight...people do it all the time...I tried for a LOOOOOOONG time and had very little success (all while being followed by a Dr.)

I actually began my reading with the Jillian Micheals book - Master Your Metabolism and did the "diet" - didn't do much - during that time I actually cut out the bulk of breads and pastas because of the calories...i.e. I found i could get more food bang for my calorie buck if I switched pasta for spagetti squash - if I used lettuce leaves instead of bread, or instead of having a bun with my hamburger I could have 150 calories of something else...so I was already eating a "paleo" way without even knowing there was a "name" for it.

I would be willing to bet a vast majority of people on MFP are not endurance athletes....I would also assume people who come looking for information about various eating plans have tried other things - including the all mighty "eat in moderation" aspect and found it just doesn't work for them...hence why they branch out and look for other eating styles- because what works for one person may not work for another...I don't think grains and breads, etc... are evil - heck my one daughter basically lives on pasta...and there are a lot of people who align themselves with Primal/Paleo because of the basic eating aspect of it (in a nutshell, whole clean foods with minimal processing and ingrediants) and not because of the supposed "basis" (i.e. cavemen and junk...)

Personally, I don't think eating "Paleo" has helped me loose weight...eating clean whole foods in a reduced calorie and carb format is what helped me (even eating a Paleo way I still have to watch my carbs as Paleo is NOT low carb...I can easily stay within the Paleo realm and ingest 200+/g carbs a day) - I could most certainly do the same thing and not eat Paleo - but in order for me to stay under the Carb allowence in order for me to actually loose weight I need to stay away from grains and the higher per serving carb sources so I figured why not align myself with Primal/Paleo - and with that I opened myself up to TONS and TONS of information and lots of great recipes....

To me it is no different than say being diabetic and having to pick and choose within a realm of foods that are best for your particular body.

No. You don't have to eat grains. But to say that cutting grains makes you sleep better, there is no scientific basis for that statement (unless you are loading up on toast and rice before you went to bed). I want you to point me to ONE study that can verify it. You can't, because it doesn't exist. Unless you have a gluten allergy. If that is the case, then by all means, knock out the grains. Some people are allergic. Other people are allergic to strawberries. I'm just saying that this Paleo thing isn't based in any sort of scientific reality. It's based mostly on anecdotal evidence from people who it works for. You get the same thing with Atkins, or any other diet. I'm saying that the science and history doesn't back up the claims of this diet. Paleo man had HORRIBLE teeth. Should we not use tooth paste?

Wow, it doesn't take "scientific" studies for people to make adjustments and notice a difference. Who are you to say it isn't true?

Science is good for some things, but doesn't belong in where food should be used as medicine......the human race has gotten so far away from hippocrates it isn't funny.

And for the record, there are thousands upon thousands of endurance athletes that are paleo

Oh for ****s sake

NOBODY IS SAYING THAT!!!!!


YOU are the one's telling people they shouldn't eat things because YOU have a problem with them (or have been brainwashed by some dip**** paleo propaganda) qo

Do you have the mental capacity to tell the difference?

I know this was directed at someone else but just want to throw out that most people eating paleo arent trying to indoctrinate people. They'll share info if you ask but I dont see many going crazy telling people who dont care

Are you denying that they vilify foods based on their own personal preferences?

No. You don't have to eat grains. But to say that cutting grains makes you sleep better, there is no scientific basis for that statement (unless you are loading up on toast and rice before you went to bed). I want you to point me to ONE study that can verify it. You can't, because it doesn't exist. Unless you have a gluten allergy. If that is the case, then by all means, knock out the grains. Some people are allergic.

Yes but the anti-gluten fad is also riding high on the wave of the placebo.

That is you hear that gluten can be bad. So you start reading more about it, check out a diet that cuts out gluten, and just go on an information binge. You have some ailments that some have said going gluten free cures, so you get excited about yoru prospects. You get all ready and take the plunge, throwing out your bread. You are excited about your new life and the great discovery you have made. And it works, some of the things you read about that you think you have clear up to some degree just as you expected. Not magic at all. Gluten is evil. A few weeks later you go out drinking one night and give in and have a muffin, which you know is full of gluten. As you lie in bed that night you think about the horrible mistake you have made. The next morning you wake up feeling like crap, just as you expected to. That evil gluten.

...however, were there to be some crazy full body scanner that can answer all your questions...you go to the scanner and ask it if you are physically allegergic to gluten. Obviously you are, I mean look at yoru results. To your surprise however the answer the machine spits out is no. Your allergy to gluten is purely mental. This is how the placebo effect works, and it is strong. It is entirely possible to convince yourself that you have an allergy and you will develop symptoms of that allergy; the only reason you have the allergy however is because you beleive that you have the allergy.

Just for arguments sake, I have been medically diagnosed with celiac, and I found out after I went on the paleo diet. that doesn't realu mean much but its kind of annoying how everyone is on the gluten bandwagon now. But the demand has made it much easier to get gluten free products. Haha.

Why do you think paleolithic grains were any better than modern grains? And how, exactly, do you define "quality"?

Grains are mass produced today and sprayed with too many pesticides. We're also eating just one variety of grain for each type. An example would be with corn, we only grow yellow sweet corn but there are way more varieties available. Reproducing the same plant causes an imbalance in soil so we wouldnt be getting as many beneficial minerals as we would if the crops were rotated properly. Overexposure to the same thing can also cause intolerances in people as well.

I dont think grains in itself are bad but I dont think the grains we have access to are good.

This applies to several commercial crops. Why single out grains?


What possible befit is there in limiting grains when you DON'T have an intolerance to them?

Theres a higher chance of developing an intolerance. I dont know why exactly but I know peanuts, wheat, corn are common allergens. The same could be said for eggs and shellfish too but those are more obvious. If your body processes it well then I dont see a problem but theres a chance that people cant tell they have an issue it seems with grains. I'm referring to people who were ill for some time then get tested for gluten allergies yet they've been fine eating it all their life prior.

For me thats enough to limit or avoid it.

The people making fools of themselves are those that believe that healthy grains, like brown rice, or whole wheat bread (especially bread made yourself) is any further from "natural" than eating veggies and lean meats. Rice is a staple in the diets of the most healthy people on the planet. And dwarf wheat saved an entire population from starvation. Eating naturally is a great thing, but grains are natural, if you eat them correctly. And if you people want performance, name me an endurance athlete that eats strictly paleo. You need carbs from grains to round out a balanced diet, especially if you are an endurance athlete. Whole wheat pasta, long grain brown rice, and natural multi-grain bread are vital contributors to a well-balanced diet. I've tried paleo. I've tried atkins, south beach, Mediterranean, you name it. If you want a total eating plan, try the Biggest Loser diet. No fads, no gimmicks, just sound nutritional advice based in real science, not "common sense" ethereal garbage.

so....if I feel better, sleep better and have more energy after I cut grains out of my diet, I should still eat them anyway because grains are "natural"?

Well duh. Because no matter what, you can still get the same nutrients in grains from fruits and vegetables. And nobody eats wheat off the field. It has to be processed and bleached and packaged and preserved to be palatable. So its not as natural as say, a carrot that I pick out of my garden and pop in my mouth. But no no grains are necessary for balance because....because.....because....well....that's what everybody says so it must be true.

I see that the strawman fallacy is the primary weapon in your logical arsenal.

Point to a single post by the paleo critics where we said that grains were necessary.

Hello??? Did you read the post I replied to???? Good grief dude come off it already. There is no biological NEED for grains. So why eat them? They have no specific benefit to the body and cab be detrimental if an intolerance develops. So to me it seems illogical to consider them "healthy" because they arent! They have nothing to offer nutritionally that can't be met with a more natural source. So how can they be cobsidered healthy? Tasty? Sure. Textured? Sure. Making good foods easier to eat? Absolutely. Cheap? You betcha. Healthy??? No way!

As usual you are injecting your personal preferences as scientific fact.

Can intolerances develop? Sure. In a miniscule percent of the population.

Why do think grains aren't natural?


You've listed several benefits to eating grains, and the drawbacks are not relevant to the vast majority of the population.

Well grains in general aren't consumed in their natural forms. They have to have some level of processing in order to be palatable. That's what I have been trying to get through to you to no avail. Again, the intolorance isn't the drawback, its the lack of nutrition that makes them unnecessary for health.

Are you denying that they vilify foods based on their own personal preferences?

I think some do but its no different than a vegetarian\vegan extremist.

Great recipes here, especially the treats.

http://paleomg.com