Thoughts on Paleo

I'm celiac and have inflammatory bowel disease. Paleo type eating works well for me if I have a flare up. If I adhere strictly to it I can control symptoms without meds. However I find it too restrictive to follow strictly all the time.

I like Mark Sisson's approach to paleo and his primal blueprint cook book & shopping list isn't really restrictive IMHO, but I understand that his approach to paleo is much more 'liberal' than some folks.

His website is good. http://www.marksdailyapple.com

Why would the concept of eating whole foods trigger such a disproportionate back lash?

I eat whole foods. I eat very little processed foods. I keep my carbs low and eat them in moderation. Like I said before, keep it simple. I need a lifestyle change that's sustainable.

IMO, the paleo community can be quite extreme - I'll leave it at that. Dig around on a few paleo forums and form your own opinion.

...when you eat any food containing even a grain of processed sugar which will make you fat and make it impossible to diet off.

There are dozens of users here that have lost hundreds of pounds. Mostly through a balanced diet and exercise. Most of them have consumed more than "a grain of processed sugar".

It's this the sort of irrational fear based preaching that turns a lot of people off about paleo.


Hey, if you find that paleo works for then you go for it. Not my cup of tea.

While I agree with the overall principles of eating the majority of your foods from whole food sources, avoid processed foods etc etc, the "all of nothing" approach is a little too far for me. Take gluten and dairy for example, I am a person who has no problem eating gluten and is not lactose intolerant...why should I completely eliminate these foods instead of just having them in moderation within a balanced diet?

There is still quite a few things that people within the paleo crowd can't seem to agree on.

It;'s also very annoying when paleo people/websites tell you that with paleo dieting, you never need to count calories.....like their diet somehow is exempt from the energy in - energy out factor.

I agree with this guy. Don't start a diet plan that you know you aren't going to sustain the rest of your life. I cut out the carbs really low when i'm at a plateau in my weight loss, but I only do it for a week to get a kick start.

IMO i think most people dont understand what this lifestyle is. this is not a diet in any shape or form IMO. its a lifestyle change 100% ... theres a ton more to paleo and primal then "what you eat" ... to me its a whole eye opening change, on how WHAT you eat, affects, drives, kills your body. imo to be paleo/primal you must believe in the science behind hit. which i do ten times over and could never go back to eating the way i did before... i see the comments "i dont really eat sugary things" so much and i dont think that anybody really understands that almost everything you eat if it is not fresh foods has sugar and crap in it. do you eat dressing? tons of sugar.. do you have k-up? sugar, mayo? sugar, crab salad? sugar, everything has sugar in it! i dont think most people look at the ingredients, only the "nutritional value" of things. i thought i didn't really eat so much wheat, then i realized almost everything i ate had wheat in it.

Paleo is too restrictive of a diet in my opinion. Sure, it works... You're going to struggle to get as many calories or carbs if you're on a Paleo diet, and then you'll lose weight. But it's not the only way to lose weight. Why deprive yourself of so much good food if it's unnecessary?

what good foods are you deprived of??? im confused by that.

What Magma said, except on my diet I avoid fruits unless it's a rare treat (once a week a little cup of strawberry or something.) Have been on it for 43 days now, my diet diary is public so peep it if you want to get an idea of what eating paleo style on a student budget is like! I have lost 13lbs so far and my energy levels seem a lot better than when I was carbin'. having said that, my cravings have not gone away and I've taken up soap making as a new hobby just to keep myself distracted from the thought of sweet sweet sugars...

Can I just ask... There seems to be a lot of cheese in your diary for paleo? Or are certain cheeses permitted?

What I'm actually doing is LCHF which shares it's principles with the paleo. For a no nonsense guide go here: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

And yes, cheeses, cheeses galore. The hardest thing I struggle with is my protein intake which I should ideally balance with the fat. More tuna plz

Paleo is too restrictive of a diet in my opinion. Sure, it works... You're going to struggle to get as many calories or carbs if you're on a Paleo diet, and then you'll lose weight. But it's not the only way to lose weight. Why deprive yourself of so much good food if it's unnecessary?

what good foods are you deprived of??? im confused by that.

You're being deliberately obtuse. How about having fruit every day. Cheese. Milk. A slice of toast on occasion. Beans--you CANNOT TAKE AWAY MY BEANS. I know you'd argue that these aren't "good." And my vegan friends would argue that meat is killing you and isn't "good". So much of the dietary advice on this board is more philosophy than science.

naw im not.. you can still have fruit and cheese on primal. its a belief like i said -- everybody has their own. im not knocking your just way of thinking just saying that what most people think abt paleo and primal is skewed. its not abt deprivation, its abt altering and substituting changing your way of thinking; thats all.

IMO i think most people dont understand what this lifestyle is. this is not a diet in any shape or form IMO. its a lifestyle change 100% ... theres a ton more to paleo and primal then "what you eat" ... to me its a whole eye opening change, on how WHAT you eat, affects, drives, kills your body. imo to be paleo/primal you must believe in the science behind hit. which i do ten times over and could never go back to eating the way i did before... i see the comments "i dont really eat sugary things" so much and i dont think that anybody really understands that almost everything you eat if it is not fresh foods has sugar and crap in it. do you eat dressing? tons of sugar.. do you have k-up? sugar, mayo? sugar, crab salad? sugar, everything has sugar in it! i dont think most people look at the ingredients, only the "nutritional value" of things. i thought i didn't really eat so much wheat, then i realized almost everything i ate had wheat in it.

Science is not something you believe in. Either the research proves you correct, you find out you're way off base or it takes you somewhere else entirely. What you're describing sounds more like religion to me and if you find that worshipping at the church of paleo is what it takes for you to lose weight, then go for it, whatever works, right?. As for your list of wicked foods... well, I buy lovely fancy mayo which does not feature sugar as an ingredient, crab salad sounds disgusting, I make my dressing myself from oil and vinegar and wtf is a k-up? It sounds like the sort of protein shake they sell on late night infomercials.

Similarly, everything I eat is *not* made of wheat. Maybe you're the sort of person who once thought an informercial protein shake and a bowl of pasta was the height of gourmet dining, but I managed to get fat the old fashioned way: an excess of gin martinis, too many lamb cutlets (ooh, paleo, paleo!!!), a dedication to inhaling any and all olives set before me and a love affair with basmati rice.

This is why paleo is such a joke; its followers are so blindsided by their new-found sense of dietary superiority that they can't present a reasonable argument, resorting to scare tactics 'cancer, cancer, diabetusssssssss' and putting down other people's (often very sensible) dietary choices. Paleo diet books should come with a free guide on how not to come off as a sanctimonious twit.