Anyone Paleo?

It's been a while since I have been on here. I normally have been a low carb way of eating. But have been looking in to the Paleo way of eating. Has anyone done this "diet".

For people that don't know what it is, its basically eating what a cave man or hunter, gathers would eat now. Only eat what you can gather or kill. No sugar, wheat or dairy. Basically you eat meat, vegetables & fruits & nuts.

I haven't been on here in a while either and as I was perusing the threads today, your post caught my eye. My husband and I have led a paleo lifestyle for a little over a year now. We absolutely love it. As CrossFitters, it seemed like a very natural choice for us to make for ourselves. Like you, we had long followed a low carb way of eating so the transition to paleo was rather simple. We watched many of our friends and family members try to gain health and lose weight by 'dietizing' the worst foods one can eat..bread, rice, sugar and still not understanding why their weight never stabilized. Human beings simply are not created to eat that way at all. We are basically the same biological make up as our caveman ancestors (who I seriously doubt had obesity issues) so it makes perfect sense to eat the way they did. My initial struggle was giving up dairy. I love milk. However, milk is for baby mammals, not adult humans. It's easy to see why milk is one of the 8 "foods" that make up 90% of food allergies. We aren't meant to consume it. So, if you're anything like me, dairy will be the biggest sacrifice for you, but that craving does go away. I don't even think about it anymore. If you choose the paleo lifestyle, best wishes and many many years of good health to you!

Thanks, yes giving up cheese is hard. :o Milk was never one of those foods that we used a lot. The Paleo life style does make sense. Good to see other people doing it.....

Just saw your post, I started the paleo diet back in May and I've lost 40 pounds. I'm severely lactose intolerant so the dairy isn't a problem for me at all. I thought the other stuff would be hard too, but it's been surprisingly easy and I feel absolutely fabulous. Within days of starting it, I could feel a difference so knew I found the right thing for me.

It makes me sad to see people who have been brainwashed into thinking that grains and dairy are evil and need to be avoided as part of healthy nutrition. Unless you have something such as celiac disease, excluding grains is an utterly unnecessary restriction to impose upon yourself. Same with excluding milk/dairy unless you are lactose intolerant. For the cross-fitters, don't you see an inconsistency with excluding your beloved dairy, while (I suspect) you supplement with whey powder?

Paleo is a fad diet and will fade away, as it is simply too hard for the vast majority of people to follow its rigid (and inconsistent) teachings.

Actually, I don't use whey powder. I feed myself food. Real food. Meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Paleo is actually not a fad. It's been around since the beginning of our existence. I could go into all the scientific reasons why I do not believe we should eat the way the government's 'pyramid' says we should, but I'll simply leave it at this: I've tried eating the typical American grain and potato filled diet and I've tried the paleo lifestyle. I feel much better and faster the way I eat now. It works for me.

snorkelman - It seems for some people think if its not approved by the government then is must be a fad diet or un-safe. Many people as you are have said have problems eating dairy and grains. Now if our bodies were meant to eat those foods, we wouldn't have problems eating them.

The Paleo "way of eating" is not restricted to eat certain things. You can pretty eat any "meats" being fish, chicken, ground beef and the list goes on. Plus anything that grows naturally from the ground.

That has been the way man & women have been eating until it was easier to process grain and dairy, which was about 10,000 years ago.

Oh by the way I do (supplement with whey powder). I take about 3000mg of Vit. C daily and not to mention many other vitamins and minerals in 3 different powders. Which is so easy to take during our meals and before bed. Since taking these supplements I have had some "minor" health problems clear up and have not had any colds or sinus head colds in over 3 years, which I use to get all the time.

If taking an absolutist stance works great for you – good. Keep doing it, more power to you. I am just pointing out that paleo is an absolutist dietary approach, and although you personally may not accept it, it is a fad. Following a restrictive paleo diet is not necessary or even optimal for everyone.

By the way, some of the foundational aspects of the paleo concept is based on faulty claims (i.e. the typical 10,000 year thing).

I suggest that you keep an open mind.

If taking an absolutist stance works great for you – good. Keep doing it, more power to you. I am just pointing out that paleo is an absolutist dietary approach, and although you personally may not accept it, it is a fad. Following a restrictive paleo diet is not necessary or even optimal for everyone.

 

By the way, some of the foundational aspects of the paleo concept is based on faulty claims (i.e. the typical 10,000 year thing).

 

I suggest that you keep an open mind.

Well, if maintaining 132 lbs and being a lean, mean fighting machine means that I follow an absolutist fad of a diet, then I'll take it. My weight doesn't fluctuate by more than a pound or two. That's it. My body is my temple. Do not think for one moment that I would jump on a bandwagon as a way to fuel myself. I studied the paleo lifestyle thoroughly and talked to many who live it before adopting it for myself.

Farming began c. 10,000 BC on land that became known as the FERTILE CRESCENT. Hunter-gatherers, who had traveled to the area in search of food, began to harvest (gather) wild grains they found growing there. They scattered spare grains on the ground to grow more food.

This is from http://www.factmonster.com. So its a real fact. Although, farming did help people stay in one place, it did start us to eating more grains, then had ever been done before.

As far as having an "open mind" it goes both ways. Saying people are "brainwash" into this type of eating is not having an open mind. Plus this diet is not restrictive as you think. Is it for everyone of course not. I don't think vegetarianism is for everyone either.

This is not a fad thing for me. My body cannot process dairy at all. Starches it can only process in small amounts and not every day. When I eat those things, I end up miserable. So paleo was really the only choice for me after years of putting myself through unnecessary suffering.

I have an open mind. I look forward to future studies which hopefully will investigate paleo diet vs. other diets. Unfortunately, at this time, the status of the science is less than convincing to a discerning eye. I will agree that the paleo diet can have positive effects. Now, the main point that I took issue with was the unnecessary exclusion of many foods. If you have a medical condition, then excluding or severely limiting certain items makes sense. Otherwise, it is unnecessary to achieve healthy weight loss. What has not been proven is paleo being superior to a macro-nutrient matched, fiber-matched treatment in non-sedentary adults. An obvious disadvantage of the paleo diet is the missed benefits of the omitted foods. Plenty of research shows whole grain cereals lower risk factors for coronary heart disease; dairy has been shown to improve bone health, muscle mass and strength; legumes have been shown to decrease total and LDL cholesterol. On the flip side, there is a lack of research showing that the excluded foods are harmful to the average healthy population.

This is from http://www.factmonster.com. So its a real fact.

I suggest that you rely on pubmed as a more credible authority for science. Starch grains have been found on tools dating to the middle stone ages, and science shows us that early Homo sapiens relied on grass seeds starting at least 105,000 years ago.

http://www.naturaleater.com/Science-articles/Grass-seed-consumption-stone-age.pdf

Have you ever looked into Okinawans? They are well-known for having the longest life-expectancy on Earth. While certainly many things factor into that, I think we can agree that diet plays an important part. Would it surprise you that their average white rice intake is about 3 bowls per day? The French also are known for long lives and they regularly enjoy white bread, red wine, and fatty cheese.

Of course, if what you are doing is working for you, then great, but there are many ways to skin a cat, and it has been my experience that many people who follow the paleo plan tend to be dogmatically inflexible when it comes to the banned foods and basis for excluding them.

snorkelman, yes I have looked in to the Okinawans and what makes people live longer. I'm very much into alternative health and eating organic. So I have herd the reports on the Okinawans and what they do. I don't think food or what you eat is the end all of health.

Many things play a whole in long health not just food. Eating "real" food, staying active body wise and mentally, support from family and the community, and also having a good out look in life all helps.

I make my own decision on how I eat, plus do my own research. I know how my body reacts to eating grains, even whole grains that are organic. I put on weight. So I'm not saying this "way of eating" is for everyone. People that decide to eat this way, have done their own research into the subject.

Because you cut out certain foods, does not mean you limit yourself. You are not limit to only one or two pieces of foods. Like I said before you can eat "any" meat under the sun, plus fruits and vegetables of any kind.

So what do you think of vegetarians? They limit their selves to just fruits and vegetables. Vegans even limit more foods. People make choices to eat certain foods based on there own research of what they think is good for them.

By the way I'm not a 100% strick with it, I do splurge every now and then, but in general I think its a better way for eating.

I know this is 6 months old, but I have some questions for the Paleos- if you're still out there. Are you still on the paleo WOE? Do you "cheat" every now and again?

I'm asking because I've been doing this for a month and I'm loving it. I feel great. The results came so fast that my husband is now paleo, too. We will be cruising to Italy and I'd like to know if there will be any "side effects" of trying a slice of pizza or some gelato while we're there. I don't crave these things now but I'd also hate to miss out on some of the world's best food while we're there. Thanks! :)

I know this is 6 months old, but I have some questions for the Paleos- if you're still out there. Are you still on the paleo WOE? Do you "cheat" every now and again?

 

I'm asking because I've been doing this for a month and I'm loving it. I feel great. The results came so fast that my husband is now paleo, too. We will be cruising to Italy and I'd like to know if there will be any "side effects" of trying a slice of pizza or some gelato while we're there. I don't crave these things now but I'd also hate to miss out on some of the world's best food while we're there. Thanks! :)

My response has nothing to do with the diet, but with Italy. If you do decide to get pizza be sure to wait to be south of Naples. The pizza in Venice and Florence for instance is not good unless you like cardboard and just a hint of sauce and cheese. Our Italian tour director told me this and I should have listened. Every pasta I had was wonderful (except the vegetable lasagna, but all meats were very different...kind of rubbery.:o

Thank you for the advice. We are planning on having pizza in Naples. Hopefully, it won't hurt too bad ;) Thanks :)

I know this is 6 months old, but I have some questions for the Paleos- if you're still out there. Are you still on the paleo WOE? Do you "cheat" every now and again?

 

I'm asking because I've been doing this for a month and I'm loving it. I feel great. The results came so fast that my husband is now paleo, too. We will be cruising to Italy and I'd like to know if there will be any "side effects" of trying a slice of pizza or some gelato while we're there. I don't crave these things now but I'd also hate to miss out on some of the world's best food while we're there. Thanks! :)

Dh and I are basically paleo. I say basically because the only "meat" we eat is fish. We follow the rest of the diet. We have seen excellent health results as well as weight loss.

Regarding the cheating, I did cheat once and had real butter with my seafood (versus vegan butter) and I felt like crap that night and even the next morning.

Thank you for your reply. I'm still debating on whether or not to have pizza in Italy. I haven't cheated yet so I don't know what will happen if/when I do. :o We leave next week. I'll decide when we're there. :)

Thank you for your reply. I'm still debating on whether or not to have pizza in Italy. I haven't cheated yet so I don't know what will happen if/when I do. :o We leave next week. I'll decide when we're there. :)

I'd vote for cheat now and find out what happens, because I know some people who can feel it for several days after they cheat, and on a cruise is NOT when I want to find that out.

That being said...Italy is one of the best places for celiacs to eat, strangely enough.

I've been thinking about cheating now to find out what happens but I'm doing so well! :D I've never done so well on a WOE and I hate to break the streak. I'll have a lot of sea days leading up to the European part of the cruise, maybe I'll cheat then. :o

Thanks!