The Paleo Diet

I recently found out about a new diet that really blows my mind over what my 30 years of vegetarianism. I am thinking of getting the book and recipe book, but I don’t think I could switch into eating meat and all it involves. The book really talks about “how being vegetarian or even vegan” is bad for you. Have you all ever heard about “Paleo Diet”?

your new diet plane is a good with vegetarian food.

Not a fan. A 2011 ranking by US News & World Report, involving a panel of 22 experts, ranked the Paleo diet lowest of the 20 diets evaluated based on factors including health, weight-loss and ease of following. These results were repeated in the 2012 survey, where the diet placed 24th out of 24, stating that their experts “took issue with the diet on every measure.” Doesn’t anybody just control portions and eat sensibly anymore without resorting to some sort of fad diet? -EK

Veggienut – I had found this website when I was looking over the Paleo diet. Hope it helps!

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-paleo-d…

The Paleo Diet is based on an idea that we should be eating like our ancestors did 10,000 years ago.

The problem is that we have food systems in place today. The animals hunted in the past have changed along with factory farming methods. The fruits and vegetables we eat today are MUCH different than the heirloom varieties of the past. The food choices are different, and I prefer we live in the now.

Paleo does keep processed foods in check (which I like!) and also limits carbohydrates which tend to help with a leaner appearance. This does nothing for athletic capabilities, however. I can find olympic athletes who are vegetarian and vegan. I cannot find Paleo Olympians. Why? Grains make great fuel. What’s the big deal?

As a vegetarian, you save lives. That’s important. You eat in a sustainable way. You are (most likely) healthy by abstaining from meat, and should continue to do so!

Want to try the cookbook? DO IT! But don’t substitute your morals. You can be a healthy vegetarian OR omnivore. It’s up to you!

Over the years I’ve been a naysayer to the Paleo (or any extreme) diet for a variety of reasons. With that said, having spoken with several friends who have moved towards a Paleo/Primal way of eating, I’ve decided to give this a shot.

My primary goal is to see how following the Primal Blueprint will impact my blood workup (my cholesterol runs naturally high).

Going to have a complete blood workup on 9/11 and will have my blood re-tested after 30-days on the diet. My exercise protocol will remain the same over the course of the 30-days.

Susan
www.CatapultFitnessBlog.com

I have been Paleo on and off for a few years. There is a big difference between Paleo and Primal. Primal is eating exactly the way our ancestors did 10K years ago — approximately the last point of major evolutionary change. Paleo is eating modern foods to simulate this diet.

I suggest watching this video to truly understand the concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M

Here is a great blog on lifetyle changes:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide…

@Erik knight, sorry I just don’t put merit in US News. Although they do use good metrics in some of their reports they are not a bona fide scientific journal. This is a whole good data vs bad data debate…

Here is the 101 of eating:
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-101/

I’m not convinced. The emphasis on massive amounts of saturated fat seems dangerous to me. I’d love to see the research on that. Wouldn’t such high levels of saturated fat lead to undesirable cholestorol and triglyceride counts?

Beyond that, this has to be one of the worst diets for the environment (meat consumption (esp. beef) has a huge impact on the environment compared to plant proteins), so if you care about the environment, that certainly would be a concern.

Also, Maybe I’ve spent too much time at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale, but who, aside from the wealthy can afford to eat large quantities of grass-fed beef?

Susan, please update us when you get your blood results. I’m very curious.

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mshahmd,

I am most certainly not a ‘robot’ to conventional wisdom. Nor do I believe what people say just because they assert it strongly. All I see in that link is an article pointing to more articles, and not a single study showing adequate proof that Paleo a safe way to lose weight.

I know it is well established that carbohydrate rich diets can lead to obesity and heart disease, and it is even fairly well establish that high-protein diets can have a desirable effect (I’m doing quite well on a low-carb diet myself). I’m not necessarily refuting that Paleo is an effective diet, I just think there needs to be more research on the subject (and preferably not funded by agricultural lobbyists).

Personally I think it makes sense to question the claims of both the established medical community AND those making money off of these fad diets (effective or otherwise). Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence as they say.

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I think Paleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat because it is the only the nutritional approach that works with your genetics and help you stay lean, strong and energetic. Paleo diet delivers the best results with improved blood lipids, weight loss and reduced pain from autoimmunity is proof enough.

WHAT IS THIS?

@shensher, wanted to provide you with a brief update.

I began a Primal diet on 9/11/2012. My starting weight was 132.

My blood results from the morning of 9/11 were as follows:

Current weight: 129 lbs
Total Cholesterol: 244
HDL Cholesterol: 71
LDL Cholesterol: 158
Triglycerides: 73

Other numbers I want to share include:

C-Reactive Protein: < 0.4
Vitamin D: 19

I’ve posted more details on this at this blog posting – http://catapultfitness.blogspot.com/2012/09/pri…

My weight this week is the same as it was last Friday – 129 lbs.

Right now I’m scheduled to have a follow-up blood work-up on 10/11 and will post those results when they become available.

For the first 2-weeks on this diet I felt rather sluggish, as my body worked to switch from glycogen to fat as my primary fuel source. I’m definitely starting to feel more energized the past couple of days.

Susan
www.CatapultFitnessBlog.com

@shensher, posted a Primal update here – http://catapultfitness.blogspot.com/2012/09/pri…

Susan