Man, I just read this thread up to page 5 and was determined to try read this thread from beginning to end, but it's just too long and I don't have enough time. Already dedicated a lot of hours to my initial research (primarily this thread). I was initially excited to start this diet, but seeing all the opposition and arguments against SOME of the things for paleo really made me reconsider some things.
Some questions:
1. I still don't understand which nuts are okay to eat and which aren't. Peanuts are excluded here, right? Are peanuts the only nut I should be avoiding? Almonds? A little confused, I'm afraid....
All nuts are OK to eat. Peanuts are not nuts, they're legumes. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia, and so on, all great for different reasons.
2. What about salt/sodium intake? Do I generally still want to try to keep my sodium low or should I try to slightly increase it? I'm guessing no...
You don't need to monitor your salt intake too heavily. If you have high blood pressure, you'll want to decrease salt and increase potassium. But if you have no BP problems, salt is nothing to be concerned about. In fact, in most cases, you'll want to increase salt intake. Eating this kind of diet will get rid of water weight, and electrolytes along with it. If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded when you first start, try increasing salt intake.
3. Should I basically only use olive oil for cooking? What about canola oil? Grapeseed oil?
You'll be cooking with animal fats [butter, lard, ghee, bacon grease], tropical oils [coconut, red palm], and a few others [avocado, macadamia]. Olive oil is good for salad dressings, it's not a great cooking oil because of low smoke point.
4. Can I still eat bananas even though berries are the fruit paleo calls for the most? What about mangos, pears, pineapples, etc?
All fruits are permitted. It really depends on your goals or if you have a certain macro ratio you're trying to hit. If you're trying to lose weight or watch your sugar intake, you'll wanna stick to low sugar fruits.
5. I keep seeing the term "processed sugar". What exactly does this mean? Shouldn't I just avoid sugar altogether, or is there a form of it that's okay?
Avoid added sugars. Naturally occurring sugars in fruit/veggies/nuts/seeds/ect. are OK.
6. Processed lunch meat....how bad for someone looking for a paleo-lite diet?
It's not great, it's not the worst though. It lacks the healthy fats and nutrients of proper meats.
7. This might be a really dumb question, but I know there is gluten-free "bread" out there. Does this bread contain any grains? I know....so stupid.........but I don't know.......
The only grain-free bread I've seen is Paleo Bread by Julians Bakery, it's made with coconut flour or almond meal. The 'gluten' free breads still contain grains.
So, as of right now, I'm still basically confused as hell.
Do you guys think the following is a good starting point?
1. Cut out all dairy, at least
initially. I have a problem with acne on my back, and I think it might be dairy related. If I find it clears up, I'll reintroduce Greek yogurt and see where that gets me. I love Greek yogurt, so I hope it isn't what's causing my backne. Would greek yogurt as my only dairy be a bad thing? If yes, what kind of yogurt (if any) would be best? I know unpasteurized is key here.....but is unpasteurized yogurt even a thing?
Cutting out dairy when you first start is a good idea, than reintroduce it after a few weeks and see if anything changes. Butter is fine though.
2. Cut out MOST legumes. Definitely soy and such. Like......I think I'll only eat black beans because when I see articles
like this where they say how good they are for you, it's hard to ignore.
Just because you see an article on something doesn't mean much. Most articles will tell you saturated fat is bad for you, which is complete BS. I would avoid legumes as a whole, with the exceptions of green beans and peas [sugar snap, snow, english]
3. Cut out all grains except rice. I think brown rice will be fine to eat. Agree/disagree?
Again, depends what your goals are and if you're looking to hit a certain maco ratio. Rice is considered one of the safer starches though.
4. Cut out all sugars except dark chocolate on rare occasions.....see my above question, though.
Yea, avoid added sugars for sure. Extra Dark Chocolate is a great 'treat'. I eat some every day.
How does this sound? I'm definitely thinking a "Paleo-lite" diet is the better path for me. I'm sitting here with the Bulletproof Diet and Perfect Health Diet opened in two different tabs and debating between the two as a paleo substitute. I'd like to do this in conjunction with exercise, both cardio and strength-training. Any suggestions?
