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Paleo Diet 101: How and why you should eat like a Caveman

I personally would try but im still living with my parents and they are old skool not paleo old skool. But you guys get it eggs and fats are dangerous hell lot of meat is dangerous(like 2 slices is dangerous) bread and grains are good.
So to go all the opposite of their knowledge of food is a fight im not willing to fight and not worth it when i can do it with just keeping carb intake under 100 grams of carbs,eat 100 grams of peanuts for fats and Intermediate fasting is what i used last time.

So yeah im going back to the diet that did work and back to first walking and when my knies and other body parts are used to it jogging last time i fucked that part up.
But will try when im living on my own hopefully in 3 years.
 

Pre

Member
I'm considering overhauling my diet but not because of weight loss. I'm very skinny by nature (despite my efforts to gain weight. I'm going to have to get serious about weightlifting soon), but I want to increase my energy. And I'm conscious of the fact that, though I may be thin, that doesn't mean that my organs and arteries aren't in shit condition (especially since I'm a smoker).

The paleo diet intrigues me on some level, though I'm not sold on it as a magic weight-loss, energy-gain silver bullet. It seems that most nutrition science is a bunch of fallacious bullshit.

So though I'm not totally sold on paleo, are there any significant drawbacks I should be aware of?
 
eliminating dairy products and bread completely seems unhealthy in the long run. Sure you'll lose the weight, but I couldn't recommend this to any one.
 

Gilby

Member
eliminating dairy products and bread completely seems unhealthy in the long run. Sure you'll lose the weight, but I couldn't recommend this to any one.

There's nothing in either of those food groups you can't find elsewhere. That said, I love cheese and it's got lots of protein and decent fat, and I digest it just fine so it stays in my diet. Paleo makes a good elimination diet, and I would advise people to work from there to see what they need. Grains are only useful for cheap calories IMO.
 

FryHole

Member
I'm considering overhauling my diet but not because of weight loss. I'm very skinny by nature (despite my efforts to gain weight. I'm going to have to get serious about weightlifting soon), but I want to increase my energy. And I'm conscious of the fact that, though I may be thin, that doesn't mean that my organs and arteries aren't in shit condition (especially since I'm a smoker).

The paleo diet intrigues me on some level, though I'm not sold on it as a magic weight-loss, energy-gain silver bullet. It seems that most nutrition science is a bunch of fallacious bullshit.

So though I'm not totally sold on paleo, are there any significant drawbacks I should be aware of?

Not really - meat, fish, nuts, fruit and veg is a pretty solid base diet no matter what you call it. I have seen people complaining online about discovering that it turned out to be a bit of a one way street for them, in that when they ate some bread or whatever after some time avoiding it, it made them sick as a dog. Entirely anecdotal, of course, but perhaps worth bearing in mind that complete abstinence might not be the best idea if you plan to cheat anyway at some point, lest you lose some kind of built-up tolerance you didn't know you had.
 

Piecake

Member
I'm considering overhauling my diet but not because of weight loss. I'm very skinny by nature (despite my efforts to gain weight. I'm going to have to get serious about weightlifting soon), but I want to increase my energy. And I'm conscious of the fact that, though I may be thin, that doesn't mean that my organs and arteries aren't in shit condition (especially since I'm a smoker).

The paleo diet intrigues me on some level, though I'm not sold on it as a magic weight-loss, energy-gain silver bullet. It seems that most nutrition science is a bunch of fallacious bullshit.

So though I'm not totally sold on paleo, are there any significant drawbacks I should be aware of?

constipation is an issue, so make sure you eat your green, leafy veggies. You will be shitting out super dense pellets. The plus side is that you really wont have to wipe your ass more than once.

Costs a bit more as well
 

dralla

Member
What's the deal with potatoes?

I've seen a few recipes on here involving sweet potatoes, but nothing involving plain old potatoes. Are they that vastly different?

The diet sounds like a mix of foods I would generally enjoy, but I love my starchy potato. Do potatoes still conform to this diet in one form or another?

Sweet Potatoes are more nutritious, which is what Paleo is all about.. eating foods that are highly nutritious and as a result, filling. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are good if you're active, especially post work out, same with bananas. If you aren't active, I'd recommend limiting them if you're looking to lose weight.

I've been eating Primal for about a year now and it's been amazing. I look and feel better than I've have before, even when I used to play 3-4 sports in high school. I actually eat more now than I ever have too. So yea, eat more, move less..healthy and leanest I've ever been, go figure. But the important part is how you feel, I've gotten a few people to try it and they say the same things, they never felt better, how easy it is to lose weight when you don't have to starve yourself, ect. It's crazy how you can go so long without food and not feel hungry when the body adjusts to burning fat for fuel, it just feels so much better, it's tough to explain and it's the most surprising thing of all.

I think this is an important article, Paleo allows flexibility, it's not a strict diet, more of a template - http://chriskresser.com/beyondpaleo

Oh, and another Paleo friendly blog I wanna plug, Nerd Fitness, lots of good stuff on here, and appropriate for the GAF crowd - http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/
 

Thaedolus

Member
I just threw half a pound of bacon, a pound of hamburger, an onion, a bag of asparagus and a bag of broccoli into a dutch oven. It's called shit in a pan. Smother with grated cheese once it's cooked and you got paleo bliss (I guess minus the cheese if you're hardcore).

Substitute meats and veggies as desired. I didn't have any cauliflower tonight.
 
Why do you think people need either? Most of the planet is lactose intolerant.

Humans are not homogeneous. What may work for some may not work for others. There are more lactose tolerant people in Scandinavia as well as a higher percentage of being wheat intolerant due to how the dietary cultures are formed and have evolved. Celiac disease has a genetic marker, so it's easy to trace that back.
 
I get a little sad every time I hear someone advocate this diet. Why must people surround diets with so much pseudo scientific babble?

Why are you so sure it doesnt work?

I didn't even know about this diet but it's basically what Ive eaten on my own accord since I decided to lose weight.

It's been six months so far I went from 224lbs a size 38 and size large shirt on june 9th to 182lbs today a size s/m shirt and 33 waist.

Iv'e never ever had success with losing weight like this and keeping it off. My skin is also lots better, I have way more energy and just feel better overall. I eat lots and lots of bacon, chicken and lean beef, tons of melon and plenty of other fruits and veggies like onions. I have at least a pounc of bacon a week it seems, FYI my blood pressure and recent checkup says Im in great health.
 
Why are you so sure it doesnt work?

I didn't even know about this diet but it's basically what Ive eaten on my own accord since I decided to lose weight.

It's been six months so far I went from 224lbs a size 38 and size large shirt on june 9th to 182lbs today a size s/m shirt and 33 waist.

Iv'e never ever had success with losing weight like this and keeping it off. My skin is also lots better, I have way more energy and just feel better overall. I eat lots and lots of bacon, chicken and lean beef, tons of melon and plenty of other fruits and veggies like onions. I have at least a pounc of bacon a week it seems, FYI my blood pressure and recent checkup says Im in great health.

I don't think he is saying it doesn't work but that its fans explain it and surrounds itself using pseudoscientific terms. For example that inflammation is the cause of all illness. Or the lack of people citing the papers by Eaton and Konner instead post stuff by pop authors and questionable sources.

The first portion of this book is dedicated to nutrition and includes a lot of the analysis of the different studies:
Evolutionary-Medicine-and-Health-Trevathan-Wenda-R-9780195307061.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Medicine-Health-New-Perspectives/dp/0195307062/ref=pd_sim_b_2
 
I don't think he is saying it doesn't work but that its fans explain it and surrounds itself using pseudoscientific terms. For example that inflammation is the cause of all illness. Or the lack of people citing the papers by Eaton and Konner instead post stuff by pop authors and questionable sources.

The first portion of this book is dedicated to nutrition and includes a lot of the analysis of the different studies:
Evolutionary-Medicine-and-Health-Trevathan-Wenda-R-9780195307061.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Medicine-Health-New-Perspectives/dp/0195307062/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Fair enough, but dont you think the ends justify the means. Some people are better off believing something even if it's not true if it motivates them to the desired results without any harm beyond misinformation.

I dont' perscribe to this diet per say, like I said I didn't even know it was one. I just started eating what my body knew was right, and cut out what I knew was making me fat and tired.
 

Orayn

Member
Fair enough, but dont you think the ends justify the means. Some people are better off believing something even if it's not true if it motivates them to the desired results without any harm beyond misinformation.

I dont' perscribe to this diet per say, like I said I didn't even know it was one. I just started eating what my body knew was right, and cut out what I knew was making me fat and tired.

For one thing, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of people with terribly unhealthy diets think they're eating "what their body knows is right." Beyond that, you're ascribing something you heard about from an external source to actions that gave you positive results. I highly doubt you would have formulated the exact same plan in a vacuum.
 
That's fair enough. I just don't like people using bunk science to describe things. It leads to believing in more BS.

I would also like to see a study on the placebo effect and diets. Would be interesting to look at the data.
 

Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
No problem. I mostly just post other people's work.

I'm curious..which diet did you have success with? I went from low carb to paleo to low reward. I view both low carb and paleo as possible subsets of low reward. In other words, Atkins with plain steak is low reward, but Atkins with endulge candy and cheese/pepperoni melts are not.

I followed Mark Sisson's guidelines from his book. And stopped drinking during weight loss, per his recommendation. I cut out all processed food (Though i did eat sausage) and sugar. I grilled meat virtually every night. Not practical for everyone, but that's what did it for me. Actually buying and cooking real food instead of picking up fast food or microwaving a hot pocket while you drink that 3rd bud "light" and eat potato chips. I can't believe in hindsit how bad my eating habits got while I lived in a small town where virtually everyone was overweight.

Edited to add: I wish the skeptics would try it for a month. once youve done it that long, top off a 24 hour fast with some sprinting at a park and then go home and cook a giant ribeye. You will have a quasi-religious experience.
 
I didn't say it didn't work. Merely that it doesn't need all the padding put around it. All the stuff about Paleo is pretty much... made up. For lack of a better word.

Totally fair.


For one thing, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of people with terribly unhealthy diets think they're eating "what their body knows is right." Beyond that, you're ascribing something you heard about from an external source to actions that gave you positive results. I highly doubt you would have formulated the exact same plan in a vacuum.

no, but I did try plenty of diets before hand. Most things never stuck for me. It's a combination of both being motivated enough and finding foods that didn't make me crave garbage. I love to eat chicken, and beef but beef which has more flavor tends to cost a lot more.

Once I started eating bacon a lot it hit me. Also the fruits and veggies thing was just obvious. I don't think you need external sources to know that they are good for you. I did a ton of calorie counting, and it eventually led to me finding the best foods for me and now reading about the foods in this diet they match up very well. I don't think I would have found the same results in a vacuum but I do think I put a lot of effort into what worked for me, after giving up on any prescribed diets that have always ended in failure, it wouldn't be fair to say I had no hand in finding my own healthy balance of foods.

I must stress, I've never heard of this diet until today.
 

entremet

Member
I don't understand these diets. You can enjoy every kind of food if you do it all in moderation.

A lot of paleo diets include stuff like cheat days/cheat meals, so you're not wrong. Mark Sisson, a big paleo proponent, recommends eating 80 percent paleo and 20 percent whatever you wish. You need to remain sane. Hey I still enjoy pizza from time to time, although I my stomach hates me afterward.

Most of these diets are talking about day to day eating, which is still a problem for most, if it wasn't, why are we so fat?
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
I do. I don't however claim any scientific motivation.

Okay... so no problem with people who follow the diet because it works extremely well as long as they don't go on about cavemen nonsense?

I don't understand these diets. You can enjoy every kind of food if you do it all in moderation.

You don't understand people who are not satisfied with their health wanting to make a change and improve their situation? That's exactly what this is.
 

CrankyJay

Banned
A lot of paleo diets include stuff like cheat days/cheat meals, so you're not wrong. Mark Sisson, a big paleo proponent, recommends eating 80 percent paleo and 20 percent whatever you wish. You need to remain sane. Hey I still enjoy pizza from time to time, although I my stomach hates me afterward.

Most of these diets are talking about day to day eating, which is still a problem for most, if it wasn't, why are we so fat?

Best post in this thread.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
I don't understand these diets. You can enjoy every kind of food if you do it all in moderation.

Strictly eliminating specific types of foods is how people can moderate.

If you surround me with Brooklyn style pepperoni pizza and similar foods, I will overeat.

There are controlled studies on rats with junk food vs rat chow and rats will ignore their chow and traverse distances with electrical shock to get to the junk food. Put the junk food next to them when sleeping and they will periodically wake up and eat the stuff. Over time they get fat. Moderating on modern processed food is like trying to moderate on meth.
 
Strictly eliminating specific types of foods is how people can moderate.

If you surround me with Brooklyn style pepperoni pizza and similar foods, I will overeat.

There are controlled studies on rats with junk food vs rat chow and rats will ignore their chow and traverse distances with electrical shock to get to the junk food. Put the junk food next to them when sleeping and they will periodically wake up and eat the stuff. Over time they get fat. Moderating on modern processed food is like trying to moderate on meth.

Wow, that's a reasonable statement clearly based in science - rather than personal opinions & prejudices.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Wow, that's a reasonable statement clearly based in science - rather than personal opinions & prejudices.

The addiction isn't as strong as meth, but it is strong. Dozens of scientific articles are referenced here.

Perhaps a better analogy would be alcohol. Some people get hooked and destroy themselves, others can self moderate.
 
Studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption, wine and such, is healthy. In moderation, however.

And studies seem to suggest rice is fine. At least all of Asia seems to suggest this. And yet Paleo doesn't allow it.

Avoiding milk seems like common sense to me.

I have never cared for its taste. Even as a kid, I didn't like milk. I have no problem with lactose, I like cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. But just the thought of raw milk out of some animals tit isn't very appetizing. I had a conversation with a neighbor a few weeks ago, he grew up on a farm, and has decided to quit drinking milk.

And consumers in the US have to deal with the bovine growth hormone that is in most of the milk supply.

IMO, Milk is meant for babies, not adults.

"Common sense" is a really really really really fucking shitty argument. Perhaps the shittiest argument ever fucking made ever.

Hint: Most Americans will tell you it is common sense that peanut butter on wheat bread is healthy, directly contrasting the Paleo diet.

I don't even know why you mentioned you not liking its taste, as if it had any relevance at all. I like the smell of wet paint. Should I then make a leap and suggest that it is common sense that huffing it is healthy?
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
And studies seem to suggest rice is fine. At least all of Asia seems to suggest this. And yet Paleo doesn't allow it.

Alcohol by itself is highly addictive to some people and causes significant physical damage.

Rice by itself is not addictive. You have to mix it with different factors, as Americanized Chinese food does (Orange chicken, Sesame Chicken, etc).

Of course I'm going by food reward. Strict low carbers would say something about insulin resistance making rice become bad or something. And strict paleo dieters won't eat it because it wasn't in the paleolithic era.
 
There are definitely certain paleo diets that allow rice in moderation.

And yet a lot of Paleo proponents (at least on GAF) seem to argue that rice will kill you just like wheat, and then give no suitable answer when it comes to Asian cultures.

It's laughable almost. It would be like if half of evolutionary biologists believed in Lamarkian evolution and half in Darwinian evolution. I'd expect a diet based in science to have people agree on something as basic as rice.

And aren't the guts of people from milk drinking cultures slightly different then those from non milk-drinking cultures? I seem to recall some differences. And those differences would mean that those from milk-drinking cultures have evolutionarily adapted to drinking milk. Then diary should definitely be allowed.
 

Pein

Banned
Tried it, hated it, expensive as shit too. It works though. This is definitely not a poor mans diet especially if you're aiming to do it 100% of the time.

along with eggs and tuna learn to braise meats, cheap cuts of beef can be braised to tender deliciousness.
 

ameratsu

Member
Unless you have a medical reason not to eat wheat (celiac disease/wheat allergy), avoiding it and other types of food while emphasizing meat consumption for no clear reason at all makes this feel like just another fad diet.
 

lupinko

Member
I don't see where there is room for debate, the diet works and produces results. It's also healthy, and you still get lots of nutrition out of it.

If you don't like it or aren't interested, then that's fine, but I don't see what the point is in trying to challenge it for the sake of doing so.
 
along with eggs and tuna learn to braise meats, cheap cuts of beef can be braised to tender deliciousness.

Isn't tuna filled with mercury?

I don't see where there is room for debate, the diet works and produces results. It's also healthy, and you still get lots of nutrition out of it.

If you don't like it or aren't interested, then that's fine, but I don't see what the point is in trying to challenge it for the sake of doing so.

If someone is going to claim rice is bad for you, I am going to ask for evidence. Especially when Asia seems to handle rice incredibly well.

I'm not going to give a claim a free pass simply because the paleo diet has worked for people.

And I don't dislike it, and I am very much interested in it. I If wasn't interested I wouldnt bother asking for studies. Sorry that you take questioning the claims so poorly.
 

Piecake

Member
Isn't tuna filled with mercury?



If someone is going to claim rice is bad for you, I am going to ask for evidence. Especially when Asia seems to handle rice incredibly well.

I'm not going to give a claim a free pass simply because the paleo diet has worked for people.

And I don't dislike it, and I am very much interested in it. I If wasn't interested I wouldnt bother asking for studies. Sorry that you take questioning the claims so poorly.

Well, test it out for yourself. Cut all grains and sugars besides rice and eat a higher fat diet and see what happens. Then cut rice and see if that makes a difference. If it doesnt, well, go back to enjoying rice

I never really ate rice to begin with so it really wasnt relevant to me. Wheat certainly was though, and after cutting that my digestive health definitely improved, along with getting rid of my constant colds.

I still eat wheat occasionally if its a small part of a meal, but i stopped eating things like spaghetti and pizza, which basically just is a heaping plate of carbs
 
Well, test it out for yourself. Cut all grains and sugars besides rice and eat a higher fat diet and see what happens. Then cut rice and see if that makes a difference. If it doesnt, well, go back to enjoying rice

I never really ate rice to begin with so it really wasnt relevant to me. Wheat certainly was though, and after cutting that my digestive health definitely improved, along with getting rid of my constant colds.

I still eat wheat occasionally if its a small part of a meal, but i stopped eating things like spaghetti and pizza, which basically just is a heaping plate of carbs

Anecdotal evidence is generally not scientific. Me cutting out rice and finding myself feeling "better" doesn't somehow negate the fact that Asia consumes a lot of rice (and noodles) and has low rates of obesity and diabetes. Or that they have a very high life expectancy.

It is almost kind of astounding. If I went on GAF (or anywhere that isn't crazy) and claimed that prayer could cure cancer, people would rightfully ask me for scientific papers backing my belief. "Try it for yourself" would get me ridiculed at best. And yet people think that "try it yourself" is perfectly valid for backing up nutritional claims.

And I don't even eat rice. I am curious as to why a Paleo diet would restrict it for "scientific reasons." What is the legitimate scientific response to Asian countries eating large quantities of rice and not having the numerous health problems Ameirca has? An actual scientific paper would be nice. Otherwise people shouldn't claim the diet is based in sound science.

I don't get why you brought up wheat either. I've seen evidence linking wheat to several negative health problems. I have no problem with the Paleo claim of "wheat is bad!"
 

Piecake

Member
Anecdotal evidence is generally not scientific. Me cutting out rice and finding myself feeling "better" doesn't somehow negate the fact that Asia consumes a lot of rice (and noodles) and has low rates of obesity and diabetes. Or that they have a very high life expectancy.

And I don't even eat rice. I am curious as to why a Paleo diet would restrict it for "scientific reasons." What is the legitimate scientific response to Asian countries eating large quantities of rice and not having the numerous health problems Ameirca has. An actual scientific paper would be nice.

anecdotal evidence of yourself? lol Id think youd be able to tell if it makes a difference after a month or two if you feel better and are starting to lose weight. I mean, for me, improved digestive health and not getting colds constantly was pretty damn noticeable
 
anecdotal evidence of yourself? lol Id think youd be able to tell if it makes a difference after a month or two if you feel better and are starting to lose weight. I mean, for me, improved digestive health and not getting colds constantly was pretty damn noticeable

Then I don't think you understand what I am asking.

I am asking why rice is restricted on a Paleo diet. The reason given seems to be that grains (including rice) have a negative impact on health.

What evidence is there to suggest that RICE has a negative impact on health in general. Not in my one specific case, but IN GENERAL.

And did you do your little experiment by only cutting out rice with no other change in diet? If not you're evidence is fucking laughable. "Hey I changed 500 variables, and am going to think that changing this 1 specific variable had an impact"
 

lupinko

Member
Isn't tuna filled with mercury?



If someone is going to claim rice is bad for you, I am going to ask for evidence. Especially when Asia seems to handle rice incredibly well.

Well there has been a growing case of diabetes in Asians, and that is related to the consumption of white rice.

We're not saying it's evil or some shit like that, just saying if you want to use the paleo diet, then you have to conform to its guidelines, and rice (along with other grains, dairy, sugars, and legumes) are no go.

You can eat whatever you want and do what you'd like, there's no stopping you.

I thought this thread was just for giving a headsup for people that don't know about this diet and are interested in another form of better nutrition/weight-loss.

Anyway paleo has been around for a long time, it's only recently that it has become popular.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Really the Paleo diet shouldn't be
"Our ancestors ate these foods and archaeological data shows them in great health, so we must only eat these"

But should be
"Our ancestors ate these foods and archaeological data shows them in great health, so we should eat those foods and be cautious about others"
 
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