Paleo

LovetoLive614

Does anyone here eat according to the Paleo style of eating? I have a friend who recently started and loves it but I see mixed reviews online.

MmmPopcorn

I think a Paleo diet is healthy, but it's just not reasonable for my lifestyle. I enjoy the occasional, traditional carby food (mac-and-cheese, chicken pot pie, cornbread and beans are my favorites), so my solution has been to cut back on my carb servings each day and allow myself an occasional treat. The "Paleo" substitutions for those dishes seem downright silly--I'm pretty sure the cavemen did not eat almond flour pancakes fried in coconut oil, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. However, the increased fat content in a Paleo diet is really healthy, and I avoid processed vegetable oils when possible.

If you cut back on carbs, increase your fats from nuts and animals and stay away from processed oils, you'll be doing well! If you start out with a diet that doesn't suit your lifestyle, you won't stick with it.

Good luck!

Also, you will notice my SN is MmmPopcorn. Obviously, a Paleo diet won't work for me!

Malvagia

MmmPopcorn:

I think a Paleo diet is healthy, but it's just not reasonable for my lifestyle. I enjoy the occasional, traditional carby food (mac-and-cheese, chicken pot pie, cornbread and beans are my favorites), so my solution has been to cut back on my carb servings each day and allow myself an occasional treat. The "Paleo" substitutions for those dishes seem downright silly--I'm pretty sure the cavemen did not eat almond flour pancakes fried in coconut oil, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. However, the increased fat content in a Paleo diet is really healthy, and I avoid processed vegetable oils when possible.

If you cut back on carbs, increase your fats from nuts and animals and stay away from processed oils, you'll be doing well! If you start out with a diet that doesn't suit your lifestyle, you won't stick with it.

Good luck!

Also, you will notice my SN is MmmPopcorn. Obviously, a Paleo diet won't work for me!

I agree with this. It seems that some if not most people benefit from a Paleo diet because they're not eating sugar, flour or as much processed food.  I've read online accounts of people who did a Paleo, felt great for two years and then their health got worse.  They didn't feel better until they started eating carbs again.  There are also people who never feel good on a Paleo diet.  I know I don't.

interzone

Paleo (and the related Primal)  _does not_ mean low carb!  You can eat all the fruit, veggies, and nuts your body will tolerate. If you're eating Primal, you can have dairy and some other things excluded from Paleo as well.  I think a lot of people confuse Paleo/Primal with the induction phase of Atkins and that's how it got the (very mistaken!!) reputation for being unhealthy.  I've been Primal for a few years and eat at least 100g of carbs per day and limit anything that comes from a factory and is made with gross industrial oils and refined grains.  Can't get much healthier than that imo.

jalara48

interzone:

Paleo (and the related Primal)  _does not_ mean low carb!  You can eat all the fruit, veggies, and nuts your body will tolerate. If you're eating Primal, you can have dairy and some other things excluded from Paleo as well.  I think a lot of people confuse Paleo/Primal with the induction phase of Atkins and that's how it got the (very mistaken!!) reputation for being unhealthy.  I've been Primal for a few years and eat at least 100g of carbs per day and limit anything that comes from a factory and is made with gross industrial oils and refined grains.  Can't get much healthier than that imo.

Exactly this! I'm Paleo (a very strict paleo) and I eat more carbs now than I did before.

Paleo gets a bad reputation because a) people comment without being educated, b) paleo-peeps are often called snobby when in fact we simply hold ourselves to strict guidelines and c) people don't get how awesome it makes you feel unless you've done it.

Ask away! There are a ton of really great recipes out there - give it a try!