I love reading about health, fitness and nutrition and I thought that some of the books I’ve read would be of interest to some of you, hence these mini reviews! I think its really important for me as a health coach and a blogger to find out more about different dietary approaches – and most importantly, form my own opinions!
*This post did start out including two other reviews for Jillian Michaels Master your Metabolism and Making the Cut, but as I went on it seemed to have turned in to a mini essay on Paleo stuff and instead of trying to fit it all in I thought I’d just go all out on the Paleo topic. Also please be very aware that I am looking at this with my own personal health challenges in mind, as I have said many times before I believe that we are all different and different dietary approaches work for different people, do your own research, experiment with what works for you, or talk to me about health coaching (shameless plug) if you want support to figure that out :-) Please also bear in mind that this is a relatively brief run through of the info in these books and is just my interpretation of them!
So, this whole Paleo thing eh, what’s it all about? Of course, the Paleo diet has been tried out by quite a few different bloggers, and seems to be becoming rather a ‘trend’. I had a vague idea of what it was all about, and as I had been going through my own health journey, adding in more animal products and fats, a lot of Paleo style eating started to appeal to me. Then I watched a lecture from Mark Sission as part of my nutrition course and my interest was seriously sparked, so I decided to do my own research.
The first book I read was Primal Blueprint from Mark Sission, as I said, I watched him lecture and a lot of what he was saying really made sense to me for where I am in my own health journey, and after pottering about on his site Mark’s Daily Apple, I decided to get the book. Mark describes his own personal health journey and how he arrived at the Primal diet (not much different between Primal and Paleo, although I think Primal is a little more dairy friendly). He talks about the effects of carbohydrates on our bodies and blames an over indulgence of eating them for most of today’s health issues. He talks about the ‘carb curve’ and how he believes eating over a certain level of carbs leads to weight gain. He talks about the anti nutrients in grains and legumes and how we should avoid them because of this, as well as their high carb content and relative lack of nutrients when compared to carbs from vegetables and fruit. As well as talking about diet, he also talks about ‘primal’ approaches to fitness and general lifestyle. He compares the lifestyles of Palaeolithic families (a character he affectionately calls Grok) with modern day families. He claims that by following the guidance in his book you allow for optimal gene expression – he says that at a genetic level we are designed to be fit, healthy and strong and we just need to alter our behaviours to reflect that of our Primal ancestors. I found this book really interesting, as you’ll see in a moment I’m not completely sold on the ‘Paleo’ aspect, however there is a lot here that I think has some credit.
Diane Sanfilippo: Practical Paleo
After reading Primal Blueprint, I remembered that a while ago that I had listened to a podcast called Balanced Bites that had mentioned Paleo. Diane is one of the presenters, and when I was listening to them again, Practical Paleo was mentioned and it seemed like another interesting read so I thought I’d take a look. Very much like Primal Blueprint she introduces the whole basis for eating in a Paleo Style but then goes into a lot more detail with digestion and issues such as leaky gut. From a nutrition science geek aspect, I felt like I learned a lot here. She then introduces various eating and supplement plans for tacking different health issues and finishes off the book with a selection of recipes, most of which look pretty good.
I did enjoy this book, however I have gained a lot more from listening to the Balanced Bites podcasts and reviewing some other websites that she links to from that including the fantastic Paleo for Women by Stefani Ruper.
The book that I am currently reading is The Paleo Solution by Rob Wolf. Again, this gives all the general science based reasons why he believes the Paleo diet is better for our health, but definitely seems to go into more detail than the other two books. The diet plans don’t look that appealing and generally I think this book is much more geared for men than women, which as I will discuss in a moment is a very important point.
A breakdown of the Paleo / Primal diet (at least my take on it), what I think about it and how it relates to my health
I’ve given you a quick overview of what those books cover and if I think they are worth reading. As I said, for me personally I think Primal Blueprint was the best, however for anyone wanting to know more about this style of eating I’d recommend Practical Paleo and for women in particular the Balanced Bites Podcast and Paleo for Women website. If you want to get your head around the ‘science’ then try The Paleo Solution.
To be honest I think this ‘eating like a cave man’ thing is a bit of bollocks. I do see where they are coming from and I’m no expert in anthropology, but I can’t see how Palaeolithic humans could have eaten so much meat. I also think there are inherent issues with this diet in terms of environmental impact, if every one was eating so much meat, then I think we’d have a serious problem (even more so than what we do now) on our hands. I also don’t think that all grains and legumes are ‘unhealthy’. If prepared in the right way, and if you don’t have an intolerance or allergy (to gluten for example), then I can’t see why they can’t be part of a healthy diet.
I’m also sceptical of the science. Scientifically, nothing contradicts what I’ve learned about how our bodies work, but admittedly, bio chemistry is not my area of expertise. All I do know is that science and research studies in nutrition can very often be presented to support almost any ones hypothesis.
However, I do feel that these books make some good points, and in relation to my personal health challenges right now, I have found a lot of things very interesting.
The Carb Curve
Generally the carb approach coming from these books is not in the Atkins / Dukan type ultra low levels unless you are going for dramatic weight loss. However they do do suggest that carb intake should be lower if you are not very physically active, as carbs cause the release of insulin, which in turn manages fat storage, as well as throwing off the insulin and glucagon (another hormone) balance.
Along side the fact that they see grains and legumes as non health promoting due to anti nutrients (something that blocks the absorption of nutrients in the gut such as phytic acid) and the fact that they aren’t ‘Paleo’ – i.e. eaten by Palaeolithic humans, they also add that they should be avoided because they are generally higher in carbs and don’t offer as much nutrient density as carbs from vegetables and fruit.
This is also a really important point – fruit and vegetables are mainly carbohydrate so grains are not the only source. It’s also really important not to restrict vegetables as you will lose out on vital vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, another reason why I don’t believe a very low carb approach is a good idea – and even these books don’t suggest that other than for extreme weight loss. Carbs are needed for glucose to fuel the brain, however the liver can transform fat to glucose for this purpose if needed.
Oh and another very important thing with carb intake for women is highlighted on the Paleo for Women website, in fact Stefani says that women need to be very careful not to overly restrict carbs as this is another thing that can send the body into ‘starvation’ mode and threaten the normal functioning of the female reproductive system. Again – a very important thing to consider for women against the generally male orientated stuff.
I think carb intake is a very individual thing. For me, I generally feel like I do better on more fat and protein than carbs, however that can change from day to day and depending on how I feel. Most of the time my energy is better and I don’t feel like over eating when my fat and protein intake is higher. As I am also trying to heal my amenorrhea and fat is very important when it comes to hormones like estrogen and leptin, a slightly lower carb, higher fat, maximum nutrient density approach is something I’m going for right now. But I’m doing that because it feels right to me, not cause its Paleo ;-) Oh and I’m not actively avoiding carbs, I’m going for a more instinctive approach depending on how I feel day to day.
Fuelling with Fat
Another part of the carb debate links to blood sugar levels and their stability. I’ve already mentioned a little about the insulin thing, but basically they are saying that when carb intake is high, your body will just burn those readily available carbs and never get to work on your fat stores. Then because your body is so used to just using carbs, it has a harder time converting your fat stores to energy, hence when you eat a more carb based diet, some of us may experience regular hunger and energy drops. This really struck a cord with me, because for a while I was eating 7 times, maybe more a day. I didn’t mind as I love eating, however I don’t like to feel light headed when I can’t get a snack to hold me over. Since I’ve started experimenting with a higher fat diet I am actually managing pretty well on 3 – 4 square meals a day with more stable energy levels.
Dairy
The Paleo approaches to dairy are quite mixed. The general consensus seems to be that raw unpasteurised dairy is best and only if your body can tolerate it. From the Paleo for Women perspective, she advises against dairy for women with hormone balance issues like myself. I could probably do more research on this, but all I know is that my body seems to do really well with good quality full fat dairy and I’m not about to change that!
Regulation of meals and intermittent fasting
Some people on a Paleo style diet will do something called Intermittent Fasting or IF. It is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – skipping meals and eating on a less regular basis or having a smaller ‘eating window’. This is suggested because Paleo humans would have often gone without food for long periods of time. Again, this is something that I can see would perhaps work for some other people, although it could be highly dangerous for someone with disordered eating. For me of course this would be a big no no, and its even clearly discussed in the Balanced Bites podcast not to do IF if you are experiencing certain health issues, including of course amenorrhea.
Body Fat levels
Another thing that I have liked from both Mark, Diane and Stefani is their realistic discussions about levels of body fat on women. I think it is so refreshing to hear people clearly talking about how it is healthier for most women to have a higher body fat percentage, especially in their child bearing years. Hearing this has been very helpful for me on my journey and makes me feel better about eating lots to maintain my current shape!
Fitness
I LOVE the Paleo / Primal approach to fitness. I know it probably doesn’t sit very well with long distance runners, but again for me, it is a great philosophy that is perfect for the health issues I’m dealing with. Primal Blueprint probably goes into the most detail suggesting that you should ‘sprint’ once every 7 – 10 days, lift weights 2 – 3 times a week and then do about 4-5 hours of low level aerobic activity such as walking. I’m not sure exactly how this framework fits in with CrossFit that so many Paleo people seem to be in to, but it sounds good to me! They say that too much highly intensive exercise stresses the body and causes it to release too much cortisol, which in turn damages health and can lead to the ‘stress tummy’, i.e. weight gain around the middle. I’m not particularly bothered about whether ancient man ‘exercised’ like this, all I know is that it sounds like a fairly sensible approach to me, and again, very well suited to my health right now, minus the sprinting. I actually have just been sent a book on Paleo Fitness to review so I’ll be sharing my thoughts on that soon.
Lifestyle
There is a lot of excellent stuff around Paleo / Primal lifestyle approaches that I really love. Getting adequate sleep, working with your bodies own circadian rhythms, de-stressing with fun, playful activities, going bear foot (Mark promotes those Vibram Five Fingers which I would love to try!), feeling connected to other people and the importance of family and friends, to nature and the earth etc. I am totally on board with all of that whether its Paleo or not it just makes sense to me.
Concluding thoughts
I think there is a lot of Paleo that is crap, however there is a lot of good stuff there too. I feel like people really need to do their reading and research into this lifestyle so they understand what they are doing, and for women, I think they need to do some female Paleo specific research on top of that. As I have already said I really love the Balanced Bites podcasts and the Paleo for Women site, I feel there is a wealth of information there and I love the way they approach health for women. One of the phrases that Diane and Liz use in the podcasts is to be a nutrient seeker, and if there is one thing I am going to take away from my research on Paleo its that. I’m certainly not about to give up my oats or hummus, but I am going to eat more fat and protein for as long as I feel its working for me.
What are your thoughts on the Paleo diet and lifestyle?
How open minded do you feel you are with things like this?
Have you done any research into this approach?
Any links to refutals of the Paleo approach?
Have you come across any other useful books or resources?
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for a really interesting post. I’ve mainly dimissed paleo because, as you said, I can’t believe that caveman actually lived like that or that we could or should replicate it. However, your more in-depth discussion reveals that there’s some interesting stuff. The fitness in particular sounds sensible to me at this time in my life when intense exercise is too much of a stressor on my body.
I think “lifestyles” give people something to cling to, and if that makes you healthier and happy, then it’s great! However, I think by having a sensible balanced diet and maybe taking some pointers from diet and lifestyle philosophies, you can be healthy and not become obsessed.
Sarah recently posted..First Check-in of the Year
I completely agree. I have to say I was ready to be quite dismissive of Paleo until I read about the background, it does seem to be a trend, but having read about it I wouldn’t class it in the same category as a fad diet :-)
What a great post to read, thanks for sharing those book reviews.
I’ve only read the Robb Wolf book and, as interesting as it was, Paleo has never really appealed to me that much. As you say, if there’s no intollerance I can’t see why good, unrefined grains can’t form part of a healthy diet. I do a lot of low-intensity cardio every day thanks to my walking commute, and when that’s done I want my carby breakfast!
I followed a low-carb diet last year for a couple of months, which was great for quick weight loss but I found it very unsustainable. It did re-educate me about my carb levels though, and as much as I still eat them, I certainly don’t eat as much as I used to.
Alex recently posted..Three Berry Muffins
I think that is the crux of things for me, like you say you experimented with what carb levels work for you and I think that’s fantastic. Finding out how our own bodies work best is where its at!
“I think there is a lot of Paleo that is crap, however there is a lot of good stuff there too.” Haha, this basically sums up how I feel about paleo :) As a long-time vegetarian and new vegan paleo is clearly NOT for me, it doesn’t match with my ethical beliefs and my taste buds. However, my best friend is a hard-core paleo believer and encouraged me to read some of her paleo books to see more of her points. I certainly agree with some points of the diet, and can see that already the ‘cutting out crap’ approach can help a lot of diseases, some points are complete crap, and as said, the meat focus is a no go for me. But I am still happy I somewhat educated myself on this dietery approach, you can always take the good parts with you, use what works or at least happy that you know why you are not following a certain regiment.
I think that’s the important thing, you have read about it and formed an educated opinion on it and know that its not for you. Hope you enjoy your new veganism! I think its a fabulous lifestyle if it works right for your body :-)
This is a great post Laura! I haven’t done much research on the paleo diet myself, but it just seems like the latest diet trend. It really annoys me that a lot of bloggers have just ditched veganism for the paleo diet because it’s on trend. Obviously they weren’t ethically minded with regards to the diet. I don’t believe living off the amount of meats suggested in the paleo diet is healthy, animal products cause huge amounts of diseases, and the amounts of meat I see people eating on this diet are just not healthy. I agree with your approach, somedays I’ll crave more carbs or some days fats, so I just tend to listen to my body and give it what it needs.
Lauren (@poweredbypb) recently posted..Best Body Bootcamp Week 3
Love Lauren’s response – she has basically said everything I was going to. I’m sorry, but I honestly cannot believe these diets whereby bacon is considered healthy. Red meat in such mass quantities is not healthy. It’s just not. I also foresee a whole lot of kidney and cholesterol problems in the future – I know the jury’s out on eggs, but three or more whole eggs every day? That’s insane. I’m all for high protein ratios – carbs just don’t sit well with me either, particularly grains, but there is nothing wrong with legumes and since when did our ancestors have access to coconut milk? Very few cave paintings with neanderthals cracking open coconuts, I feel.
I’ve read up on Paleo (as have you, you’ve clearly done your research) because I was hoping to find some vegan/Paleo compromise. I think Thrive’s 30-Day plan looks more appealing to me, but the recipes are pretty complex for a kitchen disaster such as myself.
Totally disagree with the cardio/cortisol/fat equation, but then I again I would, wouldn’t I? I might have a spare tyre, but most distance runners are the leanest people on the planet, and have far less bodyfat (and therefore spare tyre) than Crossfitters/Paleo people. Genetics plays a part too, but look at the Kenyans – very high carb diet, running culture, thinnest nation ever.
Apologies Jess, your comment got lost in my spam filter. That’s a very good point that did not cross my mind regarding the distance runners, particularly those Kenyans. Great point also on the coconut thing – I think if it was truly following a paleo style diet then it would be a lot less meat heavy, and much more fruit and vegetables and certainly not products such as coconut which would have only been available in specific climates anyway. I don’t believe that some red meat is unhealthy, but its the amount and where it comes from / form it comes in that would concern me long term. As I tried to get across in the post, the reason I find some of this approach interesting is because of my amenorrhoea issues, once that is better (or on my way to that) I’ll re evaluate what works for me.
I have to admit, having read about it I can see why some Paleo followers would find calling it a trend quite insulting, but I guess that’s just the same way some vegans would feel when veganism was called a trend over the last couple of years. I think its sad that anything like this is thought of as a ‘trend’ I wish we could all just nourish our bodies in the best way for us and individuals :-)
Really interesting post. I have never been inclined to follow tend diets and to honest I thought that Paleo was just the Atkins diet rebranded. After reading this review I can see there are some aspects that I already do that is Paleo such as high fat and protein, low sugar and carbs because that is just what sits well with me. I’m also enamoured by the fitness approach as that is my current standing on this topic. Other aspects I am inclined to disagree with however, but with things like this I think they are easily adaptable and you can just take out the bits that you like and go with that! :)
Jemma recently posted..3 Ingredient Coconut & Sweet Potato Soup
I was just saying to Lauren in the previous comment that I now that I have done my research I think calling Paleo a trend is a bit insulting just the way that calling veganism a trend over the last couple of years is. I guess its all just swings and roundabouts, but I’m behind anything that makes people think more critically about how they eat and what they eat as a way of figuring out what works for them as individuals. I just wish there were no trends at all!
Wow this was so interesting! I’ve been doing a bit of reading on Paleo just purely out of interest…I find nutrition stuff so exciting and interesting – wish that was what I was studying!
It makes me sad that bloggers are turning to Paleo purely because it has become a trend..I think I read somewhere that it was the biggest diet to take off in the New Year for weight loss. I think it’s really important to eat what is right for you as we are all individual. Personally, Paleo would mess me up in terms of the fasting. This would be an instant trigger for my ED binging tendencies and would totally ruin me. I also find that since I’ve added dairy into my diet the binging is rare and I also know that when I don’t eat many carbs, I will, again, probably binge because I’m an active person and my body will just give out hunger signs no matter how much I’ve eaten otherwise. Sooo all in all, I just couldn’t go along with it without destroying my mental health and probably gaining a lot of weight by that!
I do agree with you that the fitness side of things sounds great though! A perfect mix to stay healthy I reckon and I’d also definitely like to try the Vibrams..a little scared to go out and buy them and then hate them though! And also lots of sleep and having de-stressing times is key in my life :)
Nicky @kabochafashionista recently posted..Crunchy Falafel & Fave Snacking
Its a difficult one, I’m not entirely sure that bloggers are turning to it because its a trend, I think its a case that as something becomes more popular more people end up trying it. I think now that I have researched it I think it has some merits and I can completely see why it would work for a lot of people. I guess the key thing is for people to really consider if its right for their body, rather than just doing it because everyone else is. I so want to try Vibrams, maybe something to stick on my birthday list!
The Paleo diet is a big no no for me as a vegetarian. I only know the basics of it but surely it contradicts all the health info of recent years saying that too much red meat is bad for you. Surely as we evolve our diets evolve. We live in a different world now to when cavemen were around and maybe we shouldn’t be eating their diet. Maybe i’m looking at it too simply.
I definitely think it’s weird that a certain diet is a ‘trend.’
P.S. Today i made your Cranberry & Macadamia Nut Cookies that you posted ages ago. They were great. Even my mam and dad loved them! I did make a few changes – olive oil instead of coconut, walnuts instead of macadamias and maple syrup instead of honey. They are definitely on my make again list!
A lot of what these books did cover was critical assessments of all of that research and how it was, as they see it, completely wrong. Having read it, I think that some good quality grass fed red meat is fine for some people at some points in their lives. For me and what I’m dealing with there’s probably no better food. But I think if I ate the same amount of red meat I’m eating now for the rest of my life I’d be in bother! Again, they also address the evolution thing explaining that we haven’t actually evolved that much in the 1000′s of years since Palaeolithic times, but I’m not so sure on that one! I wish there was no such thing as a diet trend, what a sad state of affairs we are in some times :-( So glad you and your family enjoyed those cookies!
As you know I tried out this diet and found the books really interesting but eating all the meat started to bog me down and I definitely missed pulses, oats, rice and quinoa. I don’t eat pasta, white rice, bread products or any wheat products but I find including carbs is a must for me. The meat thing is an issue for me, so I am at the moment sticking to chicken, fish, eggs and pulses for protein and it seems to be working for me. I am actually researching some other ways dietary ways which I am finding rather exciting but I need to do more on this before talking about it.
Good luck with trying this way of eating and if it works, you enjoy it why not? x
Tamizn recently posted..Porridge Lovin
You see I think what you did was great, you tried something out and made an assessment on how it made you feel. Looking forward to hearing more about your new approach!
I loved this post Laura, so well read and well put! I like parts of Paleo but not others. My diet consists of mainly nuts, fruit, veg and lean meat or fish so I guess I’m not too far off but I don’t think I could ever live without cake or PB!
Claire @ Flake and Cake recently posted..MIMM: A runner again
Haha – actually one of the things I liked about the Primal Blueprint in particular was the 80 / 20 approach so I think you would be fine there!
Thank you so much for this post, Laura! Paleo seems to be popping up everywhere these days but I’ve never really done a lot of research into the reasoning behind it and just wrote it off as the latest diet trend. I know for a fact that this style of eating doesn’t work for me… when I cut carbs and increase my intake of proteins and fats, not only does my energy suffer, but my stomach rebels against me as well. I don’t think there’s any diet out there that’s be-all, end-all. Everyone is different and has to experiment with what works the best for them.
Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted... what i did before breakfast .
I think now that I’ve read about it and think it has some merits its probably more than just a fad diet, but I just hope that people do their reading and figure out if it works for them rather than doing it just to follow suit. I completely agree with your last sentence, we all need to work out what works for us!
This is soooo much info Laura – thank you for all of your research and input! I know I might not make a lot of friends this way – but I think the logic behind Paleo diets is sort of ill-formed. We’ve evolved way past our cavewoman selves… I mean, we’ve never made it a point to eat like monkeys, right? I don’t get it!
But I’m a vegan so I’m a little bit biased… :)
Rose recently posted..Midwest is Best: A love note to the Heartlands
Haha, I think most people agree with your stand point! I just stick by my feelings that different things work for different people basically, if veganism works for you I think that is truly wonderful :-)
Such a useful post, thank you, good to hear someone else’s views, especially someone with nutrition training. Personally I think there’s a lot of sense in it, except the heavy focus on meat/fish which is just bizarre and clearly inaccurate historically.
I totally agree!
What an interesting post. I must say that although I can see a little bit of the science behind it- for example avoiding the high GI carbs that are so processed, I also think that it is still just a fad and a lot of it is totally made up. I mean, cavemen did not have access to coconut oil to cook things in, and they would not have access to a lot of meat- they might have been eating meat every 7-10 days possibly- I mean I think a lot of it is to sell diet books and stuff. Plus to catch the meat /animal would have involved a lot of running etc. I also feel that for thousands of years man as a race was healthy- whether they ate primarily rice/ beans/ vegetables etc- the western diseases which are more prevalent are from the processed foods, so I think personally eating foods that are real, and whole, is the best approach, whether they are veg/ meat/ dairy based. And of course finding what works for you is so important.
The barefoot running always sounds interesting too- someone at my running club has them because she used to have a lot of injuries, and since transitioning to them she has been loads better. But then in the frost/ the cold her feet are freezing, and of course you have to transition so slowly to them, as nowadays we are so used to wearing shoes we walk in a different style.
But interesting to look into I think :)
Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted..11 things (thanks Lara)
Apologies Maria your comment went missing in my spam filter. I’m definitely interested in the barefoot style thing, I know I don’t run, but I’d love to see what they are like for walking and even for keeping good posture when weight training. I agree completely with what you are saying, whole foods is best and this does certainly advocate that, then build on top of it with what works for you :-)
Really interesting and well balanced post.
I am going to check out the podcast and website you recommended and make up my mind. Initially I did feel it was a bit gimmicky and like you point out there are environmental reasons for not eating so much animal protein.
I would definitely check out those resources, but like me, there’s no reason why you can’t take out of it what works for you and leave what doesn’t :-)
I think Paleo has its place but I could never follow any particular ‘diet’ religiously. Like you have mentioned, I do what works for me, its ensuring you don’t become obsessive about it all that I think is important. Its about finding a balance. I tend to not eat bread and pasta now and I feel MUCH better for it. Now, I do have bread sometimes because quite frankly, I love it! Just not everyday like I used to, its more of a treat now. Same with pasta. I won’t ban foods but i will take learnings from different nutrition styles and incorporate where I see fit.
I enjoy making alot of Paleo recipes, purely because, in essence, they are not processed and are clean eating recipes. I do eat more meat but that is because I find protein fills me up more. I don’t agree with eating lost of red meat, and tbh that could get pretty expensive if I did!
The key for me is to eat as cleanly as possible and to do that i will take inspiration from Paleo, Clean & Lean etc. But I don’t believe in certain aspects of Paleo (legumes, etc being banned) so I choose to do what suits me and my lifestyle, otherwise surely people get bored and frustrated by all the ‘rules’?
Great blog by the way! So nice to find a UK based health & fitness blogger :)
I love your approach! I think eating ‘cleanly’ is really the best approach there is, and that way you can certainly take inspiration from a variety of different dietary approaches and make them work well for you. Diet rules are crap and I had enough of them to last me a lifetime!
As you know, I love paleo, and am actually in the middle of reading both Practical Paleo and Paleo Solution, as well as a few others, I’m trying to find the time to read them all! I also think that ‘eating like a cave man’ is a load of bollocks, especially when you consider how young cavemen where when they died, and I don’t see why their way of living is thought to be optimal, but then again the result people get are phenomenal.
What really interests me is the research done into grains and inflammation in the body: I wish I could get tests done on myself to see if there is any difference in when I do et paleo, and when I don’t! I am far more interested in the affects eating paleo does for my health e.g. could it stop me developing arthritis, vs losing weight, although it does seem to be a way of eating my body likes, and despite eating the same amount of calories before, I seem to be losing weight a little bit easier. I also find that it has broken any ‘addictions’ I had to certain foods such as chocolate, bread (and carbs in general!), and milky tea. to be honest I don’t consider paleo to be low carb- I get 100g+ most days, which is double what is considered low carb!
I’ve been eating paleo on and off since September now, and the more I do it, the more I see it as a way of life. I’ve not really planned where I’m going to go after I finish the whole30, but it will most probably be mosly paleo- it just makes me feel good, and that’s something I can’t go against!
Ffion @ Chocolate and Raspberries recently posted..WIAW And My First Physiotherapy Session
I think you are right there, I think its more the results from eating that way that are important rather than the idea that its linked to cave men if that makes sense! If it works for you and feels good then I say go for it! Listening to your body and working with it is the best thing whatever ‘diet’ you follow :-)
Really interesting stuff to find out more about paleo – the good and bad. Thanks Laura! :-)
Glad you found it interesting!
A really well balanced an interesting review Laura. I’ve been writing my paleo blog for nearly two years and it feels strange now that many more people know what I’m talking about – I have noticed the buzz of the word in 2013!
I do to be honest feel a bit silly calling it a caveman diet – you’re right that cavemen all over the world would not have all had access to the foods we do today. The label paleo – is just an easier way of describing ‘a natural whole foods diet avoiding processed sugar, grains and dairy’! I don’t consider it to be a ‘diet’ any more than ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarianism’ is a diet – just a great way of eating whole & natural foods which nourish my body and help with digestive issues and general optimum health.
The meat point is an interesting one – as is the carbs. I think finding the balance between all of the foods available re paleo is individual for everyone – so it certainly doesn’t need to be labelled a high meat diet at all. You could only eat fish and be paleo for example.
Keep up the great blog! I really enjoy reading your posts.
Thanks Ceri,I think if they took away the cave man thing and just said look this is a diet that avoids those foods due to high carb content, anti nutrients etc and all the science behind the approach then it might be easier for some people to get on board with. But as I said in response to some commenters I don’t see this like a ‘fad’ diet, although I think the trend thing is more within the HLB community. I think you are absolutely right to compare it with veggie diets, its more of a lifestyle I think. Glad you’ve highlighted to me about the high meat thing, I need to remember that you can make the balance of foods work for you, as you say more fish etc. Been loving your recipes!
true! and thanks! if I can think of a snappy name to rebrand paleo I will let you know…
Ceri recently posted..Almond Flan with Raspberries & Lime
Hey
Im glad ive read this post which my lovely friend Alex recommended!
Ive recently decided to change the way I eat and am reading a book on Paleo. For me its already making me think about how much processed food i eat, no wonder im over-weight! I dont believe in all the caveman stuff but I definately think it will be a healthier way of eating for me.
Great blog too :)
Thanks, glad you found it helpful!