The Paleo diet

[grizzlyblake]

The paleo diet is excellent if you can stick to it, which is very hard with the garbage food available everywhere today. One of the biggest errors I see on this page is people eating CORN, which is NOT paleo-friendly.

Corn is a very new plant and is a grain just like wheat. Potatoes are also out. The thing to remember for "veggies" is to only eat what you can eat raw. Raw grains and potatoes aren't going to work.

Another error here is avoiding fats. For paleo man fats were the cornerstone of the energy source. Most paleo eaters focus on fat first, then protein, then veggies, and some fruit.


Basically what you're doing is training your body to shift from burning simple sugars for energy to burning fat for energy. This can take a couple weeks sometimes and is a weird transition. However, your are designed to burn fat for energy and it is a much more steady power delivery without weird blood sugar spikes and whatnot.

Here is a great blog on the paleo diet. I'm not much for the not showering and stuff though...

http://freetheanimal.com/

 

[garnede]

I forgot to mention Omega 3 fatty acids. These come from plants containing chlorophyl. Fish get them because little fish eat algae and big fish eat little fish. This accumulates in the larger fish. Farmed fish are fed soy and corn, so there is little benefit in eating them. Grass fed or wild meats are high in omega 3 because they eat plant leaves.

Eggs were eaten by paleo man, even if they were only in season for a short time. But a commercial egg is not the same as a pastured or true free range egg. "Free range" in store bought eggs, means they have a small yard at each end of the chicken house which has long been stripped of plants and bugs. True pastured or free range eggs get to eat plants and bugs in their daily diet. This makes their yolks brighter orange, beta carotene. The insects give a higher level of protein too. In addition to this since they get regular sunshine the eggs are high in vitamin D, which your body can actually use since it comes with fat. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, so it can not be used/absorbed unless provided with fat.

Bones: Paleo man took advantage of bones and bone marrow. Long bones in animals contain a type of marrow that is tasty and nutrient dense. If you buy meat or kill an animal that has these bones eat the marrow. Paleo man probably didn't make stock, but to get more bang for your buck and more nutrients from your food, make stock. Save bones from meat, it does not mater if it comes from multiple animal species. Roast them in the oven for an hour to develop the flavor. Then cover with water, add a few vegies (onion, carrot, celery. even wilted vegies are ok). Boil for 6-12 hours at a low boil. You can gat flavor with boiling for a few hours, but it takes more time for the calcium and other minerals to leach out of the bones into the stock. Then use the stock in place of water in recipes.

 

[grizzlyblake]

Oh yeah stews and soups with whole animals cooked in them are excellent.


Eggs are great, but you have to be careful when doing the whole free-range versus commercial bit because you can kill yourself with the details.

If you were to only eat commercial eggs, 70/30 ground beef, and some spinach salad here and there you would be eating better than 99% of the people in this country.

 

[grizzlyblake]

By the way, right now I'm a "do as I say not as I do" expert here.

I have been off the wagon for a while eating garbage a lot like fast food just because of the convenience.

 

[Nicodemus]

The Paleo People ate a lot of elephants, horses, and camels too.

 

[garnede]

The Paleo People ate a lot of elephants, horses, and camels too.

Don't forget those mammoths either.

 

[Money man]

Perhaps a Paleo restaurant chain is in order?

 

[FishingAddict]

Perhaps a Paleo restaurant chain is in order?

It's called Fogo de Chao.

The Paleo diet is a good concept, but I think they got some of their facts wrong- but I could be wrong.

They want 50% of your calories to come from meat. In a typically hunter/gather society, 80% of the calories comes from the gathering, not 50%.

Also, they don't allow root veggies and tubers in the diet. The Paleo man would have certainly eaten such things- in fact, they have discovered grinding stones that are very old that they think were used for tubers.

Most root veggies (beet, sweet potatoes, carrots) are great for you, but the traditional white potato isn't good for you for the most part.

Also, they eliminate legumes from the diet. Legumes (lentils, black, pinto, navy beans and the like) have high amounts of all 7 essential amino acids and have a ton of fiber, which is good for you.


But the concept to eat natural food that isn't processed is a great one.

 

[Nicodemus]

It's called Fogo de Chao.

The Paleo diet is a good concept, but I think they got some of their facts wrong- but I could be wrong.

They want 50% of your calories to come from meat. In a typically hunter/gather society, 80% of the calories comes from the gathering, not 50%.

Also, they don't allow root veggies and tubers in the diet. The Paleo man would have certainly eaten such things- in fact, they have discovered grinding stones that are very old that they think were used for tubers.

Most root veggies (beet, sweet potatoes, carrots) are great for you, but the traditional white potato isn't good for you for the most part.

Also, they eliminate legumes from the diet. Legumes (lentils, black, pinto, navy beans and the like) have high amounts of all 7 essential amino acids and have a ton of fiber, which is good for you.


But the concept to eat natural food that isn't processed is a great one.

In reality, are you sure you are not gettin` the Paleo period confused with the Archaic period?

 

[FishingAddict]

In reality, are you sure you are not gettin` the Paleo period confused with the Archaic period?

I could be, but I don't think so.

If I remember correctly, Archiac refers to "beginning of culture"- and their diet would probably have grains in it- given the grains would be healthier than the grains that we eat now.

The Paleo diet says "no grains"- which probably isn't a terrible thing. Some grains are ok- like quinoa. But most of the grains we get in our US diet are from wheat- and are highly proccessed.

 

[Nicodemus]

I could be, but I don't think so.

If I remember correctly, Archiac refers to "beginning of culture"- and their diet would probably have grains in it- given the grains would be healthier than the grains that we eat now.

The Paleo diet says "no grains"- which probably isn't a terrible thing. Some grains are ok- like quinoa. But most of the grains we get in our US diet are from wheat- and are highly proccessed.

What kinds and varieties of grain are we talkin` about here?

 

[FishingAddict]

What kinds and varieties of grain are we talkin` about here?

Grains that are seem to be, at least according to the "experts", are the ancient grains such as quinoa, millet, barley, rye, and a couple others I can't think of. That's if it's not processed-any food that is processed has the fiber and nutrients that are good for you taken out, and the simple sugars left in- which isn't so good for you.

Common wheat, our modern day grain which is in most every bread product out there, contains a high amount gluten, which some people don't tolerate well but don't know any different because they've always eaten it. It can be an intestinal irritant.

Barley, rye and some of the other grains have gluten in it as well, but it's a different gluten if I remember correctly. Last I read, someone was doing research on the gluten in barley helping lessen some of the irritant of common wheat barley.

Rice is a gluten free grain by itself. Like the other grains, the less processed it is, the better it is for you because of the extra fiber in unprocessed foods. White minute rice is almost like eating sugar to your body...which your body is not designed to tolerate for health. Which gets around to the main point of trying to avoid processed foods if you can help it.

 

[Nicodemus]

Grains that are seem to be, at least according to the "experts", are the ancient grains such as quinoa, millet, barley, rye, and a couple others I can't think of. That's if it's not processed-any food that is processed has the fiber and nutrients that are good for you taken out, and the simple sugars left in- which isn't so good for you.

Common wheat, our modern day grain which is in most every bread product out there, contains a high amount gluten, which some people don't tolerate well but don't know any different because they've always eaten it. It can be an intestinal irritant.

Barley, rye and some of the other grains have gluten in it as well, but it's a different gluten if I remember correctly. Last I read, someone was doing research on the gluten in barley helping lessen some of the irritant of common wheat barley.

Rice is a gluten free grain by itself. Like the other grains, the less processed it is, the better it is for you because of the extra fiber in unprocessed foods. White minute rice is almost like eating sugar to your body...which your body is not designed to tolerate for health. Which gets around to the main point of trying to avoid processed foods if you can help it.

I don`t think the Paleo People would have been eatin` those grains. The Archaic People either.

 

[FishingAddict]

I don`t think the Paleo People would have been eatin` those grains. The Archaic People either.

Most people assume that the paleo era humans wouldn't eat grains at all. They may have, but only when they were "in season." Certainly they wouldn't have been 30% of their diet year round like it is for us.

I thought, and I could be wrong, that Archiac period meant the beginning of farming, in which case they might have grown the ancient grains.

 

[Nicodemus]

Most people assume that the paleo era humans wouldn't eat grains at all. They may have, but only when they were "in season." Certainly they wouldn't have been 30% of their diet year round like it is for us.

I thought, and I could be wrong, that Archiac period meant the beginning of farming, in which case they might have grown the ancient grains.

Those grains you mention are European. Paleo and Archaic are American.

 

[FishingAddict]

Those grains you mention are European. Paleo and Archaic are American.

You may be right...I was thinking of the Greek Archaic period, but come to think of it, I think it may be referring to art and culture upon Googling it:


I thought Archaic was a generic term for the period of time that cultures first started setting up farming and such.

Ya learn something every day.

 

[garnede]

Modern wheat has been breed for high gluten content. Some truly wild rice may have been eaten, but not much.