Paleo diet?

[Catrin]

I know some TE members have moved to the Paleo diet, or other primal diets. I am curious what you think of it after having been on it for a time. As someone who once had insulin resistance issues, I am starting to research the Paleo diet to see if it might be a good move for me.

Has anyone regretted moving to the Paleo diet? Are you glad you made the move?

[GLC1968]

I've been paleo for almost a year now over periods of lots of activity (and races) and periods of zero activity (due to injury). In addition, I have been on a very clean paleo elimination diet for the past 30+ days and I feel fan-freaking-tastic.

I'd be happy to answer any questions, but the real answers can only come if you try it yourself because everyone is different.

As a start, I would highly recommend two books. First and foremost: It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. They are the founders of the website Whole9 and the concept of Whole30 (30 days of clean/strict paleo to reset your hormonal response to food). Book number two is called The Paleo Solution and it's by Robb Wolf. Robb is sometimes a bit 'in your face' and his style can be kind of offensive, but I find him amusing. His book gets into more of the science than ISWF does.

And if you do decide to try it, the best cookbook out there is called Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan. It's actually a pretty awesome cookbook whether you are paleo or not, but every single recipe we've tried from her book as been amazing. She also gives you tons and tons of ways to change things up and mix and match to keep everything interesting.

[Becky]

DH and I are starting to experiment with the idea of paleo. It's been less than a week. So far, we've made a concerted effort to reduce grains, eat more produce and lean meat, and eliminate dairy. Neither of us are sure that we can go totally grain- and legume-free, but we're both enjoying veggie-laden meals and less sugar. We've both noticed that our allergies are less severe since we dropped dairy.

Thanks to Catrin for starting this thread, and to GLC for the cookbook suggestion. I've been thinking about buying Well Fed, whether we commit to paleo or not, so I'm glad to hear that it's worth it. I'm looking forward to reading in this thread about others' experiences.

[ny biker]

I work with a guy who tried it. He said he was hungry all the time.

His diet was pretty healthy to begin with, in terms of things like avoiding fats and sugars, choosing whole grains, stuff like that.

[GLC1968]

NYBiker- avoiding fat while on the Paleo diet will definitely leave one starving. I did the same thing the first time I tried it. Fat is key to satiety and to general satisfaction! It took me weeks to learn to tolerate it after years of low fat living, and months before i could enjoy it, but now I can comfortably embrace healthy fat with every meal. In fact, a meal is not complete to me without it now!

I can share more of our actual experience on the diet tomorrow. My husband is also paleo.

[Catrin]

NYBiker- avoiding fat while on the Paleo diet will definitely leave one starving. I did the same thing the first time I tried it. Fat is key to satiety and to general satisfaction! It took me weeks to learn to tolerate it after years of low fat living, and months before i could enjoy it, but now I can comfortably embrace healthy fat with every meal. In fact, a meal is not complete to me without it now!

I can share more of our actual experience on the diet tomorrow. My husband is also paleo.

Whatever you would like to share would be helpful I must admit that the idea of increasing fat in my diet for an energy source in the place of carbs is...a bit scary. That being said, I know it is about good fats, and our focus on low fat diets since the 80's have caused more problems than we realized at the time but it's been difficult to not have absorbed at least some of the idea that "fat makes you fat". The reality is far more complex than that. As someone who has reversed diabetes 2, I recognize that insulin resistance will always be a concern of mine - and apparently there is research that has shown primal diets to have a very positive effect regarding insulin issues. I need to check out this research myself.

I know a couple of fitness professionals who were once against the Paleo/primal approach but felt it their job to research it carefully as these issues could impact those they work with. What got my attention is they are starting to change their original negative opinion and they are encouraging their clients to do the research and base our decisions on what we find. They aren't pushing us to do this - but to do the research and base our decisions on that.

Our library has the books you mentioned on order, I am now in the que. They have an electronic copy of "The Paleo Answer" by the same author of The Paleo Diet and I've checked that out.

[Dogmama]

There was a recent study that showed a low glycemic diet helped people lose weight & keep it off. It was superior to the low fat/high carb or high fat/low carb diets.

My only concern would be the calcium and minerals that dairy provides. Granted, we can take supplements but I do believe that whole foods deliver nutrients in ways we don't understand yet. For women, especially as we become more mature (cough - I have a birthday coming up) osteoporosis is a concern. Most dieticians are against cutting out entire food groups.

That being said - everybody is different. Some cannot tolerate a low carb diet due to lifestyle and the neurotransmitters that are manufactured with the help of carbohydrates. Others have no problems. I guess the real answer would be to try it & see how you feel.

[Catrin]

From what I've read, there seems to be different perspectives in the Paleo community regarding dairy. I doubt that I will cut it out entirely as I've the same calcium concerns but I've just started my research. I do think I need to give this a chance but want to do my research first.

[westtexas]

I've been Paleo for ~11 months now and I cannot see myself ever returning to a Standard American Diet ever again. I didn't have weight to lose when I started, but I definitely leaned out and built some muscle without really changing my exercise habits. For me, the biggest impact it made on my life was the elimination of constant daily heartburn, horrible terrible acne (which is still clearing up slowly), being tired all the time and being hungry all the time.

The key in my mind is that you have to do it with lots of fat and whatever carbs you eat need to be low glycemic index. I'm not 100% Paleo - I cheat every now and then, but I try to make smarter choices if I eat a grain or have some dessert. I do regularly drink red wine and eat dark chocolate.

The books I recommend most are Well Fed (as previously mentioned), Paleo Comfort Foods and Make It Paleo (the one I use most often). There are two more books coming out this fall - Practical Paleo and Paleo Slow Cooker (something like that).

On a regular basis, I read Mark's Daily Apple, Nom Nom Paleo and Paleo For Women. I have found the discussions in the latter to be especially intriguing because it talks about how as women, our different set of complicated hormones can make the Paleo diet tricky for us, as well as learning to accept your body the way it is. I found this especially important because for a while I was obsessed with getting my body fat percentage below a certain set point I made up in my mind, and now I feel more like I am eating to simply be healthy and feel good.

My mom and I both eat this way now and we love it. We're trying to get my dad on the gravy train, but the man is addicted to Cheez-Its.

[Irulan]

Throw a little sausage (or bacon) into that veggie scramble and you've got a good breakfast for me!

This is where I get confused about Paleo. Sausage and bacon are filled with nitrates, artificial flavorings and preservatives. So you give up certain food groups only to add this back in? I don't get it. Granted, I'm not the most well informed person- I eat mostly whole and unprocessed foods anyway without a weight or energy problem, so I have not paid attention to the nuances of Paleo.

[OakLeaf]

I don't even eat pork, but I see plenty of natural sausage and naturally cured meats at the local market.

[GLC1968]

Ditto Oakleaf. It's expensive, but it's really easy to find pastured, humane un-cured, nitrate free bacon and sausage. And more often than not, I make my own bulk sausage from grass-fed ground beef and seasonings. Soooo good!

I now make my own guacamole, mayo, salad dressings/marinades, sausage, and tomato sauce because the store bought options all contain things I want to avoid.

[Dogmama]

Ditto Oakleaf. It's expensive, but it's really easy to find pastured, humane un-cured, nitrate free bacon and sausage.

Trader Joe's is a good source for this type of thing. They also have lunch meats that are uncured & nitrate free.

I've found that their bacon is meatier than most other types. And being nitrate free - it's almost guilt free. I save the bacon grease for my dog - he loves it.

[Catrin]

Trader Joe's is a good source for this type of thing. They also have lunch meats that are uncured & nitrate free.

I've found that their bacon is meatier than most other types. And being nitrate free - it's almost guilt free. I save the bacon grease for my dog - he loves it.

I didn't know this about their bacon! I love bacon but haven't had it in years due to the nitrates.... Thanks!

[Irulan]

In Thai cooking, the top, thick layer of coconut milk is called cream, but that is different from cans of coconut cream. Coconut cream (in a can) is very, very sweet, like sweetened condensed milk, and is mostly used for cocktails and desserts. Coconut milk is unsweetened, and that is what is used for cooking (curries and such).

I've purchased "coconut cream" instead of coconut milk at the Asian Market, by mistake when I thought I was buying coconut milk. I've found it to be the same as what's on top of the coconut milk and nothing more; not a sweetened product. So maybe there's different kinds of coconut cream?

Here's a tip. If you buy canned coconut milk at an Asian market, it cost lots less. I pay $1.19 for a 19 oz. can of Mae Ploy brand. I think the quality of the brands is better, too. In fact all Asian specialty items are less,(and better) and sometimes lots less, at Asian markets than other places. Recently I purchased a 6.5 oz jar of black peppercorns for $2. Take that, Spice Islands,