Whats your take on the paleo diet?

[happycat]

I've been on the paleo diet for the past year or so and I really like it. It seems like a lifestyle to me and I enjoy lots of nutritious foods.

[Russ]

It's basically the latest fad diet. If it's helped you start eating a more nutritious or balanced diet, that's great, but lots of the talk shows like to tout it as something it's not.

[happycat]

Out of curiosity, have you been working out in combination with this diet? Or just purely diet?

And did your body change in anyway (aesthetically)?

I do workouts and diet in combination and yes I've lost a lot of weight without even trying. I went from 69 kg to about 58 which my current weight. I got a little worried but my BMI is still about 21. I was about 25 for my BMI before. I've had some people say that I've got a nice look to me and that I look well. It seems that my skin glows golden orange in the sun.

[walkec]

I personally reckon it's the biggest waste of money. There's nothing healthy about cutting out complete food groups (unless you are allergic/intolerant to them).

Grains are one of the best source of carbohydrates and carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy. Too much meat/protein consumption increases the risk of many diet related diseases like heart disease from increased saturated fat consumption and some types of cancer.

The Paleo diet also uses a lot of coconut oil, which is high in unhealthy saturated fats (increasing your risk of heart disease). I don't know about you, but I'd rather keep using mono and polyunsaturated fat types when I do need to use oil because the benefits of these are based on modern day science and not some fad diet.

By cutting out dairy, I wouldn't be surprised if people on the Paleo diet are more likely to develop osteoporosis later on in life also.

I am not opposed to healthy eating, so I do agree that the Paleo is good in terms of getting people to eat more "whole foods". But you can also eat a whole food based diet than encompasses a healthy balance of all food groups.

[slothpomba]

I only know a little about it so i could be wrong.

It based on the assumption that our ancestors did X so doing X must be good for us! Keep in mind that's a totally bullshit, unscientific (not even pseudoscientific) way of thinking.

Large volumes of research have found that for weightloss, its not so much which diet you follow as much as whether you follow a diet at all. If people are watching their food intake and are staying committed, surprise, it tends to lead to weight loss. Meat has a lot of health problems associated with it (in particular, red meat), piling up on it generally isn't a good idea either.

It's good in the fact its a diet. It's assumptions and methods are a little sketchy but for weight loss it seems to be OK. A lot of people that lose weight tend to put it back on though eventually. They usually drop their diet or go back to their old habits. I don't think itd be wise or enjoyable to adopt paelo as a permanent lifestyle choice.

[sparked]

Paleo rocks!!!!!!!!!

When I'm stressed, for some reason I eat ridiculous quantities of chocolate.

When I am not stressed, I'm basically paleo.

I think what's started to happen is a reverse causation - where paleo meals just make me feel happy.

If anyone is considering doing it... do it!

[Russ]

The Paleo diet also uses a lot of coconut oil, which is high in unhealthy saturated fats (increasing your risk of heart disease). I don't know about you, but I'd rather keep using mono and polyunsaturated fat types when I do need to use oil because the benefits of these are based on modern day science and not some fad diet.

The saturated fat debate is one of the most controversial in modern nutrition. Give it 10 years, and there could be an entirely new paradigm for the role of fat in the diet.

[Limista]

It's basically the latest fad diet.

Wouldn't it only be a 'fad' diet if it didn't work? However, it should work, since it restricts processed food consumption, meaning that the person following the diet shouldn't eat junk food. And if we don't eat junk food, we stay away from unhealthy sugars and fats, consequently losing weight...unless of course you warrant 'fad' by implying that we aren't getting all the nutrients we need from the diet, and hence, may become malnourished.

However, I do agree with the idea that paleo diet seems temporary -- kind of like the 'gluten-free' fashion we had going on, until nutritionists unravelled that foods lacking gluten were instead substantiated with other fats and sugars. I suppose we just have to wait for health-food experts to unearth some sort of innocuous evidence against the paleo diet, such as the being thrown back into the primitive times because it involves consuming 'cave-man' food.

I think it's best to just stick with the health food pyramid and its 5 basic food groups.

[happycat]

I would like to say that I do NOT eat red meat every day, on most days I consume mostly seafood (mostly low mercury ones like sardines, prawns and snapper) and by the way red meat is a significant source of zinc and iron. Polyunsaturated fats are VERY unhealthy especially things like vegetable oil and the thing about saturated fat being unhealthy is debatable. It could be that its unhealthy for those who consume lots of carbs and the same goes for cholesterol unhealthy for those who consume lots of carbs. By the way gluten can lead to things like leaky gut that may affect mineral absorption. Grains are high in omega 6 and phytates. I do admit that some omega 6 is needed but not high amounts like in vegetable oils. Extra virgin olive has a great reputation for the health conscious. This diet has been working for me really well and I love this diet.

[Russ]

Wouldn't it only be a 'fad' diet if it didn't work? However, it should work, since it restricts processed food consumption, meaning that the person following the diet shouldn't eat junk food. And if we don't eat junk food, we stay away from unhealthy sugars and fats, consequently losing weight...unless of course you warrant 'fad' by implying that we aren't getting all the nutrients we need from the diet, and hence, may become malnourished.

I use the term fad diet to refer to a flavour of the month diet that doesn't really have anything special going for it other than advertising. Paleo is just the latest of these. Any diet will /work/ if it reduces energy intake below energy expenditure, even if it's an all carbohydrate diet. Like I said, if it gets people off a poor diet and reduces their refined carbohydrate intake etc. then that's great, but that doesn't mean the paleo diet is amazing and revolutionary. There's no reason to think that it's really that great; it's just cashing in on the contemporary craze of 'natural'

By the way gluten can lead to things like leaky gut that may affect mineral absorption.

I suppose this depends on what you mean by 'leaky gut', because I've heard it used to describe Coeliac but leaky gut is not a thing.

[happycat]

I've been seeing a few paleo cafes here and there but these are few and far between. There has been quite a few paleo bars, this, that and the other starting to appear. There are even online paleo forums. I really think it is more than just a fad diet, in a similar sort of way as a vegetarian diet. To say that paleo is a fad diet is like saying that a vegetarian is a fad diet. I also tend to react to eating bread or eating anything with wheat in it. I tend to feel bloated. Yet I can eat a large meal with like 250 g kangaroo steak and big bowl of vegetables and I don't get this bloated feeling I get when I eat wheat products like cake and bread.

[slothpomba]

I really think it is more than just a fad diet, in a similar sort of way as a vegetarian diet.

Care to elaborate :p? I've been a vegetarian for 17 years and i'm pretty damn baffled by the connection...

Either way you asked for peoples take so i guess you should just kind of take it and roll with it. Got any links to those paleo bars?

[happycat]

Care to elaborate :p? I've been a vegetarian for 17 years and i'm pretty damn baffled by the connection...

Either way you asked for peoples take so i guess you should just kind of take it and roll with it. Got any links to those paleo bars?

I meant snack bars and I meant like switch to paleo by choice in a similar sort of way as switching to vegetarian by choice. This paleo diet is becoming more popular so it may become mainstream like what vegetarians have become.