OT - Anyone tried a paleo diet?

Due to my allergies the way I eat is similar to a paleo/primal diet and have considered going the rest of the way. Four of my allergies are corn, wheat, soy, and rice so almost all processed foods are out. Since I am the cook in the house when home, I have noticed my fiancé who doesn’t share my allergies is healthier when I am feeding him high meat and veg, low grain foods.

As for following a “gimmicky” diet I wouldn’t really consider this style of eating to be a gimmick as people have been following paleo/primal diets for awhile and only recently have I noticed it falling into that category. You eat the way your body functions the best at and many people don’t try other ways of eating until they become popular. Not all digestive issues are caused by gluten, other processed foods are factors as well.

Previously, I had numerous food sensitivities that continued to multiply, kept gaining weight in spite of the fact the I didn’t eat sweets, had migraines, joint aches, kidney problems, achy guts, tendonitis, & other issues. Over the years I’ve tried eliminating various things, but just never really felt good consistently.

Then I switched to the Paleo life a year ago. I’ve lost 25 lbs without really trying, no longer have aches & pains & headaches, my digestion is good, my energy & focus is awesome, I sleep well, & I feel awesome. Ignore all the BS that uninformed people say & give it a try. Give it at least a couple months. I committed myself to a year, but within a few months I noticed a significant difference in how I felt. What I love about it is I feel awesome. I’ve completed 2 Whole 30’s, & I keep to a whole 30 plan most of the time, that way if I try something that’s makes me feel like crap, I’ll know it fairly quickly. There are lots of great paleo/primal sites now, lots of recipes to try, but I recommend keeping it simple. Avoid all the Faleo desserts & baked goods for awhile, & focus on eating plenty of veggies & protein. It sounds like you have a good plan, especially if you really take your time when you start adding things back in, one thing at a time. you’ll figure out pretty quickly what works for you & what doesn’t. Feel free to contact me if you need support or just want to share!

I’m a fan. Got turned on to it as follower of www.nerdfitness.com (they’ve got a Paleo app I hear). Tons of info out on the net, which you’ve obviously discovered. Honestly though, I fell off the wagon this Christmas and went a little sugar/grain crazy. Felt pretty crap as a result. Turning it around now.

I’d tried all different ways of eating (vegan to omnivore) and figured I’d give this a shot. Even as a distance runner I’d plateaued in my weight loss (body composition) goals. When I went Paleo it helped me turn the corner.

I still do dairy, mostly greek yogurt and some cheese, not much milk really. Otherwise I eat fruit, eggs, meat, poultry, fish & tons of nuts and veggies. Other than sweet potatoes & yams, I avoid most other carbs, including white potatoes, flour, etc. Actually when I started Paleo I was a little shocked how much bread and grains I consumed. My approach is probably more akin to a dairy friendly gluten free/paleo/low glycemic thing.

I went through a weird period in the beginning as my digestion got use to it, but it eventually settled down. When I’m training hard I consume almost a jar of almond butter a week. Trader Joe’s use to have a great Almond Butter with Flax Seed that they no longer carry. I loved that stuff. I now make my own almond butter in a food processor with bulk almonds I get at Costco. Though I’ve heard arguments that you can train marathon and even ultra distances strict Paleo, I still make my own sports drink when I’m going those kinds of distances which includes agave. I also like a small amount of raw muesli in yogurt before big runs. I don’t know why exactly. I could do without I’m sure, but a breakfast of 1 cup greek yogurt, 2 tbsp ground flax, 1/8 cup muesli and a cup of mixed berries always sticks to my ribs and carries me for a good part of the day.

I try to eat organic, but am not as strict as I probably should be. I’m also not a fanatic about it. I’m sure there’s a bit of sugar and carbs that find there way into foods here and there, but overall I think it’s done me good.

Good luck with it! When all else fails I say go with your gut!

I like the paleo diet because there is an emphasis on raw unprocessed foods. I think a lot of peopl that are on it however don’t understand that to maintain a diet like that requires much more physical activity than the modern era is accustom to. I don’t do the paleo diet because its an entire lifestyle change that does not fit in with what I am doing in my life. I don’t have time for heavy HIIT programs or anything similzr. I also don’t think that most teas would be encompassed, considering the majority are dried, oxidized, flavored, etc… I am going to try this perimeter shopping theory. I live in Southern California though, so I am surrounded by trader joes, wholfe foods and other vegan and raw friendly supermarket chains.

Both my mother and my mother in law are on it and its been wonders for them, My mother found out she is allergic to gluten and it gives her migraines. since she has been on the diet it has stopped.. I do warn your my mother in law had a since of pizza and yesterday she ended up having bad pains Gluten is not something we should have our body’s have learned to accept it once you start this diet your body will change and you can have allergies to gluten form just be careful if you love gluten then ide think about it also its very expensive to start up. My mother had to buy a Gluten free bread maker lol

I know you’re asking about Paleo, but I wouldn’t feel right without adding my two cents ;)

I’ve had auto immune AND digestive issues my whole life and I never feel better than whole foods only vegan with an abundance of kombucha, probiotics, and water. As soon as I add packaged foods (or before when I was eating milk/meat) I would puff up and feel gross, sick, and sluggish.

SO of course the vegan is against a meat based diet, but it’s for health, too not just because I’m insanely in love with cows ;)

A book called “Wheatbelly” by William Davis MD, a preventive cardiologist, makes a good case for eliminating wheat since it was genetically altered 50 years ago, and is not the same grain as our ancestors ate. As a result,it causes a variety of health problems, even for non-celiac disease people. The Paleo diet and The Wheatbelly approach have a lot in common but there are a few differences, ie Davis allows limited dairy. He advocates reducing carbs in general,saying that excessive carb consumption in our diets has led to the rise in diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc. He prefers natural whole foods, saying you can consume vegetables/herbs, raw nuts/seeds, oils,meats/fish/poultry (preferably free-range), eggs, cheese, flaxseed, coconut, spices, cocoa in unlimited quantities. You can have limited quantities of non-cheese dairy, fruit, whole corn, nonwheat/non-gluten grains, legumes, soy products. Rarely or never: wheat,unhealthy oils, dried fruit, sugary foods, fried foods.

Common fallacies regarding the paleo lifestyle:
1. That it is a ‘raw’ kind of thing.
The focus is on meat, eggs, & veggies, prepared any way you like them, with some fruit & nuts (although most people don’t do well with too much of these). Ideally you want locally raised, chemical free, unprocessed foods, but that isn’t a requirement.
2. That it is difficult & time consuming.
Quite to the contrary! It has simplified my life! Both of my sons recently joined me, & we keep it simple. We have 2 crockpots that are always busy cooking something: beef or chicken stock, a soup or stew, a roast or chicken. It only takes a few minutes to set up. Once a week I roast a tray of chicken breasts or thighs (for use in salads, lettuce wraps, etc), & do a few other ‘pre-prep’ things while they’re roasting: make homemade mayo, boil a dozen eggs, steam a pile of green beans, for example. All of our meals are basically a handful of protein & 2 handfuls of veggies (we don’t measure it with our hands, that’s just an estimate). I buy the family pack of chicken breast , ground meat, etc. we freeze the breasts individually, we make 2 oz sliders from the ground meat & freeze them too. They thaw quickly, & cook up fast.
3. If you go paleo, you’ll end up with food allergies.
Many of us have problems with gluten, dairy, etc & don’t know it. We’re so used to the systemic irritation they cause, we chalk it up to age or something. Once you remove all those irritants from your system, you feel so much better. When you try to add them back, unfortunately you will really notice the problems they caused for you. I sometimes miss bread, but the last time I tried it, I was crippled for almost 2 weeks with gut pains, headaches, swollen joints, etc.
4. You have to be perfect.
LOL, who says? This is about fine tuning your understanding of how your body works, so that you can feel good!
5. You have to do heavy workouts.
A lot of people get into crossfit & other training programs, but there are others who do a little yoga & take a walk. Again, do what you like, what works for your body,there are no paleo police.
6. Tea might not be compatible.
Too much caffeine & artificial flavors & sweeteners aren’t good for anyone. I’m not trying to live an authentic paleo life, I’m just doing what’s best for my body. Moderation is the key.
7. It’s expensive.
That depends. We use a lot of chicken, eggs, bacon, ground meat, less expensive roast & stew meat. We like steak, fish, & shrimp occasionally, but I’m a musician…

I hopefully don’t sound like a know-it-all…

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned so far is the difference in foods between what we get in the U.S. v. Europe, Asia, etc. Case in point…my wife just started seeing a holistic doctor for issues relating to her graves disease and auto-immune problems. His program, of course, included the temporary removal of gluten and dairy from her diet. He did say that the gluten in the U.S., even the Organic stuff, is not the same as what they get in Europe. He has two patients who can eat pizza in Europe and feel great, but they get back home, eat pizza here and feel like crap. I think the bottom line is that, if you live in a country where GMOs are not an issue or where grains are processed differently, you may not have to eliminate as much from your diet.

By the way, the plan my wife is on is working. His philosophy is that most of our problems are tied to digestion. It really is amazing. She went to several “conventional” doctors, including an endocronologist, and nobody was able to help her. I’m becoming more disillusioned with conventional medicine. They really have no clue as to how nutrition can help with so many ailments.

For gut problems, I also recommend home-made beef & chicken stock, which will help restore the lining of your intestines, and cultured foods like sauer kraut, kombucha, & kimchi to help restore the friendly flora. They are easy to make, or you can buy them from the refrigerator case at Whole Foods.