The Paleolithic Diet

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, it's also similar to the Asian Diet. I found a hybrid too: Mediterrasian

But yes, you're right. They all work on the principle of eating natural food and being active. What I like about all of them is that they are fairly easy to stick to as well.

Okay people. I have decided today that I am going to cut out sugar completely for 7 days. I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to it and I really want to see how I feel after a week. Then I might extend the sugar free period and eventually allow back things like some honey in my tea every now and then, and that sort of thing. But starting now it's no sugar for seven days. [I'll go very light on the sweetners as well]

Yes I've never heard of 'Meditterasian' before, but there's a first time for everything.

Good stuff on losing the sugar - it can only be a good move. Why not try going 'full Paleo' for a day'? I could do with someone to compare notes with.

I'm three days on sticking to the Paleo 100% and the week before about 80%. I'm determined to continue 100% Paleo for at least two weeks - that is eating only lean meats (chicken, pork, fish; a little beef) and lots of fresh fruit and veg. No diary, no grains/cereals, breads or beans, no sugar/salt, processed food, alcohol, tea or coffee (even if these are moderately allowed on the Paleo) chocolates, cakes, biscuits, etc, just lean meats, fruit and vegetables. Call it an experiment if nothing else however I have noticed a big difference already.

Immediately I noticed my energy levels had shot up, as I said last week, this has continued and I feel quite energised throughout the day. This is especially noticeable in the morning where normally I would be dead until about 12. I don't feel that late evening 'slumping' feeling either, instead I feel both mentally and physically more alert.

I have also lost about 5lb and am looking a little more lean, especially around the face and belly! This is good. Maybe I could get away with a few more pounds off, though I wouldn't need to lose much more, say another 3 or 4 pounds would be perfect.

I have also noticed that I don't feel bloated at all as I used to after tea sometimes. I feel light and refreshed after every meal.

So it is so far, so good. I'm not advocating the diet one way or the other and it could be that I just feel good due to a certain part of the diet - lack of alcohol for example, but I can only go by my experience of the diet which so far is very positive.

I have just finished reading The Paleo Diet by Loren Codain, which is pretty good, a little repetitive, but it gives you a good overview.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Paleo-Di...7388764&sr=8-1

I've also read a load of articles on the diet online. I have also just received The Paleo Diet for Athletes that I'm going to be reading next.

[billl]

You know, the recent thread about exercising and now this one together remind me of the exercise routine of a famous economist I read about a couple years ago. In the interview, he was described as being pretty fit, and he explained that he did sprints once a week (this is where I got the idea) and his rationale was basically the same as the Paleolithic Diet. I don't know if an actual expert on Paleolithic times would agree, but his nutshell explanation was that for many years, the body became efficient at responding to the need to sprint like mad every now and then, depending on the particular environment. I've also read about how humans might have often obtained meat by jogging longer than other animals could (tiring them out), but apart from that particular hunting strategy, it does sort of make sense that a dash for cover might be the sort of thing we could maybe get good at, even with only sporadic practice. In my experience, it works really well at getting one quickly beyond the sort of running 'ability' that develops over the course of a few years without any sprinting at all besides a biannual dash for the subway. After just a few weeks, I didn't become "a sprinter", but I was no longer a clumsy, lumbering wreck--and it stuck.

Anyhow, I just looked at the Wikipedia page for the "Paleolithic Lifestyle", and the recommendations regarding exercise are different, but in the same spirit, and probably anyone actually working on the diet is aware of all this... Still, it seems like a tangent worth mentioning, and it just today clicked in my head.

[Clopin]

You won't notice any changes in your body after a week of barely adhering to a diet Neely.

Edit: And if you do it's purely a placebo effect.

[TurquoiseSunset]

Going without sugar is so difficult! Almost everything contains sugar, even the 'healthier' things, like low-fat yoghurt and my instant oats and whole wheat breakfast cereal. And while the amount of sugar in my breakfast cereal is not that much I really want to try to do this right for a week. I'll just have to plan a little better that's all.

Generally, going sugar free won't affect my lunch and dinner, but definitely breakfast and snacking. Then of course there's the sugar in coffee, tea, juice, smoothies, flavoured water (not big on unflavoured during the colder months). As for soda, I only drink the occasional ginger beer and then tonic water with gin. Oh, and wine will have to go. Luckily I don't drink a lot of alcohol, so that will be easy to cut out.

I got a funny reaction from a friend when I told her about going sugar free for a week. She looked at me like I was insane and sharply asked me why. I said it's because I just want to see what I will feel like after a week without sugar, considering how much of it I'm actually consuming. She was quite dismissive about it. I wonder if she feels like maybe it will be expected of her to do it as well? I don't know, but it was quite strange. I expected people to be a little more positive about it. Then she said that she's going to make dessert on Saturday, when a bunch of us are going to be there, and the implication was that I would have to eat it...weird.

Good stuff on losing the sugar - it can only be a good move. Why not try going 'full Paleo' for a day'? I could do with someone to compare notes with.

It would be interesting to see what happens. I might do it after I'm done with my sugar free experiment. At the moment the idea of going without dairy and grains/cereals as well seems tough.

You know, the recent thread about exercising and now this one together remind me of the exercise routine of a famous economist I read about a couple years ago. In the interview, he was described as being pretty fit, and he explained that he did sprints once a week (this is where I got the idea) and his rationale was basically the same as the Paleolithic Diet. I don't know if an actual expert on Paleolithic times would agree, but his nutshell explanation was that for many years, the body became efficient at responding to the need to sprint like mad every now and then, depending on the particular environment. I've also read about how humans might have often obtained meat by jogging longer than other animals could (tiring them out), but apart from that particular hunting strategy, it does sort of make sense that a dash for cover might be the sort of thing we could maybe get good at, even with only sporadic practice. In my experience, it works really well at getting one quickly beyond the sort of running 'ability' that develops over the course of a few years without any sprinting at all besides a biannual dash for the subway. After just a few weeks, I didn't become "a sprinter", but I was no longer a clumsy, lumbering wreck--and it stuck.

Anyhow, I just looked at the Wikipedia page for the "Paleolithic Lifestyle", and the recommendations regarding exercise are different, but in the same spirit, and probably anyone actually working on the diet is aware of all this... Still, it seems like a tangent worth mentioning, and it just today clicked in my head.

I thought about this last night actually, but more with regards to gender differences. I was thinking about men hunting and women gathering and the different excercises involved. Then again, I'm sure women also hunted, but smaller animals like hares, for example, so they would also have to sprint and so on.

[billl]

I thought about this last night actually, but more with regards to gender differences. I was thinking about men hunting and women gathering and the different excercises involved. Then again, I'm sure women also hunted, but smaller animals like hares, for example, so they would also have to sprint and so on.

Heh, yeah, without really knowing anything about it, I think I could really start rambling on anyhow about how there's a variety of body-types, genetic differences, and then the probably different effects of different diets combined with different exercise--it'd be impossible really to say that just one thing would be best for everyone. I hadn't thought about how better diet/exercise strategies might tend to vary by sex/gender...

Anyhow, I noticed you were being pretty hardcore about cutting out sugar--I mean, I think fruit juice (and fruit) would be fair game in most Paleolithic-type diets... You need some amount of sugar every day, of course, but the sugared sodas and teas (and candy and so on) really go way beyond what's needed. But as long as you have a plan that doesn't go to the opposite extreme, I guess it should be OK. (But having the cereal seems like it would be the "right" way of doing it, unless it's one of those crazy kid's cereals where it's tons of sugar in there... Just don't add any more sugar, probably, if it's a healthy brand.) I get most of my sugar from grapes and other fruit, probably--but then bread and pasta also can convert to sugar in the body...

[TurquoiseSunset]

Anyhow, I noticed you were being pretty hardcore about cutting out sugar--I mean, I think fruit juice (and fruit) would be fair game in most Paleolithic-type diets... You need some amount of sugar every day, of course, but the sugared sodas and teas (and candy and so on) really go way beyond what's needed. But as long as you have a plan that doesn't go to the opposite extreme, I guess it should be OK. (But having the cereal seems like it would be the "right" way of doing it, unless it's one of those crazy kid's cereals where it's tons of sugar in there... Just don't add any more sugar, probably, if it's a healthy brand.) I get most of my sugar from grapes and other fruit, probably--but then bread and pasta also can convert to sugar in the body...

I am still eating bread, pasta, potatoes and fruit. I'm also drinking milk and that contains lactose. Fruit juice is difficult, because even when it says 100% juice they still use concentrate to sweeten the juice, so you're getting more sugar. A 200ml juice box I keep in my drawer at work says it's 100% juice (reconstituted from concentrate) and it contains 24 grams of sugar, which is about 5 teaspoons of sugar. Holy moly, hey? So maybe freshly squeezed juice is the way to go? I'll check tonight what the sugar content of my cereal is. I just checked some flavoured water I have here as well, and 500ml contains 25 grams of sugar.

I'm also still drinking tea and coffee, but without sugar and one sweetner in my tea (which is herbal - Rooibos - and tastes a little sweeter than black tea anyway). I like my tea sweet.

Anyway, it's just for a week or so. I just want to see if I can feel a difference. It's a good start to cutting down in the long run, I think. Honestly, there is no way I am going without the occassional dessert and the odd block of chocolate for the rest of my life, but if I'm going to include it I want to be 'smart' about it.

[LitNetIsGreat]

You won't notice any changes in your body after a week of barely adhering to a diet Neely.

Edit: And if you do it's purely a placebo effect.

Well I have as previously mentioned. Also the scales now say 5/6lb lighter and they are not broken.

Bill, there's a bit on physical fitness from Corden's book here's an extract you might be interested in. Their lives seem to revolve around intense periods of activity balanced with days of rest, with overall fitness massively improved over the standard Western counterpart:

Our stone age ancestors worked hard or they didn't eat. Sustained labor wasn't necessary every day; periods of intense exertion generally alternated with days of rest and relaxation. But the work was always there, an inevitable fact of life. There were no retirement plans, no vacations, and definitely no labor-saving devices. Everybody, except for the very young or very old, helped out. And their daily efforts were astonishing. The amount of physical activity performed by an average hunter-gatherer would have been about four times greater than that of a sedentary office worker and about three times greater than anybody needs to get the health benefits of exercise. An office worker who jogged 3 miles day for a whole week would used less than half the energy of an average hunter-gatherer, such as the Kung people of Africa. Kung men on average walk 9.3 miles per day; the women average 5.7 miles per day. As you may expect, all this walking and regular physical activity pays off with high levels of physical fitness for everyone. In fact, my research team has shown that the average aerobic capacity of the world's hunter-gathers and less Westernized peoples is similar to that of today's top athletes.

Still on task with the diet. I can't believe that my love of bread and pizza, not to mention beer has been so easy to drop. I have got a strange urge for a strawberry tart though - it's a good job I haven't got any in the house.

[Clopin]

As a human being, weight fluctuation is completely normal and occurs even without a change in diet. A ten day switch to "sort of" paleo with a pizza/beer allowance will net you zero results, that's just how the human body works.

[billl]

Bill, there's a bit on physical fitness from Corden's book here's an extract you might be interested in.

Thanks a lot--I just remembered a bit from that old interview, and I've glanced at a few things on the net without following the trail to an actual description even as long as this extract, so this was convenient to just have something general to read handed to me.

I'm also still drinking tea and coffee, but without sugar and one sweetner in my tea (which is herbal - Rooibos - and tastes a little sweeter than black tea anyway). I like my tea sweet.

I don't add anything to sweeten tea, but I don't mind when one is a little sweet naturally. So you've got me thinking (again) about picking up some Rooibos--I remember someone mentioning it on LitNet probably two years ago or something (it might've been you, actually), and it's been in the back of my mind. Anyhow, could you maybe list two or three (or more) respectable brands? I don't know exactly what the "hip" grocery store will have to choose from, but I remember it was more than one brand.

[TurquoiseSunset]

I don't add anything to sweeten tea, but I don't mind when one is a little sweet naturally. So you've got me thinking (again) about picking up some Rooibos--I remember someone mentioning it on LitNet probably two years ago or something (it might've been you, actually), and it's been in the back of my mind. Anyhow, could you maybe list two or three (or more) respectable brands? I don't know exactly what the "hip" grocery store will have to choose from, but I remember it was more than one brand.

Ha, it probably was me, I remember saying something about Rooibos before...didn't we have a tea thread?

The most popular brand in South Africa is Freshpak, mainly because it's good and cheap Eleven o'Clock is also good, but not as strong. These are the ones that you should be able to get overseas (well, there's Lipton too, but I'm not a fan). The rest I haven't tasted or I'm not sure if it's available outside of Southern Africa. Maybe Google will be of more help, he he.

Stear clear of unbleached bags, because they give the tea a cardboard flavour (you don't have to use loose leaves). And don't drink it too hot because it makes the tea taste 'thinner'.

It makes great iced tea too. It's naturally caffeine free and full of antioxidants. So it's safe for pregnant women and it's great for babies (for calming their tummies and it's good for their skin). And it's nice before bed, because it doesn't keep you awake.

I hope you like it

[LitNetIsGreat]

As a human being, weight fluctuation is completely normal and occurs even without a change in diet. A ten day switch to "sort of" paleo with a pizza/beer allowance will net you zero results, that's just how the human body works.

That's true generally speaking, daily fluctuations in weight are also a factor with the body weighing less in the morning (two pound in my case) due to water loss and carb loss during the night. However, I now weigh around 11st 5/6 pound, compared to 11 st 11/12, which is the lightest I have weighed in at least 10 years. Is this a complete coincidence, considering I have completely cut out pizza, pasta, bread, beer, chocolate, biscuits, cake, buns, chips, potatoes, milk, extra sugar, cheese, tea, coffee and other such things from my diet and replaced them with fruit, veg and lean meat and upped exercise a little? I think not. Corden points out in his book that most people who switch to this diet notice dramatic results in weight loss and fitness immediately (though he does point out that initially much of the weight loss is water loss) and this has certainly been the case with me.

[Clopin]

That's true generally speaking, daily fluctuations in weight are also a factor with the body weighing less in the morning (two pound in my case) due to water loss and carb loss during the night. However, I now weigh around 11st 5/6 pound, compared to 11 st 11/12, which is the lightest I have weighed in at least 10 years. Is this a complete coincidence, considering I have completely cut out pizza, pasta, bread, beer, chocolate, biscuits, cake, buns, chips, potatoes, milk, extra sugar, cheese, tea, coffee and other such things from my diet and replaced them with fruit, veg and lean meat and upped exercise a little? I think not. Corden points out in his book that most people who switch to this diet notice dramatic results in weight loss and fitness immediately (though he does point out that initially much of the weight loss is water loss) and this has certainly been the case with me.

You lost water weight/bloat that you had from previously being unhealthy. It is impossible to lose 5-6 pounds of fat in one week.

[Shea]

Okay, so I haven't been around for a bit because of gluten, but I'm still feeling a little bit better from yesterday, which was a good day, so I thought I'd check this thread out again.

Clopin, I'm someone who is seriously sensitive to gluten. A crumb is enough to make me sick for a month. Which, thanks to my 4 year old, is what I'm suffering through right now. But I find that you've been a somewhat harsh with Turquiose. There is a lot of bad info about gluten out there even among the medical community. There is no drug to treat celiac or gluten intolerance, so many doctors don't really know much about it; even GI specialists. Especially here in the States. I've actually heard of doctors telling people with celiac, that they'll "grow out of it" one day, and then they can go back to eating gluten.

After my personal research, I happen to agree that gluten is bad for anyone. But I also believe that it's really just more so that way today because of the way we've genetically modified our crops. But when even many doctors get it wrong, I don't think it's fair for a lay person to be singled out for "ignorance." Unless someone has a medical reason to avoid gluten, I believe it's only bad in a similar way that eating refined sugar is bad.

I also wanted to clarify to you guys that just because a person eats gluten-free doesn't neccessarily make them ultra-heathy. I can easily down an entire bag of potato chips if I want and wash it down with a 2 liter of soda (though I never ate that way even before going gluten-free ) I am eating a bit healthier, but I still have a tendency to go for some of the processed foods because I'm a stay-at-home mom with an extremely picky 4-year-old. I really don't have time to make sure my breakfast and lunches are ultra-healthy which is why I haven't yet tried the paleo-diet. I have enough on my plate (pun intended) with just making sure that I haven't accidentally cross-contaminated my meal.

[LitNetIsGreat]

You lost water weight/bloat that you had from previously being unhealthy. It is impossible to lose 5-6 pounds of fat in one week.

Hey who said anything about being unhealthy? I'm not unhealthy by a long shot. Also I didn't say 5-6 pounds of fat. I know some of that is water loss. Also I wish I hadn't said that my scales are not broken as they now are in some weird coincidence.

I've had a touch of cold yesterday and this morning. I must say I feel a little unlucky to have got cold considering all the masses of vitamin C I have been taking in, never mind.

I have been reading Loren Codain's other book (co written) The Paleo Diet for Athletes and I have to say it does somewhat contradict many of the things written in his other one. For example from the start it admits that for top athletic performance the paleo diet alone is not sufficient, whereas even if you compare that with the quote above you will see the inconsistencies. It even suggests taking in extra salt during/before performance and taking on board extra carbs in the form of pasta, drinking sports drinks, protein shakes, potatoes - grains (grains in the other book are ) and so on. To be fair though I suppose, the first book doesn't necessarily advocate 100% paleo, but does suggest having 'open' meals, 'treats' from time to time, but the whole - 'put some extra salt on your chips' thing is annoying after reading the first book's tut tuttiness. As I said initially - common sense is probably still the best policy.

[Clopin]

There's a difference between optimal health and optimal athletic performance.