Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
scientificamerican.com
Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
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Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#2I am convinced that most weight-loss diets that succeed (even if only for a time) work because they limit you to a subset of foodstuffs.
The diets substitute "have willpower to eat less of everything you already eat" (which doesn't work for most people) with "limit yourself to this palette of food that you will get bored of very quickly", which people seem to do better at.
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#3I crossfit, a community that is associated with the paleo diet. No one interprets paleo literally. It's just a buzz word that generally means eat less processed foods, more fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats, and limit grains. Some folks do cleanse diets first. I've seen folks loose dozens to hundreds of pounds. For many, this is the first time they've actually paid attention to what they are eating. And this is really the important part. Pay attention to what you eat and avoid processed foods as much as possible. Call it paleo or "clean eating." Who cares.
Aside, I don't think carbs are evil, but they are very energy dense and not particularly satiating, especially refined carbs (i.e. carbs not from produce). I run 60 miles a week, crossfit 3-5x a week, and still have to pay attention to limit calories from refined carbs.
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#4This strawman is the most common way of "debunking" the paleo diet. It's like saying that vegetarians should only ever eat vegetables. The article even sort of acknowledges that:
Some Paleo dieters emphasize that they never believed in
one true caveman lifestyle or diet and that—in the fashion
of Sisson's Blueprint—they use our evolutionary past to
form guidelines, not scripture. That strategy seems
reasonably solid at first, but quickly disintegrates.
No doubt there are people out there that think the paleo diet means that you should live exactly like hunter-gatherers and think they know what that means, but I think for most people on it (I am not one), that is just inspiration that leads you to conclude that maybe meat is less dangerous than popular advice would have you believe, and maybe the better guideline is to avoid food that's been heavily processed. This certainly feels like what Mark Sisson is proposing.
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#5These kinds of articles are getting tired. Most people who started paleo years ago have modified their diets to be more of a "natural foods" diet. The only people I know who still adhere to a paleo diet are the ones trying to sell cookbooks, or somehow profit on the name paleo.
Furthermore, if these articles really wanted to help people, they would explain what pieces of the paleo are bogus, and what pieces make sense, because the fact is, if most people cut back on processed grain, refined sugar, and processed seed oils, and doubled down on fresh fruits and vegetables and solid protein, they would in fact become healthier.
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#6I crossfit, a community that is associated with the paleo diet. No one interprets paleo literally. It's just a buzz word that generally means eat less processed foods, more fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats, and limit grains. Some folks do cleanse diets first. I've seen folks loose dozens to hundreds of pounds. For many, this is the first time they've actually paid attention to what they are eating. An…
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Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#7I crossfit, a community that is associated with the paleo diet. No one interprets paleo literally. It's just a buzz word that generally means eat less processed foods, more fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats, and limit grains. Some folks do cleanse diets first. I've seen folks loose dozens to hundreds of pounds. For many, this is the first time they've actually paid attention to what they are eating. An…
Are you including indigestible carbs (fiber) as part of natural whole grain sources, fruits (pectin), oats (soluble fibers) as part of your "not particularly satiating" carbs? I spent 6 months on paleo, 12 months on keto, and 6 months cyclical keto. I have found that complex carbs have helped my training and weight loss far more than restricting carbs in general. It seems that proper carb sources are just as satiating as loading my bowels with red meat (and the outcome is vastly preferred).
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#8Robb Wolf is a prominent voice in the paleo diet movement. It's worth noting his comment on this article:
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I'm not sure what it says about the broader scientific community that they seem incapable of actually articulating what has been written by folks in the Paleo/Ancestral health field?
I adress Pro. Warinner's TED talk here: http://robbwolf.com/2013/04/04/debunking-paleo-diet-wolfs-ey...
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Most debunking of the paleo diet actually attacks a strawman. There ARE some people who say they eat paleo and follow this strawman, but most don't.
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#9I crossfit, a community that is associated with the paleo diet. No one interprets paleo literally. It's just a buzz word that generally means eat less processed foods, more fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats, and limit grains. Some folks do cleanse diets first. I've seen folks loose dozens to hundreds of pounds. For many, this is the first time they've actually paid attention to what they are eating. An…
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I run about the same as the parent, give or take, and mine are fine. I've done a few ultra marathons and I'm gearing up for one in September where I'll be traversing 170mi for a week while carrying 8-10kgs of weight(www.g2gultra.com, for the curious). For what it's worth, I'm 32, and have done a number of ultras since I started running actively at 25. It takes time to build up.
One observation is that if you were running everyday(I'll assume you mean that literally), then you weren't giving yourself time to rest and recover, which may be why you are experiencing your pain. I hope you recover soon!
Having said that though, if you are experiencing knee pain(and I can say I've had my share), you're doing the right thing by resting and taking up swimming. I'm not much of a swimmer at all, but getting in the pool and being able to work out despite having hurt myself felt like heaven.
Re: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked (2013)
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
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I run about the same as the parent, give or take, and mine are fine. I've done a few ultra marathons and I'm gearing up for one in September where I'll be traversing 170mi for a week while carrying 8-10kgs of weight(www.g2gultra.com, for the curious). For what it's worth, I'm 32, and have done a number of ultras since I started running actively at 25. It takes time to build up. One observation is that if you were run…
Thanks for the reply. I deleted my original post as I didn't want to derail the main topic.
I did run literally everyday. I stopped completely now. Hopefully I should recover soon.