Eating like a caveman has become a hot new diet trend. The Paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet sends us back to our hunter-gatherer roots for foodie inspiration. We’re encouraged to eat grass-fed meat and plenty of vegetables, fruits, and seeds. Processed foods are given the axe–that’s anything with refined sugar or grain, whether gluten-free or wheat-based. In the strictest versions, members of the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) are also eliminated along with legumes and dairy.
The beauty of Paleo is that, to a large degree, it fits in well with a seasonal local food diet, and you know that’s important to me. We’ve never been highly dependent on packaged convenience foods at our house, but in the past year or so I’ve rooted out virtually all of them, along with bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta (with rare eating-out exceptions) in an effort to lose the forty pounds or so that have snuck up on me.
I’m about halfway to my goal with no calorie-counting and only moderate increases in exercise. I already walked two miles most days and continue to do so, along with a Thane Total Flex workout three times a week.
I’m not a nutritionist and don’t claim to understand how the body metabolizes everything we put in it. All I can go by is how my body feels and listen to the testimonials of others, such as my daughter. I did have some medically unexplained issues two years ago that pulled my energy to the lowest ebb it has ever been in my life. Since then, things have improved dramatically. I credit the (modified) Paleo diet with giving me MORE energy than I’ve had in probably ten years or more.
So how Paleo are we? We have the basics covered–hormone-free, natural meat, organic veggies and fruit, seeds, honey, and avoidance of grains whether modified or not. No processed food. No GM (genetically modified) “food.”
Against the recommendations we include clean dairy and organic legumes–what can I say? Black bean soup helps me with weight control. While I’m avoiding potatoes (for the dense carb factor), I’m happily consuming other nightshades and yams. So. . .I am making my own rules.
For people who have specific health problems such as gluten intolerance, diabetes, or autoimmune diseases, I think it’s well worth looking up the Paleo diet and following it closely for a time to see if it helps.
For those of us who just want to be healthy and live sustainably, I do have one major quibble with the system. I “get” that wheat can make us fat and unhealthy, especially if it is refined GM wheat mixed with a bunch of chemicals etc to make packaged cookies, for example.
But the fact is that I can buy whole organic grain (wheat, rye, spelt, and oats) locally and grind it myself. The Paleo “substitute?” Coconut flour and almond meal. Neither of these is anywhere near local to me in Canada, and I am not sure they are sustainably sourced.
As a result, while I have experimented a bit with these “flours,” when I bake, which isn’t as often as it used to be, I’ll be sticking with my local grains for the most part. At our house, we aren’t gluten-intolerant, so I don’t see the need for exotic and expensive replacements. The bottom line is that we, as a culture, need to consume less baked goods and more vegetables.
Curious about Paleo? Here are a few links I found.
Vancouver Sun: Should You Eat Like a Caveman?
Paleo Diet Lifestyle
The Paleo Diet
Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle
My Paleo/Primal Pinterest Board
What about you? Have you dabbled in Paleo? What healthy-eating guidelines do you follow?
I think we need to experiment with making some local nut flour!
Now there’s an idea!
I often use paleo recipes in the low-carb diet I use to control my Type 2 diabetes. A lot of them are really good and I do bake with nut flours and coconut a lot. I can’t do grains or beans, not even whole grains. They don’t spike the blood sugar as quickly, but it’s not how fast it gets too high that matters. It’s that it gets too high at some point. I also don’t eat most fruit anymore. My compromise is that I do eat dairy. Basically, if I can eat it in reasonable sized servings without my blood sugar levels spiking too high, it’s in. If not, it’s out. 🙂
If a person doesn’t have those kinds of issues, diabetes, celiac, etc., I see no problem with tweaking the rules of any food plan to suit your personal taste, as long as you’re able to achieve whatever you chose that diet plan to achieve.
Yes, there are definitely two reasons to change a diet. One: to address current health concerns and disease (like diabetes) and two: to build and maintain a healthy body and prevent disease, if possible.
I’m fairly certain that our paleolithic ancestors ate a lot of things the average Westernized person wouldn’t — insects of all kinds, for instance.
Apparently they were hungrier than we have ever gotten?
I dunno. So much of it is cultural. I ate mealworms once by accident and they were good, but I can’t even think of the incident without wanting to throw up.
Val, where did you get the pictures? For the ads.
I have forgotten what they are called. I have MTM and one other small course and several books. But, I have no pics to show. Thanks
Also, I didn’t see a contact link here.
Hi Ruth,
You seem to be asking a question that belongs on the How to Think Sideways post, not this one. I’ll email you!
Since I spend most of my days hunched over my computer writing, this is the first I’ve heard of the paleo diet. I already eat this way – mostly (I have a problem with chocolate), but I’ve always considered it my “Garden of Eden” diet. 🙂
That’s another name for it, for sure. And I’m on the “mostly” end, too.