ERE + Paleo

[NYC ERE]

@Jon thanks for your kind words--i hope Jason makes progress with it...
@dpmorel Again, research first, comment second, if you please:
The paleo diet is not a high-protein diet--some paleos may eat high-protein, others eat 100-200 grams of carbs a day. If anything, it's a high-fat diet. "High-fat" compared to conventional recommendations in our times; normal-fat compared to our paleolithic ancestors. Ironically, the capital P "Paleo Diet" as coined by Cordain actually is a high-protein, relatively low-fat diet, however, which could be where your confusion lies; he has since changed his tune on fat.
You also seem to still be confusing the paleo diet with a "diet," as in temporary calorie restriction for purposes of weight loss; it isn't. Many people lose weight on it, but that's just a byproduct of eating in the way your body evolved to. As you do your research, DP, you may also find that rice isn't really that vilified in the paleo community; gluten is the most important thing to avoid.
@dpmorel and @Jon I don't know enough to talk knowledgeably about the skinny Asians or whether we've evolved to do okay with grains, but a few quick thoughts:
* skinny Asians -- skinny Asians ≠ healthy Asians, though they do seem to do better than Westerners in many regards. However, compare the physique of someone eating a diet made largely of rice to your typical paleo and decide which seems healthier or more desirable. Furthermore, compare the longevity of Okinawans (lots of fish; indeed, plenty of rice; vegetables; cooking fat of choice = lard!) to their Asian counterparts. As for naan in India, are Indians really that healthy? This isn't their reputation--perhaps it's due to the fact that wheat flour has very little to sustain us.
* grains/evolution -- there have been some changes to human digestion since paleolithic times, which is why some people are able to deal with dairy; i don't think the same is true of grains, but i could be mistaken. we are obviously resilient and able to subsist and all kinds of crazy stuff, but as we now see, there is a high price to be paid for eating a diet high in grains, vegetable oils and sugar.

[NYC ERE]

@Jon re: raw -- i tried raw for a couple of meals. raw beef is okay, as long as it's a tender cut, but it doesn't compare to cooked, IMO; a little too subtle-tasting. raw eggs = i almost puked.

[Caine]

At 45 I developed severe GERD. My sister bought The Paleo Diet book for me knowing what an evolutionist I was. Diet made sense and I was on it strictly for a year. Not only did my Gerd go away, I lost 20 lbs from a very active 170 lb 5'9" frame to 150, my blood pressure dropped from a respectable 126/70 to 115/62, my resting heart rate went from 62 to 51, tinitus in my ears decreased dramatically, eyesight improved (although the little spots in my field of vision didn't decrease as I hoped), before I retired I had a job where I stood alot on concrete floors, typed and had to remember long numbers-pain in my ankles and knees stopped, my typing skill increased dramatically with far fewer mistakes and number memory increased, pain in my right wrist from an old broken bone decreased, I no longer needed naps-and I loved to nap, no more allergies, finger joint pain gone, stronger finger nails.... almost every part of my body felt some improvement. I'm a believer.

[Q]

Ok, so I think I made a blind assumption the other day on a substitution on my (slow) climb to a paleo diet. I started eating two pieces of Hawaiian choco maca nuts instead of 4 pieces of bacon and a hard boiled egg in the morning (due to laziness and . It seemed the fat contents sorta matched on a quick look, along with calories and all that jazz...
Is this a bad assumption? I did a quick google, but, figured I'd ask...

[Maus]

@Q

Macadamia nut is probably OK for your fat and protein, but no omega 3's. Check this:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/c ... ut_edit.pl
My only reservation would be in the chocolate covering. Unless it is really high in cocoa fat (like really dark chocolate) it is probably loaded with sugar, which is something the Paleo orthodox would encourage us to avoid as avidly as grains.

[NYC ERE]

blam (meat = good for environment)

[jeremymday]

Awesome news Zev!
I am glad we have some smart intelligent people able to write something like this, AND get exposure on Time magazine for it!
I have been following a modified Paleo Diet for the past month. Basically about a 50-70% reduction in the amount of grains I eat. Plus about a 50% increase in the amount of vegetables I consume...
It is surprising easy to make the switch...
I now eat salad for breakfast with a hard boiled egg, instead of cereal, occasionally Ill have oatmeal, pancakes, or waffles, but rarely.
For lunch I used to eat sandwiches and chips all the time. Now half my lunch consists of a mixed nuts bag where I buy the individual nuts in bulk then combine them. I also eat fruit like apples and bananas, and occasionally eat beef jerky for lunch.
For dinner I still eat a basic meat, vegetables, starch meal. However, I have replaced my typical starches (rice, noodles, etc.) with either more salad or another vegetable side.
The results???
The most important one for me is that I no longer have the afternoon lull around 3pm. My lunches were really killing me.
I've lost some of my mid section fat and have a generally higher energy level.
I allow myself to "cheat" maybe 2-3 times a week at most. Meaning I might go out to eat with friends and have some pasta or whatever. But overall this diet has been working really well for me...

[Kevin M]

Jeremy, my breakfast & lunch is currently what you were eating - cereal/oatmeal then a sandwich & chips/occasionally veggies when I had them at home. Thanks for posting your alternative, I'm going to try it out next week. Do you still eat sandwiches for the other half or is that where the fruit/beef jerky comes in?

[B]

I have allowed Paleo to influence my diet. Eating less insulin-spiking foods, eating less during the day in general. I've also almost completely cut out grains - the only one I ever ate in any great quantity before was rice anyway.
However, one thing I cannot seem to stomach is no legumes. There's just no parting with beans and lentils. Oh well, at least they're cheap!

[NYC ERE]

@B re: legumes, check out "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon for paleo-friendly ways to prepare legumes (soaking/fermenting).

[jeremymday]

@ Kevin - You have to let me know the results. So sandwiches equals bread, so I rarely eat sandwiches anymore, but the good thing is that a lot of restaurants are offering "bread-free sandwiches". Jimmy John's for instance does a JJ Unwich, which is basically a lettuce wrap. My girlfriend gets it all the time... http://www.jimmyjohns.com/menu/menu.aspx
I tend to eat lunch out a lot more then I should because I am on the road all the time. So by packing an apple or banana, some mixed nuts, beef jerky, or whatever other things I can think of I save my health and my money. I get a ton of calories from my mixed nuts so I can easily go from breakfast to dinner just by eating those, but yes, the other half is a fruit/veggie/meat option or combo depending on your appetite and tastes.
http://www.insightwriter.com/2010/10/31 ... -a-budget/
I tend to eat beans in soups and I have recently started eating lentils. They are really good, but they do need soaked and cooked longer then most things to make them more Paleo friendly. I cook my lentils with chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots for a really tasty side.

[NYC ERE]

@Jeremy Your diet sounds pretty low-fat for someone pursuing paleo, and possibly a little high in nuts (>1-2 oz./day). I eat 4-6 eggs cooked in a 2-3 TB of butter/coconut oil every morning, plus 2-3 TB of coconut milk or heavy cream in my coffee; that's just the tip of my fat iceberg.

[jeremymday]

@ Zev - Yes, I am not 100% following the Paleo, but I am simply making the best diet for me, and my diet comes closest to Paleo because I follow a lot of the philosophy of Paleo.
As far as fat goes I started allowing more into my diet when I heard it helps maintain good brain function. But you should make sure you are getting good fatty acids.
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/fats.html
Also, there is a lot of fat in nuts. http://www.dietobio.com/dossiers/en/nuts/fats.html
And I do eat fatty meats and fish quite often so I think I am ok on my fats.
I also put hard boiled eggs on my salads.
Im curious why you think Im eating too much nuts?

[NYC ERE]

@Jeremy "I got a ton of calories from mixed nuts." From this alone, it strikes me as too many nuts, since 1-2 oz. a day would only be a couple hundred calories; too much n-6-->inflammation.

[jeremymday]

@ Zev - I would say I get about 200-500 calories a day from nuts. I kind of use them as an appetite suppressant around lunchtime. Also, I do occasionally switch out nuts for some other meal during lunchtime. So I am not eating them every day of the week. As far as I can tell I have no inflammation from the amount of nuts I eat.

[NYC ERE]

@Jeremy Here's something from Mark Sisson about nuts. 500 calories a day if you're eating a low 2,X00-calorie diet is quite a large portion made up of nuts. Inflammation isn't something you're necessarily going to notice symptoms of--the C-reactive protein blood test will let you know how you're doing inflammation-wise, and it correlates strongly with your long-term risk for diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
All nuts are not created equal, is another thing--macadamias have a much better n-6/n-3 profile than most.

[mike]

From personal experience - stay away from salted macadamia nuts..the salt interferes with the satiety response and causes me to eat way more than if I were eating plain unsalted.
Too much salt in diet also causes fluid retention and some puffiness...one kind of "inflammation"!

[jeremymday]

@ Zev - Thanks for the info! Interesting stuff. The reasons I eat nuts are that: they are very portable, calorie dense, nutrient dense, and taste good. I also usually eat an apple and/or a banana with lunch.
My question is... How can I mix things up a bit to satisfy those requirements and not eat so many nuts? Is beef jerky the answer?

[utility73]

@jeremy
An excellent fat based alternative to nuts as a snack would be Coconut chips.

They should be cheaper than most nuts calorie wise and have a healthy fat profile (mostly saturated)
At work I snack a slightly changing mix of nuts (mostly macadamia and some cashew), coconut chips and dark chocolate.
On a more general note I am doing a high-fat diet inspired and somewhere between Paleo and WAPF.

I am avoiding most grains (for simplicity reasons) but I thrive on (raw milk based) dairy. My current diet probalby most closely resembles the "Perfect Health Diet" by Paul Jaminet and his wife.

[jeremymday]

I am just amazed by all the diets out there. Im starting to think it would be a great idea to contrast and compare the various diets in one book. While the individual authors probably won't like it, I can almost guarantee that it would be a #1 bestseller.
Thoughts?