What is Paleo Eating?

There is a movement afoot that my wife and I have been a part of for about a year and a half now. It goes by many names: Primal, caveman diet, Paleo diet, slow carb but it all refers to the same general rules. It’s not a diet (which is why I’ve been able to stick to it for so long) but a shift in lifestyle and a general education in eating.

The general premise is that you should simply avoid eating foods that give very little bang for the buck or worse, are downright unhealthy. You also have to go into this with a general understanding that what you’ve heard most of your life is more ‘good marketing’ than ‘good health’. You also have to get over a big association – a word association. That Fat = Fat.

Here’s the gist of Paleo eating. Fat does not create fat – Carbs do.

Here’s a Tweet from one of Paleo’s leading voices. I follow most of his stuff, thoroughly enjoyed his book, The Primal Blueprint, and think he is a wonderful role model – Mark Sisson.

Is Chocolate Primal? – 10 Foods Scrutinized bit.ly/JFrV0E #PrimalBlueprint

— Mark_Sisson (@Mark_Sisson) May 3, 2012

There were two things that first got my wife Baharak and I thinking primaly. They were Cross Fit and a post on Tim Ferriss’ blog. Baharak has a close friend who owns the Cross Fit Fredericton gym in New Brunswick. Many of the Cross Fit community follow Paleo eating so she had heard about some of the befits that way. I’m a follower of Tim Ferriss’ blog and he published a guest post by Robb Wolf. It woke my up to the idea of altering our eating habits.

How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream

Some plants, like blueberries or similar fruits, have evolved a strategy of “give a little to get a little.” Critters (us included) eat these fruits, then pass the seeds in a convenient, warm fertilized package that all but guarantees the next generation. Sewage systems aside, this is a reasonable trade off. The critter that eats the blueberries gets a little nutrition in exchange for spreading the blueberry seeds for subsequent generations of blueberries.

Other plants take a different approach and try to dissuade all predation by shrouding themselves in nasty substances that are either irritants or outright poisons. Consider poison oak or poison ivy. These plants have developed chemical warfare capabilities and use oils that have a tendency to work their way through the skin of animals that come in contact with the leaves. This oil sets off an alarm that irritates the immune system. Lymphocytes and other white blood cells attack the oil and in the process release pro-inflammatory chemicals that lead to a rash. Keep this idea in mind as we talk about grains, as it will help you to wrap your mind around what is happening when we eat this “staple” food.

If we compare grains to the strategies listed above, “give a little, get a little,” like the blueberry, or “bugger off,” like the poison oak, we see that grains are much more like poison oak. If a critter eats a grain, that’s it for the grain. That does not mean that the grain goes down without a fight! Grains are remarkably well equipped for chemical warfare. Full Story…

We already ate fairly well and cooked most of our meals so the change wasn’t excruciating. Just had to cut out a few things, namely pasta and bread. The first month was filled with yearnings for croissants and frosted flakes but once those first few weeks passed – so did the bread pangs. It has actually been fun finding new menus, new websites and putting together a smarter way to eat. You might be wondering what effect this had on me. Well I lead a fairly sedentary life with most of my day sitting in front of a computer so I’m not a muscular guy. I am quite healthy though and only needed to loose a little spare tire around the mid section. I lost about 6 pounds (from 166 to 160) with ease and have maintained this. I am actually in the process now of trying to gain a few ponds of muscle.

Here are some words by Mark Tregilgas on getting started – give it a shot for 20 days.

Give Paleo a try – it really could change your life. Here are a few sites worth checking out.

Marks Daily Apple

Balanced Bites

Everyday Paleo

Tagged With: Cross Fit, eating well, featured, Mark Sisson, Paleo Diet, Robb Wolf, Tim Ferriss