U.S. News published it's "Best Diets" list, ranking 32 diets from best to worst. At the top of the were seven diets ranked as "Best." OK, so they focused on diets, not grammar. At the bottom, getting two stars out of five, was the paleo diet.
Pam and I started eating paleo about eight or nine months ago. (We didn't pay any attention to the date so I'm guessing.) I think it's important to understand that unlike other diets, paleo is a spectrum. Very strict adherents eat only grass fed beef, only organically grown vegetables, eggs from chickens listening to Mozart.... We're not doing that, and most people who "eat paleo" aren't either. Also, it's called the paleo diet because the promoters say that's what paleolithic man - a hunter/gatherer ate. I have no idea who that guy was or what he ate. I don't even know where Paleolithic is. New Jersey? I just think it makes a lot of common sense. Call it the Gribbitz Diet for all I care.
The U.S. News critique said the paleo diet is hard to follow because of the many restrictions. You'll feel deprived. They also said it isn't very effective for weight loss, and that it's more expensive to eat this way.
OK. I think it probably is a bit more expensive, but our grocery bill hasn't skyrocketed so much that it's had any noticeable impact on our budget. Again, we're not doing the grass-fed beef bit, and that would bump the $$ up considerably. And I'm (we're) not doing it to lose weight. I have the opposite problem; I'm having trouble keeping my weight up, but that's because of my pretty aggressive exercise regimen. I am a lean, mean, fighting machine!
OK, that's not so true, but I do have legit abs for the first time in my life.
Fresh fruit, fresh veggies, eggs, and meat.
Basically, shop around the edge of the grocery store and avoid the aisles where all the packaged and processed stuff is.
Yeah, we don't eat any processed foods. That's not difficult once you get your mind wrapped around the shift. And that happens pretty quickly if you start trying to read ingredient lists out loud. "Processed" = ingredients with 18 syllables that sound more like a chemistry lab than a dinner table. That also means no processed sugars, just the natural sugars that come in honey and (it surprised me:) pure maple syrup. Think about how they get processed sugars and then ask if that makes sense. Now an apple tastes sweet. It's the same apple, my tongue just learned how good they are once I gave up iced, sprinkled, deep fried donuts.
No dairy, another of the things they were especially critical of. Humans are the only mammals who consume dairy products after weaning. Common sense tells us that mother's milk is going to be very high in fat; that's what babies need. In nature mammals progress from dairy to vegetable and/or meat with, as it turns out, a physiological shift in their digestive system. A little bit of milk or cheese isn't going to kill anyone. But the American diet is loaded with it, and dairy = fat. So, we just decided it was easier to do none than figure out how much was OK. If our corn shelled taco comes with a little grated cheese on it, no big deal. But we don't buy dairy, typically don't eat it, and don't miss it.
The big one: no grains, whether in bread, or brownies, or oatmeal, or.... I think that was my biggest change. I had at least two sandwiches every day, plus the toast with my breakfast. Waffles, pancakes, desserts that were flour of some sort.... I kept half of Iowa employed. I cannot speak for anyone else's issues, but I know I can walk barefoot now. Couldn't before we made the switch. Gluten is an inflammatory, I have arthritis, and my hands and feet give me no trouble now. Just me, but dropping grains was worth the effort. And Pam has learned how to make waffles with non-grain flour (I think it's almond flour). Just as good! Add some pure maple syrup and BACON...mmmmm!
Note: a growing number of diet experts (?) are saying the monster amount of gluten in the American diet is problematic, even for those without sensitivities.
Yeah, lots of meat. Because of my history of heart issues I get my cholesterol checked regularly. As it turns out, I had it checked just before we went paleo, and again six months later. Nothing (meds, etc.) changed during that stretch. Neither did my cholesterol numbers. They want LDL below 130, and mine was 106, before and after paleo. Just sayin'....
I don't care what anybody else does re. their diet. That's their business. I think paleo makes sense vis a' vis the chemistry gala most Americans consume, and we don't find it at all restrictive. And I don't have any more joint pain. We go out for (paleo) pizza and Mexican (among others), eat tons more fruit, and don't have to count anything, weigh anything, or get out a calculator for anything. Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, eggs, meat, and nuts. Vigorous exercise. How tricky is that?
OK, all of that because several news sites I went to this morning reported on this U.S. News article, and all of them specifically mentioned the paleo diet coming in dead last. I think they got it wrong.
4 comments:
My Mom (certified lactation consultant) told me that the fat content of a nursing mother's milk changes as the baby gets older. That doesn't really have anything to do with paleo, but isn't it interesting? What an amazing Designer we have.
Yes, it is interesting. And doesn't it at least suggest the Designer intended a transition away from high-fat dairy?
Yeah...I can see that. (Don't tell anyone I said that. I live in the Dairy State!)
The toughest part of a paleo diet for me would be giving up the grains. I think I could more easily give up meat--yes, even bacon. ; )
It was for me, too. Mostly b/c I ate SO much that was grain based. But a month later we didn't miss it, and part of that was Pam using almond flour for the few things we still wanted, like a few desserts and waffles. Neither of us has a gluten sensitivity, unless you count my arthritis. But the sheer bulk of grain based foods, plus the sugar and crud that usually comes with those things, is something we're glad to do without.
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