I was just wondering if anyone else has tried any of the primal “diets” out there? I don’t consider myself I dieter, but do follow a primal eating plan where I pretty much completely avoid all processed carbs (with the exception of when I’m running and don’t have much choice). I don’t eat grain either. My diet is probably 25% whole-foods carbs (salads, berries, etc.), 25% protein, and 50% healthy fats. This has helped my BG control immensely, and has also decreased my insulin needs. Any other experiences out there?
Be careful with any new or special diet you are following, especially ones that are higher in fat. Typical fat recommendations are for 20-35% of your calories to be from fat. I will not tell you to stop following your diet, but please be careful and also aware of your other body systems. While your blood sugars might be fantastic, other systems might be affected adversely by the higher fat/lower carbohydrated intake. Please also remember your brain requires 2x as many carbohydrates as the rest of our body (about 130g minimum per day for your brain and muscle requirements). Our brain is the powerhouse for our entire body, so we want to make sure to feed it properly.
If you are interested, I just finished completing a research paper on dietary fats. I found an excellent article by the ADA (American Dietetic Association) and the DC (Dietitians of Canada) on dietary fats and typical recommendations. It is a PDF file, so I could send it to you if it is something you might be interested in reading.
Yes! I do CrossFit in Baltimore and we are on a Paleo diet. It's basically what you described. Heavy on the non-processed foods / meats / veggies and light on carbs. The basic premise is "would a caveman eat it?"
I love it...have lost weight and gained lots of muscle while mixing it with our workouts.
average life expectancy of a caveman was 30 years. your time is running out, pat ;o)
[quote user="C"]
average life expectancy of a caveman was 30 years. your time is running out, pat ;o)
[/quote]
-quite alright, i've grown tired of living :P
- for the best
even if it's for the best according to family guy, you're of no use to me dead. plan on living.
Have you (or anyone else reading this post) ever tried Kay's Naturals diabetic foods? Some family friends of mine (a husband/wife team -- the wife a juvenile diabetic, the husband a food scientist) founded the company about 10 years ago to try to fill the gap in diabetic-friendly snack foods, since so many commercial convenience foods have such a high glycemic index. All Kay's foods (chips, pretzels, breakfast cereals, etc.) are 34% protein (soy protein), 8-10% fiber, and low-carb.Their conclusion at Kay's is that this is an ideal nutritional profile for diabetics.
Would this kind of nutritional profile fit what you are shooting for on the Paleo diet?
Hi Mitra...it wouldn't fit what we aim for with Paleo...we try to avoid things that contain soy and processed stuff.
Free range cattle = good. No soy = Good. Let me find the link to the soy article...
http://southbaltimorecf.com/2010/04/05/tuesday-april-6th-the-only-reasonable-principle/
Forgive the picture of me that they put in there...I don't admin the site so yeah haha
Pat: Thanks for the detailed response -- helpful. So, was soy simply non-existent in prehistoric times, or was there an ancestor version of it that was hybridized to become the modern form of soy, or...? I was an anthropology major in college, and am always curious about the food aspects of our human history :)