Eating fat to lose fat and get healthier and leaner like the ancients isn't the breakthrough secret that some are making it out to be, but I'm thinking it's a path well worth investigating. If you haven't tried it yet, it's time to throw away all the conventional wisdom BS that's been jammed down our throats re: eating a low fat, whole grain diet and get back to basics.
I think I've been barking up the wrong tree for all these years by preaching "eat whole grains, lean proteins and many small meals throughout the day". No wonder I've been a walking mess of systemic inflammation??? But you know what, that's what I love about science and learning. There's always something new on the horizon to discover and I'm not afraid to say I was wrong. And that's another thing I like about the Paleo community. It seems all the experts like Robb Wolfe, Mark Sisson, Chris Kresser, Diane Sanfilippo, Sara Fragoso and Sean Croxton don't have the typical, "it's my way or the highway" attitude. They seem to be there to just share information to help people, not to instill a dogmatic religion on them.
The more I delve into the growing trend of "Paleo" or "Primal" style eating, the more I think this way of life is NOT just a FAD, but the wave of the future. Not only have I had personal success, but so have my clients. And the best part about these lifestyle guidelines is that they're all backed by science. (I like that) No smoke, mirrors, empty promises or unrealistic results, only realistic outcomes and a better sense of well being than you've ever experienced before.
About 5 weeks ago, I ditched wheat in my diet. Soon after, I decided to try to go grain free. According to the experts it only takes about 21 days to start the transformation from "Sugar Burner" to "Fat Burning Beast" I can see it happening too, even though I've been adopting the 90:10 rule and have had a few cheat moments (dark chocolate raspberry torte on Valentines Day along with a couple too many glasses of vino and Frangelico for a night cap) I can also vouch for the fact that once you begin to adopt the "Paleo" style way of eating you're body definitely begins to transform and you really begin to experience how it feels to become healthy. The day after my little holiday cheat meal I really paid for it and felt a little fuzzy and sluggish. Guess it could have been the wine or the sugar or both. Either way, I so now appreciate clean eating and have realized more than ever that it's important to use the right fuel for both our cars as well as people. As I've said a zillion times before…you wouldn't put water or crappy gas in your gas tank would you???
So here's the difference from the (in my opinion) health destroying food pyramid advocated by the USDA and the new "Primal" food pyramid as suggested by those in "Paleo" land like Mark Sisson.
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Not That
The only change that I've made personally is to flip flop the Veggies and with the "Meat, Fish, Fowl and Eggs" section. I'm thinking more veggies with a little less of the protein is a better way to go for optimal health. What are your thoughts? Please share them in the comment section below.
Hey Deb, nice post. Remember my Met Type actually leans towards more Paleo. Hard to conceive as an endurance athlete. I always wonder though when using ancestral reasoning. It may be applicable to that area of the world at that time..but what was being eaten in other parts of the world? I haven’t studied up enough on it yet.
I’ll be going through Sean Croxton’s 8 day Paleo Summit where he brings ’em all together! http://bit.ly/zyYH6l ( Still going to come visit someday!! )
Thanks Chris. I believe my met type was more paleo ish too. So many questions about all of this stuff as usual. The more I research, the more I believe that we’re all a little different and you have to fine tune per the individual. However, reducing the sources of inflammation is huge! And it appears that grains and perhaps legumes can produce quite a bit of inflammation for most of us. Especially those like me who are metabolically jacked up. So far so good with my self imposed experiment.
It's awesome to see so many people making the change to Paleo! I completely agree that it's not a fad. I always say it's a lifestyle change and not a diet.
Hoping the trend will keep spreading Sara.
Deb, are you still on the Paleo diet? I am trying to make more and more of a switch to that way of eating.
Sure am Scott and have never felt better. Not to say I’ll never have chips and salsa or bread ever again. I go by the 90/10 rule. But you know what, now that I know what grains do to my body and how I feel when I eat them, I don’t really want to eat them. Why not try a 30 day challenge for yourself. See how you feel?