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The Paleo Identity Crisis: What Is The Paleo Diet, Anyway?
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June 26, 2011
2:01 pm
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First-Eater
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February 22, 2010
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Todd:

That's interesting!  Wolf's book is very strict, so we'll see how that evolves over time.  

My opinion remains that butterfat is extremely unlikely to be a problem for anyone: it's casein and lactose that can be issues, which makes me very suspicious of cheese (being mostly casein).  I consume butter, full-fat Greek yogurt, and sometimes half-and-half, each of which are very low in casein and lactose.  (I've never had dairy or lactose issues, and cutting dairy entirely from my diet never made much of a difference, other than I get a bit phlegmy if I consume too much half-and-half.)

JS

June 27, 2011
1:35 am
Todd
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I'm also tolerant of most dairy as near as I can tell. I'm sure there may be things going on at a very small level that I'm not aware of. But, for the bulk of my life I was phlegm-y and limited my dairy because of it. Turned out that dropping gluten was the key. Four months of low-phlegm living!

June 27, 2011
9:03 am
“The Paleo Ide
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[...] Stanton, of Gnolls.org recently published an absolute MUST read to get your mind around this discussion.  Great info, well written and cool VIDEOS too. He calls [...]

June 28, 2011
2:05 am
Franco
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JS,

"coconut oil may delay ketosis a bit"
How comes?
From Paul Jaminet we hear it does the opposite - promote ketosis, even with some carbs in the mix.

July 1, 2011
2:13 am
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First-Eater
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Franco:

I'm not sure how eating calories does anything but delay ketosis.

I definitely understand how eating fats that readily produce ketones as a product of their breakdown (e.g. the MCTs in coconut oil) is better than eating foods that either shut down ketosis (carbs) or don't promote it (long-chain fats).  But as far as I know, fasting is still the fastest way to enter ketosis.

However, I haven't spent a lot of time studying ketosis, so I could be wrong.

(rim shot)

JS

 

July 4, 2011
12:59 pm
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Halifax, UK
Gnoll
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June 5, 2011
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Hi J! I have cited your two principles on my blog: http://pjgh.blogspot.com/p/what-is-paleo.html

I am writing up a number of my meals for paleo people and to inspire the paleo-curious. I had to make up a page giving a description of what is paleo and between you and Harris, the definition is sorted. I hope you don't mind. If there is anything you would like re-pointing, re-writing or maybe a plug for TGC, just say. I didn't want it to read like an advert ... people can hunt and gather for themselves.

Living in the Ice Age
http://livingintheiceage.pjgh.co.uk

July 5, 2011
9:12 am
Richard
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Humans did not kill all the megafauna, both paleontology and archaeology have debunked this myth in the last 15 years. I wish people would stop supporting the 'overkill hypothesis', it's simply patently wrong. While the rest of your post is well written, this little piece just bugs me because it's incorrect.

While our prehistoric *and* Paleolithic ancestors did in fact _hunt_ megafauna, they did not kill them all as the overkill hypothesis suggests. This hypothesis relies on the fact that megafauna and ancestral human remains were found together and that cave paintings show ancestral humans hunting these animals. This is a clear case of causation-is-correlation, which a good hypothesis and clear-cut science clearly do not support.

The book you linked to is based on Martin's own theory he proposed more than 40 years ago, which has been disproven in the last 15 years.

July 6, 2011
11:13 pm
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Paul:

Quoting is fine!  I appreciate the links, and I'm glad you find them useful.

Richard:

You're making a large number of unsupported claims.  

* Who has disproved Pleistocene overkill, and with what evidence?
* What is your alternate theory of megafaunal extinction?
* How do you explain the fact that the Eurasian, American, and Australian megafaunal extinctions do not coincide with any event but the arrival of Homo sapiens?

The best attempt I've seen so far is David Meltzer's "debunking" of Martin in First Peoples In The New World, which was such an obvious combination of ad hominems, appeal to popularity, and pure baloney that I nearly threw the book across the room — and I hadn't even read Martin yet!

In fact, if I recall correctly, Meltzer's attack is what motivated me to read Martin in the first place.

I'm open to evidence on this issue — but what I've seen so far has, to put it politely, not impressed me.

JS

July 7, 2011
5:06 am
Clement
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Hi,

So how does a near-vegetarian-sweet-tooth (ie, a carb addict) graduate to paleo?

For personal health reasons I stopped eating any red meat (mammal, to be concise) 10 years ago, although I continue to eat dairy, fish and chicken (in limited quantities). I'm quite happy with this approach, although I still consume way too many carbs, which I'm eager to change.

Do you have any advice?

July 7, 2011
12:26 pm
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Clement:

It's possible to be a paleo-fishatarian.  

Eggs are an excellent source of nutrients, and just about anything tastes better with a fried egg on top or an egg scrambled into it.  

Fish and shellfish are a fine source of protein.  I recommend moderate amounts of fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines (a couple times a week is good), and don't forget the mussels, scallops, oysters, etc.  You'll want to watch out for mercury content if you're eating a lot of fish (tuna, shark, and other high-level predators tend to bioaccumulate methylmercury).

Also, most fish meat is very lean, so you'll want to compensate with plenty of coconut oil, butter, and/or cream sauce when you eat lean cuts.

Nutritionally you'll be fine: the main problem will be money, because fish is generally quite expensive relative to red meat!

I'm not a fan of chicken due to the lousy n-3/n-6 fat profile, though if you have a source of free-range chickens that aren't fed grains, they can be OK.  But I'd still much rather eat the eggs than the chickens!

Is your mammal meat avoidance due to allergies, factory farming, or because you've been convinced it's bad for you?

JS

July 7, 2011
9:55 pm
Clement
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"Is your mammal meat avoidance due to allergies, factory farming, or because you've been convinced it's bad for you?"

After living on a fairly meat-heavy diet for a while, I wasn't enjoying the lethargic sensation after meals and felt I needed a change, especially with a family history of heart conditions (both grand-dads died of heart attacks). Whilst I don't have any doubts that red meat can be prepared in a healthy way too, I'm much happier being an lacto-ovo pescatarian of sorts (sheesh, I just avoid red meat, is all). I stopped the red meat component mostly in order to improve my focus on what I eat and just haven't missed it, over the years.

I also agree that chicken isn't a great substitute and hope to minimize that as well.

Thanks for a most informative site, providing some valuable "food for thought" 🙂

July 8, 2011
12:08 am
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Clement:

If you simply prefer a fish-based diet, it's absolutely possible to be optimally healthy.  In fact, I'll be interested to see what sort of meals and dietary composition you eventually settle on, as I've seen the "what if I'm a pescetarian" question before: please keep us updated!

JS

July 8, 2011
2:00 pm
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Halifax, UK
Gnoll
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June 5, 2011
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Hey, Clement – I was raised a vegetarian and we occasionally ate fish. Despite that, I grew up to be a tall, strong and independently minded fellow. I can appreciate you not enjoying meat – I don't eat much chicken; not liking it for texture and flavour (and omega 6 richness now I'm paleo), nor pork, but belly pork … Wow! … and red meat … try out some game meats, try out some proper grass fed ruminants. Slow cook it!

Maybe an overt link over to my new food blog, but I think there will be a few interesting fish recipe combinations for you to try. Keep checking in – I'm always updating it, but one I adore for wild salmon is: http://pjgh.blogspot.com/2011/06/wild-salmon-with-.....ocado.html – pure paleo and damn 'effing tasty!

Look out for smoked mackerel – often plastic packed and freezeable, great for any meal, but a damn nice breakfast. Sole works well with blueberries, firm fish like cod and haddock steamed with lots of veggies, herring, pickled herring, sardines in abundance grilled under a fierce heat over a salad of whatever you choose, baked fish … the world is literally "your oyster".

If you want some ideas for fish and shellfish, just shout! I'm hereWink

Living in the Ice Age
http://livingintheiceage.pjgh.co.uk

September 15, 2011
7:03 pm
PrimalNut
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I might have one for ya.
My mother was diagnosed with gallbladder stones. She's been on a high grain/coffee/low fat diet her entire life. I then researched things about the gallbladder and did you know that little organ only empties its bile in the presence of fat?!
My Dad has been on a high fat/protein/low sugar diet his entire life and has nothing wrong with his gallbladder. His diet is also high in organ meats like liver, tongue, kidney, heart and the blood of animals (blood soup, blood sausage with chunks of fat).
My mother lost all of her teeth early in her life, while my Dad sports all of his 32 teeth at the age of 68. Both live in Germany but are of 2 different cultures.
Mother is a finnish Lapp and Dad is originally from the south Balkans.

September 15, 2011
9:57 pm
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PrimalNut:

That's a very interesting data point...gallstones are a relatively common complaint.  It would be interesting to find out if their incidence inversely tracks fat consumption!

And yes, it's well-known that mouth bacteria feed on sugar.  That, I think, is the best evidence that the natural human diet is low-carb, as Paleolithic humans certainly didn't have toothbrushes, let alone fluoridated toothpaste.

JS

 

 

September 16, 2011
1:34 pm
FED
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A much-needed post given the current state of "Paleo" and its current, confused state ("reenactors" vs "neo paleoists").

I recently posted an article titled "Paleo and the Naturalistic Fallacy" on my blog which was an attempt to speak to this issue albeit from a slightly different angle.

(http://www.fitnessinanevolutionarydirection.com/2011/09/paleo-and-naturalistic-fallacy.html)

September 16, 2011
5:08 pm
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FED:

Yes, the naturalistic fallacy is one of the traps people initially fall into, and why I dislike the term "caveman diet".  GROK SMASH! indeed.

The challenge is to come up with a logical framework that includes evolutionary context, but is not limited to it...and that's what this article (which defines "functional paleo") is about.

Thanks for the support, and congratulations on your transformation!  Most people would be happy to have your "before" pictures...which shows that "paleo" isn't just a diet plan for fatties.

JS

October 12, 2011
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October 23, 2011
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