Great post about the Paleo “diet.” I echo other people’s comments about finding what works for you, and drawing upon aspects of different “diets” to customize a lifestyle that suits you.

When it comes to the Paleo diet, there are definitely some gray areas that I think warrant further thought…

For example, in today’s era of more ethical eating, increasing numbers of people are opting for some form of a vegetarian or vegan diet. What would happen if you suddenly eliminated meats from a Paleo diet, where such protein sources are a staple?

Also, I don’t like how the Paleo diet vilifies all grains. (Heck, with its emphasis on a hunter-gathered gastronomy, it seems to indict all organized agriculture, in a way.) I think that some Paleo adherents forget the great contributions of agriculture and grains to society. We should remember that agriculture – and the storability of both gluten-ous and gluten-free grains – enabled hunter-gatherers to settle down and form societies and civilizations. Grains sustained people through periods of drought and winter when famine might have normally been a problem. And a surplus of grains permitted some members of society to stop focusing on where their next meal would come from, and instead specialize in other areas (medicine, science, art, music, etc.). As much as Paleos point the finger at health problems that have arisen over time – supposedly as a result of agriculture and grains – where would society be today culturally without those grains?

I could go on, but I’ll cut myself off here. Just wanted to offer some more food for thought…

Cheers, Pete

I think your point about feeling in control and being able to think about more than food is key. To you, that is what works. The idea of being exclusionary with some foods or food groups works awesomely for some as you’ve experienced, and for others the fact that a certain food is “forbidden” makes us want it more. Just as in all of this, there is no right or wrong, only individual preferences and experience.
I think it’s absolutely NOT less evolved
As you said, the cornerstones of all diets (eating patterns) should be a protein sources (meat/poultry/fish/eggs etc,) veggies, some fruit and healthy fats. Then the rest is largely a result of genetics, activity level, preference and goals. As Melissa says, we all have our own biochemistry.
Your last point is too key to not reiterate. “One just has to figure out what works and stick with it.”
That sums it up rather nicely

I don’t like the exclusionary thing either. However, I can see how cutting out dairy and grains would help some people lose weight. They’d be cutting out pastries, ice cream, etc. These are things that usually push over our caloric need. By cutting them out, people would be eliminating a lot of calories and might lose a few pounds.

Still, I think that legumes and grains are useful and delicious. On the nutritional level they have protein, fiber and vitamins to offer us.

I am definitely a Frankendiet kind of gal. I however am not an orthorexic gal (great term that means I don’t follow every diet and end up making myself ill while trying to make myself extremely healthy, Michael Pollan used it in “In Defense of Food.”)

I am a lot Michael Pollan, a little Nourishing Traditions, and a bit of a pie-o-vore.

I’m 99% the headaches and rashes I can’t rid are due to grains. Pretty wild. I’m in the challenging/testing period of this. I feel soooo much better eating a flexible paleo diet.

Keep up the amazing work!
Lauren Lucille

In our discussion, the other day I shared that the paleo diet with certain foods being removed stops my cravings. In fact, it stops them cold. I can suddenly focus on so much more than food. It’s not at all about feeling more full IMO. When I eat the non-paleo foods, I become the monster, slowly but surely … wanting more and more, and feeling completely out of control. I love the idea of eating a little bit of this and that and not excluding foods (as I struggle with excluding them), but I don’t like becoming the “monster” when I eat them.

So truly, for some folks, the paleo diet is the way to go. Are those folks/me less evolved than some of our friends/other humans? Maybe. I do totally agree that figuring out what works for each individual is the answer and we see it all the time on blogs, in articles, etc. I just read a blog post on a woman who lost about 50 lbs just by adding healthy fats to each meal. She did nothing else differently, but the addition of healthy fats made her feel full, hence naturally stopping her from eating more food, and worked for her weight loss. her story supports your satiety thinking. I believe meat, fish, fruit, veggies, and healthy fats are the best things we can be eating. When I add in grains (even gf ones), dairy, and sugar, personally I have issues. Others can do great with them and eat them in moderation. One just has to figure out what works and stick with it. (Repeating this last sentence to myself over and over!)

Great discussion post, Erin!

Shirley