As a Primal Health Coach, I should be an outspoken proponent for the Paleo lifestyle. Though Primal and Paleo have some fundamental differences, such as the incorporation of legumes and wine into the diet, for all intents and purposes, they are essentially the same. But alas, I cannot wholeheartedly be a spokesman for this lifestyle. Today I will give some reasons for the impracticality of the Paleo lifestyle…at least for me.
For those of you who have been with Kate and I since the beginning of Naturopathic Earth back in January 2017, you know that some of my earliest articles lauded the lifestyle. And believe me…it is a lifestyle we should try to emulate. {Click here to read that first article on the Paleo diet.} But we should also try to limit our TV watching, yelling at our kids, driving over the speed limit, and we know we are not perfect in those things.
What is Paleo?
The Paleo lifestyle espouses a return to what our cavemen ancestors ate. In short, foods found naturally in our environment: meat, fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and oils naturally extracted from them. The best way to summarize Paleo is “If God didn’t make it…don’t eat it!” With this as your guide stone, the large majority of the middle aisles of your local grocery store would be quickly removed. So goodbye to anything that requires processing. Say “sayonara” to cookies, crackers, pastries, chips, bread, pasta, frozen entrees, pretzels, most condiments, ice cream, dairy, et al. Our caveman ancestors weren’t eating popcicles, tortilla chips, and chicken sandwiches…so neither should we.
The argument behind the Paleo lifestyle is that though the Agricultural Revolution and the domestication of livestock seemed like eons ago according to our dusty history books, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to human existence. In fact 90% of human existence occurred before the advent of mass consumption of grains and dairy (among other things). Back then we were the proverbial hunters and gatherers scavenging for food, enduring days without food. (Read our articles on intermittent fasting.)
Connected to that, the argument goes that we our DNA and digestive system are wired to easily consume Paleo foods since through millennia we grew quite adept at breaking them down for nutrition. Though 10,000 years seems like a long time, our bodies have not adapted to the consumption of grains, legumes, and dairy. And they certainly are not accustomed to the myriad of processed foods that come from these foods.
Connected, connected to this line of thinking is that many of the medical maladies which afflict us today are connected to the consumption of these foods. Obesity, cancer, the cardiovascular diseases, auto-immune disorders, dysbiosis (problems with your gut microbiome) are either caused, or at the least exacerbated by grains, dairy, and legumes. Removing these foods will lower your chances of acquiring these chronic and fatal diseases.
The Problem with Paleo
Though the science seems to back up the contention that our quality and longevity of life would improve if we removed these foods, especially in their packaged, processed form, it is an impractical lifestyle for many Americans. Telling a client to completely eliminated not just all processed foods, but bread, pasta, milk, ice cream, cheese, crackers, beans, most sweets and alike is akin to telling them to give up TV and their phones.
Though laudable, it is completely unfeasible in the long run for most. “No bread!” “No snacks!” is the common exasperated fulminations I get from my high school students…and even my clients. Most would rather cut off their left arm than give up flour-based foods. I might be one of them.
Now there are exceptions. Many people, including myself but certainly clients, come from a place of desperation. Their whole life they were either sick, overweight, or both. They are at their wit’s end…desperate to change their lifestyle.
For these people, Paleo is a sanctuary from the crappy standard American diet. Upon adopting Paleo elements, they lose weight, regain mental clarity and energy. They feel great! (And they tell the whole world about it!) Clean Eating has changed their lives and they are happy and proud. The same may be said about vegetarianism, the ketogenic diet, or any radical diet/lifestyle. Any departure from the standard American diet will bring about incredible results.
But the biggest issue is LONG-TERM results. There is an old stat that I recall. That 90% of people who love over 50 lbs. regain the weight. Why? (Read my article on Why We Eat Crappy Foods.) Diets don’t work; lifestyle changes might. They might. Though many can refrain from non-Paleo foods for a certain amount of time to get the desired results, many people simply cannot sustain a lifestyle where they don’t eat these foods.
Why? Because we love bread, crackers, pasta and alike! They taste good! They release endorphins that make us feel good. To compound the issue, we turn to our left and right to see our family and friends eating these foods all day which brings about temptation to indulge. If these foods were banned a la The Soviet Union, it would perhaps be easier, but even then people would find a way via the black market to find and consume these foods.
So if you track Paleo adherents over the years (and there wouldn’t be many years since this lifestyle has only been in the zeitgeist for a decade) you will see that even those responding anonymously admit to “falling off the wagon.” Even its most passionate adherents admit they employ an 80%/20% implementation of it.
My Experience With Paleo
My Confessions of an Obese Child series details my struggles with emotional and binge eating since an early age. Even after I lost my weight in 1991, I still maintained a junk food “calorie in, calorie out” chronic cardio relationship with food. It was around 2012 that I stumbled upon the Primal Blueprint podcast and became an advocate for the lifestyle. Did I ever fully eliminate grains and dairy? No, but I limited them more than ever before.
I noticed the beneficial aspects of adopting the lifestyle. I lost the last stubborn pounds I had been packing since my 20’s. My mood and energy levels stabilized. Though I became a Primal Health Coach, I never fully purged my diet of processed foods or grains and dairy. I love my naan, or South Asian bread too much! Plus I love ice cream, though the lactose-intolerant part of me knows I shouldn’t eat it.
Does that make me a hypocrite? I don’t think so. I never espoused to be Paleo. Even with friends and clients, I tell them my story in an honest, forthright manner. I STRONGLY SUGGEST embracing a Paleo-esque diet limiting the aforementioned foods. I exhort people to do so, but never chastise them for not doing it.
Why? Because I believe a complete prohibition of certain foods, unless indicated by a food allergy or medical issue, is counterproductive and unrealistic. I learned after dealing with my eating disorder for decades that we shouldn’t designate a food as “bad.” Because no food is truly catastrophic to eat or drink (even sodas) on occasion. And by labeling a food as “bad” it triggers the shame cycle if we do eat it.
Tips
My advice is the advice I give my 4 children, the oldest of which is 6-years-old. I tell them that there are certain foods that make us grow tall and become smart and there are certain foods that sicken and stunt us. I also tell them that the best foods are those that are whole and natural. “If God didn’t make it, don’t eat it.”
The best advice is to purse a Clean Eating lifestyle. This is best epitomized by:
- Avoid food toxins (such as food dyes, artificial sweeteners, MSGs, and the host of others we have discussed on this site and podcast.
- Avoid household and cosmetic toxins such as plastics, scented products, non-stick cookware, and alike.
- Limit foods that are known to be inflammatory to the body, such as grain, dairy, and industrial-grade vegetable oils.
- Sleep Well.
- Move the body…best exemplified by this article.
- Reduce Stress
- Play!
I would recommend you read our articles on turning your fridge and pantry into Clean Eating ones. Or listen to the podcast episodes regarding a Clean Eating pantry and fridge.
For those of you who have been a true adherent to Paleo for years, “Congratulations! That is amazing!” Does it make me or others lesser people because we have not? No, not all. I just wanted to express my take on the impracticality of the Paleo lifestyle for most.
We all are on our own separate, exhilarating road to wellness. We all know that road is paved by avoiding packaged and junk foods to the best of our ability. Everyone knows people who eat these foods, but seem to be healthy. Maybe they are…maybe they aren’t internally.
What we do know is that we should avoid toxin-laden foods and embrace whole foods. But as Jesus told Peter, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Most of us know what we SHOULD eat, it is just having the proper safeguards and mental paradigm in place to implement it. Jesus fell three times on the way to the cross. We will continue to fall as well, but let’s get up and do the best we can in pursing clean eating.
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What has your experience been with Paleo? We would love to hear from you below!