If I stopped feeling good I would try something else.

I am interested in the research but this is what it comes down to for me.

FACT: my mother-in-law is a healthy 94 while having no knowledge of a Paleo diet and she has probably eaten the SAD most of her life. There are many centenarians who probably have eaten the SAD as well.

Will we be healthier old people? We don't really know....we can only hope.

Having many relatives who died of cancer, I am hoping to beat those odds by changing my diet and lifestyle. It all seems like a crap shoot so I try not to be too fanatical.

I am always reading and trying to discern truth from fiction and believe I am open to change as credible information is presented.

I had no weight to lose, no ill health to cure....and I am hoping to keep it that way as long as possible.

The work of guys like De Vary, Cordain, and Wolf are what got my attention and lead me to try the life. Their logic was sound, and I already was turned off to the SAD and anything coming from the "establishment."

However, the real question is why do I continue? This counts more than the research and theories. I continue because it works. Plain and simple.

So to answer the question, I would only abandon the Paleo lifestyle if a) my progress stops or reverses, or b) I get legitimate bad health as a direct result.

What would change my views on Paleo? Well, since going Paleo I've lost north of twenty pounds, normalized my blood pressure, cured Type II diabetes, and made some fairly impressive improvements to my lipid panel. And I feel and look a whole lot better, too. I find it hard to argue with myself over that.

I'm satisfied, based on that evidence, that Paleo as I've implemented it works well for me. But if something came along that made enough sense (it's hard to imagine what, though, given that approximating an evolutionarily appropriate diet is about as rational it gets in terms of eating strategies) for me to try it, and provided better results across the board than Paleo over a long term, I'd switch.

There's mainly two types of paleo dieters. People who like the diet because that's what we're more adapted to, and people who avoid grains because they believe them to be poison.

The first type is going to be paleo anyway even if grains have health benefits. Second type has some interest in proving how toxic grains are as their main argument.

I almost like the word "primal" better than paleo because it seems like a less dogmatic word. with paleo you have all this talk about what's Paleolithic, what's Neolithic. I think primal seems like it's more about getting to our dietary roots. Ironic since I don't agree with a lot of Mark Sisson's ideas (keeping carbs below 100 g being one).

I like the blog Whole Health Source and Stephan is not afraid to talk about grains in a positive light. Although he is affiliated with the Weston A. Price Foundation which is not paleo but has their own dogmatic style which I find annoying. I think that grass-fed, organic milk even if pasteurized is still a better choice than conventional milk. I remember hearing about how some cultures like their milk warm. I doubt heat is that harmful to milk. Soy is not that bad either, although in large amounts and through extreme processing it possibly can be. The Japanese eat moderate amounts of soy and they are very long lived.

Ever since my departure from veganism I've been looking at different diets. I even considered eating a high fruit diet (which is why some of my posts on here were rather defensive about fruit and carbs). I'd be lying if I claimed to be committed to paleo. I post on raw food sites too, despite eating cooked food. Maybe one day I'll go 100% paleo or find some other diet. I'm trying to be healthy without being dogmatic and puritanical about my food.

this just in –

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-prehistoric-ate-flatbread-years.html

http://www.physorg.com/news180282295.html

I'm not sure what could trump Real Whole Food...

I suppose if they invent something that allows me to love forever in perfect health while eating whatever, maybe... Likelyhood slim...

If there was evidence that stone age people and hunter gatherers were actually very unhealthy, I would think again. Because that is the basis of a paleo diet: the mismatch between our healthy past and our not so healthy present, and using this principle to inspire our moderns lives.

But I guess I'll be living paleo for the rest of my life, because I don't see these strong principles being proved wrong... But hey, always open for new evidence.

After studying nutrition in school for a couple of years straight now, and seeing how I feel as a result of simply removing grains and legumes (I mostly didn't eat dairy before anyway), I'd say it's mostly enough to me to avoid them. That said, I've also studied gluten enough and watched enough family members suffer symptoms of ill health that have been tied directly or indirectly to gluten in many studies and anecdotal stories alike. I'm pretty sure my grandmother is an undiagnosed Celiac at 88 years old- her health has rapidly declined over the last few years, though she was pretty robust before that. Yes, she's old, I get that, but I think she could be more active than she even is...

And my uncle who is around 60 years old who has Parkinson's and lived for at least 30 years as a vegetarian- eating loads of grains and legumes (SOY!) for the bulk of it and came back around to meat maybe in the last 10 years. I think the damage was done, but he also CHOWS gluten still at any chance.

I think it's sad that this food that has been called "the staff of life" has become our achilles heel. And I believe it to be true. I think some of us are more sensitive than others, so I do believe there are people who can live long lives and not fall ill from it, but I think for many or most people, it is affecting them in ways they can't even begin to imagine. It's freaky I think... how gluten has come to affect our body tissues. It's like the plant world is fighting back ;o)

Similar to others, I lose weight and feel good on paleo. People around me have solved all manner of weird healthy problems by going paleo. However, I do think it likely that as research evolves, so will our understanding of what is healthiest for each individual. I am ready to experiment with alterations based on good research. Some foods we like now may not be so good after all and others that we hate may turn out to be better than we thought. SOme neolithic foods will probably turn out to be metabolically good for us. Some paleolithic foods may turn out to have been something we tolerated at times in the ancient past but are not the absolute perfect diet for us. THere are still many undiscovered metabolic processes, vitamins, and body needs yet out there. To think we already have all the answers would be foolish. However, I do think that our basic general approach of eating natural for us foods in their natural state will turn out to be correct overall.