Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

I've been on paleo for a couple of months now.

I try to only eat meat when I know that it's well raised, well treated meat. In effect, this means I don't eat very much meat at all.

In the past few weeks I've eaten some nice big steaks twice. On both occasions I noticed the next day I felt better - mentally sharper and physically had more energy.

It's possible that this was coincidence, perhaps related to a better night's sleep, but I'd like to check in with some knowledgeable people on if I might be missing something that the red meat gave me.

My diet is reasonably stable. I eat 2-3 eggs for breakfast, fish a few times a week (baked cod/haddock, not very much oily fish), and lots of vegetables, carrots, broccoli, kale, zucchini/courgette, sweet potato. I eat lots of apples and bananas, dried figs and nuts as snacks throughout the day. (I average 50-100g of nuts/day). I buy a whole chicken maybe once a month. That's it, I haven't varied much from this for 4-6 weeks and in this period meat wise only had the two steaks and 1 whole chicken, meat wise.

Any input on the red meat question appreciated,

Thanks :)

JL

flag	asked Sep 15 at 23:07 James L 219●7

You buy a chicken once a... month? – Priscilla Sep 16 at 1:13

Daibreak · Answer 1 · 2012-09-15 23:45:08Z UTC

I don't mean to be a smart alec or anything, but you get a boost from eating meat because your body has evolved to eat meat - all kinds of meat, lots and lots of meat. Eating meat is a cornerstone of the Paleo diet. It's essential for many reasons, including the saturated fats in the meat, which your body uses for fuel (these fats are more efficient for your body and easier on it than carbohydrates). I would suggest you invest in a large freezer and find several local farms which raise meat the way you prefer it and then once or twice a year buy a 1/4 cow or 1/2 pig or whatever your preference, store and use that way. It will be nearly the same cost of grocery meat when done this way.

Stabby · Answer 2 · 2012-09-16 00:10:55Z UTC

7

We just have to rule out the deficiencies:

Choline? No you eat eggs.

B12: You eat eggs and fish.

Creatine? Fish.

Cholesterol? Eggs and fish.

The two that are left that aren't found in appreciable amounts in as large amounts in other foods are carnitine and carnosine. I think that carnitine is the most likely candidate because it's important for fatty acid metabolism.

answered Sep 16 at 0:10

Stabby
16.9k●1●14●62

	Thanks, this is really helpful and the kind of breakdown I was looking for. Shame I can't upvote yet. Iron's not on your list? Also going by the name I'm assuming not, but are carnitine and carnosine available from any other sources than meat? – James L Sep 16 at 0:16
	I just never assume an iron deficiency. You might have too little iron but I wouldn't expect you to feel different after eating meat one time, it would take a while to build up your iron stores. There's a list in this article of carnitine-containing foods suppversity.blogspot.ca/2011/07/… and also of its precursors. Looks like red meat is the only major viable source, but you could try just getting all of the precursors yourself. L-carnitine is a supplement, and if you take it you should take it with some sort of protein. – Stabby Sep 16 at 0:20
	thatpaleoguy.com/2011/12/16/… – Stabby Sep 16 at 0:20

Poop Master MC · Answer 3 · 2012-09-15 23:27:58Z UTC

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The flesh of the cow you are eating knows that you are concerned with the welfare of its brethren and is grateful to you for it, so it fills your veins with a rush of good karma that leaves you peppy and full of energy.

answered Sep 15 at 23:27

Poop Master MC
2,773●1●6

	Nice, I'm gonna use that one. – Happy Now Sep 16 at 2:39
	Bah, mumbojumbo hippie BS. Speak in scientific terms or GTFO. :) – raydawg Sep 16 at 19:42

Jeff · Answer 4 · 2012-09-15 23:30:24Z UTC

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Probably from the B12 and iron you may generally be lacking in.

answered Sep 15 at 23:30

Jeff
16.6k●1●8●33

Hm, how can I assess how much of these I should be getting, and how much I'm actually getting? A quick Google on B12 suggests that eggs are high. For B12 cashews and almonds (interestingly the only nuts I eat) and broccoli and kale. – James L Sep 15 at 23:42

2

Cashews, almonds, broccoli and kale have no B12. B12 is of microbial origin. – Matt Sep 16 at 2:30

Also note, just because a food is "high" in a nutrient, doesn't mean that one food will supply all your daily needs of that nutrient. Animal foods do a much better job at supplying daily needs of several nutrients in one single serving than plant foods do. You make look into a tracking program like FitDay or Nutrition Data over a few days and see where you may habitually be lacking. – Michelle Sep 16 at 3:46

Catherine Knight · Answer 5 · 2012-09-15 23:57:59Z UTC

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your diet seems to be very very low in fat. That fat from the steak is probably what is doing it.

answered Sep 15 at 23:57

Catherine Knight
1

Tamara · Answer 6 · 2012-09-16 00:35:39Z UTC

Men don't usually have iron deficiency. How about essential fatty acids? You get these from grass-fed beef in much higher quantities than from factory-farmed beef. They are a key to keeping your mental focus sharp and your mood positive. It's the omega-3 that most people usually lack in their diet. A good liquid fish-oil is an excellent supplement to get your omega-3s.

MusclesGlasses · Answer 7 · 2012-09-16 01:04:42Z UTC

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You may want to get a CBC w/diff and CMP done

answered Sep 16 at 1:04

MusclesGlasses
95●1

Stevie · Answer 8 · 2012-10-02 22:33:51Z UTC

Oh my goodness this happens to me too! And then I wake up the next day feeling stronger, my skin is prettier, and after eating red meat I feel sharper- my vision is just better, I feel like I can hunt or something. It's so weird, but it's really cool at the same time. It may be due to anemia, as it runs in my family, so perhaps you're lacking iron. Previous answers state the lack of essential vitamins, so that could be it too. How exactly do you feel when you eat red meat?

Occasional red meat gives me a boost, why?

8 Answers