Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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As I understand it this site is for people who want to get healthy based on the theory that we should act in a way that is in accord with our evolution. That we should use Evolution as a general guideline for forming theories and making decisions in how we eat, sleep, move etc...

So that said why do we have cliques of people on this site who don't agree with that model? I don't mind the differences in experience nor the different interpretation of the how we evolved but it seems to me that certain cliques don't really want to discuss Paleo, they are actually here to just stir things up and cause problems.

So for those of you who don't eat Primal/Paleo in some variation....why are you here? If you are a vegan why not go to a vegan site? If you doubt evolution why base even part of your life on something you think is false? If you want to live of Jello, Shellfish and Ice-Cream why not go find like-minded people and refine what is working for you?

Why a Paleo site if you aren't Paleo?

flag	asked Oct 10 at 7:36 Satchmo

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Thanks for asking this question. I found this forum for advice on paleo, but recently have been noticing more and more questions relating to things that are not paleo, or to what seem to me a complete misinterpretation of the fundamental ideas of paleo. – James L Oct 10 at 9:40

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Hmm.. Isn't this question bordering on "subjective, argumentative, or requiring extended discussion".. ;) – meta Oct 10 at 10:17

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Actually I thought it was purely for entertainment value when I'm bored.... – JayJay Oct 10 at 14:56

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I have a recipe for orange ice cream jello with shrimp if anyone wants it... – Dave S. Oct 10 at 15:14

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Jello, shellfish and ice cream... That's the new Ray Peat protocol, right? – Matt Oct 10 at 15:40

show 12 more comments

borofergie · Answer 1 · 2012-10-10 15:08:56Z UTC

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I'm just in it to make cheap jokes about boobs and bacon (6.7k rep points worth).

answered Oct 10 at 15:08

borofergie
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I like the cheap jokes better than the dogma....but some of the hard core paleo speed raps are funnier than the jokes... – thhq Oct 10 at 16:18

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+1 on the cheap jokes, +1 on the boobs, +1 on the bacon. dammit why can't I vote 3 times! – raydawg Oct 14 at 0:39

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+1 to highlight that the most stupid responses get the highest rep – meta Oct 14 at 0:56

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Harry - stop being bitter about having your threads shutdown. – Satchmo Oct 16 at 0:46

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On the contrary, I'm very pleased with those questions getting shut down - particularly when they're shut down faster than troll bait. It's rather telling, don't you think? – meta Oct 16 at 12:13

BaconHealsChic · Answer 2 · 2012-10-10 15:57:36Z UTC

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Paleo evolves just like we do I guess. I think the lack of adherence to strict paleo on here (besides the trolls) is sometimes helpful. For example, since I've incorporated some Weston A Price into my Paleo I know there are other like-minded people here doing that too.

answered Oct 10 at 15:57

BaconHealsChic
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	That's not strictly accurate. 'Paleo' means only eating things your body is evolved to eat. If you're eating other stuff, you're not eating paleo. I agree that eating other stuff is somewhere between 'acceptable' and 'good', if you find it's healthy, but the other stuff isn't paleo so should be labelled as something else. – James L Oct 13 at 13:40
	I agree with you but would say we are not completely sure what we are evolved to eat--that's why digestive upset is a good guide for traditional Paleo or any other school of thought. – BaconHealsChic Oct 14 at 4:10

thhq · Answer 3 · 2012-10-10 16:33:57Z UTC

LLM it sounds like you want a badge and a card. It's here for the give-and-take. How does Minger's article on paleo fruit collide with Taubes' fructose theory. What's paleo about leptin reset and ice baths? I don't think it's paleo to ride in planes, trains and automobiles, and index a person's paleoicity to their % foot transportation. I'm right, Minger's right and so are Taubes and Quilt if you choose to believe them. You get it all here. You also get some good food ideas.

MathGirl72 · Answer 4 · 2012-10-10 14:42:36Z UTC

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Some because they think that can "save" us (bacon, anyone?). Others because they are trolls and enjoy getting the masses riled up. Some are just so misguided and confused they wouldn't be able to find their way out of an open paper bag.

My favorites are the ones that ask a legitimate question, then argue with EVERY single answer supplied. Why ask a question if you are so closed minded?

answered Oct 10 at 14:42

MathGirl72
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Help me! Help me! I'm stuck in paper bag!!! – Dave S. Oct 10 at 15:15

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Isn't part of the problem is that (compared with the mainstream) paleo is kinda of a alternative lifestyle choice? Don't know about you, but I get so used to being "the guy with the unhealthy weird diet", that's it's easy to get used to disagreeing with everyone about matters nutritional (even when they are paleoers too). – borofergie Oct 10 at 15:17

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Absolutely. I like the different points of view and I like the minor disagreements and find they can be as informative as the actual research out there. What I find tiresome is the beating of dead horses that seem to occur constantly. Use the fucking search bar! =) – MathGirl72 Oct 10 at 15:43

From my perspective the question becomes are we trying to expand and refine an understanding based on a premise, a human diet based on genetics and evolutionary theory, or are we just making stuff up based on personal biases and N=1 experimentation? – Satchmo Oct 11 at 17:50

I think it's a little of both, LLiM. Zeroing in on the best diet for humans today based on what we know is happening, but at the same time, n=1 is important. What works for one health-wise won't always work for another. – MathGirl72 Oct 11 at 21:15

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Kyle_FitFolks · Answer 5 · 2012-10-10 14:47:07Z UTC

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How else do you make progress without a fresh perspective to challenge the status quo?

Paleo is a lifestyle, not a religion.

answered Oct 10 at 14:47

Kyle_FitFolks
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The point isn't to have an authority censor people. The point is that a lot of the answers aren't a constructive difference of opinion but many are outright malicious and sometimes dishonest. – Satchmo Oct 10 at 21:33

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No they aren't. Malicious?!? – Monte Oct 11 at 11:35

apart from a few trolls, I honestly haven't observed much malice or dishonesty. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I relish good honest intellectual debate. It's fine it that involves a bloody nose or two, as long as we're all prepared to kiss and make up afterwards. I post in much worse places than this. – borofergie Oct 11 at 16:31

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Which is my point. We have some "camps" here which have very little to do with Paleo. Yes the high-starch Vs. Low-carb get a good debate going. The pro-fruit Vs. Fructose-bad is a good debate. The diet of ice cream, shell-fish and jello who talk about getting in the "needed" supplmental white sugar isn't really drawing from the same base set of variables anymore than the few Vegans who post etc... – Satchmo Oct 11 at 17:47

Crowbar · Answer 6 · 2012-10-10 17:48:37Z UTC

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They're just people, doing what people do. Save yourself the stress, don't even acknowledge what bugs you about it. I just answer what questions I want, and respond to comments I think are worthwhile. I could go crazy in life, wondering why others do things I don't understand.

answered Oct 10 at 17:48

Crowbar
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Best answer.... – surfin' on a rocket Oct 11 at 21:28

Christopher Gagnon · Answer 7 · 2012-10-13 11:30:19Z UTC

Having participated in online forums and discussions of various types basically since the web was born, it seems to me PH actually has a pretty good signal to noise ratio overall. Also, in the ~year or so I've hung around here, I don't really detect the deterioration in the quality of discussion that others mention. (But perhaps compared over a longer period, this change seems more evident to long-timers.) Personally, PH has provided the best one-stop source for paleo info I've found, always leading me to good resources elsewhere.

The folks who disagree or don't buy the paleo philosophy often provoke good discussions, particularly when more informed people respond to them with pesuasive information, which can help new people learn more. The disagreements often push me to expand the breadth of my research (if only to satisfy myself that they are wrong). Sometimes they open my mind to new ideas.

Becca · Answer 8 · 2012-10-10 17:52:32Z UTC

It is called PALEOHACKS PALEO. It does annoy me a bit that I'll be looking for actual paleo advice and most of the answers are from non-paleo's advising to do a non paleo thing. I'm happy they have an opinion and advice, but there is only one PALEOHACKS where you can ask questions about paleo (which is why the site is here, right?). So not to be a snob or anything, but yes, it's bothersome to get advice from those that don't care that you're actually trying to follow paleo or those telling you paleo is bad or that all paleos are terrified of carbs. And there are other jabs made to make us feel bad = not cool. I think most of us are here to get and give helpful paleo and primal lifestyle advice. There are countless celiac disease sites and fitness sites and atkins groups and all that other stuff, so if you're into that, why not go there? There is only one PALEOHACKS. peace out.

August · Answer 9 · 2012-10-11 13:30:15Z UTC

I looked at every answer on that evolution thread. No one said they didn't believe in evolution (I didn't check every comment). Quite a few people explained how someone who didn't believe in evolution could eat paleo. Indeed, if any of the overweight people who know me, who can see the evidence whenever they happen to look in my direction (especially if they knew me before I lost weight), I would be happy. It strikes me as a bit overkill to then bash someone over the head with - THOU MUST BELIEVE!!!! Kinda stupid when there are all sorts of people who do believe in evolution and are as unhealthy as everybody else. Mysteriously, paleo works whether you believe in evolution or not, much like so many scientific breakthroughs that came about by RANDOM CHANCE works whether or not you believe in random chance or not.

You are trying to turn this into an ideology. Think about how this site works. People ask questions. Other people try to answer. Some of us have experience, others are two days into this. If we play by your rules, there would be no new information, because it would have to get through your ideological filter first.

meta · Answer 10 · 2012-10-11 23:19:44Z UTC

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"Why a Paleo site if you aren't Paleo?"

Why not?

Isn't it better to:

embrace a philosophy of inclusion
avoid the echo chamber effect
promote the sharing of ideas
explore other points of view

answered Oct 11 at 23:19

Why is this site here?

11 Answers