I brought up the inherent, albeit dormant qualities of fortitude and will and was chastised for it. I just cannot relate to someone "worrying" or "sweating" about the "temptations" of all the "wonderful" SAD foods. IMO, this is the dif between a diet and a lifestyle. A diet implies deprivation. A lifestyle on the other hand, is all encompassing. I do not in any way feel deprived abstaining from poisons because it is not my "life-way". Maybe, this is more a cultural problem.

I think Paleo CAN work for everyone, you just have to find the right version.

Not to get all philosophical about it but u would first have to define what paleo means for the person. For me it is simply no gluten containing grains, no industrial seed oils and limited fructose consumption. The dairy, legumes, sprouted vs unsprouted, grassfed vs grainfed, etc are all differing shades of gray for me personally and each individual should judge them based on their own individual health, tolerances and goals.

For the hard parameters(excluding gluten, industrial seed oils, and limiting fructose) I really don't see how anyone does worse over the long-term taking these out of their diet.

People tell me my diet is sooooooo boring. I can't find anything boring about it. But, these are people who are used to exciting - or excitatory foods. If one is reliant on getting amusement park like experiences from their foods, then they are probably less likely to even try a Paleo approach. The shame is I think anyone is capable of pulling it off, but they have to get off the roller coaster first.

Avoiding grain is a win for eveyone as far as I can tell, having a strategy for dairy that works for you is essential. Avoiding all sugar/refined foods is good for everyone. Eliminating vegetabe oils is good for everyone.

I think that some people need a lot of red meats and other meats and very low carbs / veggies. Others need high carbs and veggies and perhaps only salmon or eggs or chicken.

Everyone is diffrent and the macro breakdown that is optimal for each individual is diffrent.

to me, once you understand food and hunger, youve found your paleo. its not deciding what you can and cant have. i came to paleo from anorexia. when i started recovery following 'meal plans' nothing about the concept relayed 'food' or 'nourishment' to my brain- nothing. until i delved into biology and anatomy i never saw the light with food and never realized how down right retarded it was for me to starve myself.

i see what food is now i understand what hunger is its a mental relationship...it has nothing to do with the food or guidelines of paleo(avoding the deadly 3..) but everything to do with your outward relation with food.

it can work for everyone. i was once a ZCer...then a VLCer and then a dairy fiend...but i was never listening to my own self... that is HARD to do, but when you find out how to do it, you feed yourself 'your paleo' and IMO, it will vary greatly, seasonally, emotionally and hormonally

Like any diet it is individual. It also depends on life circumstances such as stress. Gender and environment are also factors. I like this question but feel it may be too general unless you are trying to solicit broad definitions. I think without a long term study on paleo no one can provide a definitive answer.

Paleo: avoid grains legumes and dairy.

I'd say that every human being will be fine doing that so yes.

Like we've all discussed many times: macro ratios are up for grabs, we've finally beat down the low carb=paleo nonsense.

Are we talking about mentally adapted or physically adapted? It seems to me in my experience including with myself, the hardest part of following paleo was to give up certain foods that I loved. Which was a psychological barrier for me for some time.

Dr. K. I find it so interesting that while your answers on here are among the most technical/ esoteric, your questions tend to be the most exoteric.

It would have to depend on a person's interpretation of what paleo is... For me it means avoiding irritating foods (or other environmental irritants). In that case everyone is best adapted to remove toxins from their lives. For example I can't do boxed coconut water, but stuff I pour myself is fine. I can eat tons of raw butter but not pastuerized (even if it's grass fed), and raw cream doesn't do well with me.

Finding what works for the individual is paramount, and I think generally following paleo protocol gets most of the people most of the way there.

Yes, paleo/primal/ancestral LIVING should be a way of life recommended to everyone. Eating is perhaps the backbone of beginning the lifetyle change, but just "eating paleo" is not "living paleo.*

As others have stated, macronutrient ratios can and should be very individualized. I am a person who comes from a bigtime history of big weight issues, so, my way of paleo looks very low on the starchy vegetable and high gycemic fruit end. These become special occasion foods. For others, they may be part of the necessary backbone of daily eating. I've kept off 90 lbs for nearly 9 years and began as what I'd call a "clean eating" low carber.

Where we "come from" on our journey is a crucial piece for each of us.

And how much healing we have to do on that journey is another crucial piece. For many years, I was what Kurt Harris refers to as an "herbivore" - grazer - style eater. And I absolutely HAD to be. I was very, very sick when I made massive diet changes and I was very fat and hypoglycemic.

I would never have thought that IF would work for me. And then it would not have. But with years of healing, which included careful, consistent supplementation - including very high amounts of omega 3's -8-10 grams for several months to begin with, and then ongoing 2-3 grams for all these years, alot of healing has occurred. Now IF is a perfect fit for me which still amazes me! I generally eat 2 LARGE meals per day now.

But it aint' just about food! The whole sleep piece is huge, as is the having active FUN piece and doing the right kinds of physical movement (exercise) at the right intervals and learning to value rest and recovery time.

I agree with others that I strongly believe cutting out grains - or at the least, GREATLY minimizing them, using good fats to cook with (getting n-3,n-6 ratios in shape), and throwing out processed sugar - except for special occasions, is part of the "paleo backbone." Beyond that, I see food mixes as very individualized, with the extra caveat that if one is dealing with autoimmune issues, then a strict trial, including dairy elimination and nightshade elimination/reduction is prudent.

I am one of those that grains make horribly ill but can tolerate minimal dairy well - some hard cheeses, soft, heavy cream for coffee, rare whipped cream dessert. Nightshades seem not to be an issue.

Bottom line: There is no westernized human that "paleo tweaking" cannot help. That tweaking should come in the form of holistic lifestyle change guidance and good coaching support along the journey.

I agree with what hcantrall said, most people fall prey to psychological barriers, to their wants & desires for food. How many times have we heard someone say "oh I could just never give up 'fill-in-the-blank', I couldn't life without it". I think everyone is adapted to paleo, but of course paleo is not a narrow focused way of eating, it is broad in scope. It is obvious that modern SAD is wreaking havoc in large parts of the World. There can be individual exceptions, which can be supported in our modern, advanced society, but for almost all of our existence on this planet if for some reason you were unable to do well on the diet people ate at that time or geographic location, Nature selected against you and you died out.

I think this is a very generalized question. Paleo is basically a food list to choose from by which you can construct a multitude of different dietary choices. For example, you can adjust the macronutrient ratios up and down to do something like a low-carb or high-carb diet. Also, you could easily do other diets with the Paleo framework such as GAPS or even Zone. Given this plasticity in the Paleo diet, it would be extremely hard to argue against Paleo being the ideal diet for virtually everyone since there's so many different ways to customize it. I know those are pretty general statements but you could get very detailed in the nuances of the biochemistry from that perspective and talk about customizing it for folks at the cellular/metabolic level to achieve a comprehensive spectrum of goals.

I think an avoidance of grains and processed foods is ideal for everyone.

For dairy, I think some can thrive on it if it is from a quality source and raw.

Things like extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil are evolutionarily novel but I think they're good for most.

Contrarily, I think a lot of folks will do well to eliminate nuts and seeds from the diet. Also, I'm not too hot about people consuming much honey even though it's "Paleo".

I don't think it matters. In the end the only person I am responsible for choosing a diet for is myself, thus the question I care about is only if this is a good choice for me.

I get uncomfortable as soon as people start wanting to make choices for people who are not their children and are not them. That is not their business and is where I can find people who have made all sorts of choices obnoxious and intrusive.

Disagree. Humans are born adapted to paleo (which is not one diet but a range of dietary approaches approximating ancestral eating patterns). Many adults have accumulated years of metabolic damage and autoimmune stress as a result of eating foods their bodies are poorly adapted to--for some of these people, further refinement of the basic paleo approach is necessary because they have acquired sensitivities to otherwise tolerable foods.

I don't even know that I am paleo, because it has so many variations. Can you define a way of 'not-eating'?? That's what I am - I'm a non-food-non-eater. I don't eat seed oils, processed foods, nuts, grains, legumes, cruciferous veges, high fructose fruits, nightshades or dairy. Those are all items that I can't digest right now, so they're not 'foods' for me.

Carbs and protein quantities and effects are the latest playing field for me, as I figure out what I feel good on and what helps me to correct my weight and energy. Zero and VLC are OK for a couple of days a week, but after that I get scattered, irritable and tired. Higher carb makes me crave. I'm a work-in-progress.

I can't think of a single reason why a paleo lifestyle would not work for everyone. Why?

Because I think that the intolerances to some paleo food that people express here are due to non functioning guts brought on by current and previously eating neolithic foods. Thus people try this or that version of paleo and find one that their gut flora can accomodate. It seems like the microbial gut flora has adapted to the previously eaten neolithic foods. Our genes have been changed by all the neolithic poison.

We have somewhere around 500 plus or minus different bacteria species living in our guts but WIKI says it is believed that 99% of the species are made up of just 20 species...leaving out a whole bunch of species. Perhaps those species left out are exactly the ones that are needed.

Repopulate the gut with all 500 species and I think paleo can work for everyone. Dr Art Ayres (coolinginfmammation) is a firm believer in the idea that wellness originates in the gut. A disfunctional gut leads to inflammation which leads to disease. He talks a lot about eating inulin foods that ferment and create new gut flora and he talks about...basically eating a little dirt to populate the gut and he talks about fecal transplant...all in an attempt to get the gut to work properly.

Heal the gut and I think paleo is what everyone needs. All the paleo food intolerances would go away.

Yeah, paleo is for everyone.

I follow the "Wolf" paleo - there are so many I don't even know whose is whose! I only know that following paleo (I do 100% except I can't afford grass fed meat) - no grains - no sugar, limited fructose, only olive oil and coconut oil, no legumes - for me no nightshades, and limited jalapeno type spices - have about one meal a week with tomato sauce - at 64 with several health issues (all resolved - or in the process of being so) I can't believe if followed - anyone would have a problem!! I was pescatarian prior to indoctrinating myself on the "30" day plan - I had absolutely no difficulty adapting - my only prob - which still exists is that I really am sad about the animals that have to die for my benefit!!!! Seeing as I'm healthy again and not depressed any more - I thank the animal for giving his/her life to aid my well-being!!!

It depends on what you mean by paleo. If we go with a vlc/ketogenic style paleo, yes, I think there are people that have issues due to the absolute willpower required at times. Or the 2-3 week cross-over, which some people hate, or can't even make it through.

I know that the restrictions on the auto-immune Robb Wolf style paleo would make me quit. But my Mom does just fine with it. She also has a lot more food allergies than I've noticed in myself.

I know people who have success with primal blueprint. They like to eat different foods that normally aren't allowed. I followed that at the beginning and discovered I had more issues with food than I initially suspected.

I like following the archevore style of paleo (Yes, we can argue about some of the foods on the list -- test for yourself, n=1, and allow or disallow from your diet). It allows different foods that a lot of paleo people do not eat, allows the amount of glucose I need to function, and gives me a variety of food.

I seem to be best adapted to a 70%~fat, 15%~protein, and 15%~carb diet as described above. Sometimes I eat veggies, sometimes I don't. I don't ignore fruit, but I don't seek it out either. I drink cream, or cook with butter. I believe that high fat dairy doesn't cause me any issues. I cut it out for a while, brought it back in, and seem fine. I usually do a 8 hour eating window, and either drink coffee with whipping cream in it, or just fast. I seem to do fine, and am losing weight and fat mass. Which is my goal. I am, however, gluten intolerant, and am insulin resistant. So not doing paleo doesn't make sense to me. Of course, that's only after experimenting with "gluten free" products and still feeling miserable at times.

I think the biggest problem with people acclimating to paleo is the dogma that the government has fed us about fat being "bad" and whole grains being "good". Once they understand the science and that the body runs primarily on fat, I think the acceptance is better. Normally I'd argue that acceptance isn't in the mind, but I've seen enough in my own life to understand that the mental war is as big as the physical problems, if not more so.

Not everyone is adapted to what most people are adapted to? Well yeah, that's clearly a truism because of simple logic. Most people are born being adapted to what humans generally have eaten ("paleo"), but some acquire pathologies as life goes on.

So when one is diabetic, they wouldn't want to eat lots of tubers and fruit, even though most people are born being okay with these foods. If one is epileptic, they would also change their diet a bit. I don't see anything earth-shattering about that line of thinking.

1. History: Since there is no singular paleo diet, it is likely that individuals will vary in what final set of paleo-approved foods work best for them. This was probably true for variation among their paleolithic ancestors; but it's also probably true as a function of which foods their ancestors ate relative to other groups in the paleolithic (see 2 on this point).

2. Genetics: One source of structure that might cut through the sea of individual variation is genetic differences. Genetic lineages might indicate particular sets of foods that individuals' ancestors ate and subsequently adapted to.

3. Previous diet and its damage: For example, my Italian mother fed me pasta every other night for over ten years, which probably did a certain amount of damage to my gut lining and metabolism, which in turn might result in some paleo-foods being better for me than others.

4. Lifestyle differences: Some of us need to engage in behaviors (professional athletics, or in my case, strength training and professional academics) that require a type of lifestyle that doesn't perfectly jive with the paleo diet and all that is required to adhere to it in a modern setting. This might result in exceptions (lacto-paleo, fermented foods, etc), supplementation (BCAAs, fish oil, etc), and lifestyle sacrifices (staying up all night, taking Adderall, etc).

There are so many ways to eat 'paleo', primal, archevore, evolutionarily appropriate, whole-foods, high-nutrient, grain-free, low-carb... hell look how many words there are to describe the basics of what people in this community eat!

I would disagree that any human being is going to get better results from an industrial diet with the main calorie sources of grains, beans, seed oils, and sweeteners vs a 'paleo' diet based on fresh foods and with a majority of fat and protein coming from animal products.

However I absolutely agree that many people aren't going to do their best on low-carb, or high-fat, or with lots of meat every day, or eating dairy. or giving up dairy. It's very important to experiment with any diet or way of life to figure out what suits your needs best.

Unprocessed..that's what this whole "paleo" label boils it down to for me. Unprocessed on a daily basis with a few "processed" moments thrown in when called for...such as special occasions, dinner out with the husband and there's an amazing dessert to be had, that sort of thing. If I start to try to figure out all the percentages, macronutrients, technicalities, then this whole paleo thing turns into an obsessive nightmare for me. I eat when i'm hungry, I don't eat stuff out of a bag or box generally, and if I couldn't eat it raw then I don't eat it (for the most part). When I stick with this type of eating I feel so much better, my food is fuel and my body thanks me. Paleo is not a religion, not an obsession and not an opportunity to get all "holier than thou" when it comes to lifestyles...it's an opportunity to eat healthy and perhaps encourage others to do the same by example and help when asked for. That's my take, great question!

I do think that paleo to me means MOSTLY avoidance of processed foods and GLUTEN.

I have celiac disease, so I really can't do gluten at all. I can't really judge other people's poor reactions to it or not.

Based on the avoidance of grains and processed foods, and counting that as paleo- I disagree and would say that everyone is adapted to paleo.

My best friend is a vegetarian and getting started!

I think it is a bit of a stretch to say that foods that were the dietary foundation of numerous cultures over 10,000 years are all bad for you, implying that all of those people were somehow malnourished and disease prone. Corn, barley, wheat, rice, and other grains were and are all dietary staple for different cultures around the world. Historically, cultures didn't usually become cultures until they developed a form of agriculture-based food, which allowed a minority of the population to produce enough feed for the entire group.

Surely some people in those cultures tolerated the grains better than others, which is also true today. I know people that would suffer with a Paleo diet that is heavy on meat, eggs, and fat, such as my wife. I think that some people are just adapted to burn carbohydrates and grains a lot better than they can utilize meat and fat. On the other hand, I am certain that a Paleo diet is a lot better for me than one including grains and sugar.

It could be that different strains of the human species are just adapted differently, this would make sense, considering that grains were introduced around 10,000 years ago, that means about 300-400 generations of people. That is enough time for people to adapt to that diet.

Incidence of irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, obesity, and other "diseases of civilization" have become a lot more common in the past 50 years or so, while grains have been around more than 10,000. I think the problem is more than just the grains.

This forum is full of people that are enthusiastic about the Paleo diet, and at times it becomes somewhat of an echo chamber, everyone agreeing with everyone else. However there are billions of people in the world... I don't think that a single diet fits all of them.

maybe question whether everyone or anyone requires paleo....they dont

for one, there is no denying that the dawn of the agricultural revolution sparked fertility to a degree unheard of in human history. yes, it was the direct result of grains. our population skyrocketed. but what it brought was unnatural omega 6's when we realized this population needed feeding in an affordable way, and this brought metabolic dysfunction which led to an industry out for money making. as our genetic expression has now changed, IMO, in the future it will develop to thrive on what we are now feeding it(soy, grains, corn, gluten) but NOT right now, as the human body evolves.

so do you force it to change? SHOULD you force it to change? in the grand scheme of human existence, my body, my genetic expression through my dietary choices plays a role so small it's not even worth fathoming.

no ones body REQUIRES them to eat paleo, just like no ones body REQUIRES them to eat dietary carbohydrates. people can live on grains & corn. people can live on seal blubber & stomach. i think there are VERY FEW aspects of the human body one requires to function.

*the omega balance is important but in reality you need very little of both

*there is no requirement to eat meat, like there is no requirement to eat fruit- you dont need either. look at vegans, look at carnivores. IMO, theyre both wrong

i know, from experience that the human body is very giving, you can get by eating nothing, you can get by eating lettuce, you can be alive drinking nothing but splenda sweetened calorie free drinks, diet soda and coffee and even run 15 miles a day with it. you can do this for years(6 to be exact) none of that is required though.

its in your genes, your genetic expression. i think it is the apoe4 gene for cancer(correct me if im wrong) and if you have this gene, there is not a diet in the world that will prevent your body from working toward developing a tumor- its your genetic expression, what your body has in store to do. you can try and control it, where food comes into play and some aspects may help, but ultimately, those are your genes.

i have a f8ed up HPA, misfiring in my brain, a bad chemical imbalance. it's in my genes, its in my family line. there isnt anything i am required to do about it, its my genetic expression.

paleo was the choice i made to control my mind in a way to enhance my own life, make it livable every day- no joke, it was a choice i wanted to make(i admit i was 100% obsessed with meeting my meal requirements with wheat thins and peanut butter...holy addicition).

am i forcing a change in my genetic expression? IMO, yes. theres prolly a bolus of ways i COULD do this, but this one happens to be easy and make sense to me. food is my medicine, my energy, and what gives me the ability to live in conventional life- able to wake up and get out of bed every morning to go to a desk job, have conversations with people, keep an elevated libido(lol), keep hair on my head and muscle on my body, and not live in a bedroom secluded from life and every form of it.

theres only really one thing i think should be 'required' from the get go... breast feeding. without it, you dont even start life with a correct functioning.

i like what quilt said about the african americans vs the white... look at the differences in diseases and the different effect on their body's due to the SAD diet.

• i have NEVER seen a black person with chicken legs/no ass coupled with a belly protruding obnoxiously huge. however, i see 2394582103495 white people everyday like this

*i HAVE seen black people who are just BIG, but theyre big everywhere. they have thicker bones, more muscle thick skin etc..

• i RARELY see a black person in a wheel chair, nor have i ever met one who is diabetic

• i rarely see a black person in a cast

ok, i dont know where this is going, but i am very interested in how quilt plans to dissect it...im so totally interested