Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

2

1

Why does Paleo boost my energy so much, exactly?

I've eaten natural/organic for about ten years, gluten-free for about four. I'm also sensitive to dairy, so my intake of dairy has always been limited, preferably to Greek Yogurts and cheeses. Going paleo, I've been steadily working to cut out other major offenders, like porridge and more than my fair share of rice.

I've noticed the biggest change in my energy levels. I don't see my paleo changes as all that huge. Why, exactly, does paleo boost my energy so much?

PS: I rarely take supplements.

flag	asked Oct 4 2011 at 15:48 Caleb the Hobbit 4,506●5●24

Stabby · Answer 1 · 2011-10-04 16:59:26Z UTC

We can't rule out the placebo effect, that you think you will feel awesome so you get in a better mood and fulfill your own prophecy.

The main reason I think that I feel better, having no real attachment to paleo, is that the less excessive inflammation you have in the body the better the endocrine system is going to work. Inflammation disrupts leptin signaling, insulin signaling, and thus impairs the metabolic process. Mitochondria work better, etc, basically the cogs in the machine are working more efficiently. Absorbing more nutrients will also allow metabolic reactions to take place more efficiently.

luckybastard · Answer 2 · 2011-10-04 17:27:02Z UTC

i'm sure there are a lot of mechanisms but i like the allegory of a car.

say you have a bugatti veyron and you've been putting in crappy oil, low octane gas and letting it sit in the driveway, then it'd be underperforming. but once you give it a good overhaul, put high octane gas in, premium oil and take it out for a nice drive on a regular basis, it starts performing as the awesome machine it was designed to be.

we have taken our bodies- evolution's veyron's- and have been treating them like they're yugos. once we start treating them with the fuel and maintenance that a fine machine such as this deserves, you see the performance go up.

animalcule · Answer 3 · 2011-10-04 19:04:40Z UTC

I was a high-grain, high-carb vegetarian to vegan for a couple years before going paleo. Among many other issues my energy was constantly crashing, I slept way too much, and I had no endurance.

For me personally, I think most of it was getting my blood sugar under control. I have low blood sugar generally but I have always had a lot of problems with hypoglycemia as well as some issues with reactive hypoglycemia. Paleo has solved that; even eating moderate carbs.

Also, eating so much more protein, building pounds of muscle, and finally having the energy to work out enough to build strength, means that my body is capable of so much more without getting exhausted, and has the means to rebuild after I exert myself.

Getting so many more nutrients from food can only help as well. I wouldn't be surprised if I had some serious vitamin deficiencies pre-paleo.

Why exactly does Paleo boost energy

3 Answers