Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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List some things to avoid. There are some really obvious ones, like sugar and fructose and MSG, but what about the sneaky ones, that aren't well known or talked about much? I'm thinking about odd chemical names, and things I've never heard of.
I think having a well developed list will be a great help to folks about to break and go back to the 'dark side', if I can read the ingredients and see a bunch of red flags, things I know to be pretty much poison, its gonna be really hard to eat that posion anyway.

Educate me till I can never go back.

flag	asked Nov 2 2011 at 4:19 Grover 1,056●3●7

Annie · Answer 1 · 2011-11-02 04:21:02Z UTC

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IMHO, you should avoid all foods that have "ingredients."

answered Nov 2 2011 at 4:21

Annie
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You beat me to it. I was going to say just avoid "ingredients" and your gold. :) – lunabelle Nov 2 2011 at 4:23

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Great answer, if you've never heard of it and can't pronounce it, don't eat it. – Rhubarb Nov 2 2011 at 4:30

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Precisely Rhubarb! – henny Nov 2 2011 at 4:53

Agreed, but it doesn't answer the question. And in the middle of Safeway (or Piggly Wiggly) you still need to know if the cream/coconut milk or rotisserie chicken is reasonably "safe". – Dave S. Nov 2 2011 at 12:23

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Right on Annie! I had a friend send me a link to a local news article cracking the case about 'wood' being allowed in food (cellulose). I was like, how does that matter to me? I don't eat food with ingredients. And I told my friend that! – Senneth Nov 2 2011 at 15:28

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Kasra · Answer 2 · 2011-11-02 04:48:46Z UTC

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Carrageenan/Guar Gum. I had some coconut milk with these in it, and I felt like shit for a few days. I'm convinced it was these thickening agents.

answered Nov 2 2011 at 4:48

Kasra
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same here...... – Jeff Nov 2 2011 at 13:16

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I think it's more of an N=1 thing. I have no problem with oligosaccharide gums/thickeners. – Matt Nov 2 2011 at 14:50

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Hubby had inflammatory IBS like symptoms from it. We avoid now. – Lady_Arwen Nov 3 2011 at 15:27

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Carrageenan does a number on me too. I can handle a bit of guar gum, though. – blueballoon Nov 3 2011 at 17:08

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Agree 100% -- FODMAPS are bad news for me. – Jay Nov 3 2011 at 19:14

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Huey · Answer 3 · 2011-11-02 15:04:39Z UTC

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And don't forget euphemisms like "yeast extract" (MSG).

And what about meats that say "enhanced with up to 15% fluid"?

answered Nov 2 2011 at 15:04

Huey
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Didn't know yeast extract was MSG, those sneaky bastards. Thats just what I was looking for, thanks – Grover Nov 2 2011 at 16:09

Suz - Paleo Oz · Answer 4 · 2011-11-02 04:29:49Z UTC

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My personal favourite is "Evaporated Cane Juice", er, that'll be SUGAR then!

answered Nov 2 2011 at 4:29

Suz - Paleo Oz
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Here's a fun comment on our society, we have 30 words for sugar, just like the Inuit had 30 words for snow. Its that important to us. – Grover Nov 2 2011 at 16:06

Alexandra · Answer 5 · 2011-11-02 16:47:06Z UTC

Glycerine -- blech. It's often added unnecessarily (unless a cloying sweet taste is somehow necessary) to otherwise great herbal and other healing extracts or liquid supplements, but it can raise blood glucose in those that are very low carb. Maltodextrin sucks out loud too but it's ubiquitous in supplement powders, packaged foods, drugs etc. Blech. Why do pills that need to be swallowed require a "sweet taste"??? Medicine is supposed to taste bad...those were the good ol' days...

Lady_Arwen · Answer 6 · 2011-11-03 15:26:56Z UTC

1) autolyzed

2) "natural flavor"

3) gums - xantham, locust, guar, etc.

4) "stabilizers, or thickeners added"

5) carrageenan

6) sugar alchohols

If a traditional, homecooking grandmother wouldn't have recognized it - it's not real food!

Wcc Kamal Stabby fan · Answer 7 · 2011-11-03 19:02:11Z UTC

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Propylene glycol is added to food as a humectant to prevent food from drying out. It is also the main ingredient in anti-freeze.

answered Nov 3 2011 at 19:02

Wcc Kamal Stabby fan
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Iron is added to certain foods and multivitamins. It's also the main ingredient in bullets. Logical fallacies for the win. – conciliator Nov 3 2011 at 21:00

Sneaky ingredients to avoid

7 Answers