Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Okay so Paleo-ers are well aware of both dangers but which is worse: PUFA's or Grains/Fructose? Which seems to have the biggest negative impact on your body, or based on the literature? Trans fats are obvious, I'm talking mainly about the bad fats from canola/soybean/corn/peanut/other veggie seed oils.

I'm starting to think PUFA's are worse because they personally feel easier to overeat (our taste buds didn't evolve for them), cause inflammation/clogged liver, often replace the good fats in our diet and oxidize easily in the bloodstream, if the rancid oils haven't already done so. I have also read studies showing that alcohol wouldn't cause liver cirrhosis/fatty liver had we replaced PUFA's with saturated fats. Seems pretty evil to me. I also feel fine occasionally eating sugar/grains like ice cream or baked goods but it seems now each time I consume a considerable amount of vegetable oils, I get very tired soon afterwards, a sign of inflammation. Its almost like my metabolism slows down.

flag	asked Nov 15 2011 at 2:01 DH 1,166●3●10

	i also hypothesize that the small group of people who lose weight/get healthier on the standard low-fat, whole grains diet is not because it was a low-fat diet but because they inadvertently reduced their toxic PUFA load – DH Nov 15 2011 at 2:03
	I think that the question should be PUFA's v Grains v Fructose. I don't think that fructose is that bad. I eat fruit fairly regularly. – peter Nov 15 2011 at 7:40

cliff · Answer 1 · 2011-11-15 05:21:15Z UTC

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PUFA's are definitely the worst offenders imo. Sugars can be beneficial and some grains are pretty benign.

answered Nov 15 2011 at 5:21

cliff
13.4k●1●9●28

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The quantities of PUFA being consumed today were not possible more than 100 years or so ago, so we may have much less adaptation to this than we would grains or sugar. I eat rice almost every day and don't have any problems with fruit. I guess HFCS might be able to make a somewhat similar claim as being a recent invention. Maybe the question should be what is worst, cooked PUFA or HFCS? – Paleo2.0 Nov 15 2011 at 14:29

Andrew · Answer 2 · 2011-11-15 14:05:27Z UTC

I think if were talking from a Paleo perspective then grains are the worst offender in my opinion. I would rather see someone eat lots of fruit, nuts, or other foods that contain higher amounts of PUFA/Fructose then a piece of bread.

If were throwing Paleo out the window and talking cheat foods then I think it really starts to vary from person to person. I personally do okay with extra sugar or grains but something fried in vegetable oil can sideline me for days. But I also think it would be safe to assume that someone with Celiac would do worse with the grains and someone who is struggling with weight issues would struggle the most with excess sugar.

thhq · Answer 3 · 2011-11-15 14:51:26Z UTC

What's more relevant is what to include, not what to exclude. Hunting and gathering is first priority. Eating meat is second. Being social - tribal - is third. Food exclusion comes way down the list. I put PUFA and grain exclusion in a tie for #44. Fructose exclusion comes in at #109 since paleos ate it.

PUFA’s vs Grains/Fructose, which is worse?

3 Answers