Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Am vacationing at the in-laws for the next week and would like to try out the Perfect Health Diet. I'm used to Cordain's diet thus far. I can't spend a lot of time cooking here since it's not my kitchen but some basic things like roasting or stir-frying are probably ok. I don't eat pork or milk and normally minimize eggs, dairy, nuts, and rice. What should I consider buying? Tomorrow I'll be going to a regular supermarket and the day after probably Whole Foods. Here's what I previously came up with:

Sausage patties
Beef and chicken patties
Olivia saute greens w/chopped onions, mushrooms, and whatever else I can find chopped
Chicken strips
Olive oil and lemon juice
Chopped fruit (melons, pineapple, grapes typical)
Things from the prepared food counter
Rotisserie chicken
Sushi w/white rice
Sweet potatoes

The meat will be as natural as possible of course. I was thinking of a big salad w/chicken strips and something like a mushroom and onion burger w/o buns for dinner. Roasted sweet potatoes and eggs for breakfast maybe. Does this sound good? What modifications should I make and in what quantities should I eat these things? I'm willing to eat fatty meats but would rather avoid processed fatty meats like bacon.

flag	asked Dec 25 2011 at 5:38 balor123 5,987●3●17●61

Paul Jaminet · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-25 19:10:15Z UTC

Hi balor,

A few tweaks I would suggest:

1) Our most favored meats are the ones lowest in omega-6: fish, shellfish, shrimp, beef, and lamb. Among beef and lamb, we would favor organ meats and fatty cuts (eg ribeye, short ribs, or rack of lamb). Chicken and pork are sort of backup meats for less frequent eating, due to their higher omega-6 content; there we would favor the fatty pork cuts (pork bellies, ribs, uncured bacon) and whole chickens (as in soups, or roasted chickens) or chicken wings. "Patties" and "strips" suggest processing which may not be entirely healthy/trustworthy; I would favor more natural cuts.

2) Among oils, olive oil is fine, but again I would give preference to low-omega-6 oils like butter, beef fat, or coconut oil.

3) Lemon juice is great to go with the oil, also vinegars are good. We use rice vinegar a lot. A dash of soy sauce can also flavor cooking oil nicely.

4) Eggs are a desirable part of the diet - we try to get 2-3 a day.

5) You can have more starch than that. White rice, white potatoes, and taro are our favorites. Baked potato with butter or sour cream makes a great accompaniment to any meal. I would try to get a little bit of starch with each meal.

6) Since you're staying with the in-laws, it might not be amiss to get some rice crackers and cheese from Whole Foods. With shrimp and cocktail sauce and some wine, you can have a very nice hors-d'oeuvres before dinner. Dark chocolate, cream, and berries can make a good dessert.

Enjoy!

Best, Paul

Stabby · Answer 2 · 2011-12-25 07:54:51Z UTC

I can't say it any better than the author http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?page_id=8

Basically you're going to want to get a significant amount of your calories from fat. If you're getting most of your fat as meat and maybe some other fats here and there then it's not going to be the PHD, but basically Cordain's diet that isn't against rice and potatoes. If you would just like to eat Cordain's diet + rice and potatoes you can do that, but PHD is higher in fat. A big-ass chunk of butter, an avocado and some oils work for me.

JitzGrrl · Answer 3 · 2011-12-25 06:35:49Z UTC

I'd add some source of probiotics, be it sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, or kimchi. Also, I'm cautious with fruit and would lean away from fructose-heavy fruits like mango, grapes, and pineapple. From your list, you seem fat-deficient, although if your meat cuts are fairly fatty you might be fine. But I would add a block of Kerrrygold butter or ghee or a jar of coconut oil to cook with generously; olive oil is the best of the seed oils, but a distant second to the better fats. Perhaps avocado for the salad? I would also use both white and sweet potatoes for starch through the week for variety.

PrairieProf · Answer 4 · 2011-12-25 17:18:00Z UTC

I would really watch out for "things from the prepared food counter" even at Whole Foods. Read the ingredients -- almost certainly stuff in there you don't want. There isn't one where I live, but my understanding is that Whole Foods puts canola oil or other bad oils in almost everything they make.

Connie · Answer 5 · 2011-12-28 21:51:44Z UTC

Great you're starting the Perfect Health Diet- I am very happy with it! You might want to check out their blog's suggested supplements page. My Whole Foods has kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables) which PHD recommends. It's in the refrigerated section. It can be spicy and people either love it or hate it; I love it! Maybe some liverwurst or pate if you like that. If you like yogurt, Whole Foods has plain, higher fat yogurt. The Perfect Health Diet blog has lots of recipes. Maybe make a salmon chowder with cream or coconut milk, leeks and potatoes - you want to make sure you get enough Omega 3 fats. Best wishes!

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