Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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So my MIL called me last week to tell me that Dr. Oz was on the Marilyn Davis Show (which I'd never heard of since we don't get cable) and he would be evaluating different "fad diets" (is anyone else bothered as much as I am when people call it that?) including the paleo diet.

I can honestly say that I was a bit excited thinking that it might be a positive review, but I wad greatly disappointed when I eventually got a chance to watch the clip online. Here is the link: http://m.marilyn.ca/mobile/segment.aspx?segid=25149

Anyway, below are the 'highlights' they posted under the clip. This makes me so mad! Especially since everyone in my family thinks my husband and I are hurting our 2 year old daughter by putting her on this "fad diet." Humm... I didn't know millions of years of evolution was a 'fad'... Anyway, now they have Dr. Oz to back them up! Gerrr!

What it is: The new Atkins diet, Paleo diets advocate eating the way our caveman ancestors ate. The diets claims that are genetics are best adapted to the diets of our ancestors prior to the introduction of agriculture; we should go back to eating food that was available to hunger gatherers before technology took over The rules: no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no refined sugars, processed food or alcohol. The only carbs come from fruit and vegetables. The diet focuses on fish, grass-fed meat, eggs, nuts and limited amount of vegetable oils and honey. Pros: high in protein which boosts metabolism and keep hunger at bay; high in essential fatty acids because of the inclusion of flax oil (yet this is counterintuitive because they didn’t have liquid vegetable oils in prehistoric times); high in antioxidants from fruits and vegetables; good for people that are gluten sensitive; no counting calories or measuring

Cons: restrictive; miss out on key nutrients from health carbs like legumes and whole grains; tough to sustain; low in calcium so inc risk for osteoporosis Other side effects: your skin, hair and mood suffer because you’re not getting the right nutrients from carbohydrates. Long-term results: the meat-heavy diet could lead to higher cholesterol. Within a couple of months you’re at a greater risk of kidney stones. The body is also unable to produce serotonin, so the quality of your mood and sleep. Getting off refined carbs can help with diabetes Weight loss rating: 2 out of 5. Anytime you cut carbs, you will lose water weight. But the second you reintroduce carbs you’ll gain all the weight back again

The verdict: Use this diet as a cleanse. Follow it for a few days, the reintroduce healthy carbs (whole grains, sweet potatoes).

flag	asked Feb 20 2012 at 8:35 Amanda 508●3●8

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Dr. Oz : "20.000, 30.000 years ago, there was 5% 10% fat" REALLY DR OZ? AGAIN? He already called the diet of only fruit and vegetables paleolithic, now he says this... GIVE THIS MAN A KICK IN THE ASS – Korion Feb 20 2012 at 12:36

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I can't explain how irritated I became while reading the cons ........ – BonBonK Feb 20 2012 at 21:41

I almost peed in my pants laughing when they showed the egg white omelette. Who does that? – The Loon Feb 21 2012 at 1:48

anand srivastava · Answer 1 · 2012-02-20 09:35:39Z UTC

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Don't worry. These will pass. There are 4 phases of a revolution. First everybody ignores you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you, and then you win. We are somewhere between 2nd and 3rd phase. Hope we transition to the 4th phase soon :-).

answered Feb 20 2012 at 9:35

anand srivastava
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Great quote. Perhaps we can credit Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi? – Ralph Furley Feb 20 2012 at 12:38

Thanks for spelling Gandhi correctly. I hate it when I see the wrong spelling. As for the quote it is probably not his, check the following en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_misquotations – anand srivastava Feb 21 2012 at 7:13

CaveDad · Answer 2 · 2012-02-20 13:22:48Z UTC

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Nope.. I don't get upset by it. The Paleo lifestyle is for people who have rolled up their sleeves and taken life by the meat balls. Not for people watching Dr. Oz and thinking, "Well the Special K diet isn't working, lets give this Paleo thing a whack".

Don't be in a hurry for the Paleo thing to catch on in the main stream. They will ruin it.

answered Feb 20 2012 at 13:22

CaveDad
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That's so true! lol! – Amanda Feb 20 2012 at 14:56

I think it will be a LONG time before Paleo becomes mainstream. Runs contrary to gov't policy (and Big Agro and Big Pharma). There's no single celebrity doctor pushing it (that meal isn't "Sisson(TM) Approved"). And there's no Hollywood celebrities pimping it on QVC ("Get a month's supply of Paleo Shakes for only $10 a day! That's the same price as 2 lattes!"). I think we're just gonna have to sit back, relax, and make "Ook, ook!" noises the next time someone calls it a fad diet ... – cerement Feb 20 2012 at 17:43

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Ook ook.. I agree. I think we should fling a few thigh bones at the TV while we are at it! – CaveDad Feb 20 2012 at 17:51

trjones · Answer 3 · 2012-02-20 13:04:19Z UTC

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Dr. Oz is a crank and the fact that he's regarded as infallible by so many middle aged women is completely bizarre to me.

answered Feb 20 2012 at 13:04

trjones
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It's because Oprah blessed him with her magick wand. – November Feb 21 2012 at 2:37

AlohaSpeck · Answer 4 · 2012-02-20 12:36:11Z UTC

Honestly I do not understand the problem with Paleo in the media and other people who think it is somehow a strange alien diet.

When people start questioning it I lay it out something like this:

"So what do you eat daily because I eat meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts. I don't eat bready-type things but rather replace it with more vegetables. Is that much different from your day apart from not eating a bowl of cereal and having sandwich? Ahh I see I eat more vegetables. Yeah that's right, basically I am a vegetarian who adds meat."

primallykosher · Answer 5 · 2012-02-20 13:38:23Z UTC

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When has the Main Stream Media ever portrayed anything accurately? I think you would reduce your cortisol levels if you didn't watch TV.

answered Feb 20 2012 at 13:38

primallykosher
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Tazchick · Answer 6 · 2012-02-20 09:24:42Z UTC

The Wizard of "oz" has always been a big ,and IMHO a seriously unfair critic of anything resembling low carb eating. He was pretty dismissive of Taubes when he was a guess on the Dr Oz show. I've learned to ignore him to save my own sanity, since the American Heart Association hasn't done much to slow down heart disease, but I should really be paying more attention to his advertisers.

staceychev · Answer 7 · 2012-02-20 13:05:51Z UTC

I go back and forth between two states when I consider the treatment of Paleo and (and even traditional foods, a la Weston Price) by the naysayers:

Point A: I don't give a rats' a$$, because it's the health of me and my family that I'm concerned about.

Point B: Really? So that's why my health insurance is so expensive? Really?

Milk · Answer 8 · 2012-02-20 14:30:40Z UTC

This is funny because I just received this months Cooking Light Magazine. I counted at least a quarter of the recipes that were full on Paleo approved (Meat & Veggie only) which really suprised me.

But then I read the section on cooking oils and how every oil but coconut oil has great fat and is healthy for you. The best was the actual text under the Coconut Oil. It said something to the effect that this saturated fat doesn't seem to be as bad as other saturated fats per new scientific studies...but the jury is still out on it.

Good thing we all know what fats are good for us already!

ulcova · Answer 9 · 2012-02-20 11:47:16Z UTC

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Just tell your family that what they were talking about on the show was not the paleo diet and that you don't focus on nuts and you do eat a lot of vegetables.

answered Feb 20 2012 at 11:47

ulcova
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Nemesis · Answer 10 · 2012-02-20 12:03:29Z UTC

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Tell your family that Dr. Oz is considered to be a complete hypocrite and sell-out by the actual medical community. He has ZERO credibility and shouldn't be allowed to call himself a doctor.

He's more like "Dr. Phil" than an MD.

answered Feb 20 2012 at 12:03

Nemesis
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Chelsea · Answer 11 · 2012-02-20 12:57:12Z UTC

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They were advocating that paleo was all about lean meats, stating if they ate a two egg omlete for breakfast they would be starving. No wonder.

answered Feb 20 2012 at 12:57

Chelsea
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Anyone else upset by the portrayal of paleo by the mainstream media?

11 Answers