The most important work I’ve done in my life has been to inspire others to get healthy. I’ve spread the paleo msg since starting Survivalpunk. Over the years some have listened to that msg. They have decided to follow me down the paleo rabbit hole. Badass! I have emails and text msgs about feeling better and losing weight. Every time I think I’m spinning my wheels with this whole thing they lift me up. You are why I’m compelled to keep on preaching the paleo word. There is another kind of msg I get often though. Is this paleo? Can I eat this? I get those questions so often. I try not to get aggravated though. They are making a huge leap into a world they don’t know. It’s also a mistake on my part for not teaching the bigger picture. So today I’m going to try to teach a little better to help y’all out.
Is This Paleo? Can I Eat This?
If you have to ask Is This Paleo? then the answer is it’s probably not. Don’t try to justify things. Though we can bend the three rules they are your guides to live by. No grains No Dairy and No Legumes. Those are your rules. If wondering is this paleo look at the ingredients. If it is either grain, dairy or legume then no. Eating paleo means removing as much processed junk as possible too. I tend to eat 85~90 percent of my food as whole foods that have no ingredients. Steak, kale, banana. If your foods are whole foods you are good. We need to eat whole foods. You never have to ask is this paleo with whole foods. You can’t eat grains without processing them. You can drink raw milk and I think you should.
Other Concerns
There are a few more things besides the three rules to watch out for. If you are buying a packaged food look out for things. Sugar is a main item to watch out for when asking is this paleo. Refined sugar in its many forms are bad. Recently a question was asked to me. Is beef jerky was paleo. I responded with “Short answer yeah long answer no.” Dehydrated meat is great and a staple of humanity for centuries. Beef jerky now is loaded with preservatives and sugar. If you make your own or buy from a paleo place like WellFoodco then yes. If from a store maybe not. If you are starving and it’s either beef jerky or a bagel eat the damn jerky. Don’t make it a habit and don’t fret over it.
85/15 Rule
Most in paleo follow the 85/15 rule. Myself included. I follow a paleo diet 85% of the time. I do full fat dairy and grass fed cheese and butter. I don’t have any negative issues with them and like them. Give yourself a little wiggle room on the diet. If you love green beans have some of them. They might be the best example of a legume exception. If I didn’t hate them I would eat them. I am also a big believer in a weekly or monthly cheat day. At first you need it. I’ve skipped the last few months of cheat days. I have had a cheat item or so but nothing big. If I’m at mexican I’ll have a few tortillas. If forced into absolute rigidity most will trash the lifestyle. When asking is this paleo don’t stress out about it. Make an informed decision and move on with life. Make the best decision you can and the results will show.
Recently my co host Mike decided to go Paleo and I’m very proud of him. I can tell he is taking it very seriously and I don’t want him to get discouraged. Never get caught up in the information overload and not act. Don’t let is this paleo bring you down. Look at the ingredients. Make the call. When in doubt eat more bacon. Good luck Mike!
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love it! While I haven’t made a formal decision to go paleo, in effect I’m getting pretty close to it in practice. In the last two years I’d developed increasing sensitivities to all the junk in processed food – MSG being #1, the poison that it is. GRAS my ass, in my view. I discovered if I eat a diet that is somewhere between paleo and the raw food movement, I feel tons better, don’t get hives, migraines, or stomach issues, also feel less stressed and have fewer irritated moods (something I didn’t expect, but is really nice). I’ve been joking to friends that if I can’t pull it from the ground, pick it from a tree, or hit it over the head, I’m not eating it — so I the paleo diet questions/diagram you posted made me laugh. Thanks for posting it!
Closer to paleo is better than closer to twinkies and corn dogs! Congrats on getting healthy.
That’s interesting, the diet that I’m able to live with and lose weight with is part raw diet, part paleo as well.
I’m in my 3rd week of Paleo and have already dropped 20lbs. Today I visited a Whole foods store looking for the Paleo Bars that you talked about earlier this week. Sadly they did not have them, but I tried my first Lara bar. Very pleased to find some variety to add and something that I can grab and go if I need to.
Thanks for the awesome tip,
Bob
Whole foods is iffy on what they carry from store to store. Awesome on the 20 pound weight loss brother! Keep it up
I did this for a year with my wife. We both lost weight, I kept most off, she gained it back. It was easy enough, but kids and the life of kids got really tough.
When I had time I could prepare paleo meals the whole family enjoyed, but when life got busy with after school activities, mom or dad working late, etc. it’s a LOT harder to setup convenient foods that are still paleo. I’m not even talking fast food, but even making casseroles took some ingenuity to design. It’s tough to store a lot of food that meets the criteria.
Today my rule is softer, but is basically:
1) avoid packaged foods whenever possible
2) avoid “white” food or unnatural sugars whenever possible
3) only drink beer I brew myself (exceptions for social occasions) – all the sugars are from the malted grain, no syrups – and waiting ~6 weeks before drinking is good discipline 🙂
If you find something that works for you and that you can stick with then keep on rocking brother.
I find that when I “cheat” on my usual diet, which I would call sort of a “lazy primal” diet, I find that I don’t like the foods nearly as much as I used to. I’ve loved pizza my entire life, but I can only manage to get through two or three slices in one sitting without feeling just godawful terrible for the next few hours. I’ve never been a big sweets person, but pancakes, birthday cake, and even muffins or bagels leave me feeling unsatisfied and sometimes even sick after. It’s amazing how much we don’t notice the level to which most everyday foods are processed and over-sweetened. I don’t even like ketchup anymore because it’s too sweet!
That sick feeling, almost flu like, is the reason I cut out cheat days. I was always hammered the next day. Just not worth it. Not to mention the cravings are gone now.
I’ve been on my part raw, part paleo diet for about three months now and have lost twenty lbs, and I have the same problem as you getting sick on cheat days. I usually want pizza or mac and cheese on them, but now I don’t eat near as much of either per sitting as I used to, and I end up with the runs or terribly sluggish after.
Some raw food is really great. I like other foods cooked. Cauliflower i loved cooked.
I just lost 17.5 pounds on the keto (4.5 weeks)diet you told us about. I’m putting in a week of the SAD diet now. Next week I will go Paleo diet. I have been gluten free for 2.5 years and now am doing research on the paleo diet restrictions and why. I’ve found answers to why no beans or dairy and am ready to give Paleo a try. I’m just starting to read the Robb Wolf book also.
The keto diet was so much easier this time than the last time I tried Atkins. I expect my transition to Paleo to be easier also. The Ketosis diet is a good teacher for anyone lacking diet discipline. My experience with ketosis will make Paleo much easier.
My mod to Paleo may be the addition of juicing. I’m aware of the glycemic factor of juicing, but juicing is so nutrient rich. I only have a few more pounds to go!
You are going to love Robbs book man. I know of some that juice on paleo. I’m not into it but if it works for you keep on doing it. Awesome on the 17.5 pound loss!