Paleo Disobedience
on February 02, 2012
I wanted to highlight a few supposedly paleo things that I had to stop doing recently because they were visibly detrimental to my health. These include things that most paleos believe to be good; and also some things that over-enthusastic newbies will dogmatically push on others because one of the paleo apostles happened to have said it in their book or blog (don’t worry—we’ve all been there). But I hope that with nearly two years on the diet (with zero intentional cheats) I’ve earned the right to speak with at least a little authority on the topic.
My hope is that as you read through this list, it might help you get unstuck from any habits or rituals you may have been following because you never thought to question them. I’ve spent many months “overlooking” certain problematic aspects of my paleo diet because I didn’t want to give up on the fantasy that my body was forged in the paleolithic fires of Mount Doom, untarnished by my lowly, albeit true status as the descendant of a vastly successful agricultural civilization. If that sounds uncomfortably familiar to you, then read on, my friend, about the paleo disobedience I have engaged in:
1. No more eggs. I don’t care if they are not soy fed, free range, organic, whatever—I get a noticeable itch when I eat them, especially if they are undercooked. This source of inflammation became obvious after I had lowered my baseline inflammation to the point where I could really notice small changes to my skin. I see some people on PaleoHacks talk about how they eat a dozen eggs every couple of days, and just that thought is enough to make me itchy.
2. I almost never do low carb days anymore. Low carb makes it hard to stay asleep and forces me to eat a lot of meat to compensate. Ketosis is cool once in a long while to remind yourself that you can do it, but if you’re any kind of active (which you should be because lifestyle probably trumps diet in many cases) then being in ketosis for any extended period of time is unnecessarily stressful. Note that this does not necessarily apply if you are trying to lose weight—but keep in mind that just because it’s losing you weight does not mean that it’s healthy!
3. No more “pound-of-ground” a day. As I talk about in a previous post, I’ve really cut down on the meat and therefore protein intake. Eating a lot more greens has returned me to a normal sleep cycle (10 hours/night requirement when eating lots of meat vs 8 hours/night requirement when eating lots of greens). In fact, I had a lot of chicken liver the other day and felt lethargic a few hours later, all the way into the next day. One would have probably been plenty!
4. Not all meat is created equal. For me, grain-fed beef is very inflammatory; lamb is inflammatory; CAFO pork is inflammatory; grass-fed beef is slightly inflammatory; pastured pork is a tiny, tiny bit inflammatory. I suspect this has to do with protein compatibility: in the same way that plant proteins may be problematic for some, animal proteins may also be antagonistic. This was actually the hardest thing for me to admit: that meat is not always “safe.”
5. Not all roots and tubers are created equal. It appears that taro and cassava really bother me if I consume them in large amounts. Actually, cassava bothers me if I consume it in any amount (and no, it’s not because I cook it like a n00b). On the other hand, sweet potatoes are fine no matter how much I eat. Not sure about potatoes because I haven’t had to eat them in a while and I don’t seek them out intentionally.
6. Nuts really bother me. More than a handful within the course of a few days and the effects are noticeable on my skin (itchiness, inflammation etc.) As a result, I don’t eat nuts anymore.
7. I eat fruit liberally. There were a lot of fruit-haters in the paleosphere last year, but I think most have come around now to the idea that unless you have serious weight issues (in which case we’re talking about very different dietary requirements and goals), that fruits are generally safe. I say “generally” because I noticed that if I eat more than one banana at a time, then I start getting itchiness. Apples, pears, citrus, melons, berries, etc. all appear to be great, however.
So there’s nothing earth-shattering here, but sometimes when you’re already eating a whole foods diet that has sorted out most of the pressing issues, there remain some nagging problems that tend to become more noticeable. Yet I would argue that what paleo has over other diets may not be in the way of diet at all; in fact, as I mention above, it’s probably the lifestyle factors that have been the most beneficial overall. Getting enough sun, sleep, and play while reducing stress are just as important as eating a whole foods diet. In my next post, I’m going to talk about another motivation for eating an optimizing diet, and what “optimizing” should even mean in this context.
