Kitsune
Senior Member
- Messages
- 136
Hi everyone, I was searching the forums here for something else and came across a thread called 'Paleolithic people ate porridge', in which several people said their health had deteriorated on the Paleolithic diet. If you've tried eating Paleo, I'd like to invite you to share your experience here.
A little info about my own situation. I've got a problem with sugar addiction - lifelong really. Big comfort eater, in a couple of senses. My goal for a long time was to be able to stick to a way of eating that would ameliorate the sugar cravings and generally heal my body. I worked with a naturopathic doctor for several years who was a big advocate of Paleo, and I always believed it could be very healing. Mind you, I was never strict with it - you're supposed to avoid legumes and potatoes as well as grains, plus all dairy. I do have dairy, particularly cheese, and have some peas and sweet potatoes on occasion. I also don't go with Loren Cordian's insistance on lean meat; eating like that isn't satisfying for me. I have always craved fat; now I just try to make sure I get the right kinds - animal fat from high-quality meat, olive oil, butter, and a krill oil supplement.
I could never stick with this for more than a few months at a time before giving in to eating sugar again, though the reasons for that were usually either psychological, or because a heavy bout of SAD was coming on (coupled with all the Christmas sweeties people bring into the office in November and December). But recently I have been 'on the trolley' for three and a half months. But the thread I read caused me to question whether I'm doing the right thing for myself. Okay, so during those three and a half months:
Pros: more energy, feel more awake, more motivation to do things, stable blood sugar, no food cravings, gradual weight loss (very much needed).
Cons: My other symptoms have worsened, particularly my malfunctioning body clock. I thought this was because I am no longer getting the endorphins, dopamine, or whatever it was that I got from eating loads of sugary things every day. And in order to maintain that effect I really would have to eat enough to cause me lots of problems in other respects - rich, fatty desserts several times a day between healthy meals, mainly.
Now I'm wondering if a few unprocessed 'brown' grains here and there might help; I don't know. I tend to feel quite bloated when I go back to eating them. I used to start every day with a bowl of porridge, but when I try it after I've been on a 'clean' diet it makes me veeeeerrry sleeeeepy - not what you want from breakfast! And rice gives me a stomach ache, as do ordinary potatoes. Surely that's an indicator of something?
So I'd be interested to find out how many people here chime in with a positive or negative experience of eating this way. If most posters say it didn't work for them, I will have a serious re-think about what I'm doing.
Thanks in advance.
A little info about my own situation. I've got a problem with sugar addiction - lifelong really. Big comfort eater, in a couple of senses. My goal for a long time was to be able to stick to a way of eating that would ameliorate the sugar cravings and generally heal my body. I worked with a naturopathic doctor for several years who was a big advocate of Paleo, and I always believed it could be very healing. Mind you, I was never strict with it - you're supposed to avoid legumes and potatoes as well as grains, plus all dairy. I do have dairy, particularly cheese, and have some peas and sweet potatoes on occasion. I also don't go with Loren Cordian's insistance on lean meat; eating like that isn't satisfying for me. I have always craved fat; now I just try to make sure I get the right kinds - animal fat from high-quality meat, olive oil, butter, and a krill oil supplement.
I could never stick with this for more than a few months at a time before giving in to eating sugar again, though the reasons for that were usually either psychological, or because a heavy bout of SAD was coming on (coupled with all the Christmas sweeties people bring into the office in November and December). But recently I have been 'on the trolley' for three and a half months. But the thread I read caused me to question whether I'm doing the right thing for myself. Okay, so during those three and a half months:
Pros: more energy, feel more awake, more motivation to do things, stable blood sugar, no food cravings, gradual weight loss (very much needed).
Cons: My other symptoms have worsened, particularly my malfunctioning body clock. I thought this was because I am no longer getting the endorphins, dopamine, or whatever it was that I got from eating loads of sugary things every day. And in order to maintain that effect I really would have to eat enough to cause me lots of problems in other respects - rich, fatty desserts several times a day between healthy meals, mainly.
Now I'm wondering if a few unprocessed 'brown' grains here and there might help; I don't know. I tend to feel quite bloated when I go back to eating them. I used to start every day with a bowl of porridge, but when I try it after I've been on a 'clean' diet it makes me veeeeerrry sleeeeepy - not what you want from breakfast! And rice gives me a stomach ache, as do ordinary potatoes. Surely that's an indicator of something?
So I'd be interested to find out how many people here chime in with a positive or negative experience of eating this way. If most posters say it didn't work for them, I will have a serious re-think about what I'm doing.
Thanks in advance.