Paleo diet - any good?

[Mrs_Somerset]

Hi,

Has anyone here tried the Paleo diet, and in particular the autoimmune version -NO to: •Eggs

•Tomatoes & eggplants

•Peppers including bell peppers and hot peppers

•Spices such as curries, paprika, and chili powder.

•Nuts and seeds

as well as the normal Paleo restrictions?

Could you please elt me know what you think of it - does it help, how hard is it to do, any side effects / cravings?

Thank-you for your help - Iapart from cutting out gluten I have never really tried a diet before, mainly because I have little will power :-), but I am keen to help my body utilise the B12 I am now having as best as possible, so along with taking suppliments it has been reccomended that I try the Paleo diet, but not sure if it is worth the hassle ( as my boys will never go for it so it would mean seperate meals for me)

what do you think? hoping for infos to help convince me,

Big Hugs,

M

[AntFarmer]

I would say it's more of an individual choice. I believe the diet’s based more on due diligence to look up where your food comes from. Based on a list I found somewhere (ranker.com/list/paleolithic..., it seems fruits and spices top the Paleo diet choices; although there's meat (which is good). I would also say each individual needs to find out what fits them, whether it’s Paleo or something else.

[JayPer in reply to AntFarmer]

Fruits and spices? Really? Could you live on apples and a sprinkling of cinnamon?

There's lots of info about paleo diets, especially for people with chronic fatigue syndrome and ME (see Dr Myhill's website for example, or google it). The basis is meat, eggs and lots of vegetables, with good quality oils and fats,some nuts and seeds, and a bit of fruit. Spices and herbs are good too, for variety and for the micronutrients in them.

As almost all carbohydrates are cut out as well as dairy products it acts like an exclusion diet, so that things which your body might react badly to (allergy or intolerance) are not eaten. This can give your system a chance to heal, and some of the foods can eventually be reintroduced to identify which are causing you problems. The paleo diet also cuts out a lot of chemicals and crap from processed foods, which can't be a bad thing.

[AntFarmer in reply to JayPer]

Thanks for that information. The list I quoted is something I just found on the Net. I see there's a lot more I'll need to know. But that cutting out of chemicals and processed foods, that's something I like about the diet. Maybe it can be a "rest" or "recovery diet" of sorts.

[JayPer]

Hi Mrs Somerset,

I don't have pernicious anaemia, but have had chronic fatigue since the beginning of the year, sometimes with low iron and B12 levels. I only started a paleo diet a week ago, and I have already seen some improvement in my energy levels, concentration and stamina. I am not on the autoimmune version - that seems quite extreme! how can you not eat tomatoes?!

Really I have found the last week much easier than I would have thought possible. Having a sympathetic partner really helps - I have to keep telling him he should be eating bread and potatoes! For me, having no bread is much easier than "allowing" myself a tiny piece. I just don't think about it, so will power doesn't come into it. We have fairly healthy basic meals, for example tonight we had some steamed salmon with veg, he had potatoes with his, I didn't. So it is possible to cook for other people and just add some things to their plate, so you won't feel like you are living on a different planet.

It was only in the last six or seven months that I began eating meat, having been a vegetarian for years, then a fish-eater, no meat at all. So this week, I haven't ate any carbohydrates, apart from the sugars in fruit and root veg. I have had a little milk in coffee, and sometimes some very dark chocolate (80% or so) a bit of butter on veg, and the occasional glass of beer, because life is too short to give everything up, and I am trying to be healthier, not punish myself.

I take multi minerals and vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin B tablets, a tiny teaspoonful of Epsom salts for the magnesium and an iron tablet every day, and sublingual B12 when I feel I need it, which is probably every other day at the moment. My plan is to stick to this way of eating for a few weeks, see how it goes and then maybe introduce a few other foods gradually to see how they affect me.

Why not give it a go? I was apprehensive beforehand, and thought - what on earth am I going to have for breakfast? Do some research into recipes, meal ideas and so on, and have some snacks like nuts and seeds, or berries, etc for when you are snackish.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.

Jay

[Mrs_Somerset in reply to JayPer]

Hi JayPer,

Thank-you for sharing this info, it is really positive and motivating.

the difficulty I am having is with the extra exclusions for autoimmune, I am not sure how I could cut out nuts, seeds, spices or even tomato / uabergine (eggplant).

I too was a veggie for most of my life, only started eating meat after my first child was born, just had a massive craving for it

I do not eat much though.

I suppose I am sooooo used to having carbs with every meal - I think I find the ide of none to be strange and makes the plate look unfinished

but how to do no spices - food must be so bland! I do not use a lot of salt - I rely on spices and herbs to give food flavour, pretty much every meal I have has them in.

I am allergic to seafood and cannot stand fish - so that is a no no too

tricky...

[blondie2505 in reply to Mrs_Somerset]

did you try the paleo diet and how did it go for you?im thinking about trying it out myself?

[JayPer]

Aah - forgot to mention that I did have a headache for the first three days. But it passed, and it made me think that it was withdrawal from something or other that was making me feel bad, so it was actually a good sign. When I give up coffee, I get a headache too.

Jay

[blondie2505 in reply to JayPer]

just wondering if you managed to stick to the paleo diet and how it went for you?