Author Topic: Another FNG (Read 1271 times)

Ari · « **on:** August 16, 2010, 09:15:41 AM »

Hey everyone,

I joined basically because I have been trying to follow the paleo-diet for just over a month and a half now, and I need some advice, and to figure out if I am following it the "right" way. I am looking for a solid list of what to eat and what to avoid. For instance, I've seen tomatoes on some list of the okays and they also show up on the "Don't even think about it" list, as do beets and a whole bunch of other things, so, can someone give a newbie some pointers?

Thanks!

Ari

phrakture · « **Reply #1 on:** August 16, 2010, 09:29:06 AM »

There's no way to list the "what can I eat" foods. The best thing to do is do it by exclusion. In order of importance, I use the following list:

1) No grains
2) No processed sugar
3) No legumes
4) No dairy
5) No tubers
6) No nightshades

For some grammar:
Tubers are not the same as root vegetables. Carrots, beets, onions, etc are "root vegetables", not tubers. Tubers are the reproductive part of the plant, whereas plants like carrots and onions will flower (the flower being the part that reproduces).
Nightshades are any sort of pepper, tomato, eggplant, tobacco, and probably more I can't recall.

Personally, I eat nightshades every so often, I just don't make a habit of it. Tubers I'll have in small quantities sometimes as well, but very rarely.

Warren Dew · « **Reply #2 on:** August 16, 2010, 12:20:30 PM »

For what you can eat, I'd focus on whole fresh meat, green vegetables, and fruit. You can have limited amounts of other items, like raw tree nuts. There are some foods on which peoples' opinions differ, like tomatoes - a fruit, but a nightshade - or honey.

The big no nos are grain, dairy, legumes, and tubers - no bread or cereal, no milk or cheese, no beans or peanuts, no potatoes or sweet potatoes - and of course no processed foods.

Ari · « **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2010, 05:45:00 AM »

Thank you! It seems that I have been on the right track as far as the elimination of the grains, dairy, corn, beans, potatoes, as well as processed garbage. The confusion starts when there are things like, as you pointed out, tomatoes, a nightshade, or beets, highly glycemic, that have shown to beneficial towards fighting some forms of cancer i.e. prostate.
Are most spices (I love spicy hot foods esp jalapenos and habaneros), fruits, and nuts out, or almost out, as well?
I'm just wondering at some point am I to transition to broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, fish and lean meat only?

Warren Dew · « **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2010, 06:17:32 AM »

Fruit is paleo. Paleo carbohydrates tend to have high glycemic indices, but they don't seem to cause a problem because they have low specific glycemic loads - the carbohydrate that turns into glucose makes up only about 10% of the weight of the food, rather than 60-100% as in cereals and such. The same goes for root vegetables such as beets, but stay away from the tubers.

Now, if you want to maximize fat loss, limiting the fruit might be a good idea. With respect to nightshades, it just depends on how strict you want to be.

phrakture · « **Reply #5 on:** August 17, 2010, 08:18:36 AM »

Quote from: Ari on August 17, 2010, 05:45:00 AM

tomatoes, a nightshade, or beets, highly glycemic

Tomatoes are native to the American continents. We could not have eaten them during the paleolithic era, as the earliest peoples were here around 30000-50000 years ago. They are commonly referred to as a "new world food".

Beets are a root vegetable. The paleo diet isn't about nutritionism. It's not about the glycemic load, or anything like that. It's about what was eaten by human ancestors during the paleolithic. Root vegetables largely were. Tubers were not.

Quote from: Ari on August 17, 2010, 05:45:00 AM

Are most spices (I love spicy hot foods esp jalapenos and habaneros), fruits, and nuts out, or almost out, as well?

Spices are fine, but "spices" and "peppers" are two different things. Peppers of all kinds are nightshades, which isn't a paleolithic food. That said, I use hot sauces on my eggs all the time. Fruits and nuts are definitely paleo - just be sure not to overindulge in nuts. Remember our ancestors were slowed down by having to shell them before eating.

MassMaiden · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2010, 01:28:10 PM »

Can you clarify what a tuber is?

Warren Dew · « **Reply #7 on:** August 18, 2010, 01:37:19 PM »

A tuber is a reproductive starchy root - it will have eyes from which new shoots can grow. The main neolithic tubers are the ones that have been bred to have more bulk and more starch for improved farming yields, specifically taro, yam, sweet potato, and potato.

phrakture · « **Reply #8 on:** August 18, 2010, 01:37:41 PM »

Quote from: MassMaiden on August 18, 2010, 01:28:10 PM

Can you clarify what a tuber is?

A tuber is the root of a plant which reproduces by tunneling through the ground and creating big "pods" which repeat the process. Think of a potato. Underground, it shoots off all these little roots, and at some distance, *pop* another potato will grow and shoot off more roots, etc etc etc.

This is the only way these plants reproduce. Root vegetables, on the other hand, like carrots or beets, will typically flower or otherwise produce seeds. The roots grow not for reproduction, but for nutrients, in the same way that a tree's roots grow.

You can buy carrot seeds, or beet seeds, but you cannot buy potato seeds - there's no such thing.

MassMaiden · « **Reply #9 on:** August 18, 2010, 02:36:48 PM »

many places folks say sweet potatoes and yams ARE paleo??!! What is your take on this?

Warren Dew · « **Reply #10 on:** August 18, 2010, 03:54:02 PM »

Quote from: MassMaiden on August 18, 2010, 02:36:48 PM

many places folks say sweet potatoes and yams ARE paleo??!! What is your take on this?

They're mistaken.

Sweet potatoes and yams are every bit as much neolithic and agricultural foods as grains are. Most people from western cultures just associate agriculture with grain, and don't realize that tubers were independently domesticated at about the same time.

avelin · « **Reply #11 on:** August 25, 2010, 07:50:04 PM »

Belated greetings!

Ooga · « **Reply #12 on:** September 09, 2010, 11:01:13 AM »

I have a question. What about black pepper? Thanks, did I menion how much I love this forum?

sparrow · « **Reply #13 on:** September 09, 2010, 11:30:42 AM »

I think black pepper is fine. I haven't seen it on any "Don't eat that!" lists.

Bikhlejser · « **Reply #14 on:** September 09, 2010, 11:32:16 AM »

I think it is ok as well - it is a dried berry.

« **Reply #14 on:** September 09, 2010, 11:32:16 AM »

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Author Topic: Another FNG (Read 1271 times)

Ari

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