Jim Swayze wrote:
>My way of looking at this is to start with a minimum and expand from there
if necessary. Something tells me that one could stick with Ray's vision of
this thing -- follow his guidelines exactly -- and have a very, very healthy
life.
Todd Moody wrote:
I don't disagree. But my intuition is that one could depart from his
guidelines in a number of ways and be just as healthy.
*********************
There are endless discussions on this list about which foods are Paleo,
which are not, and why, or why not, and how far one can depart before drifting
"over the edge." But one issue not often discussed in relationship to its
"Paleo-ness" is the number of calories consumed. The topic appears now and then,
with references to well documented studies about caloric restriction and the
benefits to health and longevity, and in discussions about effective weight
loss methods. Ray's book, Neanderthin, espouses a philosophy whereby eating a
huge number of calories, as long as they are Paleo foods, will result in
weight loss in those who are overweight. This works for Ray, but many of us on
this list know it is far from that simple. Yes, some people have lost huge
amounts of weight while not having to restrict calories very much, if at all, and
others struggle fiercely with weight, and cannot lose on any diet, without
severe and sustained calorie restriction.
Dr. Roy Walford, one of the founding fathers of the CRON movement (caloric
restriction with optimal nutrition) has his own version of the ON part of
CRON, which is primarily a diet low in fat, and high in vegetables and complex
carbohydrates. Many people on the CRON mailing list present solutions to
fighting hunger with foods that are high in fiber and artificial sweeteners; foods
that are filling yet very low in calories. Such foods would hardly qualify as
Paleo. Yet few would argue the benefits of losing excess weight, as long as
it is done with "any reasonable diet." Even Dr. Walford acknowledges in his
book, Beyond the 120 Year Diet, that studies of anorexic girls have shown that
"on their way down," BEFORE they reach a state of severe malnutrition and
starvation, their biomarkers for health are generally excellent.
It is generally acknowledged that our ancestors in Paleo times probably went
for periods of time with very little or no food at all. Perhaps during harsh
winter weather or summer droughts or whatever, they suffered through
enforced periods of caloric restriction, or even total fasting. Those who had a
tendency to use calories very efficiently, i.e., put on weight easily, would have
a survival advantage over those who didn't. In today's world, we have access
to a superabundance of food all the time, so that this early survival asset
has become a liability, and hence, some 2/3 of Americans are now overweight.
The bottom line is that part of the Paleo philosophy has to pay some mind to
the amount of food consumed, and not just the types of foods eaten. Some
folks, like Ray, can alter their diets dramatically and resolve devastating
health issues, as he did, recovering from both Type II Diabetes and Rheumatoid
Arthritis. But for others of us, we may not see various diseases disappear
until we practice a Paleo diet combined with a certain amount of calorie
restriction, for some, more severe than others.
In my own personal fight with obesity, I find it helpful to keep reminding
myself that I am one of those with the "thrifty gene," who cannot lose weight
without severe caloric restriction, Paleo or not, but that keeping my weight
under control gives me a survival advantage over those who are naturally thin.
Maddy Mason (eating a very small portion of grassfed beef, Mesclun greens,
and wild blueberries for dinner tonight)
Hudson Valley, NY
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