Primal\Paleo Food Links for the Beginner

Don Matesz over at Primal Wisdom summarizes food this way:

Primal Diet in a Nutshell

Eat
1. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and any natural animal fat
2. Vegetables, including leaves, stems, bulbs, roots
3. Fruits and berries (includes avocados and olives)
4. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, coconut, etc.
5. Herbs and spices

Avoid/minimize (in order of importance)
1. Sweeteners, including sugar (white, brown, organic, whatever), maple syrup, rice syrup, etc.
2. Vegetable oils other than extra virgin olive, avocado, palm, and coconut.
3. Cereal grains and grain products (bread, pasta, pastries, etc.)
4. Legumes (beans and peas, including soy and peanuts)
5. Dairy products

(Note that dairy is a gray area among Paleo\Primal folks.  Some say have it in moderation if you're not allergic to dairy, others say no dairy at all.  My household eats cream, cheese and butter.)

15 Tips to Eat Primal Cheaply

http://followingmynose.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-tips-for-eating-paleo-on-cheap.html

Making the Switch to Primal Living
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-living-transition-six-easy-steps/

Here are some ways to transition your pantry:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/clean-your-pantry-for-health/

Why Can't I Eat Grains?  What about whole grains? What about oats?
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/

Still holding on to grains?  Avoid them in general.  (I still eat white rice.  Ask me why).
http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2010/3/12/the-argument-against-cereal-grains-ii.html
http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/6/23/the-argument-against-cereal-grains.html

Primal Food Eating Pyramid
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-succeed-with-the-primal-blueprint/

As long as you are compliant say 80% of the time, the times you do cheat won't undo the benefits you'll experience being on the Paleo Diet.



What about starches?

How about white rice (I'm Chinese!), potatoes, sweet potatos, yams and tubers?   My personal feeling is that they are fine in moderation.  I don't think eating a baked potato will make you diabetic. However, eating french fries from a restaurant is unhealthy due to the kind of vegetable oil they use in the fryer.  Its not just starch as a food group, but how the starch is prepared, the portion size you are eating and your caloric expenditure throughout the day.   We tend to steam our tubers.  We seldom make rice at home and only eat it when we're at social meals outside the home.  As a result, I have not bought rice in over a year - highly unusual for a Chinese immigrant family.

If you are sedentary and never workout with peak intensity, I don't see a compelling reason to incorporate starch in your diet.  If you cycle many miles a day, run, swim, hike mountains, box, wrestle or practice mixed martial arts, then having a bit of starch isn't going to harm your metabolic profile.  The key as in all things, is knowing yourself and being honest with who you are.

If you're trying to lose weight, then cut out starches completely.  Get your carbs from veggies and increase your fat and protein intake.  This leads to better satiety,  You'll feel full for longer periods of time.  Overall, most people eat fewer total calories by eating more protein and healthy fats than by decreasing fats.  This caloric deficit is necessary for weight loss.

Victor