Paleo Diet

n57flyguy

n57flyguy

Well-Known Member
Has anyone tried a strict Paleo Diet? I am looking for some more guidance on how to stick to it better. Overall though eating a more well balanced diet has shown an increase in my athletic performance and recovery. I plan to switch completely here in the upcoming weeks, and I can say for being on it about 75% of the time, it works, and I feel great.

For those of you who don't know:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet
http://thepaleodiet.com/
 
jtrain609 said:
See here:

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/diets-that-work-long-term.163678/

And here:

http://neuroanthropology.net/2009/01/21/paleofantasies-of-the-perfect-diet-marlene-zuk-in-nytimes/

And here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/10/27/141666659/the-paleo-diet-not-the-way-to-a-healthy-future
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Paleo is more "clean eating" than anything else, though I also cringe at the "this is how our ancestors ate" claims as well.

I was never 100% Paleo, but I do incorporate a fair number of the big points in my diet now. I do still eat pasta and bread, but I've really cut back on the amount of sugar I consume. I also pay attention to the glycemic index, and normally shop on the "outside" of the store when I'm at home (tough to eat this way on the road, though). I weighed 240 lbs in highschool, and have kept that weight off quite easily since. For me, the key was eliminating soda (I'll say that one ever once in a while won't kill ya, though).
 
dasleben said:
Paleo is more "clean eating" than anything else, though I also cringe at the "this is how our ancestors ate" claims as well.
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That's great! The less processed crap we put in our bodies the better. But I don't think we need a justification for that, and I cringe at the pseudo-science justification for it.

I was never 100% Paleo, but I do incorporate a fair number of the big points in my diet now. I do still eat pasta and bread, but I've really cut back on the amount of sugar I consume. I also pay attention to the glycemic index, and normally shop on the "outside" of the store when I'm at home (tough to eat this way on the road, though). I weighed 240 lbs in highschool, and have kept that weight off quite easily since. For me, the key was eliminating soda (I'll say that one ever once in a while won't kill ya, though).
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I'm eating a Snickers right now. It's amazing.
 
There are definitely a lot of good things to be taken from the paleo diet. I just cringe at the garbage I see fellow crew members eat sometimes, like pop tarts for breakfast. Seriously, are you like 10 years old?

As pilots, our health is extremely important to our way of life. Clean eating is really a must, and once you get used to it, it just feels right.
 
Healthy WELL BALANCED diet and exercise are a must for everyone, especially pilots. I can't stand any of the "diets" that become popular. Its very simple really, just eat smart. If a food is dripping with fatty grease, or its full of sugar, or its something you know contains lots of crap like butter, avoid it. Maybe I underestimate the general public but to me that is common sense. Start with eating healthy, and then add in exercise. If you are an extreme athlete there is nothing wrong with splurging on the not so good foods a little more often than others because you will burn the fats in the food. If your not, there is still nothing wrong with going over board every now and then but as with everything in life, moderation is a must.
GypsyPilot said:
There are definitely a lot of good things to be taken from the paleo diet. I just cringe at the garbage I see fellow crew members eat sometimes, like pop tarts for breakfast. Seriously, are you like 10 years old?

As pilots, our health is extremely important to our way of life. Clean eating is really a must, and once you get used to it, it just feels right.
Click to expand...


While I agree, pop-tarts for breakfast is really stupid (even for a 10 year old), its all sugar and will leave you hungry soon after, there is a time and place for them. Because of their high simple sugar content and your bodies ability to process it fast its a great energy food for endurance athletes. Packs well, doesn't melt, and gives you the rush you need to keep going.
 
I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately. For the past few years of my adult life, I thought I was eating relatively healthy. I knew I wasn't being perfectly healthy but who is really. This mindset persisted until about 9 months ago when I discovered myfitnesspal.com and actually started tracking my diet. I was APPALLED by how much sodium, sugar, and saturated fat I was eating. This caused me to adjust my diet but I still wasn't really "sure" about what I knew to be a healthy diet.

This was good enough for me until I recently decided to watch a few documentaries on Netflix (during my endless sentences on reserve) about food and the American/Western Diet. A few of these videos were rather eye opening. After watching these videos, I decided to try to go partially vegetarian / vegan (as much as I could in our line of work anyways). I have noticed that I "feel" better I guess but I think it is my own mental "placebo" affect going on because I believe that I am eating healthier.

After doing this, I decided to really do some deep research into what a "healthy" diet consists of. After reading the USDA's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, I realized that most of this was what I already believed but the meat./dairy stuff went against the documentaries I watched on Netflix. Not sure what to think of this, I decided to look into highly reviewed diet books and I came across "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes which I am about 1/3 of the way through now. The most interesting part of this book so far is that there is virtually no scientific evidence supporting the widely held belief that dietary fat (mainly saturated fats) + dietary cholesterol are "bad for your health." All of the studies done to examine this association have been peppered with inconsistencies and, for lack of a better way to describe it, what appears to be really "bad science." Once the government started recommending it though, the wheels were already spinning to fast to reverse these recommendations. The author of this book cites all of the works he read when writing the book and after reading some of them myself, it really makes me question the science behind the widely recommended low fat diet. I am still going to use canola oil instead of lard/butter in my cooking for now but I can see that I really have a lot more research to do in this area.

With all that said, the parallels between paleo and vegetarian/vegan seem to be avoiding processed stuff, eat more fruits and veggies, avoid artificial and excessive natural sugars, and stick to "clean" food.

The lines of animal meat and dairy products are the "battleground states" I suppose.

PS. "Good Calories, Bad Calories" seems to be a good book so far. I recommend it if you have the time. It's a thick read and Taubes likes to make a point 8 ways to Sunday, but it's good none the less.
 
learhawkerbe400 said:
Really no such thing as a diet. You either eat clean and exercise consistently or you get fat and gross. Easy choice.
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The comedian Lewis Black had a skit about the oldest man living in NYC and that, from the ages of 90 - 115 years old, he had narrowed his diet down to consist mostly of "bread fried in fatback and 3 gallons of Thunderbird wine a week." Most nutritionists of late would consider this to be a diet that would make one "fat and gross" among other things.

While I don't disagree with you, it is not just about whether or not you become "fat and gross".
 
Pilotforhire587 said:
Healthy WELL BALANCED diet and exercise are a must for everyone, especially pilots. I can't stand any of the "diets" that become popular. Its very simple really, just eat smart. If a food is dripping with fatty grease, or its full of sugar, or its something you know contains lots of crap like butter, avoid it. Maybe I underestimate the general public but to me that is common sense. Start with eating healthy, and then add in exercise. If you are an extreme athlete there is nothing wrong with splurging on the not so good foods a little more often than others because you will burn the fats in the food. If your not, there is still nothing wrong with going over board every now and then but as with everything in life, moderation is a must.



While I agree, pop-tarts for breakfast is really stupid (even for a 10 year old), its all sugar and will leave you hungry soon after, there is a time and place for them. Because of their high simple sugar content and your bodies ability to process it fast its a great energy food for endurance athletes. Packs well, doesn't melt, and gives you the rush you need to keep going.
Click to expand...

Yes simple carbs are great for that... Or for high altitude climbing, etc. So you and I have narrowed down the .1% of pop tart eaters that really might need these things. For everybody else, it's garbage.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have just started a rather rigirous PT scheudle again, with hopes to start CrossFit soon. By stepping away from a majority of the carbs and starches in addition to being better hydrated, my recover time has been amazing. For instance, I did a moderate interval run for about 2.5 miles, with addition cals at the start, middle, and end. Normally I would be comotose after such an affair, but any soreness of the morning has now disapated and pretty much none existant. Feels good to get back into it.

As far as "what our ancestors ate," I kind of find that bogus, but I take into account they had a leaner, more natural, and wholesome diet. I will still eat some grains, drink some milk (that I never even liked), and eat beans. The reality seems to simply not eat anything processed and that comes from close to home. I have always been a skinny guy, not worried about the weight so much but paleo seems to be a "weight neutralizer" versus a weight lose program. Im just doing my best to optimize my athetic performance.
 
I knew a guy who did this religiously. It was literally the only thing he talked about ever. Nice dude who I appreciated more than just about anyone else, but he was a one track mind. Awesome wife who also lived the paleo life. They were both basically statue-esque figures. As much as people clown the fad, I can't think of a thing that he brought to work for lunch that didn't smell awesome. So I can't fault it.
 
I stick to the primal thing. Works well for me. Best not to think of it as a diet. I try to just eat Ike that regularly, with some occasional deviations of course.
 
What foods do they get carbs from? If you want to eat right check out myplate.gov and ull see what u should be eating. It will tell u what good carbs to eat.
 
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