the caveman diet

[flikerstance]

A bunch of my friends are trying this out and telling me about there weight loss with it i just don't see how just eating fruits and veggies would help you lose weight over eating regular meals with lean meats what do you guys think about the caveman diet?

 

[nostradumbass]

It sounds great! Let's eat like people did when everyone was 4 1/2 feet tall and the life expectancy was 20.

 

[LogicalError]

On a serious note, it is actually a good foundation to plan your diet around. All the lean meats, fruits, veggies you want and stay away from processed stuff and most of the carb heavy foods. Some people go crazy with this; however, like I said, it is a good baseline.

 

[Devout Pessimist]

From what I have read, there is no consensus on what people ate thousands of years ago. The "cavemen" diet depended on many different factors. People that lived in freezing climates would be eating a lot differently than people who lived in tropical conditions.

There is no strong evidence to show that cavemen only ate high protein, low carb diets. Its more likely early people's diet changed as the environment around them changed. They ate what was available at the time.

I have also read that diet is very subjective. People's bodies have different needs so it would be best to find out what works for you. Eating only fruits and vegetables may work for person A but it will not work for person B.

I read about a nutritionist for an NFL team and he was saying that every player on the team had a different diet plan because each player had different dietary needs.

 

[lts5025]

Cavemen weren't eating leafy greens and fresh berries in January, you can be sure.

But don't dismiss the diet because it isn't historically or anthropologically accurate.

Judge the diet on its effectiveness, not on its name.

 

[Appylion]

I know some people who use it, and they are all really happy with it. They added their own twist to it.

 

[flikerstance]

i just dont see how you could lose weight on it fast i know guys cutting weight using this and im like wtf? and these are high level pros

 

[PUO3]

im going to take all of the basic nutrition data that we've known about for years and years and put a cool fad name on it to sell it.

sounds way easier than working a regular job.

 

[Goat Meal]

It sounds great! Let's eat like people did when everyone was 4 1/2 feet tall and the life expectancy was 20.

Paleo dieters/dietitians insist we were much bigger and taller during the paleolithic era and we didn't start shrinking until the advent of agriculture.

 

[Pathogenic]

Paleo dieters/dietitians insist we were much bigger and taller during the paleolithic era and we didn't start shrinking until the advent of agriculture.

They're only right by correlation, not by causation. It's true that humans were taller before the agricultural revolution, but not entirely because of the kinds of foods we ate. As a species, we got smaller as our population grew the methods used to acquire food were inadequate to feed a growing population. It's easy for us to forget that people struggled to get food until very recently. When you add in the fact that all anyone ate was staple starches and beer, it's pretty easy to see why the situation got as bad as it did. It was more of a scarcity and economics problem than an actual food choice problem.

 

[Nemesis48]

A lot of assumptions in this thread - most of which are wrong. Contrary to popular belief pre-agricultural man did not eat a "high protein, low carb" diet, they eat a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet. Fat was the most prized nutrient, and was considered a wealth in and of itself. This interview, featuring the leading scientific/medical expert on low carb elite performance (Steve Phinney), covers the history of per-agricultural nutrition in the Americas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkdFkPxxDG8

 

[Goat Meal]

As a species, we got smaller as our population grew the methods used to acquire food were inadequate to feed a growing population.

Actually, wasn't agriculture meant to provide more food per square foot of land versus hunting/gathering?

 

[LoveandFight]

On a serious note, it is actually a good foundation to plan your diet around. All the lean meats, fruits, veggies you want and stay away from processed stuff and most of the carb heavy foods. Some people go crazy with this; however, like I said, it is a good baseline.

Ding Ding Ding! Correctamundo! A whole/unprocessed foods Diet is the way to go. Whether you limit it to the Paleo diet standards or choose to enjoy whole wheat and whole grain is up to you.

Just realize that it all comes down to Calories In (eat) v.s Calories Out (exercise). If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. If you eat more cals than you burn, you will gain weight. Get at least 1g protein per pound of bodyweight, and eat your fruits + green veggies....they are nutrient dense and a good source of Fiber!

 

[ChainFlow]

Actually, wasn't agriculture meant to provide more food per square foot of land versus hunting/gathering?

More calories, yes.

If the body doesn't have enough vitamins/minerals to do certain functions, like grow the bones, it won't. You'll still keep living, though - the body will simply maintain its current state (more or less).

Agriculture resulted in a lot more people, just not a lot more people growing and living to their potential.

Hunt-n-gather had a lot fewer people and a lot more people dying in unpredictable lean times. But, the successful people were probably a lot healthier.

Tradeoff.

 

[Goat Meal]

More calories, yes.

If the body doesn't have enough vitamins/minerals to do certain functions, like grow the bones, it won't. You'll still keep living, though - the body will simply maintain its current state (more or less).

Agriculture resulted in a lot more people, just not a lot more people growing and living to their potential.

Hunt-n-gather had a lot fewer people and a lot more people dying in unpredictable lean times. But, the successful people were probably a lot healthier.

Tradeoff.

Indeed.

 

[zardiac]

Paleo dieters/dietitians insist we were much bigger and taller during the paleolithic era and we didn't start shrinking until the advent of agriculture.

Well, when we got agriculture we stopped moving around, we had a steady source of food. This would mean that even the weak humans would survive. Compared to before agriculture where you probably would not survive if you where not strong enough.
Still, I think the food we have eaten for the longest time is the food we are most adapt to. It is true for all other animals on the planet, so it is probably true for us as well.