Quote:
Originally Posted by Nora52
I have been searching the paleo and primal diets but they don't seem like Wheat Belly and seem much more complicated.They also include honey or maple syrup.
|
Judging paleo for it's acceptance of honey, is a bit like judging Ideal Protein for allowing fresh dairy (even though, if I'm remembering correctly, only 1 tablespoon of dairy is allowed daily).
Yes it's allowed, but it's supposed to be a teeny, tiny, and entirely optional part of the diet. You do not have to eat honey or maple syrup on a paleo diet, and most paleo dieters don't use any at all or use it exceedingly sparingly (especially if they've read the most reputable paleo books which explain that higher-carb paleo foods really are only appropriate in extremely limited quantities and should be avoided by people who are not young, fit, healthy, and thin. And even those who are young, fit, healthy, and thin should be very careful not to overindulge in these foods).
Wheat Belly is not only similar to paleo diets, it IS A PALEO DIET. Although the author never uses the words to describe his diet, all the research he cites and all the logic he uses, is the same information that is used to support the paleo diets. His arguments are all paleo-based - that is that modern foods aren't like ancient foods, and that we need to live a more "primitive," whole-food lifestyle, with more foods that our ancient ancestors would recognize (which in most cases means foods with fewer carbs and more fiber).
There are many paleo diets, just as there are many low-carb diets. This means some are more complicated and restrictive than others.
It is also absolutely not true that all paleo diets include honey or maple syrup (most do not); and even those that do allow it, only advocate they be used in very, very small amounts, infrequently.
Paleo humans didn't have honey every day, or even every month, even when and where it was available. It was a very rare and special treat, and the average person might get a finger full every now and then.
Most modern paleo diets suggest that for weight loss, all high-carb foods (even the paleo ones) be avoided or carefully monitored, if not limited (and I'll list the questionable foods at the end of the post).
Many people don't get this if they don't read the paleo books carefully, or if they read books that are "rule-oriented" rather than information oriented, but the essence of basis of paleo is quite easy - and identical to that of Wheat Belly (which is why Wheat Belly is a paleo diet - it's just not the only paleo diet).
The part that all paleo diets agree on is very, very simple - Blood sugar control through a diet that contains foods that humans have been eating the longest. And in all paleo diets, 80 to 90% of the diet is to be based on eating primarily non-starchy, non-sugary plants, no "true grains," limited pseudo-grains, and "good" non-altered fats and protein sources (ideally from grass-fed sources, and if you can't afford or find mostly grass-fed sources, supplement with an omega-3 supplement such as flax seed and/or fish oil).
The 10 to 20 percent that paleo diets disagree on tend to be foods that never have to be eaten at all, and should never make up a large part of your diet (and you can avoid all of them without negative effects), especially if you're not already thin, fit, young, and healthy.
The "questionable" foods (that some plans allow, mostly in very small quantities and not usually for weight loss phases) include tea, chocolate, coffee (because of the caffeine and other stimulants in them), starchy tubers and root vegetables (beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabega... and white potatoes are usually discouraged all-together), most fruit (except citrus and berries), dairy (when it's allowed, most often when it is, cultured and aged dairy like yogurt and cheese is preferred over fresh dairy), alcohol (especially distilled alcohol), eggs (because they're a common allergen, some dietary anthropologists believe that eggs were not a part of the early human diet - because most allergens are modern foods), as well as legumes, and cashews (and other foods that cannot be eaten raw).
It sounds like a long and complicated list, but it really isn't because as long as they're (in combination) only taking up a very small part of your diet, you're probably good to go, and can include them in very small amounts. They all mostly fall into two categories that are easy to avoid
1. Calorie-dense foods that are usually also high-carb.
2. Foods that are inedible raw, or require complicated processing to make edible.
The great thing about understanding the similarities and differences between Wheat Belly and other common paleo diets is that once you understand the theory, you can tweak it to your own needs, and you can use cookbooks interchangeably.
I've found that on a primarily paleo diet, I can use just about all Atkins recipes and about 80-90% of all other plans that are based on blood-sugar control.
This includes the Insulin-resistance diets, many diabetic diets (some diabetic diets are too high-carb), the paleo and low-carb diets (including Wheat Belly), many of the diets designed generically for autoimmune disease as well as specific autoimmune diseases (such as diets for those who are hypothyroid).