WHY 80/20 PALEO IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER

[lauldani]

https://paleomagazine.com/80-20-paleo-diet-disaster

See the above article. Discuss

In the article "WHY 80/20 PALEO IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER" by Jeremy Hendon he says that 80/20 Paleo is not a good option, and I am inclined to agree with him. The article basically says that doing Paleo 80/20 might make you feel 50% of what you could, but how many people this is true for is debatable.

IMHO saying you are going to be Paleo only 80% of the time sets you up for failure, just like planning a "cheat" day. Some of this speaks to my personality. I always want something I shouldn't have (chocolate), so if I tell myself that I can have it 20% of the time then I have a hard time knowing when to make an exception. This causes me to have an internal struggle all the time, exercising my willpower, which you only have so much to give. However, if I say "no, you can't have that" then it is easier for me to turn down that donut in the break room. 

[MeadowLily]

Paleo is confusing.  Whole 30 is clear.

I have absolutely no idea how you could identify yourself as 80/20 or 60/40 Paleo.  No one owns the term Paleo or can really identify what Ancestral Eating was.  

I have a good idea and it doesn't resemble anything they speak of. Paleo Treats...such a farce. Alternative flours...such as tapioca, coconut and rice flours.  Hi-larious.

Even eating full fat dairy and eggs. Oooo, brother. Tending to the chickens and gathering UP the eggs in a coop, don't get me started. 

Here's what I do know. During the long winter months, you wouldn't find a single garden of fresh produce growing.  The lakes and rivers were frozen totally over.  Ice fishing...in some paleo cultures, yes. 

Tending to grassfed cattle during those long winter months without a single Whole Foods in sight.  Not so much.  Homemade mayo , Bulletproof Coffee, coconut oil and nut oils. 

Whole 30 is clear.  80/20 and 60/40 Paleo is mostly an imaginary way of telling yourself that you know what you're doing, 24/7 and 365 days out of the year. 

[MeadowLily]

I thank you for sharing it, lauldani.  I agree with you.

I wish my Paw, Grandpaw and Greatgrandpaw were here to read it.  I knew all of them. I have  family history well back into the early 1800's of what they were really eating and how they were living. 

Learning to de-stress and avoiding periods of intense exercise. Taking the right vitamins and supplements.  Spending more time in nature - that was doable while trying not to freeze to death in -40 below zero temps in a tipi, childbirth and all of the rest of it. 

Thanks again for sharing that. It was all fun. Really.

[kirkor]

lol @ "toxins"

[ArtFossil]

9 minutes ago, kirkor said:

lol @ "toxins"

I had a Princess Bride moment. 

[MeadowLily]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat/

Whole 30 is clear.  It is a Food Reset.

Paleo is confusing.

"The Paleo diet not only misunderstands how our own species, the organisms inside our bodies and the animals and plants we eat have evolved over the last 10,000 years, it also ignores much of the evidence about our ancestors' health during their— brief—individual life spans - even if a minority of our Paleo ancestors made it into their 40s or beyond - many children died before age 15."

 

[kalsjourney]

I think there is something inherently wrong with this kind of mentality (similar to how Whole30 views 'cheats') as it sets you up for failure, and at least for me, leads to feeling guilty. 80/20 just seems to continue the "diet" mentality which vilifies "bad foods".  By saying you can eat those "bad foods" 20% of the time kind of takes the mindfulness out of food choice. Sure, things are not always black and white and there needs to be flexibility but I am not one to ascribe to thinking that it needs to be a balance. I think planning on cheating 20% of the time negates whatever benefits you may be getting and perhaps the diet isn't for hypothetical-you (which is fine). 

I also agree with the sentiments here that say the concepts of Paleo/eating like ancestors is confusing, especially when the Paleolithic human had to eat with the seasons and probably wasn't baking banana pancakes. I have no qualms with people who choose to eat paleo, but it is weird to only be committed to it 80% or 60% of the time. 

I much like Whole30. It is clear, and it is really providing me with a lot of insight on my relationship with food and is informing with with personal evidence the benefits of eating clean. I feel like when my round is over I will be better equipped to decide if I really want a dark chocolate bar or not and will be able to weigh the risks while maintaining my body well.