Paleo Diet Question

[Davis]

A couple years ago, I followed the diet as I understood- natural foods that would have been eaten by cavemen. Common sense and information I read told me that this basically meant meats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I quit eating this way exclusively because I wasn't gaining any weight....

BUT...

I see all these Crossfit people(including my mom) who prepare "paleo" puddings, brownies, etc. What the hell are paleo brownies? Is there a such thing as a paleo big mac too? What I see that my mom does is get "more natural" ingredients to make these brownies or whatever the dessert or food is... How is that paleo? Just because something is low carb or less processed makes it paleo now? This is more of me being annoyed with the labeling than anything. However, it makes me wonder and ask, was I doing it wrong before? Or is it just a problem with labels? (Like how you see "Organic waffles" in the frozen food section at your grocery store)

[BendtheBar]

I make Paleo cheesecake. I use almond meal and flax meal in the crust. It's rather good.

Low carb baked goods are rather easy to make once you learn how. Check this out:

Low Carb Desserts

[BendtheBar]

I don't go out of my way to use sweeteners, but I do keep them on hand. When I get cravings, it's nice to make something that tastes decent.

I had to learn to cook in general to maximize this lifestyle. Once I did, wow, make a huge difference.

List any 5 recipes and Google "Low Carb ____ Recipe". You'll find alternatives to everything, literally.

[Davis]

So basically, the paleo diet isn't necessarily stick to four basic foods, but rather based more on low carb and natural foods and ingredients?

[bruteforce]

Originally Posted by Davis

So basically, the paleo diet isn't necessarily stick to four basic foods, but rather based more on low carb and natural foods and ingredients?

Paleo is now sponsored by reebok and the corn industry.

Seriously though, Paleo has lost a lot of its spine. It has been caving to pressures of big agriculture, big govt, and big waistlines to take a more moderate, acceptable approach. I don't believe Paleo should include whey protein powder, coffee, tea, broccoli (its a pretty new thing actually) any grain, but should include more roots, fruits, big game, organ meats, and cowering from thunderstorms.

It's a great idea, but the truth is, dogma hurts any plan; diet, exercise, social, or interpersonal. If we stick to basic idea of more meat and fat, little to no refined food, and very little grain, taking whatever vegetables are in season, it's hard to go wrong. Do what makes you feel better and be healthy, not what the marketing machine tells you.

[BendtheBar]

I eat low carb, not Paleo. I should have stated that. I focus on eating an extremely minimal amount of processed foods, and I choose to eat low carb dairy foods - heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, cheese, etc.

My main goals are health via low carbs, fewer processed foods and chems, and more food that either walks or grows.

[PhillyDev]

Check out Harry Selkow's QnA posts on elite. He outlines true paleo. No bs.