Need advice for starting Primal or Paleo

[Moogle33]

I need some common sense advice about starting a new diet. Common sense because I will get discouraged if it's difficult to try.

About me: I'm terrible with sticking to diets. I've had IBS/Gastroparesis for 4-5 years and I have tried eliminating certain foods. I've tried to eat less processed foods, but when I try more veggies or high fat meats, it messes me up and I usually do back to eating what you'd call the SAD unfortunately.

I have a lot of stress in my life being a caregiver. I'm also underweight, so I'm concerned about limiting my food intake with a diet. I don't have insurance and can't afford to see an RD either so it's up to me.

I'm thinking I'd like to try the primal diet because it seems like the least restrictive compared to SCD, GAPS, or strict Paleo.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Honey Poo Poo]

Hi Moogle33. Diets may help, but I would first try and eliminate the stress. If it comes to foods, simply try not to eat proteins and carbs in one meal: for example eat proteins & veg OR carbs & veg. And have friendly bacteria daily (L. acidophilus & L. bifidus). It's not really a diet but way of eating, you don't have to eliminate 'nasty' foods straight away, but you can gradually replace them whenever you ready.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I followed the Paleo diet for several months and lost too much weight by cutting out dairy and wheat. I agree that the primal diet seems more liberal and less elimination of basic food groups. I can't tolerate many fruits or veggies and certainly no whole wheat or fibrous foods. It's very difficult because the low fiber foods are stripped from these diets. Maybe you can ease into it while still eating some of the safer foods. An 80/20 mix will still be healthier. It probably will involve a lot of trial and error.

 

[Moogle33]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Honey Poo Poo (love your name btw!), I'm with you 100% about the stress. I'm currently in the process of finding assisted living for my two family members. They both are mentally ill, and it isn't easy. I've been caring for them for the last 4 years, and it's that's when my IBS got bad. So that's no. 1 on the priority list. If I try to do a strict diet now, I'll probably fail at it.

Nogutsnoglory - To your point, I think right now I can start easing into change. Anytime I go whole hog into something, I get discouraged if I feel worse. I think it would be a challenge in itself to just cut out wheat or grains like white rice.

Maybe that's where I start. I'll just cut back on them for now. I'll try more baked potatoes/sweet potatoes for my carbs. Breakfast and any snacks are my weak points and I tend to have more sugar during those times.

 

[hugh]

Thanks for the suggestions.
......I'm with you 100% about the stress...... I think it would be a challenge in itself to just cut out wheat or grains like white rice.....I'll try more baked potatoes/sweet potatoes for my carbs. Breakfast and any snacks are my weak points and I tend to have more sugar during those times.

Definitely work on the stress, -grounding (walking on grass barefoot), short meditations, exercise, enjoying a sunset, focused breathing....simple stuff like that.
Getting enough good quality sleep is important

Of all the grains WHITE RICE is the one being accepted back into much of the paleo community, largely due to the work of people like Paul Jaminet and others....
Basically it has NO toxicity (or almost zero anyways).

Potatoes on the other hand can be troublesome - glycoalcaloids? [1](it was almost two years into paleo before i could tolerate potatoes)
Other tubers (yams, sweet potatoe, carrots etc should be fine. A quick google for 'safe paleo carbs' will give you lots of ideas
-BUT restricting carbs for a while may be an important part of getting gut bacteria under control.

If you lack confidence/willpower/whatever then yes, maybe easing into it is a good way to go, but keep in mind that you may not see much improvement untill you have eliminated most of the toxic food.
My preference is to go PURE paleo/primal for a trial period, It's not so hard if you know it's just for 30/60/whatever days, and you can ask yourself if it is worth it at the end, and then decide if you want to continue.

Primal is a good choice, it's Mark Sasoon's trademarked take on the evolutionary diet (Lauren Cordain trademarked "the Paleo Diet"), but they are similar. [2]
I tend to agree with Sasoon on saturated fat (=good) for most people but not for everyone, and dairy is OK IF tolerated - i'd definitely recommend avoiding milk, hard cheese is probably ok, and yougurt is a crapshoot (literally) [3]

So many resources out there, of varying quality.
Paul Jaminet (perfect health diet) is a star and i cannot recommend it highly enough
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/07/ulcerative-colitis-a-devastating-gut-disease/
(a series of 4 articles)

-and this guy, Dr. Joseph Brasco, a real GI doc too.....
[youtube]C8xLkEHZxDg[/youtube]

[1] http://crohnsdoesntlivehereanymore..../do-glycoalkaloids-worsen-symptoms-of-cd.html
[2] http://www.marksdailyapple.com/whats-the-difference-between-primal-and-paleo/#axzz2hriR9t5D
[3] A risky or uncertain matter.

 

[Moogle33]

Thanks for all the info Hugh. I enjoy Mark Sisson's blog. I like how he generally explains his reasoning and sources for his viewpoints. I also have Rob Wolf's book "The Paleo Solution". I didn't know about Paul Jaminet. I'll check his site out. Stress will be my first priority. I'm getting a test for SIBO. Regardless of the results, I will work on starving the bacteria. I'm sure my flora is screwed up.

I like Mark Sisson's take on rice. "Rice is a grain, yes, but it’s not the same as wheat, barley, oats, or corn. Avoiding grains as a general rule is good for your health, and that goes for rice, but be realistic. A bit of white rice with a restaurant meal is not going to kill you."

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/#ixzz2hsk5KadV

The Japanese eat tons of it and are generally healthy. I've studied Japanese and visited there. Physical activity is encouraged there at an early age in school with sports. The majority of the population walks, rides bikes, and commutes via trains to school and work. Also, traditional Japanese (and other Asian cultures) eat a lot of pickled veggies and fermented foods. Added sugar and fried foods aren't typical there either. There are exceptions of course. You can go to Tokyo and find McD's all over, but there's still plenty of Mom and Pop sushi and Donburi restaurants on every corner.

Sorry for my rant. I was on a rice roll... har har.

 

[brucep10]

Go to this site, it is a great place to start: http://www.paleonewsandreviews.com/