Tom Woods Goes Primal!

[Freebie]

It's funny, 2 of my biggest interests lately have been RP/Liberty and Primal eating/lifestyle. Looks like Tom Woods is bringing the 2 together as well!

http://www.tomwoods.com/blog/going-primal/

The diet is basically Paleo style, eliminating grains and processed carbs, and embracing vegetables and high fat/protein animal foods. I just finished reading the book, and the science is very solid. It is based in evolutionary biology and working with your hormones, not against them. Also, the takes on exercise and lifestyle are great and scientifically sound.

Any other Primal folks here on RPF?

 

[BuddyRey]

I believe in primal as scientifically valid and the healthiest way to live. Unfortunately, I just wasn't raised to appreciate vegetables at all, and pastas & grains are among my very favorite things to eat. There's just no way I'd be able to stick to it religiously.

 

[Freebie]

It's definitely a tough switch to make, I kind of switched into it slowly over time. I gotta say, a nice dallop of grass-fed butter on vegetables goes a long way to making me appreciate them

 

[ShaneEnochs]

Sounds like a variation of the Atkins diet.

 

[Freebie]

Sounds like a variation of the Atkins diet.

Basically, but with more vegetables and some fruit. Atkins was definitely right about carbs though - carbs kill.

 

[kylejack]

Too bad I like beer.

 

[slamhead]

I wonder if your appendix will start to do something on that diet.

 

[kill the banks]

I can gain weigh drinking a black coffee sometimes ... I do best when i eat regularly and then get my body use of it , then workout hard for a while and the pounds drop off ... good luck on this one

 

[Acala]

I'm primal. It's awesome.

There are some significant differences from Atkins.

Atkins is really only concerned with carbs.

Primal is concerned with micronutriets as well. For example, Primal is concerned with proper essential fatty acid balance.


Atkins doesn't really care about the source of food.

Primal looks to minimize toxins by using natural, organic food.

 

[Acala]

I believe in primal as scientifically valid and the healthiest way to live. Unfortunately, I just wasn't raised to appreciate vegetables at all, and pastas & grains are among my very favorite things to eat. There's just no way I'd be able to stick to it religiously.

Try eating pasta plain for a while and then tell me you really like it. Pasta without sauce is about as delicious as mud. So it is really the sauce you like and, assuming you avoid bad oils and use grass fed meat, most pasta sauce is perfectly fine on a primal diet. You just need to put it on something other than pasta. Like spaghetti squash or cauliflower-rice.

 

[Blankstare]

Basically, but with more vegetables and some fruit. Atkins was definitely right about carbs though - carbs kill.

Atkins died of a heart attack. And it's a horrible diet, because when the eliminate all carbs and whatnot, your cholesterol skyrockets and you're susceptible to stroke or heart attack. All things in moderation.

 

[Wesker1982]

I might try it someday. My wife is pregnant, so now is a bad time. Currently on the IIFYM diet, which is fine for body composition and weight, but primal sounds interesting for overall health.

 

[Bruehound]

I'm 8 days in and feeling great. i can tell already the hardest part is finding sources of natural/organic foods so that I am never tempted to eat a barcode again!

 

[trey4sports]

I tend to err on the side of a more raw foods lifestyle as opposed to primal.

 

[Tina]

Paleo here. I find my grass fed meats at the local food coop. All the bad press about saturated fats is a lie. Your brain needs sat. fats to function properly.

 

[crhoades]

Atkins died of a heart attack. And it's a horrible diet, because when the eliminate all carbs and whatnot, your cholesterol skyrockets and you're susceptible to stroke or heart attack. All things in moderation.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/doctor/atkins.asp

Cholesterol will actually go down.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cholesterol/#axzz1jjWuZKBT

 

[Acala]

Atkins died of a heart attack. And it's a horrible diet, because when the eliminate all carbs and whatnot, your cholesterol skyrockets and you're susceptible to stroke or heart attack. All things in moderation.

Fail.

Atkins died when he fell on the ice and whacked his head on the sidewalk. Besides, Primal is not Atkins.

Carbohydrates are not required in the human diet AT ALL. The Inuit traditionally had a virtually carb-free diet and did fine, thank you.

You are basing your position on bad data and government propaganda. The relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels is insignificant. Your body MAKES cholesterol if the blood level falls too low because cholesterol is an essential substance for many bodily needs. If you have too much cholesterol it is an indicator of inflammation. But lipitor is the largest selling drug in Big Pharma's catalog, so the big money is on "treating" cholesterol levels.

Cardiovascular disease is an INFLAMMATORY illness. If you have arterial plaques it is because the walls of your blood vessels are being damaged by chronic inflammation. It does relate to diet, but not because of cholesterol or fat levels in food. Rather, it is the inflammatory effects of bad diet that cause cardiovascular disease.

If you want to talk about what causes chronic, systemic inflammation, we can do that. Here's a hint: it ISN'T dietary saturated fat.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Atkins died of a heart attack. And it's a horrible diet, because when the eliminate all carbs and whatnot, your cholesterol skyrockets and you're susceptible to stroke or heart attack. All things in moderation.

It's not about eliminating all carbs. It's about getting carbs from the proper sources-vegetables, fruit, etc.-not grains. Your body is not designed for a high grain diet. I've never read Atkins' work, but I changed my diet to a "primal" one a few months ago, and I've been very fit. Gained muscle and lost fat in conjunction with exercise. A better book than Atkins' is "The Paleo Diet For Athletes". http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Diet-Athletes-Nutritional-Performance/dp/1594860890

 

[phesoge]

I currently eat primal about 70 percent of the time, but I do cheat quite often because of my love of alchohol. However; about a year ago I went full on primal for about 3.5 months. Shed a ridiculous amount of weight. I just eat primal enough now to ensure I do not gain the weaight back. All in all a great life style, but I unfortunately am just a weak willed human.

 

[trey4sports]

Basically, but with more vegetables and some fruit. Atkins was definitely right about carbs though - carbs kill.

Atkins died of a heart attack. And it's a horrible diet, because when the eliminate all carbs and whatnot, your cholesterol skyrockets and you're susceptible to stroke or heart attack. All things in moderation.

well....kinda sorta.

Eating refined carbs like sugar and white flour are not good for you, not in any way.

vegetables, whole grains and other carbs that don't spike your insulin levels are great for your body. Particularly vegetables which are antioxidant rich.

as far as primal goes, my biggest concern is that very high protein diets have been connected to high rates of cancer and disease whereas you see the exact opposite in raw food diets.