OK so I’m not the poster child for diet and nutrition, but I do have just a little common sense.
Seeing this article really pissed me off. Mainly because it just doesn’t make sense.
http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-overall-diets
So go read at your own risk….
This is a diet ranking by US News. They looked at 20 different diets and ranked them. I briefly perused this article; I didn’t plan on reading the whole thing because I already know the proper diet etc…. (Paleo – duh).
I was absolutely stunned though to see Paleo diet ranked dead last out of 20 different diets. Then I had to go read the damn thing to see what they screwed up.
If you look at the detail behind the reviews there are 7 categories by which the diets were ranked.
- Short term weight loss
- Long term weight loss
- Easy to follow
- Nutrition
- Safety
- For Diabetes
- For Hearth Health.
I’m not going to go into the detail for all of these categories and how Paleo was ranked. I will touch on an overall theme and comment on category 4 nutrition.
So in general Paleo scores poorly on all categories and the typical explanation cites lack of research. Whether I agree or not (about the lack of research); I can see that as a semi valid explanation. I don’t believe it’s a valid explanation for low rankings, but more for being skeptical. If there really was such a lack of research and information perhaps they should have left Paleo off the list. In other words If I put a tall, strong, fast 20 year old male in front of you and asked if he could play football I think acceptable answers would be:
- Looks good on paper so I assume he can
- I’ve never seen him play, therefore I’m not sure. (this is like citing lack of research)
- He sucks – not really acceptable answer, just a stab in the dark (which is what they did on this ranking)
OK so enough about the overall rankings, I want to focus on nutrition now.
Below is the explanation from the article for Paleo nutrition ranking.
“While its focus on veggies and lean meat is admirable, experts couldn’t get past the fact that entire food groups, like dairy and grains, are excluded on Paleo diets. “The risk of nutrient deficiency is real, unless the person takes a multivitamin,” one panelist commented. Here, its rating lagged a full two or more stars behind many other diets.”
After reading this I really wondered what in the hell “nutrition” is in grains that are superior to vegetables.
I’m mean that really sounds like a stupid statement. I figure we can settle this pretty quickly so I went online and did a quick comparison.
| Unit | Whole Wheat Bread (278 Calories) | Broccoli (278 Calories) | Difference | |
| Fat | g | 5.4 | 2.78 | -2.62 |
| Cholesterol | mg | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sodium | mg | 346 | 250.2 | -95.8 |
| Potassium | mg | 314 | 2502 | 2188 |
| Total Carb | g | 51.4 | 52.264 | 0.864 |
| Fiber | g | 6 | 19.46 | 13.46 |
| Sugar | g | 3.84 | 13.344 | 9.504 |
| Protein | g | 8.4 | 22.24 | 13.84 |
| Vitamin A | % | 0 | 111.2 | 111.2 |
| Vitamin C | % | 0 | 1167.6 | 1167.6 |
| Calcium | % | 3 | 27.8 | 24.8 |
| Iron | % | 17 | 27.8 | 10.8 |
So I compared calorie per calorie as I believe that’s a more relevant comparison than by serving size.
According to my quick check of the facts Broccoli blows whole wheat bread out of the water when it comes to nutrition. It has less fat and sodium, then for everything else it has far more nutritional content.
So let me wrap this up. If you want to be skeptical about Paleo because you’re unfamiliar, don’t have information, cite lack of research……then fine.
Don’t try and tell me though that wheat bread is more nutritional than broccoli and I have to take a multivitamin, cuz now you just sound stupid.
Workout of the Day 6/15/2011
Burgener Warm-Up
Beginners:
Squat Clean 3-3-3
Split Jerk 3-3-3
Squat Snatch 3-3-3
*if you do not have full squat snatches, then this is your technique day to work on them
Advanced: Done as an Olympic Lifting Total – 3 Clean and Jerks for max weight, then 3 Snatches for max weight
Clean and Jerk 1-1-1
Snatch 1-1-1
Score is the heaviest weight you were able to C&J added to the heaviest weight you were able to Snatch
“Then I had to go read the damn thing to see what they screwed up.” = LOLZ
I know CrossFit is proud to go “against the grain (no pun intended – though it certainly fits) I tend to agree with health experts who have studied nutrition for years. Yes, I do disagree with them sometimes. However, there are a few valid points to consider. (BTW – a vast majority of people who tried Paleo thought it helped them – +1)
Can you stick with a dietary plan ? If not, is it reasonable ? If you / me / them can’t eat bread, milk, cereal, grains, etc – can we really expect to commit to it long term ? It’s not called a paleo challenge for nothing
Does it include all food groups ? I know the argument against grains – some of it has to do with gluten (maybe a lot of it) – regardless – you can’t tell me oatmeal is bad for me. It’s been shown to be good for the heart and it’s filling and provides a good source of carbohydrates for fuel (yes – you do need carbs for fuel). Sorry – not buying the fact I can’t have my oatmeal.
No beans ? Peanuts ? Come on – this is getting to the point of being too restrictive. Beans have good sources of protein and fiber.
I don’t really thing Paleo people had heards of bacon, chicken, beef running wild across the plains in big herds. I doubt they had fields of broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, etc as far as the eye could see. They hunted deer and bison, rabbits, etc and probably ate a lot of nuts and berries. So if you’re going to do Paleo, then go all the way and hunt for your food.
I do agree that corn has no place in our diets, nor does processed, fried, or fast food.
Is the ranking for Paleo too low – yeah, probably – due to lack of research.
sorry for the misspellings – it’s 3 am and I just got off work… really, I spell better in the morning
Did notice that over 2000 people voted that this diet has helped them to only like 60 who voted no…and this is the last place diet. Crazy. No other diet is even close!
Yessss! this is going to be an interesting thread of comments today
What?!! No cookies? Im on the cookie diet and look at me…im a big goofy monster. You want some of my milk and cookies steve?
I eat a bowl of cereal and orange juice every morning to start the day. Have you seen my six pack?! I just PR’d on Fran last week…1:47.
Now Dane, don’t know if you’re being sarcastic or not, but no need to be a dink (if you’re in fact being one). I see nothing wrong with an occassional cookie – not going to kill you. Milk won’t kill you either – if you’re lactose intolerant, well, you’ll have issues.
lack of research to back up their claims…continuous garble about how paleo exceeds or doesn’t meet government standards in RDI and macronutrient categories…because the government is awesome at regulating well anything…let alone diet and nutrition (I won’t waste my time looking for obesity in america stats), and the fact that the #1 recommended diet on this report was crafted by who else but a government funded group within the US Dept of Health and Human Services. If their diet is so easy to follow why aren’t the government subsidized schools regulated to serve it at lunch time? Not particularly advocating for Paleo or any of the other diets in this “report” just that the internet news is typically all bullshit and its sad that internet propoganda skews so many dumb readers into making choices about their health based on biased reports. Weight watchers and Jenny Craig must be so easy to follow as well…i’ll take the paleo eating, CF types over the lumps sitting in the Jenny Craig waiting room any day. Not that i am biased or anything. Off my soap box..sorry bored at work.
Steve – Have you tried Paleo for more than 6 weeks with NO cheats AND worked out 4-5 days a week while on this diet? If or when you do, then comment on the diet. I have been an competitive athlete my entire life and ever since I completey eliminated grains, sugar, beans, and dairy, I am faster, stronger, and leaner than I was during the height of collegiate soccer career almost 10 years ago. I absolutely contribute the majority of it to Paleo. Yeah CF is a ridiculous workout but without proper nutrition, results aren’t maximized. Some things are true whether you believe them or not and this is one of them (and unicorns).
Hahaha. I have dabbled in the cookie diet realm before. Was honestly disappointed in my results and can see why it didn’t make the top 20 list. With that said I have been contemplating going on the Matty stew peanut m&ms, breyers icream, it’s-it diet. Matts been Lookin real torqued lately so I might try. Also heard good things about forrests ice cream sandwich cleanse.
Currently on a strict collison doritos diet. I will keep everyone posted on my progress.
Pwo shake-99cent cool ranch doritos bag, 2 fresh isabellas cookies and 1&1/2 scoops of chocolate ice cream.
Steve – Just to back up Dane’s cookie diet
http://www.cookiediet.com/
Ayo Dane, I’m on the cookie diet too, but I’m just goofy. What am I doing wrong?
Cookie Diet is the bomb. The other diet i highly reccomend is the Grizzly Bear diet. Basically, you just eat everything you can. M & M’s, Snickers, Chips, In & Out, etc., stay fully hydrated by drinking tons of beer and then sleep or surf the internet for a minimum of 17 hrs a day. This diet alone has increased my sperm count by 200%, i’m fully torqued like 23 hrs a day, and it has allowed me to become even goofier than i already am.
Did anyone notice that Paleo Diet has the highest “did this diet work for you” yes count and the lowest no count? I think that speaks of the effectiveness in itself.
Cookie diet doesn’t seem to be working for me so I’m going to try the grizzly bear diet like you recommend. Maybe one day I’ll reach a level of Dane goofy. Until then, all I can do is try.
and Betty – hahahah yeah. That cracked me up, all of them were a majority no until Atkins (which un-surprisingly is the closest to paleo amongst the listed diets) and then paleo with a also un-surprising majority-by-a-landslide yes
I did notice that and commented on that in my original post. I’m not saying it doesn’t work… I’m just saying that in my own lifestyle, I’m ok eating oatmeal and whey protein powder for breakfast, drinking chocolate milk for a recovery drink, having an occassional ice cream in the summer, adding creamer to my coffee. Otherwise I agree that it is wise to avoid processed food, fast food, fried foods, and foods that can be stored for a long period of time. I just have trouble with the “Paleo” concept – as they did not have coffee (as we know it), alcohol (as we know it) nor the choice in meats and veggies / fruits.
This thing turned into a pillow fight…Im out
You bet your sweet ass that if a caveman had access to sugar and grains he’d eat em! We have all seen how paleo can work. Is it for everyone? Nope, but it definitely has points that make sense. You know what I woul like to see? Research or some kind of list of Olympic atheletes, NFL, NHL, true professional world class athletes that eat paleo. My thing about paleo is you only hear about it in CrossFit circles. Anyone?
Crunchwrap supremes are 99 cents at taco bell this week, so needless to say I am on the crunchwrap supreme diet. I’ll let you guys know how that goes by next week if I am still around.
I agree with Danielle, try it and see what it does for you. For me, I had a ton more energy, sleep without disruption, and PRed on multiple lifts. More importantly, I had no pain after surgery, barely any swelling and was back in the gym after 3 weeks. (compare this to a friend who had the same surgery the same day and was still going through PT 5 months later).
It’s not for everyone. It takes a strong will and lots of prep work. But I say try it strict for at least a month and see how you feel. If you feel better you might want to try adding in oatmeal or cream or whey protein (not all three but one at a time). If you still feel good, great! Try adding something else. If you don’t, cut it out.
I know I go through strict and not so strict paleo episodes, but I also know that my not so strict times make me feel sluggish and all my old injuries ache. It’s still a work in progress for me but as I get better at it, I feel better.
Hey Daryl, how did the Froyo Life Diet work for you? That one is hands down my fav. Although I hear it can be expensive…esp when you spend $10 each time you go…
Steve, I am pro paleo but still enjoy the fun things in life…i.e. chocolate milk, occasional ice cream, flavored creamer in my coffee, and “gasp” even donuts every once in a very blue moon…lol. I still give my kids whole grains and brown rice but definitely focus on meats and veggies (fingers crossed) and fruits. Bottom line, if being strictly paleo works for the individual, more power to him/her, if 80/20 works, awesome…whatever the person chooses, as long as they are healthy, active, and happy, then that’s all that matters (BTW, I hate the word “diet”…sounds so negative)
PS: CURSE ALL OF YOU CRUNCHWRAP, ICE CREAM SAMMIE, COOKIE MENTIONING BASTARDS. Now I’m dying for all of the above.
I definitely found it interesting that Djokovic credited his recent historic winning streak to cutting gluten out of his diet. Not paleo, but heading down that road perhaps. Paleo takes an all-out approach to cutting out every food our bodies could possibly be sensitive to (as well as of course focusing on recovery and improvement); Djokovic found the one that improved his performance probably because he can afford specialists that test his body for adverse reactions to all types of different foods. The question I find interesting is for each one of us personally, how many foods have we accustomed ourselves to eating that cause inflammation/indigestion/etc and have over time recalibrated our feeling of wellness so that we think the way we feel now is normal. You’ll never know until you try..
Cheli nothing helps make those not-so-strict times feel better than praying at church…. Just saying.
Scarlett….Great Question, my wallet really trimmed up and got alot leaner. As for myself, I only hit a few PR’s, 1:36 pint time and a string of 13 toppings in one bowl. Really was hoping for more though.
And Gus, the trick to the cookie diet is having a steady supply of doritos to mix in when you hit that sugar wall….pop a couple dorito collisons in there, preferably the zesty taco/cool ranch blend and you will get right back on that cookie train….Keep me updated on your progress brotha.
1:36 / 13? Impressive. Wonder what the women’s RX is on that? I have a feeling I would break some records with enough training. (Gus: Ask Dane about his nightstand stash of dietary supplements. Broseph is in it to win it.)
Girl Scout Cookie diet would be fun…..
They don’t call them Thin Mints for nothin’!
yeah, and they don’t call em Samoas for nothing
Does writing a bazillion-word response to all of this [in my head] count as actually responding? Cuz I totally did. In my head.
And then ate a protein bar and PR’d my snatch (really).
Chris, couple things.
First off if the football coach writes off the athlete without seeing em play, send them to play rugby. Or better yet send them to crossfit for 6 months and then send them to play rugby.
I like to take a scientific approach to the paleo thing. If you are currently sedentary and eat the “bear” diet, then begin strict paleo and xfit 4-6 times a week, how do you know what made the biggest contribution to the change?
or in another way, say you crossfit 2-4 times a week, but still eat poorly and drink a little too much. If you switch over to strict paleo and up your workouts to 3-5 times a week, you’re in the same boat. Paleo probably helped, but there’s no way to know how much. On top of this, drastic change is really really tough to maintain.
I prefer a gradual change to a paleo or paleo- like diet. change one thing at a time, see what the response is. start with something easy. When Slaughter introduced the rugby team to paleo eating, he didn’t start out by telling us not to drink beer (poor buy in) he started out by telling us to eat more meat (much better response) gradually we started subbing out old habits for new, like eggs and bacon, with some spinach for breakfast instead of milk and cereal. Way easier to transition for the average person, way easier to specifically see what the result of each change is.