Atkins vs Paleo

Alan wrote:
:: I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The
:: Paleo Diet".
::
:: The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
:: * more liberal with fruit
:: * dairy food a no-no
:: * emphasises lean protein
:: * distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats
::
:: Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
:: relative pros & cons of the two?

Paleo is patterned after a caveman diet. It's more about optimal human
nutrition than about weight loss (Atkins is that way in later stages).
Hence, in the generic form of Paleo fruit is fine (as with Atkins in the
latter stages that aren't concerned with weight loss).

AFAIR, Paleo is down on grains & potatoes, too.

x-no-archive: yes

Alan said:

I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The Paleo
Diet".

The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
* more liberal with fruit
* dairy food a no-no
* emphasises lean protein
* distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats

Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
relative pros & cons of the two?

Thx,
Alan.

My perspective is that it doesn't matter. Read as many of the related
books as you can stand to gather various bits of info, then decide how
you want to eat, given what you've learned.

Most of us who've started with one plan or another end up with a highly
individualized way of eating, not following any single plan.

The best of the popular diet books in terms of scientific accuracy is
Protein Power, and it's written in very clear lay language, so I'd
include it in your reading.

Susan

Some of the Paleo authors bring our society's fear of fats with them. I
wonder just how lean those woolly mammoths were....

I have read that in hunter-gather societies animals with a high fat content
were sought after.

The fruits we have in the markets today are carefully bred freaks with lots
of sugar. Atkins allows various berries, which are perhaps more likely as
part of a caveman diet.

I have reservations about the Paleo rejection of dairy products. Milk is an
animal by product, and humans begin life on a variation of the same stuff.

There is a lot to learn in the Paleo material. I think they make a great
case against grains and related products.

I think you have listed the overt differences well. However, if you adjust
imperfections in each diet, they come out pretty close.

Have you read Neanderthin yet?

"Alan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The Paleo
Diet".

The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
* more liberal with fruit
* dairy food a no-no
* emphasises lean protein
* distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats

Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
relative pros & cons of the two?

Thx,
Alan.

Alan said:

I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The Paleo
Diet".

The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
* more liberal with fruit
* dairy food a no-no
* emphasises lean protein
* distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats

Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
relative pros & cons of the two?

Thx,
Alan.

You might be as much as 75% correct....

Atkins distinguishes between "Good" and "Bad" fat..... but he uses the
funny names of "Saturated Fat" and "Trans Fat" in place of the single
concept of "Bad Fat". Lots of doctors and scientists use those same
funny names.

In other words, your final bullet point above is quite bogus.... "Bad"
fats generally are "Trans Fat" and "Saturated Fat".

And, even the South Beach diet uses "Bad" fats to largely signify "Trans
Fats" and "Saturated Fats".

So, the most score for accuracy you could get is only 75%.

The Paleo period in the Ascent of Man is thought to preceed the
domestification of the cow., and hence to have a truly old diet, one
should have no dairy foods.

There is no indication that Paleo period man (and woman) had long lives,
however. So, the assumption that this plan will produce a desired
outcome of a long healthy life cannot be said to be proven from history
as we bastardize it from no surviving records.

Jim

If it wasn't eaten by a caveman, forget it.
Anything that has to be processed in order to be eaten is not on the menu.
Think hunter/gatherer. If it can be stuck on the end of a stick and cooked
in a fire without further processing it's okay to eat it.
Fruits in Paleo or Neanderthal time was not as sweet and plentiful as fruit
is now.
Try reading Neanderthin for a idea. Your library should have it.

jo
nj

"Alan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The Paleo
Diet".
The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
* more liberal with fruit
* dairy food a no-no
* emphasises lean protein
* distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats
Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
relative pros & cons of the two?
Thx,
Alan.

Alan said:

I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The Paleo
Diet".

I've read PaleoThin rather than The Paleo Diet.

Quoted message said:

The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
* more liberal with fruit

Not counting the fact that Atkins is fully customized
to the individual body's reactions and that some
people end up eating lots of fruit.

Quoted message said:

* dairy food a no-no

Check. It's a core Atkins food.

Quoted message said:

* emphasises lean protein

Unlike PaleoThin. There are differences among the
paleo systems.

Quoted message said:

* distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats

That is the Atkins books distinguish among types
of fats. I do not recall mention of types in PaleoThin.

Quoted message said:

Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
relative pros & cons of the two?

I think you missed much of what the Atkins process
is based on. Paleo systems are based on food intolerance
issues. Atkins is based on both using carbs as a tool
and on food intolerances. So here's my perspective:

Using carbs as a tool: Half of the Atkins process,
can be an incidental side effect of Atkins.

Avoiding food intolerances: Half of the Atkins process,
all of the paleo systems.

Within food intolerances the differences come in the
details and level of restriction.

Atkins allows dairy from the gate, paleo does not.
Atkins has a process of adding suspect foods and requires
the individual to judge which ones trigger a problem,
compared to paleo systems that note trends in food
intollerances and ban entire classes. For example all
legumes are banned on PaleoThin while on Atkins they
are considered a suspect to be checked.

There's also the fact that Atkins is a completely
customized process tuned to each individual while paleo
systems are broadly one-size-fits-all.

On paleo you figure out if a stone age human in
Eurasia who has nothing but a sharp stick can get this
food and eat it raw. If no, don't eat it. If yes,
it can be eaten raw or cooked. It's very broad, but
the system and the decision process is the same for
everyone.

On Atkins you start out by removing all suspect foods
other than eggs and dairy. Then one by one foods are
put through a testing process. When your carb quota
has reached the level that justifies trying that food,
try it and carefully note your body's reactions. If
there is any adverse reaction avoid that food from
then on (I prefer doing three strikes and you're out
in case it wasn't the food but you were tired or
whatever). But sure enough the foods cautioned against
in paleo systems are listed later in the carb ladder.

The result is someone could easily end up avoiding the
same foods on paleo or Atkins, or they could end up
avoiding a very different list.

I am on paleo and I like it because it is easy to follow. I am on this
diet to maintain weight, not to lose. The only deviation that I make
is that I eat some dairy sometimes, such as cheese.

Atkins, however, is a more rigorous process and more assured to
produce weight loss.

i

Alan said:

I've read the Atkins book and recently I picked up a copy of "The Paleo
Diet".

The emphasis on this diet seems rather different:
* more liberal with fruit
* dairy food a no-no
* emphasises lean protein
* distinguishes between "good" and "bad" fats

Is that an accurate appraisal? What does everything think are the
relative pros & cons of the two?

Thx,
Alan.

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