Primal Blueprint love

[clevermanka]

As I mentioned, my copy of Mark Sisson's The Primal Blueprint arrived this week. I haven't had time to read nearly as much of it as I had hoped, but I got through the first chapter. If reading the author's Daily Apple blog and visually participating in adammaker and royal_spice's delectable meals weren't enough, the first few pages of Sisson's book would've been enough. The words warmed my heart like no other nutritionally informative book* ever has.

Right off the bat, Sisson basically says "This style of eating is based on the reality of our evolution as human beings. Evolution is a fact, bitches. Deal."

I tell you what, if I hadn't already been interested in trying Primal, that alone would've convinced me to give this a thirty-day trial.

Science works, bitches.

* And believe me, I've read a lot of them.

Comments

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Wow! Two opposable thumbs up for the writing style alone, indeed.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha ha!

Once I'm done, if you wanna borrow it, let me know. I think it might have good info for both you and miischelle.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Yes!
I'm thinking it's the direction I've been heading (or at least making an attempt at it), with detours to The Raw Diet, Nutritional Typing, etc.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

You're first on the list to borrow. *kiss*kiss*

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

I really like the Paleo diet (and related) as an organizing principle. I'm not sure all of their conclusions are as cut and dried as proposed, but who's are? There is some pretty strong evidence that humans have evolved at least a bit since the AgRev, and some of that may have related to our diet of grains etc.
But on balance the thing seems pretty sound.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

There is some pretty strong evidence that humans have evolved at least a bit since the AgRev, and some of that may have related to our diet of grains etc.

Everybody picks and chooses their facts, but the post-agrarian evolutionary changes that Sisson cites are not positive developments.

I'm very interested to see if thirty days eating Primal minimizes my post-meal bloating issues. If it does, that's pretty clear proof that my body has not evolved to the point where I can successfully process grains.

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

This seems like a particularly good way to go. especially since one you are into it you could experiment with selectively introducing different types of grains to see if the problem can be isolated.

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

I've seen some other data around that says that maybe 25-30% of Americans are Partially Adapted, and the rest Poorly Adapted to grains (esp wheat/gluten)

partially adapted - get some health issues, but not obesity issues
poorly adapted - Enjoy both Obesity and health issues.

-
I'm looking at my waistline that was and thinking that I am one of the poorly adapted ones.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

Evolution is a fact, bitches. Deal.

Word.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I think I'm developing an internet crush on Mr. Sisson.

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

Heh, I have a crush on his brain and his style.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

And, you know, his abs.

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

True that on the abs.

Hey!
I'm just starting to see mine again!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

(mine are still hiding in this icon, but it's the best I've got at the mo')

Science!!!!!!!!!!

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

When it works, it works.
I LOVE IT!

When results are repeatable across different instances,
we can figure out Exactly Why from there!
-=-
If it isn't repeatable across different instances,
we can only know that a certain thing doesn't work,
and is likely to not lead conclusively as Exactly Why.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

I love anybody who gives me permission to eat bacon (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-quick-guide-to-bacon/).

BTW--I've switched from Amy's Meats to M&J Ranch meats. Better! I love them. As soon as I get the deep freezer cleaned out, I'm going to order half a cow.

http://www.mandjranch.com/

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yay for better beef! But: I Have Envy. mckitterick doesn't like beef, so I don't buy it any more. No point in spending the money when it's just me eating it. Nowadays, I only eat cow if I'm at a steak house.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

I always think it is worth spending the money on food, especially if it is just me eating it. Not sharing means more for me.

Their meat is amazing.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha! I'll keep that in mind. I'm not sure I care enough to invest the time to cook two separate meals.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

Does the Primal Blueprint (and this question may be more for adammaker than you since you haven't even read it yet!) differ in any substantial way from the thinking behind eating paleo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo_diet) that has already been pretty well established?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Here ya go (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/whats-the-difference-between-primal-and-paleo/)!

[poincaraux.livejournal.com]

I haven't read this book, so I don't know anything about it.

I do feel compelled to mention that the "evolutionary rationale" behind a lot of these paleolithic diets is complete bunk.

If you think we spent an evolutionarily significant amount of time eating a certain kind of diet, it would be reasonable to think that selection preferred individuals who could operate well on that diet. That doesn't mean that those individuals (or any humans) couldn't operate better on an alternative diet.

It's not survival of the fittest; it's survival of the most adaptable ... and sometimes it's just survival of the fit enough.

That doesn't mean that the paleo diets aren't good for you, just that their "evolutionary logic" isn't sound.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It's not survival of the fittest; it's survival of the most adaptable ... and sometimes it's just survival of the fit enough.

And that's exactly how Sisson approaches it. He argues (and based on my own observations and experiences I tend to agree with him) that most humans haven't adapted to tolerate grains, much less a grain-based diet. Some people do digest them quite well, and are able to use the nutritive value of them.

I am not one of those people, and most of the people I know who have health/obesity/digestive problems are in that group with me.

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

I appreciate what you are saying about their historical view being off, but I cannot go so far as to agree with you that it is 'bunk'.

All variations on the objective-truth-scale there aside, I believe their approach to diet and exercise is one of the soundest I have ever encountered, and it is that advice I am following.

People trying to explain science often dilute the explanation down till it becomes inaccurate, and when the next person takes up the thread in the game of 'science education telephone', it becomes more inaccurate or more simplistic, or both.

Here, I'll do it too:
Partial adaptation is just that, a partial one. Partial adaptations often come with more side-effects metabolically than complete adaptations, and food items that are in that range are (per the adaptation of each individual) worth avoiding.