Isn't the Paleo Diet the Same as the Atkins Diet?

The problem with "just eating healthy" is that there's no agreement on what that means. The food pyramid that many of us grew up with was thrown out some years ago because it was wrong and outdated, not representative of our current food supply.

The other problem is that our food supply has changed so drastically in the last 40 years, and our demands have changed along with it. We no longer eat seasonally at all - we want strawberries in January and apples in March, we expect certain foods to be available year-round. We import them from all over the world, and even if they are "local", they are grown in depleted soils with fertilizers that spur fast growth but don't allow them to absorb the nutrients and trace elements in the soil. That apple in March or July was picked last October and kept in storage, exposed to gas to prevent rotting. That kiwi was picked 3 weeks ago in Australia.

Even the American Medical Association doesn't think we can get what we need from food. Panels of food scientists have tested the nutrient content of today's food, and found it substantially lacking, to the point that you'd need to consume something like 6000 calories a day to get the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients your grandmother got. Then there are the arguments that the plants we eat, either through genetic modification or substitution of faster-growing species/varieties, "ain't what they used to be."

We went through low fat for years, but heart disease and obesity rates are through the ceiling. We're starving, in part because of the nutrient deficiency. So we crave things because we aren't getting what satisfies us and what our bodies need. Then we went high carb (everything was pasta and grains, instead of it being a side dish). Then we went to no-carb, with South Beach and Atkins. Then Paleo emerged, with additional changes and prohibitions. But we still have a heart disease and obesity problems. And we're eating corn-fed livestock loaded with antibiotics because they are raised in CAFOs. There's no agreement on what "free range" and "cage free" mean either. Those meats you eat on those diets aren't the same ones primitive humans ate. So it's not really Paleo anyway. And we have huge increases in problems with gluten, dairy, peanut and tree nut allergies, and more - so we are less and less able to process foods. We're overfed and undernourished.

The thing that doesn't seem to go out of style - at least so far - is the Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on healthy fats (vs. no fats) and carbs offset by larger amounts of fruits and vegetables (vs. a big plate of white wheat pasta and a few tomatoes thrown in the sauce). But, of course, those fruits and veggies aren't nutrient-dense.

Because our health continues to decline and life expectancy is starting to reverse after many decades and even centuries of it going up(today's kids will not live longer than their parents), food scientists, researchers, and now the medical profession are re-examining things that we've taken as a "given" for years. Truthfully, you just can't "eat healthy" - not enough to meet your needs. You can make better choices or poorer choices, for sure, but until we face the realities, we're not going to see improved health overall.

I agree with Diane B. What does "just eating healthy" look like? There is no consensus. A lot of what is assumed to be the guideline for health eating was based upon the minimal amounts necessary for a POW to not be considered receiving starvation rations, or for a soldier to survive. Not because it was in any way considered ideal. It was the minimum.

That doesn't mean that you can just eat more of everything (proteins, carbs, fats, and also minerals/vitamins) though.

In our family, healthy tends to mean unprocessed foods. Natural proteins (nuts of all kinds, almonds and peanuts in particular), raw fruits/veggies (steamed or salads, apples, grapes, berries of all types), and things like cheeses (in moderation). Nothing wrong with cheese on your taco or your baked potato. But a dish loaded with cream and cheese (au gratin potatoes for example) is more of a splurge/dessert type thing. Not healthy b/c it happens to have potatoes and cheese (veggie and protein).

The fewer things you have to do to a food before you consume it, the better it is. For example: Orange juice? Too much sugar. Just eat an orange. You get the benefits of fiber, the reduced sugar content (because it's just one orange, not the juice of 7) and you feel more satisfied b/c you actually have something in your stomach besides liquid. Or in the potato example earlier... bake it. A sprinkle of salt/pepper, pat of butter OR sour cream... eat it. If you cut it up into fries and deep fry it... no longer such a good choice.

From the things I have read, the whole "cut the fat" has been debunked as to any benefits whatsoever. Same with cholesterol. You don't need to avoid eggs b/c they have cholesterol. They were based on bad science and an attempt to counteract something doctors were seeing in patients but didn't understand fully. And the theory--that's what it was-- (cutting the fat in the diet = reduction in arterial placque) just doesn't hold up, after decades of the diet being prescribed to patients.

Eat real food. That's how to eat healthy. Eat real food, and eat in moderation. The average American eats WAY more than they *need* to eat calories-wise.

I actually do an alternate day partial fast (500 calories or less every other day) most of the time (for months at a time, ignoring it when a special occasion calls for it or whatever)... and you'd be amazed at how little is required to feel full when you aren't accustomed to eating ALL THE TIME. Three meals a day plus snacks? Half the time I am too full to eat more than 2 actual meals.
Food is so readily available in our society that people can (and do) eat without even thinking about it. Most Americans have no idea what it actually feels like to be hungry, and their bodies lose the ability to tell them when they should be satiated/satisfied.

Uh...no. But I'm sure if you are actually curious, Google can explain it better than I can.

no, there are a lot of similarities but some significant differences.
some people can just 'eat healthy.' others find comfort and support in having a template to follow. and different systems have different needs, some of which are helped by following low-carb diets like these two.
khairete
S.

There are some differences but they are similar.

http://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/paleo...

Every other week someone new says eating healthy is something different. This week it might be don't eat meat and next week it might be don't eat bread, at all, and then another week later it could be that sweets are bad but artificial sweeteners are wonderful then a week later everyone says artificial sweeteners are bad.

So eating healthy is not a term I think means anything. To me eating healthy means eating a variety of foods and not cutting out any particular food group or sort of foods.

I eat meat, I eat real butter and drink milk and eat Colby cheese and I love chocolate and Dr. Pepper.

Do I think I eat healthy? no, not very much.

I think some people have gone so far overboard it's crazy and when they look at what we eat they think I'm nuts for not stuffing the kids full of Kale and other similar foods.

So eating healthy is not a good term.

If a person wants to try a low carb lifestyle I suggest they try it and see how it fits in with their likes and dislikes. How they cook.

My father in law eats eggs and bacon for breakfast every morning, he eats means every meal. He eats very few veggies and no oatmeal or rice or grains.

He brought his cholesterol down a hundred+ points. He brought his triglycerides down over 150 points. Only by eating low carb.

So everyone has a different definition of what is healthy. That's why these fad diets get so much attention.

Yeah, google it. Have you not heard of Google?
Unless you just want to eat healthy, which begs me to ask, why are you even here?