Doing Paleo Diet Here?

[VisaEd]

I'm looking into the paleo diet and was wondering how easy it would be to do here on a budget.

It seems a lot of processed foods are out as well as rice, noodles and pasta.

How easily can it be done and is it worth the hassle?

[Sceptict11]

No rice , noodles or pasta ?

What is left ? cabbage leaves ?

[papa al]

Not sure about paleo, but I've been 95% raw vegetable & fruit for a few months and wow.

92kg --> 84kg.

BP (systole) 140--> 103˛.

Testosterone up.

I'm entering my first taekwando tourney in January.

I'm 64.

[Sheryl]

The Paleo diet is extreme and in eliminating whole grains, misses a very nutritious food source.

But avoiding processed foods and eating more fruits and vegetables is certainly good for you.

[VisaEd]

Thanks. I thought grains were 'bad'?

[tw25rw]

What's extreme about eating the way our ancestors evolved to eat over millions of years?

[jimmybcool]

To follow the paleo diet wouldn't you have to forgo all alcohol? No beer, whisky, rum, wine, etc?

[Sheryl]

Thanks. I thought grains were 'bad'?

Grains are extremely healthy and high in nutrients.

It is processed grains that are "bad" as the processing converts them basically into sugars and strips off most micronutrients.

[Tolley]

Thanks. I thought grains were 'bad'?

Grains are extremely healthy and high in nutrients.

It is processed grains that are "bad" as the processing converts them basically into sugars and strips off most micronutrients.

If the grains are organic and whole grain then they should be okay but most grains out there aren't so you are getting GMO grains and grains grown from depleted soils with pesticides, herbicides etc and then of course a lot of people have problems with gluten as well.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Tolley

[h90]

The Paleo diet is extreme and in eliminating whole grains, misses a very nutritious food source.

But avoiding processed foods and eating more fruits and vegetables is certainly good for you.

Well you can live without (or almost without) carbohydrates without problems, maybe need to add a few vitamins but that is all.

I am living almost without carbohydrates since 1st November and it works very well...never felt so good before and loosing weight easily.

[Sheryl]

Actually there are carbs in vegetables and fruits too. Complex carbs in the case of veggies.

You are living without grains, but not without carbs.

[JSixpack]

The Paleo diet is extreme and in eliminating whole grains, misses a very nutritious food source.

Not so nutritious, and in paleo (and other low-carb diets) those nutrients are got from veggies. You can read an argument here:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/

But avoiding processed foods and eating more fruits and vegetables is certainly good for you.

Quite true. When one is concerned to lose weight, however, the fructose in most fruits isn't helpful and works against ridding oneself of sugar addiction. If one is merely attempting to maintain ideal body weight having achieved it and learned something about glycemic load, fruits may be judiciously added back in. I doubt that one "needs" fruits any more than one "needs" grains, given the nutrients in nuts, berries, meat, fish, and veggies--assuming no scarcity.

[Alwyn]

Thanks. I thought grains were 'bad'?

Grains are extremely healthy and high in nutrients.

It is processed grains that are "bad" as the processing converts them basically into sugars and strips off most micronutrients.

Hogwash. There is no reason at all to eat grains. Grains contain toxic anti-nutrients, lectins, gluten and phytates - it's the self defence system of the grains so they don't get eaten and why they have to be cooked before you eat in the same way for example as potatoes

[Carl64]

I am on the beer Chang diet. Been on it for over a year and it's going great!!!!! I think?

[PaleoWolf]

Paleo alcohol drinks are wine and gin as not from grains. There are plenty of vegetables in Thailand and myriad meat, fish and seafood available. Paleo is easy everywhere. Basically buy fresh food and cook it yourself with prefereably coconut oil.

The realisation that grains are a major source of disease is now becoming more publicised in the West and will become a bigger and bigger issue.

Just don't tell Thais not to eat rice unless you are very quick on your feet.

Other aspects of a Paleo or Ancestral approach are occasional high intensity exercise (weights and sprints), lots of leisurely strolling (which can be a problem in Thailand) and occasional fasting (which will be considered bizarre but is very beneficial, just skip the odd meal).

There are so many sites now from Art de Vany, Mark's Daily Apple, Ancestral Health Symposium, Robb Wolf. Ditch the sugar, ditch the carbs and keep yourself out of the hands of the medical industry.

[pacovl46]

Paleo is great! A friend of mine here has been on it for a few months now and he lost over 15kg. He also said he feels much better and his skin became really soft, too. He swears by it. It's definitely doable depending on just how small your budget is, but it also means you have to cook it yourself, which further means you have to get some cooking gear.

[Patanawet]

What is left ? cabbage leaves ?

With a Savoy cabbage at 750 Baht in Villa, I think not!

[henrymeier99]

Google more for "Warrior Diet"

[laislica]

Interesting, did you hear about this Diet?

[Sayonarax]

A real diet includes exercise and learning the science behind it.

There's plenty of coaching videos on youtube, search for "p90x" "beachbodyclub" and look for the coaches online.

[monty1412]

went from 106kg to 97 kg in a few weeks by doing psuedo paleo.

Dont do extreme, for first two weeks cut whites and sugars. I was having about 6 of those 3 in one coffee's per day. they are loaded with sugar, drop carbonated soft drinks completely they are loaded with fructose which is worst suger of all.

Go heavy on proteins, bacon and eggs for breakfast but no toast.. steamed chicken breast with light salad etc.. make it interesting.. what you want your body to start doing is stop depending on carbs for energy and start using protein. It is a state called ketosis.. read about it on internet..

In fact extreme ketosis is now becoming recognised as an exceedingly effective cancer treatment basically starves the agreesive cancer cells which require a huge flow of sugars mainly derived from carbs.....

Apart from weight loss I found concentration levels increased markedly, skin became more supple , sleep better.. higher energy levels...

Now here is the good thing for me. the world doesn't like fanatics. so dont become one.... after your first two weeks treat yourself to some nice fresh baked bread.. pizza go on jump into it.. just one day every week or two weeks is fine but stay away from carbonated soft drinks and anything that has fructose.

I dont consider myself to be on a diet rather Im just eating to a certain regime that mainly keeps me getting energy from fats and proteins and maintaining my new lower weight.....

Exercise..... overrated in the extreme and Im serious.... getting on a diet and starting a heavy exercise program is fool hardy instead google "core strength" exercises you can do them on the floor at home and they help strengthen your central core...I am amazed at how much flexibility I have lost over the years and slowly through gentle core strength exercises Im getting back..

Life has become a little game for me now.. sitting on BTS the other day.. knees together lift legs off ground and hold for 10 sec ones.. feel your stomach muscles contract ohh shit was that just Ploenchit I missed my stop.. true story.... find ways in everything you do to just do core strength exercises and you will be amazed..

good luck

[NBD]

I'm not strictly "paleo" (or strictly anything, for that matter) but I do try to avoid processed foods and carbohydrates. It's actually quite easy here.

Grilled pork and chicken

Plaa nin and other typres of grilled fish

Fresh fruit and vegetables

You can order nearly any dish without rice

The only one that's hard to avoid is processed vegetable oils - eating out you're limited to gai yang/kor mu yang or mu kata, which isn't bad. At home I use pork fat or duck fat. Great for fried eggs.

[howg]

Try googling "Eating Paleo in Thailand" for some good info.

They also have a link to "Paleo Robbie", a good source of high quality, grass fed meats.

[laislica]

went from 106kg to 97 kg in a few weeks by doing psuedo paleo.

Dont do extreme, for first two weeks cut whites and sugars. I was having about 6 of those 3 in one coffee's per day. they are loaded with sugar, drop carbonated soft drinks completely they are loaded with fructose which is worst suger of all.

Go heavy on proteins, bacon and eggs for breakfast but no toast.. steamed chicken breast with light salad etc.. make it interesting.. what you want your body to start doing is stop depending on carbs for energy and start using protein. It is a state called ketosis.. read about it on internet..

In fact extreme ketosis is now becoming recognised as an exceedingly effective cancer treatment basically starves the agreesive cancer cells which require a huge flow of sugars mainly derived from carbs.....

Apart from weight loss I found concentration levels increased markedly, skin became more supple , sleep better.. higher energy levels...

Now here is the good thing for me. the world doesn't like fanatics. so dont become one.... after your first two weeks treat yourself to some nice fresh baked bread.. pizza go on jump into it.. just one day every week or two weeks is fine but stay away from carbonated soft drinks and anything that has fructose.

I dont consider myself to be on a diet rather Im just eating to a certain regime that mainly keeps me getting energy from fats and proteins and maintaining my new lower weight.....

Exercise..... overrated in the extreme and Im serious.... getting on a diet and starting a heavy exercise program is fool hardy instead google "core strength" exercises you can do them on the floor at home and they help strengthen your central core...I am amazed at how much flexibility I have lost over the years and slowly through gentle core strength exercises Im getting back..

Life has become a little game for me now.. sitting on BTS the other day.. knees together lift legs off ground and hold for 10 sec ones.. feel your stomach muscles contract ohh shit was that just Ploenchit I missed my stop.. true story.... find ways in everything you do to just do core strength exercises and you will be amazed..

good luck

Great advice, one thing though.

There is a minimum number of calories needed per day and it's different for each individual..

If you consume less than that your metabolic rate will drop dramatically.

There are calorie calculators on the web that will let you know what's right for you.

Some say 600 for men and 500 for women but better find out what you need.

Calculations based on BMI are not helpful and can be very misleading.

This is what I have been doing for a while now:-

I avoid white food, sugars, white rice, bread, potatoes etc.

Intermittent fasting or “scheduled eating” is a powerful strategy for shedding excess weight and reducing your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancerThree major mechanisms by which fasting benefits your body include increased insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial energy efficiency; reduced oxidative stress; and increased capacity to resist stress, disease, and aging

A recent human study confirmed that intermittent fasting was actually more effective for weight loss and improving insulin resistance than daily calorie restriction

Intermittent fasting can also dramatically boost human growth hormone production, reduce inflammation, and lessen free radical damage—all of which have beneficial effects on your health

To get started, consider skipping breakfast, and avoid eating at least three hours before you go to sleep.

This should effectively restrict your eating to an 8-hour window or less each day

[Tolley]

went from 106kg to 97 kg in a few weeks by doing psuedo paleo.

Dont do extreme, for first two weeks cut whites and sugars. I was having about 6 of those 3 in one coffee's per day. they are loaded with sugar, drop carbonated soft drinks completely they are loaded with fructose which is worst suger of all.

Go heavy on proteins, bacon and eggs for breakfast but no toast.. steamed chicken breast with light salad etc.. make it interesting.. what you want your body to start doing is stop depending on carbs for energy and start using protein. It is a state called ketosis.. read about it on internet..

In fact extreme ketosis is now becoming recognised as an exceedingly effective cancer treatment basically starves the agreesive cancer cells which require a huge flow of sugars mainly derived from carbs.....

Apart from weight loss I found concentration levels increased markedly, skin became more supple , sleep better.. higher energy levels...

Now here is the good thing for me. the world doesn't like fanatics. so dont become one.... after your first two weeks treat yourself to some nice fresh baked bread.. pizza go on jump into it.. just one day every week or two weeks is fine but stay away from carbonated soft drinks and anything that has fructose.

I dont consider myself to be on a diet rather Im just eating to a certain regime that mainly keeps me getting energy from fats and proteins and maintaining my new lower weight.....

Exercise..... overrated in the extreme and Im serious.... getting on a diet and starting a heavy exercise program is fool hardy instead google "core strength" exercises you can do them on the floor at home and they help strengthen your central core...I am amazed at how much flexibility I have lost over the years and slowly through gentle core strength exercises Im getting back..

Life has become a little game for me now.. sitting on BTS the other day.. knees together lift legs off ground and hold for 10 sec ones.. feel your stomach muscles contract ohh shit was that just Ploenchit I missed my stop.. true story.... find ways in everything you do to just do core strength exercises and you will be amazed..

good luck

Great advice, one thing though.

There is a minimum number of calories needed per day and it's different for each individual..

If you consume less than that your metabolic rate will drop dramatically.

There are calorie calculators on the web that will let you know what's right for you.

Some say 600 for men and 500 for women but better find out what you need.

Calculations based on BMI are not helpful and can be very misleading.

This is what I have been doing for a while now:-

I avoid white food, sugars, white rice, bread, potatoes etc.

Intermittent fasting or scheduled eating is a powerful strategy for shedding excess weight and reducing your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancerThree major mechanisms by which fasting benefits your body include increased insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial energy efficiency; reduced oxidative stress; and increased capacity to resist stress, disease, and aging

A recent human study confirmed that intermittent fasting was actually more effective for weight loss and improving insulin resistance than daily calorie restriction

Intermittent fasting can also dramatically boost human growth hormone production, reduce inflammation, and lessen free radical damageall of which have beneficial effects on your health

To get started, consider skipping breakfast, and avoid eating at least three hours before you go to sleep.

This should effectively restrict your eating to an 8-hour window or less each day

Yeah skip breakfast great idea NOT. Where do you get this stuff from?

You need a good base in the morning and some good protein to get you through the day and that starts with a good breakfast.

Otherwise you end up all hypo by mid morning.

[kennypowers]

I am pretty much Paleo. In fact I find it easier in Thailand than back home where everything seems to revolve around grains. Check out this interview I found on Google with Paleo Robbie who is based in Bangkok: http://www.thethailandlife.com/paleo-robbie-interview-paleo-food-delivery-wholesale-bangkok

[PaleoWolf]

Tolley, skipping breakfast is fine. The Romans and many modern Meditteraneans never ate breakfast. The intermittent fasting kicks in autophagy which is a cell cleansing process. On breaking a fast you can eat as much as you wish (of the right things). The body will go into ketosis in a fast and will derive energy from fat first and, in extremis from muscle. It is a natural process. The human body was never designed for a constant stream of calories to be on tap. It runs on stressors. Stressors include the HIIT exercise and fasting.

The hunter gatherer did not have breakfast before hunting for his dinner. The hunting was for breakfast/dinner/all meals.

[laislica]

Tolley, skipping breakfast is fine. The Romans and many modern Meditteraneans never ate breakfast. The intermittent fasting kicks in autophagy which is a cell cleansing process. On breaking a fast you can eat as much as you wish (of the right things). The body will go into ketosis in a fast and will derive energy from fat first and, in extremis from muscle. It is a natural process. The human body was never designed for a constant stream of calories to be on tap. It runs on stressors. Stressors include the HIIT exercise and fasting.

The hunter gatherer did not have breakfast before hunting for his dinner. The hunting was for breakfast/dinner/all meals.

I had a white espresso coffee at about 10:00.

My wife gave me breakfast at noon but I would have preferred it later, I was not hungry, I was not Hypo.

A quarter chicken, oven roast.

Lightly steamed broccoli, carrots and cabbage.

A raw sliced tomato.

I looked at the reduced balsamic vinegar, a whopping 47% sugars so I decided not to to use any.

I will not be hungry for hours.

I should drink more water.

Edited January 9, 2014 by laislica

[JSixpack]

Just don't tell Thais not to eat rice unless you are very quick on your feet.

I managed to persuade a Thai concerned about weight loss to give up rice, noodles, and all forms of sugar. It was one of my proudest achievements. The first couple of weeks were hell. Sure enough, she finally lost almost all of her excess weight. To get rid of the final couple of kgs, she did intermittent fasting--and voila! Since then she's persuaded a couple of other Thais to give it a try. One couldn't stick to it. The other did and also had great success. I told her she should start a website for Thais about low carb . . . .

One other TV member managed to so persuade a Thai. So that's three out of 60 million or so. It ain't easy!

[Leung Falang]

Rated 31st on best overall diet by usnews. Their experts said "avoid"

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-overall-diets?page=4