Catholithic: Paleo Lifestyle A Turn Toward Human Nature?

[Em Carling]

So, I don't know if anyone is familiar with the Paleo/Primal movement but its got some pretty heavy stuff attached to it. According to the scientists, we essentially need to get back to our roots as humans (surprise, surprise). But as a Catholic, I have to think about this for a minute because...God is our root, the Trinity is our roots. So, if there is a movement back to our nature, arguably its a movement back to God because he created our nature. Interestingly enough the same thing is happening with the green movement- lots of people are switching to NFP because it logically makes sense to use it. I thought it was inspiring and hopeful to see this movement in soceity. Any remarks?

[cmotherofpirl]

Can you post more about it in your own words? I have never heard of it.

[arfink]

I am not entirely comfortable with a "return to nature" attitude being the dominating force behind my faith. NFP is fundamentally different because it concerns the most sacred aspect of the human body. While I appreciate the sentiments of the paleo movement, there simply isn't much comparison IMO. NFP has been studied for decades, and we have real science to back it up.

The paleo diet, on the other hand, is mostly anecdotal, and no long-term peer reviewed studies have been done to prove that paleo is any more beneficial than other methods of nutrition. The paleo diet is based on the largely untested premise that modified food sources are somehow "bad" when in reality we cannot prove that causal link yet.

[jazzytakara]

I don't know if its because of my lack of knowledge, but I never fully understood the paleo diet. The way I look at it, if one believes in theological evolution, our bodies do not exist the way they did however many years ago the paleo nutrition diet was predominant. A lot of good nutritional things have come from cultivating food,even modifying food. Our bodies have changed and need different and at times more complex nutrients than a very basic 'hunter x gatherer' diet can provide for us. Our bodies have evolved based on what we have ate over the generations, as such our bodies need different nutrients, different things to function correctly. Its sort of like the 'buy local' movement, its beneficial to local economy, but it isn't healthy to live off of preservatives from the summer and frozen meals in the winter, when our bodies need fresh foods predominantly to function and obtain full nutrients. The same as with the 'no gluten' movement. My younger sister has Celiac Disease, cutting gluten out has helped her. Some may have minor intolerances, but not many, and if you think that you may be Celiac, get tested. Cutting out whole grain wheats won't benefit you or cause substantial weight loss. My sister struggles with her weight still, there are times when her fiber intake suffers as a result of missing whole grains (and she can be picky with substitutes). We need whole grains to be healthy in most cases, by all means cut out the white stuff, white breads, pastas, etc. are bad for you, but whole grains aren't bad for you in moderation. You don't want to eat a loaf of bread every day, but whole grains should eb a small part of your daily diet.

There are so many weightloss campaigns with little evidence on how they effect you long term, many cause yo yo dieting, and a lot of the times unless you can commit to a 'paleo diet' you are cutitng out a lot of things scientifically proven to be beneficial to your health. If someone wants to lose weight speak to your doctor, they will be able to prescribe you a healthy and safe weightloss plan, that is more manageable than the numerous fad diets of today. And in most cases, be observant of your daily calorie requirement and daily physical activity is enough help many people. That and cutting out ( or at least reducing) things we don't need like fast food, excess salt/sugar, etc. The average sized female needs at least 1200 calories for her body to function, so low calorie diets aren't the best either, so simply ask your health care professional how much you need.

As for NFP, it is good for you, and as stated above, scientifically proven to be good for you. I've neen on birth control (the pill) in the past, and it made me very sick and messed up how my body functions. And when you think of it, something that can cause cancers if placed on certain areas of your body the patch), adds artefical hormones to stop natural hormones, tricks our bodies into infertility, increase risk of blood clots, changes your eyes making contacts difficult to wear, etc., obviously isn't good for you. The symptoms I got were awful, and it took a few months before the effects of the pill wore off. NFP from now on! And its a more moral method too =)

I like when people examine the health benefits of the foods mentioned in the Bible, very interesting, many are considered 'super foods' today!

[missionseeker]

I can't eat gluten either but grains aren't the only way to get fiber.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582

[jazzytakara]

I know that, but I've heard many doctors report that cutting out gluten is only good for those with Celiac or an intolerance, otherwise it isn't necessary for health. My sister is just picky with other sources of fibre, so thanks for the link! I also have a few friends that cut out gluten for weightloss reasons alone, yet since they didn't actually know what gluten was (just assumed it meant cutting bread and pasta), they never really were gluten free, but claimed intolerance for the attention and diet excuse. I know from my sisters diagnosis, so many things contain gluten. I once found a tuna can that had wheat filler in it, and it wasn't even a cheap brand, many sauces and such too. We first found out about my sister having Celiac when she had a very serious reaction to the gluten content in a medication she was prescribed for an illness a few years back. I just get really frustrated when people are ignorant about gluten intolerance/allergy/Celiacs and only claim it for the diet, I find it disrespectful, because it took awhile for my sister to adjust.

[arfink]

I worked in a bakery for 2 years, and you could tell the people who actually had celiac or a serious intolerance because they wouldn't even come past the counter. We always had traces of flour in the air and on all the equipment, and just that would make some people sick. And it's in EVERYTHING because wheat is such a heavily subsidized food product, so industry uses it whenever they possibly can.

My mom has trouble with gluten. I know how hard it is to find things that are genuinely gluten free.

[missionseeker]

Yes. I don't like to eat overly modified foods but I've been reading about the history of wheat and corn and how it started being genetically modified in the 50s. Even though corn is waaaaaay more gm than most wheat right now, in America, I'm not really sure that anyone should be eating them. Lol

[jazzytakara]

Genetically Modified food scares me at times, for instance comparing GM strawberries (huge, warped, white inside) with fresh strawberries/organic (small, red all the way through, sweeter/juicier). I remember when I saw a normal pepper at a farmer's market and compared it to my giant grocery store pepper from the night before.

I usually avoid white flour, bread, etc. Fortunately I've always preferred the whole grain/wheat varieties. I have enough dietary problems, no need to add to it with processed, GM, and white bread/pasta =p

[missionseeker]

I saw tomatoes at the store that said "paten pending". We. No thank you

[sixpence]

i think the paleo diet is a little silly; however, less processed food is def better for you.... except cake... cake is nice...

[jazzytakara]

We can always use more cake

[Norseman82]

[quote name='missionseeker' timestamp='1346113404' post='2475083']
I saw tomatoes at the store that said "paten pending". We. No thank you
[/quote]

They're giving away old communion patens with tomatoes?

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Norseman82' timestamp='1346118124' post='2475133']
They're giving away old communion patens with tomatoes?
[/quote]

Someone had to go there. If you hadn't, it would have been my duty.

[cmotherofpirl]

This is a somewhat related article on how calories are not what you think they are : [url="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/08/27/the-hidden-truths-about-calories/"]http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/08/27/the-hidden-truths-about-calories/[/url]