Who thinks 8 hours of nutritional biochemistry is an awesome way to spend a Saturday?! Yeah, me too! On Saturday, August 20, I had the privilege to attend Robb Wolf‘s final Paleolithic Solution Seminar. It was an exciting event for me personally, as I’ve been following Robb’s work for quite some time and have come to see him as a guiding force in my training and nutrition.
Last October, I posted a short highlight of Robb Wolf’s book, The Paleo Solution. That was my “soft sell” of the paleo lifestyle, so I don’t want to retread that ground with this post. I left the seminar with a skull full of info and weighed down by a thick sheaf of slides and notes, but I’m just going to jot some overarching ramblings and observations…
Experience and scientific revelations even since his book was published have led Robb to a slightly more nuanced approach to the paleo diet. While he has never been dogmatic, I would say he is now a bit more lenient with regard to metabolically healthy individuals. Perhaps most importantly, Robb now dubs himself “carb agnostic”. Insulin sensitivity is a fundamental goal for everyone, but it’s not carbs as a macronutrient that are to be reviled. Being relatively low carb is vital for certain populations, but metabolically healthy individuals should consume carbs to need (specifically veggies and starchy tubers) for fueling glycolytically demanding activities.
Another important development in the paleo movement as a whole is that, as research develops, calling it “paleo” is becoming murky. The paleo lifestyle is and will always be grounded in evolutionary biology. It’s being discovered, however, that not all neolithic foods can be dismissed out-of-hand. “Satan’s Trifecta” remains gluten, fructose, and linoleic acid, though they are not exclusive to food post-Agricultural Revolution. Grains and legumes are still off the paleo menu, but grass-fed butter, for example, is a welcome neolithic addition for many people.
Despite the best efforts of the purists and extremists who tend to muck up every good thing, the “paleo” diet is not a religion, it is not a cult, it is not a fad, and it is certainly not an historical reenactment. Try it for 30 days and reassess how you look, feel , and perform. If you’re not happy with the results, go back to your old lifestyle.
Anyone secretly eating paleo? Anyone curious about it? Read Robb Wolf’s FAQ and post to the comments below!
Sounds like this is a generally good idea, though I don’t think it’s a good idea to demonize carbohydrates as a group. Whole grains and other stuff with a lot of soluble fiber are associated with a ton of health benefits (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19335713), I don’t think anyone out there would become less healthy if they started having a bowl of oatmeal with fruit every morning.
Yes, carbohydrates aren’t to be “demonized”, but they’re wholly inappropriate at a certain quantity for certain populations.
Yes, soluble fiber is a necessity (read this), but insoluble fiber is no good (read this and this). One of the many things that make grains problematic are the insoluble fiber.
And here’s a good summary on oats.