The Whole Foods Diet
If there is one diet that is causing mountains of discussion and misinformation, it’s the Paleo Diet. People either love it or hate it or they just plain don’t understand it.
Let me say for the record that I don’t personally subscribe to the Paleo Diet. I’ve followed it in the past and had great results losing body fat, but I choose not to follow it now and feel all the better for it. So what does this mean?
In the world of Crossfit or P90X, I undoubtedly would be flamed for such a statement. The popularity of a “Paleo” lifestyle has grown in conjunction with the rise of these said programs. But who is to say that just because I’m not a follower of this particular philosophy that I don’t eat a healthy, balanced diet?
Trends
To be Paleo means that you primarily eat meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and avoid certain other foods like grains, legumes, and dairy products. Generally, people avoid starches and all sugars if they’re trying to lose weight. Don’t get me wrong—I think this is a fantastic way to eat, but I like a baked potato with cottage cheese and tomatoes after a hard session. Or how about white rice and chili? By definition, I’m not subscribing to the Paleo diet. Does that mean I’m not eating a healthy, balanced meal? No, of course not. It simply means that I’m not following a particular diet trend.
If I’m lean and can tolerate white rice, potatoes, and dairy products, are they bad for my health? The answer I suggest is a resounding no.
Hell, legumes that are properly prepared are fine sources of nutrition. Peas and green beans are legumes that I’ve seen on hardcore Paleo follower’s plates before now. At the end of the day, it all comes down to what your goals are and what you can tolerate.
If you’re an endurance athlete, powerlifter, or Crossfitter and performance is your goal, you would probably do well having a big plate of steak and potatoes post-workout.
If you’re fat and out of shape, keeping the carbohydrates low will probably be of great benefit in helping you to achieve a lower level of body fat. If you’re losing weight, it’s OK to not be the fastest, strongest person at the gym. Have a goal and stick with it to its conclusion.
Some will argue that carbs aren’t the enemy and that by following a ‘whole foods’ diet, you naturally reduce your food choices and therefore cut your calorie intake without thinking about it. Well, that’s fine by me.
Make your food choices work for you. Experiment with different foods. Measure your performance and keep an eye on your physique. There isn’t any one diet to follow. Apply the principles of eating single ingredient foods and your path in life will be, at the very least, a healthier one.
Diet Outline
Eating a whole foods diet can be used for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain. Let’s look at how the principles can be applied to a muscle gaining plan. Using a 200-lb male as an example, let’s look at what could fuel a typical training day:
Meal one (pre-workout)
- 6 scrambled eggs with crème fraiche
- 4 slices of bacon
- Broccoli, mushrooms, and onions
Meal two (post-workout)
- 1 large baked potato
- 500 g ground beef with chopped tomatoes
- Peas and green beans
Meal three
- 2 chicken breasts in spicy marinade
- 150 g (dry weight) white rice and stir fry mix
Meal four (before bed)
- Large tub of cottage cheese mixed with 1 scoop of protein powder
The above plan wouldn’t be classified as Paleo, but assuming that you’re able to tolerate these foods, it would constitute what I consider a very healthy days’ worth of eating for a fit male athlete.
In Conclusion
- Stick to foods that have a single ingredient.
- If appropriate, consider an allergy test to discover any intolerances.
- Observe your response to different foods in relation to training and energy in general.
- Follow what works for you.
- Don’t be afraid to evolve your diet.
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Pete Stables is a REPS accredited strength and conditioning coach from the UK, specializing in constructing nutrition plans for clients who want to lose weight, gain muscle, or excel in any given sport. For consultation inquiries, contact Pete at 
I can agree with the overall argument that you need carbs to accelerate recovery, and it’s a good thing you mention taking a food allergy test, as some people are allergic to potatoes and other Solanaceae like tomatoes, eggplants and bell peppers.
I do have to ask however if you’re familiar with “The Paleo Diet for Athletes” , seeing as you’re criticizing the original Paleo diet but aren’t mentioning Cordain’s tweaked diet, where he surprisingly(to me) OK’s sport drinks (Gatorade is not exactly Stone Age, is it).
Personally, I have my dairy but stay away from most carbs due to concerns not covered by the Paleo diet afaik, like the fact that any carbs you ingest increase the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products, which in turn accelerate the rate at which our bodies are damaged(part of the aging process). As a side note, AGEs can form from any foods depending on how they’re cooked, so I stay away from fried foods as well, preferring raw or steamed/boiled meals.
Reference:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257625/
I think that people advocate what is the in vogue diet for a number of reasons,but I believe my diet must not conflict with my goals.
I see how you applied the whole foods diet to the example and hey,I guess I follow the diet,unknowingly!
As well I steer clear from wheat products,and try to use the proper GI to meet my needs.
@Sorin – where does he criticize Paleo? This is the prob with paleo folks in general – you can’t even say “I think it’s a great way to eat, but I don’t personally follow it” without being seen as anti-paleo.
Great article, Pete. You’re right – you don’t need to follow the current food trends to be eating a healthy, balanced diet that’s right for your body and goals.
Great article.
All that stuff is like disco in the mid 70′s…some like it…some don’t.
Love the “single ingredient” distinction. I had never thought about food that way but it makes complete sense. I am a chef and even something simple can get way out of hand – and that’s usually where the extra calories come from now that I think about it. Thanks.
@ Sorin: were cavemen as sensitive as you?
Sorry to say, this is a poorly written and researched piece. There is no attempt to understand the reasons why Loren Cordain and co-researchers have promoted the Paleolithic diet. From the popular books you may get the impression that it’s about losing weight, but it’s about the optimal fitness between humans and nutrition. Cordain et al have published extensive scientific research on why legumes, grains, dairy and other parts of the diet are sub-optimal. They also make fine but fundamental distinctions between different types of fats and different types of carbs. There’s nothing ideological or faddish in it, just science. By all means feel free to reject it, but do so knowing what you’re rejecting.
Original human diet. 2,500,000 years of use. Enabled human brain to grow to current size.
Yeah, but it’s just a “trend” diet?
I hate the internet and the bullshit that goes with it
Shut the computer off, go eat, go train. See what works for you
If you can’t grow it, or raise it, don’t eat it
Paleo is great for sedentary people or people who exercise casually, or go run a couple miles every morning.
People wanting to get big and strong need lots of carbs. Fuck science. Look at what works for real people. Try to tell a bodybuilder not to eat rice and oatmeal, or a powerlifter not to eat twinkies. They’ll laugh.
One good take-away from Paleo is the gluten-free aspect. I like that. I still don’t do it though.
Good article. I think the idea of experimenting with one’s diet is always best. That’s how I’ve gotten to Paleo + Dairy (with occasional dark chocolate or rice-flour baked goods). For me being gluten-free is the most important thing since there is a noticeable difference between my athletic performance with gluten and without it. However, some people are more gluten-tolerant than others, although, personally, I think that’s a fairly small population.
I like going to Robb Wolf’s site for info since he isn’t completely stuck in his ways. He’s ok with higher carbs and dairy for athletes.
And I think it should be noted that most of the paleo community is changing their opinions on potatoes.
This is not a very well thought-out article. It’s totally acceptable to either like or dislike the paleo diet. I was expecting a semi-deep dive into the science behind why avoiding starches, processed foods, and artificial sweeteners is generally a good idea. Or somthing about regulating blood sugar and insulin to optimize fat metabolism. Or maybe something about how paleo is generally deficient in post-workout carbohydrates. None of that.
The diet you describe in the article is basically paleo 2.0 as advocated by robb wolf, mat lalonde, john welbourn and others who’s focus is on destroying shit in the gym and on the field. The original version (meat, veggies, nuts, seeds, fruit) is meant for people who don’t work out. Good write up tho! It’s a great diet for athletes
Thanks for all the comments!
@Manuel – I’m not actually rejecting the paleo diet (hence where I say ‘I think this is a great way to eat!’). I am simply pointing out that – if we are not intolerant – some of us can reep a good deal of benefit from eating things like potatoes, peas or dairy. We should remember that what ‘Grok’ would have eaten would be relevant to geographic location. It may surprise you to learn that he would have eaten a few of the foods banned in the paleo diet , including grains – http://www.leighpeele.com/the-paleo-diet-fad-religion-or-solution
@Rick – I think you are asking for an article on the paleo diet, which this is not. Plenty has been written already. Check out Mark Sisson or Robb Wolf for some good info.
Paleo is a great diet to follow to maintain your health and stay in shape. Your “health” isnt always your first concern when powerlifting. To get to the levels of strength and size it takes to compete, a diet of meats, veggies, and fruits probably wont get the job done. Its all about priorities. My goals in life have gone from getting stronger/bigger at all costs to staying healthy and trying to be as strong as possible..
Eat food, kick ass, Eat food, kick ass, Eat food.
any questions?
As someone who has “been paleo” and been a proponent of the diet, at some level, for about 3 years, I now add lots of rice and whole milk to my diet. Is this OPTIMAL to my health, long term? Probably not. Can I personally TOLERATE it? Yes. Is it OPTIMAL to achieving a specific goal of getting bigger and stronger? Yes. This article seems completely reasonable and basically in line with where many of the big-name Paleo thinkers are going. More moderate and customized to one’s own goals, while holding to the basics (especially gluten avoidance). Unless you are a religious zealot about this stuff. In which case, nobody wants to hear from you anyway.
I personally love the Mark Sisson primal diet but I think ANY diet that gets you away from the “normal american diet” is a good thing.
Paleo is TERRIBLE for performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpPkCDERE1k
We’ve talked about the sliding scale of carb tolerance and POTENTIAL benefit of dairy for over 10 years. it’s good to know that approach works.
Robb,
Thank you for sharing.
I do believe that an ancient diet is best for health, but no one here will understand it. Our goals are not harmony with nature but mastery of it. This is a delusion, and eating towards this goal is simply unhealthy.
And yet I love to powerlift and must eat accordingly. But it is not healthy. Anyone who has understood Walden knows this to be true.
Enjoy the debate!
Robb, thanks for taking the time to comment on my post. Dave, thanks for the oppurtunity to share my ramblings on your site! Thanks to everyone else for reading and voicing your opinions!!
Robb Wolf knows his stuff about nutrition and performance, no doubts. But in the video link Frank Mir talks about how good the Paleo diet is, after suffering under a vegan diet. Maybe it was the wrong link. Tweaking the Paleo diet for different types of performance is useful.
@Frank makes a good point. Sometimes you have to pursue the short-term goal with methods that you would not use for long-term health. That is surely legitimate, just be aware. Like cheating on some reps can be beneficial, but cheating on most reps will lead to decline.
Thanks to Pete Stables for the article. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. Critical comments look worse than intended as text on the screen.
Decent advice regarding whole foods, but it doesn’t sound as if you really understand the Paleo way of eating, nor the latest science behind it.
And just because you feel good day to day, doesn’t mean there aren’t potential long-term negative effects from white potatoes and dairy products. (Would you conclude the same about smoking?)
My performance seems a lot better eating meat and sweet potatoes post work out, rather than white potatoes (and my allergies are gone since eliminating dairy). I was one of those typical cross fitters who went paleo and my performance tanked because I neglected the carbs. But it’s not that carbs aren’t Paleo or that Paleo is low carb, it’s that it’s too easy to focus on the veggies and forget the tubers. Once I started loading up on sweet potatoes, my performance improved (Thanks Robb Wolf and Scott Hagnas).
Greg,
What is it in white potatoes that you think is slowly killing us? Believe it or not, I have spent the last 6 or so years as an avid proponent of paleo. I have read as much as anyone on the subject and tested the effects of paleo living on my clients, from the elderly to young athletes. I also know that paleolithic man would have eaten white potatoes, legumes, grains and anything else he could get his hands on. The paleo diet is not based on exactly what primal man would have eaten, but rather focusing on removing foods that SOME are intolerant to. If I am not intolerant to dairy then please direct me to the indisputable evidence that it is destroying my health. Please don’t think I want people to eat toast, cereals and low fat anything, but don’t write off potentially beneficial food sources just because you’ve heard you can’t eat them. As a side note, do you know any smokers who feel healthy? Eating sausages, mash and peas doesn’t make me smell like an ashtray and want to cough up tar coloured flem (plus half a lung) into the street!
(Take the following with a grain of salt, as I am a guy who is happy to have been Wendler-ized from 140 to 158 lbs and counting at 5’6″. Not exactly a poster boy for hugeness. Nevertheless…)
On the subject of hot-button paleo items like potatoes and dairy and so on… From a pretty smart dude, Chris Kresser. Common sense article. Even contains a shout-out to aforementioned Really-Smart-Dude, Robb Wolf. Here’s a link to the article which I found to be pretty helpful, especially considering the unique goals found within a powerlifting context. Here’s to focussing on hugeness and strength while still maintaining some semblance of overall nutritional sanity. http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-moving-from-a-paleo-diet-to-a-paleo-template
What is it with Paleo followers – Does no-one think for themselves anymore? Pete quite clearly stated in the article that he thinks it’s great, as do I, but doesn’t follow it, rather listens to his body and adjusts as necessary.
As he states, if Grok came across potatoes he would have eaten them. As humans we adapt, it is the ONLY reason we still exist, otherwise any change in climate, and so our food sources, would have wiped us out. If we are being realistic to Paleo, then we wouldn’t be training anyway. As we ARE training and living completely differently to our ancestors, should what we eat remain exactly the same? Or rather we should tailor it to what we individually need? I for one think this is a great article, thanks Pete
Howdy all, nominal “Paleo/Primal BP follower” joining the fray!! I apologize in advance for such a lengthy post. Hopefully some of you find my perspective a useful contribution to the debate. Cheers!
A word on “research”: While I appreciate longer articles with lists of sources and other references, I think this one is meant to be short & to the point, and Pete clearly has some experience in the real world application of basic dietary principles, including those we now refer to as “Paleo”. It’s a very common sense article and I’m sure he could take more time to write a longer one with more links to research, etc.
I fell into Paleo by accident. Over the years I seem to have developed a considerable intolerance to almost anything resembling a grain, all legumes, squash, and even nuts more or less. Now I’m also what we often refer to as a “hard gainer”. I could eat 6,000 calories a day of nothing but chocolate cake without exercising and never gain a pound. I’d die young, but I’d probably lose weight! As a former distance runner and eater of monumental helpings of everything in sight, you can imagine the amount of carbs I was eating. Skip ahead a few years, I’m eating Paleo by default without having read up on it, and I’m doing Crossfit with a focus on strength training. While I wasn’t deliberately avoiding carbs, I had naturally eliminated most sources of them via the above intolerances. At first I felt great, but do you think I maybe hit a wall? Did I ever. That’s despite consuming more healthy fats than an Inuit (Eskimo) warrior! Since going out of my way to add carbs to my meals and pre- & post- workout I’m feeling better (Not out of the woods yet. The hard gainer thing might go deeper…. ‘nuther topic).
I have a rough hypothesis that may explain my own anecdotal story & why Pete’s article make sense. Consider the following:
As a tracker, amatuer naturalist, primitive skills enthusiast, etc a perspective I’ve gained on what a paleo lifestyle might look like were it actually obligatory (eg, we’re in survival mode) is that, indeed, any efforts made in the extreme are done only when of the utmost necessity. Energy conservation is the highest priority to survival. If I were to go “full survival” in the woods, a powerlifting or Crossfit type work out could potentially lead to my demise. Such efforts are reserved for one thing: escaping death. Whether gaining access to buried water, getting a fire started and a shelter built before the fast approaching storm, catching up with my wounded quarry, or avoiding becoming quarry myself, it’s about escaping death. In that sort of natural setting I imagine the physical benefits of such efforts may be maximized, but they are nonetheless reserved for such rare moments when immediate peril is potentially at hand. Making such efforts daily, much less multiple times daily, for the sole purpose of getting stronger, faster, etc could potentially lead to death if I am unable to trap, gather, or otherwise kill enough food to keep me going.
My point is this: In many of our modern athletic pursuits, we seek to gain the benefits of the body’s physiological response to monumental efforts normally reserved for avoiding immediate death. We therefore perform such tasks daily. In order to do that, it stands to reason, that our diet would have to be somewhat modified to accommodate such efforts.
One weakness in my above description to survival with regard to fitness is that humans have been a communal animal since the dawn of being human. This is true whether you believe we were created 6,000 yrs ago or that we are one branch of the ape family. We aren’t two-legged solitary mountain lions, each individual surviving off only what he can gather himself, that much is certain. We’ve always worked in communal groups where together we were more than the sum of our parts. Some have lived more on the edge of survival and some with a bit more abundance. That being the case, the most successful among us had food supplies that allowed for such indulgences as “training”. But, this really further supports my basic hypothesis. Communities of people have been adapting their diets, within their means, to the necessities of training for generations. We need not be different.
The upshot of this is essentially the point that Pete’s article makes, albeit a little more succinctly than I do: Eat whole foods that more or less resemble things you or I may have grown, gathered, and prepared as traditional hunter-gatherer or pastoralists, and adapt that to your body’s tolerances/intolerances, and the requirements of your training or other objectives. And I would add, be thankful that we have the abundance that allows us to adapt our diets to train our bodies to their maximum potential. How awesome is that!!!
Adam
PS- Matt Lalonde, who for the most part embraces the basic concepts of Paleo, is great at dispelling some of the misconceptions and dogma sometimes spread by us Paleo enthusiasts! This is a great interview if you have the time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmL0gKEz00Q
Steve/Adlock,
Great points. And as you rightly state, paleolithic man would not have been doing double days of ‘Fran’ and ‘Murph’. Events which require such a huge summons of energy/adrenaline, need the appropriate fuel. I think the aforementioned food sources can certainly be used in this context.