Do you think the Primal Blueprint is for everyone? page

[Anna Grace]

Hey guys,

Chances are, if you're on the forum, the PB works for you. I have come across only one or two people who found the Primal way of eating unsuited to their body - they generally talk of weight gain and not feeling satisfied, or generally feeling like their body was missing something, and something wasn't working.

I have found the same - i don't feel as though the PB works for me. I was not overweight, but gained a fair bit eating primal, although i feel pretty good, i feel like i am missing something (carbs?) and so eat more primal food, but continue to feel unsatisfied. I used to like oats and muesli in the mornings before i went GF and then primal, and while the PB has helped me recognise a gluten sensitivity, i continue to feel that being truly primal isn't quite right for me. (I am from New Zealand, and didn't follow a SAD diet really anyway, and am very healthy with fresh produce, meat, eggs etc, and not too much sugar. However i like rice and kumara, and liked a bit of bread now and again before i realised how much better i feel without it).

So my question is, do you guys think the primal blueprint works for everyone, if followed correctly? Or do some of you think that while it works for many people, for others it may not be the best way to eat. (i do not mean from an allergenic point of view - clearly if there is an allergy, the food should be avoided).

As i said, i myself have problems with gluten, but although i follow a gluten-free diet, i feel that my body just 'works' better if i eat some rice or kumara (sweet potato) on a daily basis (usually with breakfast, sometimes but not always other meals). this may seem taboo to primal folk - but i feel as though it is better for me. So again - is there perhaps a chance that i am one of the people the PB just 'doesn't work' for? Or should it be, in your opinion, the optimum diet for absolutely everyone.

Appreciate any comments; either way, i am addicted to MDA!

Anna

EDIT: Thanks for your great replies! Very helpful

[jsa23]

I'd make two(or maybe 3) points in response to your post:

1. Nutrition is definitely an indiviual thing - and there is no one diet/nutritional plan that works for everyone - be it because of religious restrictions on food, intolerances, or simply not liking certain foods.

2. While many on PB do go low-carb, it's not a *requirement* - though many on these boards feel that lower-carbohydrate diets had the best results in terms of achieving the goals they wanted. Sweet potatoes are considered perfectly normal within the PB - not the best option if lower carbohydrates are your goal, but a good choice if they fit with what you're trying to do nutritionally. White rice is one of those "marginal" foods - technically not the most primal of foods, but a relatively clean carbohydrate choice, and better than most if you want to use it as a carbohydrate source.

3. There's no rule that says "YOU MUST EAT THIS WAY" - if there are certain details within a diet that don't fit for you, you can try modifying it to suit your needs and see how that works. It may not be by the book, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that. In general, eating as many minimally-processed foods as possible should be good for you, even if you like to have the periodic helping of rice(which again, if not primal and a bit high-GI, is still a pretty clean carb).

[Misabi]

It depends on what your goals are and what you mean by "the primal blueprint"... when you write "i myself have problems with gluten, but although i follow a gluten-free diet, i feel that my body just 'works' better if i eat some rice or kumara (sweet potato) on a daily basis (usually with breakfast, sometimes but not always other meals). this may seem taboo to primal folk" it makes me think that you're take on PB is that it's a super low carb diet, which most people would struggle with.

It's not that at all, though it's a common misconception. Yes, there are a number of folks on this forum who find that very low carb works for them, but there are also lots who find it doesn't. But the fact is that if you're talking about the Primal Blueprint and what Mark wrote in the actual book (and not one joe bloggs has posted on here) it isn't actually that low carb at all. 100 to 150 grams/day for maintaining weight for a moderately active person is a pretty good amount of carbs. I eat a big kumara pretty much every day and I'm talking 1/2 a kg of the good stuff here and according to fitday.com 500 grams of sweet potato (they don't have kumara listed) = 103.5 grams of carbs, with 16.5 grams of that being dietary fibre.

You've gotta eat a hell of a lot of kumara before it's a worry

Where the PB says to eat less carbs is if you're trying to lose body fat, if you have a lot to lose you may find you need to drop the carbs between 50 to 100 grams/day, that's still not very low.

But, at the end of the day it's whatever works best for you. If you find you need more carbs then go for it, just get it from good paleo/primal sources like you've mention (e.g. kumara, and even some rice or white potatoes if they don't cause you issues) and you'll still be able to hold your head up high as part of the PB clan

[Misabi]

I'd make two(or maybe 3) points in response to your post:

1. Nutrition is definitely an indiviual thing - and there is no one diet/nutritional plan that works for everyone - be it because of religious restrictions on food, intolerances, or simply not liking certain foods.

2. While many on PB do go low-carb, it's not a *requirement* - though many on these boards feel that lower-carbohydrate diets had the best results in terms of achieving the goals they wanted. Sweet potatoes are considered perfectly normal within the PB - not the best option if lower carbohydrates are your goal, but a good choice if they fit with what you're trying to do nutritionally. White rice is one of those "marginal" foods - technically not the most primal of foods, but a relatively clean carbohydrate choice, and better than most if you want to use it as a carbohydrate source.

3. There's no rule that says "YOU MUST EAT THIS WAY" - if there are certain details within a diet that don't fit for you, you can try modifying it to suit your needs and see how that works. It may not be by the book, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that. In general, eating as many minimally-processed foods as possible should be good for you, even if you like to have the periodic helping of rice(which again, if not primal and a bit high-GI, is still a pretty clean carb).

Good points, which weren't here when I started typing my previous reply

[alexgrace]

Interesting you mention about people "missing" something when on PB.

I have had this sensation a lot, and I reckon much of my problem comes down to the ripple effect of not eating grains.

For example, when I stopped eating bread, I stopped eating the stuff I used to put on bread ... like liver pate, creamed fish, tapenade, tarama etc. And it was that I was missing, rather than the grains or the carbs.

[Angieh]

I eat rice and sweet potatoes -- nothing wrong with either, unless you are trying to be extremely strict with your carbs. I listened to a podcast recently where Robb Wolf talked about the fact that white rice is very well tolerated by most people, meaning it doesn't cause the same gut issues as other grains.

If you eat as you are, it sounds like you are doing well and are still primal/paleo! Listening to your body is a good thing!

[belinda]

Under the leptin reset it is recommended if you're going to eat carbs that you eat them later in the day. Having sweet potato is fine, maybe though, just don't have it for breakfast. Breakfast, ideally should be protein and fats only.

[Pebbles67]

I agree with all of the above. I have lost a lot of weight and still have more to lose, but I eat white rice and sweet potatoes at least once a month. IMO...If you are gluten and mostly grain free and eating good whole foods then you are Primal.

[Apex Predator]

Good points already made here. I eat white potatoes and white rice. I consider them primal for me. No reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[Leida]

PB doesn't work for me, but shooting closer to the classic Paleo does. It is a sound concept that can and should be adjusted to the individual tastes and body needs. Cheers!