Hi from the UK; are non-grains carb sources OK? page

[prolingua]

Hi everyone,
I am completely a new beginner. In fact, I am still learning what I can eat and can't eat to be primal.
OK, grains are forbidden.
I also get the impression that carbs should be minimal.
Are sweet potatoes, dates, cassavas, plantains which are rich in carb also NO NO foods?
I really love them .

Thanks

[pjgh]

Hi! Welcome aboard!

Simple starches are primal - eat them and enjoy them. Too much, and you'll start to gain weight. Primal eating puts you very in touch with your body, so if you're not very active, just err on a smaller portion. Active, you can eat more - your body will tell you.

Carbs need not be minimal, but certainly should not be excessive.

Many primal eaters are starting to include other "safe starches", including white potatoes and even white rice. I'm one of these people.

[prolingua]

Hi Paul,
Glad to hear from someone close I live in Wigan. Ok you say you eat white rice. I do eat rice as well, but I got the impression that grains (which, I believe include rice) are not primal, so I am about to stop eating rice actually.
I read somewhere that grains have a lot of substances unfriendly to the human digestion system. Is not the case?

[Owly]

Please go read the Primal Blueprint 101 stuff on the blog and then come back to the board. You will have a much better understanding of what's primal and what isn't from that than you will from trying to puzzle it out on the forum.

[pjgh]

That is the case, and that is the reason that rice is not primal.

I'm not a scientist, nor that scientifically minded, so I'll give you a URL to an article straight from Mark: Is Rice Unhealthy? | Mark's Daily Apple

After a few months of really quite constricted primal eating (must closer to straight-up paleo, but I retained dairy in the form of probiotic yoghurt and cream), I started to read around the fringes and found some really sound articles from a fellow called Chris Kresser. I won't link any specific articles, since I think that there is a lot to be gained from having a nose around for yourself. His website is at: Chris Kresser ... "not throwing the baby out with the bathwater" springs to mind.

Since you are just starting out with a primal lifestyle I would encourage you to jump in and do it as per the outline in 'The Primal Blueprint' and stick close to it. There is a real joy to be had and such a great health boost by keeping it clean. You can blur the edges later. 'The Primal Blueprint' goes into considerable detail about what is right about "primal-approved" foods and what is wrong with the foods that we discount. On the main website, quite regularly, there are articles along the lines of "is xyz primal?" with reasoned replies from Mark.

When I moved over to an ancestral diet, I bought a stack of books. Mark's 'The Primal Blueprint' and Paul & Shou Ching Jaminet's 'The Perfect Health Diet' are the only two which I have retained. I kept the "safe starches" I mentioned (namely, white potato and white rice) out of my diet for a good long while and even now, I'd say these only make it into 1 in 20, or more, meals.

Jump in, eat straight down the line primal and enjoy it.

There are a good number of Brits here who can help with resourcing primal food and demonstrate the kind of food that we enjoy eating.

[pjgh]

Please go read the Primal Blueprint 101 stuff on the blog and then come back to the board. You will have a much better understanding of what's primal and what isn't from that than you will from trying to puzzle it out on the forum.

... which is here, BTW: Primal Blueprint 101 | Mark's Daily Apple

[prolingua]

Thanks Paul

[Gary Conway]

Welcome to the forum! Would second the recommendation for the primal blueprint book. A very enjoyable read and easy to digest

[Nigel]

Are sweet potatoes, dates, cassavas, plantains which are rich in carb also NO NO foods?

As others have said, read up on the subject. I make up my own mind as to what I am going to put into my body now. I do disagree with pjgh though, I look at the risks as defined in what I've read and then make a decision as to whether I am going to eat/drink something or not. I eat a small piece of dark chocolate as a treat every day and drink wine two or three times a week. My weight loss has not been as spectacular as others at about 1lb per week but I chose that amount and admit to eating more carbs than the weight loss regime suggested by TPB. Have you seen how many carbs are in a banana?!

Good luck with your endeavours.