2012 Paleo Summit Notes, etc.

Updated on 6.3.2013; reformatted 9.17.2015
This series of posts is part of the process of clearing the content queue I've accumulated. They are based on notes made the 2012 Paleo Summit, and will include links to further information I found after the summit.

The Paleo diet in 2011 was a new concept to me, one that I found as I updated my understanding of what passes for low carb dieting (which I have covered elsewhere). I didn't know if I would "blog" these, as others far more versed in nutrition did so , but I take notes as I listen, because it helps me to concentrate. At long last, I've decided to publish them. It might not be the most polished presentation, but it does express the impressions I had listening to the summit, plus some more recent comments reflecting my current (unfavorable) opinion of paleo.

What is the Paleo Diet?

Defining what people mean by Paleo is tricky. One thing is does not seem to mean is that which a paleontologist would mean by the term. Humans in paleolithic times ate whatever they could depending on where they were living. Sean Croxton of undergroundwellness.com organized the summit. He was the one doing the interviewing

When I registered for this "summit" I got 2 "free" videos to watch one by Mark Sisson and one with Gary Taubes.

Gary Taubes

My opinion of Gary Taubes has changed as I've continued to research nutrition. While he probably has a point that avoiding fat isn't necessary, I don't think that carbs are the new bogie man. And his insistence that calories don't matter is just, well, stupid. Total calories count. The energy balance is a simple and elegant concept that can explain it all. I didn't hold this opinion as I took these notes, but after all the diet and nutrition reading I've done in the past 2-3 years, it's the position that I can support. There is no need for a new "unifying" theory of obesity (as Ian Spreadsbury tried to concoct). Everything fits (really!) fits under the energy balance equation. Ignore that fact at your peril.

Call me the portion control queen, but I think that you can eat anything, so long as you overeat nothing.

Anyway, I didn't get through the entire Taubes presentation, he was only restating that which has appeared in his articles.

Mark Sisson

I did watch all of Mark Sisson's interview I didn't learn anything new in that one either. If you've been to Sisson's website then you know roughly what he said. Croxton asked what he had for breakfast and his answer was a big cup of black coffee. His motto is, "If I'm not hungry I don't eat." That's my motto as well, but for lunch (before a pretty hardcore exercise session) he ate fish with a bit of lettuce. That's a VERY low calorie meal. Sisson's another one who says you don't have to count calories.. but excuse me, maybe he's not consciously counting, but he's also not eating very many calories, which is how he stays lean. It's eat less, move more, no matter how else it's couched.

An aside: Searching and clicking around this site will allow the visitor to realize that I and my family no longer eat "everything". After menopause, I developed lactose intolerance, and my husband and two kids all suffer varying degrees of psoriasis— and psoriasis has been associated with gluten sensitivity. My daughter has found a positive correlation with gluten minimization, and made enough of an impression on my husband that he is at least willing to try minimizing gluten in our diet.

This is not a small thing. My husband does not like to deny himself anything. He forgoes dairy and gluten in most meals now because of me.

"Paleo" so far as I can tell, means lean protein and veggies. However, we are not following any particular protocol. We are still eating grains, just not those with gluten because of the psoriasis. Of course, the term "Paleo" when applied to diet seems to mean many things to different people. End of aside.

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