Hacker News Reader

> Grains is proven to be suboptimal, causing inflammation in the intestines and the rest of the body (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821887/).

From the study, it is refined grains that are problematic, while whole grains are recommended:

"In conclusion, whole grain consumption may be related to lower circulating plasma concentrations of PAI-1 and CRP, which in turn could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These findings suggest that the protectiveness of whole grains in relation to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease may be due to an effect on plasma inflammatory protein concentrations and reinforces the public health recommendations that whole grains be consumed daily as part of a healthy diet. Refined grain intakes were positively associated with PAI-1 concentrations, indicating that refined grain intake could have proinflammatory effects."

"I think it's hard (or expensive) for people eating out to get a healthy meal, especially in the US."

My son has significant medically diagnosed food allergies, wheat, soy, casein (milk). We've been living this for 7 or 8 years. Trust me, overwhelming at first, but eventually you get used to it...

Salad. Doesn't have to be boring either. Seems like any animal you can grill can be sliced up and dropped on a pile of yummy seasoned vegetables and fruits and nuts. Go very light on the salad dressing, ask for it on the side rather than dumped on top to create the typical salad dressing swimming pool.

Careful selection of side dishes turns the stereotypical restaurant steak dinner into a pretty reasonably paleo meal.

If you think about it, for a light winter lunch, stereotypical no-bean chili is meat, tomatoes, and spices, not much to complain about if you don't dump crackers/sour cream/cheese all over it.

Fajitas also worked well for me. A fajita wrapper only weighs a couple grams, and restaurant dining is a special event... everything else is mostly paleo diet. Look out for soy flavoring and corn syrup in the sauces.

Stereotypical roasted beast dinner is usually OK. A slab of beef roast with veggie sides and fruit salad... stay away from the garlic bread and (usually) the gravy.

Most non-grain breakfasts are paleo. Whats not to like about an omelette, or a hash, ye olde bacon and eggs, etc. No pancakes and syrup, and no toast, obviously.

Depending on your medical orders (prescription?) or diet choice, your first month or two will be all "Oh no I am gonna starve!" but after awhile that problem just melts away.

>>I do agree though that low-carb diets don't cut it health-wise, omitting fruit entirely just does not seem right, considering humans have always eaten them.

This is very dangerous line of thinking that is unfortunately popularized by Paleo diet nutjobs. While it's true that our ancestors ate fruit, we don't know how much of it they ate. Furthermore, even though they ate fruits, they had very active lifestyles. They were nomads who very rarely stayed in one place for very long, and all the activity they did (carrying heavy things, walking/running everywhere, hunting, etc.) allowed them to efficiently utilize (rather than store) the sugars in fruits.

Compare that to today, where most fruit eaters are sedentary individuals who sit in front of the TV or the computer all day. For them, eating something that is high in sugar is not going to be healthy.

It's worth pointing out that the main thing that makes fruits "healthy" is anti-oxidants and fiber, both of which can also be found in veggies. Except veggies have very little if any carbs, and are therefore far superior for weight management.

Veggie != veggie, starchy vegetables like peas or potatoes (hm, are potatoes veggies at all?) are high in carbohydrates. My mention of fruit was meant as moderate use. I for one don't respond so well to fructose, and generally don't eat much fruit - say, a banana after gym. But I would not leave out fruit entirely (when not on a low carb diet).