So U think Vegan is healthy?

[Aractus]

I'm not a proponent, but that's ridiculous. A paleo diet is basically "eat as if you're gluten intolerant". It's certainly not as extreme as veganism. Veganism excludes meat/fish/dairy/eggs from the diet (the foods that are most nutrient-rich), whereas paleo excludes grain (the food group that is most nutrient-poor). So to say that it's at the bottom of every kind of diet is a little misguided.

Well, I'm not a dietitian. I just read the occasional news article.

Paleo named worst diet of 2014 by U.S. News and World Report

http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../140109156

Seems cherry-picked to me:

Paleo ...

• Nutrition:
  Score 2.0
  
  While its focus on veggies and lean meat is admirable, experts couldn't get past the fact that entire food groups, like dairy and grains, are excluded on Paleo diets. "The risk of nutrient deficiency is real, unless the person takes a multivitamin," one panelist commented. Here, its rating lagged a full two or more stars behind many other diets.

Vegan ...

• Nutrition:
  Score 2.8
  
  Veganism can conform to the federal government’s dietary recommendations—but it takes work to make sure it does. There is “little scientific evidence of an upside,” one expert said, and panelists worried that it doesn’t provide enough calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc and iron. The diet requires ample planning in order to be nutritionally sound.

So why don't they level the same criticism against veganism? Also, it sounds like they're only reviewing the extreme paleo diets - some eat dairy and some don't.

But what does make sense is that the consumption of gluten is known to cause health problems for some people - even people who do not have a full intolerance. I can honestly say I don't know how it affects me since I've never gone on a gluten-free diet, but my aunt can't touch the stuff.

Personally I would not suggest the paleo diet, however if you want to exclude gluten from your life for a while and substitute gluten-containing grains for vegetables (and gluten-free alternatives), I'd say give it a try - I might even do that myself - there's no reason to eliminate the foods that don't contain gluten like rice though.

Here's what I ate for lunch today:

It would qualify as paleo-friendly and has: smoked chicken, garlic, onion, mushroom, carrot and pumpkin cooked in olive oil.

---

Here's the Australian Guide:

---

---

I can't even take it seriously. It's got the following items classified as "vegetables": 1. Corn - that's a grain, 2. Mushroom - that's a fungus, 3. Capsicum, Tomato, Broccoli/Cauliflower*, Pumpkin, Cucumber and Eggplant are all fruits not vegetables. In fact there's as much fruit as there is vegetable in that section.

*As we eat the flower of the plant, which is the seed bearing part of the plant, it has to be classified as a fruit.