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It's the same argument for vegetarians/vegans as well. When you have an unlimited supply of food (and variety of foods), you can eat without thinking, and eatin

It's the same argument for vegetarians/vegans as well. When you have an unlimited supply of food (and variety of foods), you can eat without thinking, and eating without thinking leads to poor food choices. When you specifically and consciously limit that variety, you have to become much more creative and active in how to enjoy the foods you eat while staying vegan/paleo/whatever. The problem is that the people following these diets attribute it to the diet itself, when in actuality it's the methodology of food selection from a subset of healthier foods that was the real attributor to their success.

Dewie 12y ago
I'm not convinced. Vegans have to be mindful of what kind of vegan food that they eat in order to get enough proteins, and perhaps also B12. This is something that is usually easily/trivially satisfied by a regular omnivore diet. So it's not just a question of eating varied vegan food as a side-effect of not getting bored with it, but getting enough vegan food that has proteins in it. Does paleo suffer the same deficiency, i.e. is it simple to be lacking in some specific substances that are pretty vital when following a paleo diet?
- joshred 12y ago
  Fiber?
- Borkdude 12y ago
  I have followed a vegan whole foods diet for over more than 2 years (and lost 50 lbs of fat). Protein is the least of my problems on such a diet. When you eat enough calories from whole plant foods (whole grains, legumes, vegetables), you get plenty of protein. When your calories consist of vegetable oils, sodas and white flour products, that's where you might get into trouble.
- latch 12y ago
  I think a vegan would intentionally need to try to avoid protein, or a specific amino acid, to run into any issues (or be uneducated about basic nutrition, in which case any diet could be dangerous). B12 is a different issue. I cheat and eat Corn Flakes and plain Cheerios with various types of fortified "milks".
  - rsynnott 12y ago
    > I think a vegan would intentionally need to try to avoid protein, or a specific amino acid, to run into any issues It's certainly possible for a vegan to miss certain amino acids, but it's not as hard as it's made out to be to get them all.
- acconrad 12y ago
  You're focusing on one macro nutrient. Paleo followers are mindful of what kind of carbohydrates they eat to the point where they will argue to the teeth as to why legumes are somehow not a good form carbohydrate and protein (while vegans would argue the opposite). They also focus on animal fats as a primary source of fat over vegetable oils (olive, coconut, etc), again the opposite of what vegans choose for their fat intake. Deficiencies exist in all diets (as they are, by nature, restrictive), the problem is that the extent of these deficiencies is blown way out of proportion. It is very hard to be truly deficient in a vitamin/mineral/amino acid in the privileged western world, but there are a few diets which do mess this up, and vegan is one of them, particularly iron for women.

Dewie 12y ago

I'm not convinced. Vegans have to be mindful of what kind of vegan food that they eat in order to get enough proteins, and perhaps also B12. This is something that is usually easily/trivially satisfied by a regular omnivore diet. So it's not just a question of eating varied vegan food as a side-effect of not getting bored with it, but getting enough vegan food that has proteins in it. Does paleo suffer the same deficiency, i.e. is it simple to be lacking in some specific substances that are pretty vital when following a paleo diet?

joshred 12y ago
Fiber?
Borkdude 12y ago
I have followed a vegan whole foods diet for over more than 2 years (and lost 50 lbs of fat). Protein is the least of my problems on such a diet. When you eat enough calories from whole plant foods (whole grains, legumes, vegetables), you get plenty of protein. When your calories consist of vegetable oils, sodas and white flour products, that's where you might get into trouble.
latch 12y ago
I think a vegan would intentionally need to try to avoid protein, or a specific amino acid, to run into any issues (or be uneducated about basic nutrition, in which case any diet could be dangerous). B12 is a different issue. I cheat and eat Corn Flakes and plain Cheerios with various types of fortified "milks".
- rsynnott 12y ago
  > I think a vegan would intentionally need to try to avoid protein, or a specific amino acid, to run into any issues It's certainly possible for a vegan to miss certain amino acids, but it's not as hard as it's made out to be to get them all.
acconrad 12y ago
You're focusing on one macro nutrient. Paleo followers are mindful of what kind of carbohydrates they eat to the point where they will argue to the teeth as to why legumes are somehow not a good form carbohydrate and protein (while vegans would argue the opposite). They also focus on animal fats as a primary source of fat over vegetable oils (olive, coconut, etc), again the opposite of what vegans choose for their fat intake. Deficiencies exist in all diets (as they are, by nature, restrictive), the problem is that the extent of these deficiencies is blown way out of proportion. It is very hard to be truly deficient in a vitamin/mineral/amino acid in the privileged western world, but there are a few diets which do mess this up, and vegan is one of them, particularly iron for women.