Is Paleo healthy?

The government claims we NEED complex carbohydrates, grains, and dairy. Therefore, the Paleo diet must be bad for you because you're not following exactly what the government says... right?


Using a link from the CDC website, I got to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ which provides you with your recommended daily food plan. I entered my height (5'3"), weight (like I'd tell you?), age (24), sex (F), physical activity level (60+ min/day), and whether I was looking to maintain or lose weight (the latter please). My result is as follows (2400 calories per day):

Grains - 8 oz
Vegetables - 3 cups
Fruits - 2 cups
Dairy - 3 cups
Protein Foods - 6.5 oz

Aim for 7 tsp of oil per day (nuts, olives, some fish, avocados are foods naturally high in oil)

Limit your empty calories (extra fats & sugars) to 330 Calories.

Ok, you know what I "should" be eating. Now let me share a story of my diet for a while in college:

After my first crew (rowing) practice on the water, my coach held a party/gathering for my novice women's team as a motivational welcome thing. He let us shave his hair. It was his way of showing how dedicated he was to the team. He provided pizza, salad, and desserts such as brownies and cookies. At the end of the evening he told us that he hoped that we enjoyed the food but that from here on out we really need to ask ourselves "Do I really need this extra piece of food? Do I really need this brownie?"


For crew your weight is really important. You're rowing in a boat and the heavier your team is collectively, the lower the boat will sit in the water and the slower you'll go. In other words, you have to work harder to go as fast as some other lighter teams. Also, rowing events are split into lightweight and heavyweight (or openweight). To have a lightweight women boat, every girl in the boat must be below 135 pounds. There was one regatta we went to where one girl on my team was just over 135. She spent the next hour or so running around in the warm weather wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants to sweat off that extra pound. My team was relatively short (I think we averaged 5'5"), so being in a heavyweight group may it harder for us to be competitive against other heavyweight boats where the average height was 5'9" (longer legs + longer arms = longer drive and more power).


Therefore, we were all "watching" what we ate. My diet for most of that semester consisted of a protein shake for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch, and dinner at the dining hall. Healthy? Not so much. Did it work? Yes. Weight down, muscle up. I was in great shape, but I was in no way close to meeting my recommended food group breakdown.

For those of you who say the Paleo diet/lifestyle isn't healthy, I ask is your diet healthy? I know mine hasn't always been. Take the time to compare what you eat with what you "should" eat.  I honestly believe that I'm eating better now than when I wasn't following the Paleo diet. Sure I have my doubts about Paleo, but the more and more I read up on it coupled with how much better I feel after doing this diet for 3ish weeks, I still say you should give Paleo a try. I enjoy my food more; I feel full sooner and stay full longer so I don't overeat like crazy. I'm not eating lots of preservatives or candy so I skip out on the sugar highs and crashes, because I stick to fresh foods. In general I feel more energetic (minus these past few days and my lack of sleep). I feel healthy. Tell me where the downside is.