Smart Concessions

[Max Samuel]

Hey Guys,
So I try and follow Paleo as much as I can, but being in college/fraternity/living with 6 guys who eat for price and quantity, I sometimes have to give in to not-perfect meals. I'm talking mainly about grain and bread products. My question is, what are the best and worst foods for you outside of Paleo? If I have to choose a lunch thats a sandwich with whole wheat bread, a dish with pasta, or a dish with white rice, which should I choose? A ranked hierarchy of some sort would be really helpful...
Thanks!
Max

[Zach Reed]

I just graduated from school and had very similar living situations to yours so I understand where you're coming from! This may not be the most accurate rating according to Paleo nutritional science but from my own experience I'd rate them as follows:

1. Rice
2. Bread & grains (I'd list oatmeal here too)
3. Pasta

Rice (especially white rice) didn't seem to upset my stomach on paleo as badly as the other two, with pasta generally resulting in the most acute problems post-consumption. Also, the few times I ate freshly made pasta the reaction wasn't as bad as eating the boxed kind.

[Jared Ashley]

whole grains are always better than refined grains.

for many people, non-wheat sources of grain are better than wheat.

Some people also find that non-grain sources of cheap, concetrated carbs (legumes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, ect) disrupt them less than grains.

In all cases, moderation is the key. Spaghetti for dinner isn't going to kill you, especially if you have less noodles and more sauce than your housemates, make sauce thick with meat and veggies instead of just prego, and eat it with a salad or even frozen veggies instead of as the entire meal. Giving in to the ramen and mac-n-cheese diet plan... not so much.

[Darryl Shaw]

Originally Posted by Max Samuel

If I have to choose a lunch thats a sandwich with whole wheat bread, a dish with pasta, or a dish with white rice, which should I choose?

Why not just have rice one day, pasta the next and a sandwich the day after that?

[Michael E Tancini]

Originally Posted by Darryl Shaw

Why not just have rice one day, pasta the next and a sandwich the day after that?

This.

Your in college man, dont stress too much about food. Do your best to eat clean and eat whole grains. Just do your best to cook for yourself and stay away from artificial flavorings and preservatives. You say your in a fraternity and in college, I can guarantee those natty light's, busch light's, or the sugary mixers that you mix your alcohol with that you probably consume do a lot more harm to your body than whole grains do. Alcohol effects HGH production, Estrogen production, Fat storage, and ultimately decreases your performance.

I do not know your goals but if you need to lose weight, eat clean getting most of your cals from Meat/fruit/veg and consume less calories than you burn during a day. If you are trying to gain weight or trying to increase performance, eat clean and eat till full or eat past full getting most your calories from Meat/fruit/veg. Dont worry about grains unless you have an allergy. This doesnt mean eat nothing but cereal, pasta, rice, and bread though.

[Brian Michaelson]

Originally Posted by Max Samuel

Hey Guys,
So I try and follow Paleo as much as I can, but being in college/fraternity/living with 6 guys who eat for price and quantity, I sometimes have to give in to not-perfect meals. I'm talking mainly about grain and bread products. My question is, what are the best and worst foods for you outside of Paleo? If I have to choose a lunch thats a sandwich with whole wheat bread, a dish with pasta, or a dish with white rice, which should I choose? A ranked hierarchy of some sort would be really helpful...
Thanks!
Max

Max, why is it up to them what you eat? I to am in college and live in my fraternity house(35 guys live in my house) and have had no problem the past year with eating paleo. Do you guys split the grocery bills? If so, just tell them that you are going to buy groceries on your own and ask them to please not eat what you are buying unless they help buy it. I don't know how possible it is to cook at your house, but a george foreman grill helps out immensely if you don't have access to a full kitchen, bbq. etc. Storing food is as easy as just getting a mini fridge that's big enough to keep all of your food in!

[Michael E Tancini]

Originally Posted by Brian Michaelson

Max, why is it up to them what you eat? I to am in college and live in my fraternity house(35 guys live in my house) and have had no problem the past year with eating paleo. Do you guys split the grocery bills? If so, just tell them that you are going to buy groceries on your own and ask them to please not eat what you are buying unless they help buy it. I don't know how possible it is to cook at your house, but a george foreman grill helps out immensely if you don't have access to a full kitchen, bbq. etc. Storing food is as easy as just getting a mini fridge that's big enough to keep all of your food in!

I am in college too, and though I am not in a fraternity and I do not live in a fraternity house. This is what I do in my house at school. I do my own shopping. I cook every meal, using the george forman twice per day. I have a mini fridge that I keep my food in to keep the fridge less cluttered. My roommates know not to eat my food. I agree that your roommates should not determine your diet.