10 replies to this topic

[TheFountain]

Whatcha think? 

 

 

http://www.cavemancookies.com/

[Methodician]

Gimmick...

 

I actually bought some of these from TJ Max as a joke for my grandma. She was very curious about my "paleo" diet, otherwise known as "caveman diet"...

 

I assured her this wasn't the kind of thing I would normally eat.

 

If you decide you need cookies in your diet, they're not a terrible choice. They're gluten free and relatively non-toxic.

 

Are they tasty? Meh... I wasn't too impressed. I miss the crunch of a good cookie more than the sweetness and this had plenty sweetness and zero crunch.

 

Are they healthy? Not really. But again, better than an Oreo or other traditional "cookie"...

 

So if you must munch cookies, you could do worse. I'd recommend making them at home from fresh natural ingredients that agree with your own personal diet plan. Better yet, get some Okinawan (sometimes called Hawaiian) purple sweet potatoes, skin them, cut them into 1-2 inch chunks, and toss in olive oil and a dash of cinnamon or some salt and pepper or whatever seasoning fits the bill. Bake them right and they come out with crunchy edges and a gooey center and munch just like a cookie IMO... I think it was about 475-400 degrees for about half an hour. Experiment. Make sure none of them are touching each other. They need some space to cook evenly and form a crust at the thin edges.

Edited by Jacob Johnston, 24 April 2014 - 09:34 PM.

[TheFountain]

I was wondering about the health impact. It is debatable but the ingredients do not appear to be the most "primal". 

 

For example, some of them contain maple syrup as a top ingredient? 

 

The company is also woman owned, not sure if that has anything to do with it. They might be vegans. 

[Methodician]

Can't seem to edit my other post but for the record I meant 375-400 degrees, not 475...

 

Anyway, yeah, honey and other sweeteners are a/the main ingredient. Almond meal is better than wheat flower or most other flowers but still not that healthy IMO. Eating 1-2 is safe but if you sincerely like them, the sweetness and texture is conducive to binging. Who eats just 1-2 chips? Just a small bite of cake? Same deal here...

 

I'm just not a fan as you can see but, to reiterate and clarify: they're a relatively good choice of junk food if you must eat junk food just as long as you recognize that it IS STILL JUNK FOOD.

[TheFountain]

Can't seem to edit my other post but for the record I meant 375-400 degrees, not 475...

 

Anyway, yeah, honey and other sweeteners are a/the main ingredient. Almond meal is better than wheat flower or most other flowers but still not that healthy IMO. Eating 1-2 is safe but if you sincerely like them, the sweetness and texture is conducive to binging. Who eats just 1-2 chips? Just a small bite of cake? Same deal here...

 

I'm just not a fan as you can see but, to reiterate and clarify: they're a relatively good choice of junk food if you must eat junk food just as long as you recognize that it IS STILL JUNK FOOD.

 

If anything I would consider them more Paleo if the sweeteners they used were natural fruit juices, since our ancestors DID have access to fruit? 

 

Honey? That is debatable. And maple syrup? LMFAO!

[TheFountain]

By the way the closest I have come to actual caveman cookies is the "cookies and cream" flavor of quest bars. 

[Methodician]

 

Can't seem to edit my other post but for the record I meant 375-400 degrees, not 475...

 

Anyway, yeah, honey and other sweeteners are a/the main ingredient. Almond meal is better than wheat flower or most other flowers but still not that healthy IMO. Eating 1-2 is safe but if you sincerely like them, the sweetness and texture is conducive to binging. Who eats just 1-2 chips? Just a small bite of cake? Same deal here...

 

I'm just not a fan as you can see but, to reiterate and clarify: they're a relatively good choice of junk food if you must eat junk food just as long as you recognize that it IS STILL JUNK FOOD.

 

If anything I would consider them more Paleo if the sweeteners they used were natural fruit juices, since our ancestors DID have access to fruit? 

 

Honey? That is debatable. And maple syrup? LMFAO!

 

 

I would counter that our ancestors probably didn't juice their fruits, let alone concentrate that juice into a sugary syrup. In fact, it's unlikely that they ate much fruit at all and when they did it would be a seasonal delicacy.

 

I would also counter that our ancestors likely had access to honey in considerable abundance (sometimes accounting for a majority of calories) but it, too, would have been a seasonal delicacy. I would cite some sources but instead I'll let Kresser do it...

Edited by Methodician, 01 May 2014 - 05:51 PM.

[TheFountain]

 

 

Can't seem to edit my other post but for the record I meant 375-400 degrees, not 475...

 

Anyway, yeah, honey and other sweeteners are a/the main ingredient. Almond meal is better than wheat flower or most other flowers but still not that healthy IMO. Eating 1-2 is safe but if you sincerely like them, the sweetness and texture is conducive to binging. Who eats just 1-2 chips? Just a small bite of cake? Same deal here...

 

I'm just not a fan as you can see but, to reiterate and clarify: they're a relatively good choice of junk food if you must eat junk food just as long as you recognize that it IS STILL JUNK FOOD.

 

If anything I would consider them more Paleo if the sweeteners they used were natural fruit juices, since our ancestors DID have access to fruit? 

 

Honey? That is debatable. And maple syrup? LMFAO!

 

 

I would counter that our ancestors probably didn't juice their fruits, let alone concentrate that juice into a sugary syrup. In fact, it's unlikely that they ate much fruit at all and when they did it would be a seasonal delicacy.

 

I would also counter that our ancestors likely had access to honey in considerable abundance (sometimes accounting for a majority of calories) but it, too, would have been a seasonal delicacy. I would cite some sources but instead I'll let Kresser do it...

 

I don't know about your take on fruit.

 

I mean on the one hand there were certain regions where fruit was available all year round. Not just seasonally, as is the case with places like florida and regions of the southwest. 

 

The only thing I take from it is that some ancestors ate it abundantly, some did not. 

 

I think there is a retro active tendency of modern paleo dieters to attribute fruit as being only a seasonal item instead of look at it as region dependent rather than seasonally dependent.

 

I think this tendency emanates from the fact that you don't like fruit in your diet because of the sugars? 

 

But this does not mean it was not abundantly available to a large cross section of the paleo population back in the day.

 

But, we are trying to improve upon the 'natural' diet to make it natural+ yes? 

[Methodician]

Yeah "natural+"... I like that.

 

I've read so much conflicting stuff about fruit. I know my more recent ancestors came from Northern Europe and probably didn't have much access to sweet juicy fruit even in the summer. Then we get to the question of how far back in your lineage to look - should I be eating more like a prehistoric Northern European or more like a tropical African? What about native Americans? It all gets very confusing and this is where I drop the paleo debate and point out, as you said, that we're looking to improve upon "natural"... We can take a lot of inspiration from what we learn of our prehistoric ancestors but we live in a modern industrialized world and must do our best to adapt our environmental conditions to match our unique individual genetic predispositions. We can use heaters and air conditioners for instance. We can import fresh fruits to the arctic all year around... I guess I'm just trying to understand what's best for me partly by looking at studies and hearing opinions, and partly through subjective experience and trial/error.

[TheFountain]

Yeah "natural+"... I like that.

 

I've read so much conflicting stuff about fruit. I know my more recent ancestors came from Northern Europe and probably didn't have much access to sweet juicy fruit even in the summer. Then we get to the question of how far back in your lineage to look - should I be eating more like a prehistoric Northern European or more like a tropical African? What about native Americans? It all gets very confusing and this is where I drop the paleo debate and point out, as you said, that we're looking to improve upon "natural"... We can take a lot of inspiration from what we learn of our prehistoric ancestors but we live in a modern industrialized world and must do our best to adapt our environmental conditions to match our unique individual genetic predispositions. We can use heaters and air conditioners for instance. We can import fresh fruits to the arctic all year around... I guess I'm just trying to understand what's best for me partly by looking at studies and hearing opinions, and partly through subjective experience and trial/error.

 

I think the simple solution is to consume whole fruits, and perhaps not the most citrus ones (but even then the evidence is scant). 

 

Maybe consume fruits with less fructose? Maybe not?

 

I know that we cannot go wrong with Berries and other high anti-oxidant fruits like grapes  and plums (more in moderation than the former). 

 

But beyond this? I think just avoiding concentrated juices (since they lack the fibre and many of the intact nutrients) is the best approach. 

 

Till a site like 23andme really compile a list of what foods are best for what phenotypes, this is really all we have. Don't stress out over it. 

[Methodician]

Yeah for now I follow a mostly-seasonal approach. It's summer and after work I plan to go to Grower's Direct and pick up about 15 pounds of fruit. I eat the odd fruit during the winter too... but try to stick to more fats and starchy USO's and a little more meat.