how do people on the paleo diet get enough complex carbs, or is that not really a concern?
Getting enough complex carbs hasn't been a problem for me per se. Lots and lots of veg and fruit! (I am trying to make sure I get enough vegetables and don't just live off fruit ...). If you find you're not getting enough, then add more starchy roots and tubers like sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc. etc.
It can be worth playing around with carbohydrate levels anyway and seeing what works best for your body; my impression is that different people may have very different needs in this respect, depending on individual metabolisms and activity levels. Some people seem to be blissfully happy on low carbs, while others need more. I found that my general functioning improves quite drastically with high protein and moderate levels of low-glycemic carbs.
For me, where I've run into problems is with bouldering sessions (two hours of strenuous exercise which is almost purely anaerobic, burning glycogen rather than fat); if I don't get a shot of high-GI carbohydrates shortly afterwards, it tends to do nasty things to my blood sugar and thence mood.
So (since I'm only demi-paleo anyway) I take a leaf from Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet for Athletes book and eat some not-strictly-paleo high-GI carbs (rice or potatoes, usually) when I'm refueling after climbing.
But that's a highly specific situation, given the particular type of exercise I do and the fact that I've got mood issues (and even when heavily medicated, apparently right now low blood sugar can tip me into a downturn). Most people don't seem to run into any problems.
no subject
http://www.paleofood.com/baked.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/paleo-bread/
http://jensgonepaleo.blogspot.com/2010/01/rosemary-fig-nutty-bread-paleo-friendly.html
Some of these are paleo:
http://wheatfreeandglutenfreebreadrecipe.blogspot.com/
Your best strategy is probably either to bake your own, or to look for gluten-free breads and see which ones are also grain-free.
You're not going to get something which comes out like white toast, but that's sort of the point. *g*
There seems to be some debate over whether buckwheat is technically paleo, but as with anything it depends how rigid you want to be.
how do people on the paleo diet get enough complex carbs, or is that not really a concern?
Getting enough complex carbs hasn't been a problem for me per se. Lots and lots of veg and fruit! (I am trying to make sure I get enough vegetables and don't just live off fruit ...). If you find you're not getting enough, then add more starchy roots and tubers like sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc. etc.
It can be worth playing around with carbohydrate levels anyway and seeing what works best for your body; my impression is that different people may have very different needs in this respect, depending on individual metabolisms and activity levels. Some people seem to be blissfully happy on low carbs, while others need more. I found that my general functioning improves quite drastically with high protein and moderate levels of low-glycemic carbs.
For me, where I've run into problems is with bouldering sessions (two hours of strenuous exercise which is almost purely anaerobic, burning glycogen rather than fat); if I don't get a shot of high-GI carbohydrates shortly afterwards, it tends to do nasty things to my blood sugar and thence mood.
So (since I'm only demi-paleo anyway) I take a leaf from Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet for Athletes book and eat some not-strictly-paleo high-GI carbs (rice or potatoes, usually) when I'm refueling after climbing.
But that's a highly specific situation, given the particular type of exercise I do and the fact that I've got mood issues (and even when heavily medicated, apparently right now low blood sugar can tip me into a downturn). Most people don't seem to run into any problems.
So, yeah. It's a very YMMV thing.