In the last few Sunday recipe posts, I mentioned that I have begun following the Paleo/Primal way of eating (I don't like the word "diet"). It's really more a way of life. So, what does this mean?
First of all, let me say, I'm not trying to "convert" anyone into this way of eating--it is a personal choice that I made. I don't want to offend any of my friends, especially those who are vegetarians. I am merely writing about my findings regarding this particular lifestyle.
So, here's a little bit of the background as to why I chose to do this.
I first heard of the Paleo diet from a friend of mine who's daughter and fiancee follow it. They are both CrossFitters--he actually owns a gym (box) in southern Illinois--they are both instructors. My first reaction--stemming from my health and fitness background was--"I don't believe in eliminating any food group, I believe in everything in moderation." I was taught the way of Conventional Wisdom--like many of us--following the Nutritional Pyramid: the majority of calories coming from whole grains, then vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, nuts and fats, like this:
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Look Familiar?
and, for me, it worked. I agreed that "white food" (foods made from refined flours and sugars) was bad and should be avoided, but every once in a while it was ok. I believed that whole grains and legumes were healthy and fat was bad. This is what I, along with the rest of America, was taught.
Those who know me well, know that I've been struggling with some thyroid issues. The last three years have been hell for me, but I've had issues for 25 years now. During the past three years, my thyroid has gone up and down like a seesaw due, first to my choice to have radioactive iodine therapy done (I'm now regretting some of this choice) and then working with some alternative medications to try to bring my now permanently hypothyroid up to some normal levels. Finally, after some horrible side effects, I've got my numbers under control.
While I was going through all of this, I felt pretty lousy most of the time. I was either jumpy and shaky with a revving heart rate, or a lethargic bump on a log--not fun! Well, after getting my numbers in the "normal" range, I did feel better, but was still having some symptoms. I was still tired, I still couldn't lose the weight that I gained during my "hypo" phase, my digestive system was still not right. Now, being a woman of 52, I've got some other issues going on, if you know what I mean ;) So, some of these "symptoms" could also be caused by my friend called "perimenopause." Guys, you don't know how easy you've got it!
Fast forward to now. Since I've been writing this blog, I've researched a lot of topics to write about and I've read a lot of articles and blogs and watched a lot of videos regarding health and fitness. This Paleo and Primal lifestyle kept coming up. So, I decided to check it out.
It's really very simple, eat the way the cavemen ate. No, that doesn't mean Mastodon and Saber-toothed Tiger meat! It means eat like they did--what was naturally available to them as they hunted and gathered: meat, fish, fowl, eggs, leafy greens, wild berries, nuts and such. Things that could be eaten only by cooking over an open fire. Scientists have shown that these people were lean and muscular and had good mortality rates. This is the way the Paleo and Primal Pyramids look:
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| Primal Pyramid |
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| Paleo Pyramid |
The basis of this way of life is the belief that the foods that have come along since the Agricultural era are what's killing us. The processed foods made from grains (as well as the "whole" grains), legumes and such, as well as dairy and transfats that make up much of the American diet is the problem. These foods have a huge impact on our blood sugar, cholesterol levels, inflammation levels, and our digestive systems, just to name a few.
From The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Paleo:
"There have been some major health declines since agriculture took hold of humanity, including:
- Decreased average height
- Increased dental cavities and gum disease
- Increased cancer rates
- Increased osteoporosis and arthritis
- Increased body fat/decreased muscle
- Skyrocketing type 2 diabetes rates
- More heart disease
- Iron-deficient anemia
- Widespread nutrient deficiencies"
This is not a low-carbohydrate diet. Yes, you eat less than the conventional diet (10-40% vs 52%), how much depends on your activity level, the more active you are, the more carbs you may eat. If you want to lose weight and fat and gain muscle you'll eat less. It's really too much to go into detail here. A lot of people are following a gluten-free diet and are feeling better, this takes it a step further by eliminating all grains and legumes.
The most important thing to focus on is the negative effect these foods have on your blood sugar and insulin levels. Just remember this: carbohydrate controls insulin and insulin controls fat storage. Carbs are used for fuel, and when that fuel isn't used, it is stored as fat in the body.
You may ask, "What about the whole calories in, calories burned philosophy?" Yes, it's true, if you consume less calories than you use or burn, you will lose "weight", but this "weight" might be water or muscle, not necessarily fat, depending on what you are eating and how it is being used.
Protein is essential for building and repairing body tissues and for overall healthy function. You need protein to maintain your healthy body composition. Protein helps build muscle, by eating more protein and less carbs, you will lose fat and gain muscle.
Saturated fat is also getting a bad rap. It is now proven that eating saturated fat does not have anything to do with your serum cholesterol levels. A quote from Ancel Keys (aka "Monsieur Cholesterol") who was partly responsible for starting the cholesterol myths of the early 1900s, "It is now clear that dietary cholesterol per se, which is contained in almost all foods of animal origin, has little or no effect on the serum cholesterol concentration of man." Again, it's the processed carbs and hydrogenated fats that are the culprits.
Unfortunately, some of the so called "healthy" oils are also causing problems. Oils made from legumes and grains contain high omega-6 fatty acid content that can increase chronic inflammation. Omega-3s and Omega-6s are both necessary for our bodies, but we don't make them ourselves, so we have to get them from food. The big difference is that omega-3's decrease inflammation. Chronic inflammation contributes to things like achy joints, obesity, asthma, IBS, diabetes and heart disease.
We need a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, somewhere between 1:1 and 4:1. The current ratio in the typical Western diet is anywhere from 20:1 to 45:1--because of vegetable oils and grains. Funny, these oils aren't even made from vegetables--they are made from things like cottonseed, canola, soybeans and corn (corn is a grain not a vegetable). Plus, these oils are usually chemically treated and stripped of almost all of their nutrients. They are empty calories, just like refined flours and sugars.
So what oils/fats can you eat? Avocado oil, coconut oil, coconut milk (full fat in the can), flaxseed oil, hazelnut oil, lard, macadamia oil, olive oil, sesame oil, tallow, unrefined palm oil, walnut oil and the fats natural occurring in grass fed and organic animals and fowl. If a fat or oil has the word "hydrogenated" in it--do NOT eat it. These are the transfats that cause all kinds of problems.
So here's what a typical American's plate is supposed to look like:
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and here's a Paleo plate:
or, even simplier:
I know plenty of unhealthy skinny people and healthy heavier people. A lot of this stems from body composition--fat to lean muscle ratios. A person could weigh 100 pounds but still have a high percent of body fat if they don't have any lean muscle on their frame. Michael Jordan in his prime would have been considered morbidly obese based on this height and weight alone--c'mon the dude was at like 7% body fat--another reason to throw away that scale!
Ok, I know this post is getting lengthy. I decided to try this for two main reasons: my ongoing battle with digestive issues and fatigue--I figure the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) philosophy of this made sense--eat foods in their most purest forms, secondly, I do want to lose fat and gain muscle. Following the conventional way of eating and exercising regularly have kept me in a good weight range, but my body fat percentage is still not where it should be.
I gave up eating most "white" food a while ago, but I have to admit that not having any traditional bread, pasta or rice has been tough. Luckily, I have found some great websites that have recipes for every kind of food I feel I'm "missing". I wouldn't consider myself strict Paleo--I'm actually more Primal, it's like being a vegetarian, but not a vegan--I still drink low carb beer and I eat some dairy--mainly cheese--once in a while. I follow about an 85/15% plan.
Exercise is also looked at differently in the Paleo lifestyle. I will blog about this next week.
In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more, here are a couple of websites: Mark's Daily Apple and The Food Lover's Kitchen
The above websites also have some great recipes. Here's a couple more: Civilized Caveman Cooking and PaleOMG
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