New hypothesis: Acellular carbohydrates promote obesity

Ian Spreadbury of the Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada published “a novel hypothesis of obesity” in the May 2012 issue of Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy. (Abstract & PDF link)

He compares the cellular carbohydrates of the ancestral diet with the acellular carbohydrates of “flours, sugars, and processed foods.” The key issue is carbohydrate density:

Due to being made up of cells, virtually all "ancestral foods" have markedly lower carbohydrate densities than flour- and sugar-containing foods, a property quite independent of glycemic index.

Replacing refined grains with whole grains doesn’t seem to help much:

Whole grains are mooted to be healthier than refined grains, yet comparisons between grain consumption habits in industrialized societies indicate the effects of replacing refined grains with whole grains yield only modest improvements to health.

The dense acellular carbohydrates of modern foods may trigger obesity (known to be associated with low-level inflammation) by inflamming the GI track:

The present hypothesis suggests that in parallel with the bacterial effects of sugars on dental and periodontal health, acellular flours, sugars, and processed foods produce an inflammatory microbiota via the upper gastrointestinal tract …” (emphasis added)

A diet of grain-free whole foods with carbohydrate from cellular tubers, leaves, and fruits may produce a gastrointestinal microbiota consistent with our evolutionary condition, potentially explaining the exceptional macronutrient-independent metabolic health of non-Westernized populations, and the apparent efficacy of the modern "Paleolithic" diet on satiety and metabolism.” (emphasis added)

Paleo Magazine Aug/Sept issue at newsstands

After 20 plus years in the computer software industry, I decided to pursue my passion for cooking with the launch of Cindy's Table, a personal chef and catering business based in the Greater Hartford, CT area.

Soon after my first introduction to Paleo, my doctor recommended I take medication to manage my high cholesterol. I refused and committed to the Paleo diet for 6 months to see if my cholesterol levels would respond. I was determined to try it, despite my doctor's objections and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Cindy Anshutz
Paleo Magazine

Ethical case for veganism based on "dodgy arguments"

This will not be an easy column to write. I am about to put down 1,200 words in support of a book that starts by attacking me and often returns to this sport. But it has persuaded me that I was wrong. More to the point, it has opened my eyes to some fascinating complexities in what seemed to be a black and white case.

I was wrong about veganism. Let them eat meat – but farm it properly
George Monbiot 

Electric cars coming out of their shells

Clean Technica

Books: Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food. This quote from Hippocrates is the first line in “Practical Paleo” and provides the backbone for the 415-page tome by Diane Sanfilippo, a certified nutrition consultant who specializes in ancestral nutrition — based on diets before processed foods. Unlike diet books that promise quick weight loss and six-pack abs, “Practical Paleo” focuses on nourishment.

New York Times

Success Story: After 20 years on a plant-based diet

I started the Paleo diet about two years ago because the low-fat vegetarian thing that I’d been for twenty years just wasn’t working. Within three weeks, I’d lost three dress sizes (not so many pounds, but who’s counting), and my muscle tone had visibly improved. But the most amazing change was in my personality and health. It was as if someone had lifted a dark veil from my head. I sleep less but better, wake up happy, and look forward to my daily challenges. My hair loss and skin problems have vanished. My teeth are stronger, and my gums don’t bleed. My thyroid (which I claimed was enlarged, but doctors disagreed) has gone back to its normal size. I could go on and on.

Suzanne

The Paleo Answer

Crazy Horse: "We preferred hunting"

We preferred hunting to a life of idelness on the reservation, where we were driven against our will ... We preferred our own way of living ... All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. 

Crazy Horse, ca 1842-1877

via National Geographic, August 2012, (print edition)

Nutrition conference, August 21, 2012, Boulder, Colorado

ANNOUNCING THE NEXT STAHL HEALTH LECTURE EVENT!
AUGUST 21, 2012

“NUTRITION & HEALTH”

A JUICY and INNOVATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Yours trully will be presenting on the Paleo diet in Boulder later this month. And so will four other presenters on various diets and ways of eating. Not an actual debate - we each have 15 minutes to present our case. This will allow plenty of time for questions. Should be interesting.

Presentations include:

1. Ayurvedic Nutrition - vital to your health (Rohini Kanniganti, MD, Integrative Family Physician)

2. The China Study - its startling implications (Dr. David Johnson, Integrative Cardiologist)

3. The Mediterranean Diet - what you need to know (Chair, Department of Internal Medicine, BMC)

4. The Paleo Diet - a new look at our oldest diet (Dr. John Oró, Neurosurgeon)

5. Mindful Eating - it's more than what you eat (Diane Renz, LPC, Psychotherapist)

Learn more here. 

Summer Hiatus

I am taking a two week hiatus to focus on some other endeavors.

Continue to enjoy your summer and don't forget your local farmer's market. Stay cool. 

Dr. John

Breakthrough: 500 trillion watts of fusion energy

Scientists in California fired up 192 laser beams simultaneously onto a single, tiny, two-millimeter target, producing and unbelievable 500 trillion watts of energy. To put it into context, that’s about 1,000 times more power than the entire United States uses at any given time.

Learn more at Inhabit and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

New York Times: Look in the mirror

Yesterday, the NYT published this opinion piece: We’re all Climate-Change Idiots. Climate Progress points a mirror back at them for “doing a wholly inadequate job of covering climate science.” My view: there is plenty of blame to go around. All of us are part of the solution.

Good news for San Francisco locavores & the urban environment

City supervisors approved legislation Tuesday that will help grassroots farming groups replace barren concrete and forests of weeds on vacant land and rooftops with veggie gardens, chicken coops, and honeybee hives. And the move cements San Francisco’s role as a national leader in urban food production.

Grist