Paleolithic Nutrition: Diabetes and the Modern Diet

Copyright iStockphotoBy John Michael

Diabetes, especially its Type 2 variant, is spreading around the world. Globally, there are now “more than 350 million people” who suffer from this insidious disease, according to an article in the British newspaper The Guardian. This article goes on to state, “About three million deaths a year are attributed to diabetes and associated conditions.” Here at home, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) disclose, “25.8 million people in the United States (8.3% of the population) have diabetes,” and, “of these, 7.0 million have undiagnosed diabetes.” They conclude their list of statistics with this sobering appraisal: “If current trends continue, 1 of 3 U.S. adults will have diabetes by 2050.”

While only a small portion of people with diabetes worldwide suffer from Type 1, which is, according to the CDC, “an autoimmune disease that may be caused by genetic, environmental, or other factors,” the majority of suffers worldwide have Type 2 Diabetes, which is “usually associated with older age, obesity and physical inactivity, family history of type 2 diabetes, or a personal history of gestational diabetes.” Both disorders concern either “a shortage of insulin” in the body, “or a decreased ability to use insulin, or both.” Mark’s Daily Apple has a great blog that explains the complex dynamics of this disease here.

In an excellent article on the growing consensus that excess dietary carbohydrates are connected to the growth of modern diseases like heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, The Los Angeles Times quotes several medical experts. 

"Fat is not the problem," says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases."

"Dietary fat used to be public enemy No. 1," says Dr. Edward Saltzman, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. "Now a growing and convincing body of science is pointing the finger at carbs, especially those containing refined flour and sugar." 

"The country's big low-fat message backfired," says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The overemphasis on reducing fat caused the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar in our diets to soar. That shift may be linked to the biggest health problems in America today."

While a consensus has not yet been achieved among medical professionals as to whether excess carbohydrates and sugar are indeed responsible for the uptick in modern diseases like type 2 diabetes, the message captured in the Los Angeles Times article is echoed by Mark Sisson, who, on his blog, excoriates a reputable diabetes organization’s suggestion that sufferers include in their diets large portions of “breads, grains, beans, pasta, and other starches.” “If you want to develop type 2 diabetes,” he writes regarding the organization’s nutritional advice, “I’m stumped for a more expeditious way to do it.”

By shifting from the typical American to a modern approximation of the Paleolithic diet, we come to eat foods that our bodies are adapted to digesting efficiently. Novel foods like the processed grains that comprise the typical diet's excess in carbohydrates, are quickly converted to blood sugar, which, if not used, as is often the case with calories in our sedentary society, is then stored as fat. As our waistlines burgeon, our risk for type 2 diabetes increases; a Paleo diet, which avoids industrial foods in favor of more ancestral fare, reduces our waistlines, and so, by restoring our natural state of health, protects us from the specter of modern disease.

Related Entries
Paleolithic Nutrition: Diet in the Neolithic  
Paleolithic Nutrition: Diet and Modern Disease 

Quote: Local food from faraway

The foods we consider local are results of a globalization process that has been in full swing for more than five centuries, ever since Columbus landed in the New World. Suddenly all the continents were linked, mixing plants and animals that had evolved separately since the breakup of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea.

John Tierney, The New York Times
on the new book by Charles C. Mann 

Grass Fed Beef or By-Product Feedstuffs? You Decide!

By Leslie Why Reap

(If you are looking for Nutritional Evolution, Step II , it will be  posted in 2 weeks.  You need time to evolve!) 

Yes it is true. Cows like grass. They love it fresh but they will take it dried as well.   They have the digestive system to handle it too, four stomachs in all, pretty great stuff.  But wait, did you know that cows eat other things too?  I knew that they ate corn and soy to make them nice and fat and produce a lot of milk but what I did not know until recently was that it doesn't stop there.  They are also fed what are called "by-product feedstuffs."  Hmmmm sounded suspicious to me.  I needed to know more.  More importantly, I needed to validate just why I should seek out and pay more for this “new" grass fed beef.  Here is some of what I found….

The following are some of the "by-product feedstuffs" commonly used in dairy cattle diets in the Upper Midwest."*
1. Candy: Candy products are available through a number of distributors and sometimes directly from smaller plants…They are sometimes fed in their wrappers….Candies, such as cull gummy bears, lemon drops or gum drops are high in sugar content.

2. Bakery Wastes: Stale bread and other pastry products from stores or bakeries can be fed to dairy cattle in limited amounts. These products are sometimes fed as received without drying or even removal of the wrappers.

3. Potato Waste: Available in potato processing areas, and includes cull potatoes, French fries and potato chips. Cull fresh potatoes that are not frozen, rotten, or sprouted can be fed to cows either whole or chopped. Potato waste straight from a processing plant may contain varying amounts of inedible or rotten potatoes. French fries and chips contain fats or oils from frying operations.

4. Starch: Unheated starch is available from some candy manufacturers and sometimes may contain pieces of candy.

5. Pasta: Available from pasta plants and some ingredient distributors as straight pasta or in blends with other ingredients, such as candy.

Alright, well I learned something new…something new and unappetizing and hard to believe.  However, let's assume that it could be true since we know that stranger things have happened to our food sources, unfortunately.

Before modern agriculture was bestowed upon us; all the animals that humans ate were from "grass fed,” foraging, "free ranging" kinds of beasts and beings. These creatures were ideal for disease free, human health.  Guess what?  Man has not evolved that much, we still have only one stomach and these foods are still ideal.  Are our available, organic, grass fed meats as ideal as the ancient mastodon or woolly mammoth?   Perhaps not but they will have to be our best substitute in the face of extinction and “progress.” 

Why is grass fed better you may still wonder?  One reason is that these grass fed bovine do not eat soy or corn which they would not be able to properly digest.  Corn and soy would alter the PH in their guts, inviting an overgrowth of bad bacteria.  They are not given hormones, antibiotics or other drugs and carry a significantly lower  risk for e.coli bacteria.  Perhaps even more importantly, grass fed beef  is better because these animals eat fresh or dried clean grass that is not only high in Omega 3 fatty acids,  it is also a concentrated, natural source of CLA, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, a critical Omega 6 fatty acid.  This grass based diet then yields beef that has the ideal Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio of 3:1.  The fatter, grain-fed bovine brethren on the other side of fence, have a disease inviting ratio of up to 20:1.  Not surprisingly, this deadly imbalance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids is also reflected in the disease inviting, grain based, typical American diet.  Experts recommend that a healthy diet provide an Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio that is the same found in grass fed beef…3:1.  Despite being an Omega 6 fatty acid, naturally occurring CLA has only positive effects.  Finally, grass fed products are also richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.  Grass-fed beef is lower in fat than regular beef and, more importantly, contains up to 5x more CLA.

What does CLA do for you?

• Helps fight cancer and diabetes 
• Helps you to lose weight 
• Increases your metabolic rate, a positive benefit for promoting normal thyroid function 
• Helps you maintain normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels 
• Enhances your immune system 
• Promotes lean muscle development and lower body fat (I like the sound of that last bullet!)

After lots of research, here is the bottom line….Grass-fed beef is better for human health than grain-fed beef in ten different ways, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date. The 2009 study was a joint effort between the USDA and researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina**.

Compared with grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef was:

1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
5. Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
6. Higher in total omega-3s
7. A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
8. Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
9. Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease

So now you can have your steak (grass fed) and eat it too! On a more serious note, grass fed lean cuts of red meat are an integral part to a Paleo/Primal lifestyle and will provide an ideal amount of Essential Fatty acids as well as the protein we need to stay strong. In addition, stop and look at the impact that grain based diets have had our nation's cattle, dairy cows, chickens and other animals. They get nice and fat, nice and fast and oh yes, much sicker overall.  What do you think a grain heavy diet might be doing to you?

References
*This list is excerpted from "By-Product Feedstuffs in Dairy Cattle Diets in the Upper Midwest," published in 2008 by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
**S.K. Duckett et al, Journal of Animal Science, (published online) June 2009, "Effects of winter stocker growth rate and finishing system on: III. Tissue proximate, fatty acid, vitamin and cholesterol content." 

SUNDAY PALEO / August 28, 2011

Hurricane Irene spins fury along the East Coast. NASA 8.26.11

ANTHROPOLOGY

Ancient Dog Skull Shows Early Pet Domestication
"In general, dogs likely became domesticated when curious wolves began to hang around Stone Age people ... " - National Geographic Daily News

ENVIRONMENT

Iowa Now Gets 20% of Its Electricity from Wind
"Iowa has hit a pretty big milestone in wind energy generation -- the state now gets 20 percent of its electricity from wind power.  That's the highest percentage for any state in the U.S. and about on par with wind heavy nations like Denmark." - EcoGeek

RECIPES

Grilled Chicken Fajitas
"I love Mexican food, trouble is when you eat Mexican out a lot of times its loaded with corn, beans, rice, and cheese.  You can make delicious Paleo friendly Mexican food as well, and you won't even miss the rice and beans or the cheese and sour cream that would come along with this dish in a traditional Mexican restaurant." - Against the Grain

LIFESTYLE

Unplug Yourself before you Wreck Yourself!!   
"Ask yourself this, “Do we really need to know what’s happening in the world everywhere all of the time, and in reality how much of the information that we are being fed even accurate or life sustaining or even important?” - Everyday Paleo 

Couples Share Unhealthy Habits  
"The new study suggests the effect of marriage and cohabitation on health isn't always so rosy. The researchers report at least two ways this happens: one partner has bad habits and influences the other, or both may "sync up" their bad habits." - My Health News Daily 

MODERN DISEASES

Half of US Will Be Obese by 2030, Study Finds 
"That level of obesity would mean 7.8 million more cases of diabetes, along with 6.8 million cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, and 539,000 more cancer cases than what would be expected if obesity remained at its current level." -  My Health News Daily

NUTRITION

This Is The Healthiest Diet  
"The fact is that virtually our entire physiologies operate exquisitely when they are functioning in the native human ecological niche in which they evolved –employing both the diet and exercise level of a hunter-gatherer. By contrasting the diets, lifestyles and health of hunter-gatherers to contemporary, westernized societies, we can gain invaluable insight into complex diet/disease related questions." - The Paleo Diet

Paleolithic Nutrition: Diet and Modern Disease

By John Michael & Dr. John

In the United States and most Western countries, diet-related chronic diseases represent the single largest cause of morbidity and mortality. These diseases are epidemic in contemporary Westernized populations and typically afflict 50–65% of the adult population, yet they are rare or nonexistent in hunter-gatherers and other less Westernized people. Although both scientists and lay people alike may frequently identify a single dietary element as the cause of chronic disease (e.g., saturated fat causes heart disease and salt causes high blood pressure), evidence gleaned over the past 3 decades now indicates that virtually all so-called diseases of civilization have multifactorial dietary elements that underlie their etiology, along with other environmental agents and genetic susceptibility.

Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century
Dr. Loren Cordain

From the Neolithic, through the age of discovery and the industrial revolution, up to the present day, human invention and innovation have introduced numerous foods into our daily diets, including vegetable oils, salts and refined sugars, and the multifarious forms that processed grains can take. Along with the introduction of these foods, people in Western Civilization have begun to suffer from many diseases that have a low prevalence among hunter-gatherer and even traditionally agrarian societies. According to Dr. Loren Cordain in his paper, Origins and Evolution of the Western Diet: Health Implications for the 21st Century, “The evolutionary collision of our ancient genome with the nutritional qualities of recently introduced foods may underlie many of the chronic diseases of Western civilization. 

Cordain bases this statement upon the idea of evolutionary discordance, which occurs when an environment changes in such a way that its inhabitants are no longer properly adapted for survival within it. Because the majority of human evolutionary history was spent within a hunter-gatherer context in which fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds, along with some tubers, were the dominant food sources, our bodies are adapted to consume this diet. The modern Western diet contains refined sugars, processed grains, and vegetable oils, among other novel foods, that were not available to our ancestors, and so our bodies perform sub-optimally when it comes to their digestion. And not only are our bodies poorly adapted for the consumption of these modern foods; in many cases, their consumption is causing us harm.

This damage takes the form of illnesses like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dementia, cancer, osteoporosis, and autoimmune disease, to name a but few. Scientists working in Burkina Faso, Africa, believe that overall health may be tied to the bacteria people have living in their gut, basing this belief on their observation that traditionally agrarian Africans have healthier gut bacteria due to their diets and lifestyle, which implies that our own guts, which are more susceptible to allergies, autoimmune disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease than those of the Africans in this study, are in such a sorry state because of what we eat and how we live. After stating that our Western diet is “killing us,” the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP) presents this somber collection of statistics.

Because of thickened, narrowed and hardened arteries, 4,000 Americans succumb to heart disease and have heart attacks every day.  Every third adult has high blood pressure, and thousands are crippled from strokes. Because of disordered metabolisms from unbalanced lifestyles, obesity is epidemic, and a new diabetic is diagnosed every 50 seconds.

And, according to Cordain, “Cancer is the second leading cause of death (25% of all deaths) in the United States, and an estimated one-third of all cancer deaths are due to nutritional factors, including obesity.”

To understand the gravity of this situation, one need only look to the executive summary of the WHO’s Global Status Report on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) 2010, in which unhealthy diet was included among the four risk factors that contribute to the majority of NCD deaths worldwide. The UN report goes on to state, “People in developing countries are increasingly eating foods with higher levels of total energy and are being targeted by marketing for tobacco, alcohol and junk food, while availability of these products increases,” which is to say that this dietary problem is spreading globally. The epidemic of diet-based poor health has an economic impact as well, which the report addresses with this sobering statement, “Each year, an estimated 100 million people are pushed into poverty because they have to pay directly for health services.” The report concludes by suggesting that governments enact legislation and propaganda campaigns to inform and protect their citizens from the dangers of an unhealthy diet, and that they do so now. However, the slow swell of education by knowledgeable health care providers and online primal & Paleo educators should result in a more powerful and lasting dynamic for change.  

Progression to Paleo: Evolution Step I

By Leslie Why Reap

Changing the way you eat may be the most transformative action you can take.  

Terri Trespicio

The goal of evolving to “Paleo,” in my mind, is really the goal of evolving to a healthier, happier, and more energetic you.  It’s a better you, plain and simple.  Just think, you get to keep all of your good traits while throwing out some of the bad stuff - like mood swings, low energy and feelings of irritation.  With your renewed energy, you can acquire some fabulous, new "you" bits and bobs - like a more active/fun lifestyle, a leaner physique, relief from a chronic illness or a more positive outlook.  Our very fundamental goal here is to feel great - consistently.  We can start to do this by choosing to nourish ourselves with high quality, nutrient dense foods and eating at regular intervals.  This will allow us to begin to take control of our energy levels by better controlling our blood sugar, the subsequent insulin response, and the chronic inflammation it can produce.  Chronic inflammation is viewed as a deadly condition and it is the underlying, contributing factor for all chronic and degenerative diseases today, such as heart disease and cancer and more.

On a more positive note...today we are going to tackle Step I of our Evolution!  If this step is too rudimentary for you, then give yourself a hug and see if you can help your child, parent, sibling or friend evolve and look forward to Step II.  However, make sure you are doing Step 1consistently since it is the foundation upon which all else will be built.  It is also the most difficult Step, I believe, because you are overhauling your nutritional beliefs at the very core.  When things start going south for me, I return to Step I, the basics!  If you can accomplish Step I, you can do anything.

Nutritional Evolution, Step I:

A.  Add in 6 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruit everyday

Vegetables and fruits come center stage or center plate, if you will.  Vegetables and fruits should become the base of each meal/snack and fill about half of your plate.  A serving of vegetables equals a ½ cup of raw or cooked veggies or 1 cup of leafy greens.  A serving of fruit is 1 small banana, 6 strawberries, or 15 grapes.  Don’t go crazy on the fruit.  Yes, fruit has wonderful vitamins, minerals, fiber and free-radical fighting antioxidants, but it is also high in sugar.  We are trying to avoid large doses of sugar.  Even fruit, if eaten in excess will elevate blood sugar and trigger a rapid insulin (and inflammation) response. 

This produce should be organic and/or locally grown and in season whenever possible.  I know that organic/local/in season can be a stretch for many of us so do the best you can, especially with soft skinned vegetables and fruits where you eat the "skin." 

I am willing to bet you, my evolving self-educating friends, that by simply adding in 6 servings of fresh vegetables and 3 servings of fresh fruit, you will see your consumption of “fillers” diminish.  What are "fillers?"  Energy/granola bars, pretzels, crackers, and other packaged "whole grain" carbohydrate foods.  These are the same foods that spike your blood sugar and provide quick energy that converts to stored fat unless immediately utilized.  Heading out for a run?  Fine, grab a piece of granola bar if you must.  Sitting at your desk?  Don't do it!  You will end up with one more dose of unwanted body fat plus cravings for more within an hour or two.  Looking for a better choice?  Keep reading....

B.  Just drink water  http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

I like this little calculator.  It’s handy and pretty accurate.  However, if you don’t have time for handy and accurate, then you can estimate your fluid needs at approximately half your body weight, converted to ounces.  For example, if you weigh 125 lbs, exercise 45 minutes a day and live in New England (among a few other parameters), then you need to drink about 67 ounces (2 liters).  If you eat a healthy diet consisting of the above servings of fruits and veggies, then you can reduce that amount by 20% and drink 53.6 ounces (1.6 liters).  Yes, a cup of organic coffee or herbal tea (preferably decaf as excessive caffeine will also trigger that insulin and inflammation response in your body); a smoothie made with unsweetened coconut milk, greens & fruit; and a glass of red wine with dinner, all contribute to your water goal for the day. 

Time for some forced elimination.  Soda, juice, sports drinks, flavored waters and any drinks with High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial sweeteners, food colorings, and unrecognizable ingredients need to be eliminated.  They are addicting by design.  Someone is making a LOT of profit by your addiction and what do you get?  Weaker bones, a higher BMI and an empty wallet.  Drink your water, eat your calories and stay away from toxic, scary artificial stuff.  If it doesn’t bubble up from a spring somewhere, don’t drink it.

C.  Eat three meals and two snacks a day of REAL food

This step requires a little preparation.  So recognize that fact and give yourself over to it.  If you want to evolve, you need to put in a little effort.  

What is Real food:  Vegetables, fruits, nuts, minimally processed dairy (plain Greek yogurt, plain kefir), nut butters, unsweetened nut milks (coconuts, almond, skip the soy), eggs, chicken, fish, and meat (preferably organic, grass fed, free range) and fun items like homemade salsa, hummus, guacamole, and some limited amount of beans/legumes.  If you are going to continue with grains, transition to sprouted Ezekiel bread and muffins (do contain some gluten), wild or brown rice, quinoa, millet and more gluten free grains.  These low or gluten free grains are a SIGNIFICANT improvement over your wheat based products such as most pastas, crackers, pretzels and breads.  Just remember, the Latin root for the word "gluten," is "glue."   Hmmmm.....Finally, if you need a little sweetener for your yogurt try a tiny amount of liquid stevia or a drizzle of raw honey.

Where to find Real Food:  Start with the perimeter of your grocery store and you will find Real Food.  (As a guide, if the food comes in a package and has more than 5 ingredients, put it back.  These are usually found in the center aisles).  If you are a little more adventurous, head out to a local farm stand or farmers market.  No time or in the city?  Check out this link http://www.localharvest.org .  This can be an excellent tool to get you more familiar with the farms and offerings in your extended area as well  shop online for grass fed meats, free range poultry, dairy and much more! 

When to eat Real Food:  Always.  Oh right, the timing....If you can eat at 7am, 10am, 12.30pm, 3pm and 6pm that is great.  If not, adjust it to your schedule but the key is to eat about every 2.5 to 3.5 hours in order to prevent a big dip in your blood sugar.  Ever feel a dark mood coming on quickly?  Irritation, hunger pangs, headache, and foggy thinking?  First two things to ask yourself:  when did I last eat?  Am I hydrated?  Most likely, your blood sugar is low or less likely, you are dehydrated.  Snacks should consist of: 1 serving of fruit or 1-2 servings of vegetables and a small amount of protein with some fat, such as nuts, nut butter or a little plain yogurt (add in spices and make it a veggie dip!).  Meals should consist of: 2 servings of brightly colored and/or dark green vegetables (perhaps one starchy such as a sweet potato), a 3-5 ounce serving of protein (eggs, chicken, fish, meat) and 1-2 TBSP of healthy fat such as flaxseed oil dressing, avocado, or walnuts.  This combination of carbohydrate, protein and fat should keep your blood sugar stable and provide you with consistent, predictable energy throughout the day.

So, eat your fruits and veggies, drink your water and eat Real Food regularly.  Simple concepts that are challenging, but worthy evolutionary steps.  Give yourself as much time as you need to make each one of these your new lifestyle, your new eating habit.   Step up and own the change.  Aim for 100% but recognize that if you eat this way 80% of the time, you have evolved considerably.  You are moving significantly closer to your very early ancestor that stood straight and tall, ran like the wind and slept like a baby, congratulations!

Leslie Why Reap
“Evolving, one day at a time….”

Nutritionist Leslie Why Reap brings a fresh and dynamic approach to helping you build your Paleo/primal health. Learn about Leslie in the About page.

Paleolithic Nutrition: Diet in the Neolithic

By John Michael & Dr. John

Early farming archeological site, Picos de Europa, Spain. Copyright 2011, CyberMed, LLC..In the Upper Paleolithic period, which ranged from 50,000 to 10,000 years ago, our human ancestors roamed the Earth in hunter-gatherer bands that probably only rarely exceeded sizes of 150. During this time, our forbearers ate only food that could be hunted or gathered, and which required minimal, if any, processing. The industries required for the process and preparation of food did not exist then; it is only at the beginning of the Neolithic, when our ancestor’s roaming tribes began to form settled communities, that we find the appearance of agriculture and complex industry, which together led to the creation of processed foods.

While we probably settled down long before widespread farming began, it wasn’t until the agricultural revolution that large settlements started to appear. With farming, more food could be obtained from fewer acres; while a hunter-gatherer might have to roam over large spaces to find enough to eat, a farmer could remain on his plot of land, and was often able to feed more than just himself. The surplus of food created by agriculture then led to the emergence of civilization: because some people were able to dedicate themselves to pursuits other than finding something to eat, specialization occurred, and the various offices of modern society, among them the priesthood, the soldiery, the politicians, and the merchants, began to appear.

But, while the free time created by agriculture led to the invention of new technologies, like the wheel and written language, the Neolithic also saw the inception of food science, or, the fine art of turning the unpalatable palatable. Grains were the major crop of early agriculture, and evidence of their processing for human consumption, in the form of grinding stones, goes back as far as 15,000 years ago.

So, while the ratio of number of calories to the amount of effort expended to obtain those calories increased in the Neolithic, their nutrient quality diminished considerably, and this change in diet caused health problems for our ancestors. Among Neolithic Europeans, height, which is a reliable indicator of health, dropped as much as five inches for men, and three inches for women. Diseases like osteoporosis and rickets appeared. Animal husbandry further exacerbated the poor health of our ancestors, as diseases began to jump between animals and their caretakers. Among these originally animal-illnesses were tuberculosis, smallpox, and measles, scourges that have only recently been brought under control. 

We continue to move farther from our original diet. The consequences are only now beginning to be understood.

SUNDAY PALEO / August 21, 2011

Yellowstone National Park. Image: CyberMed, LLC

The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.

Richard Louv

FITNESS

Go Climb a Tree, It Seriously Works Your Trunk
Ms. Koening is an urban forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson. She is also a competitive tree climber. She saw her first competition nine years ago while attending the International Society of Arboriculture's annual conference. "I never knew climbing trees required that level of skill," she says. "I immediately wanted to try it." - The New York Times

Guest Post by Lori Crock: Outta Your Comfort Zone? My Experience of MovNat
Last week I went on my own to a week-long outdoor program called MoveNat … moving naturally.   It was an experience I have to tell you about because we all need to get out of our comfort zones once in a while.   It is tricky to explain MovNat because it is much more than what it may seem on the surface. - MovNat

RECIPES

Heirloom Tomato Salad and Steak with Peppercorns and Purple Basil
Is it possible not to be seduced by the gorgeous displays of tomatoes dominating farmers’ markets during the summer? - Mark's Daily Apple

moroccan pork skewers + grilled eggplant and leeks
I found this easy recipe in my favorite little tapas cookbook. I got it years ago on clearance at Marshalls. I was skeptical, but for $2 or whatever, who cares. But it's great! - Modern Paleo

Summer Salad | Paleo Salads
Being that it is summer, I thought I’d share a refreshing summer salad that we enjoy. It has crisp sweet apples (actually, blueberries work nicely here too) and takes no time to make. Hope you enjoy! - PaleoEffect

SUCCESS STORIES

The Unconquerable Dave
DEAR MARK AND ALL THE PRIMAL PEOPLE OUT THERE, I’M NOT GOOD WITH SPEECHES SO I FIGURE IF A PIC IS WORTH A 1000 WORDS. - Mark's Daily Apple

Paleo Stories from the Frontline
I lived with this pain for 10 years.  It wasn’t debilitating and didn’t prevent me from doing anything I wanted to do.  The pain was a pressure sensitivity issue.  If I bumped into something or tried to scratch an itch it would cause a lot of pain.  About a month ago, I realized that I didn’t hurt anymore. - Everyday Paleo

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Mt. Beirstadt trip report
Even before German-American painter Albert Bierstadt visited the mountain now bearing his name in 1863, hikers have trudged through the “dreaded willows” at the start of the hike. This segment is now comfortably passable using the recently constructed wooden footbridges. - PaleoTerran 

Quote: Gluten a factor in infertility?

Diagnosing celiac disease in an infertile woman would be particularly beneficial if the low-cost (and low-risk) therapy of pursuing a gluten-free diet could improve chances for conception.

Janet Choi, MD 
EurekAlert 

Brain Health: Fish oil helps maintain brain volume

By Dr. John

The first signs of human consciousness were found in Blombos Cave, South Africa and date to 70 to 80 thousand years ago. It is probably no accident that the site is littered with evidence of seafood consumption. Indeed, significant inclusion of seafood and fish in the human diet may represent the final nutritional factor in development of the human mind. 

The typical American diet is profoundly different from that of our Paleolithic ancestors and is increasingly considered the root of many modern diseases.

In a new study reported by EurekAlert, researchers at Rhode Island Hospital's Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center revealed older adults taking fish oil supplements preserved brain volume and had smaller cerebral ventricles (a healthy sign suggesting less brain atrophy). Lead investigator, Lori Daiello, PharmD, states:

"In the imaging analyses for the entire study population, we found a significant positive association between fish oil supplement use and average brain volumes in two critical areas utilized in memory and thinking (cerebral cortex and hippocampus), as well as smaller brain ventricular volumes compared to non-users at any given time in the study. In other words, fish oil use was associated with less brain shrinkage in patients taking these supplements during the ADNI study compared to those who didn't report using them."

This observational study is just one additional piece of evidence demonstrating our continued movement away from the original human diet comes at a price. In this case, a shrinking brain. 

Related Posts
The Standard or Average American Diet  
Inflammation impairs frontal lobe brain function 
Brain Health: Omega-3 fatty acids reduce anxiety
Loren Cordain - Origins and Evolution of the Western Diet 

Progression to Paleo: Evolution versus Revolution

By Leslie Why Reap

Evolution, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is “(2a): a process of change in a certain direction: unfolding ….c (1): a process of continuous changes from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state: growth.  Wow!  Well who doesn’t want to EVOLVE?  To unfold? To grow?  That is pretty exciting stuff.  I want to evolve, unfold and grow, everyday!  Now, how about revolution?  Two things come to mind when I think of the word revolution: radical change and revolving doors.  Neither of which conjure up images of lasting, lifestyle change.  So let’s choose to evolve instead of revolve.

What are we talking about here anyway?  Why do we need to evolve?  Well, let’s take a look.  66% of our adult population is obese or overweight.  62% of Americans don’t eat even one fruit or vegetable a day.  Our children are the heaviest, the most sedentary and the sickest they have ever been in history.  Rates of cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases are skyrocketing and with that, healthcare costs.  Pouring money into researching cures is one approach but whatever happened to “prevention is the best medicine?”  Bottom line, we need to become educated and take responsibility of our health and we can start by examining what we put in our mouths each day.  How far have we devolved nutritionally in the US?  I would say pretty darn close to rock bottom.  

Where do we need to evolve?  One suggestion is the Paleolithic approach.  Why Paleo you say?  Dr. John, John Michael and several other Paleo authors have gone into great depth as to why a progression or return to the diet of our ancestors is one of the healthiest paths.  I like this laymen’s summary of the top reasons to go Paleo:  http://neo-paleolithic-diet.com/index.php/364/the-best-way-to-lose-weight-paleo-diet/  and for a more in depth and balanced review of the Paleo Diet check out wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet .

Why did I choose this path?  It works for me.  Grains and dairy make me feel lethargic, they slow my digestion and increase mucus.  I discovered this before I discovered the Paleo diet.  The Paleo approach simply put it into context for me.  What does the Paleo diet do for me?  It helps me maintain a lean body mass around the year, not just during race season.  It helps me maintain energy throughout the day, enables me to think clearly and to multi-task.  It helps me manage the balance of good/bad bacteria in my gut that on a more traditional diet with sugar and refined carbohydrates, I fail to do.  It allows me to train, recover and regenerate muscle tissue so I am able to get stronger and faster even though I am 41 years old.  It helps me be the best role model I can be for my two children.  Most importantly, it has allowed me to heal from brain surgery free of addictions and with a positive outlook, a strong mind and a healthy immune system. 

We all live in a world of stress and bodily inflammation.  We do not need regular doses of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, refined carbohydrates and grains to further aggravate it, and we need a dietary lifestyle to counterbalance it.

I feel blessed to be a contributor to Paleoterran.   Please check in regularly to learn more about my stepped approach to “going Paleo,” the 80/20 rule, and pulling off great recipes!  I will also dive into how to get more delicious sleep, energizing fitness, and delightful rejuvenation into our daily lives.  Are you excited?  Ready to evolve?  I am! 

Leslie Why Reap
“Evolving, one day at a time….”

PaleoTerran welcomes nutritionit Leslie Reap. She brings a fresh and dynamic approach to helping you build your Paleo/primal health. Learn about Leslie in the About page. 

SUNDAY PALEO / August 14, 2011

Sunday morning walk, Gore Creek Trail, Vail, CO. August 2011. Image: CyberMed, LLC

NUTRITION 

If You Think Kids Can’t Make Big Diet Changes, Think Again! 
"I’m not going to sugar coat it — the doing part was easy, just remove the bad foods and cook healthier meals… but the emotional part was hard. They pitched fits ..." - The Primal Parent

7 Signs and symptoms you are addicted to junk food 
"What is junk food? Pretty much anything that contains sugar, refined wheat, trans fat and other yucky things. Cakes, candy, soda pop, pizza, donuts, ice cream, etc. You know the drill." - Kris Health Blog

RECIPES

Everyday Paleo Gazpacho with Avocado Cream! 
"I received a bunch of heirloom tomatoes in my CSA box this week and while gazing at them on the counter along with a few fresh cucumbers, beautiful purple bell peppers, and big red onions, I became inspired to make a gazpacho!" - Everyday Paleo

Paleo Chicken Bastila 
"This is a special occasion only recipe... Like, ‘I’m only going to eat this once a year or so’ special." - PaleoDigest

SUCCESS STORIES

Success Stories 
"People that reversed diabetes; lost 50+ pounds and took back control of their lives; refined their diet and exercise program to attain goals they thought were impossible. Here is just a small sample of the amazing accounts of transformation I have received over the last year." – Mark’s Daily Apple

What it feels like to lose 200 pounds 
"As of last Thursday, we, as a couple, have lost 200 pounds... It’s like a whole other person just walked out our door, never to be seen again. It has seriously changed everything about us." - Paleo Parents 

URBAN FARMING

Can Planting Vegetables in Vacant Lots Save Cleveland?
"By transforming its vacant lots, backyards and roof-tops into farming plots, the city of Cleveland could meet all of its fresh produce, poultry and honey needs, calculate researchers from Ohio State University. These steps would save up to $155 million annually, boost employment and scale back obesity." - WIRED SCIENCE