Monthly Archives: October 2012

Week 3 Recap of the Parker Paleo Diet Trial

Posted on October 30, 2012 | Comments Off

Still going well.

Raw oysters qualify as paleo

Weight is down to 165 lb compared to 166 a week ago—not a reliable or significant difference. Again, I’m not in this for weight loss, but wouldn’t mind losing another five pounds.

Transgressions? You bet. I was off my usual schedule, being out of town for the funeral of my favorite aunt in Baytown, TX. I had a small praline (pure sugar and pecans), a small tamale (cornmeal), and four oysters breaded with flour and fried in industrial seed oil. I passed on the carrot cake my two dinner mates shared.

Eating paleo at restaurants on the road is fairly easy, especially if supplemented by the nuts and fresh fruit I travel with. We had breakfast at Denny’s in Corsicana, TX, and I was amazed at how many of the menu items incorporated cheese. I loved hearing that Texas, “How ya’ll doin’?”

I’ll not do more weekly recaps until I have something interesting to say. I’m planning to cheat on the diet for 24 hours around Thanksgiving holiday, and at least once I’ll get a pumpkin Blizzard from Dairy Queen. It’s a very thick milk shake.

—Steve

Update October 31, 2012

Dairy Queen pumpkin pie Blizzard: 780 calories, 116 g of digestible carbohydrate. That’s more calories than many of my meals.

Update November 8, 2012

Weight 168 lb.

Update November 14, 2012

Weight 165.5 lb. Only a few transgressions. I miss sugar, as in cinnamon rolls, cookies, and pies.

Update November 19, 2012

Weight 164 lb.

Update November 21, 2012

Weight 162 lb.

Update November 22, 2012

Weight 165 lb.

Update December 3, 2012

Weight 165 lb (had been up to 167 in last week after Thanksgiving pies)

Update December 6, 2012

Weight 164 lb

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Posted in My Paleo Diet Trial

Tagged Parker Paleo Diet

Week 2 Recap of the Parker Paleo Diet Trial

Posted on October 23, 2012 | 2 comments

It’s going well. (Click for the Parker version of paleo.)

Overton trail at Cave Creek Regional Park, Arizona

Only one transgression. I attended my son’s Boy Scout troop campout last weekend and had some salad with a small amount of cheese and salad dressing made from industrial seed oil. Not a big deal.

These campouts are often carb-heavy affairs involving copious grains and refined sugars. The adults get together on meals so there’s usually some compromise involved. We always have meat or eggs at mealtimes, along with fresh fruit. It’s not too hard to eat paleo, particularly if I bring some nuts. I was sorely tempted by blueberry muffins, white chocolate/macadamia nut cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies.

Although I’m not trying the paleo diet to lose weight, I lost 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) in the last week, adding to the 1.5 lb I lost in the first week. Starting weight was 171 lb and I’m down to 166. I gotta admit I’m pleasantly surprised. I haven’t even been exercising for the last couple weeks.

—Steve

PS: The paleo diet is also known as the Paleolithic, Stone Age, Old Stone Age, hunter-gatherer, or caveman diet.

Hamburger, mixed veggies, raw cucumbers

Go John trail at Cave Creek Regional Park, Arizona, where the troop camped

Rosemary Chicken (garnished with pico de gallo) and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

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Posted in My Paleo Diet Trial

Tagged Arizona, Cave Creek Regional Park, hiking, Parker Paleo Diet, weight loss

What Do Mainstream Dietitians Think of the Paleo Diet?

Posted on October 17, 2012 | 5 comments

Australian Aborigine in Swamp Darwin

I’m curious to know what mainstream dietitians think about the Paleolithic diet, so I read an article entitled “Are diets from Paleolithic times relevant today?” This one-page article is in the August, 2012, issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The author is Eleese Cunningham, RD, of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Knowledge Center Team.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the new name of the American Dietetics Association, “the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.”

Ms. Cunningham notes that “diet books for modern humans are extremely popular, and the Paleolithic diet, sometimes called the “Caveman Diet” or the “Stone Age Diet,” is one of the latest trends.” You’d think the author would mention one of the popular paleo diet books, such as Loren Cordain’s, Robb Wolf’s, or Mark Sisson’s. Think again. She brings up only another dietitian’s review of Richard Nikoley’s paleo diet book, pointing out his lack of professional health credentials and his advocacy of raw milk consumption. But milk isn’t even considered a component of most paleo diets. Ms. Cunningham justifiably points out the infectious risks, however small, linked to raw milk consumption. (I’ve not read Nikoley’s book, Free the Animal.)

(If you click the link to see the review of Nikoley’s book, scroll to page 30. Sample: “Based more on science fiction than science fact, Nikoley’s recommendations are misguided and reckless…”)

Ms. Cunningham likes the fact that the paleo diet reduces consumption of salt and added sugars, while promoting fruit and vegetables. However, she immediately notes thereafter that, “a striking counter to the meat-based Paleolithic diet is the evidence that supports the healthfulness of a vegetarian diet and the benefits it may have in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Another review of this approach . . . questions the exclusion of nutrient-rich grains, beans, and low-fat dairy and the potential nutrient shortfalls associated with the Paleolithic diet restrictions.”

This article appears to be in a regular feature of the journal called, “From the Academy: Question of the Month.” Are diets from Paleolithic times relevant today? She never answers directly. I suspect the average dietitian reading this article will conclude that Ms. Cunningham and the Academy are not in favor of the paleo diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Cunningham, Eleese. Are diets from Paleolithic times relevant today? Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012 (vol. 112, issue 8): p. 1296. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.06.019

Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2009 (109): 1266-1282.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Paleo Diet

Tagged caveman diet, Eleese Cunningham, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, paleo diet, paleo diet review, paleolithic diet, Richard Nikoley, Stone Age diet

Week 1 Recap of the Parker Paleo Diet Trial

Posted on October 15, 2012 | 1 comment

I really didn’t need all that meat, but I ate it anyway

It’s going well. No adverse effects. Pretty easy to follow.

A prior post outlines the paleo diet version I’m following. It’s a little more hardcore or purist than some of the others you’ll see.

Only two transgressions. I absentmindedly drank a diet Coke and I purposefully ate four bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeño peppers that held a little cheese. The peppers were too hot for anyone else at home and I couldn’t stand to see them go to waste.

I’ve been working a string of 12-hour shifts. My wife has cooked my meals; I eat one hot and fresh, and take the leftovers to the hospital for my mid-shift meal. So two meals a day.

I’m not doing this to lose weight, but I’m down to 169.5 lb, a loss of 1.5 lb in one week. I think the loss is real, not reflecting my state of hydration or contents of bladder and bowels.

This is fun.

—Steve

PS: The paleo diet is also known as the Paleolithic, Stone Age, Old Stone Age, hunter-gatherer, or caveman diet.

Sirloin steak, salad, cantaloupe, 3 raspberries

Pan-fried chicken and vegetables

My wife heats these in the microwave for five minutes then sautees them in olive oil with garlic slices

Thick chicken breasts sliced down the middle and opened up like a clam to reduce cooking time

Only $3.50 (USD) for the whole bag at Sam’s Club

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Posted in My Paleo Diet Trial, Recipes

Tagged paleo diet, paleo meals, paleo recipes, Parker Paleo Diet

How Long Have Our Ancestors Been Cooking With Fire?

Posted on October 14, 2012 | 1 comment

“We mastered fire with the invention of matches, silly!”

Earlier this month I mentioned that biological anthropologist Richard Wrangham estimates hominins tamed fire and started cooking with it 1.8 million years ago.

A recent article at Slate reviews the debate among anthropologists. Some respected authorities date our mastery of fire from 12,000 to 400,000 years ago.

I don’t know the answer, but I’d wager it was much earlier than 12,000 years ago.

—Steve

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Posted in Paleo Theory

Tagged fire, history of fire, mastery of fire, Wrangham

Skirt Steak With Guacamole and Pico de Gallo

Posted on October 12, 2012 | Comments Off

Another doctor-approved paleo meal

I’m blessed to have a wife who’s a good cook.

When I lived in Austin, Texas, the story was that skirt steak (diaphragm muscle) was a cheap cut of meat favored by Mexicans. After fajitas caught on, the price went up. It’s often run through a tenderizing machine or pounded before cooking.

Pico de Gallo is just chopped up tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, and salt.

-Steve

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Posted in Recipes

Tagged guacamole, paleo diet, pico de gallo, skirt steak, steak

Hamburger and Avocado Salad

Posted on October 10, 2012 | 1 comment

Hamburger-Avocado Salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, salt/pepper, and olive oil vinaigrette

This was an OK dinner. My wife didn’t care for it, which may explain why don’t see anything similar on typical restaurant menus. You see salads with chicken, salmon, or steak strips, usually. Hamburger’s just not an ideal pairing with the other flavors, I guess. I dressed it with the left-over olive oil vinaigrette I made yesterday.

-Steve

1 Comment

Posted in Recipes

Tagged avocado, hamburger, paleo diet, salad, vinaigrette

Sunny’s Super Salad

Posted on October 10, 2012 | Comments Off

Sunny’s Super Salad

My wife whipped this up for a quick lunch. The salad has several types of lettuce, walnuts, mandarin oranges, avocado, cucumber, and tomato, topped with pan-fried skinless chicken strips.

I made the vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt/pepper in about two minutes. My oil to vinegar ratio was 3:1. My wife wants less vinegar next time.

Sprinkle on Weber Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning for extra zing, if desired. I may add this to my next batch of vinaigrette.

—Steve

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Posted in Recipes

Tagged chicken, olive oil, Sunny's Super Salad, vinaigrette, vinegar

Day 1 of My Paleo Diet

Posted on October 8, 2012 | 14 comments

Why do it?

Direct experience with implementation obstacles
Potential health benefits

My first Parker Paleo Diet meal: sautéed mixed veggies and pan-fried chicken breast

I’m not doing this to lose weight, although I wouldn’t mind losing 10 lb (4.5 kg). I weigh 171 lb (77.7 kg, BMI 23.4). Regarding health benefits, I’m just going to monitor how I feel. No blood work. My blood pressure’s normal already.

My current version of paleo is not designed for someone with diabetes or prediabetes. That may come in the future (Dr. Frassetto, when can we see your latest research results?). By “current version,” I mean I’ll quite likely tweak it over the coming months. One of my major issues is whether to keep or delete potatoes.

Here’s what I’ll eat (or not) on the Parker Paleo Diet:

FORBIDDEN FOODS: Grains (e.g., corn, wheat, rice), Dairy, Legumes (peanuts, beans, peas, green beans), Industrial Vegetable Oils (soybean, corn, safflower, etc.), Alcohol, Refined Sugars.

PROTEINS: Meat, fish/seafood, eggs, poultry, and wild game. Bacon OK; minimize other processed meats.

NUTS & SEEDS: Especially walnuts, macadamia, cachews, almonds. Limit to 1-2 oz/day.

FRUITS: Limit 2 pieces/day?

VEGETABLES:

Lower-Carb: Greens (lettuce, spinach, chard, collard, mustard geen, kale), radicchio, endive, bok choy, herbs, celery, radishes, mushrooms, cabbage, jicama, avocado, asparagus, okra, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, summer squash, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, green onions, tomatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, eggplant, artichokes, turnips, rutabagas, spaghetti squash, carrots, onions, leeks, water chestnuts (small serving). This list generally starts with the lower carb items and gradually increases to higher carb grams. All these have 5 or fewer carbs per serving; most are much less.

Starchy, Higher-Carb: Beets (6 g, GI 64), winter squashes (acorn, butternut), water chestnuts, parsnips (9 g, GI 97), potatoes (35 g, GI 87), sweet potatoes, (20 g, GI 61), cassava (37 g), taro (21 g), plantains. Some categorize carrots as starchy.

HERBS & SPICES: Cilantro, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc. Salt (minimal), pepper, vinegar.

OILS: Extra virgin olive, canola, flax, avocado.

CONDIMENTS: Olive oil vinaigrettes, mayonnaise from olive oil & egg yolk, and ?

LIQUIDS: H2O, coffee, tea

I’m not counting calories, fat grams, or carb grams. I’ll eat until full or satisfied, not stuffed. This is a two-month trial, excluding 24 hours around Thanksgiving.

Steve Parker, M.D.