Too Much Calcium May Be Worse Than Too Little

Posted on April 6, 2013 | 1 comment

I’ve been fretting that the paleo diet may not provide enough calcium to keep aging bones strong. On the other hand, the writer(s) at the Joslin Diabetes Blog point out that too much calcium may promote cardiovascular disease.

The February, 2013, issue of British Medical Journal has a pertinent research report. The Joslin blogger writes:

Participants were women from a mammography cohort who were asked about their calcium consumption, using a food frequency questionnaire, at baseline and seven-to-ten years later. The 61, 433 women were followed for a period of 19 years. During that time, 6894 participants died of cardiovascular disease or stroke. The researchers found that the women taking over 1400mg of calcium per day had a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease. Participants whose calcium consumption remained within suggested bounds, between 600mg and 1000mg per day, did not appear to have a greater vulnerability to cardiac disease.

Read the rest.

I confess I haven’t read the BMJ article.

I always wonder about overall death rates when I see results like this. A group may have higher or lower rates of cardiovascular disease, and yet live longer than the comparison group. An intervention could prevent cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular death, yet increase the incidence of death from infection, cancer, accidents, or suicide, etc.

I bet a lot of adults eating a paleo-style diet approach or exceed 600 mg a day of calcium. I’m feeling better about the calcium in paleo diets. But I don’t want to have to depend on feelings.

The Joslin blogger notes that, “Perhaps it is time to have a conversation with your health care provider to determine what the best dose of calcium is for you.” Problem is, I’m not sure any healthcare provider really knows the best “dose” of calcium for the average person, whether supplemental or dietary calcium.

Sorry, men. These findings may or may not apply to you. At least you don’t have to worry about osteoporosis nearly as much as women.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: In case you hadn’t run across it elsewhere, note that taking a calcium supplement without a concomitant vitamin D supplement may be more harmful than taking calcium with vitamin D.

 

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Is the Paleo Diet Truly Low-Carb After All?

Posted on April 6, 2013 | 3 comments

Lifextension argues that very case in a recent blog post. If the paleo diet is low carb, then it’s going to be heavily animal-based. According to Lifextension:

Diachronic and comparative analysis of the skeletal data of human hunters and cultivators from across the globe has revealed that – prior to the onset of agriculture – carbohydrates must have comprised only a rare and occasional component of ancestral eating patterns. Furthermore, the impact of the introduction of carbohydrates to human diets was almost immediate in its deterioration of human health and biology.

…

However, paradoxically, many proponents of a ‘Paleo’ (i.e.: pre-agricultural) diet have promoted the use of tubers and other starches as – not only benign – but necessary health foods to consume for the correction of metabolic and endocrine disorders. Potatoes, rice, and other oxymoronically-labelled ‘safe’ starches, are being promoted in spite of the fact that they are exclusively Neolithic foods. Consequently, it is the conflation of starches, safe, and ancestral that I now wish to address, and hopefully correct.

Lifextension concludes:

The intake of plant foods by hominids was most plausibly and conceivably minimal. This is due to their limited, seasonal availability; the physiological ceiling on fibre and toxin intake; the biological evolution of early Homo physiology; along with the technological, spatial and temporal limitations of obligatory pre-consumption preparations. Consequently, evolutionary arguments for the consumption of what are quite blatantly Neolithic foods are rendered paradoxical and absurd. Starches are neither ‘Paleo’; nor does our evolutionary biology sanction them as ‘safe’.

Lifextension neither pulls punches nor takes prisoners. This could get interesting.

Read the rest.

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What’s for Dinner? Cabbage Soup and Salad

Posted on April 5, 2013 | Comments Off on What’s for Dinner? Cabbage Soup and Salad
paleo diet, Steve Parker MD, cabbage soup

This cabbage soup only has 9 grams of digestible carbohydrate per 2-cup serving

I’m putting together some paleo diabetic meals for you. Today’s offering works for lunch or dinner (where I come from, dinner is the evening meal).

Ingredients:

  • Hearty Cabbage Soup, 2 cups
  • baby spinach, 2 oz (60 g)
  • lettuce, romaine, 2 oz (60 g)
  • tomatoes, chunked, 3 oz (85 g)
  • cucumbers, peeled and sliced, 2 oz (60 g)
  • olive oil, extra virgin,  2 tbsp (30 ml)
  • vinegar, 2 tsp (10 ml)
  • salt and pepper to taste (not counted in nutritional analysis below)
  • apple, medium (2.75-inch or 7-cm diameter)

Instructions:

See my recipe for Hearty Cabbage Soup.

Salad: In a bowl, place the lettuce, spinach, tomato chunks, sliced cucumber, adn finally, the olive oil and vinegar. Mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. If you’re avoiding salt, consider substituting a few squirts of fresh lemon juice.

Enjoy the apple for desert.

Servings: 1

Nutritional Analysis:

  • 61% fat
  • 26% carbohydrate
  • 13% protein
  • 550 calories
  • 38.7 g carb
  • 10.3 g fiber
  • 28.4 g digestible carb
  • 1,252 mg sodium (plus any you add)
  • 1,328 mg potassium
  • Prominent features: rich in sodium (not good?), A, B12, C, E, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc

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Seminal Article by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

Posted on April 5, 2013 | 1 comment

I have little to say about it. Just wanted it in my database:

“The Nutritional Characteristics of a Contemporary Diet Based Upon Paleolithic Food Groups” in Journal of the American Neutraceutical Association,  2002; 5:15-24.

The title of that journal doesn’t fill me with confidence, but it is what it is. Many of the ideas in the article are likely in his popular books.

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Recipe: Tossed Tuna Salad and Almonds

Posted on April 4, 2013 | Comments Off on Recipe: Tossed Tuna Salad and Almonds
tuna, fishing, Steve Parker MD, paleo diet, tuna salad

Has anyone even bothered to ask why the tuna are eating mercury? —Jim Gaffigan

This is an easy lunch or dinner. For a different flavor and twice the calcium, you could substitute canned sardines for the tuna, but I’ve never tried it.

Ingredients:

  • lettuce, romaine, 3.5 oz (100 g)
  • onion, chopped, 1.5 oz (42 g)
  • tomatoes, chunked, 5.5 oz (150 g)
  • tuna, canned, albacore/white, packed in water (drain and discard the fluid), 5-oz can (140 g)
  • olive oil, extra virgin, 1.5 tbsp (22 ml)
  • vinegar, balsamic, 1/2 tbsp (7.5 ml)
  • salt and pepper to taste (not counted in nutritional analysis below)
  • almonds, 1.5 oz (45 g)

Instructions:

In a 3-quart (3 liter) bowl, put lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and tuna (3.25 oz or 90 g at this point). Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste Mix well with a fork. Enjoy almonds separately, before, during, or after salad.

For extra zing, add a few squirts of fresh lemon juice. This is a neat trick if you’re trying to avoid salt.

Servings: 1

Nutritional Analysis:

  • 58% fat
  • 12% carbohydrate
  • 30% protein
  • 711 calories
  • 22.3 g carb
  • 9.4 g fiber
  • 12.9 digestible carb
  • 670 mg sodium
  • 1,392 mg potassium
  • Prominent features: rich in protein, B12, C, E, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, and selenium

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A Paleo Problem: Calcium

Posted on April 3, 2013 | 17 comments
paleo diet, Steve Parker MD,calcium, osteoporosis

I worry about her bones 50 years hence

It appears difficult to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium while eating most versions of the paleo diet.  That’s because they don’t include milk products.  The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University has a review of calcium as related to nutrition and health, last updated in late  2010. They say that few Americans hit their recommended daily calcium goal.

I see lots of little old ladies with hip and other fractures related to osteoporosis. Trust me, you don’t want to go there. It’s difficult to reverse osteoporosis, an insidious process that’s been going on for decades before the fracture.

Osteoporosis may be related to years of inadequate calcium consumption. Adequate vitamin D is  an important part of the equation, too. Blood calcium levels are strictly regulated, and if they’re too low, calcium is pulled from the bones to fill the blood’s tank.

Broccoli and bok choy are fair sources of calcium, but pale in comparison to milk. Bok choy isn’t a part of my diet; I’m not even sure I’ve ever had it. Below is a video on bok choy cooking. Looks simple enough.  I need to look into kale, too.

Many paleophiles promote bone broth, but I haven’t figured out why yet. Is it high in calcium? (Hat tip to Wendy Schwartz for the word “paleophile”.)

A can of sardines looks like a good source of calcium: 350 mg or 35% Daily Value.

Can you help me worry less about calcium deficiency?

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Recipe: Mexican Eggs and Avocado Slices

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Comments Off on Recipe: Mexican Eggs and Avocado Slices

Steve Parker MD, paleo diet, low-carb dietMy family loves the pico de gallo over these fried eggs. If you don’t want to make a batch of the pico de gallo, substitute an amount of commercial picante sauce that provides no more than three grams of digestible carbohydrate. “Digestible carbohydrate” is the total carb grams of a serving, minus the fiber grams.

Ingredients:

  • eggs, three large
  • tomato, fresh, 2 oz (60 g)
  • onion, fresh 3/4 oz (20 g)
  • jalapeño pepper, fresh, 1/4 of a pepper
  • cilantro, fresh, 3–4 sprigs chopped finely to supply 1 tbsp (15 ml)
  • olive oil, 2 tsp (10 ml)
  • California avocado, 1 whole (these are the dark green or black avocados, usually 4 x 2.5 inches or 10 x 5 cm)
  • salt, to taste (1/4 tsp?)
  • black pepper to taste (1/4 tsp?)

Instructions:

Make the pico de gallo first. Finely chop and blend together the tomato, onion, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, some of the salt and pepper to taste.

paleo diet, Steve Parker MD, pico de gallo

We chop our pico de gallo more finely than this

Peel and slice the avocado. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fry the eggs in an olive oil-coated pan.  Salt and pepper to taste. When done, transfer to a plate and spoon the pico de gallo onto the eggs. Enjoy with avocado slices on the side.

At our house, we usually make enough pico for left-overs. It lasts a few days in the refrigerator.

Servings: 1

Nutritional Analysis:

  • 72% fat
  • 13% carbohydrate
  • 15% protein
  • 592 calories
  • 20.4 g carb
  • 12.8 g fiber
  • 7.6 g digestible carb
  • 810 mg sodium (if you use a total of 1/4 tsp)
  • 1,237 mg potassium
  • Prominent features: rich in B12, copper, iron, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and selenium

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Oil Pulling for Dental Health

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Comments Off on Oil Pulling for Dental Health

 

tooth structure, paleo diet, caries, enamel

Cross-section of a tooth

Medical student Kris Gunnars has a post on the topic, mentioning it’s a time-honored Indian folk remedy for treatment or prevention of dental problems.

I’d never heard of this before. I have no opinion on efficacy. Kris says to spit the oil out after swishing for 10–15 minutes because it contains “bacteria and nasty things.” I’d be tempted to swallow it unless I were concerned about the 180 calories in the oil. You’re swallowing those bacteria all day anyway. I imagine you have a mouth full of saliva after the first five minutes.

I’m filing this tidbit away for future reference.

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Julianne Taylor, RD, Outlines Her Version of the Paleo Diet

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Comments Off on Julianne Taylor, RD, Outlines Her Version of the Paleo Diet

…in an attractive infographic.  You do follow her blog, don’t you?

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How To Roast Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts

Posted on March 31, 2013 | Comments Off on How To Roast Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts
paleo diet, Steve Parker MD, how to cook asparagus and Brussels sprouts

The finished product: 14 oz of asparagus and 7 oz of Brussels sprouts yields 5 or 6 servings

This is easy.  I use the same method to roast potatoes.

Cooking asparagus is a little tricky. Allrecipes.com has a short video you may find helpful. The thick end of the stalks can be woody, especially on the larger spears, so you need to cut them off or use a potato peeler to shave off some of the “wood.” Or just by the smaller spears.

how to roast asparagus and Brussels sprouts, paleo diet, Steve Parker MD

The disposable foil just makes clean-up easier

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Rinse off the veggies then let them dry. Brush with extra virgin olive oil then salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with other herbs or spices if you wish. Layer them on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for 10–12 minutes.

It doesn’t seem fair to the other vegetables that we capitalize Brussels sprouts.

Have you noticed that asparagus alters your urine’s odor?

Nutritional Mini-Analysis

If you start with 14 oz of raw asparagus, you’ll end up with four servings.  Each serving has 40 calories (half of which are fat from the olive oil), total carbohydrates 4 g, fiber 2.2 g, and digestible carb 1.8 g.

Eight oz of Brussels sprouts yields two servings. Each serving has 70 calories, total carbs 10.3 g, fiber 4.4 g, and digestible carb 5.9 g.

 

This rubber-tipped brush coated the vegetables with olive oil (a little more that a tablespoon for the whole batch)

This rubber-tipped brush coated the vegetables with olive oil (a little more than a tablespoon for the whole batch)

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