Tag Archives: ancestral diet

Paleobetic Diet Book Now Available

Posted on August 30, 2015 | 3 comments

Paleobetic Diet-FrontCover_300dpi_RGB_5.5x8.5

 

 

 

I started this blog four years ago as an exploration of the Paleolithic diet as a therapeutic option in diabetes and prediabetes. Scientific studies from Ryberg (2013), Mellberg (2014), Boers (2014), and Masharani (2015) have convinced me that the paleo diet indeed has true potential to improve these conditions.

A couple years ago I published a bare-bones preliminary version of the Paleobetic Diet. Here’s an outline. I just finished a comprehensive fleshed-out version in book format.

The central idea is to control blood sugars and eliminate or reduce diabetes drugs by working with Nature, not against her. This is the first-ever Paleolithic-style diet created specifically for people with diabetes and prediabetes.

Also known as the caveman, Stone Age, paleo, or ancestral diet, the Paleolithic diet provides the foods our bodies were originally designed to thrive on. You’ll not find the foods that cause modern diseases of civilization, such as concentrated refined sugars and grains, industrial seed oils, and over-processed Franken-foods. Our ancestors just five generations ago wouldn’t recognize many of the everyday foods that are harming us now. On the Paleolithic diet, you’ll enjoy a great variety of food, including nuts and seeds, vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, and eggs.

In the book you’ll find one week of meal plans to get you started, plus additional special recipes. Meals are quick and easy to prepare with common ingredients. You’ll find detailed nutritional analysis of each meal, including carbohydrate grams.

All measurements are given in both U.S. customary and metric units. Blood glucose values are provided as both mmol/l and mg/dl. Also included is information and advice on exercise, weight loss, all 12 classes of diabetes drugs, management of hypoglycemia, and recommended drug dose adjustments. All recipes are gluten-free.

 

Availability and Formats

You’ll find Paleobetic Diet at all major online bookstores. For example, Amazon (290-page paperback book in U.S.), Kindle ebook, and multiple ebook formats at Smashwords.

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, please give this program careful consideration. Help me spread the word if you know someone else who might benefit. Thank you.

Steve Parker, M.D.

3 Comments

Posted in Paleobetic Diet

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

An Argument for Copious Carbohydrate Content In the Paleo Diet

Posted on August 17, 2015 | 6 comments
Salivary amylase helps us digest starches like wheat

Salivary amylase helps us digest starches like wheat

A recent scientific paper proposes that carbohydrates—starches specifically—played a larger role in the ancestral human diet than previously thought. I’ll call this paper the Hardy study since she’s the first named author. The only author I recognize is Jennie Brand-Miller, of glycemic index fame.

A key part of the hypothesis is that our ancestors’ use of fire made starchy foods much more digestible. That’s not controversial. Wrangham thinks hominins have been using fire for cooking for over a million years. Humans, remember, arrived on the scene about 200,000 years ago.

I’m not saying I agree or disagree with the researchers. Read the paper and decide for yourself. I do feel somewhat vindicated in my inclusion of potatoes and other tubers in my version of the Paleolithic diet.

RTWT.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: The article references the Pleistocene Epoch. You’ll find various definitions of that, but the Pleistocene ranged from about 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago .

6 Comments

Posted in Paleo Theory

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Diet Implications of Human Origins and Migration

Posted on May 6, 2015 | 4 comments
African Savanna

African Savanna

Until 10,000 to 12,000 or so years ago, humans and our hominin ancestors obtained food through a combination of hunting and foraging. We hunted small or large game and birds. At some point we learned how to catch fish and shellfish. We searched for and gathered up fruits, berries, leafy plants, nuts, seeds, mussels, clams, honey, eggs, and roots.

Young woman sitting at camp fire, holding fried sausage

 

The range of edible items expanded when we harnessed the power of fire for cooking, which was at least 230,000 years ago and may have been as long as a million years ago.Tools and weapons also expanded our possibilities from the very start of the Paleolithic.

 

Prior to 10,000 years ago, we weren’t farming or raising cattle and dairy cows. Available foods depended on local climatic conditions, soil, and water availability. Climate, in turn, is heavily dependent on latitude (how far away from the equator) and altitude. East Africa at the dawn of humanity is described as savanna: grass-filled plains with scattered patches of forest, and relatively dry. Plants and animals available there would be much different than the colder but wetter Europe 200,000 years ago.

Steve Parker MD, paleo diet, paleobetic

Nubian ibex in Israel

 

Humans in Northern Europe tended to eat more animal-based food and relatively less plant matter than savanna-dwellers, perhaps just because there were fewer edible plants growing in the cold climate. Many plants would have been highly seasonal, just as they are now.

Tribes of humans walked or migrated to nearby micro-climates as one plant went out of season and another came into season. Tribes followed prey animals as they also migrated in search of seasonal food.

Due to technological limitations, we wouldn’t have been able to utilize some potential food sources that required much processing, such as cereal grains and legumes. Since we weren’t yet pastoralists (raising sheep, cattle, etc.), we would have access to milk only if we killed a nursing prey animal. Have you ever tried to milk a wild water buffalo? Not advisable. Ability to digest milk beyond infancy was marginal. Even today, two-thirds of humans lose the ability to digest milk after infancy.

The experts debate actively debate how long we’ve been consuming significant amounts of cereal grains and roots. Canadian researchers working in Africa suggest we’ve enjoyed them for over 100,000 years (see Mercader, Julio, et al. Mozambican grass seed consumption during the Middle Stone Age. Science, December 18, 2009.)

Steve Parker, M.D.

4 Comments

Posted in Paleo Theory

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Evolutionary Aspects of Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Cardiovascular Risk

Posted on July 10, 2014 | 10 comments
paleo diet, Paleolithic diet, hunter-gatherer diet

Huaorani hunter in Ecuador

Spreadbury and Samis have a review-type article in Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports. Here’s the abstract:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still virtually absent in those rare populations with minimal Western dietary influence. To date, exercise, altered fats, fibre, anti-oxidants or Mediterranean diet do not appear to overcome the discrepancy in CVD between hunter-gatherer and Western populations. The CVD risk factors of obesity and diabetes are driven by increased caloric intake, with carbohydrates potentially implicated. Paradoxically, non-Westernized diets vary widely in macronutrients, glycemic and insulinemic indices, yet apparently produce no obesity or CVD regardless, even with abundant food. ‘Ancestral’ grain-free whole-food diet may represent the best lifestyle intervention for obesity and CVD. Such diets are composed of the cells of living organisms, while Western grains, flour and sugar are dense, acellular powders. Bacterial inflammation of the small intestine and vagal afferents appears a crucial step in leptin-resistance and obesity. Therefore it may be important that the Western diet resembles a bacterial growth medium.

You may remember Spreadbury’s name from his theory about acellular carbohydrates causing obesity via alterations in gut microorganisms. Spreadbury is with the Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

You can read the articles for yourself. The following are a few of the authors points I found interesting or want to remember.

Does physical activity explain differences in CVD between Westernized and non-Westernized Peoples? They say “maybe.”

Throughout the article are references to aboriginals like the Hadza, Kitavans, Ache, Shuar, Australian aborigines, and Inuits. I always take comparisons of them to modern Europeans with a grain of salt, because of potential genetic differences between the populations. Moreover, diet and activity levels are only two of myriad cultural differences.

Australian Aborigine in Swamp Darwin

Australian Aborigine in Swamp Darwin

Can dietary changes reduce the incidence of CVD? They say it’s unclear.

Regarding modern paleo diet trials, “All the studies with ad libitum eating [eat all you want] have reported a spontaneous reduction in caloric intake in the order of 15-30%.” (Three references.) “The reduced food intake appeared driven by a satiety increase that was apparently not explicable by energy density, fiber or macronutrient content.” (One reference.)

“In those eating a Westernized diet, carbohydrates are increasingly recognized as being associated with poor metabolic health.” Evidence? Only one reference cited: Zienczuk’s 2012 article on high arctic Inuits.

“…non-Westernized populations with excellent metabolic and cardiovascular health almost invariably have negligible dietary contribution from grains, as well as refined sugar.” No citations.

“For ‘western-style’ diets and most obesogenic diets tested, gut microbiota appear to play a crucial role in obesity.” That’s a bold statement. References? Only one, a mouse study.

The rest of the article is about Spreadbury’s acellular carb/obesity theory. He suggests that small intestine bacteria play a more prominent role than colonic germs. Bacterial-driven inflammation….

The authors provide an example of a grain-free whole-food diet. It’s unrestricted in fruit, leafy or root vegetables, unprocessed meats, eggs, fish, nuts (except peanuts), mushrooms, herbs and spices. Occasional foods to be eaten in moderation are legumes, rice, yogurt, milk, cheeses, sweet corn, palm oil/lard/olive oil, and salt. Avoid almost all processed foods, breads, cereals, cakes/cookies/donuts etc., refined sugars, dried or processed fruits, vegetable/seed oils, and processed meats. They advise a vitamin D supplement. I’m not sure if they came up with this diet on their own, or it’s S. Lindeberg’s outline.

A final quote:

The macronutrient independence of the health from ancestral diet suggests whole foods are more important to health than their macronutrient or other chemical components, and that good health is associated with unprocessed cellular foods. Flour, sugar and processed foods appear to be important drivers of Western metabolic dysfunction, overweight and inflammation, and may prove to have a profound impact on, or even be the initiators of cardiovascular disease.

I’m sure Spreadbury and Samis would agree we need more basic science and clinical research into these issues, involving human test subjects. Maybe I’m prejudiced, but I’m more interested in Asians, Africans, and Europeans than Shuar people.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Spreadbury, Ian and Samis, Andrew J.S. Evolutionary aspects of obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports, April 2013, vol. 7, issue 2, pp. 136-146.

10 Comments

Posted in Paleo Diet, Paleo Theory

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Effects of a Paleo-Style Diet on One Case of LADA

Posted on November 6, 2013 | Comments Off on Effects of a Paleo-Style Diet on One Case of LADA

Dietitian Kelly Schmidt has a blog interview with Intrepid Pioneer, who has LADA—Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood. LADA is much closer to type 1 than type 2 diabetes, so he’s on insulin. He was inspired initially by a “Whole 30 Challenge.” He makes room for cheese and home-brewed beer; so not pure paleo. Samples:

I was diagnosed May 2011 during my routine annual physical. At that time my blood sugars were up around 360 and my AC1’s ran around 12.3. At first I was treated as if I was a Type 2 with Metformin. The medicine only helped to control my blood sugars down to around 250 or so. At that time my endocrinologist informed me that I probably have LADA or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes, which basically has been coined type 1.5 Meaning I developed adult on-set Type 1. My father has had Type 1 all his life and was diagnosed as a child.

***

Since eating the Paleo lifestyle, and I hate it when one calls it a diet because then it feels temporary, I’ve pretty much stop taking my fast acting mealtime insulin. Meaning I only inject fast acting when I know I’m having Pizza for dinner as a treat, or for a thanksgiving meal, etc. My long acting insulin has reduced by over 10 units since starting this diet. All of that said, Paleo is great and it all tastes so good because it’s real food, but I have found that I also need to exercise, eating Paleo combined with exercise has yielded dynamic results. My endocrinologist was blown away by all that I had done, reduced my insulin injections and basically had my A1C’s in check — my last appointment I was 7.3. Still a bit more to go but the last time I was pushing 9 just six months before.

Read the whole thing (it’s brief).

Comments Off on Effects of a Paleo-Style Diet on One Case of LADA

Posted in Testamonials

Tagged , , , , , , ,

I’ve Never Had Much Interest in the Kitavans…

Posted on September 11, 2013 | 4 comments

…but maybe you have.

If so, click over to Science-Based Medicine for Dr. Harriet Hall’s thoughts on them and Staffan Lindeberg’s seminal nutrition study. This is her second recent post on ancestral diets (aka paleo). A snippet:

I am always suspicious of initial reports of unusually healthy or long-lived groups in remote areas, because I have so often seen such reports disconfirmed by subsequent investigations. Lindeberg’s studies were done in the early 90’s and have not been confirmed by other studies in the ensuing two decades. In the Kitava study, the ages of subjects were not objectively verifiable, but were estimated from whether or not they remembered significant historical events. The absence of heart disease and stroke was deduced by asking islanders if they had never known anyone who had the symptoms of either condition. This was reinforced by anecdotal reports from doctors who said that they didn’t see those diseases in islanders. EKGs were done on the Kitavans, but a normal EKG does not rule out atherosclerosis or cardiovascular disease. I’m not convinced that we have enough solid data to rule out the presence of cardiovascular disease or other so-called “diseases of civilization” in that population.

You can guess where this is going.

Dr. Stephan Guyenet chimes in with cogent comments.

Read the whole thing.

4 Comments

Posted in Paleo Theory

Tagged , , ,

First Nation Aborigines Improve Diabetes By Return to Ancestral Diet

Posted on July 25, 2013 | Comments Off on First Nation Aborigines Improve Diabetes By Return to Ancestral Diet

…along with improvement in high blood pressure, weight, and heartburn. Dr. Jay Wortman worked with aborigines on the west coast of Canada, convincing some of them to return to their ancestral diet, which happened to be low in carbohydrate. Dr. Wortman shared his experience in a video with DietDoctor Andreas Eenfeldt. Or check out the hour-long documentary, “My Big Fat Diet,” which may be available on YouTube.

Dr. Wortman seems to have cured his own case of type 2 diabetes with an Atkins-style diet.

—Steve

Comments Off on First Nation Aborigines Improve Diabetes By Return to Ancestral Diet

Posted in Testimonials

Tagged , , ,

My Critique of the Joslin Critique of the Paleo Diet

Posted on March 16, 2013 | 3 comments
paleo diet, Paleolithic diet, hunter-gatherer diet

Huaorani hunter in Ecuador

The Joslin Diabetes Blog yesterday reviewed the paleo diet as applied to both diabetes and the general public.  They weren’t very favorably impressed with it.  But in view of Joslin’s great reputation, we need to give serious consideration to their ideas.  (I don’t know who wrote the review other than “Joslin Communications.”)

These are the main criticisms:

  • diets omitting grains and dairy are deficient in calcium and possibly B vitamins
  • you could eat too much total and saturated fat, leading to insulin resistance (whether type 1 or 2 diabetes) and heart disease
  • it’s not very practical, partly because it goes against the grain of modern Western cultures
  • it may be expensive (citing the cost of meat, and I’d mention fresh fruit and vegetables, too)

Their conclusion:

There are certainly better diets out there, but if you are going to follow this one, do yourself a favor, take a calcium supplement and meet with a registered dietitian who is also a certified diabetes educator  to make sure it is nutritionally complete, isn’t raising your lipids and doesn’t cause you any low blood glucose incidences.

Expense and Practicality

These take a back seat to the health issues in my view.  Diabetes itself is expensive and impractical.  Expense and practicality are highly variable, idiosyncratic matters to be pondered and decided by the individual.  If there are real health benefits to the paleo diet, many folks will find work-arounds for any expense and impracticality.  If the paleo diet  allows use of fewer drugs and helps avoid medical complications, you save money in health care costs that you can put into food.  Not to mention quality of life issues (but I just did).

Calcium and B Vitamin Deficiencies

This is the first I’ve heard of possible B vitamin deficiencies on the paleo diet.  Perhaps I’m not as well-read as I thought.  I’ll keep my eyes open for confirmation.

The potential calcium deficiency, I’ve heard of before.  I’m still open-minded on it.  I am starting to wonder if we need as much dietary calcium as the experts tell us.  The main question is whether inadequate calcium intake causes osteoporosis, the bone-thinning condition linked to broken hips and wrists in old ladies.  This is a major problem for Western societies.  Nature hasn’t exerted much selection pressure against osteoporosis because we don’t see most of the fractures until after age 70.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually find that life-long exercise and adequate vitamin D levels are much more important that calcium consumption.

With regards to calcium supplementation, you’ll find several recent scientific references questioning it.  For example, see this, and this, and this, and this, and this.  If you bother to click through and read the articles, you may well conclude there’s no good evidence for calcium supplementation for the general population.  If you’re not going to supplement, would high intake from foods be even more important?  Maybe so, maybe not.  I’m don’t know.

If you check, most of the professional osteoporosis organizations are going to recommend calcium supplements for postmenopausal women, unless dietary calcium intake is fairly high.

If I were a women wanting to avoid osteoporosis, I’d do regular life-long exercise that stressed my bones (weight-bearing and resistance training) and be sure I had adequate vitamin D levels.  And men, you’re not immune to osteoporosis, just less likely to suffer from it.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance from a relatively high-fat diet is theoretically possible.  In reality, it’s not common.  I’ve read plenty of low-carb high-fat diet research reports in people with type 2 diabetes.  Insulin levels and blood glucose levels go down, on average.  That’s not what you’d see with new insulin resistance.  One caveat, however, is that these are nearly all short-term studies, 6-12 weeks long.

If you have diabetes and develop insulin resistance on a high-fat diet, you will see higher blood sugar levels and the need for higher insulin drug doses.  Watch for that if you try the paleo diet.

Are High Total and Saturated Fat Bad?

Regarding relatively high consumption of total and saturated fat as a cause of heart or other vascular disease: I don’t believe that any more.  Click to see why.  If you worry about that issue, choose meats that are leaner (lower in fat) and eat smaller portions.  You could also look at your protein foods—beef, chicken, fish, eggs, offal, etc.—and choose items lower in total and saturated fat.  Consult a dietitian or online resource.  Protein deficiency is rarely, if ever, a problem on paleo diets.

In Conclusion

I think the paleo diet has more healthful potential than realized by the Joslin blogger(s).  I’m sure they’d agree we need more clinical studies of it, involving both type 1 and 2 diabetics.  I appreciate the “heads up” regarding potential vitamin B deficiencies.  My sense is that the Joslin folks are willing to reassess their position based on scientific studies.

I bet some of our paleo-friendly registered dietitians have addressed the potential adverse health issues of the paleo diet.  Try Amy Kubal, Franziska Spritzler (more low-carb than paleo) or Aglaée Jacob.  I assume the leading paleo diet book authors have done it also.

If you’re worried about adverse blood lipid changes on the paleo diet, get them tested before you start, then after two months of dieting.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: The paleo diet is also referred to as the Stone Age diet, caveman diet, Paleolithic diet, hunter-gatherer diet, and ancestral diet.

3 Comments

Posted in Diabetic Diet, Heart Disease, Paleo Diet, Paleo Theory, Vitamins

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ideas For A Paleo Diabetic Diet

Posted on February 3, 2013 | 5 comments
Sirloin steak, salad, cantaloupe, 3 raspberries

Sirloin steak, salad, cantaloupe, 3 raspberries

I’ve been thinking about a paleo-style diabetic diet for over a year.  Here are some miscellaneous ideas for your consideration.

A paleo diabetic diet will have the following major food groups:

  • vegetables
  • fruits
  • nuts and seeds
  • proteins (e.g., meat, fish, eggs)
  • condiments

A paleo diabetic diet could (should?) emphasize salads and low-carb colorful vegetables and only (?) low-carb or low-glycemic-index fruits.

Calories

Total calories?  Probably in the range of 1,800 to 3,000 calories daily with an average of 2,000.  Remember that 85% of type 2 diabetics are overweight or obese. Calorie restriction—regardless of macronutrient ratios (% carb, protein, fat)—tends to improve or normalize blood sugar levels.  Weight loss will likely entail some caloric restriction, whether consciously or not.

Type 1 Versus Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 and type 2 diabetics have many pathophysiologic differences.  Could a single paleo diabetic diet serve both populations equally well?  That’s the goal.

Carbohydrates

Diabetics have trouble metabolizing carbohydrates, so a paleo diabetic diet should probably be lower-than-average in digestible carbs.  100 g/day?  30 g/day?  I’m leaning toward 60 g ± 25%, so 45–75 g.  Smaller, less active folks could eat 45 g/day; larger, more active guys eat closer to 75 g.

Is there a role for very-low-carb or ketogenic eating patterns?  For most folks, that’s less than 50 g of digestible carbohydrate daily.  Under 30 g for some.  Use that only for those needing to lose weight?  Start everybody at  very low carb levels then increase carbs as tolerated?  On the other hand, there’s a lot to be said for simplicity.  It might be best to avoid very-low-carb (ketogenic) eating entirely.  Anyone not losing the desired amount of fat weight could cut portion sizes, especially carbohydrates.

Fish

I encourage fish consumption twice a week, diabetes or no.  Cold-water fatty fish have more of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids than other fish.

Nuts

I’d encourage 1–2 ounces (28–56 g) of nuts or seeds daily.  Any more than that might crowd out other healthful nutrients.  Nuts are protective of the heart.

Proteins

Protein-rich foods can definitely raise insulin requirements and blood sugar levels, but not in an entirely predictable way, and not to the extent we see with carbohydrates.  Should insulin users dose insulin based on a protein gram sliding scale?  I’m leaning towards simply recommending the same amount of protein at each meal, perhaps 4–8 ounces (113–229 g).

Fruit and Starchy Vegetables

Could a paleo diabetic diet even be “paleo” without fruit?  The problem with classic fruits is that they spike blood sugars too high for many diabetics.  To prevent that, Dr. Richard Bernstein outlaws all classic fruits (and other starchy carbs), even limiting tomatoes and onions to small amounts.  E.g., a wedge of tomato in a salad.  He doesn’t allow carrots either, unless raw (lower glycemic index than when cooked).  A paleo diabetic diet eater may be able to get away with eating lower-carb, lower-GI (glycemic index) fruits such as cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries and other berries.  Some paleo diabetic dieters will tolerate half an apple twice a day.

Different diabetics will have different blood sugar effects when eating starchy vegetables and higher-carb fruits.  Type 1 diabetics will tend to be more predictable than type 2s.  Both may just need to “eat to the meter”: try a serving and see what happens to blood sugar over the next hour or two.

Starchy vegetables—potatoes and carrots, for example—may well have to be limited.  Again, eat to the meter.

Gluten

This is looking to be gluten-free.  How trendy!  It’s a paleo celiac diet.

Use “natural” stevia as a sweetener?  If you read about how the product on your supermarket shelf  is made, it’s not at all natural.

Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acids

A strict focus on omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio will not appeal to many folks, even if it’s important from a health viewpoint.  Reserve this for advanced dieters who have mastered the basics?  Modern Western diets have an omega-6/omega-3 ratio around 10 or 15:1.  Paleolithic diets were closer to 2 or 3:1.  So we have an over-abundance of omega-6 fatty acid or deficiency of omega-3 that may be unhealthy.

Implementation

To get dieters started, I’d design a week of meals based on 2,000 to 2,200 calories.  If still hungry, eat more protein, fat, and low-carb vegetables (and fruits?).

What do you think?

Steve Parker, M.D.

Disclaimer:  All matters regarding your health require supervision by a personal physician or other appropriate health professional familiar with your current health status.  Always consult your personal physician before making any dietary or exercise changes.  

PS: See Dr. Bernstein’s “no-no” foods on page 151 of his Diabetes Solution book.

PPS: The paleo diet is also known as the Paleolithic diet, Stone Age diet, caveman diet, hunter-gatherer diet, and ancestral diet.

5 Comments

Posted in Diabetic Diet, Paleo Diet

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Two Month Recap of the Parker Paleo Diet Trial

Posted on December 9, 2012 | 1 comment
soup, home-made, potato, chicken, paleo diet, meal, Stone Age diet, recipe

Potato chicken soup

I’ve completed my two-month paleo diet trial.  I’m proud to say I’ve been fairly compliant with it, although certainly not 100%.  Perhaps 95%.

My major transgressions have been:

  • three diet sodas
  • a bottle of wine around Thanksgiving holiday
  • two or three pies around Thanksgiving (I couldn’t stand throwing them out)
  • other grain and refined sugar products around Thanksgiving
  • four servings of salad dressing made with industrial seed oils when I had no good alternative
  • a Blizzard (thick milk shake) from Dairy Queen
  • on 10–15 days I’ve exceeded my 2-ounce (60 g) limit on nuts

Results and Overall Impressions of Paleo Eating

It’s fairly easy, even when dining out or away from home.  Nevertheless, it requires some discipline and willpower.

My sense is that my meat, poultry, egg, and nut consumption stayed about the same as my baseline, pre-paleo levels.  I eliminated cheese and didn’t miss it much.  I ate more vegetables and fruit.

paleo diet, paleo meal, recipe, stone age diet, paleo food, hunter-gatherer food

I took my lunch meals to the hospital

My wife says paleo eating is at least a little more expensive than my prior eating habits, mostly related to fresh vegetables and fruit.  Grain products like bread, pasta, and rice are cheaper calories.  On the other hand, we saved money by not buying wine even though I don’t drink expensive wine.

I don’t miss grain products much at all.  I had already cut back on them over the last couple years as part of my experimentation with low-carb eating.  I do enjoy whole grain breads but could live a happy life without them if necessary.

I miss sweet items like cinnamon rolls, other pastries, cake, pie, ice cream, diet soda, and candy bars.  I don’t care for sugary soda pop and fruit juices.

I didn’t do this to lose weight, yet went from 171 lb (77.7 kg) down to 164 lb (74.5 kg).  So an unexpected loss of 7 lb (3.2 kg).  I hovered between 162 and 166 lb for the last few weeks so I don’t think I’ll keep losing weight if I stay with the program.

Do I feel any different eating this way?  No.  I’m blessed with good health, so wasn’t looking for any upgrades.  I have noticed more sweetness in a few foods, such as nuts and carrots.

I take nothing away from those who report more energy, better sleep, improved digestion, increased strength, less joint pain, etc., from paleo-style eating.  Undoubtedly, some of those apparent improvements are placebo effect, some are coincidental, and some are bona fide results of the paleo lifestyle.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: The paleo diet is also called the Paleolithic diet, hunter-gatherer diet, Stone Age diet, caveman diet, or ancestral diet.

Update December 16, 2012:  I wondered if lack of alcohol for the last two months had any effect on my weight loss.  For the last week I ate my usual paleo diet but added 3 fl oz (90 ml) of whiskey daily.  Weight today 163 lb (73.9 kg), so no real change over the short run.  That’s enough whiskey for a while.

Update December 27:  After three days of unrestrained Holiday eating, my weight is up 8 lb to 171 lb (77.7 kg).  Mostly thanks to pie, cookies, and candy.  I’m sure some of that extra weigh is glycogen, water, and intestinal contents, rather than fat.  Back on the paleo diet today, a low-carb version.

Update December 29:  Weight is down 5 lb to 166 lb (75.5 kg).  Amazing.

Pace salsa, paleo diet, Parker paleo diet

The contents of this salsa jar are all paleo-compliant

paleo diet, Parker paleo diet, canned pumpkin

Pure paleo contents unless there’s BPA in the can liner

pumpkin pie, paleo diet, Parker paleo diet

Definitely non-paleo pumpkin pie

wine bottle, red wine, paleo diet, meal,

Wine is not “paleo” by most definitions

paleo diet, paleo food, hunter-gatherer diet, macadamia nuts

L. Cordain likes the low omega-6/omega-3 ratio of macadamia nuts

1 Comment

Posted in My Paleo Diet Trial, Paleo Diet

Tagged , , , , , ,