To start, I’d like to say that this Paleo diet isn’t just a fad diet that we plan to drop once we get to ___ goal. It isn’t just speculation and guess either, I think the name itself is indicative of more. Paleo, as in Paleolithic time: when man did NOT have a way to process and package foods. Anthropologists and biochemists alike have contributed research into this ancestral-based diet. By studying the remains of our ancestors (the ones 30,000 + years ago) we can gather some decent information on what Paleolithic man ate. Ethnographers have studied “remnant” hunter-gatherer cultures to evaluate the ratio of meat to plant consumed. What they have discovered is that traditional diets all contained at least some meat, with the average around 65% food coming from animal products, and these populations are/were considerably healthier (free of modern disease and obesity that plagues industrialized countries today). There is evidence of stronger bone structure including the face and jaw, taller stature, and minimal evidence of autoimmune or chronic diseases. “But that’s because cavemen only lived like 30 years, right?” From what we’ve read, that’s completely misguided. First off, most studies include infant mortality, which skews the age at death considerably. Also, if you eliminate death due to trauma (a mammoth stampede, anyone?) or homicide (tribal wars?) the age our ancestors lived to was more like 72. Sounding better?
Hopefully that clears up some misconceptions of the origins of Paleo, and where we plan to go with it in the future. Time to get into the fun stuff... Food! There are NO recommendations on how much food you should eat, but rather recommendations on the quality of the food. Most people have a preconceived idea that this diet means no or low carb. The carb intake can vary widely depending on personal preference; I tend to feel better eating fewer carbs, Hilary seems to be able to enjoy slightly more without any problems.
Fats. I realize that it isn’t an actual food, but oh so important in our diet. Fats are necessary. Our cells are composed of cholesterol, hormones are synthesized from cholesterol, our brains are comprised of fats, and fats are necessary for shuttling around important vitamins like A, E, D and K. Good fats DO NOT make you fat, cholesterol DOES NOT increase your serum cholesterol levels.
Eggs, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, beef marrow, tallow and bacon fat, grass fed butter and ghee.
*We used to freely eat nuts as another fat source, but because of the high Omega 6:3 ratio, as well as "anti-nutrients" contained in them, we now try to limit their consumption.
Meat. We try to keep all of these sources local, grass fed, or wild. This ensures they have a better Omega 3:6 ratio (too much omega 6, like what’s found in grain-fed animals, is a major contributor to inflammation, and quite possibly conditions like heart disease), no added hormones, are typically humanely raised, as well as a smaller carbon footprint (yea, we’re hippies too). I just can’t imagine buying grass-fed beef in the grocery store that comes from Chile.
Beef and its organ meats, pork, fish (emphasis on salmon and sardines)
*We don’t forbid, but do generally stay away from poultry due to its high Omega 6 content, even in pasture-raised birds.
Plants. We belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture), so again, it’s all organic and local (avoiding fruit from a distant country....) It’s picked the day before we pick it up, so it’s fresh, unlike grocery store produce which is usually picked unripe and force ripened in a warehouse with chemicals. We eat a lot of green veggies, a moderate amount of starchy tubers (sweet potatoes, potatoes without the skin), and limited fruit (although it has a far better nutrient breakdown than a candy bar, it is still sugar).
*Corn is considered a GRAIN. However, our CSA doesn’t discriminate, and it grows well in AZ, so we occasionally indulge in some fresh (non-Monsanto) corn.
Dairy. We go back and forth to whether or not we want dairy in our diet. Orthodox Paleo would say no, as the availability of dairy came (only) about 9,000 years ago, with the advent of agriculture, and therefore is not a part of the ancestral diet. Also, when dairy is pasteurized, all of the good nutrients and enzymes that help to break down lactose are destroyed. With its relatively high sugar content (12 g per 8 oz milk), and low nutrient content, it is essentially candy. And it is sort of weird that humans drink the milk of another animal, right? But then on the other side of things, fermented dairy (like yogurt and kefir) add back in many of the good enzymes and probiotics that are killed with pasteurization, and they are beneficial in healing the gut. Hilary and I have tried dairy-free for 30 days, and then introduced dairy (butter, cream, and cheese only), with the only noticeable difference being a few more pimples. Not a huge deal, but maybe this is only a superficial manifestation of something worse happening in our body? At any rate, we don’t consume dairy often.
Butter, cream, whole fat yogurt and kefir, and cheese from grass-fed cows
*We’ve recently found a local farm that sells raw milk, yes, that’s UN-pasteurized. We’re excited to use this to make our own yogurt and kefir, and see if we notice any differences.
Now the food we avoid!
The Paleo diet doesn't allow for any beans, legumes, or grains, especially ones that have gluten. Grains mean corn and rice too. These types of foods compromise the integrity of our gut and our ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Compounds found in grains, (gluten being the worst), cause what is called a "Leaky Gut"...gross. It is believed that this inflammation and breakdown of the gut promotes chronic diseases as well as wheat belly (you know, that puffy sort of stomach you have…) They also have certain “anti-nutrients” which causes poor absorption of minerals we need, especially calcium and magnesium. Through our research, we’ve come to our own conclusion that white rice and corn have little impact on the integrity of the gut or the ability to absorb nutrients, and so we don’t completely ban these 2 items. We don’t seek them out either as they are often just fillers, and we'd rather get full on nutritionally dense food instead. We do however, have strong enough beliefs about the dangers of gluten to ALWAYS AVOID it, so no pizza, hamburger buns, pasta, etc for us!
Wheat, buckwheat, corn, rice, sorghum, barley, millet, oats, rye and quinoa, all beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, and SOY.
