Health Stuff – What’s the Scoop?

21. April 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Of Interest!, Paleo Science, Science, Weight Loss · Tags: , , , ,

I’ve been reading a lot, as I usually do, and have noticed a trend this week in weight chat. Since I’ve been meddling with mine and pondering on it, I thought I’d include some of the thoughts here. I haven’t had time to post my own progress this week, but I’ll do a final post next week, I hope.

Firstly, though, regarding popular books of the time, I skimmed the first several chapters of Gary Taubes’s book Good Calories, Bad Calories and also Why We Get Fat. He was a presenter in The Paleo Summit, and I wanted to read more after hearing him speak. The stuff Mr. T has written on the saturated fat misinformation from Ancel Keys is very interesting. I enjoyed reading through several of the studies, but then some of the conclusions began to give me pause. The main conclusion that troubles me in his book is the idea that it’s not just “calories in, calories out”. Quotes like this one, caused me to think that this was his premise:

Regarding restriction of carbohydrates: “…leads to weight loss and particularly fat loss, independent of the calories we consume from dietary fat and protein. We know that the laws of physics have nothing to do with it.”

Now, don’t get me wrong here, I do realize that all calories are NOT the same. I am a prime example of the frustrations that sugar/carby calories can cause. They make my body behave differently. BUT, to say that, in essence, calories don’t matter, seemed a bit silly. Any argument can be quickly (not thoroughly, but quickly) tested, I think, by taking it to it’s absurd conclusion (Reductio ad Absurdum). SO… what if I did and could eat 10,000 calories a day of CLEAN Paleo eating. Would I not gain weight? More »

WHAT? Is Red Meat Bad For Me NOW?

13. March 2012 · 6 comments · Categories: Of Interest!, Paleo Science, Science · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Stephanie here:

In case you missed it, a study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine yesterday and the new is abuzz. One from Yahoo.com is titled: Red meat boosts risk of dying young: study and another Study: Too much red meat may shorten lifespan.

These articles say such things as:

Eating too much red meat, which is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, has long been seen as unhealthy, especially for the heart. The new study, however, is the first to estimate the effect of swapping out red meat on a person’s lifespan.

“This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death,” said Frank Hu, senior author of the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

One of the issues I have with this study is listed in the methods from the article:

We prospectively observed 37 698 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008) and 83 644 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1980-2008) who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer at baseline. Diet was assessed by validated food frequency questionnaires and updated every 4 years.

Health Professionals only were studied. Are health professionals a good cross-section of society? Their diet was recorded via a questionnaire. Do people always answer questionnaires truthfully?

The conclusion of the study:

Red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, CVD, and cancer mortality. Substitution of other healthy protein sources for red meat is associated with a lower mortality risk.

Association seems to equal causation here. I’m not very convinced. Actually, more accurately, I could quote Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and say strongly: “And yet I am unmoved.” I’d like to understand what else they were eating. Were they exercising? Did they smoke? Were any of them heavy alcohol consumers? There are just so many other areas left blank by this study. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this study tells me NOTHING. I already eat chicken and fish along with servings of beef each week. I’m going to continue on in that, searching out the cleanest sources I can find and when I do have pepperoni or bacon, I’m going to continue searching out nitrate/nitrite free sorts.

The CNN study did include a voice of reason:

Staffan Lindeberg, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the University of Lund, in Sweden, says singling out red meat may be counterproductive. A bigger threat to health is the sugar- and starch-heavy Western diet as a whole, says Lund, who studies heart disease and diabetes and advocates a version of the so-called Paleolithic diet, which emphasizes lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.

What about you? Will you drop the level of red meat in your diet?

“Paleo IS Different from Run-of-the-Mill Fad Diets” – Stephanie Greunke

04. March 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Of Interest!, Paleo Science, Review · Tags: , , ,

If Paleo is a fad diet, it’s the oldest fad diet out there

–      Dr. Loren Cordain in The Paleo Answer

Stephanie Greunke – a rare breed of Paleo-centered registered dietitian.

Stephanie tells us how paleo differs from other diets.

Paleo is a style of lifestyle and it is much more than just a diet

The word diet really freaks people out. Right off the bat if you mention the word diet people switch off and run a mile.

How paleo differs…

–      Paleo foods are nutrient dense

–      There is MUCH scientific support

–      No fat-phobias

–      No gimmicks, no shakes, no bars , no point systems, no calorie counting etc.

–      Anti-inflammatory diet meaning low allergenic, gentle on your body and eating the right foods for you.

You can say you are eating foods that are lower in allergens and all natural.

It’s NOT another flavor of the week or a diet fad!

Paleo diet is easy to maintain! You have the ability to eat larger portions of food to fill you up. There is a vast array of food choices… fruits, vegetables, tons of meat choices, nuts. (even dark choc and red wine… I added that bit – Kate ;) )

More »

Looking into the Mind of a Paleo Teenager…

03. March 2012 · 11 comments · Categories: Of Interest!, Paleo Science, Review · Tags: , ,

Kate here…

Having listened to a number of the presentations from the Paleo Summit I asked my 19-year-old beautiful daughter Emma to listen to this one with me as she is very much living the paleo life too. Here is what she said about the presentation from Dr. Cate Shanahan and also an insight into Emma’s paleo mind looking at her perceptions of paleo and her experiences thus far…

This was actually the first broadcast I have listened to of the series posted throughout the week and now after this one with Dr. Cate Shanahan I regret not listening to the others. People ask me all the time why I chose Paleo, why I wasn’t eating any grains or refined sugars usually making comments such as “So, you can’t eat any of the good stuff then.” However that isn’t how I see it at all, I NEVER go without and can safely say that I prefer these new, nutritious foods I now eat as opposed to pizza, sweets and fatty foods. I’ve never eaten terribly so the transition to Paleo wasn’t too tough however justifying my actions hasn’t been so easy. A typical college students diet isn’t something that usually consists of kale salads and nut porridge with fruit so when I’m asked why I chose this diet for myself I’ve generally found it hard to convince my audience. These broadcasts as well as many resources have provided me with the knowledge and history behind my new way of life, which I can now use to educate others. It’s one thing to be on a diet but it’s another to change your way of life. Who would have known that broccoli and almonds provide a large source of calcium? With no dairy in my diet these facts are very useful in order for me to make sure my body gets all of the nutrients it needs.

I had been a vegetarian for about six months prior to becoming Paleo and toward the end of that six months had started to lose myself. What I mean by that is I felt down, lacked that energy I’d always had, didn’t really look forward to the next day, I had lost my spring. I personally know that Paleo works because as soon as I switched I noticed differences immediately. A mixture of vitamin D, fish oils and my new balanced way of life brought on a new wave of Emma. I now had more energy than ever, my skin cleared, my hair now grows faster than ever and because of the coconut oils in my diet it is very healthy and strong. People who aren’t in the Paleo circle may say it’s just another fad diet however I’ve never heard of a diet that increases over all health, energy levels and weight loss all at the same time.

The more I think about Paleo and the more information I consume about it leads me to think well duh, of course it works! Meats, nuts, fruits, vegetables provides all the nutrients our body needs. The food that we consume fuels the brain, If you had a choice would you choose sugar and carbohydrates to do so? I don’t think so, being a cave girl I know that it’s the nutritious greens and proteins that will provide that ultimate fuel I need to get me through a day of college. Before becoming Paleo I would be tired half way through the day but now I can be up at the gym for 8am and not come home from school until 8pm and still be able to do some studying and have the concentration needed to do so. When you’re giving your body what it needs it’s very surprising as to what it can do. I believe in the saying ‘your body is a temple’ and now I can say my temple is as strong and unyielding as its ever going to be and I plan on keeping it that way!

It is SO great to get a younger minds perspective of palo and reiterates the importance of leading by example and educating our kids to teach them to make good choices for themselves. Thank you Emma!

Now to convince the other two ;)

Paleo Summit – Day 6 Review

02. March 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Of Interest!, Paleo Science, Review, Science · Tags: , ,

Angie Here…
I’ve been finding the Paleo Summit fascinating and have been listening to as many of these speakers as possible as time allows. Here is my summary of 2 of today’s speakers.

The Hartwigs (Whole 30 program) – Paleo for Vegetarians
They start off their talk by saying that there is really no such thing as a Vegetarian Paleo diet. A lot of the discussion revolved around how to convince a vegetarian to add meat to their diet. They had a lot of good info on how to get protein into your diet if you do not eat meat, but it wasn’t very paleo. Some of those ideas included adding properly cooked legumes (Solid boil for a minimum of 10 minutes, don’t use slow cooker) and fermented dairy to increase protein intake. They never advocate the consumption of grains, which are usually a staple in vegan and vegetarian diets. They also discussed supplements that are essential to vegetarians including Omega 3′s and B12 vitamins.

Paul Chek (Founder, C.H.E.K. Institute) – Living Primal: Instinct Before Intellect
This guys is very dynamic and passionate about eating and living well. He believes there are 6 basic pieces to being a human: Nutrition, Hydration, Sleep, Breathing, Thinking and Movement. Each of those are driven by our own instincts if we do not suppress them. He believes each person is unique and no particular “diet” is right for everyone, but if we listen to our bodies they will tell us what we need. For example, he believes that most bowel issues are caused by our “modern” lifestyle that makes us to not want to take the time from our busy day to use the toilet. If we listen to our bodies urges and follow them he believes we will be healthy. He suggests mini-fasts every couple of weeks in which we fast for 1/2 of a day or a whole day. He also promotes a 4 day cycle of foods to help determine which foods might be causing irritation in the body. In this four-day cycle you would eat a particular food only once every 4 days to see how it makes you feel. If it causes problems, then eliminate it from the plate in the next cycle but change nothing else on the plate. Chek also says people are stressing themselves out too much by reading diet books and should Stop!

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