Paleo Diet

[zeebs]

The basis of this diet is research that has discovered that certain proteins called lectins, which are found in just about everything, are special in grains and legumes (and tomatoes, and potentially others that haven't been researched yet) in that they can be transported across the tight junctions between the intestine's epithelial cells, breaking the bonds, and can also damage the villi of the intestinal wall. Once grain lectins are transported into the bloodstream, they can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause nerve damage (and other problems).

The basic difference between grains and fruits/veggies is that grains are monocotyledonous (grasses) and fruits/veggies are dicotyledonous plants. 99% of human history was lived without agriculture or the ability to process grains for consumption, while 1% of human history has been lived in the presence of agriculture. Though some people are evolved to eat grains, many of us are not, and for those of us who lack genes to deal with lectins from grains, the health consequences can range from mild to severe. It is thought that grain consumption might cause all of the components (or contribute to them) of Syndrome X, the "Metabolic Syndrome" that is characterized by type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.

This inability to digest or detoxify the lectin component (and other components) of grains is a lot more common that one might initially suspect.

I read a 55-page article by Loren Cordain on the subject; there are lectures by him on YouTube if you want to hear about his research. It's a growing body of work that implicates grains in a number of chronic conditions.

[zeebs]

Re: expense of the diet, yes, I'm bothered by that as well, plus the sustainability factor. The only solution I see is industrial hemp as an alternative food source to grains in terms of sustainability for large populations, so I'll probably be eating a lot of hemp protein with this new diet. That's pricey too, but not as much as free-range or grass-fed meat.

[ladycattat]

*Cringing in absolute horror!!!!!!*


What.....no tomatoes?????? I could not live in a world with no tomatoes!!!!!

Laurie

[feyith]

I've been trying to do the Blood Type Diet but it is very expensive and difficult to maintain and the list of what's good and bad makes no scientific sense for me; it feels like the Atkins Diet at times. I can eat everything that's in a Quarter Pounder but I can't have chicken, tofu, wheat, tomatoes, artichokes, avocados, sprouts and such? People look at me like I'm crazy when I try to explain it to them.

[Rhys]

The old fashioned processing of grains - making sure to soak out the phytic acids, lacto-fermentation, sourdough, etc., did take care of a lot of the problem - and yes, lectins, especially in the amounts we eat now, are nasty to human health.

Unfortunately, in modern times we seem to have forgot all that, and either eat whole grains (bad) or grains refined to the point where they have no food value left to them (also bad).

Laurie, it's okay. You can probably still safely eat tomatoes. Twinkies, OTOH...but if you're not diabetic you can get away with one of those every once in a while, too. I get a little scared of what I call frum dieting - mostly because that one slip-up, the five smarties you ate, or whatever, tends to make you feel so guilty you just give up on all of it.

That's why I so dislike seeing the absolute absolutism on so many sides of this war. Here's a very good dieting book from 1869, though at that time, I think dairy was thought to contain carbohydrates, hence the prohibition. But the gist of it is still good. http://www.lowcarb.ca/corpulence/index.html

Interestingly, it was one of Banting's descendants in Canada who discovered insulin in the 1920s. Our Scandinavian members might recognise 'bant' as a verb. It's fallen out of use in English, but it was used to mean 'dieting'.

[egerandi]

The basis of this diet is research that has discovered that certain proteins called lectins, which are found in just about everything, are special in grains and legumes (and tomatoes, and potentially others that haven't been researched yet) in that they can be transported across the tight junctions between the intestine's epithelial cells, breaking the bonds, and can also damage the villi of the intestinal wall. Once grain lectins are transported into the bloodstream, they can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause nerve damage (and other problems).

The basic difference between grains and fruits/veggies is that grains are monocotyledonous (grasses) and fruits/veggies are dicotyledonous plants. 99% of human history was lived without agriculture or the ability to process grains for consumption, while 1% of human history has been lived in the presence of agriculture. Though some people are evolved to eat grains, many of us are not, and for those of us who lack genes to deal with lectins from grains, the health consequences can range from mild to severe. It is thought that grain consumption might cause all of the components (or contribute to them) of Syndrome X, the "Metabolic Syndrome" that is characterized by type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.

This inability to digest or detoxify the lectin component (and other components) of grains is a lot more common that one might initially suspect.

I read a 55-page article by Loren Cordain on the subject; there are lectures by him on YouTube if you want to hear about his research. It's a growing body of work that implicates grains in a number of chronic conditions.

The Paleo book I have was written by that same author, but there is no mention of tomato as a no-no, so I guess that's a newer discovery.
Another curiosity is that quinoa is listed under the don't eat, but it's not really a grain (grass), it's a plant seed.

Also, I get the whole 'they didn't have cows' for the no dairy, but what exactly is wrong with fermented dairy like yogurt and kefir? Even most lactose intolerant people can consume those, and they provide good bacteria. Just wondering.

[zeebs]

*Cringing in absolute horror!!!!!!*


What.....no tomatoes?????? I could not live in a world with no tomatoes!!!!!

Laurie

I know, right? The ones we get here in the summer are soooo good that I will probably cheat.

[zeebs]

I've been trying to do the Blood Type Diet but it is very expensive and difficult to maintain and the list of what's good and bad makes no scientific sense for me; it feels like the Atkins Diet at times. I can eat everything that's in a Quarter Pounder but I can't have chicken, tofu, wheat, tomatoes, artichokes, avocados, sprouts and such? People look at me like I'm crazy when I try to explain it to them.

The blood type diet (as far as I know) doesn't have any scientific basis, or a tenuous one at best.

[zeebs]

The basis of this diet is research that has discovered that certain proteins called lectins, which are found in just about everything, are special in grains and legumes (and tomatoes, and potentially others that haven't been researched yet) in that they can be transported across the tight junctions between the intestine's epithelial cells, breaking the bonds, and can also damage the villi of the intestinal wall. Once grain lectins are transported into the bloodstream, they can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause nerve damage (and other problems).

The basic difference between grains and fruits/veggies is that grains are monocotyledonous (grasses) and fruits/veggies are dicotyledonous plants. 99% of human history was lived without agriculture or the ability to process grains for consumption, while 1% of human history has been lived in the presence of agriculture. Though some people are evolved to eat grains, many of us are not, and for those of us who lack genes to deal with lectins from grains, the health consequences can range from mild to severe. It is thought that grain consumption might cause all of the components (or contribute to them) of Syndrome X, the "Metabolic Syndrome" that is characterized by type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.

This inability to digest or detoxify the lectin component (and other components) of grains is a lot more common that one might initially suspect.

I read a 55-page article by Loren Cordain on the subject; there are lectures by him on YouTube if you want to hear about his research. It's a growing body of work that implicates grains in a number of chronic conditions.

The Paleo book I have was written by that same author, but there is no mention of tomato as a no-no, so I guess that's a newer discovery.
Another curiosity is that quinoa is listed under the don't eat, but it's not really a grain (grass), it's a plant seed.

Also, I get the whole 'they didn't have cows' for the no dairy, but what exactly is wrong with fermented dairy like yogurt and kefir? Even most lactose intolerant people can consume those, and they provide good bacteria. Just wondering.

As far as I understand, dairy is primarily a problem in conjunction with grains. I plan to continue eating dairy. The diet takes a kind of hard-line approach to "we should eat what we are evolved to eat" and recommends foods based on how long evolution has had to acclimate us to them.

However, as far as I can tell, the only REAL no-no's (as in, absolutely avoid them) are grains and legumes. Seems like all the other "discouraged" foods would be okay in moderation (salt, sugar, dairy, etc) - so that is what I'm planning on doing. Oh, and I will also eat sprouted grains (like the Ezekiel brand) because germination alters the chemistry of the seeds.

[tizzylou]

Hey Laurie, I don't LIKE tomato's so you can have my share.