F OOD
Why do we love sugar? Our taste buds are naturally drawn to highly stimulating foods because the presence of these in a whole food generally means it’s also packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It’s an evolutionary survival adaptation that unfortunately lands us in trouble in our modern world of convenient, processed and factory-farmed food.
PROS AND CONS OF THE PALEO DIET part 2 The paleolithic diet – road to wholefood-based wellness and weight loss? Or meat-centred craze based on shaky science?
Like most ‘diets’ or ways of eating, there is both good and bad to come out of it. But how solid is the evidence, and what are the long term pros and cons of the paleo diet? To answer these questions from a balanced perspective, we need to dive a little deeper.
by Casey Conroy
RISKS OF HIGH ANIMAL PROTEIN DIETS When the paleo diet is taken to this high animal protein, low carbohydrate extreme, the lack of carbohydrates as fuel can create extreme fatigue – but that’s the least of it. Excess animal protein can age you prematurely and cause significant harm. Any excess protein you are not using
isn’t stored by the body as protein; it is converted to fat or eliminated via the kidneys in urine. Eliminating excess nitrogen this way leaches calcium and other precious minerals from the bones and can create kidney stones. Vegetable foods are generally alkaline,
while animal products are acidic (1). When you eat a meal high in animal protein such as a big steak, the food is digested with the help of a significant surge of hydrochloric acid from the stomach. The broken down steak is then absorbed into the bloodstream where it significantly raises the acid tide in the blood. This requires an equally strong alkaline response by the body to buffer the acid, because your body always likes to maintain your blood at a slightly alkaline pH – this way your tissues remain well oxygenated. You get the needed alkaline buffer from your bones, which give up their phosphates and calcium, and these are minerals our bones need to stay strong. Over time a high
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animal protein diet excessively dissolves minerals from bones and stimulates bone turnover, which can lead to osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and calcium deposits in other tissues (1,2).
IT’S ALL IN THE INTERPRETATION From what I’ve witnessed in both my clients and in the medical community, modern interpretations of the paleo diet feature lots of meat and little in the way of grains. It’s undeniable that before agriculture, people did not rely on grain for nutrition as much as we do now, and it’s safe to say that a diet of mainly processed carbohydrates is not particularly healthy. But that doesn’t mean that a no-grain or a low-carbohydrate diet is safe, sensible or sustainable. As curious and opinionated humans we
tend to polarise and meddle in extremes, despite our advocating moderation. It seems inevitable that some people will always interpret the available science and take on the more extreme interpretation of the paleo diet, when really people just want an excuse to eat more meat. But I don’t blame them – our taste buds are naturally drawn to highly stimulating foods such as meat, salt and sugar because the presence of these in a whole food generally means it’s also packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other
nutrients. It’s an evolutionary survival adaptation that unfortunately lands us in trouble in our modern world of convenient, processed and factory-farmed food. Piling one’s plate with meat and throwing in a salad is a tendency that I’m seeing with increasing frequency, all in the name of honouring our genetic code. However, it’s difficult to conclude
that modern humans should mainly eat meat, with a few vegetables thrown in. Early humans had diverse diets, depending on where and when they lived, and archaeologists are finding ever more evidence that even our earliest ancestors ate more grains than we once thought.
WHAT ABOUT THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTING PALEO? Paleo enthusiasts sometimes cite several relatively recent studies to justify their recommendations, but without exception, these are short-term and involve only small numbers of subjects.
Cons of the paleo diet • Very little science backing up some of the paleo diet claims
• No large studies assessing paleo diet for long-term weight loss and maintenance
• Ultra-restrictive versions of paleo don’t last
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