THE FALLACY OF THE PALEO/CAVEMAN DIET

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Dispelling the Dietary Myth #4: The Fallacy of the Paleo/Caveman diet

Awhile back I finished reading someone’s blog about how grains and legumes were bad for your body. Apparently, the food industry, the USDA, the food scientist and all of academia have been misleading us for years.http://whole9life.com/2010/03/the-grain-manifesto/.

The entire time I could not stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the information compiled into one short blog. The Paleo-diet, a fad diet which was created in 1985, has resurfaced. In essence, it is the Atkins diet on speed. It is a mixture of conspiracy theories against the food industry, bad science and diets whisked into one. After mixing, it was half-baked at 350 degrees for 1 hr. The result is a delicious piece of fiction.

It seems Paleo-supporters think that in order to live longer and healthier lives we need to live much like our ancestors. Apparently, a diet of hunting and foraging is the diet most suited for the human species. I wonder if anybody has pointed out to these Neanderthals that during this time period, the average life expectancy was 20-30. Products, such as milk, are not evolutionary acceptable. Has no one pointed out to these people that during WWII the biggest reason people were not allowed into the military was because of rickets, a vitamin D deficiency. Since introducing Vitamin D fortification to milk instances of rickets have greatly decreased, (but are rising again since kids are replacing milk with juice and sodas).

A Paleo-diet is a diet that involves nothing processed. This includes foods like olive oil. All foods must be eaten in its most natural form. These people who created this diet must have been watching “The Beautiful Truth” conspiramentary (A pseudo documentary, abundant with conspiracy theories). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygNfWJaMsXM

To be within the confines of this dietary restriction, nothing processed also means no beans or rice, because both require soaking and technically that is processing. In short, if you can’t just pick up the food you desire to eat and consume it, then it shouldn’t be eaten. Logically, as any dietitian would do, I point to the fact that these people still cook meat, which is processing! In essence, cooking over a flame is the process of taking water out, while soaking adds water in. I sigh, as I am losing hope for humanity in our ability to reason.

Onward we go: The blog its self needs to be broken down and explained.

The Claim: “Lectins destroy the cells that line your intestines leading to “Micro-perforations”

The Reality: Never do Micro-perforations occur from eating too much Lectin containing foods. The reason is because Micro-perforations do not exist. While the vernacular is meant to sound authentic, like medical jargon, this is pseudo medical terminology.

It is true, out of all the beans, ‘SOY BEAN’ Lectins can adversely affect the brush border lining of intestinal mucosa, this only occurs in the distal portion of the SMALL intestine. It should be noted, “heat processing can reduce the toxicity of lectins, while low temperature or insufficient cooking may not completely eliminate their toxicity, as some plant lectins are resistant to heat. In addition, lectins can result in irritation and over secretion of mucus in the intestines, causing impaired absorptive capacity of the intestinal wall.” (Ayyagari, Narasinga Rao, & Roy, 1989; Duranti, 2006; Francis, Makkar, & Becker, 2001).

It is true Gastrointestinal perforations can occur in the human body. But this is typically caused by Ulcers, h. Pylori, and Diverticula which can become enflamed causing Diverticulitis. The condition of Diverticulitis can become so severe it causes perforation of the large intestine.

There is no such diagnosis/documentation of micro-perforations or “leaky gut syndrome.”

The Claim: Grains Spike Insulin Levels and Grains are Empty Calories (points B and D)

The Reality: The nutritional side by side comparison is the most misleading out of anything in this person’s blog. This is my biggest problem with the blog; the purposeful deceit to capture those weight wary folks to follow this diet. I suppose the writer did not expect such a thorough analysis.

In the Paleo-diet fruits are highly accepted. But the writer purposefully did not choose to compare Fruits to Grains with a nutritional/caloric breakdown. He chooses a non-starchy vegetable like broccoli. To say grains are completely defunct as a nutritional source is a complete fallacy. Both broccoli and grains have positives. To counter-point on the benefits of whole grains would be its own expose and may be done at a later time. (Click on Image for Larger Picture)

The reason he did not choose fruits in comparison to grains is because they are calorically the same, given the amount we eat at one sitting. If you ever had to educate somebody with Type 2 diabetes, and how diet directly influences blood sugars you would know this.

Furthermore, the serving size for bread utilized is ridiculous. I PERSONALLY CHALLENGE YOU, to go your kitchen and look at a nutrition facts label for bread. You will find a serving is one slice!

Now for a real side by side comparison between two comparable food products, 3 inch diameter apple and 1 slice of bread.

1 Large Apple vs. 1 Slice of Whole Wheat Bread: Click on Images for Larger Picture

The writer should concentrate on fully disclosing all sides of an argument instead of manipulating the data to influence opinions.

It is true that non-starchy vegetables like broccoli do not spike insulin levels as much. However, whole- grains do not cause a spike in insulin at a greater rate than fruits. Once absorbed your body does not recognize any carbohydrate as a different molecule than another.

There are three basic sugars; Glucose, Fructose, and Galactose. Any combination of these simple sugars will form a slightly more complex carbohydrate. However, during digestion your body will break down any carbohydrate, complex or not and convert it to glucose. Glucose is the sugar that is in our blood and transported into cells. Glucose is also the “currency” of choice regarding human energy.

There is nothing about carbohydrates, regardless of the complexity that makes one better than the other. Fructose (found in fruit) will affect your body just the same as table sugar and just the same as whole grains.

Because fruits and grains affect your body the same means one is not a better alternative. There may be a preference in taste but health benefits there are none. Commonly, people think if something is healthy they can have more of it. That is not true, because in the end, calories are more important than any health claim. And truthfully, all the Paleo-diet is is a restriction of calories to help you lose weight. Losing weight is a good, but a balanced meal while restricting overall calories is more important.

Point C is way off. So much so, it is not worth my time.

Until next time, I hope all is doing well.