Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Popularized by Dr. Loren Cordain, the world’s leading expert on Paleolithic diets, (and more recently by Robb Wolf, author of New York Times bestseller The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet), this way of eating is based on research indicating that the best diet is the one we’re genetically adapted to. 10,000 years of agrarian eating is a small blip of time evolutionarily compared to the 2 - 5 million years we spent as hunter-gatherers, and research indicates that many people haven’t adequately adapted to Neolithic foods such as grains and dairy. Want to lose fat? Prevent disease? The Paleo diet can help. My husband (Adam) and friend (Cooper) are both into fitness and working out -they are always trying to find methods to improve recovery and performance. Good nutrition is huge. Both my husband and Cooper checked into the best eating plans out there and settled on the Paleo after countless hours of research. They both thought it would be the best for me as well, so I joined in. What did I have to lose?
But aren’t grains healthy? Actually, they’re not. They’re loaded with lectins (gluten in wheat, avenin in oats and zein in corn), which can create intestinal damage, inflammation, and poor digestion. Grains are loaded with phytic acid and other chemicals which strip nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and B vitamins from your body. Grains also spike insulin levels. And they are not nutrient dense by any stretch of the imagination. I have noticed that I don't have any bloating or fluid retention since being on this diet plan.
Beans and legumes? They also have lectins (and, in the case of soybeans, phytoestrogens). Dairy? Many people react poorly to lactose, and casein allergies are not uncommon. Milk also causes insulin spikes.
Most people won’t try to argue the health benefits of sugar and alcohol, but will instead mention moderation. I agree. Ask me to give up chocolate and wine for life, and I’d run the other way. In fact, after my first 60-day Paleo cycle, I have included a bar of dark chocolate every week (dark chocolate is allowed on the Paleo). After the first 30-60 days, start introducing other foods into your diet and see how you feel. I can tell you that I felt like CRAP when I had a piece of pie to celebrate my birthday. It made me want to stay on the Paleo. I cut out all the inflammatory, insulin-spiking, calorie-dense but nutritionally sparse food groups for the first 60 days and let my body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may have be provoking. I then pushed the “reset” button with my metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices I’ve been making. I learned once and for all how the foods I’ve been eating are actually affecting my day to day life, and long term health.
After 60 days on the Paleo, my husband no longer had food allergies that he began to get in his late 20's. He was at the point where he couldn't eat raw veggies/guacamole/etc.....and after 60 days of being on the Paleo, he has NO allergic reactions to any of the foods that adversely effected him prior. Men always lose their weight faster than women....it's a sad truth. After 5 months of Paleo, both Cooper and Adam are at their target weights already and are now working out to build muscle on their lean mean frames.
I have received countless emails and notes from friends asking all types of questions, so I will try to answer some of them in the next couple days. Enough for tonight!
