Ep. 162, Paleo Lifestyle, Not a Caveman Re-Creation
On this episode of The Paleo View, Stacy and Sarah address a recent study creating a buzz in the health and wellness community and take a step back to revisit the big ‘why’ of the modern paleo diet template.
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The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 162, Paleo Lifestyle, Not a Caveman Re-Creation
- Intro (0:00)
- News and Views (0:56)
- Sarah’s children had a slight cold, and unfortunately she has laryngitis, and feels fine, but her voice is a bit croaky
- The topic that was teased on last week’s episode is coming very soon, we just have to work with our guest’s schedule
- Sarah received some amazing news on The Healing Kitchen, which she just submitted to her publisher for first edits, and they love the first draft so much that they want to push it to publish two months earlier than originally planned
- Life is going to be a little crazy for Sarah as they move this book forward faster than expected
- Sarah is also working on a second book that will be out in 2016, which will be a more science focused book
- Sarah has lots of ideas for books and would love to release one yearly, but has to come up with a sustainable timeline on writing, editing and releasing
- In Stacy’s working world she is at the end of the fiscal year and things are so hectic; she is also recovering from an overtraining injury and trying to figure out the best solution to healing
- Recovery time has turned into quality family time for Stacy and family
- Sarah’s training as of late and what she has been working on at the gym
- Stacy and Sarah like to keep this show timely, and to keep the topics flexible so that they can address relevant news when it becomes available and makes for a great discussion on the show
- This week’s show will be a great basics show to refer friends and family to who are interested in paleo, but will also be great for veterans who are looking to reconnect with some of the foundational beliefs
- Science with Sarah (23:27)
- There was a study published a few weeks back in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the diets of paleolithic man and it has been cited all over the internet as the nail in the coffin that the paleo diet is dead
- Sarah read through the entire study and found it to be fascinating
- The study found that there is a region where in paleolithic times, the humans from that region were cooking and grinding oats (find a bit from NPR on the subject here)
- The results from this study are making many say – great, we should now be eating oats
- However, Sarah wants to note that there were many other nutrients that were found on the grinding stone that this study focused on, and we can’t isolate the oats that were found on the stone and sum up the whole of their diet with the incorporation of the one nutrient
- The modern paleo diet isn’t about a historical reenactment, it is about understanding exactly how food affects our health at a very detailed cellular level
- Grains cannot compete with the powerhouses of nutrition that are quality meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruit, nuts and seeds, and eggs
- Modern strains of grains are compounds that are inflammatory, and they are also high in sugar – so these grains now do not contribute to our health as they possibly did at one time in agricultural history
- This study is a very good reminder that the content of a very nutrient diet, paired with low stress, ample sleep, low to moderately-intense activity is a great base to healthy living, and that having a little bit of grain in the diet is likely not a problem for some
- There is a big difference between having grain occasionally that is traditionally prepared verses having it as a normal feature of a diet
- The question here isn’t when did man start eating grains, when did grains become a substantial part of the diet, the question is what are the best foods that we can eat now to be healthy, the best foods that we have access to today, what are the best lifestyle properties to be healthy
- It is also important to look at how our bodies tolerate going off plan, when and why
- The paleo diet is based on contemporary science and what the best foods are to support our health – and while it gets its original structure from the average of paleolithic man, it gets its proof in contemporary science and in the growing number of randomized controlled clinical trials that are pitting paleo against other modern diets and showing that paleo wins
- Stacy shared her feelings on the misconception that today’s paleo diet is meant to be a reenactment of paleolithic times
- Stacy further notes that since we don’t know what the quality or quantity of those paleolithic oats were that it is hard to make a summarizing statement about the death of a grain-free approach to living
- Some people are able to successfully integrate in gluten-free oats, and it is important to recognize that this is based on a personal observation on how an individual feels when consuming any given item
- When you are defining what is or isn’t paleo you need to look at what is the best for your body today, and from there play with adding foods or removing foods to see how it makes you feel
- A lot of these critiques of the paleo diet misrepresent what the foundational beliefs of the paleo diet actually are
- Sarah agrees that consistently looking at and evaluating scientific evidence is an important part of the greatest strengths of this diet, the diet adapts as we learn more
- Side note, in response to last week’s show, shout out to those who sent “stool pictures” on Instagram
- Questions & Answers (49:39)
- Amy – will not eat organ meats or selfish, how can I find out what supplements are right for me to replace the nutrients in those foods?
- Stacy definitely recommends looking for a practitioner that matches the needs of what Amy is looking for
- Both Stacy and Sarah take supplements that suit their own needs, but Stacy doesn’t take the same ones consistently, it depends on her health and what she has going on
- When Stacy is looking for medical support she looks for someone who practices integrative medicine, but she feels it is a personal thing when deciding what is important to you in a medical practitioner
- The directories that Sarah recommends utilizing are Paleo Physicians Network, Primal Docs and Institute of Functional Medicine
- There is also a functional medicine specialist on the Paleo Mom Consulting Team
- Doing a micronutrient sufficiency analysis with your doctor may be a helpful tool
- You could also track your micronutrient intake with the app Cronometer
- You might be able to consume real food to fill the gaps
- Sarah doesn’t like to typically recommend supplements, but there is one brand of organ meat supplements by Dr. Ron’s Ultra Pure that is a high quality option
- Josh – looking for guidance with fiancé’s weight-loss goals, while tending to a thyroid issue (1:02:37)
- The Paleo Approach could help as it has a lot of science to help you navigate healing, but doesn’t necessarily talk to weight-loss
- Going low-carb can cause some issues that you should be cautious of when toying with carb intake
- Increase carb intake gradually and incorporate really slow burning carbohydrates with lots of fiber and eaten as part of whole meals
- Sarah thinks this may be a hormone regulation issue, and recommends getting tons of sleep, incorporating activity without over doing it
- And if these tactics don’t help with losing weight, Sarah suggests having a full thyroid panel done
- Amy – will not eat organ meats or selfish, how can I find out what supplements are right for me to replace the nutrients in those foods?
- Thank you everyone for tuning in, we will be back with an epic topic and Sarah is going to go work on recovering her voice
- Sarah’s plug for a live show, and Stacy’s thoughts on her recent Periscope use for Strong Woman Radio
- Feel free to keep tagging us on Instagram, while neither Stacy or Sarah have Periscope, they love Instagram
- Outro (1:15:48)
