Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 88

Plant-Based Versus Paleo: What’s the Diff?

It always interesting to me to consider what people think of when they use the phrase plant-based.

For some, it means vegan.  For others, it means simply incorporating more veggies and fruit, as well as beans, legumes…anything that grew at some point, regardless of how much processing went into it.

If we stop and think about the word ‘based’, it becomes quite simple.  To me, that would mean that the type of eating has the most of this particular type of food.

So, in that context, the Paleo diet is plant-based.

Why?

Because, when followed properly, the macro nutrient ratio is at 40- 45% carbohydrate, coming from mostly vegetables and some fruit and the remainder is divided equally between wild protein and natural fat.  

As I’ve written many time before, there are plenty of new iterations of Paleo popping up out of the woodwork every day, some of which are far higher in fat (or the wrong fats; eating processed, sodium-laden bacon is not Paleo, let alone doing it often) or protein, but if we go straight to the source, the person who really brought the Paleo approach into daily vocabulary, Dr. Cordain, we can see what the real deal is.

As referenced in his books and on his site, the Paleo diet, again, is 40-45% carbohydrate.

If you’re vegan for ethical reasons, as I was, think about this:  by not supporting the ranchers and farmers who operate on a smaller scale at a local level, raising their cattle, or game or whatever the case me, humanely, ethically and naturally, you’re actually not not making as much of a difference in terms of changing the type of meat we as a society will view as acceptable.  The more support the smaller, local farmers have and the more demand for their product we create, can lead to a positive situation where demand for the inhumane, factory-farm Monsanto approach can begin to go down.

Food for thought…

It Is SO All About The Diet!

How did we ever come up with the idea that the winning formula to the body we’ve always wanted is: 

“exercise for ‘x’ number of minutes per day (possibly hating every minute of it )+ eat ‘healthfully’ but ‘with everything in moderation”?

It is not.

What you eat is far more than half the equation.  The exact percentage, I cannot tell you, however  it’s nonsense to think that grinding away on the elliptical for an hour means one can eat whatever they want as as much as they want of it for the rest of the day.

It gets even worse within the athlete population, due to the misconception that if you’re ‘out there burning all those calories; it doesn’t matter what you eat, you just need fuel from any source’.

I will use myself as an example here.

Years before I knew what the Paleo diet was, I was racing triathlon, following a typical training schedule, eating well (in the context that I didn’t know yet about the harm I was causing my guts by eating gluten, soy and dairy along with my veggies, fruits and protein), and constantly stressed out and irritated that I never looked the way I wanted to look.  

Sure, I was healthy, not overweight, but not as lean as I wanted to be and I just always looked the same.  I looked the same before I began racing triathlon and I was hitting the stair master and the weights; I looked the same even before that as a teenager before I could drive and I was exercising in the living room with mom’s Jane Fonda VHS tapes.

And this was without eating fast food, junk food, sweets or any of the other foods that, all Paleo-ness aside, we know aren’t a good choice of things to put in our bodies.

I raced Ironman triathlon for four years and I looked the same. 

It was not until I began following the True Paleo approach that I finally began to shed weight, slowly but surely, and over the course of my first year and a half, settle comfortably into the lean physique I’d always worked so hard towards, but had never been able to realize and have remained there ever since.

And it did not ever, once, feel like any of the restrictive diets I’d tried, including but not limited to Gluten-Free, The Zone, The Blood Type and a Vegan Diet.

So even if you’re someone who never splurges on foods that may be tempting to some, whether it’s sweets like ice cream and cookies or savory choices like pizza and nachos, goes to the gym religiously five days per week and follows what is perceived to be a healthy diet, changes are better than not that you’ve still got some hidden dietary demons that are preventing you from reaching your goals.

Making the change to begin to integrate Paleo into your diet can be your ticket to a healthy approach to not only eating, but an entire lifestyle, where you have fresh, local veggies at every meal along with a healthy dose of natural fat and wild protein, and have that meal often, in order to have soaring energy levels, a balanced blood sugar reading, improved mental clarity and… a lean body.

There are no tricks and it is not going to happen overnight.  If you have a lot of weight to lose, it may come off quite a bit initially and then taper off, but remember that slow and steady is the way to go.

If it took you five years to put on fifty pounds, remember that when you’re beating yourself up that you ‘only lost two pounds in two weeks’.

That is progress, and those two pounds will become five, then ten and so on, until you’re once again wearing those favorite skinny jeans or having to buy new belts because the ones you have now are too big.

Here is the formula:

Cut the grains, the beans, the dairy and the sugar.
Make plenty of veggies, wild protein and good, real fat (avocado, coconut and olive oil) the components of every meal.
Move.

Now all you need to do is be patient and believe that eating real food will be your ticket to a body that exudes all the benefits of what you’re putting inside of it!

Paleo & Dementia – Any Connection?

Like  many of the sicknesses we see today, which diet can cause or worsen, it’s worth investigating what one’s diet is who is in the early throes of  Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Let’s start with what they both are.  The Mayo Clinic provides a succinct definition:

“The term dementia refers to a set of symptoms, not the disease itself. These symptoms might include language difficulty, loss of recent memory or poor judgment. In other words, when an individual is said to have dementia they are exhibiting certain symptoms. With a thorough screening including blood tests (to rule out other causes of dementia such as vitamin deficiency), a mental status evaluation, neuropsychological testing, and sometimes a brain scan, doctors can accurately diagnose the cause of the dementia symptoms in 90 percent of the cases. (It is true however, that Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed with complete accuracy only after death, using a microscopic examination of brain tissue, which checks for plaques and tangles).  Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-70 percent of cases of dementia.”

Is there any diet connection?

Hm, let’s see… is the sky blue?

How can there not be?

Interestingly, as per researchers at Brown Medical School “A growing body of research suggests there may be a powerful connection between the foods you eat and your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes. Some have even re-named Alzheimer’s as “type 3 diabetes”.”

Yet again, another example of how we are eating ourselves into sickness, and in this case, not just in our bodies, but in our minds.

So if you, or a loved one is already demonstrating signs, do we just prepare for the worst and let the disease take its course?

While that certainly is an option, it’s not the only one.

It all goes back to the same thing: you guessed it- following a True Paleo approach, including engaging in physical activity and a diet rich in Vitamin B12,  folate,  magnesium, animal-based omega-3 fats, coconut oil and ALA and completely devoid of processed sugars, refined carbohydrates and anything artificial or inflammatory has been shown to help tremendously.

Take that bull by the horns and look closely at what you, or your family member or friend is eating as step number one, rather than heading straight to the Geriatric Department in search of Exelon, Namenda or Cognex.

Seeing my own grandfather’s progression, when I was a child, from an elegant, distinguished gentleman to what eventually in the end, was a grown man with wild hair, wearing diapers and doing nothing other than lying in his hospital bed all day, I can’t help but wonder ‘what if’…

 

De-fuzzing Peaches?

Today I learned of yet another way we have the ability to adulterate produce.

We can de-fuzz peaches.

I’m not talking about washing off a fresh peach and then gently drying it off with a cloth, during which some of the ‘fuzz’ might come off.  

Nope, I’m talking about either mechanically assaulting, chemically treating, or, worst of all, genetically engineering peaches to not have fuzz.

De-fuzzing peaches, for no other apparent reason than ‘the consumers want peaches without fuzz’ according to a representative from the California Tree Fruit Agreement, which represents growers in our state.

Seemingly the most benign approach would be the first- mechanically, in which the fruit passes down an assembly line and is scrubbed free of its fuzz.

But why?

Still too much handling.

I don’t feel that fruit should require an assembly line.

As far as chemically treating the poor little stone fruits or growing them from a GMO source, is there really even a reason to discuss why both are bad ideas?

If you’re that opposed to the fuzz, opt for the very close but not exactly the same fruit- a nectarine.

The only differences between peaches and nectarines are the lack of fuzz on the nectarine skin, size (nectarines tend to be smaller) , scent (nectarines are more aromatic than peaches) and color (nectarines have more red color on the fruit surface).

Both are Paleo and when in season, an absolutely fantastic part of a refreshing snack, just as is, or sliced, frozen and eaten as a dessert.

When are we going to stop fixing things that aren’t broken?

 

Are Chia & Hemp Seeds Really All They’re Cracked Up to Be? And, Are They Paleo?

“I generally stay away from all nuts (as I know they are pretty high in omega-6 fatty acids) and I was wondering what your thoughts on chia and hemp seeds were?  I love snacking on hemp seeds as they have a much better ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 than any nut and even avocados or olives. Also chia seeds have an even better ratio of omega-3′s. Please let me know if its okay to liberally include hemp seeds and chia seeds. I am an athlete and in need to a concentrated amount of calories when working out and they seeds are perfect so it seems.”

This question came in recently from a reader and I know it’s a hot topic, given how much we see ads all over the place suggesting we all need to eat our chia and hemp.

Seems like everyone goes nuts over hemp and chia seeds; along with other foods touted as being ‘super’, it’s easy to see why one might get the idea that eating a lot of any of these foods is a good idea, if even a little is apparently linked with health benefits.

The issue with all seeds, hemp and chia included, is that, just like all nuts, they have high levels of inflammatory Omega 6s and low to no detectable levels of healthy Omega 3s, which are anti inflammatory.

While chia seeds are noted for their high concentration of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and some B vitamins, they, like all seeds and nuts, also contain a high concentration of anti nutrients (phytates).   Just like the anti nutrients we find in all grains and legumes, the phytates also prevent us from properly absorbing all the vitamins and minerals in the rest of our healthy Paleo meals, as well as contribute to leaky gut. 

Hemp seeds, popular in particular in the vegan diet (I know from following it myself for two years!) as a ’high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids’  may be an anomaly as some studies point to the idea that the don’t contain phytic acid.

However, using them as a protein source is still not ideal as we simply cannot absorb plant protein as easily as that which comes from animal sources.

Bottom line- all nuts and seeds should be seen as a garnish and used once in a while in moderation, rather than as a go-to fat source.

 

Is Salt Really All That Bad?

A pinch here or there may not be, especially for athletes who are sweating out their precious electrolytes.

But what about the average (sedentary) Joe who’s trying his best to go Paleo, and thinking it’s not such a big deal, because he’s got normal blood pressure?  All systems go?

Not quite.

Excessive sodium in the diet would certainly be contraindicated for someone with hypertension, but there are many other reasons we need to really pay attention to adding salt to our diet as it’s related to many other ill effects on our health above and beyond our blood pressure.

Cardiovascular Disease The Harvard School of Health published a study showing that too much salt is linked to cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure rises with increasing amounts of sodium in the diet, which raises the risk for cardiovascular disease and death rates over the long term.  They cite a recent study which found that “higher salt intake was associated with a 23 percent increase in stroke and a 14 percent increase in heart disease”.
Cancer The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that higher intakes of salt, sodium, or salty foods is linked to an increase in stomach cancer.
Osteoporosis The more salt you take in, the more calcium your body flushes out in the urine. If calcium is in short supply, it can be leached out of the bones. So a diet high in sodium could have an additional unwanted effect—the bone-thinning disease known as osteoporosis.   (Important to note, too, that it is imperative that the calcium sources should be from foods which are alkaline in nature, like leafy greens, rather than dairy, which is so acid it has the same bone-leaching effect on our skeletons.)

In addition, consuming too much salt is also linked with poor sleep and kidney stones and asthma.

So how much salt should you allow?

Keep it simple and just skip it for the most part.   Follow the True Paleo diet (to reiterate- that’s sans salt) and let you body reap the rewards of the higher potassium, lower sodium nature of this natural way of eating.

By the way, don’t trick yourself into thinking sea salt  is a good option to use regularly; by weight, both table salt and sea salt have 2,325 mg sodium/teaspoon.

 

Is the Wax On Produce Safe?

Not really.   

Another reason to buy local and organic, rather than remote and conventional is to avoid eating wax.  

From a manufacturing point of view, where cost is of utmost importance, preserving a food for as long as possible to reduce lost would be a top priority.

 If wax is applied to foods, it reduces the chance of the food actually shrinking due to dehydration and keep it looking fresh, shiny and ‘new’.   It also makes it appear, in my opinion, quite artificial.  It’s also the perfect vehicle to add more chemicals to keep the produce free of bacteria or fungus that might cause it to rot during its thousands of miles of travel.

If you were to review the components of wax applied to food, you might see something like the following, from the FDA’s website:

“TITLE 21–FOOD AND DRUGS
CHAPTER I–FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
SUBCHAPTER B–FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION (CONTINUED)
PART 184 — DIRECT FOOD SUBSTANCES AFFIRMED AS GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE

Subpart B–Listing of Specific Substances Affirmed as GRAS

Sec. 184.1976 Candelilla wax.
(a) Candelilla wax (CAS Reg. No. 8006-44-8) is obtained from the candelilla plant. It is a hard, yellowish-brown, opaque-to-translucent wax. Candelilla wax is prepared by immersing the plants in boiling water containing sulfuric acid and skimming off the wax that rises to the surface. It is composed of about 50 percent hydrocarbons with smaller amounts of esters and free acids.

(b) The ingredient meets the specifications of the Food Chemicals Codex, 3d Ed. (1981), p. 67, which is incorporated by reference. Copies are available from the National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20418, or available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to:http://www.archives.gov/federal_regis....

(c) In accordance with 184.1(b)(1), the ingredient is used in food with no limitation other than current good manufacturing practice. The affirmation of this ingredient as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as a direct human food ingredient is based upon the following current good manufacturing practice conditions of use:

(1) The ingredient is used as a lubricant as defined in 170.3(o)(18) of this chapter and as a surface-finishing agent as defined in 170.3(o)(30) of this chapter.

(2) The ingredient is used in the following foods at levels not to exceed current good manufacturing practice: in chewing gum as defined in 170.3(n)(6) of this chapter and in hard candy as defined in 170.3(n)(25) of this chapter.

(d) Prior sanctions for this ingredient different from the uses established in this section do not exist or have been waived.”

Does this remind anyone else of the MSDS sheets we’d have to fill out as college students, prior to O-Chem Lab?

That’s not even the worst bit; most waxes applied to produce are comprised of multiple types of chemicals.  Even more awful, much of the wax is not removable via regular washing!

One more reason to keep it local and seasonal.

Leave the wax for the candlesticks in the center of your dining table, not your guts!  Unless you’re using the produce for some sort of art display, you’re better off skipping it.

Are Olives Paleo?

Most, unfortunately, are cured in high amounts of sodium and as such, are not in keeping with the Paleo guidelines.

However, if you use an uncured olive, which is literally, just the olive, you can incorporate them easily into Paleo cooking.  

Raw olives are rarely palatable eaten right off of the tree; they require special processing to reduce their bitter flavor, so if you’re in an area where there are olive trees all about, I’m not necessary suggesting you just gather and eat.

There are a few online sources that sell fair trade, organic uncured olives, which I would recommend.

 

For example, the Peruvian sun-dried option offers an even richer, and more concentrated flavor, so make sure you err on the side of using less rather than swapping out for even portions of the canned type.

It’s a fun pantry item to keep on hand in your Paleo Pantry!

Check out this recipe for Paleo Poulet Provencal just in time for Bastille Day, using uncured olives!

Are You “Paleo” and Still Not Seeing the Clear Skin You Want?

Since there are so many not-so-Paleo versions of what Paleo really is popping up out of the wood work, it would be quite easy to adopt the principles of one such approach and, being that it’s not really Paleo, not see or feel the results you were hoping for.

A perfect example is the myth that dairy is part of the Paleo diet.

It’s not.

Sure, there are some people who don’t notice immediate symptoms like bloating, gas or skin breakouts, but that doesn’t mean that dairy is therefore part of Paleo.  This is no different from a vegan who decides to begin eating fish…they can’t technically call themselves a vegan anymore.  (This, by the way, was the case for me when I began my journey from vegan to Paleo years ago..)

So, if you think you’re doing the Paleo diet and you are still having issues with acne, rosacea, eczema, double check that you’re not accidentally not really following the Paleo diet by making any of the common errors below.

Eating dairy.  Most dairy products impair zinc absorption and zinc deficiency is common in acne patients.  Also, since dairy products elevate insulin (yes, even whole milk), after a series of hormonal reactions, cause an elevated level of male hormones which stimulate excess oil production
Eating any grain- even those that are gluten free. Same deal as above with regard to the resulting excess oil production after the spike in insulin.  This is in addition to all the other negative consequences of eating grains!
Not eating plenty of fresh, leafy green veggies at every single meal, even breakfast.   Supplying the body with whole, natural forms of every last mineral and vitamin we need is imperative to creating a healthy, glowing complexion.
Eating ‘Paleo sweets’ or treats.   Birthday? Anniversary?  Sure.  But every day or even every week.  Eating a treat made from coconut flour, dates, honey and almond butter may be something you can fool yourself into thinking is a healthy, Paleo option, but it’s not.  Think of how we all tried to fool ourselves into thinking that frozen yogurt was a healthy snack. I did it, too!    It’s not.  
Not getting proper amounts of Omega 3s.   Nuts and seeds, and products made from them, are all very high  in inflammatory Omega 6s and low in 3s.   Keep nuts and seeds in extreme moderation if you must have them, but better to omit them at least for a thirty day trial.

Remember the plate we showed on the Dr. Oz show.  (Click here for a recap):

2/3 full of veggies
palm size amount of protein
dollop of healthy fat

Every plate- breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. 

If you need help- check out my Paleo Acne plan! 

 

Your Paleo Camping Trip

Heading out to that rustic cabin in the woods that’s become an annual family get-away?

What are you going to bring for provisions, now that the old go-to, non perishable, package and completely non Paleo staples are no longer part of your, or your family’s regime?

It all depends on just how rustic you’re going.

A cabin with an actual gas line to cook and a refrigerator?  That’s easy- just bring what you’d normally eat at home- plenty of fresh, local, seasonal veggies, fruits and proteins.

But what about actual tent camping, or even more challenging- trekking?   

It takes a little creativity, but following are some ideas for foods that aren’t going to break your Paleo trend, weigh down your pack or spoil.  This is just such an occasion where some of those ‘in a pinch’ foods are going to come in handy; foods that aren’t a great idea to eat regularly, like a can of tuna but in an extreme situation, they’re better than a lot of other options.  Try balancing out the foods below to create an even balance of veggies, fruit, proteins and fats eaten over the course of the day.

Homemade jerky (you can make it from wild salmon, grass fed bison, beef, free range poultry, or even better, some of each!) Since you’re making it, you won’t have to worry about sneaky additives.
Naturally dried fruit. Of course, under normal circumstances, dried fruit might be too sugary for people to eat as a normal course of action, but if you’re just having a little bit balanced out with protein and fat, it should be a non-issue.
Naturally dried seaweed and kale; an easy way to get in SOME greens.
Raw nuts. Again, typically nuts should not be considered as a main fat source due to their high OMEGA 6 content but under the circumstances, it’s easier to bring some nuts versus a bag of avocados. 
Fish oil tablets- only to balance out the Omega 3:6 ratio, not a calorie source
Natural, flaked coconut. A great energy source and light and easy to carry
Tetra packs of no salt added, wild tuna or salmon
Homemade bars (click here for my recipe)

Of course, if you’re someone who lives Paleo to the fullest and hunts for themselves, that’s a fantastic way to really live off the land!