The Paleo Diet (17 page)

Not only is the total amount of fat higher in commonly consumed fatty meats—such as hamburger, T-bone steak, hot dogs, and lamb chops—than that found in fish and game meat, but the
types
of fat are also quite different. Because most commercially available beef has been feedlot-fattened (mainly with corn and sorghum), it contains low levels of omega 3 fats and high levels of omega 6 fats. This is the wrong mix. When eaten in excess, omega 6 fats are harmful, while omega 3 fats are greatly beneficial. The average Western diet is burdened by high levels of omega 6 fats—which can promote the development of heart disease in many ways. The meats, fish, and seafood you’ll be eating on the Paleo Diet are low in fat and high in protein, and they contain the correct balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats.

What about eggs?
Eggs are a relatively high-fat food (62 percent fat, 34 percent protein). Eating too many eggs can promote weight gain and increase blood cholesterol levels. There is no doubt that Paleolithic people would have eaten wild bird eggs whenever they found them. But this wasn’t that often. Wild eggs always would have been a seasonal food and would not have been eaten every day. Also, wild bird eggs are nutritionally different from domesticated chicken eggs; they have higher levels of beneficial omega 3 fat and lower levels of certain saturated fats. You should also buy eggs enriched with omega 3 fats.

The high protein of the Paleo Diet is the key to many of its weight-loss benefits. Protein helps you lose weight faster by boosting your metabolism while simultaneously blunting your hunger. And while this is happening, low-fat protein is improving your blood lipid and cholesterol levels, as studies from Dr. Bernard Wolfe’s laboratory at the University of Western Ontario have confirmed. Low-fat protein also prevents blood sugar swings and reduces the risk of hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Salmon for breakfast?
Breakfast is one part of the Paleo Diet that may seem a bit strange at first. In Western countries, breakfast is usually a high-carbohydrate affair, featuring a cereal product (bagel, sweet roll, buttered bread, packaged cereal with milk, oatmeal), coffee or fruit juice, and a piece of fruit. The other common option is the high-fat, “stick to your ribs” breakfast—bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, omelets, hash-brown potatoes, and occasionally steak or pork chops.

Salmon steak and chicken breast aren’t on very many breakfast menus. And yet studies indicate that for Paleolithic people, the morning meal was high in protein, was low in carbohydrates and fat, and probably contained “leftovers” from the animal that was killed the day before. A common breakfast on the Paleo Diet, then, might be a cold salmon steak or cold crab (left over from last night’s supper) and half a cantaloupe. So go ahead—try fish or meat first thing in the morning. You’ll soon find yourself looking trimmer and feeling fitter right at the start of the day.

Here are the specifics of the Paleo Diet. We’ll start with domestic meats. Eat as much as you want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cook the meats simply, without too much added fat—broiling, baking, roasting, sautéing, or browning, then pouring off excess liquid fat, or stir-frying over high heat with a little olive oil (but never deep-fat frying).

Next, more exotic fare. You may hunt your own or buy locally or via mail order. For a list of exotic-meat suppliers, see chapter 8.

 

It’s not easy to get 50 percent of your daily calories from fruits and vegetables because of the high bulk and low caloric density of fruits and salad vegetables. On an average 2,200-calorie diet, you’d have to eat more than 5 pounds of fruits and vegetables a day. Most people are simply unwilling or physiologically unable to consume this much plant food; there is a limit to how much fiber the human gut can hold. However, some plant foods, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, are rich in healthful fats. Eating these in moderate amounts will help you get the calories you need for a balanced diet.

Unless you are severely overweight or obese, you should not worry about how many fresh fruits you eat on the Paleo Diet. Only people with signs and symptoms of metabolic syndrome need to limit consumption of fresh fruits. High-sugar fruits like grapes, bananas, cherries, and mangos should be limited for obese patients or those with signs and symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Low-sugar fruits like berries and melons represent no problems. Check out my Web site:
www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/fruits_table.html
to see a list of fruits that are low in sugars.

Nuts are rich in calories. If you are trying to lose weight, you should eat only about 4 ounces of them a day. Also, except for walnuts, almost all nuts have high levels of omega 6 fats, and if eaten excessively, they can unbalance the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats in your diet.

For ideal health, then, you should eat fruits and vegetables with every meal, along with moderate amounts of nuts, avocados, seeds, and healthful oils (flaxseed and olive). However, just because it’s a vegetable doesn’t mean it’s good—or that it’s on the list below. High-carbohydrate, starchy tubers like potatoes are restricted on the Paleo Diet. Also, dried fruit should be eaten only in small amounts because it, too, can produce a high glycemic load (causing a rapid increase in the blood glucose level), particularly when you eat too much of it. When you’re hungry or in doubt, start with a high-protein, low-fat food. Remember, lean protein is the most effective nutrient in reducing your appetite and boosting your metabolism to help you burn stored fat.

 

Nuts are rich sources of monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats tend to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and may also reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer. However, because nuts and seeds are such concentrated sources of fat, they have the potential to slow down weight loss, particularly if you’re overweight. Again, if you are actively losing weight, you should eat no more than 4 ounces of nuts and seeds a day. Once your metabolism has increased and you’ve reached your desired weight, you can eat more nuts, particularly walnuts, which have a favorable omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Note:
Peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and are not on the list.

Some people are surprised to find alcohol in this next category. There is no evidence to suggest that our Paleolithic ancestors drank any form of alcoholic beverage. And it’s abundantly clear, in our own day, that abuse of alcohol—in addition to causing a host of serious behavioral and social problems—can impair your health, damage your liver, and increase your risk of developing many cancers. However, if you currently drink in moderation—if you enjoy an occasional beer or glass of wine—there’s no need to give up this pleasure on the Paleo Diet. In fact, numerous scientific studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption significantly reduces the risk of dying from heart disease and other illnesses. Wine in particular, when consumed in moderation, has been shown to have many beneficial health effects. A glass of wine before or during dinner may help improve your insulin sensitivity and reduce your appetite. Wine is also an appetizing, salt-free ingredient that adds flavor to many meat and vegetable dishes. Note: If you have an autoimmune disease, you should avoid alcoholic beverages and other yeast-containing foods. (For more information, see chapter 6.)

 

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about why the foods in this next category should not be part of your diet. (You don’t have to stop cold turkey, though; you can gradually wean them from your diet, as I’ll discuss below.) Except for honey, refined sugars were nonexistent in Paleo diets; so were dairy products and excess salt. Almost all processed food is a mix of three or four of the following: sugar, some form of starch (wheat, potatoes, corn, rice), fat or oil, dairy products, salt, and flavorings. Because most processed foods are made with refined grains, starches, and sugars, they are high-glycemic items and can cause large swings in blood sugar levels. Most modern cereal- and sugar-based processed foods adversely affect insulin metabolism and are associated with a greater risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic health problems.