Pros and
Cons of the Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet has been gaining quite a bit of traction in
the past few years. It reminds me of the
Atkins diet with its emphasis on protein but its focus on animal products makes
this diet unattainable for Vegans and Vegetarians. This diet is largely based on the consumption
of meat and seafood, eggs, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. It excludes grains, legumes, dairy and
refined foods. On the surface, it does
not seem well-balanced but its focus on whole foods makes perfect sense. Despite the relative good health enjoyed by
many non-meat eaters our bodies have been perfectly designed to consume and
digest animal products. We have all of
the tools to metabolize animal protein and saturated fat and put those
macronutrients to good use. And surely, there is no down-side to the consumption of nutrient rich fruits, vegetables,
nuts and seeds.
All well and good but it is critical to find the highest
quality, unadulterated animal products possible. Grass-fed meats, non-farmed fish and Organic
produce are the key to making this diet a healthy option. Proteins consist of nine essential amino
acids, five non-essential amino acids and six conditionally essential amino
acids. Essential amino acids can only be
obtained from your diet while non-essential amino acids are readily made by you. People with certain metabolic disorders may
be deficient in the conditionally essential amino acids and so must obtain them
from their diet as well. Animal proteins
are complete, so provide the full
repertoire of amino acids. A deficiency
of just one will rob you of your muscle building capacity since your body will end
up wasting protein looking for the one (or more) missing amino acid. Soy is the only plant protein that is
complete which limits a non-meat eater’s protein source. Animal proteins are also the ONLY dietary source
of vitamin B12, a micronutrient critical for cellular development.
Despite the recent vilification of grains I still feel that a
whole grain with its bran and germ layers are a critical dietary source of
fiber and other micronutrients (see http://egglrock.blogspot.com/2015/03/are-you-sensitive-to-gluten.html). While I abhor consumption of any processed grain,
I fully endorse the consumption of unadulterated, whole grains. Grains are removed from the Paleo diet to
avoid consumption of gluten, phytic acid and lectin. No need to belabor why we should avoid gluten
(Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, yada, yada, yada). Phytic acid, found in both grains and
legumes, limits nutrient absorption.
Lectins are another kind of protein that will soon take the place of
gluten as the bad-boy of proteins.
Without getting too scientific, lectins have the capacity to stimulate chemical
mediators of inflammation culpable in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis,
multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s
disease), asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.
Consumption of legumes in the Paleo diet is more of a gray
area. They are excluded largely because of their phytic acid content and because
they are difficult to digest. Soybeans,
in addition to being a genetically modified crop, contain genestein, a phytoestrogen
that may cause hormonal dysregulation in men and women. This is a particular concern for those who
follow a soy-based diet using modified soy products. Occasional consumption of
beans such as green beans is allowed since this is a vegetable typically eaten
in small amounts and consumption of the pod will dilute the adverse components
in the bean.
The top of most food pyramids represents consumption of fats
and oils. Any health enthusiast should
be well-educated on the difference between good fats and bad fats. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is flush
with Omega-6 fatty acids found in sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil,
corn oil and margarine, to name a few sources.
Not only are these oils prone to oxidation but they also have
pro-inflammatory properties that contribute to many new-world illnesses. Instead, the Paleo diet endorses consumption
of saturated fat containing products such as coconut oil, butter and ghee, and
monounsaturated fatty acids such as Olive oil and avocados. Most people are well acquainted with the
health benefits of Olive oil and avocados but I was not aware of the fact that
the medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are the easiest fats to digest or
that the conjugated linoleic acids found in butter and ghee have anti-cancer
properties.
Finally, while dairy is excluded from the Paleo diet, the
consumption of full-fat, grass-fed dairy is acceptable for those who do not
suffer dairy intolerance (owing to an inability to digest lactose, whey or
casein).
Further details on a Paleo diet can be found at these sites:
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