Our story begins in East Africa in 1935, with two Bantu tribes called the Kikuyu and the Wakamba. Their traditional diets were mostly vegetarian and consisted of sweet potatoes, corn, beans, plantains, millet, sorghum, wild mushrooms and small amounts of dairy, small animals and insects. Their food was agricultural, high in carbohydrate and low in fat.
Dr. Weston Price found them in good health, with well-formed faces and dental arches, and a dental cavity rate of roughly 6% of teeth. Although not as robust or as resistant to tooth decay as their more carnivorous neighbors, the "diseases of civilization" such as cardiovascular disease and obesity were nevertheless rare among them. South African Bantu eating a similar diet have a low prevalence of atherosclerosis, and a measurable but low incidence of death from coronary heart disease, even in old age.
How do we reconcile this with the archaeological data showing a general decline in human health upon the adoption of agriculture? Humans did not evolve to tolerate the toxins, anti-nutrients and large amounts of fiber in grains and legumes. Our digestive system is designed to handle a high-quality omnivorous diet. By high-quality, I mean one that has a high ratio of calories to indigestible material (fiber). Our species is very good at skimming off the highest quality food in nearly any ecological niche. Animals that are accustomed to high-fiber diets, such as cows and gorillas, have much larger, more robust and more fermentative digestive systems.
One factor that reconciles the Bantu data with the archaeological data is that much of the Kikuyu and Wakamba diet came from non-grain sources. Sweet potatoes and plantains are similar to the starchy wild plants our ancestors have been eating for nearly two million years, since the invention of fire (the time frame is debated but I think everyone agrees it's been a long time). Root vegetables and starchy fruit ted to have a higher nutrient bioavailibility than grains and legumes due to their lower content of anti-nutrients.
The second factor that's often overlooked is food preparation techniques. These tribes did not eat their grains and legumes haphazardly! This is a factor that was overlooked by Dr. Price himself, but has been emphasized by Sally Fallon. Healthy grain-based African cultures often soaked, ground and fermented their grains before cooking, creating a porridge that's nutritionally superior to unfermented grains. The bran was removed from corn and millet during processing, if possible. Legumes were always soaked prior to cooking.
These traditional food processing techniques have a very important effect on grains and legumes that brings them closer in line with the "paleolithic" foods our bodies are designed to digest. They reduce or eliminate toxins such as lectins and tannins, greatly reduce anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and protease inhibitors, and improve vitamin content and amino acid profile. Fermentation is particularly effective in this regard. One has to wonder how long it took the first agriculturalists to discover fermentation, and whether poor food preparation techniques or the exclusion of animal foods could account for their poor health.
I recently discovered a paper that illustrates these principles: "Influence of Germination and Fermentation on Bioaccessibility of Zinc and Iron from Food Grains". It's published by Indian researchers who wanted to study the nutritional qualities of traditional fermented foods. One of the foods they studied was idli, a South Indian steamed "muffin" made from rice and beans.
The amount of minerals your digestive system can extract from a food depends in part on the food's phytic acid content. Phytic acid is a molecule that traps certain minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium), preventing their absorption. Raw grains and legumes contain a lot of it, meaning you can only absorb a fraction of the minerals present in them.
In this study, soaking had a modest effect on the phytic acid content of the grains and legumes examined. Fermentation, on the other hand, completely broke down the phytic acid in the idli batter, resulting in 71% more bioavailable zinc and 277% more bioavailable iron. It's safe to assume that fermentation also increased the bioavailability of magnesium, calcium and other phytic acid-bound minerals.
Fermenting the idli batter also completely eliminated its tannin content. Tannins are a class of molecules found in many plants that are sometimes toxins and anti-nutrients. In sufficient quantity, they reduce feed efficiency and growth rate in a variety of species.
Lectins are another toxin that's frequently mentioned in the paleolithic diet community. They are blamed for everything from digestive problems to autoimmune disease. One of the things people like to overlook in this community is that traditional processing techniques such as soaking, sprouting, fermentation and cooking, greatly reduce or eliminate lectins from grains and legumes. One notable exception is gluten, which survives all but the longest fermentation and is not broken down by cooking.
Soaking, sprouting, fermenting, grinding and cooking are the techniques by which traditional cultures have been making the most of grain and legume-based diets for thousands of years. We ignore these time-honored traditions at our own peril.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Part of the Family
I grew up with animals. I had a dog (Taz in picture, Barkley, Ruffles), two cats (Colors and Sunshine), several Koi fish, turtles (pokey, speedy) and my Guinea pig, squeaky. No, I didn't live on a farm.I can't imagine my life without a pet. Before I took Maggie with me across the country, my dog, Sushi was my companion for 12 years. I even took her to college with me. She would tolerate the chickens I also adopted in college, parties, long road trips, several moves, and my basketball schedule. She was my baby.
One of the most difficult things I have ever had to do was to make the decision to put Sushi down. She had GDV and was in the hospital for 3 days before she made a turn for the worst. I went alone. I said goodbye. I had NO IDEA how hard it would be on me.Here we are on one of many trips to the coast in my college years.
I have known Andrea and Daisy for 11 years. This picture was one of the first after I adopted Maggie.Andrea was with me when I finally came to terms with the loss of Sushi and decided that another dog was in my future. Every morning I would stop by the Santa Monica Animal Shelter to look at the dogs. I did this for about a month and one day, there was this small yellow dog leaning up against the chain to greet me. All of the other dogs in the cages were barking and making a scene, but not this one. She just sat there, welcoming my pets through the gate. I decided to take her out of the cage to see how we got along. As the pit bulls and larger dogs yelled at her as she passed, she didn't pay any attention. Wow, perfect! I think this is the one!
I went to work that day and told Andrea about the new dog I saw. We decided to go back at lunch to see if she was still available. She was. I adopted her. Meanwhile, Andrea was taken back by a black lab puppy in another cage. As an attendant came to
her to help, she burst in tears. She was thinking of her dog Daisy at home. It's emotional to go to the pound and look at all of the animals asking you to take them home. But this time I did. As we were leaving and filling out all of the paperwork, the woman across the counter slided a piece of paper that said, "Thank you for adopting me. I Love you" Ok, we lost it. Both of us started crying... this needed to stop. We left and composed ourselves.2 Days ago, Andrea had to say good bye to Daisy. I spent the day with her yesterday. As usual, it's a cry chain reaction with us. Daisy was her baby for 16 years of her life. Sometimes losing a pet can be the hardest to take.
I have come to realize that Maggie was a faker the day I adopted her.
She seemed to get along so well with others. Ummm, not so much. Daisy is about the only dog that puts up with Maggie's bossiness.
Here are pictures of her visit with us last year. Maggie let her sleep in her bed and lie on her chaise.Rest in peace, Daisy.
We love you and miss you always.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Saying Yes
Sunday was a good day. I rested. Walked Maggie. Took a long bath. Connected with friends. Easy. In September, I wrote a blog about saying yes to opportunities. I love it when people say yes. Sometimes it's so much easier to say no. No is safe. There isn't risk involved. There is no opportunity, either.
My friends Dian and Erin said yes to meet me later in the day for an adult beverage and a chat. I am so glad they did. We had a nice talk by the fire in the backyard about life and all of its subjects. The big yes in their life right now is home ownership and all of the delightful things that come out of that.
Congratulations Dian and Erin!
What if you said yes to an invitation or an opportunity instead of no?
What would be different in your life today, if anything? I think it’s amazing what the universe brings you, once you are open to what happens and you release the fear of the unknown by saying yes.
I would challenge you to say yes to something that you would normally say no to. I would love to hear how “yes” has changed your life.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials Part III
I'm happy to say, it's time for a new installment of the "Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials" series. The latest study was recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Dr. Anthony Sebastian's group. Dr. Sebastian has collaborated with Drs. Loren Cordain and Boyd Eaton in the past.
This new trial has some major problems, but I believe it nevertheless adds to the weight of the evidence on "paleolithic"-type diets. The first problem is the lack of a control group. Participants were compared to themselves, before eating a paleolithic diet and after having eaten it for 10 days. Ideally, the paleolithic group would be compared to another group eating their typical diet during the same time period. This would control for effects due to getting poked and prodded in the hospital, weather, etc. The second major problem is the small sample size, only 9 participants. I suspect the investigators had a hard time finding enough funding to conduct a larger study, since the paleolithic approach is still on the fringe of nutrition science.
I think this study is best viewed as something intermediate between a clinical trial and 9 individual anecdotes.
Here's the study design: they recruited 9 sedentary, non-obese people with no known health problems. They were 6 males and 3 females, and they represented people of African, European and Asian descent. Participants ate their typical diets for three days while investigators collected baseline data. Then, they were put on a seven-day "ramp-up" diet higher in potassium and fiber, to prepare their digestive systems for the final phase. In the "paleolithic" phase, participants ate a diet of:
There are a couple of twists to this study that make it more interesting. One is that the diets were completely controlled. The only food participants ate came from the experimental kitchen, so investigators knew the exact calorie intake and nutrient composition of what everyone was eating.
The other twist is that the investigators wanted to take weight loss out of the picture. They wanted to know if a paleolithic-style diet is capable of improving health independent of weight loss. So they adjusted participants' calorie intake to make sure they didn't lose weight. This is an interesting point. Investigators had to increase the participants' calorie intake by an average of 329 calories a day just to get them to maintain their weight on the paleo diet. Their bodies naturally wanted to shed fat on the new diet, so they had to be overfed to maintain weight.
On to the results. Participants, on average, saw large improvements in nearly every meaningful measure of health in just 10 days on the "paleolithic" diet. Remember, these people were supposedly healthy to begin with. Total cholesterol and LDL dropped. Triglycerides decreased by 35%. Fasting insulin plummeted by 68%. HOMA-IR, a measure of insulin resistance, decreased by 72%. Blood pressure decreased and blood vessel distensibility (a measure of vessel elasticity) increased. It's interesting to note that measures of glucose metabolism improved dramatically despite no change in carbohydrate intake. Some of these results were statistically significant, but not all of them. However, the authors note that:
There's one last critical point I'll make about this study. In figure 2, the investigators graphed baseline insulin resistance vs. the change in insulin resistance during the course of the study for each participant. Participants who started with the most insulin resistance saw the largest improvements, while those with little insulin resistance to begin with changed less. There was a linear relationship between baseline IR and the change in IR, with a correlation of R=0.98, p less than 0.0001. In other words, to a highly significant degree, participants who needed the most improvement, saw the most improvement. Every participant with insulin resistance at the beginning of the study ended up with basically normal insulin sensitivity after 10 days. At the end of the study, all participants had a similar degree of insulin sensitivity. This is best illustrated by the standard deviation of the fasting insulin measurement, which decreased 9-fold over the course of the experiment.
Here's what this suggests: different people have different degrees of susceptibility to the damaging effects of the modern Western diet. This depends on genetic background, age, activity level and many other factors. When you remove damaging foods, peoples' metabolisms normalize, and most of the differences in health that were apparent under adverse conditions disappear. I believe our genetic differences apply more to how we react to adverse conditions than how we function optimally. The fundamental workings of our metabolisms are very similar, having been forged mostly in hunter-gatherer times. We're all the same species after all.
This study adds to the evidence that modern industrial food is behind our poor health, and that a return to time-honored foodways can have immense benefits for nearly anyone. A paleolithic-style diet may be an effective way to claim your genetic birthright to good health.
Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials
Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials Part II
One Last Thought
This new trial has some major problems, but I believe it nevertheless adds to the weight of the evidence on "paleolithic"-type diets. The first problem is the lack of a control group. Participants were compared to themselves, before eating a paleolithic diet and after having eaten it for 10 days. Ideally, the paleolithic group would be compared to another group eating their typical diet during the same time period. This would control for effects due to getting poked and prodded in the hospital, weather, etc. The second major problem is the small sample size, only 9 participants. I suspect the investigators had a hard time finding enough funding to conduct a larger study, since the paleolithic approach is still on the fringe of nutrition science.
I think this study is best viewed as something intermediate between a clinical trial and 9 individual anecdotes.
Here's the study design: they recruited 9 sedentary, non-obese people with no known health problems. They were 6 males and 3 females, and they represented people of African, European and Asian descent. Participants ate their typical diets for three days while investigators collected baseline data. Then, they were put on a seven-day "ramp-up" diet higher in potassium and fiber, to prepare their digestive systems for the final phase. In the "paleolithic" phase, participants ate a diet of:
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, canola oil, mayonnaise, and honey... We excluded dairy products, legumes, cereals, grains, potatoes and products containing potassium chloride...Mmm yes, canola oil and mayo were universally relished by hunter-gatherers. They liked to feed their animal fat and organs to the vultures, and slather mayo onto their lean muscle meats. Anyway, the paleo diet was higher in calories, protein and polyunsaturated fat (I assume with a better n-6 : n-3 ratio) than the participants' normal diet. It contained about the same amount of carbohydrate and less saturated fat.
There are a couple of twists to this study that make it more interesting. One is that the diets were completely controlled. The only food participants ate came from the experimental kitchen, so investigators knew the exact calorie intake and nutrient composition of what everyone was eating.
The other twist is that the investigators wanted to take weight loss out of the picture. They wanted to know if a paleolithic-style diet is capable of improving health independent of weight loss. So they adjusted participants' calorie intake to make sure they didn't lose weight. This is an interesting point. Investigators had to increase the participants' calorie intake by an average of 329 calories a day just to get them to maintain their weight on the paleo diet. Their bodies naturally wanted to shed fat on the new diet, so they had to be overfed to maintain weight.
On to the results. Participants, on average, saw large improvements in nearly every meaningful measure of health in just 10 days on the "paleolithic" diet. Remember, these people were supposedly healthy to begin with. Total cholesterol and LDL dropped. Triglycerides decreased by 35%. Fasting insulin plummeted by 68%. HOMA-IR, a measure of insulin resistance, decreased by 72%. Blood pressure decreased and blood vessel distensibility (a measure of vessel elasticity) increased. It's interesting to note that measures of glucose metabolism improved dramatically despite no change in carbohydrate intake. Some of these results were statistically significant, but not all of them. However, the authors note that:
In all these measured variables, either eight or all nine participants had identical directional responses when switched to paleolithic type diet, that is, near consistently improved status of circulatory, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism/physiology.Translation: everyone improved. That's a very meaningful point, because even if the average improves, in many studies a certain percentage of people get worse. This study adds to the evidence that no matter what your gender or genetic background, a diet roughly consistent with our evolutionary past can bring major health benefits. Here's another way to say it: ditching certain modern foods can be immensely beneficial to health, even in people who already appear healthy. This is true regardless of whether or not one loses weight.
There's one last critical point I'll make about this study. In figure 2, the investigators graphed baseline insulin resistance vs. the change in insulin resistance during the course of the study for each participant. Participants who started with the most insulin resistance saw the largest improvements, while those with little insulin resistance to begin with changed less. There was a linear relationship between baseline IR and the change in IR, with a correlation of R=0.98, p less than 0.0001. In other words, to a highly significant degree, participants who needed the most improvement, saw the most improvement. Every participant with insulin resistance at the beginning of the study ended up with basically normal insulin sensitivity after 10 days. At the end of the study, all participants had a similar degree of insulin sensitivity. This is best illustrated by the standard deviation of the fasting insulin measurement, which decreased 9-fold over the course of the experiment.
Here's what this suggests: different people have different degrees of susceptibility to the damaging effects of the modern Western diet. This depends on genetic background, age, activity level and many other factors. When you remove damaging foods, peoples' metabolisms normalize, and most of the differences in health that were apparent under adverse conditions disappear. I believe our genetic differences apply more to how we react to adverse conditions than how we function optimally. The fundamental workings of our metabolisms are very similar, having been forged mostly in hunter-gatherer times. We're all the same species after all.
This study adds to the evidence that modern industrial food is behind our poor health, and that a return to time-honored foodways can have immense benefits for nearly anyone. A paleolithic-style diet may be an effective way to claim your genetic birthright to good health.
Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials
Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials Part II
One Last Thought
Beach Walk
Valentine's Day with me. It was a beautiful day in So Cal.
Since most of my friends are coupled up, I decided to do something I enjoy. I live walking distance from the beach, but I have to say that I don't appreciate it as much as I should.
This past week, I have a new affinity towards walks on the beach. So, there I went. It was nice.
I am still healing. Of course, it's not healing as quickly as I had hoped it
would. I always think things will be different. Perhaps I am not the only one in this thinking. It's why we play the lottery I guess. Even when I read about "what to expect" after the surgery, I think..."naaa..., not possible!" I will be fine...will recover fast. Maybe it's because I am afraid I will miss something if I lay around and heal. There are a lot of things I am missing right now.
So as of now, I am walking. Waiting. Trying to stay positive. Dreaming of an end to this.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
You Like It, You Really Like it!
Thank you for your kind words about American Life Today. It's a bonus for me because I am really enjoying it! I read about you when you send in your answers, then I read again each day as they post. I would like to give special kudos to the folks that told their friends about it...
Rachel met me online through another blogger and wrote a little blog on her site about American life today. If you are not a subscriber to her blog, I would recommend it. She's hilarious, interesting, and makes killer hair pins.
When I was on my journey last year, I reconnected with my friend Jim in Northampton for a few days. He let me and Maggs invade his apartment for days of music, bbq, sushi, drinks, touring, music and more music. Everywhere we walked, I heard "hey jim! Over here." If he is not now, he should be given some sort of award for being a town icon. I now have a new appreciation for Sam Phillips and Southern Culture on the Skids. I am looking forward to my return. I encourage you to read his blog.
About a year ago, I became online friends with John. He didn't say much...was a quiet friend. I started to read his blogs. What a treat! Someone who is not afraid to speak their mind? Tells the world that he might have a slight problem with drinking and/or marijuana use? How refreshing. Beyond that, he lives his life as I want to live mine. Doesn't care much about possessions or time. He enjoys the things life brings him. At least, that is what I take away. Here is one of my favorite blogs of his, his recap of 2008.
I started to write about my life a year ago. I opened up to you. I shared my fears, thoughts, hopes, etc. It's was scary...vulnerable. But I did it, nevertheless. Something good became of it. I wrote about my myomectomy and I met a new friend, Dian. She had a friend going through the same thing so I was able to share my story to perhaps ease their mind. It all turned out well. She is writing a book about her life. I would encourage you to read her blog. She also has a blog about coming out stories. If you have one to share, she would love to hear from you.
My new friend, Ernie. What a riot he is. He found me through my love of Elvis Costello and Star Wars figures. He has a great blog with many followers around the world. I have to say that his profile was one of the funniest. Taller? Really?
So, thanks to all of you! I am so grateful that you are spreading the word about American Life Today. I look forward to learning more about you and sharing more stories about the human experience.
Rachel met me online through another blogger and wrote a little blog on her site about American life today. If you are not a subscriber to her blog, I would recommend it. She's hilarious, interesting, and makes killer hair pins.
When I was on my journey last year, I reconnected with my friend Jim in Northampton for a few days. He let me and Maggs invade his apartment for days of music, bbq, sushi, drinks, touring, music and more music. Everywhere we walked, I heard "hey jim! Over here." If he is not now, he should be given some sort of award for being a town icon. I now have a new appreciation for Sam Phillips and Southern Culture on the Skids. I am looking forward to my return. I encourage you to read his blog.
About a year ago, I became online friends with John. He didn't say much...was a quiet friend. I started to read his blogs. What a treat! Someone who is not afraid to speak their mind? Tells the world that he might have a slight problem with drinking and/or marijuana use? How refreshing. Beyond that, he lives his life as I want to live mine. Doesn't care much about possessions or time. He enjoys the things life brings him. At least, that is what I take away. Here is one of my favorite blogs of his, his recap of 2008.
I started to write about my life a year ago. I opened up to you. I shared my fears, thoughts, hopes, etc. It's was scary...vulnerable. But I did it, nevertheless. Something good became of it. I wrote about my myomectomy and I met a new friend, Dian. She had a friend going through the same thing so I was able to share my story to perhaps ease their mind. It all turned out well. She is writing a book about her life. I would encourage you to read her blog. She also has a blog about coming out stories. If you have one to share, she would love to hear from you.
My new friend, Ernie. What a riot he is. He found me through my love of Elvis Costello and Star Wars figures. He has a great blog with many followers around the world. I have to say that his profile was one of the funniest. Taller? Really?So, thanks to all of you! I am so grateful that you are spreading the word about American Life Today. I look forward to learning more about you and sharing more stories about the human experience.
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