People are often surprised to find out that I gave up gluten not because I have an allergy but because I have a sensitivity. On the scale of sensitivities it didn’t rank especially high; the pharmacist who did my testing even told me it wasn’t high enough to worry about. But I gave it up anyway, and I found out that little sensitivity was definitely enough to cause me massive amounts of pain and fatigue.
Gluten wasn’t the only culprit, and in the years since I changed my diet I’ve found that other foods give me problems in different ways. Eggs cause me to break out. Dairy causes me some pretty serious gastric discomfort, yet neither of these showed up very high on the food sensitivity test.
There have been a lot of articles lately disparaging the idea of giving up gluten unless you have an actual allergy. Some doctors have even vocalized opinions that there is no such thing as gluten sensitivity; in fact, many don’t even consider food sensitivities at all. The attitude seems to be that if you aren’t having an allergic reaction you don’t have a problem. I have to disagree.
A single food sensitivity can cause a variety of symptoms, from a slight cough that can be ignored (for a while) to gastric discomfort, fully-body pain, and fatigue. When you combine multiple food sensitivities or continue to eat a food you are sensitive to in large portions on a regular basis, the result can be something that resembles fibromyalgia.
Food sensitivities are not life threatening, but over time they may threaten your way of life.
Although some doctors discount the idea of food sensitivity (or intolerance), studies indicate that possibly 30 percent of people suffer from some sort of food sensitivity. Here are a few signs that you may have a food sensitivity:
Eczema. Eczema is often linked to food allergies, but even when food allergies are not present it’s possible that your eczema may be caused by a food sensitivity.
Acne. Your body often uses your skin to attempt to clean and purge itself of the unwanted suspects. Uncontrolled acne can be a sign that your body is trying to detox itself of a food that it is sensitive to.
Fatigue. When food seems to be taking your energy instead of providing it, there’s a problem. When you continually eat foods that you are sensitive to, your body will have an inflammatory reaction, leaving you feeling depleted and tired.
Joint pain. The same inflammatory reactions that cause fatigue also cause joint pain and swelling. While the pain may start in a single joint, it will eventually spread throughout your body.
Migraines/headaches. If you’ve ever found that you get headaches regularly after eating certain foods, you have a food intolerance.
Brain fog. If you feel like you are always in a fog, forgetful, or just can’t think, it’s possible that your problem is food related.
Food cravings. It’s hard to believe that our bodies would constantly crave foods that are bad for us, but there’s a reason. When you have just a little bit of that food, the body creates enough antibodies to deal with the next attack, anticipating it. That anticipation creates a craving.
What if you aren’t sure what you are sensitive to?
You can begin by having a sensitivity panel run. If you use an alternative health practitioner they will likely do this for you. Otherwise, you may want to find a local compounding pharmacy. They usually have the kits and can send the test in for you. As a last resort you can find the kits online and do the test yourself.
A cheaper method, although not easier, is an elimination diet. In an elimination diet you reduce the foods you eat to only a few safe foods, then one by one reintroduce questionable foods while keeping a journal of how you feel. This allows you to pinpoint exactly which foods are causing which symptoms.
Food sensitivities sound like no big deal. That is likely true if you only have one sensitivity to a food you rarely eat. However, if you have multiple food sensitivities, or are sensitive to one of the foods you eat most often, you may be causing yourself much more harm than you think.
Tag: fuel
I’m an October baby, which is likely why I get so excited about Fall. The changing of the leaves is soon to be followed by pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and my favorite — a plethora of pumpkin-flavored foods!
From a nutritional standpoint, the pumpkin is hard to beat. This fall superfood brings protein, fiber, potassium, and loads of vitamins to the table while remaining under 50 calories per cup.
You may eat your fair share of pumpkin bread and other sweet treats, but did you know that pumpkin is also the perfect seasonal treat for your skin? It’s beauty-boosting properties give your skin a healthy glow despite the blustery days and chilly nights of fall.
Why Pumpkin?
Pumpkins get their orange hue from plant nutrients called carotenoids, natural pigments that act as antioxidants, fight wrinkles, and improve skin elasticity.
Pumpkins are also chock-full of vitamins A and C, which keep skin feeling baby-soft, as well as boosting the production of collagen, a protein in the skin that breaks down as we age.
Plus, the enzymes found in pumpkin act as a great natural exfoliator to help loosen dead skin cells without the harshness of added chemicals. If you have sensitive skin or rosacea, you may have trouble tolerating certain exfoliants and peels. Pumpkin, on the other hand, is mild yet effective.
Your DIY Beauty Treat
Now that you know why you should add a pumpkin beauty treatment to your regimen, how about a super easy recipe that you can whip up on your own?
When you’re hollowing out carving pumpkins, separate out the seeds (don’t throw away, we’ll use them later,) put the flesh to the side, and schedule a Girl’s Night In.
Alexis Wolfer, founder of TheBeautyBean.com and author of The Recipe For Radiance shares one of the amazing DIY beauty recipes from her book with us, the Pumpkin Key Lime Brightener. If using fresh pumpkin, Alexis recommends steaming and pureeing it first.
Pumpkin Key Lime Brightener
(for all skin types)
Combining the vitamin A of the pumpkin, the citric acid of the lime, and the lauric acid of the coconut oil, this scrub works to break down damaged, darkened skin cells that the sugar can then manually exfoliate away. At the same time, the vitamin C and citric acids in the key lime juice help to brighten your skin to further reduce the appearance of dark spots.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pumpkin, fresh (steamed and pureed) or canned
1 key lime, juiced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin cold-pressed coconut oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl to form a thick paste. Apply to darkened areas, avoiding your eye area. Let sit for 10 minutes before gently scrubbing away. Rinse remnants off with warm water.
Waste Not, Want Not
Hey, remember those seeds you saved when you were tricking out your jack-o-lanterns? It’s time to roast a nutritious and delicious savory snack!
Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are rich in the mineral zinc which helps your body fight off colds and other viruses by boosting immunity. These are great eaten alone, mixed with your favorite nuts, and for topping off your yogurt.
Preheat over to 300 degrees F.
Place them in a colander, give ’em a good rinse, and shake to dry (note: don’t pat dry with paper towels; the seeds will stick.)
Spread the seeds out in a single layer and coat with a little olive oil (or melted coconut oil if you prefer,) sea salt, and any of your favorite spices.
Roast for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
You eat because you are hungry and stop when you feel full. Right?
At least that’s how it is supposed to work. If you are like me, part of your weight problem stems from the fact you eat when you are both hungry and not and don’t always stop when you’re full. The uncomfortable feeling of hunger is part of dieting, but it doesn’t have to trip you up.
Some people say that you shouldn’t feel hungry when dieting. I agree with that statement to some extent. But there is a reality here that is sometimes ignored. If you are accustomed to eating 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day as I was, cutting back to 1,500 or 2,000 calories a day is going to leave a void. You are going to be hungry sometimes and that’s okay.
What’s not okay is feeling hungry all the time or experiencing extreme hunger. That’s where these tips come in. If you are smart about when and what you eat, you can limit that hungry feeling that sometimes causes you to overeat.
1. Eat Regularly
Your body sends you strong hunger signals when it feels hunger. If you eat regularly, you give your body food before those hunger signals get strong. Space your calorie allotment out. If you are sticking to 1,400 calories a day, set aside 300 calories for snacks and the rest for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
2. Choose Wisely
Technically weight loss can occur no matter what you eat as long as you eat fewer calories than you need. However, some foods like candy or donuts, leave you hungry while others fill you up. Choose your foods wisely. Include the following fill-er-up foods in your diet:
- Eggs
- Whey protein powder (one scoop a day)
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Beans
- Lean meats
- High fiber foods
3. Use Zero-Calorie Distractions
Try some of these zero-calorie distraction techniques to help you avoid focusing on food. I used these when I knew it wasn’t quite time to eat or when I wanted to eat from emotion rather than true hunger.
Distraction #1
Chew Gum – It’s impossible to eat when you have gum in your mouth. Believe me I know. I’ve tried it.
Distraction #2
Stay Busy – Keep your mind and hands occupied with something challenging like games, puzzles, work, or crafts. Time passes quickly and it will be time to eat before you know it.
Distraction #3
Get Away From Food – If you are at home a lot, you need to get away from the kitchen. Take a walk, run an errand, or move to another part of the house. Standing in the kitchen often triggers hunger. If you are away from home, move away from areas where food is located, such as office break rooms and food displays at social events.
Distraction #4
Brush Your Teeth – Food tastes weird right after your brush your teeth. Have you ever had a swallow of orange juice right after brushing your teeth? Then you know what I mean. Brush your teeth right after eating and let that minty feeling remind you that you are done eating for the time being.
4. Slow Down
Eating quickly is one of my personal downfalls. I still tend to eat fast, but I learned to slow down when I was losing weight. Slow down by chewing your food thoroughly, putting your fork down between bites, and participating in table conversations flowing around you. When you eat more slowly you give your stomach a chance to signal to your brain that you are feeling full.
5. Manage Stress
Hunger is a powerful feeling. However, there are times when you feel hungry because of stress instead of a true need for food. Use relaxation techniques to manage your stress, exercise regularly, and consider talking with a therapist who specializes in stress management.
Once I got my stress under control, I found that I felt hungry less often. It made a tremendous difference in my life and my health.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who cook with olive oil, and those who believe that doing so will cause cancer.
No, that’s not how the saying goes? Hmm.
Let’s try this again: do you cook with olive oil? Should you cook with olive oil? Whether it’s on your radar or not, this is a hotly contested question, and I fully admit to having flip-flopped around it quite a bit as a nutrition expert.
Before we get into olive oil specifically, let’s address the underlying topic at hand: smoke points. Every oil has its own temperature at which it begins to smoke continuously. Smoking is an indication that it can no longer withstand the temperature and is starting to break down, which can ultimately lead to the formation of free radicals. Continuing to heat an oil beyond its smoke point can lead to it reaching its flash point, a.k.a. the temperature at which it ignites into flames. Yikes!
We don’t want that.
So the question is: what is olive oil’s smoke point? You would think this would be easy to find out, but in fact, there is no one, single answer. Grab any two olive oils from the shelf, and you could wind up with two wildly different smoke points. Olive oils can be filtered or not, refined or not, light, extra-virgin, virgin, pure, and the list goes on. Each of these nuances affects not only the flavor, but its ability to withstand heat.
Since there is no one, definitive answer, let’s consider the pros and cons of cooking with olive oil.
PROS
– The majority of the fat found in olive oil is monounsaturated, which means that it can help manage cholesterol levels.
– If you add olive oil to your cooking, you can stop relying on the inflammatory oils with which we normally cook (corn, vegetable, and soybean).
– A lot of resources indicate that it’s actually perfectly safe to heat olive oil, depending on the variety (we’ll get to that in a second), as high as 410 degrees Fahrenheit.
CONS
– Most resources that recommend cooking with olive oil specify that the more refined varieties have higher smoke points than their unrefined, extra-virgin counterparts. This is problematic, because it’s the extra-virgin olive oils that have most of the health benefits.
– Not to open up a can of worms, but too many olive oils on the market are not what they claim to be. Are you really getting what you pay for? Really, read that article as soon as you finish this one; it’s important and too few people are talking about it.
– Even if the smoke point is as high as 410 degrees Fahrenheit, that still leaves plenty of cooking for which olive oil is poorly suited: grilling and high-temperature roasting, to be precise. It’s also entirely possible to reach these temperatures on the stovetop.
THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?
This one has to be a big ole FLOP. It really is best used in dressings, dips, drizzled garnishes, and sauces added at the end of cooking. Look, it’s fine to add a little olive oil to a pan to quickly sauté some vegetables over medium or low heat. Really, you will survive, and it adds a very nice flavor. However, for any recipe heated above 350 degrees Fahrenheit or on the stovetop for an extended period of time, I recommend a higher-heat oil. (My favorite is avocado oil.)
As for olive oil, splurge on the highest quality, most reliable bottle you can find. There are fancier ones available, but I have to give a shout-out to California Olive Ranch, because they’re totally legit (technical term) and readily available in a lot of grocery stores. (I’m not affiliated with them in any way, pinky swear.)
Once you’ve chosen your bottle, store it in a cool, dark place; your refrigerator is ideal, though I’ve found that a shelf in my dining room is a solid option. That cabinet that butts up against your oven is not a wise choice. Yes, it’s a little inconvenient, but yes, it really is that important. Heat and light break down oil, turning it rancid and, you guessed it, creating more free radicals. Why bother worrying about smoke points if you’re dealing with spoiled oil in the first place?
Extra-virgin olive oil may not be ideal as an all-purpose cooking oil, but its potential health benefits are uncontested. Follow this guide for storing and using it, and you won’t be disappointed.
A sweet tooth may be part of your DNA. Researchers have found that most babies prefer sweet foods to non-sweet foods. Whether you blame your sweet tooth on genetics or conditioning, having a sweet tooth can make it hard to lose weight.
I grew up in a home where sweets really were a treat. We rarely had dessert, Halloween was a big thing because of the usually forbidden candy, and delectable desserts were reserved for holiday celebrations. Even though my sweet intake was limited when I was a child, I failed to follow that good example when I got older.
I ate way too many sweets and gained a lot of weight. As I committed to losing weight, I had to find ways to satisfy my sweet tooth without breaking my calorie bank for the day. If you want to forgo sweets altogether while losing weight, that’s great. But if you know in your heart you need to find a way to have some sweets and still lose weight, these tips are for you.
1. Bake Your Own
I learned how to make desserts before I could cook main dishes. That wasn’t a good thing for my weight. However, it ended up being beneficial because now I bake my own sweets. I control the ingredients, the amount of sugar and fat, and cut the recipe into smaller amounts to avoid having leftovers.
2. Buy Individual Treats
If baking isn’t your thing or you don’t want the temptation, purchase a small individual dessert and split it with a friend. Good small desserts include an single truffle, a mini cupcake, a small cookie, or a slice of pie. When it’s gone – it’s gone.
3. Learn to Appreciate Fruit as Dessert
I had a friend who always served fruit as dessert. If you begin to think of fruit as a dessert rather than a side dish or a snack, the fruit becomes elevated from standard to special.
4. Give Your Sweet Tooth a Break
The more sweets you eat the more you want them. At least that’s what I’ve found over the years with clients and friends. Declare a sweet moratorium as a way to break the cycle of eating too many sweets. When you do have a sweet again you may be surprised that a little taste goes a long way.
5. Quality Beats Quantity
Dry grocery store desserts in clear plastic containers aren’t worth the calories. They’re just not. If you are going to have something sweet that cuts into your calorie allotment, choose a dessert made with quality ingredients you really love.
6. Don’t Keep Treats at Home
Tempted to eat more sweets than you have decided to have? Don’t keep any sweets at home. Make your home a sweet free zone. That way if you have a sweet craving at 10:00 p.m. you will have to find a healthier alternative because you aren’t likely to get in the car and drive down the road to purchase one.
7. Find Low Calorie Alternatives
Most sweets are high in calories. For example, a single milk chocolate candy bar has about 160 calories. Low calorie alternatives that will satisfy your sweet cravings include sugar free candy, fruit dipped in dark chocolate, gum, frozen popsicles, or a few chocolate covered nuts.
8. Use Your Freezer
If you have sweets at home, freeze them to make it more difficult to eat them mindlessly. Sweets that freeze well include cupcakes, small pieces of cake, most candy, fruit pies, and bars. Cut larger desserts into small individual servings before freezing and wrap well to avoid freezer damage.
9. Turn Down Bad Desserts
Some desserts just aren’t worth the calories. Skip desserts made with ingredients you don’t like. For example, I find it easy to skip any pudding or custard dessert because I don’t care for them. When you say no to desserts you don’t love you are not only saving calories but also increasing your willpower.
10. Place Limits on Sweets
A sweet tooth is a formidable opponent in the world of dieting. One technique I find successful is to allow myself a single sweet each week. I can pass up less than stellar sweets during the week if I know that when Saturday comes along I will have a small piece of something delectable.
I have to confess right from the start that I do not eat meat of any kind. I’ve been vegan/vegetarian on and off for most of my life, and right now I consider myself to be a selective vegetarian. My diet is primarily vegan, but I add the occasional egg or cheese ingredient if I know and approve of exactly where it was sourced. My choice to eat a plant-based diet is primarily ethical, but I also love the health benefits.
Most of the people I meet are intrigued by what they consider to be a restricted diet of vegetables and grains, and then they express their unwavering conviction to eating cheese and hamburgers. Change is hard enough for most people, but giving up the things we derive pleasure from is even harder.
In case you’re unclear, vegans don’t eat, use or wear any animal products. Vegetarians basically don’t eat meat. Both vegans and vegetarians make this lifestyle choice based on ethics, health, and even religious reasons. Eating a primarily vegetarian diet has had an upswing in recent years with 9 million U.S. adults maintaining a vegetarian diet as of 2012 according to the Vegan Outreach website. They also reported an increase in veganism based on Google trends and increased search results for the term “veganism 2013”.
There is a significant amount of research supporting the health benefits of a plant based diet including cancer prevention and reduced cardiac related illnesses according to CancerresearchUK.org. Heart disease kills 600,000 people every year, and Cancer is the #2 cause of death among Americans with 30% of those cancers being diet related. More specifically research shows that eating too much red meat can increase the risk of specific types of cancer including bowl and pancreatic.
Then there are the issues related to the environment including increased greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, and the depletion of natural resources. The toll that slaughterhouses are taking on the planet cannot be ignored and have to be factored in to anyone’s decision to eat meat or shift to a plant-based diet.
We have a funny relationship to our food in America. Even though we have access to some of the best food, and we are the most educated about health, we struggle with weight more than any other country, and we also produce the largest amount of waste. Nutrition in your body is like gas in your car yet most of us are way more concerned with the quality of gas we use to fill up our car engines than we are with what food we put in our systems. Food is also a great source of pleasure, and it can even be addictive in the same way a drug would be.
So is a plant-based diet the way to go? Can we feel fulfilled and satisfied if we eliminate meat from our diets? Are we willing to compromise our own pleasure seeking behaviors for the earth?
Pros and Cons
Clearly the statistics show that eating a primarily vegetarian diet is an all around good choice. It’s better for your health, prevents disease, and helps reduce the impact modern day agriculture has on the environment. Becoming vegan or vegetarian also opens up a whole new world of possibility. New foods, recipes and even friends develop when you embark on this new relationship to food. Moving to a plant-based diet is also great for your mental health because it taps into a sense of compassion and empathy for other living beings, and it also generates a new sense of awareness around important issues related to sustainability and ecology.
The downside of becoming vegan or vegetarian would primarily be related to the change in lifestyle it might require. While there are more and more vegetarian options on most menus, finding something suitable and satisfying can be difficult particularly if you are used to eating rich (and often addictive) foods. It also requires more advance preparation since plant-based food is often made fresh and eaten immediately. Fast food and quick grab items frequently contain meat products so cooking and preparing your own food would become a bigger part of your lifestyle.
There are some theories that certain body types need meat for optimal functioning. The jury is out on this simply because there are too many factors to consider and the coin can continuously be flipped in favor of a vegetable centric versus meat centric diet. Whether you’re an athlete, suffer with anemia, or simply feel sluggish when you don’t have “protein”, it’s always best to consult a professional for the best dietary needs for you personally.
Fit or Flop
Putting any specific health requirements aside eating a plant-based diet is definitely a fit. Even if you shift to eating a vegetarian meal one to two times a week you would be vastly improving both your physical and mental wellbeing. Testing the waters of vegetarianism can be a slow process or it can be an occasional change you make as part of a cleanse or weight loss program. As with any change, gradual transformation is most sustainable so don’t over-commit and start slow. The Meatless Monday website is a great place to start a weekly commitment to a plant-based diet.
Categories
Does Milk Really Do a Body Good?
Mom made you drink a cup a day because it was “good for you.” Everywhere you turn you’re pummeled with pics of celebs with mustaches raising their glasses like some prized glass of Dom Perignon. There’s even a council to make sure that you drink 3 glasses a day of it! But what EXACTLY does milk do for you? And does it REALLY do a body good?
The scoop is….the research is mixed. Here is the list of reasons why you should/or shouldn’t drink it, so you can decide what’s best for you and your loved ones.
Pros:
Milk is high in calcium, which is important for healthy bones. Additionally, the calcium in milk is well absorbed by the digestive tract because the vitamin D and lactose found in milk help the calcium absorb. Even though lots of other foods contain calcium, milk is a particularly efficient way to obtain it. To get the same 300 milligrams of calcium that comes in a glass of milk, you’d need to eat 10 cups of spinach or 4.5 servings of broccoli. Also, milk’s calcium comes in a readily usable form. Some plant foods contain inhibitors that interfere with the body’s ability to absorb the calcium they contain.
Studies have shown that drinking milk can help regulate weight gain and may even help you to lose weight. Scientists believe there may be a correlation between low calcium and vitamin D levels and obesity. Participants of studies who increased their dairy intake to the RDA, experienced increased levels of calcium and D along with weight loss. Just be sure to remember that if you’re drinking milk for weight loss, choose low or nonfat versions.
It can help you build muscles and repair tissue. With all of the 9 essential amino acids, milk is considered a complete protein and can help you build lean muscle like nobody’s business. Also, milk is insulinogenic…meaning that it spikes your insulin. This is particularly good if you drink milk right after your workout. Ever see the ads on milk being the best workout recovery drink? This is because right after a workout you are depleted of sugar and nutrients and drinking milk with its’ insulin response helps you gobble them up, which helps you recover faster…and better.
Milk is also a good source of phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin D, and riboflavin (a B vitamin). A recent study reported diets of 16,000 Americans found that people who ate little dairy, took in lower levels of all sorts of nutrients, including vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, potassium and vitamin D.
Cons:
Drinking milk can lead to constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, allergies and eczema. Dairy contains some really allergenic proteins, such as casein. In allergic and sensitive people, it can wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal tract and as a result, cause secondary issues as well, like malnutrition and autoimmune disorders. Additionally, many people lack the enzyme to digest lactose (milk sugar). This is called lactose intolerance, and although it’s not serious or life threatening, it can send you sprinting to the bathroom with bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
Unless you’re drinking organic milk, it may contain the antibiotics given to the cow while it is lactating. Studies have shown that humans absorb the antibiotics and this can cause harmful bacteria to become more resistant to these antibiotics. This makes the antibiotics ineffective at killing the bacteria. Suddenly that minor, easily cleared ear infection aint so easy to cure.
Even though drinking milk every day helps ward off osteoporosis, a small group of researchers recently found that drinking too much milk can actually contribute to calcium loss. They found that the high amount of protein in milk thins blood and tissue, causing it to become acidic. In order to neutralize the acidity, the body draws out calcium from bones. As a result, the more milk you consume, the more calcium you need to process the protein intake. As with everything, moderation is key and the suggested daily amount of 500 to 700 milligrams is still thought to be good for your bones.
Organic cows are often milked while pregnant, producing milk that’s full of hormones. Astoundingly, the average glass of milk can have up to 60 different hormones in it. These are anabolic hormones, which means that they help you to grow. But not all growth is good. You don’t want to grow cancer cells and you certainly don’t want to grow big tummies.
It can give you pimples and make your skin look like crap. Milk not only increases your body’s production of insulin but is also linked with higher levels of an insulin like growth factor (IGF-1), which is linked to acne. The evidence is not exact, but if you’re having problems clearing up your breakouts, milk may be the culprit.
Soy: is there any ingredient quite so controversial? The headlines it makes are divisive, passionate, conflicting, and downright confusing. One expert recommends it emphatically; the next calls it the worst thing you could possible eat. They can’t both be right…right?!
Well…
I can’t, in 800 words or less, give you a full run-down on all things soy, but I can tell you one thing: there is a big difference between traditional soy foods and more processed soy derivatives that are now so pervasive in our food chain. There are people who do believe that soy should never be consumed in any form, but there is little argument to be made that watching out for the latter, more processed soy would go a long way in mitigating the health concerns they raise. So let’s start there.
Traditional soy foods have been consumed for centuries in parts of the world, and can be either fermented (tempeh, miso, soy sauce) or not (tofu, whole soybeans, soy nuts, full-fat soy flour). These products are minimally processed and generally contain soy in its whole form. Cultures with traditionally higher intakes of soy also tend to have lower rates of breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, bone fractures, menopausal symptoms, and age-related brain diseases. (Important: that doesn’t mean soy is definitely the reason for these health benefits.)
However, traditional soy is not the source of most of our soy intake these days, and especially not in societies whose traditional cuisines did not include soy until recently. Rather than eating whole, minimally processed and sometimes fermented soy, we are consuming highly processed soy in the form of isolates, isoflavones, lecithin, concentrates, and so on and so forth. These forms of soy are troublesome for a number of reasons:
1. They are much more likely to come from GMO seeds, which really is another post entirely. Long story short: it has some pretty serious implications, if not for our own health, than at the very least for the health of the planet. Grumble if you will; I stand by that statement.
2. The method of extracting these isolated and processed forms of soy uses hexane, which comes with its own baggage.
3. Soybean oil specifically (and “vegetable oil,” which is almost always made of soy) is rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which are pro-inflammatory when over-consumed. Spoiler alert: we over-consume them.
4. Individual compounds behave very different when extracted or isolated than they do when packaged naturally with other compounds in the form of a whole food, and not in a good way. Which leads me to the last point…
5. Processed soy is, quite simply, a red flag indication of an overall processed product. The same way that a baked potato is a more nutritious choice than French fries, so too is a serving of seared tofu more nutritious than a soy burger or protein bar. Period.
Lately, I have noticed how preoccupied we have gotten with specific nutrients. We get hyper-focused on one antioxidant, ingredient, or compound, stripping it of context and losing sight of the bigger picture. Instead of looking at our diets and food system as a whole, we slice and dice them into pieces and suddenly, they have lost all sense of meaning.
Take soy protein isolate for example. It has been used for a while in products like meat analogs (fancy talk for those vegetarian burgers, chicken patties, turkey, and the like), but these days, you can find it in just about anything. Why? Research has associated eating whole, traditional soy protein with health benefits, so we have tried to pull the protein out of the soy and place it in the foods we already eat. (We also have a bit of an obsession with protein right now, and soy protein isolate is cheap.) However, jamming some extra isolated soy protein into a low-fiber, sweetened cereal, for example, does not a health food make.
We do this a lot with our diets: instead of eating fish, want to take fish oil pills; instead of eating a diet rich in fiber, we want to mix a sawdust-like powder into our water; instead of eating our vegetables, we want to buy pastas, wraps, and chips that mix corn or white flour with only enough vegetable puree to color them green or red.
The hard truth is that there are no short cuts when it comes to nutrition. It takes time, effort, and persistence. That also means, though, that it’s less complicated than we make it out to be. Forget the package claims and headlines for a second and ask yourself this: does the food you’re eating (and its ingredient list) look like it came from nature or a factory? Make sure the answer is nature more times than not. Everything else is just noise
When asked about the paleo diet, most people depict scenes of cavemen running through the open plain, feasting on nuts and berries they forage for on their way to hunting down and slaying game animals. As popular as the paleo diet has become with modern day homo sapien men, it’s quickly gaining momentum with women as well. Even though women tend to migrate toward community-oriented programs like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, paleo should be one of their first choices.
Here are 10 reasons why:
1. Paleo eliminates soy and soy products.
Soy is a phytoestrogen, which means that it mimics estrogen in the body. Not a good thing for women. In high doses, soy can cause weight gain, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), headaches, and mood disorders and has been linked to cancer.
2. Paleo balances the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega 6 are the fats found in vegetable oil, corn soil, soybean oil, and all other seed oils. Although you need them for proper health and for your body to function well, if you eat too much of them, they become bad for you. If you don’t eat the proper balance of omega-6 to omega-3 ratio it can cause inflammation and serious maladies like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and depression.
3. Paleo relies on hormone-free meat and dairy.
Readily absorbed from the small intestine into the blood, growth hormone has been shown to increase the risk of breast and colon cancers and can block natural defense mechanisms against early microscopic cancers. In other words, you can’t fight the little cancers as well, and they can turn into big problems (or bigger cancers).
4. Paleo encourages eating berries and veggies.
Eating lots of fresh produce will give you a huge boost in antioxidants and will help you fight diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Check out this recipe for paleo fruit pizza!
5. Paleo discourages grains that can cause leaky gut.
Grains play a role in causing leaky gut syndrome, which has been shown to possibly give rise to autoimmune diseases found in women like rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s. Grains also pull important minerals like calcium and magnesium from your body, which can contribute to the development of osteoporosis.
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6. Paleo encourages lean meats.
Lean, grass-fed meats not only are lower in fat but also have a better ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fats than grain-fed meats (see No. 2). Studies show that women with diets high in saturated (animal) fat have higher rates of diabetes, cancer and ovarian disorders.
7. Paleo eliminates sugar.
Sugar is highly addictive and can contribute to the onset of type 2 diabetes and weight gain. Weight gain causes fat cells to produce estrogen and too much estrogen is pretty bad for women (see No. 1). Also, excessive sugar has been linked to reduced fertility and acne (yep, can you believe it?), and it can kill your sex drive.
8. Paleo discourages eating processed foods.
Processed foods are filled with high fructose corn syrup, salt, fat and artificial dyes and chemicals and can wreak havoc on a woman’s body in so many ways including contributing to the incidence of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bloating and other gastrointestinal problems.
9. Paleo encourages a rotational-based diet.
A rotational diet is one where you rotate the types of foods that you eat, often eating meals that you would normally not eat. Eating a whole variety of foods ensures that you get a bunch of different vitamins, minerals and micronutrients, making you the healthiest you possible.
10. Paleo eliminates sugar substitutes.
Products like saccharin, sucralose and aspartame are used to help you to control your sugar intake and blood sugar levels, but they end up doing more harm than good. Studies have found that women who consume two or more servings per day have an increased chance of developing high blood pressure, headaches, PMS-related symptoms, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, because these products cause foods to be abnormally “super sweet,” people who consume them regularly get used to a more intense flavor and tend to gain weight from over salting or over sweetening, (and even over eating) other foods.
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Going Down The Paleo Path
If you’ve been wondering what the paleo diet is all about; if you’ve been following the paleo diet for any length of time; or if you’re looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle through diet: this article is for you.
First a Little Background
The paleo (“paleolithic” or caveman) diet posits that our ancestors evolved over millions of years to eat whole, unprocessed foods that they either foraged or hunted. Farming, whether it be plants or animals, is a relatively new practice, and paleo enthusiasts argue that our bodies have not had time to adapt to these “new” foods, particularly when consumed as frequently as they are today.
Paleo diets encourage fruits, vegetables, wild-caught fish and seafood, and pasture-raised or wild animal proteins. Nuts, seeds, chocolate, wine and spirits, and raw honey may be consumed in moderation. Dairy, grains, legumes (including peanuts), added sugar, and all stereotypically “processed” foods are out.
It’s really no wonder paleo has gone as mainstream as it has over the past year: It offers a new outlet for anyone who loved the Atkins carbohydrates-are-evil approach 20 years ago; and it conveniently fits into the recent boom in gluten-free dieters by rejecting gluten-containing grains. It in no way sought to capitalize on these popular diets (and in fact has been around for many decades), but they surely aided its momentum.
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So it’s popular, but is it healthy?
THE PROS
Avoiding processed foods is by far the greatest component of the paleo diet. Suddenly, we’ve eliminated cakes, candy, ice cream, chips, fast food, and basically every other trigger food in the Western diet. If you followed no other tenet of the paleo diet but this one, you would be healthier. Period.
More homemade meals is a happy byproduct. If you can’t rely on those quick convenience foods mentioned above, you’re going to wind up making more food yourself. Restaurants also become iffy, since the animal proteins they serve are not often pasture-raised and the fish not often wild-caught. Out of necessity, you will be cooking and prepping food more which is associated with improved health whether using paleo-friendly recipes or not.
(As an aside, the more popular paleo gets, the more companies and restaurants will offer convenient paleo-friendly items, which will make this particular benefit less of a give-in.)
Dairy, grains, and legumes do bother some people. These individuals may feel better when they do not consume these foods or, at the very least, when they consume them less. If you think you may react poorly to one or more of these foods, a registered dietitian can help you pinpoint them and suggest nutritious alternatives.
THE CONS
There are many experts debunking the accuracy of the paleo diet, but that doesn’t really concern me. Whether today’s paleo diet is The Real Deal doesn’t matter as much as carefully considering the risks and weighing them against the potential benefits.
Most people can’t sustain extreme diets that label certain foods as “good” and others as “bad.” The “bad” forbidden fruit become infinitely more appetizing, until you fall off the wagon into a gluttonous, guilt-ridden binge of potato chips and Ben & Jerry’s. I’ve seen it happen with paleo. It’s not pretty.
Restrictive diets risk nutrient deficiencies. Cutting out dairy removes our largest source of calcium, while beans and whole grains offer fiber, potassium, and B-vitamins, among other nutrients. It is absolutely possible to get these nutrients elsewhere, but it takes a bit more effort and a substantial amount of nutritional knowledge.
Loose interpretations may miss the point. It’s true that the heart of a paleo diet is vegetable-rich, but the average individual only hears, “you can eat meat but not grains.” Thinking of paleo as an excuse to eat more meat and go low-carb is not a recipe for improved health. Another risky interpretation is going overboard on the paleo-friendly versions of non–paleo-friendly recipes, especially dessert.
The bottom line: Fit or flop?
FLOP, but not because going paleo doesn’t have its merits.
There are a lot of awesome components of the paleo diet: namely, eating more vegetables; eschewing highly processed, chemical-laden convenience foods; and swapping factory-farmed meat out for wild game and pasture-raised options. However, I think we lose something when we vilify entire food groups and slap a label on ourselves, which only winds up feeling claustrophobic and divisive.
Instead of “following the paleo diet,” can’t we just agree to eat more real food? Paleo, raw, vegan: they’re just splitting hairs and distracting us from the real issue: our society is completely disconnected from our food, and that’s a problem.
Eat lots of vegetables. Cook more from scratch. Involve the whole family. Savor your food. Let’s stop harping on our differences, gather around the table together, and talk about all that we agree on for a change.