Vibrant Sexy Strong

We like cortisol because it can do good things for our bodies when in the appropriate amounts for our body. When we are under stress, cortisol is higher and does things that seem desirable to have all the time—such as speeding up metabolism. However, maintaining elevated cortisol for an extended period of time weakens the body. The body was not designed to sustain large amounts of cortisol for long periods of time.

The First Phase of Elevated Cortisol

In the beginning, you may feel fabulous. You are under stress and the cortisol pulsing through your body makes you feel superhuman. And in fact, you kind of are. Cortisol enhances adrenalin, which can make you stronger and more energetic in the short run.

As Time Goes On

When cortisol is elevated for longer periods of time, you begin to lose your superhuman abilities. As those good feelings subside, they are replaced with symptoms—and lots of them. Some of these symptoms can include

• Increased appetite and cravings
• Weight gain in the waist
• Increased risk for gut infections and bacterial overgrowth
• Sleep disturbances
• Increased risk for illness
• Bone loss
• Depressed moods
• Less will power
• Lowered memory capacity
• Loss of muscle mass
• Low libido
• Low energy
• Low muscle tone
• Hypothyroidism

After researching PCOS for so long, symptom lists like this sometimes make me say, “Yeah, yeah. Tell me something I didn’t know. Everything leads to these symptoms.”

In a way, that’s true. Our bodies have limited ways of telling us there is a problem. Small babies can only cry to let us know they are hungry, tired, sad, bored, uncomfortable, or dirty. Our bodies are held to similar limitations.

Let’s look at what is underneath some of these symptoms in order to understand how too much cortisol is making you tired and forgetful.

Why Elevated Cortisol Makes Me Feel Bad

Increased appetite and cravings. Cortisol increases your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes up, your insulin goes up. Insulin helps lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar gets low, your body calls for food. Cravings often play a role here because your body is asking for quick energy. You give your body quick energy (all while cortisol is increasing blood sugar) and get another dose of insulin. Rinse and repeat.

Loss of muscle mass. As mentioned above, cortisol raises blood sugar. Your body will begin to eat up muscle mass in order to create that blood sugar to handle the stresses being put upon it.

Sleep disturbances. High cortisol lowers melatonin, which helps you sleep at night. High cortisol also keeps you awake. Not a lot of good, solid sleep happening here.

Weight gain in the waist. This is not an “I indulged too much over the holidays” kind of fat. It is an inflammatory, hormonal kind of fat. The increased insulin in your body from the blood sugar fluctuations discussed above increases something called interleukin 6. Interleukin 6 creates a lot of inflammation in the body. It happens all over, but can concentrate in the waist.

Increased risk for gut infections and bacterial overgrowth. High cortisol suppresses secretory IgA. Secretory IgA is abundant in your intestines (gut) and is the barbed wire for the cells—keeping all the nasty stuff out. With high cortisol weakening the barbed wire, your gut is at greater risk for gut infections and bacterial overgrowth.

Lower moods, will power, and memory capacity. When the brain is overwhelmed with too much cortisol, frontal lobe capacity is lowered (mood and will power) and the hippocampus does not function properly (memory loss).

Low libido, low energy, and low muscle tone. High cortisol often requires the hormone pregnenelone to reduce its production of sex hormones in favor of producing more cortisol. A decrease in sex hormones means your sex drive is down, your energy is down, and your muscle tone is down.

Increased risk for illness. With high cortisol comes an imbalance in the immune system (TH2 is too high, TH1 is too low). In addition, studies have shown that bodies heal during appropriate nighttime sleep. Immune system imbalances coupled with sleep disturbances increases risk for illness.

Hypothyroidism. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is lowered when there is too much cortisol in the system. Low TSH blocks the conversion of T4 to T3, leading to hypothyroidism. It is possible that a diagnosis of hypothyroidism could be a secondary issue if the cause is high cortisol.

Elevated Cortisol is No Bueno

After an initial feel-good period, high cortisol can harm your body in several different ways, ranging from hypothyroidism to gut infections. In the next post, we will talk about how low cortisol is not exciting either—and often occurs after a period of having high cortisol.

My doctor is awesome. This is my daughter’s prescription for grass-finished beef; pastured chickens, pork, and eggs; wild-caught seafood; and organic and local vegetables and fruit. All in the name of intestinal health.

Of the 8,000 doctors I visited about PCOS,  only one ever mentioned nutrition. It was my OB during my 5th month of pregnancy and his exact words were:

“Geez, you are gaining too much weight. You need to go on a diet, any diet–South Beach, Weight Watchers, I don’t care. Just stop gaining so much. Research shows your baby has increased odds of being obese if you gain too much during your pregnancy.”

As a woman with PCOS, I found this insulting. Out of frustration I burst out, “And how do you suggest I do that?!” Weight loss wasn’t something I simply hadn’t thought of. It was just impossible to lose weight (or stop gaining for that matter).

I didn’t know about Real Food just yet. I didn’t even know how to cook, so I suspect Paleo would have been too overwhelming to consider.

Nevertheless, Real Food is quite possibly the prescription so many people are looking for. There are limitations, to be sure, but there is often a nutrition solution for many common ailments.

I have needed a handful of other therapies to improve my overall health, but nutrition has been the most enduring treatment, bar none. I’m optimistic that we’ll be seeing more prescriptions like my daughter’s in the future.

There is so much great content out there. Here’s a sampling of what I’m reading when I’m not writing.

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Sweet Pictures of Female Athletes at Fitness Fabulous: This blogger is so dedicated to their workouts. I’m always impressed–with the wods and the gorgeous photos of strong women.

Addict II Athlete: Helping clients recover through fitness. Inspiring.

Smart Moves: Core Fitness For Women at Wellness Mama: “Women have special needs when it comes to core fitness. Anatomically, we are built differently than men.”

Preparing Meat 101–Chicken Edition on Strong Made Simple: An easy way to cook chicken.

4 Years of Living – Paleo on Everyday Paleo: Four. For real.

"Education should help man become the best he is capable of becoming, to become actually what he deeply is potentially." --Abraham Maslow in Religion, Values, and Peak Experiences.

The physical benefits of Paleo are well-lauded on this blog. There’s no question that Paleo is the reason my family enjoys better health and it’s worth every two-hour vegetable chopping session, despite my occasional murmuring.

But the real reason I live a Paleo lifestyle and feel it is crucial for my children lies in Maslow’s statement: to become actually what I deeply am potentially.

In the throes of PCOS and infertility (me), autism and therapy (my son), and the possibility of Crohn’s/ulcerative colitis (my baby), my physical trials blinded me. They were all-consuming. Constant survival mode. To imagine my greatest potential or any future at all was futile, because frankly, I didn’t know if I would reach tomorrow. The days were long, the nights were filled with crying babies and a crying mother, and every day was a new day…of just getting by.

With PCOS, the apex of my potential was Not Getting Sicker. Not exactly the childhood dreams of becoming the first woman president. But I couldn’t aspire to anything else; I was drowning in insulin resistance and weight retention and autoimmunity. Someone who is trapped underwater can only hope for air; anything more is irrelevant, and I needed air.

Paleo allowed me to emerge from the murky depths, eventually treading water, and finally leaving the sea of despair altogether. The cataracts obscuring my visions have been removed. I can look at the world with fresh eyes for the first time, seeing the opportunities for what they really are.

I have greater hope because I am no longer destined to a life of female cancers. My son can spend Wednesdays at playgroup instead of occupational/speech therapy. My daughter is still recovering and I can envision a life for her that is not defined solely by bowel distress.

There were more moments of happiness than sadness in my life prior to Paleo; that is my nature. But becoming more than a woman with PCOS wasn’t part of my joy.

Now that PCOS is behind me, there is a clarity about who I am that was never there before. I had glimpses of it my entire life, but I can finally embrace it and actually be who I deeply am inside. My children can, too. And that’s the real reason I eat Paleo.

"Mr. Hall, I was surfing the crimson wave."

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Melissa Joulwan calls it hormone poisoning. Cher from Clueless calls it the crimson wave. Whatever your euphemism, a monthly menstrual cycle is part of the female experience.

Unless you have PCOS.

Sure, there are women who may have regularity sans birth control, but 8 periods or less per year is a possible indicator of PCOS.

A Late Start

In 8th grade, my best friend Romi used to tease me about how I wasn’t mature. I finally lied and said I started my period just to keep it from being a regular topic of conversation.

Two years later when I was just under 16, I finally went to the OB/GYN (upon recommendation of my voice teacher, of all people) because my period was non-existent. The doctor prescribed some birth control pills and said I hasn’t started because I was athletic (ha! misconception of the century).

Everything I learned about my body, I learned from my friends at school and the school nurse. So basically, I knew bra sizes started at A and that was about it.

I was so confused about birth control and how it worked. We had the Internet, but accessing it for answers to all of our problems wasn’t quite the norm yet and our set of Encyclopedia Brittannica offered absolutely nothing helpful to me. I don’t know what I thought–maybe a baby would spontaneously show up in my uterus or something–but I was terrified to take those little pink pills.

I looked at the package every day for a week and hid them in my super-secret-hiding-spot lest any of my friends found them and thought I was not a virgin anymore. I was so embarrassed and uncomfortable (and really needed the birds and the bees talk, evidently).

Finally, I prayed I wouldn’t have to take them and I started my period that same night. Which also happened to be the same night my horde of girlfriends was going to see Titanic in the theater. All I remember about that night was Kate Winslet flying at the end of the boat and wondering how one movie could be So. Long.

The End. Right?

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Now that I was finally a woman, I thought everything was fine and paid no attention to my monthly cycle. From that first period until I was 29, I only had 11 non-medically-induced cycles. About one per year. Even during the three years on birth control, my period was unpredictable and didn’t always come during the placebo week.

My friends couldn’t have been more envious and I sure saved a lot of money on hygiene products. So what’s the big deal? Just be grateful, right?

The big deal came when I couldn’t have children. Of course, no period was a big deal before the doctor encouraged in vitro, but I was ignorant to that fact. The convenience of always being able to go swimming was not worth the infertility.

I started myself out on a mission to have a monthly cycle. It was the only measurable way I could see that would indicate I was a healthy woman. The doctors I visited only seemed concerned with getting me pregnant and wouldn’t adequately respond to the queries about what I needed to do to be healthy.  Even if I could have a baby, I wasn’t going to be pregnant forever, so I needed a more permanent solution. Docs offered up birth control, but I intuitively knew it wasn’t addressing the real problem. I didn’t want to be on birth control because I wanted an entire football team of children, but I also hated the way it turned me into Mood Swing Extraordinaire. That couldn’t be normal. And if it was, I was opting-out.

Paleo and Periods.

Can food change my menstrual cycle?

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Once my baby turned 15 months (13 months on Paleo), my body started to regulate itself again. In 6 months, I’ve had 5 periods on my own–nearly half of my lifetime record. It is a celebration every time. Of course it’s not fun (and I can now understand why women scorn the inconvenience), but it’s an indicator of proper function. Even if I don’t want to deal with it, my body was designed to do certain things. This is one of them and after years of being abnormal, it’s a relief to be working.

I also don’t experience any pain or cramps anymore, which is a miracle in my world. Prior to this, I would lay on the cold tile, crying because of the pain. I missed class and called in sick to work. When I gave birth to my baby naturally, the contractions up to about a 6 were equivalent to the cramps at my yearly menstrual cycle. To be gone is a very welcome thing, and I would happily choose a period 12 times a year to avoid those cramps again (unless I’m giving birth).

I can’t explain the science of what Paleo did to get my ovaries-a-rockin (and I don’t even believe Paleo is a cure-all), but I have a strong inclination that removing toxins and replacing them with nutrients had a pretty positive effect on my entire body system, female processes included.

The sixth chapter in my continuing PCOS story. Find all published posts here.

You should have seen it coming.

But how could I have seen it coming? I’d never even heard of PCOS.

There was obviously something wrong with you.

But that was my normal. I didn’t know something was wrong with me.

Oh come off it. It’s your fault it got this far. Look at the signs.

And I did look at the signs.

This monologue was on repeat in my mind for weeks. The self-deprecating, guilt-inducing segment of my brain was right. There were signs.

I didn’t start my period until I was 16.
I’d only had seven periods in my entire life that were not medically-induced. That’s less than one a year.
The pain was so tremendous, I felt like ripping out my own uterus each time I had one of those seven periods.
I was skinny fat first and then just fat.
I was hungry all the time. Nothing satisfied me.
I gained weight no matter how few calories I took in and how much I exercised.
I went in for weekly allergy shots in high school.
Chunks of my hair were always falling out.
Acne only stopped when I was on birth control.
I was exhausted all the time.
I went through four different birth controls, none of them making me feel normal.
I woke up nauseous every morning. For years.
Skin tags. Skin tags everywhere.
Hair on my face and belly and toes and elsewhere.
I had bad sugar crashes in the early morning and again in the late afternoon.
I gained 40 pounds in a year. Unexplained.

But seeing as I only had one body, I didn’t know this was abnormal. A doctor always had a reason why, and none of it pointed to PCOS. I was too skinny for that.

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* Recipes included: Chicken with Rosemary and Mushroom Glaze, Sauteed Cabbage, Roasted Green Beans

First off, a little math problem:

Disneyland > Every other place on the planet

Ancestral Health Symposium > Disneyland

Therefore…

Ancestral Health Symposium = Awesome

I have a million things synthesizing in my mind about the Ancestral Health Symposium and my mind is totally blown. A lot of my thoughts were confirmed, and even more topics were brought up that I never considered.

But since my brain is fried from a science-heavy weekend, I thought I’d treat myself to an easy post. Dinner.

Here is a typical meal at our house (avocado not pictured). My family scarfs this down like it’s the last meal they will ever have. It’s Paleo-friendly, PCOS-friendly, and scrumptious.

Protein: Chicken with Rosemary and Mushroom Glaze (courtesy Paleo Plan)

We adore this meal. I don’t even care for mushrooms, but I enjoy them immensely in this dish. Probably because Paleo has forced me to stop being so picky. The only issue we have is that the rosemary is a little hard for my 3-year-old to eat.

Carbohydrate: Sauteed Cabbage

Usually, we throw in a handful of pepitas and currants to liven up this dish, but I must have been out.

Ingredients: cabbage, olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions: Saute cabbage over medium heat with olive oil, salt, and pepper to desired tenderness.

Carbohydrate (part 2): Roasted Green Beans

Another family fave. The baby has a harder time with this one, but I just learned from Dr. Michael Mew that she needs to work on chewing hard veggies anyway for her jaw development.

Ingredients: green beans, olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions: Combine ingredients. Bake 350 for 25-30 mins.

Fat: Avocado, Olive Oil, Nuts

Not pictured. Sorry.

If you try any of these, let me know how they turned out. Happy eating!

As a woman with PCOS, I felt misunderstood more often than not. My diagnosis was lonely (what the heck is PCOS?!). As I discovered my support system, it was extremely liberating to meet other women who got it, but they still couldn’t understand my whole situation because mine was different.

Don’t get me wrong, I love connecting with women with PCOS (and with their spouses). So much of their stories resonate with me and I get it. But I’m still a different person. As are they.

I’m sure I’m not the only woman who feels this way. As women with PCOS, we have a desire to connect to one another because of our shared affliction. To feel normal. To feel understood. This is a basic human trait.

But ultimately, the journey is our own because our backgrounds, family histories, genetic make-up, environmental factors, life choices, etc. are highly individual. Some of our symptoms may be the same, but they manifest themselves at varying degrees of severity. We cope with them differently. Hair loss may be the most devastating for one woman while hair growth may be the factor that pushes someone else over the edge.

We are each an Experiment of One. I have seen tremendous success in treating my PCOS through nutrition, even more than I’ve reported here on the blog. I have spent years gathering information, comparing stories and remedies, trying everything under the sun, tweaking until I find something that works. And tweaking more to find something that works even better.

I am working with the hand I’ve been dealt. I have learned so much from other people’s Experiment of One, and finding what works for me. It’s not a quick fix, but it took 24 years for me to develop PCOS (more if we take genetics and family history into account), so I can’t really expect to figure it all out in one fell swoop.

In communicating with other women, I find our shared and different histories intriguing. So will Paleo work for you? I believe it will. You may not have the same results that I have, but that’s because we’re different and need different things.

After a full year of living a Paleo lifestyle (nutrition-wise), I recognize there are a number of things in my past working for and against me. The following list is certainly not comprehensive, but I think it allows me to reflect more accurately on my success.

Things I Was Doing Before Paleo That Made Me Healthier

• No smoking, drinking, drugs, energy drinks. Ever. Twenty-nine years old and these things still haven’t touched my lips.
• No coffee or tea after age 14. Stopped cold turkey.
• No soda or carbonated beverages after age 16. Thirteen years ago, I made a New Year’s Resolution to give up soda for a year and I liked it so much, I never went back.
• Limited sweets and candy before age 18. I just didn’t like it until college, where easy access and fierce hunger made sweet treats much more appealing.
• Exercised for 2 years straight. My bestie was a phenomenal workout partner, and we exercised nearly every day in some capacity for a full two years before I started Paleo.
• Limited sugar for a year. For a year (about 4 months pre-Paleo), I was having a dessert once a week or so, if that. I had also given up chocolate for a year before that.
• Homemade everything. In an effort to eliminate all the unnecessary Franken-sugars in my everyday foods, I cooked and baked everything from scratch. Bread, hamburger buns, yogurt, sauces, anything I could think of.

Things I was Doing Before Paleo That Made Me Less Healthy

• Doing nothing about my periods. I was nearly 16 before my period started and I’ve only had 11 periods on my own without birth control or doctor inducement. I knew this was not normal, but never realized it was not good. After all, I was told how lucky I was whenever it came up.
• The Costco diet. Processed foods ruled my life.
• Rice and potatoes at every meal. When I wasn’t eating a frozen burrito or pizza, I was eating rice or potatoes. I am half Filipino, and a meal is not complete without a serving of rice. Not even Thanksgiving dinner.
• Vegetarian. I’m recovering, slowly but surely. I always counted chicken broth as my meat source and figured that was enough. Which means beans and cheese were a daily occurrence when I was concerned about my protein intake.
• Environmental factors. Mom smoked in the home, car, and worked in a casino. There was a lot of smoke in my life.
• Homemade all of the wrong stuff. Unfortunately, in removing the sugar, I also added a lot of whole wheat.
• Chronic dieting. Also included not eating at all.
• Chronic cardio. Two hours a day, six days a week.
• Food Guide Pyramid Checklist. Yes, I had one of these. I followed it to a T.

For me, knowing where I come from helps me make decisions about where I’m headed next (and where my children are headed). A year of Paleo, and I’m finally starting to see myself. It’s challenging and not that fun to confront my medical history, but once the right changes are made, oh, it hurts so good.

From Dr. Cordain's site

My favorite part of this whole battle is Dr. Loren Cordain’s rebuttal. He cites 5 studies regarding the Paleo diet and then broke apart the inaccuracies within the U.S. News report. Enjoy here.

I like the science and new research coming out on the Paleo lifestyle, but do not purport to be a scientist of any type. However, having an opinion seems to be right up my alley, and I’ve taken the liberty to share with you what I think about these studies. So without further adieu, allow me to present Most Convincing, Most Fascinating, and Most Thought-Provoking:

Most Convincing. Paleo Diet vs. Generally-Prescribed Diabetes Diet

The details. 2009. 13 diabetics. Two diets-Paleo and one generally prescribed for people with diabetes. All patients eat one diet for 3 months, then switch to the other for 3 months. Paleo better in: weight loss, waist size, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, trigylcerides, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c.

The commentary. As Dr. Cordain says, “The strength of this experiment was its cross over design in which all 13 diabetes patients first ate one diet for three months and then crossed over and ate the other diet for three months….represents the most powerful example to date of the Paleo diet’s effectiveness in treating people with serious health problems.”

All of the patients did both diets, with Paleo winning out for all 13 patients. These are the kind of results that skeptics may refute forever, nitpicking at research design or meal plans. But the lives of those 13 patients are changed forever. Even if they don’t continue with a Paleo diet, they know it works and can choose to take greater charge of their health and follow the Paleo lifestyle.

The source. Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Ahrén B, Branell UC, Pålsson G, Hansson A, Söderström M, Lindeberg S. Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2009;8:35

Most Fascinating. The Aborigine Study

The details. 1984. 10 Aboriginal Australians grew up in outback until eventually forced to move into rural community with access to Western foods. All became overweight and diabetic. Returned to outback for 7 weeks. Avg weight loss = 16.7 pounds. Cholesterol down 12%. Triglycerides down 72%. Insulin and glucose metabolism = normal = no more diabetes.

The commentary. Honestly, I don’t really care about the anthropological reasons we eat Paleo. Sure, it’s nice to know, but my reason for eating Paleo is for optimal health and not to emulate cavemen. Of course, the fact that they align well makes for a nice marketing tool.

What I find supremely fascinating is that this study was done in the first place. Ten Aboriginal Australians returning to the Outback for seven weeks in 1984, presumably voluntarily, when diet trends were most un-Paleolithic in their low-fat, vegetable oil-pushing, pasta-promoting ways. Is it even possible to conduct this type of study today? Would we be able to find a population that is suffering as a whole from a modern diet, but were also raised to be hunter-gatherers? I wish we had more studies like this one, more for my nerdy reading pleasure than anything else. Or maybe I could at least convince Tom Naughton to make a movie about it.

The source. O’Dea K: Marked improvement in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines after temporary reversion to traditional lifestyle. Diabetes 1984, 33(6):596-603.

Most Thought-Provoking. Paleo vs. Mediterranean

The details. 2007. Twenty-nine diabetics placed on 12-week regimen of either Paleo or Mediterranean (whole grains, margarines, oils, fruits/veggies, low-fat dairy). Decreased risk for heart disease in both. Bigger decrease for Paleo. Follow-up study shows Paleo is more satisfying, calorie-for-calorie.

The commentary. This is actually a topic for a future post, so I’ll be brief. Basically, the Mediterranean diet worked in some ways. A good reminder that even if I personally believe Paleo is the way to optimal health, it doesn’t cancel out that other diets still result in improved health, even if not wholly improved.

The source. Lindeberg S, Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Borgstrand E, Soffman J, Sjostrom K, Ahren B: A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia 2007, 50(9):1795-1807.

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This ends my Paleo v. World series (catch Part 1 and Part 2 if you didn’t get a chance).

Is this whole Paleo battle just silly or is it necessary? Did anyone else read the report or rebuttals? What did you find interesting, annoying, validating, infuriating, etc.?

As mentioned in Paleo v. World (Part 1), the Paleo community was up in arms in June. U.S. News and World Report “evaluated 20 of the most popular diets and identified the best” which was most unfavorable for Paleo

followers. Of the five catgeories–Best Diets Overall, Best Weight Loss Diets, Best Diabetes Diets, Best Heart-Healthy Diets, Best Commercial Diets–Paleo ranked dead-last in three of them, tied for last in one category, and went unranked in the fifth since it didn’t meet the category qualifications (Commercial Diets).

Naturally, I totally disagree. Having tried half of those diets myself and having the very opposite of success culminating in an autoimmune disorder, I can’t really give them the glowing recommendation that US News finds appropriate.

Dr. Cordain made a pretty awesome science-based rebuttal and Robb Wolf commented briefly on it here and here. I recognize that all of this supporting evidence could be poorly-researched, fabricated, etc. Just like in any experiment. However, in my Experiment of One (+3 if you count the rest of my household), Paleo trounces all the rest of those “healthy” diets.

If you would like to read how Slim-Fast will make you healthier than Paleo, feel free to read the full report. Otherwise, here are a few of my own thoughts:

Regarding the Report:

1. The top diet is government-endorsed (read: Food Guide Pyramid/Plate). Incidentally, Big Ag and Big Pharma also have a vested interest in government-endorsed food.
2. Many of the highest ranked diets also have a lot of money tied to them through their corresponding product lines and advertising budgets.
3. It almost appears you would be healthiest following their suggestions from the bottom up.
4. Underneath each diet reads, “Did this diet work for you?” Paleo had a pretty strong positive response for some time, but is now looking overwhelmingly ineffective. When I tried to vote (twice), my yes response took away a vote for yes and added a vote for no. It may just be a flaw on the computers I was using, but who knows. Just recognize two of those No votes were actually my Yes votes.

Regarding the Paleo Section (italics are quotes from the report):

1. Will you lose weight? No way to tell. Hmmm. There sure could be a less biased way to say this. Perhaps something like, “More research needs to be conducted.” Or maybe just look at the research.
2. Can it prevent or control diabetes? Unknown. Again, look at the research. There isn’t a lot of it, but there’s enough to make note.
3. Carbohydrates. At 23 percent of daily calories from carbs, it’s far below the government’s 45 to 65 percent recommendation. I think that’s a pretty big plus sign.
4. Salt. The majority of Americans eat too much salt…. You won’t have trouble staying under… cavemen didn’t have table salt and high-sodium processed foods, and fresh produce is virtually sodium-free. Well, that’s fine news!
5. Diets that restrict entire food groups are difficult to follow. Can’t really argue with that. It probably explains why so many people are unhealthy.
6. You’ll have lots of sites and books for support. Amen to that. Thank you Everyday Paleo and Paleo Plan. You make dinnertime so much easier.
7. Timesavers. None, unless you hire somebody to plan your meals, shop for t hem, and prepare them. Sigh. Spot on with this one.
8. You shouldn’t feel hungry on this diet–protein and fiber are filling, and you’ll get plenty of both. That’s true. When I eat right, I’m never hungry. Even when I want to be.
9. The sample meal plan included 3 pork chops and 2 salads. (Perceived) Lack of variety + restriction of favorite foods. No wonder there aren’t more people chompin’ at the bit to get started.

Regarding Nutrients and a Balanced Diet

The report also broke down the diets into categories: low-carb, low-cal, low-fat, and balanced, implying that low(er) carbohydrate diets (such as Paleo) are not balanced.

In looking at the categories, I realized I had never questioned what a balanced diet was before. I suppose I just assumed it was eating healthy, without truly giving it a definition. I still don’t have a solid one to offer up, but I err on the side of picturing a plate that is balanced in nutrients rather than food groups.

Interestingly enough, the portion regarding “nutrients of concern” in the Best Diets report was shockingly positive considering how poor the overall review was. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines singled out 5 nutrients to look out for because many Americans get too little of them. Read what the report said regarding Paleo and these key nutrients:

• Fiber. With such a heavy emphasis on fruits and veggies, you’ll exceed your target.
• Potassium. It’s not that easy to get the recommended daily 4,700 mg from food….A sample Paleo diet was nearly double the government’s suggested goal–one of few diets that manages to do it.
• Calcium. Because you’re not allowed dairy or fortified cereals, you’ll likely only get about 700 mg from a Paleo menu (recommended: 1000-1300 mg)
• Vitamin B-12. You’ll have no trouble meeting the recommendation–fish and meat are B-12 powerhouses.
• Vitamin D. You’ll get very little or none, so you’ll either have to supplement (the non-caveman way) or just make sure you spend enough time in the sun to get the 15 mg recommended.

Interesting, no? Paleo is the worst diet on the list, and yet offers up an ample amount of  out of 5 nutrients of concern, i.e. the nutrients people following the standard diets are not getting enough of. Further, Vitamin D deficiencies are a problem no matter which diet you’re on and let’s save the calcium-magnesium confusion for another post.

So despite the terrible rating, there were some positive gems hidden within the Paleo explanation. And perhaps as a result of the Paleo community backlash, yahoo! published a not-totally-bad-kinda-good article this week. Already some good coming from the bad.

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On Monday’s Docket: Dr. Cordain rebuttal notes