
The “Evolutionary” Diet for 2011

So, how many of our New Years’ resolutions have we already blown out of the water?
It’s not even February yet???
Oh well, it’s really never too late to get back on track – or get on track in the first place!

We do that every single day with our patients at Nutritional Wellness Center.
We resolve to do better tomorrow than today, and to begin each day anew.
“It’s not about what you did…. it’s about what you do NEXT.”
Renewing a Revolution with the Paleolithic “Evolution” Diet in 2011!
Just yesterday, we met a young girl for the first time in our office, brought in by her mom because of anxiety, depression, and ADHD. This 14 yr old was sullen, with a disconnected affect, and dark circles under her eyes. Her movements were robotic, her pulse was rapid, and it was obvious that simply “being present” was a struggle for her. She was suffering, and so was her family by just seeing her this way. This smart and inquisitive girl had been going downhill for months. We commended her mother’s resourcefulness in continuing to search for answers which were non-pharmaceutical!
After her initial interview and body scan, we determined through kinesiology testing that she has a food intolerance to Grains and Gluten. Her ability to follow simple directions was even impaired, not only due to side effects of her ADHD drugs, but quite possibly due simply to the ingestion of Grains! We see this foggy thinking and a disconnected gaze quite frequently in kids and adults with this allergy. With the elimination of these foods in the diet, clarity of thinking, dark circles, and a lifting of depression and anxiety often occurs within days of withdrawal from the allergen.

There is an important distinction between intolerance to Gluten and intolerance to Grains – Many people, such as this young girl must avoid foods which contain the protein, GLUTEN, such as present in breads, pastas, cakes, cookies, cereals, and all products made from flour. However this young girl is not only allergic to this common protein found on the wheat grain, she is also allergic to the grain itself. Even the so-called “Gluten Free grains” will cause a reaction should she eat them. Often the dietary recommendation which is made, is the Paleolithic Diet.
Similarly, many of our patients are learning about eating “Paleo”. Dr. Davis, who lives with a grain/gluten allergy himself, adopted this eating plan in 2010 and is experiencing remarkable health benefits, as are many of our patients who have made this modification.
The Paleolithic Diet is based on the dietary history of mankind and the evolution of the human diet. This month I want to explain why we believe this is the most beneficial diet for humans. The diet consists of eating only healthy proteins, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats. Absolutely no grains or legumes are allowed. No rice, no corn, no beans. This is truly a clean and green diet which will lengthen your life.

If we look at the natural history of humans and how diets have changed, we see a dramatic change in the modern human diet that coincides with the rise of modern diseases. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many auto-immune diseases can be traced to the modern diet. If we look at the history of humans, the Paleolithic (old stone age) era was 2.5 million years ago and ended 10,000 years ago in the Middle East with the emergence of agriculture. In the Paleolithic years, our ancestors ate a “hunter-gather diet” –consuming only animals they could hunt, and fish that they could catch; eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that they could gather. The average height of a man was 5’9’’ and a woman was 5’6’’. Within the next two centuries, with the introduction of agriculture, the average height dropped to 5’5’’ for men and 5’0’’ for women. One misconception is that these ancient people were unhealthy and therefore did not live very long. But this is not what the fossil and anthropological records reveal; our Paleo ancestors did have a higher mortality rate, but it was due to the dangers and hardships of living in the wilderness: a broken leg or cut could lead to death, and there was the inherent danger of hunting animals without guns. If they survived these hardships, they lived to old age, virtually free of any of the diseases of today’s modern humans.
So what’s so bad about grains?

Grains contain lectins. The most common potentially ‘toxic’ lectin containing food groups are grains, especially wheat and wheat germ but also quinoa, rice, buckwheat, oats, rye, barley, millet and corn. Legumes (all dried beans, including soy and peanuts),dairy (perhaps more so when cows are feed grains instead of grass, a speculation based on research showing transference of lectins into breast milk and dairy, and nightshade vegetables (includes potato, tomato, eggplant and peppers).
Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily. They are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Lectins may bind to the gut wall and damage the gut lining, are not altered by digestive enzymes, and may alter gut permeability and pass through the gut into general circulation. Lectins can cause alterations in gut function that may be related to colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Celiac-Sprue, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Lectin damage to the gut wall may allow other non-lectin proteins to cross undigested into general circulation and cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
Having gained access to general circulation various lectins may bind to surface cell membranes in arteries and vessels, organs and glands, including the thyroid, pancreas, kidney and adrenals, in susceptible animals and humans.
This binding may begin antigen antibody reactions leading to autoimmune disorders and so-called degenerative diseases.
Different lectins have been implicated in different diseases. Dairy lectins have been implicated in juvenile onset type I diabetes. Wheat lectins have been implicated in juvenile nephropathy.
Most persons are aware that there are certain foods they seem to ‘react’ to. Symptoms could be obvious, such as gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation. Less obvious symptoms may include headache, fatigue, ‘indigestion’, skin problems including hives, psoriasis, swollen joints or water retention. While some symptoms while resolve quickly after eliminating an offending food group, other symptoms may take 6-12 months. Be patient. If you are genetically intolerant you will never be able to consume that group of foods safely.
Some symptoms may occur chronically and may seem in no way related to a gut/food or lectin intolerance reactions. This group of symptoms includes the so-called degenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases like those mentioned in the list at the beginning, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, osteoporosis, senile dementia, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory joint diseases, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and adult onset diabetes. Obesity has been associated with consumption of ‘enemy’ lectins.
Many of our patients have bitten the bullet and adopted this eating plan joining millions of Paleosites who are experiencing better health. For more info give us a call to schedule a consultation.
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Sincerely,
Faye Spiegel
Nutritional Wellness Center, LLC
