A Tale of Two Meals/ Blood Sugar

This infographic was created by David Wallace at infographicjournal and compares two common breakfast choices.  According to the Standard American Diet (SAD) it is important to follow a low fat (or high carbohydrate) diet.  However, consuming large amounts of carbs cause a spike in blood sugar and, instead of slowing coming down, your blood sugar will fall quickly.  When this happens, you might feel tired, irritable and will reach for something to eat- and since you're following a low fat, high carb diet that something will create the blood sugar spike again.  But when you make food choices that contain fat and protein, your blood sugar slowly raises and then slowly comes down. 
 



The effects of food on blood sugar
Foods high in carbs                                    Foods high in fat

This chart (from Fit Tricks) is a great visual of the effects of the raising and lowering of blood glucose after eating.  The red chart is what happens with a high carbohydrate diet: peaks and valleys of blood sugar.  When your blood sugar drops too low (below the line) your brain receives the signal to eat.  The green chart is a high fat/protein diet: there are no peaks and the blood sugar remains constant which is why people stay fuller longer.  So be good to your body- eat fruits, veggies and foods that are high in protein and fats!

Inconsistencies? Just a Few

When I began researching Paleo, I found many inconsistencies among the "experts," which I found confusing.  One said, don't eat dried fruit, another, dried fruit is a good snack. One said, bacon is bad! While another said,  go head and eat bacon!  Why couldn't these leaders in the Paleo field agree on the parameters of this lifestyle?  I found this to be very discouraging and frustrating.  So I decided to explore what worked for me.  The most important thing I learned from all the "experts" disagreeing is that I NEED TO EAT TO MY BODY TYPE.  This means that I need to find the foods that work with my body and allow me to feel good and preform at my top level.  Some people can eat potatoes, some can't.  Some can eat fruit, while others lose more weight when they limit their fruit intake.  I have noticed that when I cut back on the nuts, Larabars, and coconut milk ice cream, I lose weight faster than if I eat those foods regularly.  Now, I don't need to cut them out completely, just use moderation.  So find what works for you.  Explore your food options but most importantly, enjoy your food!

Dinner tonight

Today was a very busy day at work.  I spent the entire day in car seat class and didn't get back to the station until 5:30.  When I got back, I was ready for dinner but didn't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen.  Every Friday night during the summer, DC Meats, the local butcher shop, has a BBQ that includes chicken, brisket, pulled pork, rib tips and slabs of ribs.  Holy cow it is FANTASTIC!  I am so thankful they are in our district and we could just run over there to grab something quick.  So tonight's dinner was pulled pork...  It was SOOOO good!  And quick.  And easy.  Now, I wouldn't just go anywhere to get food, in fact, I told my mother-in-law the other day that I felt it was a hassle to eat out because I am so concerned with what is added to the food: gluten fillers, monodextrowhateveryacallit...  Food should not contain ingredients that you can't pronounce or that were created in a lab.  I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know the people that work at the places I shop, including my local butcher shop.  I know that they believe the same things I do and that they strive to produce a top quality product that they would feed their family- and that is important to me.

What is Paleo?

The Paleolithic Diet, or Paleo (a.k.a the caveman diet), is the belief that our food choices should be based on those that were available to our hunter-gatherer ancestors: fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds.  According to Loren Cordain, Ph.D (also considered the father of this lifestyle):  

"the Paleo Diet is the one and only diet that ideally fits our genetic makeup.  Just 333 generations ago- and for 2.5 million years before that- every human being on Earth ate this way.  It is the diet to which all of us are ideally suited and the lifetime nutritional plan that will normalize your weight and improve your health.  This diet has been built into our genes."  [Cordain, Loren, Ph.D.  The Paleo Diet, (New Jersey: Wiley, 2011),3-4]  **I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about paleo**

So what does this mean?

This means that humans are not meant to eat processed foods, preservatives or anything our ancestors would not have had available to them.  It wasn't until the agricultural revolution that cereals and grains became a staple in the human diet and, through archaeological records, we can see that there was a noticeable change in the health of the people.  Once farming and grains were introduced into civilization, there was a decline in height, brain size, bone density and an increase in illness (Cordain, 44). 

But I have been eating the same way for years- the same way my parents and grandparents ate...

True, but haven't you noticed the general decline in health over the past years?  As a population, we have more cancer, heart disease, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and psychological/mood issues than ever before.  Why are girls beginning menstruation so young, some even as young as 8 or 9 years old.  Could this have anything to do with the food we eat?  Added preservatives, hormones, antibiotics- all the "harmless things" that are added to our foods or food sources will eventually effect us.

How do I get started?

There are several ways to get started but the most important thing is finding what works for you.  For me, it was all or nothing and I jumped right in, cleaned out our kitchen and got rid of all non-paleo food.  For someone else, it may take a little time getting used to eating this way, i.e. making better food choices.  So start with a meal: "I'm going to eat a paleo breakfast all this week."  Then take it from there...  Lunches, dinners, snacks...  Whatever works for you.  I knew that for me, if it was in my house, it was going to be eaten so the best route was to get rid of it but find out what works for you.

Give it 30 days

Try it yourself.  Eat Paleo for 30 days, and I mean 30 real days of complete Paleo eating.  What do you have to lose?  If after that time of eating fruits, veggies, meats, nuts and seeds you don't feel better, haven't lost weight, sleep better or have less pain, go back to the standard American diet and eat like you did before.   I challenge you to give it a try, what do you have to lose?