To Paleo or not to Paleo

05Apr

Paleo is our buzz word at the moment with it being the answer to if not to all but many of our eating concerns. It is a way to eat to ensure a healthy lifestyle along with managing weight and energy. But what does Paleo mean really and is it as good as everyone suggests.

“The core of paleo is the diet: it eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favour of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables. “ (www.modernpaleo.com/principles.html)

Some people might remember Atkins and suggest that Paleo is another version having high protein and no carbohydrate. This way of eating is popular in the fitness and weight loss world where people see at least short term results with high protein diets. Especially as we now have the wealth to sustain eating large amounts of meat every day. (Not looking at the cost of this to Mother Earth or our caged animals to meet this need, that’s another story).

One of the biggest concerns with the Paleo diet if not done with balance is eating high amounts of proteins leaves you at risk of colon cancer.

In 2014, about 16,980 Australians are expected to be diagnosed with bowel cancer (9,250 in men and 7,730 in women). An estimated 19,960 are expected to be diagnosed in 2020. (Australian Governement Cancer Australia)

Once again in having any food plan it comes back to balance. Our body works with being in balance. It’s aim in keeping you well is to have you balance in acid and alkaline, contractive or expansive energies and to keep your heart rate balanced your breathing balanced. Our body is looking for homeostasis. When we keep it too contracted or acid it has to than work to find balance again for example pulling calcium from our bones to alkaline. The risk of constipation with high protein diet is high if you are not using a 80 -20 rule of 80% vegetable and 20% protein.

To have a poo it has to be fermented to eliminate. The backbone of a good poo is fermented fibre, if you don’t eat enough, grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables containing fibre you will not have enough bacteria in your bowel to be able to process fibre into a good poo as there is no need for bacteria to be present. If you eat a high protein diet or processed foods you will have bacteria that facilitate putrefaction of proteins. Aka sludge and disease, Including worms and tape worms !!!

So how do we keep a balance with paleo or a high protein diet. Ensure you receive good sources of plant based fibre, fermented foods, soaked chia seeds or eco bloom. Amaranth, Buckwheat Millet and Quinao are all grain like seeds with no gluten that provide many health benefits with Quinoa even being a complete protein.

I provide cooking workshops on these seeds and fermented food so you can eat your way to wellnesss.