This link may be inspiring to you:

http://thepaleodiet.com/autoimmune.html

Be well!

JP

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I’ll briefly try to address some of the issues you’ve brought up:

+ Some people who adhere to a Paleo-style diet sprout nuts and seeds in order to reduce the quantity of anti-nutrients such as phytic acid.

+ Grains may be unsuitable for certain/many people for other reasons including potentially allergenic components including gluten.

+ The notion that meat is hard to digest isn’t universally accepted. Mankind has been eating meat much longer than grains. Therefore, it makes sense that our bodies are generally well adapted to processing it. The key is eat it slowly, in moderation and to it chew thoroughly. This is also a traditional way of eating.

+ Many people with digestive conditions and food allergies/sensitivities do well on a so-called elimination diet which often pairs animal sources of protein and vegetables. Dairy and grains are generally limited or restricted in such protocols.

+ The actual science on soy is mixed. I’ve written several columns about this that attempt to illustrate the inconsistent data:

http://www.healthyfellow.com/218/the-truth-about-soy/

http://www.healthyfellow.com/310/soy-guide-for-men/

http://www.healthyfellow.com/577/soy-guide-for-women/

http://www.healthyfellow.com/472/isoflavone-research/

http://www.healthyfellow.com/410/food-allergies/

I hope this is a good start to our discussion.

Be well!

JP

1. at some other page (http://fanaticcook.blogspot.com/2006/11/paleolithic-diet-4-antinutrients.html) another person points out something about that most paleo-dieters forget about the fact that there are so called anti-nutrients in nuts and some vegetables too, so why not go out and eleminate that one too, he adresses (http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/2169/1034/1600/132473/toxintable1.jpg)

2. paleo´s official homepage claims that it may improve IBS and bad digestion, wich i(as a person with bad digestion system) find hard to believe since meat should not be that easily digestible …
i know that some people who became vegatarians because of that, and i found out that i should keep it lov on pork and red meat myself, so as you can see thats a point where i´m totally confuzed about the paleo diét.

3. i do not understand why you claim soy as a good, when today theres a lot of fuzz about soy and how unhealthy it is (and the paleo has same view as i noticed. maybe mostly because its a bean) but people (health people like some paleo dieters and basicly all raw food dieters) seems to be soaking and sprouting every grain and been they can found to remove the antru nutrients and have Maximum digestibility(i love how that sounds)

4. on the other hands in the talk of legumes and beans i found this (i have not got into how reliable the sources is) about the japanese and Okinawan diéts looked like anno 1950, there are tons of sweet potatoes, legumes, calorie restriction and low protein … + longivity ! – study: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9mNHNOMqaqM/TFGDVw-hqHI/AAAAAAAADFQ/Cg8YTXpHJwg/s1600/OkinawanDiet1.jpg – whole article: http://fanaticcook.blogspot.com/2010/07/traditional-okinawan-diet-sweet.html

wich is also weird in the whole acid/alkaline food debate huh´!!

- sebastian

I’m all for eating wilder sources of protein – bison, fish, free-range chickens, grass-fed meat, fish, ostrich, venison, etc. I think it’s better for all involved – the animals, the land and those that eat them.

re: the sustainability of a paleolithic diet

I think Dr. Loren Cordain provides a good summary of this issue:

“Q. Are hunter-gatherer diets practical to feed the world’s population?

A. There are more than six billion people alive on the planet in the 21st century. Cereal grains provide more than half of the energy required to feed the world’s people. Without cereal grains, there would be massive starvation of unprecedented proportion on the planet. We have walked down a path of absolute dependence upon cereal grains — a path that cannot be reversed. However, in most western countries, cereals are not a necessity, particularly in many segments of the population that suffer most from Syndrome X and other chronic diseases of civilization. In this population, a return to a Stone Age Diet is not only possible, but highly practical in terms of long-term healthcare costs.”

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/faqs/

Thank you for your thoughtful comments!

Be well!

JP

Soy is generally not considered to be part of the Paleolithic diet. However, it is a good source of fiber.

Some cereals are also rich in fiber. Having said that, graines aren’t needed in order to attain plentiful amounts of dietary fiber. There are plenty of Paleo-friendly fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables that are healthier sources of fiber, IMO.

re: the pie chart

Please note that this only references carbohydrate intake. The chart doesn’t address any dietary sources of fat and protein. That’s why there isn’t any mention of meat.

re: dandruff

This may or may not be diet related. *If* it related to any diet or lifestyle choice, I would personally try the following:

+ Make sure to eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids – mostly from fish sourced foods and supplements (fish oil or krill oil).

+ Consider supplementing with a good, high-potency multivitamin/mineral and GLA (gamma linolenic acid).

+ Experiment with eliminating potentially allergic foods. Eat a simple diet and/or rotate suspect foods.

+ Get plenty of (sensible) sunshine and/or supplement with optimal levels of Vitamin D.

+ Install a chlorine filter for your shower head. Chlorine can be drying and irritating.

+ Use only mild, natural shampoos and cleansers. If possible choose products with natural, anti-fungal/antiseptic properties. A fungus by the name of malassezia is believed to be a leading cause of dandruff.

I hope this help!

Be well!

JP

I also saw that Dr. Cordain mentioned tomatoes, a member of the deadly nightshade family (along with potatoes and eggplant I believe) potentially being related to problems similar to those grains and legumes bring.

You say soy is a good source of fiber. Isn’t soy not part of the Paleo diet because it’s a legume?

I emailed Professor Cordain about the Paleo diet and its relation to male pattern baldness, noting the baldness fighting properties of the isoflavone daidzein found in soy. I’ve been feverishly researching natural male pattern baldness remedies at http://www.hairloss-research.org, and I don’t want to give up soy and peanuts (the highest source of arginine, the basis for nitric oxide supplements and Viagra) if it means having my hair continue to thin. However, I’ve been on this diet for 1.5 years and I still get pretty bad dandruff, so obviously something is up still. Clues.

I always thought cereal grains were awesome sources of fiber. On another note, I always get starches and fiber confused.

White rice isn’t a good fiber source but soy and vegetables such as bamboo shoots, bell peppers, bok choy, burdock, daikon, green beans, eggplant, onions, sea vegetables, spinach and sweet potatoes all contain decent fiber figures.

Red clover and soy *may* help with MPB but I’m unaware of any specific studies that prove that dietary soy can reverse MPB. Another source of lignans/phytoestrogens, flax seeds, do have a limited amount of evidence to back their use in this arena. Here’s a recent column I wrote about this topic:

http://www.healthyfellow.com/236/natural-remedies-for-female-and-male-hair-loss/

I can’t think of any reason not to avoid corn and rice – at least as a trial. In my opinion, they’re not the healthiest food choices in general. You might also look into only using a mild, natural shampoo (perhaps with added antiseptic properties – such as tea tree oil) and installing a chlorine filter for your shower head. In addition, supplementing with a good probiotic may improve the balance of healthful to harmful bacteria in your system. This could assist in the metabolism of hormones and discourage excessive fungal growth as well.

These are just a few ideas. Unfortunately, MPB doesn’t always respond well to conventional or natural measures. The upside of trying the natural route is that it generally promotes better health rather than side effects.

I hope this helps!

Be well!

JP