The Paleo Diet 2002!

To start, what we stand for and teach is not specifically “paleo”, but if you start looking at the foods that damage our bodies and the foods that heal our bodies, you’re going to land pretty close to the paleo diet.

Our goal is always helping you to take small steps towards a healthier lifestyle. It’s not about paleo or diets… it’s about understanding the choices you are making and deciding what you eat. A few steps down the road to your healthier lifestyle you’ll find that what we work with looks very similar to the paleo diet, but it will be different for each person.

Personally, I believe we’re done with the era of “diets” and now simply want to know how we can live better and cleaner. Worth it Living is here to empower the exploration of that. Not just better information but working together with individuals and companies all over the world to see better and cleaner products become more accessible.

So, what is the Paleo Diet?

Here is an article I wrote about the Paleo diet from my very first health website, built in 2002. Yes, the Paleo diet was around way back then, but then it was more commonly referred to as the “Paleolithic Diet” (well, at least in my circles).

My article from 2002, edited and with my comments in “[ ]”

Digging up the Paleolithic Diet

The Paleolithic Diet Basics – eat only what can be eaten through the use of your hands and simple tools.

Do Eat:
Meats and Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, and Berries

Do Not Eat:
Grains, Beans, Potatoes, Dairy, Sugar.

Why the Paleolithic Diet is My Favorite Diet Plan [And still would be one of my favorite “diets” today]

Before I had even heard of the “Paleolithic Diet” I had already formed a similar diet of my own. In this diet I cut out all grains, all dairy products, and all refined sugar. This was the result of lots of research in an effort to rid myself of my own villains; asthma and allergies. And it worked! But why?

I’ll start with the worst of the bad guys – wheat, oats, barley and rye. All of these grains in the way we eat them have very little nutritional value and are classified as food after a few B-vitamins are added to it. The real problem is the protein in these grains called gluten.

Gluten causes a toxic reaction in a large portion of the population, we don’t know how many, but studies point to somewhere between 1-30%. Gluten causes a reaction in which the villi (little hairs along the small intestine which are vital for absorbing nutrition) are destroyed with leaky gut syndrome following soon after. [Newer studies show that up to 80% have a genetic predisposition and it’s not just gluten, but a multitude of wheat proteins and even carbohydrates that can cause problems in those with the genetic predisposition.]

So, what’s so bad about gluten toxicity?

Other than decreasing nutrition absorption, whole proteins begin to leak into the body. When this happens your liver and immune system have to work overtime to attack and neutralize all of these foreign proteins. To add to this, the body sees these foreign proteins as a threat and builds antibodies to attack these proteins. The problem is that some of these proteins in a partially broken-down form have structures that are identical to proteins that make up your body. When these antibodies find their way to these similar structures in the body, they attack them. This is thought to be a cause of many autoimmune disorders, such as arthritis and asthma. The asthma part I can talk about from my own experiences.

I lived with an inhaler by my side until the age of 18 when I finally made the decision to get serious about my health. I cut out all grains and within a few months I didn’t even need to use my inhaler when I went to the gym. My asthma was the primary thing that disappeared when I cut out the grains, but that wasn’t all. It was amazing to see how quickly my acne cleared up. I used to wash my face twice a day and had tried every cream, but I still had terrible acne. Now it just stays clear. The gluten was causing my body to be under stress and creating an inflammatory reaction that put a load on my whole body, so it’s not so amazing that cutting out the grains made such a big difference.

So there you have it, my case against grains.

On to dairy. Dairy products have both proteins (casein) and sugars (lactose) that are hard to break down and place stress on the body. If you are going to drink milk, then get it from grass fed cows as it will have fewer inflammatory fats and more beneficial fats like CLA.

Gluten really seems to be the biggest culprit of disease from food [now I would say sugar, but gluten is right up there], and yet it’s in nearly every supermarket food. It’s not hard to figure out why, the grains simply make more money, they cost less to produce, and can be stored for a longer period of time.

The “Paleolithic Diet” is a healthy way to eat that removes grains (gluten), milk, and other foods that cause stress on the body. I’d highly recommend that you read up on the Paleolithic diet until you really believe in it, or don’t. Then you’ll be able to make your own decision and stick to it. The best book I’ve read on the subject is Neanderthin by Ray Audett [still a great book, some of the information is outdated now]. He presents the case very well, it’s a quick and easy to read book, and he backs it up with lots of good research.

There you have it, my article from 2002 and I still agree with myself ;).

That article really is still relevant for today because it focuses first on why we eat a certain way and then what that way of eating is. That’s where I come from and that is basically how I still eat.