Thanks for
tuning back in for Wellness Wednesday!
How did you all do with
your homework this week? Were you able to successfully add in a Paleo
recipe to your meal plan? Was it easier than you expected? Did you
run into any difficulties? Do you feel like you need more
information? Did you enjoy it? Leave me some comments and I'll do my
best to address them!
Just to recap, the basic
premise of the Paleo diet is eliminating wheat, dairy, processed
foods, and refined sugar, instead increasing your intake of fish,
well-sourced meats, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and
healthy oils like olive, coconut, and avocado.
Some of you may be
thinking, what's the big deal? Grains make up a large portion of the
food pyramid! The traditional food pyramid we think of actually dates
back to 1992, and there has been much more research in the fields of
food and nutrition sciences since then! The CDC currently recommends
that grains should only make up one quarter of your plate, equal to
or slightly less than your serving of vegetables. Many Americans see
that and think “okay, then I'm going to eat a whole wheat bun with
my dinner”.
Here's the problem: the
way we harvest, store, and process wheat and other cereal grains has
strayed away from traditional practices, and they have become
inflammatory to many people. Some researchers believe it's because
the grains develop small amounts of mold during processing, others
insist it's because of genetic modification and too much
cross-breeding. Regardless of the cause, we are seeing more and more
studies asserting the inflammatory nature of these grains.
If we grossly oversimplify
the issue, there are two very basic types of physical characteristics
that we will see with food sensitivities. The first person tends
to be very slender, has difficulty gaining weight, experiences hair
loss, anemia, nervousness, and other symptoms similar to and possibly
including an overactive thyroid. Why? Because when her
gastrointestinal tract gets inflamed, it speeds up digestion so more
inflammatory chemicals don't leak into the rest of the body, and
doesn't allow her to absorb the vitamins and nutrients she needs.
These cases can sometimes be harder to diagnose because individuals
overall look “healthy” because they are slender and don't show as
many markers on blood work. The second person tends to be overweight,
has difficulty losing weight even with dieting and exercise, and has
symptoms similar to and possibly including an underactive thyroid because her body slows down digestion and inflammation builds up.
These individuals still may have trouble getting help because their
symptoms are written off as being part of obesity, fibromyalgia, or
another disorder.
Individuals
in both groups tend to experience acne, depression, anxiety,
irritability, fatigue, sleep disturbances, joint pain, acid reflux,
stomach ulcers, abdominal swelling, vomiting, gas, and diarrhea or
constipation or fluctuate between both.
If
you're sitting there saying “Wait, this sounds like me, why haven't I been diagnosed with a food sensitivity?” it's because there is very little
testing that properly identifies food sensitivities. In my last
video, I touched briefly on food sensitivities and how they differ
from traditional food allergies, so if you're lost right now, go back
and watch that again if you need a refresher. As a whole, medical
research tends to focus on food allergies, anaphylaxis reactions,
because they are more immediately life threatening and better
understood than food sensitivities. On top of that, as we have noted
before, inflammatory reactions, which are the symptoms of food
sensitivities, are diverse and look very different in each
individual person.
I'm
not asking you to take my word for it, do an experiment for yourself.
Keep following along with Wellness Wednesday and see how you feel. Unless you jump right
into strict paleo, it might take a few weeks to notice a difference,
be patient.
This week I want you to incorporate 4 paleo meals into
your meal plan! You can do it! It's going to be great!
Have a
sparkling day everyone!
Dr. Chelsea
Need recipe suggestions? Try one of these Simple Paleo recipes!
*Any
health topics that are covered should not be considered medical
advice. If you have specific questions please contact your doctor
or make
an appointment with
us. You should check with your doctor before making radical dietary
changes, particularly if you have heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or
are pregnant or nursing.*
