Here is Episode 34 for your enjoyment.
Download a transcript of Episode 34
Show Topics:
Show Notes – The_Paleolithic_Solution_Episode_34
Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and 2X New York Times/Wall Street Journal Best-selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat. Along with Diana Rodgers, he co-authored the book, Sacred Cow, which explains why well-raised meat is good for us and good for the planet. Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top-ranked iTunes podcast, books, and seminars. He also co-founded the 1st and 4th CrossFit affiliate gyms in the world, The Healthy Rebellion community platform, and is the co-founder of DrinkLMNT Electrolytes.
Search Robbwolf.com
Robb –
Forgive me if I’ve missed it, but so far I haven’t come across anything on paleo eating and diverticulitis.
My mother, 63 years old, has a terrible recurring case. The lack of dietary guidance she receives around her outbreaks is absolutely astounding to me, and the amount of suffering she endures is pitiful to watch.
So far I have not developed diverticulitis myself, but I experienced relief from lots of milder GI problems when I went paleo.
Is there any research or even anecdotal evidence on paleo+diverticulitis you can share with me?
Michele-
It’s helped many people. Here are a few places to look:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=paleo+diverticulitis
Rob,
I have heard you breifly talk about the effects of birth control on the ability to lean out. Actually, I think you may have just made some references about it, but I did not gather enough information for a clear decision on it.
I have a 23 year old client, strict paleo, limited to no fruit, some post training yam/whey slop, some caloric restriction/IF. She follows a MEBB program, and is sleeping 7 or 8 hours most days per week. There are some days that she has poor sleep, it’s probably a once a week thing. In my opinion, minus the one day where here sleep might be a little sloppy, she should be leaning out on this diet/program. However, she is on birth control. Could this be the reason that she is not leaning out. In the how do you look, feel perform department, she feels good, she is getting stronger, and her metcon is good. I would greatly appreciate any advice on this topic.
Sorry for any spelling errors, I typed this on my phone. 🙂
Matt
Matt-
Yep, birth control can make it really tough to lean out.
Robb (and Andy),
I have been listening/following for a while now, and want to thank you for taking your time out to do this stuff… the info you put out is invaluable and has helped me immensely.
That being said, I have a question for you about shakes.
I have heard on the podcasts where you are opposed to any kind of shakes because of insulin spikes, but then I have read on your blog about your recommendations for PWO shakes of whey protein and coconut milk.
If I could do a couple protein shakes a day, it would really help me save money, make my PWO meal a snap, get my protein intake where you recommend (about 1g per lb of bodyweight), and it would help simplify my life a bit.
So, if I want to still follow a primarily paleo diet, and still not have dairy…
Are coconut+whey shakes good to go?
What protein do you recommend? (Muscle Milk, Jarrow, etc.?)
And would throwing some raw spinach in there be ok? I like the greenness of it all!
-Dave
Dave-
Check out the first podcast and the PWO posts I’ve done. This all revolves around your needs/goals/tolerances. IN GENERAL liquid food is not that great for leanness. But low carb PWO might be ok for some folks, diary can be a problem for many people…
I say give it a shot, see how you do, evaluate from there. jarrow makes good whey.
BTW-
This is interesting timing given my thoughts on vaccinations:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/24cough.html
So, in addition to the lack of vaccinations, what else might be a contributor for the population at high risk here? I have some ideas, curious if other folks have similar conclusions.
Hahahaha…Oh man, question #5 just crushed my life. I’ve been pounding about 4-5 raw eggs every morning over the past year since I’ve really tuned up my diet. I’d love to eat them cooked but it saves so much time just to take 2 down at a time raw. I haven’t had any adverse affects yet and in continuing with my standard operating procedure I probably won’t stop unless I get really sick from it- it’s just too convenient!
Thanks for the website and podcasts!
joe-
Live dangerously!
Hey Robb, what is the mechanism that causes fish oil to go rancid and what effects and symptoms would be seen in someone that has taken fish oil that has gone south?
Not going to mention why I might be asking this…
Thanks for all that you do.
-Stephen
Stephen-
Lipid Peroxidation (that’s the pseudo-scientific term anyway, “going rancid” is the high-brow term). here is most of what anyone would ever need to know about it unless you are doing synthetic chemistry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_peroxidation
Symptoms…long term all kinds of nasty stuff and this is part of the reason folks Like Dr. Harris of Panu (and others) get nervous about large amounts of either N-3 or N-6 as it has a nasty tendency to oxidize in nifty places like cell membranes.
Follow up question.
What are your thoughts on bulk fish oil from this supplier? http://www.bulknaturaloilsstore.com/omega-3fishoil18epa12dha07-1.aspx
I know awhile back you praised the costco (kirkland) stuff but we’re also digging deeper into their process. Is the stuff I posted above the same stuff? They both contain the same amount of n-3 per cap (costco doesnt break out to the EPA v. DHA level though). If I were to buy a sample of say two different fish oils can chemical (GCMS maybe?) analysis prove they’re the same?
Thanks!
-Stephen
Stephen-
Looks pretty solid with a quick perusal. I have no idea as to their QA/QC, that would take a little digging.
Hey Rob,
I keep hearing you mention that people should be eating lean meats, but from both my own experience with the diet as well as what I’ve read, it seems to me that we should really be sticking to the fattier cuts, as long as everything has good fats (i.e. grassfed). Is this statement about lean meats made with the presumption that people will not have access to good quality meats or are is there some information that I’m missing? If the latter, why do you guys always talk about coconut milk and heavy cream, which is almost entirely fat?
Thanks,
Geoff
Geoff-
this is exactly the assumption. If everyone is eating grass fed meat, totally different picture. Even then, I’m not that worried so long as we keep linoleic acid intake low.
Dear Mr. Wolf,
Regarding the immigrant workers and pertussis outbreak – at least one factor jumps to mind immediately – no breastfeeding (rates are extremely low in the Latino community) and high stress for both mothers and their children.
Is this the sort of contributing factor you were talking about? Dietary?
Mrs. Dalton-
That’s some good thinking! I was considering the immune compromised state surrounding type 2 diabetes and the epidemic rates among these populations. Add the breast feeding and you have two very potent contributors. Not proof, but certainly interesting.
Hey Robb- another good podcast thanks! Do you or Mat have any papers on moderate fructose intake (i.e. not a fructose rich diet) in isocaloric conditions upregulating liver glucose uptake as you mentioned? This would be news to me and sounds really interesting. I did several pubmed searches and found no papers with this kind of conclusion.
All of the studies on fructose affecting liver glycogen and insulin sensitivity that I’ve found, seem to be in rats fed a fructose rich diet (FRD) even if it is isocaloric. But the FRD always throws off the macronutrient ratio in comparison to the control group and ends up resulting in a much higher percentage of carbohydrates in the diet. Therefore, the sugar load of the entire diet is skewed and the results cannot be strictly tied to fructose.
It’s certainly easy to overeat fruit and so minimizing it is a good diet strategy for people trying to lean out. But if one is able to eat it in moderation, I’m curious to find any evidence showing that eating an equivalent amount of carbohydrate and calories from fruit instead of sweet potatoes in isocaloric conditions causes the liver changes you mentioned.
Thanks in advance for any links you guys have! Really interesting stuff.
Preston-
short answer is “yes” it still does affect things, but obviously Isocaloric conditions are different from hypercaloric. therein lies the problem as fructose tends to alter satiety via several mechanisms including decreased Leptin and increased Ghrelin. this paper both discusses and references many of your questions:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/88/5/1189
Chronic exposure is quite different from acute (even under isocaloric conditions) overweight people are very different from non-obese (which calls into question the whole “isocaloric”notion in free living people. how the HELL do they pull that off when their apetite controls are malfunctioning? Rodents respond to fructose differently (more resistant to it’s effects) and thus require different dosages to mimic similar metabolic changes…it gets a scoche complex!
Hey Robb,
I think your website is really informative and the podcast is great. I’m just wondering what you think about grass fed yak, buffalo and elk compared to grass fed beef. I have been purchasing these cuts of meat from a ranch in Bend, Oregon or from the local farms market. Do think the fatty acid ratios are much different? If your interested in obtaining these cuts of meat here is the site: http://www.pmrbuffalo.com
Amino-
If the feed is the same it’s all ; likely quite similar. I’d get as much variety along those lines as you can.
Re vaccinations:
Dr Kenneth Bock (author of ‘Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies’) has some really useful advice on giving vaccinations safely and an alternative vaccination schedule
http://toomanytoosoon.org/bock.html
Robb,
Thanks for the really quick responses both on the rancidity and the n-3 caps. I’ve been totally geeking out on this stuff lately and being a recent Mech. Eng. graduate, I’m both outside of my wheel house (as you put it) and very, very interested and motivated to learn when it comes to this stuff.
Regarding the bulk fish oil, what sort of digging can I do? (I’m totally willing to dig) ~78 dollars for 6,000 caps is a smoking deal; especially when you’re taking them at the levels a lot of us are.
(*1000 to give better eyeball comparo.)
bulk ($78/6000) * 1000 = $13/1000count
costco (9.96/400)* 1000 = $24.23/1000count
I’ll def dig into the QC on this if I know where to look. Could save a lot of us some money.
Related: Dr.Eades Blog Post on keeping fish oil from going rancid.
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/uncategorized/oxidized-fish-oil/
-Stephen
Stephen-
talk to their QA/QC department, check for 3rd party validations, make sure they are running assays to establish consistency (QA/QC).
Hey Robb and Andy,
Just wondering if you guys have heard much about transdermal magnesium. I see that Natural Calm has magnesium gel. Do you know if the absorption is better that way rather than ingestion.
http://www.naturalcalm.ca/product/13/
Scott-
Chemically, it does not make sense. I’ll do some poking around on this.
Hey Robb,
I am loving the longer podcasts and all of the extremely useful info that they convey.
I have a couple of questions:
1. (This one is actually for Andy) In the most recent episode and in previous episodes you have discussed your coconut milk and apple pudding thing that you make as a paleo friendly cheat meal. Do you have a recipe for that? I would like to try it out.
2. (Back to questions for Robb) I am eating totally paleo 24/7 and I find that I run best when the majority of my calories come from protein sources (almost only meat with the occasion scrambled egg meal mixed in). I eat a small amount of leafy greens at most non-post-workout meals and I eat between 20-40 grams of carbs in the form of yam/squash with my post-workout meal, which should really be called my post-workout “meat” (I eat 16-30 ounces of meat in my post-workout re-feeds). Is this okay? Basically I am wondering if there is any validity to the ammonia concerns in episode 34. I eat 220+ grams of protein per day and I am probably causing a considerable amount of gluconeogenesis. Is there any downside to this?
Background: I am 20 years old, 6’2″, and 180lbs. I train 4 days per-week with a pseudo Wendler 5-3-1 (I subbed weighted dips and pull-ups for the shoulder press and bench because I work at CrossFit/gymnastics gym and I am one of the only employees who isn’t a former gymnast i.e. trying to build upon my strength to body weight ratio and impress my boss). I do plyometric training and a moderate amount of Gymnastics Bodies exercises for supplementary work. I also began intermittent fasting a month ago and I love it. I eat 2-3 meals a day within a 6-8 hour feeding window. I am pretty lean (about 8%) and getting leaner on IF while still improving my strength and jump (plyo) numbers. Numbers: 340lb Back Squat, 406lb Deadlift, 90kg Snatch, 114kg Clean and Jerk, 108lb weighted dip, 73lb weighted pull-up, 36 inch vertical, 54inch box jump.
Ben-
Will hit it in the podcast!
Robb, Andy,
Another infotaining podcast. To be honest, the main drawcard for me is the questions concerning people who try “Paleo” for 2-days and quit because they don’t start breaking World Records immediately. I wonder if these high-achievers managed to master potty-training, walking, talking, reading and writing in less than 2 weeks.
On a point totally unrelated to the podcast, I reckon that you two would enjoy this link about Nutritional Sexuality.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/14077
Stuff like this often cures me of homesickness.
Tane-
So many potantial avenues here. We are looking at an “NC-17” podcast version…this may go in there.
Damn Matt Lalonde and his “I take the skin off my sweet potatoes”!!
Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy has something to say about vaccines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toIFU853TrI
Freddy-
yea, I know they are down on them. I’ll Oil Wrestle Jenny on the topic.
just a quick thanks for another great show. not wanting to clog up the discussion w ot, but in addition to being a bit hysterical, it can still be ‘one of those things that make you go hmm….”, apparently eating paleo does absolutely nothing for this new mental ‘disorder’ since you suffer from it by default if you eat paleo:
source: the gaurdian newspaper, uk, 08/09
http://gu.com/p/2a489
it’s interesting that they don’t see anything wrong with eating junk though. apparently that’s ok. kick to the head. two points.
Ah yes…this was the position of the Chubby CSU Chico professors who think the paleo diet is just Orthorexia. yeesh.
Robb and Andy,
I thought you guys might get a laugh out of this. Sunday night at Jits class I got a nasty poke in the eye while going deep half guard (totally an accident) and ended up in the ER and then my eye doctor Monday morning—pretty nasty abrasion on my cornea. I was unable and under order to keep both my eyes closed for 2 days other than when getting my drops. My first thought was what am going to do for 2 days? I got home and remembered the podcast and that was all it took.
So, I have been blinded on the couch listing to you two for the past 48ish hours! I literally have listened to every podcast from number one. Its been like some crazy, surreal dream (or nightmare) of Robb and Andy’s voice in the darkness talking and talking about “all that sorta jive”! Anyway eye is 90% better today, the 3rd day, and I can fortunately return to normal life. Although I am predicating weird flashbacks and dreams when I close my eyes to go to sleep tonight!
Thanks for entertainment provided for the blind and lonely!
Eric-
Sounds like a scene from A Clockwork Orange listening to us for two days! Seriously though, speedy recovery to you.
Hi Robb,
Have you noticed that the cover of the book says “revoluntary” instead of “revolutionary”? For example, here: http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844
Michael-
that was an early mock-up, the final looks nothing like that, and has been spell-checked! I had not planned on even mentioning it was available until July but folks tracked it down.
Pre-ordered the book! Can’t wait!
Robb and Andy,
Love the podcast and blog! You guys are awesome. I look forward to the podcast every week. Thanks for putting all this information out on the internet.
Question about IF and Calorie Restriction. My question: Is there a problem with doing IF alongside a period of severe calorie restriction.
I have been playing around with IF for about 2 months now. Per your recommendations, I’m eating strict gluten-free, dairy-free Paleo diet and supplementing with Natural Calm and Fish Oil. Training is 3x a week linear-progression strength, some HIIT and scaled CF WODS (1-2x a week) and some LSD on the weekend. Life is stress-free for me, graduated college in May and I don’t start work until late July. Sleep is 9-10 hours a night. Going from a unweighed, unmeasured Paleo approach (generally less than 15 cal * lb bw) to a Zone with deleted carb blocks (ala 42 Ways to Skin the Zone). I want to make leaning out a priority.
Should I drop the IF (16 hour fasts per recommendations from Lean Gains) when doing the Zone? Everything I read highlights IF as an alternative to CR. So not sure if doing them together is a problem. Loved IF when I was unweighed and unmeasured and eating closer to 15 cal per lb of bw, but not sure if I should keep it in the mix.
Thanks,
Ravi
Similar to Andy’s recipe, PWO the other day I tried a banana with cinnamon in refrigerated coconut milk, it’s like a simple paleo banana pudding, delicious
Thats a great article on fructose you posted. I’m saving that one in my files 🙂
It reminded me of this semi-related article/study I read yesterday:
“Nonhomeostatic Control of Human Appetite and Physical Activity in Regulation of Energy Balance”
http://journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/Fulltext/2010/07000/Nonhomeostatic_Control_of_Human_Appetite_and.4.aspx#
P.S.
long live the Star Wars references
Haha, I think you guys were passing around some norcal margarittas before the show, good stuff tho. I recently re-listening to the first 10 podcasts, picking up lots of great new stuff the 2nd time through, but it also reminded me of the enigmatic ‘supplement podcast.’ Is this still in the works once the book it out, on your mile long ‘to do’ list? Keep up the good stuff.
Joe-
Yea, we will get that supp podcast at some point!
Robb – Thanks for answering my question.
The question was asked how old I was – 22.
I’m following the recommendation of cutting the gluten completely out of the diet. Hopefully I’ll see an improvement.
Further to that, I’m going to see the doc over the next couple of weeks with regards to the suggested blood work. National Health Service in the UK though, so I’m not sure exactly how they’ll respond to the request.
I’ll post more after a few weeks when and if I know blood results and the effects of cutting out gluten completely.
Also – You’ll do a seminar in.. Denmark?… Come on dude.. London is clearly where it’s at!
Thanks again!!
Sam-
sounds good, keep us posted!
Hey Robb, thanks for answering my question about gum bleeding. I’m still working through what might be the cause of my glucose/insulin weirdness, and I’ve been pretty strict, low-carb, no dairy paleo for about 4 months.
I recently went on tour with my band (I waved at Chico when we drove past) and I managed to stay paleo, save for a couple tacos here and there (can’t do the West Coast without eating tacos). I went so far as to eat canned wild salmon with avocado and onions in the van when I couldn’t make a real meal or find anything appropriate in a restaurant. I kept my drinking to one or two glasses of whiskey or wine at each show, even though PBRs were doled out like bottled water. My strictness with my diet by default entailed some fasting and a lower caloric intake, and I felt like a caveman moving heavy equipment every night. I felt great, I leaned out without losing muscle, I felt stronger, no brain fog even after a long drive, and I even noticed that my feet didn’t get stinky despite not changing my socks for a few days at a time (I swear this is true, maybe the result of the not drinking beer).
Anyway, I’m totally sold on the paleo thing particularly the gluten issue, but the past few days I’ve been tracking my blood sugar with my dad’s glucose meter (he’s a Type 2), and my blood glucose has been hovering around the mid-90s and low-100s. Immediately after a fruit-heavy meal, it even spiked up to 130. Should I be worried? How accurate are home glucose meters? I generally eat very low carb, but I’ve been eating some fruit since they’re starting to be in season, and it’s retarded hot in Baltimore. Could too much protein be an issue, or perhaps an uptick in caloric intake since coming home? Could coffee (I drink about two cups a day)? I’ve cut way down on booze since starting paleo, but I still have about a glass or two of wine or bourbon every day. Could that be an issue, even if theoretically that much booze should lower blood sugar? Is it weird that I would see all the other benefits from paleo but still have blood glucose in the high-normal range? I also take spoonfuls apple cider vinegar after every meal, and I use a lot of cinnamon, tumeric, and cumin in my cooking.
Sorry for the really long comment, just want to cover all bases and let you know that there are metalheads amongst your 6 listeners.
Hi Robb,
I think the work you talked about that claimed to link the MMR vaccine to autism was that of Andrew Wakefield. I imagine all the information is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield but just to say the paper has been completely discredited, including ten of the paper’s thirteen authors issuing a retraction and the paper being retracted by The Lancet. Wakefield has since been struck off for gross misconduct; not for writing the paper, but for performing lumbar punctures at a children’s birthday party — classy.
There has since been 12 years of massive media interest and the opportunity for huge prestige for any scientist who can support this claim, and as far as I know none has been forthcoming.
That aside: For those who feel that vaccinations are only necessary if you’re considering traveling abroad; there is nothing stopping germ-laden foreigners coming to the USA (shocking I know), and even without coming into contact with them directly, without a critical percentage of the population being immunized there is nothing to stop previously eradicated diseases spreading across the country.
I’ll finish with this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4871728.stm
Ben-
Yea, it seemed like a good fit, the whole gut connection, now…who knows. And yes, it is a virtually inevitable that we WILL see some large outbreaks of some nasty disease like Polio and other problems.
Robb,
Just wondering how safe you think drinking raw milk is, as it can be a potential vector for Tuberculosis via M.Bovis. This issue was “resolved” by pasteurizing the milk, which of course degrades the nutritional value of the milk. Would the farmers still be testing for M.Bovis in the cows if all the milk is now being pasteurized? Is this something one should be concerned about?
Thanks, Norm
Norm-
I guess it just boils down to life having trade-offs. for me milk is not really worth it under any circumstances.
Hi Robb,
Just thought I’d give a quick update on my little group of volunteers (looks like 19 will finish) taking on Paleo for 6 weeks. I’ll do an overview when they’ve all completed. These are all people in my zone email newsletter database, some have been following the zone for years.
It is pretty exciting! One wrote to me today and said the diet has been life changing. All the usual things that I’m sure you hear daily, weight loss, energy, feeling better, thinking better, auto-immune issues sorting, inflammation reducing, gut issues resolving, blood pressure dropping… Most folks are 40 – 65 so a mainly older age group.
Thanks too for keeping us all updated with valuable information – keeps me inspired and gives me better tools for helping people.
Once this trial has finished I will be writing to everyone on my Zone database about it.
Julianne-
this si fantastic, very interested to see the results. THANKS TO YOU for all you contribute to this back-water of pseudo-science. You do a lot and I really appreciate it.
Hi Robb –
One more quick question – I don’t think I’ve heard you talk about the percentages of fat/carbs/protein that one should be eating.
At the moment my goals are focussed on both building my strength back up and leaning out. Currently about 60% of my caloric intake is fat, 25% is protein with the remainder coming from carbs. Am I on the right track here and are there any benchmarks that I should be looking at depending on goals?
Thanks!
Sam-
that looks pretty good. Protein at ~ 1g/lb BW, fat as per energy needs, carbs as per training needs.
Hey Robb! Is there a problem with eating wild fish every meal? My roommate owns an organic catering company and with leftovers and extras from orders, I’ve got wild sea bass, albacore, and yellowtail all caught up and down the west coast, practically coming out of my ears. I could literally eat it every meal all summer long. Seared and bathing in coconut milk is my preferred method of ingestion. Do you forsee any problems? Would i still need to be taking my awesome Kirkland fish oil? I was down to taking about 4-5 capsules a day from my original 13 capsules a day just a few months ago.
David-
Seems good to go to me! And No, if you are eating fish like that I really do not see a need for supplemental fish oil.
Hey Andy, you mentioned your apple-coconut pudding thing in this episode and you also mentioned it in another one where you described what went into it, but I can’t seem to find it. Care to share the recipe??
*PODCAST QUESTION* (let me know if I posted this in the wrong spot…)
Hey Robb,
Different Justin here than has written questions in the past. I’ve been following the site and podcast for about a year now, and sincerely wanted to thank you for all that you guys do. Many more people than are vocal are seeing benefit from your work.
A while back I remember reading your 42 Ways to Skin the Zone article, and coming across the phrase “Mitochondrial Redox”. I take this to mean Reductive Oxidation.. but was wondering if you could expand on what this phenomenon is, and why it matters for someone that would be a “hard gainer”. All of the references I could find to it in searches online were opaque at best, and definitely not in the context of training, mostly dealing with geriatrics or medical patients.
Thanks again,
Justin
P.S. if it is important, here are some stats: 31yo Male, 6’2″, very lean 195lb, Paleo for the last 10 months save for a couple months of GOMAD and some cheese here and there. My goal is to put on weight (maybe not “Wendler big” though) as I performed better post-GOMAD when I was 205 with more body fat. I would just do GOMAD or half-GOMAD again, but the negatives quickly outweigh the positives at this point. And for the record, “performed better” means did better on FireFighter-type agility testing.
Justin-
will get that in the podcast!
Great podcast Robb. I am rereading the post workout section of The Paleo Diet for Athletes and see that Cordain recommends 3/4 grams of carbohydrates for every pound of body weight in ther first 30 minutes post exercise. To me this seems like a lot of carbohydrate, especially in comparison to what I believe you would recommend. From previous podcasts, you seem to recommend 30-80 grams of carbs per day. I am aware that it entirely depends on what your goals are and the really low carb would be for someone trying to lean out, however, the amount of carbs Cordain suggests seems a lot higher than what you would suggest. What are your thoughts on this recommendation?
Also… I am reading the metabolic typing book for the first time and think that it makes sense. I’m wondering what the draw backs of this diet are. I do, however, find it difficult to understand how to ‘scientifically’ determine your metabolic type… it seems like a lot of guess work. Any thoughts?
I understand the benefits of eating a Paleo diet and have been doing so for almost a year; however, I have never been suffering from any autoimmune disorders and have never had any bad reactions to food. I have always eat pretty well, with no junk food and limited processed food. I yunderstand that for some people the Paleo diet makes themfeel awesome, but I never really felt bad to begin with and did not feel that different once I started eating Paleo. So my question is… Is it necessary for someone to eat Paleo if they function fine on non Paleo foods (such as dairy or legumes.. or even gluten.. although I try to stay gluten free even on cheat meals)?
Robb, is hemp seed/oil a good source for omega 3s?
It is a great source for protein but it’s value really depends on the omega 6 content, something which I haven’t been able to find on the internet.
Great work, thanks.
James-
High n-6, short n-3’s, vegetable protein so marginal value. Nice as a snack but i’d not overdo them.
Hi Robb, Hi Andy
Listen to your podcasts regularly, but today I have to post a reply. As a Type II diabetic, I take serious issue with your general dumping of all T2 into the same category, suggesting that any T2 who uses insulin probably has a “compliance” problem.
I spent the first two years after diagnosis controlling my diabetes through diet and exercise. That meant a radical change in diet with a huge list of items I no longer ate: no sugar (obviously) no sugar substitutes, no fruits, no starchy vegetables, no grains, no rice, no creams, no yoghurts … basically none of the things 90% of westerners eat 90% of the time. I remember parties where there was NOTHING I could eat on the buffet… I was very strict and became, because of it, very lean. So much so that my doctor was begging me to EAT.
It’s not that I didn’t eat, I just didn’t eat anything that would cause an insulin spike.
And I became very sports-addicted. My training heart rate went from between 100-135 to between 155 and 175. My cardiologist says I’ve now got the heart of woman half my age: my sports doctor marvels at my progress.
Still, after two year, I could not keep my BG levels down. I was doing up to 3 hours of sport a day, eating next to nothing, and my BG was rising, and rising, causing great stress, not to mention very foul moods. Eventually, when my HbA1c reached 6.3, I went to the doctor and asked for insulin.
It has saved my sanity. It certainly is saving my life.
I’m still eating strictly, I’m still doing sport regularly. I try very hard to use as little insulin as possible. I cannot mimic with insulin what a healthy body does on it’s own, that’s true. But I need insulin. Every day. No question.
So now, in your opinion, what MORE should I have done to avoid needing insulin? What less should I have eaten? How far does one have to go before accepting that SOMETIMES there isn’t anything more that you can do?
Laurie
Laurie-
Obviously struck a nerve here. You are TYPE 2 diabetic, yes? What you are describing sounds a whole lot like TYPE 1 diabetes…the blood glucose levels that raise between meals, primarily from glucagon and cortisol. If you read this thread you will see what I mean:
http://robbwolf.com/2009/10/19/type-1-diabetes-update-and-progress/
And more here:
http://robbwolf.com/?s=type+1+diabetes
Also in those threads you will notice folks establish good control by both gravitating towards a low-ish carb diet and SMART exercise. Too much and the wrong kinds of exercise adversely RAISE blood sugar. I believe someone named Theresa did not like that information and took me to task, much the way you have and it all boiled down to she did not like being told her exercise volume might be messing with her blood sugar.
Laurie, I share the information I observe from working with thousands of people. So I can only go from my experience and what makes sense. My bet is that you are a Type 1 or a hybridized type 2/1. It’s be my guess LESS exercise would benefit your blood sugar levels. I might be wrong about that, but that’s my thoughts.
Hi Robb
Thanks for the nice answer despite my obvious frustration. I think it is, in part, because I respect what you’re doing and saying that I was so annoyed with the comment about compliance.
Yes, I’m type 2 officially. I wasn’t always (and am no longer) doing as much sport as I was during the 3 months prior to going on insulin. At the time, I simply had no other way of getting my BG down. I was at the end of my tether and very glad to get insulin at that time.
I have realised that sport will not necessarily cause a drop in BG. If I do HIIT in the morning, BG will rise. HIIT in the evening makes it drop. Weight-training makes it go up as well. Low-intensity, long workouts (min. 45 minutes) will make it drop.
I now do 3-4 x/week HIIT and 2-3 x/week weight training. Plus walking the dog which I don’t count as sport because it isn’t “challenging” enough. (Altough here in Switzerland, walking always entails hills…)
In regards, to food, I still eat no wheat, legumes, sugar, etc. My “splurge” is 2-3 times/year Sushi. My worst habit is coffee, which I take with heavy cream or black. (Milk and coffee cream don’t work for me). My biggest problem is nuts: totally addicted. They used to keep me from getting too thin, but now, I think, they are the cause of weight gain (since going on insulin).
I just sometimes wish I could be normal. That I could go to a friend’s place for dinner without having to hear a long apology about what was or was not prepared for dinner… that I could go to a restaurant and order from the menu without having to modify the meal… that I could simply EAT without first having to ask myself a dozen questions in order to decide how much insulin to take… BLAH!
I maybe am a Type 1, but having been diagnosed Type 2, that will probably never be fully explored. Nobody in my family is diabetic except a great uncle that I never knew who was Type 1. Other than that, I’m the exception that proves the rule, I guess.
So, again sorry for ranting, I just felt so annoyed that even YOU would not understand how hard it is to be diabetic. This is how I felt after hearing the Podcast.
🙂
Laurie
Laurie-
Apologies for that, not my intention to make you feel bad. I’m a jerk but not completely insensitive! Here is the deal: IF you are a Type 1 (or a hybrid form) it REALLY complexities things. This does not make the problem go away but it does give validity to that fact that the situation is REALLY tough. What would normally work for a type 2 (or run-o-the-mill insulin resistance) makes things WORSE for you. It’s a tight-wire act that you get to relive at every meal and every training session. So, although I thankfully do not have Type 1 I’ve coached a bunch of people with it and I feel like I have a fair amount of both understanding and empathy for the situation (as much as an outsider can anyway).
I appreciate the feedback. My goal is to help folks, not make them feel powerless in their situation.
Thank you for any other excellent article. Where else may just anybody get that type of info in such an ideal method of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the look for such information.
If everyone in the world went Paleo, there would be no room for human beings to stand due to the livestock that would be required to fill such an immense demand. I get the health benefits you are selling (to a point), but are you advocating that 3/4 of the population should starve so 1/4 gets to eat Paleo? If you are indeed advocating that everyone eat Paleo then how does that work exactly? Over 9 billion animals are slaughtered a year just in the United States alone and the ocean will be completely wiped out by 2050 at a low estimation. So we all just eat Paleo because it’s “natural” and then wipe ourselves off the planet in the next 50 years after a hell of a ride? This is the only hang up I have with this diet. It makes sense at an individual level when dealing with an endless supply, but it does not work at all on a real-world level which unfortunately is reality.
FYI – the Download a Transcript link is actually just bringing up the Show Notes.
Can we get the transcript to this episode please? Thank you! (Transcript is bringing up show notes as Amber pointed out above).
I have same problem with downloading the transcript and it seems that is no resolve since long time…
Are there any chances to get the transcript?