Download a transcript of this episode here
Featuring guest: Chris Kresser
Link to Chris’ segment on Dr. Oz
Episode 214 – Guest: Chris Kresser
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.
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All this talk about lectins and phytates in legumes, nuts and vegetables like Spinach and Swiss chard, and oh, just cook/soak/etc and they’re safe. Well all the same groups of foods (and dark chocolate and some berries) happen to also be very high in oxalates, which do _not_ get destroyed or cleared by cooking/soaking/etc. High oxalate content affect a lot more people that gluten does (wheat also is very high in oxalates), it should be a lot more significant for Paleo-eating people. This wasn’t discussed. Personally I have been eating Paleo for over four years now, and recently (last year or so) I “relaxed” thinking hey, Potatoes are A-Ok, Legumes are A-Ok, what with resistant starch and stuff, this on top of frequently eating spinach, berries, nuts, and dark chocolate, then BAM! Calcium oxalate kidney stones. If anyone listening came to Paleo from leaky-gut issues, used to eat a lot of wheat, etc. it could be quite likely you will also have issues if eating a high-oxalate diet, especially if your levels of Ca-K-Mg are just “adequate” or less, and/or you don’t give fluid intake the proper priority.
@Carlos:
Kresser has addressed this:
http://chriskresser.com/how-to-prevent-kidney-stones-naturally
…and here:
http://chriskresser.com/all-about-kidney-stones-liver-detoxification-and-calcium
Wow, this was an excellent podcast, thank you both.
I watched the Dr. Oz piece. I understand that within the Oz format (ie., “Health and Nutrition for Dummies”), it’s very difficult to explain the Paleo Diet concept. But it was a surprisingly good segment. Mehmet was enthusiastic. Kresser and Stephenson were good-looking, glowingly-healthy presenters of their versions of “cheat” Paleo. Both diets are magnitudes better than the Standard American Diet.
But here’s the problem: If I had started with either of their “personalized” paleo diets as presented on the show, I would not have experienced the dramatic health benefits of Robb’s Paleo Solution version.
I did the strict elimination diet for 30 days. On the 31st day the first thing I added back was my beloved dairy, because I couldn’t POSSIBLY be sensitive to dairy. In quick order exercise-induced asthma was back. Nasal allergies, back. Five days later, eczema, back. I felt bad. It was revelatory. When I re-introduced beans (black bean frijoles on my taco salad, a cup of my sister’s kidney bean chili) my GERD and IBS came back, with a vengeance.
The opportunity to expose significant food sensitivities is what’s lost in these “relaxed” Paleo plans. You’ll lose weight on Kresser’s and Stephenson’s diets, and maybe that’s enough for most people. But I (and likely many others) would still struggle with malaise and the false belief that dairy and legumes are well tolerated. In short order, I would abandon their diets (just as I abandoned the Zone and vegetarianism) because they didn’t make me feel good.
Just to clarify, Kresser does recommend a strict paleo diet for 30 days at first, and then reintroducing other foods one at a time if you want to to see if they’re problematic for you or not. He didn’t get to express that on the show, but those are the recommendations in his material, programs, book, etc.
Thanks Chris, Robb, for keeping the paleo community on the path of critical thinking. There are also listeners out there that appreciate that a lot.
PS, couldn`t you just team up for a regular podcast and include Greg for the dry humor and of course the great advice on Olympic lifting?
Just started listening to this podcast and ordered Chris’s book 5 minutes in, just to show support and to say f u to mainstream media
What about saponins? Cordain brought up saponins and some other issues with legumes beyond just lectins and phytates. The article mentions that saponins can not be eliminated from cooking beans. The potential negative health issues from saponins seem to be very similar to those that can be caused by lectins with the difference being that you can’t get rid of the saponins. Would like to hear what you guys think about saponins. Thanks for a good podcast episode. I like the term “orthodox paleo.”
Go no grains and legumes for awhile, no sugar, low dairy and limited fruit. Then start adding these things back in one by one, and see what you can tolerate. That’s how to do it. I cannot tolerate much grains, and I have to limit dairy to a little milk in coffe, unsweetened yogurt and occassional cheesestick. I haven’t had legumes in awhile, with the exception of a small amount of hummus once a week or so, just to dip veggies in. Mostly, buy alot of veggies and protein and create your meals around those. Stop obsessing over every little thing in foods. If you have Autoimmune follow food rules similar to ketogenic diet, GAPS or SCD diet. Can’t go wrong there.