How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream (or Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days) 1,134 Comments

Written by Topics: Physical Performance


Ruh-roh. (Photo: Toby Otter)

Following our Paleolithic ancestors, our Neolithic ancestors lost an average of six inches in height. Most people now have those last 5-10 pounds that seem impossible lose. The causes for both, surprisingly, may be the same.

Robb Wolf can explain. Robb, a former research biochemist, has functioned as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism and is co-owner of NorCal Strength & Conditioning, one of the Men’s Health “top 30 gyms in America.” He’s also a former California State Powerlifting Champion with a competition 565 lb. squat, 345 lb. bench, 565 lb. deadlift…

I have known of Robb for several years, but I only met him through a friend a week ago. Several weeks earlier, that same friend had sent me a copy of Robb’s book, The Paleo Solution, which I ended up devouring in a few sittings. The chapters on digestion and improving digestion where particularly fascinating to me, and, for that reason, this post is a book excerpt. It details a particular problem and specific solutions. Enjoy.

Enter Robb Wolf.

A Common Problem

Below I describe several people who at first glance appear different, but in fact they all share a common problem. They had significant health issues with no apparent cause or solution and assumed they had no treatment options, as their doctors were stumped and could offer few solutions.

For you, this chapter may represent the “missing link” in your quest for improved performance and health.

Alex, Age Five

I first learned of Alex from my friend Kelly. She related a story of a little boy who was very sick, underweight, and suffering from constant digestive problems. If you like kids and other small, scurrying critters, Alex’s features and symptoms were literally heartbreaking. He had painfully skinny arms and legs, attached seemingly at random to a torso dominated by a prominently distended belly. At night Alex thrashed and turned in his bed, wracked by diffuse pain in his arms, legs and, especially, his belly. Alex had severe lethargy and a “failure to thrive.” His doctors ran extensive tests but found nothing conclusive. They recommended a bland diet of toast, rice puddings, and yogurt, but with no benefit to the little guy.

Kelly contacted me on behalf of the family and asked if I had any ideas that might help Alex. I made a few specific recommendations, which the parents enacted immediately. Within ten days, Alex’s perpetually distended belly was flat and normal. He gained six pounds in a little over two weeks and was noticeably more muscular in the arms and legs. His sleep shifted from the thrashing, restless bouts that left him listless and tired, to the sleep all kids should have: restful, unbroken, and filled with dreams. Alex’s energy improved to such a degree that the other kids and parents could hardly imagine he was the same kid. He was healthy and happy, all because of a simple adjustment he and his family made to his eating.

Sally, Age Sixty-One

Sally was referred to us by her family physician. Sally’s doctor had worked with her on a variety of issues: low thyroid, osteoporosis, gall bladder problems, depression, and high blood pressure. It was an impressive and ever-growing list of ailments that both Sally and her doctor attributed to “normal” aging. Her doc was pretty forward thinking, however, in that she recommended that Sally perform “weight bearing exercise” to help slow the progression of the osteoporosis and muscle wasting that been accelerating in the past four to five years.

When this recommendation brought Sally to us, she was a bit reluctant to get started with a strength-training program and was very reluctant to modify or change her nutrition. We were gentle but persistent.

Our recommendations focused on specific changes to her nutrition and lifestyle. Within two months Sally was off her thyroid medications, her gall bladder issues were gone, she was four pants sizes smaller, while her symptoms of depression had disappeared. After six months of training with us and following our nutrition recommendations, it was discovered that she was no longer osteoporotic.

Of all the improvements, Sally’s doctor was most impressed with the increased bone density. She asked Sally what she had modified to affect this change. When Sally told her doctor how she had changed her nutrition, her doctor pondered things for a moment, then said, “Well, it must be something else! Food can’t do all that.”

Jorge, Age Forty

Jorge started working with us primarily to lose weight. At five feet nine inches and 325 pounds, Jorge was heading down a path of significant illness stemming from type 2 diabetes and obesity. Compounding Jorge’s situation was a condition neither he nor his doctors could figure out. Nearly every time Jorge ate, he would break out in a rash and his tongue would swell. Like really swell. Jorge had to keep an epi-pen on his person at all times, similar to someone who has a severe allergy to bee stings or peanuts.

Jorge is a practicing attorney and several times a week he would dash out of the courtroom on a mad trip to the emergency room, where he would receive antihistamines to bring his tongue swelling under control. His doctors were (again) stumped. His blood work did not show a specific allergy, nor did he appear to have a full-blown autoimmune disease. Certain immune cells were obviously overactive, but in an atypical fashion that left the allergists and rheumatologists scratching their heads.

We recommended a nutritional change for Jorge, which he fought tooth and nail. God has never made a person more appropriate to be an argumentative lawyer! Part begging, part threatening, we finally won Jorge over and told him, “Just do this for a month. If it does not work, what have you lost? If it does work, what will you have gained?”

Jorge gave things a shot and his tongue swelling disappeared. Now a year later, Jorge is down to 255 pounds and making headway toward his goal of a lean, strong 225 pounds. Thankfully, Jorge now argues for us instead of against us! Not to beat up on the physicians too much, but when Jorge told his docs what he changed, they too did not believe the cause and effect staring them straight in the face.

So, What Did We Do?

It will come as a surprise for most people that the underlying cause of all the issues described above, in these very different people, was the same thing—a common component in nearly everyone’s diet. Gluten.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye oats, and barley. Other grains such as corn and rice have similar, but less problematic proteins (we will talk about that later).

OK, calm down, I get it. Bread, pasta, and cookies are yummy. They are also likely killing you. The other sections of this book I’m willing to give you a “pass” on understanding the technical points. Most people kinda get the insulin/high-carb issue. People are slowly realizing there are “good fats.” So, I’ll not hold you responsible for that material. However, I insist you read this grain issue, ponder it, and then do what I recommend.

We are going to learn the whole story about gluten, grains, and their roles in disease. I’ll then give you quantifiable measures for determining how much healthier you are without them. Then it’s all up to you. If you want to be healthy, you will find some level of compliance that works for you.

—

We have all seen pictures or videos of smokers dying from lung cancer yet still smoking through tracheotomy holes in their throats. Amazing, right? How can people do that? Well, gluten consumption is on par with a pack-a-day smoking habit.

Like most things, we need to start at the beginning.

Grains Anatomy

When I say “grain,” I am talking about one of many domesticated grasses in the gramineae family. This includes staples such as wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, and sorghum. These plants are derivatives or descendants from wild grasses that have been managed and bred for 2,000–5,000 years. All grains have the following anatomy:

Bran:

The bran is the outer covering of a whole, unprocessed grain. It contains vitamins, minerals, and a host of proteins and antinutrients designed to prevent the predation, or eating, of the grain. When you see brown rice, the bran is the flakey outer covering of the rice.

Endosperm:

The endosperm is mainly starch with a bit of protein. This is the energy supply of a growing grain embryo. When you see white rice, this is the endosperm with bran and germ removed.

Germ:

The germ is the actual reproductive portion of the grain. This is where the embryo resides.

In the wild, the cereal grain is distributed by the wind, and when conditions are right, the germ (embryo) begins the process of growth using the endosperm for energy. It may come as a surprise, but plants are not benign, altruistic organisms just waiting to send their next generation of young into our mouths in the form of sushi rice or French bread. Grains, like all critters on this planet, face the challenge of surviving long enough to reproduce. This is particularly problematic for grains in that their most nutrient-dense portion (the part we eat) happens to be the reproductive structure.

Sidebar: Oats, Quinoa, and False Friends

Hey Robb, I appreciate your concern, but my dietician told me Oats are gluten-free, so no need to worry about my morning bowl of oatmeal? Yep, I love oatmeal too, but it contains similar proteins to gluten. Cereal grains tend to have proteins that are high in the amino acid proline. These prolamines (proline rich proteins) are tough to digest, and thus remain intact despite the best efforts of the digestive process to break them down. The result is gut irritation, increased systemic inflammation, and the potential for autoimmune disease.

Corn has a similar prolamine called zein. Now you can heed or disregard this information as you please, but grains are a significant problem for most people. Upon removal of these grains, you will notice that you feel better. With reintroduction of grains…well, you feel worse. Keep in mind this inflammation is also a factor in losing weight and looking good, so don’t dismiss this if your primary goal is a tight tush. What I’m asking you to do is take 30 days and eat more fruits and veggies instead of the grains. See how you do. Not so hard, right? And just to head you off at the pass, let’s tackle two other grain related topics: “Whole grains” and Quinoa.

When we factor in their anti-nutrient properties, and potential to wreck havoc on our GI tract, grains are not a sound decision for health or longevity. For the purposes of our discussion, consider dairy and legumes in the same category.

[Note from Tim: Many of you know that I consume some legumes and beans. Normal cooking will reduce anti-nutrients in both, but, when possible, I also soak them overnight beforehand in water with a tablespoon of baking soda. Soaking for 24 hours at room temperature has been shown to remove 66% of the trypsin (protease) inhibitor activity in mung bean, 93% in lentil (this is what I eat most often), 59% in chickpea, and 100% in broad bean. Remember also to distinguish "in vitro" (e.g. red blood cells in a petri dish) vs. "in vivo" (e.g. after normal digestion) studies.]

Quinoa pops up frequently and the refrain goes like this, “Robb! Have you tried this stuff Quinoa (the pronunciation varies depending on how big a hippy you are). It’s NOT a grain! It’s fine, right?”

Well, you’ve likely heard the expression, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…” Quinoa is botanically not a grain, but because it has evolved in a similar biological niche, Quinoa has similar properties to grains, including chemical defense systems that irritate the gut. In the case of Quinoa, it contains soap-like molecules called saponins. Unlike gluten, which attaches to a carrier molecule in the intestines, saponins simply punch holes in the membranes of the microvilli cells. Yes, that’s bad. Saponins are so irritating to the immune system that they are used in vaccine research to help the body mount a powerful immune response. The bottom line is if you think grains or grain-like items like Quinoa are healthy or benign, you are not considering the full picture.

One for Me and One for You

Some plants, like blueberries or similar fruits, have evolved a strategy of “give a little to get a little.” Critters (us included) eat these fruits, then pass the seeds in a convenient, warm fertilized package that all but guarantees the next generation. Sewage systems aside, this is a reasonable trade off. The critter that eats the blueberries gets a little nutrition in exchange for spreading the blueberry seeds for subsequent generations of blueberries.

Other plants take a different approach and try to dissuade all predation by shrouding themselves in nasty substances that are either irritants or outright poisons. Consider poison oak or poison ivy. These plants have developed chemical warfare capabilities and use oils that have a tendency to work their way through the skin of animals that come in contact with the leaves. This oil sets off an alarm that irritates the immune system. Lymphocytes and other white blood cells attack the oil and in the process release pro-inflammatory chemicals that lead to a rash. Keep this idea in mind as we talk about grains, as it will help you to wrap your mind around what is happening when we eat this “staple” food.

If we compare grains to the strategies listed above, “give a little, get a little,” like the blueberry, or “bugger off,” like the poison oak, we see that grains are much more like poison oak. If a critter eats a grain, that’s it for the grain. That does not mean that the grain goes down without a fight! Grains are remarkably well equipped for chemical warfare.

Lectins:

Grains contain a variety of proteins, some of which are called lectins (not to be confused with the hormone leptin). In simple terms, lectins stick to specific molecules and thus play “recognition” roles in biological systems.

For our purposes, we will look at wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), which is one of the nastier lectins, but also one of the better studied. Keep in mind, WGA (or similar molecules) are found in all grains, but it’s my opinion (and that of many other researchers) that wheat, rye, and barley, which are the gluten-containing grains, are likely the worst of the bunch with regard to health. Millet is similar to oats, in that it contains a protein only a few amino acids different from gliadin (the main problem in gluten), and it is therefore problematic for digestion. Be careful with “gluten-free” snack foods that seem too good to be true, millet-based or otherwise. Corn and rice can also be problematic, but they are safer if consumed infrequently (we will look at this later). WGA and similar lectins are problematic for several reasons:

1. Lectins are not broken down in the normal digestive process. This leaves large, intact proteins in the gut. If you recall, most proteins are broken down in the digestive process, but the structure of some grain proteins makes them very difficult to digest (for the geeks: these proteins are high in the amino acid proline). Grains also contain protease inhibitors (dairy and some other foods also contain these), which further block the digestion of dangerous lectins. This lack of adequate protein digestion leads to serious problems, as you will see.

2. The lectins attach to receptors in the intestinal lumen and are transported intact through the intestinal lining. Remember how amino acids and sugars are transported out of the intestines during digestion? Certain lectins “fool” transport molecules in an effort to gain entry into our bodies intact.

3. These large, intact protein molecules are easily mistaken by the body as foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It’s perhaps unpleasant to think about, but the intestines are not the nicest place to hang out. This area is a major source of infection by bacteria and viruses, and the immune system lies primed, waiting to pounce on any invading pathogen. Not only does WGA enter the system intact, it damages the intestinal lining, allowing other proteins to enter the system. Why is this a problem? Our immune system mounts an attack on these foreign proteins and makes antibodies against them. These antibodies are very specific to the shapes of these foreign proteins. Unfortunately, these proteins also tend to look like proteins in our body.

Brother from a Different Mother—Molecular Mimicry

Proteins are made of molecules called amino acids (AA). Let’s imagine for a minute these amino acids are represented by Legos, with different shapes and colors denoting different amino acids. Imagine a string of Legos with a specific sequence; let’s say its five to ten Legos long. Now imagine another, identical set of Legos attached on top of many more Legos. The top five to ten of the long piece is identical to the short piece.

Let’s assume the short piece is WGA and the long piece is a protein in the beta cells of your pancreas where insulin is made. If the WGA is attacked by the immune system and an antibody is made against it (because the body thinks WGA is a bacteria or virus), that antibody will not only attach to WGA, it can also attach to the protein in your pancreas. When that WGA antibody attaches to your pancreas, it precipitates a wholesale immune response—attacking that tissue. Your pancreas is damaged, or destroyed, and you become type 1 diabetic. If that protein happened to be in the myelin sheath of your brain, you would develop multiple sclerosis.

Celiac:

Most people are familiar with a condition called celiac, which is an autoimmune disease caused by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and millet. It is clearly understood that celiac is an autoimmune disease caused by lectins. It is also clear that other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjögren’s, multiple sclerosis, and a host of other autoimmune conditions occur at much higher rates in celiac patients. However, this association, for whatever reason, was largely dismissed as an anomaly until researchers recently made the connection between the development of celiac and other autoimmune diseases.

We now understood that WGA and other lectins have a significant effect on the enzyme transglutaminase (TG). Transglutaminase is an enzyme that modifies every protein we make in our body. How many proteins does TG modify folks? That’s right, all of them. Heart, brain, kidney, reproductive organs—all of them. So, if lectins can cause problems with TG, and if TG modifies every protein in our body, how many things can lectins cause problems with? I hope this is obvious—lectins can and do affect every organ system. Reproductive issues, vitiligo (a skin condition where the individual loses pigmentation in the skin) Huntington’s, narcolepsy—we have found literally hundreds of conditions in which lectins appear to be the causative factor. Not only do we have science to support this, we have observed clinical resolution of these conditions upon the removal of grains, legumes, and dairy. I hate to do this to you, but we have to go back into the intestines.

Really? Digestion? Again?

When food is emptied from the stomach into the small intestines, it is mixed with bile salts that are produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder. Remember, bile salts are much like soap and are critical for our digestion and absorption of fats. In addition to bile from the gall bladder, the pancreas releases digestive enzymes that are critical to digestion. And lest you forget, much of the digestive process happens at the tiny structures in our intestines—the villi and microvilli. Now let’s see how lectins interact with the intestinal lining to produce autoimmunity.

Lectins such as WGA bind to a receptor in the microvilli, allowing WGA to be transported into the body. This is the mechanism of the autoimmune cascade I described above. If the gut wall (microvilli) becomes damaged, the entire contents of the intestines can now make its way into your system. Yes, that’s as bad as it sounds. You are not only in a position to create antibodies against WGA, which leads to autoimmunity, but you now have the potential to develop multiple allergies due to a permeable gut lining and inadequately digested food. This is how you can develop allergies to chicken, beef, apples, or other normally benign foods.

Additionally, if your gut is damaged, you expose yourself to a host of chemicals that would normally remain in the intestines. This can lead to conditions such as multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, which is regarded more as a psychiatric problem than legitimate medical condition.

Let me be crystal clear about this: Anything that damages the gut lining (including bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections, as well as alcohol, grains, legumes, and dairy) can predispose one to autoimmunity, multiple chemical sensitivities, and allergies to otherwise benign foods.

As my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach says, “This no opinion is, this fact is.”

“If the gut wall (microvilli) becomes damaged, the entire contents of the intestines can now make its way into your system.” [Note from Tim: this is where the "feces in the bloodstream" post title comes from]

Full of Bile

While this digestive disaster is taking place, there are several other problems brewing. As you recall, the function of the gall bladder is to release bile salts into a meal as it is emptied into the duodenum from the stomach. When the intestinal wall is damaged, the chemical messenger, cholecystokinin (CCK), is not released. CCK usually sends the “on” switch to the gall bladder and the secretion of pancreatic digestive enzymes. When this signal is blocked, we do not properly digest our foods, particularly fat and protein. The lack of bile release allows cholesterol crystals to form in the gall bladder, which leads to gall stones. The standard medical practice of removing the gall bladder is effectively killing the “canary in the coal mine.” Gall stones are a symptom of a problem, an alarm. Instead of treating the cause (remove grains) we cut out the gall bladder. People who have had gall bladder removal are almost certainly undiagnosed celiacs and likely have a number of other progressive diseases. In my experience, these individuals are plagued with digestive problems, culminating in dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.

Achtung!
The disruption of CCK and related hormones (PYY, adiponectin) in the signaling cascade of digestion is a really big deal. Not only is the digestive process severely damaged, much of our satiety signaling is taken offline as well. We cannot properly digest our food, we are always “hungry,” and the very food we crave, refined grains and sugary junk, happens to be the cause of the problem.

It Gets Better
Another piece of the chemical defense system used against us by grains is a group of enzymes called protease inhibitors. Protease inhibitors prevent the breakdown of proteins. This means that when you consume grains you do not effectively digest the protein in your meal. Protease inhibitors also stymie the digestion of lectins such as WGA, making these already difficult-to-digest items virtually indestructible. This leaves more large proteins in the intestinal contents, which increases our likelihood of developing autoimmunity, allergies, or chemical sensitivities.

Osteoporotic Much?
If you do not have a bellyache thinking about grains by now, let’s look at one more player: antinutrients such as phytates. Phytates are important for seeds and grains because they tightly bind to metal ions (like magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and copper), which are crucial for the growth and development of the grain. If the metal ions are not tightly bound by the phytates, the process of germination can happen prematurely and this can spell disaster for the grain.

When we consume grains, the phytates are still active and powerfully bind to calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. This means the calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron are unavailable for absorption. Because of the action of antinutrients such as phytates combined with the gut damaging characteristics of lectins and protease inhibitors, our Neolithic ancestors lost an average of six inches in height vs. our Paleolithic ancestors due to the Neolithic diet of grains and legumes. Are you concerned about osteoporosis or iron deficiency anemia? Do you suffer from fatigue or heart problems that might be caused by magnesium deficiency? Have you diligently consumed a “smart” diet of whole grains, legumes, and low-fat dairy as per the recommendations of your dietician and doctor? Do you see how ridiculous that suggestion is in light of what you now know about grains, legumes, and dairy?

Thank You Sir, May I Have Another!

Here is a recap of how grains cause malabsorption issues and how that affects our health and well-being:

1. Damage to the gut lining. If the gut is damaged, you do not absorb nutrients. We need healthy villi and microvilli to absorb our nutrients, be they protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, or minerals.

2. Damage to the gall bladder and bile production. If you do not absorb fats and fat soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, K, and other nutrients, you will have problems utilizing any minerals you do absorb, to say nothing of the nutrient deficiencies from inadequate essential fats.

3. Phytates tightly bind to metal ions and make them unavailable for absorption. Analytical chemists actually use purified phytates in experiments where it is necessary to quantify the amounts of metal ions like calcium, zinc, or iron in a sample because the phytates bind to these metals tighter than just about any other molecule. The same thing happens when you eat phytates, and this is not a good thing for bone health or iron status.

4. Open door for autoimmunity and cancer. Once the gut lining is damaged, we are at exceptionally high risk of autoimmune disease, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and several types of cancer, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The pancreas is assailed by grain-induced inflammation due to CCK problems and elevated insulin levels. This inflammation is a potential cause of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

Why does all this happen? Because grains are pissed that you want to eat them and they are willing, and able, to fight back.
Here is a short list of the problems associated with leaky gut and the autoimmune response:
• Infertility
• Type 1 diabetes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Lupus
• Vitiligo
• Narcolepsy
• Schizophrenia
• Autism
• Depression
• Huntington’s
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Hypothyroidism
• Porphyria

But I’m Not Sick

Some of you, however, may think you have no issues here. You have eaten grains, legumes, and dairy your whole life and are “fine.” Well, maybe. But I suspect that is not the case. I’ll bet that if you completely remove these Neolithic foods from your diet for one month, you will notice a dramatic improvement in how you feel and perform. Why? Because if you are consuming these foods, I’ll wager you have gut irritation and other systemic inflammation issues.

A recent study looking at children with type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune condition) found that a significant number of them had overt gut pathology, i.e., celiac. Some had a positive antibody test for celiac, but a number of kids were negative on both the WGA antibody test (a common blood test for celiac) and on an intestinal biopsy. So doctors would think there was no gluten influence in their condition. Interestingly, however, nearly all the kids showed antibodies in the deep tissues of the microvilli to . . . transglutaminase.

The study authors suspected most of the kids would at some point develop what is commonly described as celiac. What this tells us is gut damage can be fairly benign (few symptoms) but still lead to autoimmunity. Once initiated, autoimmunity can and does progress to other problems. Your doctor or dietician will likely dismiss this information, especially if you are “negative” for any of the standard blood work or lab tests for celiac. They are foolish in this regard, but hey, it’s only your health.

Trust your medical professionals, they always know best. Or, try a simple experiment: Follow a Paleo diet, and assess how you feel and perform. I know, I can hear the MDs now, that it’s “just anecdotal.” If you are going to save your ass you are not likely to get much support in this matter unless you have a forward-thinking and aggressive primary physician.

What is the ultimate gold standard in all this? How do you know for sure you do or do not have an issue with these foods? The answer seems obvious: remove the potentially offending foods! Reintroduce them after thirty to sixty days. See what happens. Now there is a caveat to this. You only need to be exposed to things like gluten once every ten to fifteen days to keep the gut damaged. This can bedevil people as they “cut back on gluten” but do not notice an improvement in their overall health. I’m sorry but there is not a pink “participant” ribbon given out for doing this “almost correctly.” You need to be 100 percent compliant for thirty days, then see how you do with reintroduction.

Now, I’ll be honest, the reintroduction is for you, not me. If I did a phone consult with you, I’d ask, “How did you do when you had that piece of bread?” I know exactly how you did—I’ve seen this scenario thousands of times, but you are the one who needs convincing. When you reintroduce gluten you will not feel good. Sorry kiddo, it’s just the way it works. Now it’s up to you to decide if health and a long life are worth forgoing some of these foods more often than not.

Does all this seem hard to believe? Well, remember how I described the effects of poison oak on your skin? It’s a similar deal here with gut irritation and lectin exposure. If you want to get the full power of this program, you need to actually give it a shot. Worst-case scenario: You spend a month without some foods you like. Best-case scenario: You discover you are able to live healthier and better than you ever thought possible.

But I Like Bread and Pasta!

Yes, I like that stuff too, but they make me sick. I suspect it makes you sick, as well. Not only do grains make you sick by raising insulin levels, messing up your fatty acid ratios (n-3/n-6), and irritating your gut, but they are also addictive. Grains, particularly the gluten-containing grains, contain molecules that fit into the opiate receptors in our brain. You know, the same receptors that work with heroin, morphine, and Vicodin? Most people can take or leave stuff like corn tortillas and rice. Suggest that people should perhaps forgo bread and pasta for their health and they will bury a butter knife in your forehead before you can say “whole wheat!” Sorry folks, I don’t make these rules, I just have the lovely task of educating you about them.

Why I had to focus on gluten-free living, exercise, and trying to get you healthy, I will never know. I should have just peddled hookers, cocaine, and pastries! So much easier.

Instead, here’s a one week food plan. There are hundreds of great options, but this is a simple menu to get you started:

Week 1

Monday
BREAKFAST: 2–4 poached eggs, almonds, small piece fruit or berries
LUNCH: Chicken fajita salad
SNACK: 2 oz chicken, apple, few avocado slices
DINNER: Grilled salmon, roasted green beans, side salad

Tuesday
BREAKFAST: Leftover salmon, walnuts
LUNCH: Lettuce, tomato, onion, and condiments of your choice over 1–2 burger patties, orange, almonds
SNACK: Jerky, macadamia nuts
DINNER: Rotisserie chicken, steamed broccoli, side salad

Wednesday
BREAKFAST: Leftover chicken w/salsa, ½ avocado
LUNCH: Tuna and cabbage salad
SNACK: Remainder of tuna and cabbage salad
DINNER: Crock-Pot pork loin, tomato sauce, zucchini, chopped cauliflower, basil. Make a large portion, leftovers will be used for several meals!

Thursday
BREAKFAST: Slice of ham, 2–3 scrambled eggs, fruit
LUNCH: Leftover pork loin
SNACK: 2 hard-boiled eggs, almonds
DINNER: Stir-fry beef salad. Serve over bed of greens with balsamic vinegar

Friday
BREAKFAST: Sausage stir-fry breakfast
LUNCH: Easy ceviche
SNACK: 2 oz chicken, apple
DINNER: Spaghetti squash (Note from Tim: this is delicious) or kelp-noodle spaghetti: cook either choice with marinara sauce, ground meat, olive oil

Saturday
BREAKFAST: Chicken apple hash
LUNCH: 5–6 oz deli turkey, ½ lb steamed broccoli, drizzle with olive oil
SNACK: 2–3 oz turkey, carrot sticks, almonds
DINNER: Indian-style coleslaw, leftover pork loin, side salad with olive oil

Sunday
BREAKFAST: Western omelet, sweet potato hash
LUNCH: Lamb patties, tomato, lettuce, strawberries
SNACK: Turkey, avocado
DINNER: Halibut, roasted asparagus, berries with balsamic vinegar

For full 30-day meal plans, recipes, and more, this is the resource.

###

Afterword: Holy religious war, Batman! Hundreds of strong comments below, including a few very smart contributions from MDs, nurses, etc.. Robb has also answered some of the most common questions in the comments.

Clip to Evernote

Posted on September 19th, 2010

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be -- cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name and do not put your website in the comment text, as both come off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration)

1,134 Responses to “How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream (or Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days)”

  • Jeanne
    September 25th, 2010
    11:45 am

    Great article! I am amazed at all the people that have posted comments that have doubts that the Paleo diet is healthy!

    I am 64 & have been Paleo for about 4 years, Gluten free-grain free- dairy free-High Fructose Corn Syrup Free-Soy free, etc for 6 years, barley & rye free for 40 years (allergy),and wheat free for 17 years. I am very healthy, take no meds, workout at the gym, work for a living & plan to work into my 70′s.

    I have spent 4 years getting the word out about gluten free – low carb – dairy free- legume free-sugar free – okay it is Paleo!, to the people that suffer with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). If anyone is interested in reading our progress you can google gfpaperdoll and Hidradenitis Suppurativa and find my posts. I would appreciate it if any of you know someone with HS that you would pass this information along to them.

    We have a lot of people in remission from their HS on the Paleo diet. Like everything else it is a choice & you have to want to… We see a lot of people that choose to not give up their bread and fast food. It is the people with HS that have not heard about the diet & are not on the internet that I worry about. I try to post on all the HS forums, although I am not all that welcome on some – with my ridiculous diet ideas… ;)

    I have posted this link to a couple of those forums & on our facebook page. Thank you guys for also including the menus – a lot of new people that are wanting to change their diet have a problem with what to make for meals & snacks. Again thank you so much for this great article!!!
    jeanne
    Houston, Texas

    Reply
  • Stephen Bell
    September 25th, 2010
    5:09 pm

    If its allowed, this link makes for interesting reading regarding Paleo Diets. It’s not a critique of Robb Wolfs work, but instead Loren Cardaine’s ‘The Paleo Diet’.
    http://www.soalive.biz/articles/plain_paleo.htm

    It’s hard for me to kind of just let this go without offering the other side of the coin. Grains are not good. Meat is not either. Ketosis = bad. Not all carbs are created equal, and ultimately the body runs off carbs.

    Reply
  • Karl
    September 25th, 2010
    5:50 pm

    Tim – Interesting post, and totally ~plausible~.

    BUT – it’s “supported” by anecdote & sweeping generalizations and is wrapped in a defensive / combative style that undermines the (interesting) message.

    Look – as somebody with friends in the epidemiology / health science world, it is SUPER hard to prove causation, and many health issues are multivariate. Plus, there are huge genomic differences that (for example) make a cancer treatment work great for one subset of the population, and not at all for another group.

    I’d love to read more about this topic, but with better support and less enthusiasm.

    Part of your appeal as a writer is that you cut through preconceptions based on your own testing and observation.

    This post undermines the Tim Ferris brand because it doesn’t have the “Guys – I went and did XYZ, it rocked… plus here are my observations about WHY XYZ worked”.

    - Karl

    PS – hey, I might try what the guest poster suggests… but I think you’re letting the ‘real’ TF post quality standard slip.

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      September 27th, 2010
      4:39 pm

      Thanks for the feedback, Karl. Much appreciated. Many personal case studies and experiments coming…

      Tim

      Reply
  • Karl
    September 25th, 2010
    5:53 pm

    (Oh, and I totally agree with Jimmy’s earlier comment re some of the negatives of the suggested non-Glutenous foods, ethical and otherwise. Let’s say you’re traveling – are you really better off chomping down a factory-farmed steak than having beans and rice?)

    Reply
  • big black
    September 25th, 2010
    7:00 pm

    Tim, you should start a college. The degree would actually be worth something in the ‘real world’ LOL. Thanks for all your hard work diggin’ up cool stuff.

    Interesting video regarding Gluten as well.
    http://www.youtube.com/user/ultrawellness#p/u/2/yLJSmJ0bMlk

    Reply
  • Helen Silverwood
    September 26th, 2010
    3:08 am

    V interesting – shame I haven’t got time to read all of it and all the comments! but from what I have read I’m at least going to try and cut bread out and cut down on potatoes!

    Reply
  • Jack Ranger
    September 26th, 2010
    4:11 am

    Regular fasting and paleolithic nutrition is the ultimate combo for curing inflammation. My knees were sore for years when I followed a neolithic diet and I also suffered from episodes of unexplainable lethargy and lack of motivation. This all gradually disappeared after switching to paleo and intermittent fasting.

    Robb’s site is a great resource for paleo nutrition but I also recommend Mark’s Daily Apple.

    For regular fasting, Martin Berkhan’s Leangains is a fantastic resource. He dispells many myths and misconceptions about fasting. It’s not some “hippie” activity. Check out his and his client’s physique and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

    Also read Brad Pilon’s book “Eat Stop Eat”. It’s a very good book about the physiology of fasting. Here is a review of the latest edition, which is even better than the last:

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/09/eat-stop-eat-expanded-edition-review.html

    Those who have their doubts about Robb Wolf’s diet really need to try it before being so critical. Same goes for fasting. I too was a doubter before I made the shift.

    Reply
  • Sue
    September 26th, 2010
    5:36 am

    Love you Robb and I’d definitely come to you for nutrition advice.

    Reply
  • Nathan
    September 26th, 2010
    5:49 am

    My wife is gluten “intolerant” which is one step down from gluten allergies, but she notices INSTANTLY the effect on her gut and general feeling when she consumes wheat.
    We avoid gluten as much as possible, not 100%, but we try and in our research we found the comment….gluten: poison of the masses.
    doesn’t matter how many people you try to help, if you don’t want to help yourself you won’t change.
    Excellent article and i will look for the book (so good plug). Cheers

    Reply
  • Scott
    September 26th, 2010
    12:09 pm

    I have been on a similar fighters diet many times in the past; however, you bring up a few points worth exploring. I am currently on day three of your program, I look forward to the journey over the next 30 days, thanks for writing this article!

    Train Hard!

    Reply
  • Fernando Padilla
    September 26th, 2010
    12:22 pm

    Ok. So I’m new to all this. I kind of like the suggestion to “get blood work done” to track real progress. But I seem to have some questions on how to get it done; and would love some guidance or tips. :)

    Let’s say I have keiser hmo. How would you go about convincing your doctor to do blood work every few months? And what kind of blood work would you ask for? And make sure that the doctor orders the right tests?

    Reply
  • Alexey
    September 26th, 2010
    12:56 pm

    I have a question.

    First I would like to say that I agree with the posted article and I’m a huge fan of the paleo/low carb diet. But, obviously the people who are into this type of thing are a small minority. For instance if modern doctor diagnoses a person with heart diseases, the doc will probably advice a low fat diet and not mention a word about pasta, rice, coke, sugar, etc (where according to the paleo diet, the sugar and the crabs are what caused the heart diseases in the 1st place, not the bacon or the lard). It follows that the opposite of this post is conventional wisdom and the whole low fat thing is taught in medical schools and accepted by millions of very smart doctors. These people graduate from some of the top universities in the world and I hope that they know how to interpret data from many studies that are performed. So, it boggles my mind as to how there can be such a controversy and conflicting advice. Wouldn’t you think that the main stream advice is based on some of the best studies and data out there. I’m pretty sure that the doctors are trying to help people and not hurt them. I really don’t get this.

    Reply
  • Rob
    September 26th, 2010
    1:11 pm

    I have nothing to add or criticize regarding this specific topic but the general concern about adding “unnatural” substances to the humans diet seems illogical to me.

    Today Europeans with lactose intolerance are treated as ill, but in reality are “original” humans. The majority that can digest milk used to be the exception but their advantage put them ahead and made them the majority, eventhough cow milk wasn’t natural. Our diet has always changed depending on the environment and wether you should consume a substance can depend on your ancestors way of life.

    Tim recently posted a link regarding bacteria that help Japanese people to digest Sushi, so there is no right amount of Sushi for “the human”.

    Reply
  • Jeff
    September 26th, 2010
    1:17 pm

    From your one week food plan, don’t spaghetti and fajita contain gluten?

    Reply
  • Yadgyu
    September 26th, 2010
    6:11 pm

    Reality Check: Diets Do Not Work

    Continue to argue mindlessly….

    Reply
  • John
    September 26th, 2010
    6:55 pm

    Lots of diets recommend not eating grains – yet don’t explain the details. Thanks for the explanations.

    Reply
  • Travis
    September 26th, 2010
    7:30 pm

    Here is my humble opine on grains.

    They are not poison…period.

    The patently absurd over vilification of grains is quite the soup de jour. Really? Ok. Here is some empirical data to rough up your digestive track. If you want to live a long healthy life; grains are not the problem – if your not a celiac. You can find a wealth of info about centurions on the web. People have studied them like crazy to try to gain a glimpse on why they live so long. The common theme (drumroll) – NOT EATING MUCH. That is it. It is that simple. The problem is over consumption. Carbs are not the problem (in fact the ratio of macromolecular consumption is not at all an issue.) The issue is purely quantity. The oldest man right now lives in Montana. He is 114. In his 30′s he discovered he felt much better if he just ate breakfast and lunch and then skipped dinner. He has not eaten dinner for about 80 years. For breakfast, he often eats pancakes. Hmmm. So if someone can be the oldest human on the planet, and if most of the top performing athletes in the world consume grains – well, you make the conceptual leap. Here is the diddaly ding dong. This article is well, well written. Start: Sick people. Next: the problem. Next: The solution: to every symptom you’ve ever experienced. What is great is that some may embark on a truly healthier lifestyle from this. But mostly they will feel better from the placebo effect. Yes, when you are stuck in the same neural circuit and then you switch circuits to a more optimistic one – it is very powerful. If a drug company could bottle the placebo is would be the best selling drug ever. The FDA would brand it the first “cure-all” because it really works in almost every disease known to man. Try this: Don’t over eat. Eat good food. Be optimistic. Oh, and if you’re a celiac-don’t eat gluten.

    Reply
  • TiM M
    September 26th, 2010
    8:29 pm

    I am a cyclist, runner. Endurance. Think, 9 hour rides up the Tourmalet for L’Etape.

    Protein: recommendations for protein supplement?

    What does one do for carbs?

    Is wholemeal pasta ok?

    Man, I already miss Kit Kat chunky caramels.

    A follow up article detailing the damage caused by milk/yoghurt and legumes would be good.

    My story: Was 89kg (on a 5’7″) in July 2005. Am now 65kg body fat around 8% (and that’s during winter with too many carbs). How: no bread, or pasta. Loads of eggs, fat (avos etc), milk+protein shakes, minimal booze.

    Still eat pasta sometimes, and bread sometimes, but mainly meat, dairy+protein, nuts, seeds, etc etc.

    And Cointreau.

    Haha

    Reply
  • Adam Lamotte
    September 26th, 2010
    10:17 pm

    Thanks Tim,

    I’ll give this a shot and see how I go with my energy levels.

    Does anyone know of any good sites that track health vs food intake and can spit out graphs etc etc.

    You all would be the best people to ask!!!

    Thanks.!!!

    Reply
  • Thomas
    September 27th, 2010
    12:51 am

    Interesting post.

    I’m surprise though to see comment about the pseudo-science that is blood-type diet (great marketing by the way)
    “oh yeah you are a type O, go on meat, type A should go on carb” does anyone is a doctor here ? seriously ….
    Adamo is a … “naturopath” :)

    Reply
  • Rob
    September 27th, 2010
    4:40 am

    Is the inuit lifestyle a healthy lifestyle? Didn’t they die significantly earlier before vegetables, fruits and grains were added to their food due to all the meat?

    What if your ancestors weren’t inuits and the food is not ideal for you, what if it isn’t ideal even for them or anyone, ever? Can you tell us more about the “getting old” part?

    What if grains benefit 90% of the population and cause big problems for the other 10 (your patients)?

    Why the huge success of grains if they caused so many problems? Unlike berries, insects and birds, they require a lot of work.

    Reply
  • HM
    September 27th, 2010
    5:22 am

    @Alexey

    I think it is because when you stop eating either carbs or fats you mustn’t eat crap like Pizza, Burgers and packaged stuff from supermarkets so you automatically cut out a lot of damaging food from your diet.

    Reply
  • Andre Tonkin
    September 27th, 2010
    5:46 am

    Thanks Robb and Tim for a great intro to Paleo living.

    Nick: I love lentils too but I find even with soaking that dried ones are a little, um, explosive. I go with the canned ones with low sodium levels for great convenience. I’m guessing someone will now tell me that canned food will kill me in some other way.

    Reply
  • Kim
    September 27th, 2010
    6:03 am

    This has been very entertaining reading, a great post followed by comments from strong minded individuals. I have been convinced by the paleo advocates, particulary Mark Sisson, that gluten is the cause of much of our societies general ill health.

    I have gone gluten free for weeks on end and have felt good during these phases. Symptoms returning (aching joints, bloated and tried) when I’ve returned to eating gluten containing foods. However I am particulary interested in the addictive nature of these foods, as there is sometimes an overwhelmeing urge to eat these foods e.g. that piece of gateau that can’t be resisted after a meal. This feeling has always reminded me of the overwhelming urge to smoke. I gave up smoking 4 yrears a go and it was so difficult, so I speak from experiance.

    i hadn’t though of having my blood profiles done, going to do a before and after as suggested by Tim.

    Reply
  • lisa
    September 27th, 2010
    6:11 am

    I think you should be nominated for some sort of humanitarian award to post all this.

    thank you, Tim

    Reply
  • Chris
    September 27th, 2010
    7:08 am

    I am a runner. When I am at maximum training I need about 4000 calories a day to maintain my 21 BMI. I also need a lot of carbohydrates to fuel that much activity. Running 15 miles in the morning requires a lot of energy (over 2000 calories for me). Fats are nice and dense, but carbohydrates are required for aerobic energy in the body. I seek out high carbohydrate and calorically dense foods just to maintain my weight and energy needs (pizza tops the list). It seems that if I followed a palio diet I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the workouts required for my running.

    What would you recommend for an endurance athlete with over twice the daily caloric demands than the average sedentary person of the same weight?

    Reply
    • Jessica Oliver RHN
      November 8th, 2010
      3:37 pm

      Seen vegetarian althelete Brendan Brazier’s book THRIVE? great info, not just what to eat but when. His focus is on decresing recovery time thus improving performance.

      Reply
  • Crystal
    September 27th, 2010
    7:25 am

    Hi Tim-

    First of all, thank you for 4HWW. It changed my life. My muse happens to be also what I love, and it’s taking off in wonderful directions.

    When I read this article last Sunday (thank you for posting on a Sunday night, by the way) I decided to “try” it for a week starting Monday morning.

    Holy *$%#.

    Today, one 100% paleo week later, I’m typing this wearing jeans I haven’t fit in FOR YEARS. I am never hungry, I have boundless energy, and what’s strange, I feel STRONGER than I have in years.

    And this is after ONE WEEK of strict paleo.

    Thank you for changing my life, again.

    Much gratitude,
    Crystal

    Reply
  • Griffin Boyce
    September 27th, 2010
    8:49 am

    My mother-in-law had a “mystery ailment” for many years where she would get sick with wheat, but which was not celiac-related. Among other things, it caused her gallbladder to spasm, and eventually she had her gallbladder removed. This lead to recovery and she can now eat a fair amount of gluten-containing foods without getting sick. Before she’d have “one little slice” of anything with gluten in it and be over the toilet in a couple of hours.

    I have a couple of ailments as well and had been considering whether cutting out gluten entirely would help. I have a big problem with psoriasis, there’s only a little but it’s on my face (of all places!), which is a huge pain. I’m also obese (normal T4). So I think you just persuaded me! =)

    Reply
  • Griffin Boyce
    September 27th, 2010
    8:52 am

    Also, I am amazed that people will pipe up about how “bad” a small amount of cholesterol in your diet is, but think that high-carb diets are perfectly fine. You need cholesterol to live guys….

    Reply
  • Anon
    September 27th, 2010
    9:08 am

    Will, you’ve got it! Raw fruit and vegetables are the only foods that don’t damage your body in some way. It’s called the 80/10/10 diet and has had amazing results for a lot of people, especially if you want to be active and athletic. Look it up…

    Reply
  • Naomi
    September 27th, 2010
    11:35 am

    After having read this, I did a little experiment. I’ve been weaning off grains for a few months, but having them on Saturdays. This weekend, we took a mini vacation and I had far more than I’ve been having. I watched calories so I did not gain any weight. But my belly, after just 3 days, is huge. It speaks of internal inflammation. I just feel off. Lethargic, bloated, gassy, fat. I will be pleased when I learn to go 100% gluten free. Until then, keep this kind of great info coming!

    Reply
  • 30 Days to Gluten Free
    September 27th, 2010
    12:48 pm

    [...] in my diet (though I may have made a few minor slips already).  After reading a chapter of a book posted by one of my favorite authors, I decided why not give it a shot.  I happen to have a number of [...]

  • Paleo Solution, Tim Ferriss And Robb Wolf, Glutein Free Vs. Wheat | The Lifestyle Blog of Mikko Kemppe
    September 27th, 2010
    1:22 pm

    [...] night I was sitting in a Bart coming from teaching my salsa lessons and I was reading an article: How To Keep Feces Out Of Your Blood in the blog of Tim Ferriss that was written by Robb Wolf, which inspired me to give a glutein free [...]

  • AP
    September 27th, 2010
    1:58 pm

    Thanks, Tim. I was hoping for more explanation on phytates. Robb says they bind to minerals in the gut and do not allow you to absorb them. Which I have read in other places as well. However, nuts/seeds also contain phytates, so why are they OK in a paleo diet?

    Reply
  • Gal
    September 27th, 2010
    2:18 pm

    Tim, this kind of post bothers me a little. I know you’re not the author but it’s still your blog which gives your implied approval.

    One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about your book and your blog posts is the emphasis on getting the most return for the least amount of effort. Your version of the 80/20 rule (or 90/10 or Pareto’s law or whatever you want to call it) really resonated with me. Unfortunately, this post seems to go counter to that idea.

    For the most part, good health means cutting out the crap (oreos, McDonald’s, Sodas and so on), eating in moderation, being physically active and getting some exercise. If you want good rules on eating in particular, look up Michael Pollan. His guidelines are simple and to the point, which is exactly the opposite of this post.

    This kind of diet is 90% of the effort for 10% of the return. You’re going to drive yourself crazy trying to figure out which are the bad grains, which foods contain them, where to find foods without them and how to properly prepare them and then you’ll quit. You being a generic you, not someone obsessive compulsive about their diet like you and me :)

    Anyway, not a major complain. I still enjoy your blog quite a bit (just came back from my latest Tim Ferris inspired vacation to Hawaii where I took the chance to run the Maui marathon). Just thought I would mention this since it bothered me.

    Regards,
    Gal

    Reply
  • mrwonderful
    September 27th, 2010
    4:42 pm

    I’m concerned that the chorus of praise in the comments drowns out (for the gullible) the fact that this is actually a way of eating that well over 99.9% of doctors and academic researchers of nutrition would frown on.

    That in itself doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but it does imply that some conspiracy theory to explain away the gap between Robb’s miraculous claims and the opinion of nearly all experts. (Yes, I know he also has science information and researchers to support his claims, it’s a big world full of people seeking contrarian evidence so that by itself should not disarm our common sense in evaluating extreme and generally unaccepted claims.)

    I may be one of a very few people who still doesn’t accept “conspiracy theorist” as a universal smear… I’m willing to accept that conspiracies (often in very open form) among elite financial institutions and executives have large and negative influences on our lives. I’m not willing to accept that the great mass of the world’s medical and scientific community participates together in deluding the public so they can, what… recieve research grants from high-fructose corn syrup producers or something?

    Experimenting in “lifestyle design” or website A/B testing is one thing (obviously I’m interested, hence I read this site), but experimenting with your health is another; I guess a few decades will provide more evidence, but already I’ve read quite a lot about the chronic health problems that followers of Atkins/high-protein diets are developing in old age.

    In the meantime we could do much worse than learn from the wisdom of millenia in such diets as the meditteranean, which is heavy on grains but even heavier on balance, on peace of mind and enjoyment of good food, and on QUALITY OF LIFE, traits that I think often if not usually far supercede the benefits of trying to fine-tune ever gram of protein and micronutrient, etc.

    I agree with the previous poster who mentioned “feeling bad” (great catch all… could be called, “placebo effect etc.”) after BOTH reintroducing grain after a grain free month AND alternatively reintroducing meat after a low-fat, high vegetable and whole grain diet.

    Robb’s advice that people just “try it for a month and see how bad you feel reintroducing grain” is not good science, and I, like the previous poster, have had bad feelings going back to meat after some time away.

    Finally, I showed this article to some researchers at the medical university where I work (and no I’m not a doctor myself)…

    They didn’t exactly present me with a full bibliography, but addressed what I see as the articles 3 main claims against grains (which I’ve noticed that even the negative posters here have not really hit head on)…

    1) Grains provoke and autoimmune response and this is responsible for the condition known as “celiac.”

    “My” researchers pointed out that this condition affects less than 1% of the population and that any link to grain-proteins passing through the gut as the cause, which they didn’t care to comment on, would not be relevant for the vast majority of us who don’t suffer from this conditition and it’s (claimed) link to an immune system attack on body proteins that resemble those of the grain.

    2) Grains contain protease inhibitors, which lower the amount of protein that can be affectively taken up by the body.

    I was told that the actual chemical interactions inside the body are much more complicated than those that take place when such chemicals are tested in isolation… just to take things to the extreme, oxygen, the most urgently needed substance for the body, is also one of the most toxic and responsible for much of the aging process…

    Things like this should not be taken out of context. Even when one researcher I asked about this tried to research it a bit (through internet article databases) he said he couldn’t find articles that backed up the idea that eating grain greatly diminishes the amount of protein that one can absorb, and he reminded me that body building entrepreneurs in particular have long given estimates of “needed protein intake” that are phenomenally exaggerated compared to the scientific consensus.

    I mean this not as an ad hominem attack but as part of a common sense evaluation of radical recommendations about diet that could actually damage a lot of people’s health.

    3) Finally, the idea that “anti-nutrients” within the grain reduce the body’s ability to use minerals like calcium…

    First, grains have been breed by man for generations specifically to be easily digestible and a basis for their food system (many people’s eating only bread for large stretches of time due to poverty), so claiming that grain must be trying to “fight us” just because we “destroy it” is disingenuous, of course food grains have benefitted enormously evolution-wise from being easily digestible and selected for by humans.

    More specifically I was told that the levels and effects of “anti-nutrients” like phytate are mitigated by bacteria, both those found naturally in the body and those obtained through a healthy diet.

    So, cooking bread reduces it’s protein quality around the edges a bit, but you wouldn’t say you can’t get protein out of eating bread crust… in the same way some component of grains may make some ingested minerals less available for absorption, but whole grains generally provide far more minerals themselves than they “block,” so I think net benefit is what you should be looking for.

    That’s it… sorry for posting on a topic that is “outside my pay grade,” but I notice that hasn’t stopped anyone else here either :P

    Based on what I’ve read from this book excerpt, the appeals to emotion and rejection of common sense and scientific consensus wisdom, I won’t be purchasing this book, but good luck to everyone who gives it a try.

    I really hope Tim allows this comment up, I appreciate your posts…

    PS – If anyone has any more information about the effects of this hookers and pastry diet I keep hearing about, let me know!

    Reply
  • Jared
    September 27th, 2010
    5:16 pm

    @mrwonderful 99.9% of researchers is very far from the truth. In fact, both paleo research and low-carb research is accelerating quite rapidly, with encouraging results coming in all the time:

    http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Meta-analysis-of-low-carbohydrate-diets.pdf

    It’s pretty clear now that low-carbohydrate diets do as well as, if not better than low-fat diets, with better retention rates. I have not heard about your claims of Atkins followers having trouble in old age. All I’ve seen are a lot of studies showing the benefits of Atkins over other diets, the A to Z diet study comes to mind (yes, this included the Mediterranean diet you prop up). Also, the paleo diet has been shown to perform better for diabetics than the Mediterranean diet:

    http://www.springerlink.com/content/h7628r66r0552222/fulltext.pdf

    The research keeps stacking up in favor of not eating a lot of our calories from carbohydrate rich sources like grains. The point of trying it yourself for 30 days is not to prove the efficacy scientifically, but to prove it only to yourself. That is all that matters in a trial of one. There is so much data pointing in this direction that I don’t think your skepticism is very well-warranted. It isn’t that hard to try for a month. If you don’t think you can impartially judge how you look/feel/perform without some scientific study to tell you, then you probably have a lot of trouble deciding what’s good for you. Stop making excuses and just give it a try. What do you have to lose?
    (Also, I’ve never heard of people being sick after abstaining from meat and then eating it. In fact, I’ve heard the opposite. I’ve heard literally dozens of stories of ex-vegans (and some ex-vegetarians) who felt nourished for the first time in years after having some meat.)

    @Gal You don’t know how easy this makes your life until you try it. I can eat one meal a day with paleo if I really want to. I usually eat two though. You have no idea what a big time saver that is. Also, you are not controlled by your hunger. It does not distract you. You are not controlled by your cravings for carbohydrate. This is another huge time saver. Beyond that, cooking and eating this way is dead simple. I cook all of my meals right now and spend very little time in the kitchen. Vegetables and meat are some of the easiest things to cook.

    It’s all automatic. You don’t have to worry about counting calories, measuring portions, etc. You just eat and weight and energy are managed perfectly. Seems like not much effort for a lot of reward!

    @Everyone else asking questions that are probably answered in the book. Buy the book. It’s $15 and I guarantee you will learn something, or at least polish the knowledge you do have.

    Reply
    • Tyrone
      November 11th, 2010
      11:26 pm

      Of course Paleo would beat Mediterranean… Paleo says eat more veggies… non-stater… anyone wants to improve your diet… make sure 25% of the food you eat are veggies and you’ll feel fantastic… does everyone need to? no… we all have bacteria in our gut that are completely different and immune systems that are different… some of us are fortunate to have superior guts where gluten and lactose are fantastic for us… some of us not so much… i know people allergic to chocolate, apples, pears, uncooked veggies, eggs.. do i need to go on?
      Also… Paleo claims in the comments implies that in the 1800s (where Europe and Asia ate plenty of gluten and no meat because it was too expensive) everyone was falling over sick because of an autoimmune disease… actually, that goes for today too.. just finished my cross Europe trip and their diet ain’t very paleo… i guess all those French and Italian people are sick and don’t know it!!!… also all the Chinese, Koreans, Thais, Indians….

      Reply
  • Vasi Stephan
    September 27th, 2010
    6:47 pm

    Hi Tim, upon reading the article above, I forwarded it to EVERYONE I knew via all means, email, social media etc.

    I sat my kids down 3 & 5 and explained why no more bread, pasta’s etc, there were tears. I was and still am determined not to be the facilitator behind feeding my kids such bad habits.

    My husband is not happy with my sudden approach and after reading my email and yours he sent ME the following response. I do not have your research/expertise to respond to it. Please could you help me and I am sure countless others who are raising the questions my husband is raising below, by responding to this comment?
    ______________________________________________________________
    Comment from my husband, David. (for sure he would’ve softened it if written to u).

    Ok, your article talks about scientific research/proof but doesn’t cite any research …. something you should always be wary of.

    Everything he says about gut infection, and the effect of lectins on the gut wall may actually be correct. But he says it as if it is the case for every human being, whereas it is more likely the case for those people “intolerant to gluten.”

    Gluten intolerance is a broad term which includes all kinds of sensitivity to Gluten. A small proportion of Gluten intolerant people will test positive to Celiac Disease test, and so are called Celiacs (~0.5% of the population). But most Gluten sensitive people return negative or inconclusive results upon Celiac testing. The correct term for these people is Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive (NCGS) and may be as many as ~10% of all people.

    This is still not ALL people.

    It is people like your Rob Wolf (is he the one you respect or is it Tim Ferris?), who just make out that EVERY person is basically gluten intolerant and therefore have rotting guts, and then sensationalise it like he has to sell his book that wind me up.

    Where is his research that says ALL humans are intolerant to gluten and therefore have gut damage (what is needed to cause the autoimmune deficiencies he speaks of) ???

    So yes, if you are intolerant to gluten then it will have serious effects on your health. If you are gluten sensitive it can lead to serious effects. But I don’t appreciate it when he just says EVERY human is intolerant to gluten to the extent that their gut IS damaged.

    This is exactly the call of every “natural health” protagonist … ” I know, I can hear the MDs now, that it’s “just anecdotal.” If you are going to save your ass you are not likely to get much support in this matter unless you have a forward-thinking and aggressive primary physician.” So he is basically saying … “Yes, the evidence is anecdotal, but don’t let that hold you back … I HAVE THE ANSWER”.

    Now YOU may be Gluten sensitive, you aren’t celiac, but you may be sensitive. Do the experiment Vasi. Find out. But do it and find out BEFORE you take it as absolute fact and start scaring the children and giving them nightmares.

    The problem I have with this article and this author is that he assumes and tries to use evolution to suggest that ALL humans are dying from gluten intolerance. That humans simply cannot process gluten. If you read other articles, about 10% of people are gluten intolerant, and of those some are celiac. The issue may be that not enough importance is placed on the gluten sensitive, and more problems are due to it than are thought. But not EVERY human is intolerant to gluten.

    BTW, if you are going to do the experiment, be careful about what you think is gluten free. In America for example, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if a certain amount of the gluten is removed, the food product can be labelled “gluten-free.”

    Read this document Vasi…. it’s a little more level headed…. attached.

    (This was a PDF document, put out by Olive Jennings Kaiser, called Wheat Allergy, Gluten Grain Intolerances Celiac Disease from the Website, http://www.glutensensitivity.net

    The End of email from David.
    _____________________________________________________________

    BELOW is the email note I forwarded to EVERYONE to encourage them to read the email I received from Tim Ferris blog.

    To all my friends,

    I was sent this last week by a guy whose research I really value. I am reading it and feel ill. I am only half way through it all and had to send it to 3 people pronto as I knew them to be having struggles over food. I too am having major digestive issues over food but trying to figure out which ones, well what a nitemare!

    I finally finished reading the article, (it is very long), and I have sent it to everyone in my Inbox. I just want everyone to know the truth about food that we eat and be aware. I guess the reason I feel ill is because I’m kind of feeling like bread, pasta, cakes, bikkies which we all believe to be oh so sweet and innocent are not so dissimilar to cigarettes. They don’t kill you straight away but they can contribute towards an earlier death and provide you with so many additional health problems along the way.

    It is not uncommon for the food that is causing the problem to not even show up on any tests, and to even show up as being fine. I think this is also called a food intolerance instead of an allergy to a particular type of food?

    The way this guy has explained it below is in his true style that I like. He doesn’t just tell you what it does, but he actually provides you with easy to understand scientific explanations as to how our body works and what is going on in our intestines, pancreas and even our brain ie: pancreas damaged or destroyed and multiple sclerosis. My only Aunty in Sydney died 4 years ago of pancreatic cancer and I can tell you she ate A LOT of bread and things with gluten in.

    It’s just so sad and annoying that these foods do not carry a health warning, considering our body is unable to break them down in our digestive system.

    So for those of you who are bothered about any of this, here you go.

    Bye for now and wishing every one of you all the very very best,
    Vasi

    Reply
  • Vasi Stephan
    September 27th, 2010
    7:09 pm

    ahh, I just quickly read comment by Mr Wonderful. Nicely written. Tim please reply to these as I want to believe you, it makes sense to me. I do believe we are largely controlled by the Billion dollar giants. Of course they would have a team of people whose sole job it is to surf the internet and swipe out any negative articles about them. So to me this is why one can’t find a lot of truth on the internet. Most things will be posted by the grain companies, nappy companies of course. Ie: nappy companys will tell you your child has to be 3 – 4 before being able to potty train. Doh! of course they have to do that, or not as many nappy sales! oh…don’t get me started on all that!

    so yeah, Tim I just can’t wait for you to respond to the tough questions and comments from my Dave and Mr Wonderful in such a way as to convince them too. This is really what they want you to do, they want to be convinced.

    Cheers Tim.

    Reply
  • Chris
    September 27th, 2010
    7:50 pm

    I love the idea. It seems to me that ultimately the key to everyone’s health is to experiment – try these things, follow them religiously, test the results, and decide from there.

    However, for those of us who aren’t anal-compulsive, this is not an easy task.

    What would you recommend for someone who doesn’t live in a big city, may not be able/willing to pay for extensive testing being done? How should we keep ourselves on track for these experiments and track the results? Are there any alternatives?

    And Tim, hurry up with that book. We’ve been waiting forever…

    Reply
  • Dave
    September 27th, 2010
    8:03 pm

    I’ve had great success with low carb and lost 30 pounds — basically on a modified version of the South Beach Diet (a little more cheating than recommended). But I stalled on a plateau a few weeks ago. So I’m trying the paleo diet and it seems to have gotten me moving again. Either that or it’s because I adopted Tim’s suggestion of a glass or two of red wine at night and now I’m not stressing over it.

    Reply
  • js290
    September 27th, 2010
    9:47 pm

    Grains may be unnecessary, but if you have to consume them, it looks like they need to be prepared properly, i.e. soaked as Tim pointed out.

    http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/497-be-kind-to-your-grains-and-your-grains-will-be-kind-to-you.html

    Reply
  • Colin
    September 27th, 2010
    11:18 pm

    All Robb suggests is a 30 day trial. If you don’t look, perform, and feel better you can go back to eating whatever you did before. It’s amazing how quickly people become experts when on an internet forum. Reading these comments makes me sad that this information, which can benefit so many, will fall on deaf or stubborn ears. It really is a shame when good people are dying every day from the bulcrap the government, the food companies, and big pharm is pushing to keep America sick and themselves…Rich.

    Reply
  • B.
    September 28th, 2010
    12:05 am

    @ Gal
    “You’re going to drive yourself crazy trying to figure out which are the bad grains,…”

    Huh? Grains are bad. I didn’t think that was so hard to figure out. Just skip them.

    “…which foods contain them,…”

    Seriously? Some hints: Fruits and vegetables don’t contain grains. Meat doesn’t. Seafood doesn’t. Eggs don’t.

    “…Where to find foods without them…”

    Supermarket? Farmers market? Fish market? Mind you, if the bakery is the only place you shop for food, or if you insist that food HAS to come out of a factory and packet, then it might indeed be somewhat more difficult.

    “…and how to properly prepare them and then you’ll quit.”

    I have to admit that I HATE cooking, so the preparation thing is a bit of a worry. Paleo IS a bit more effort than being a raw foodist following 80/10/10.

    Reply
  • Cameron Benz
    September 28th, 2010
    2:20 am

    Dr. Green,

    Ok, a mature discussion is fine.

    Drs Green and Stein. Here’s how I see it. This article was written and published by Robb in support of his book. No, he does not site resources here but allegedly does in his book. Fine, personally I’ll take that at face value. Both of you came on here and attacked Robb, calling his claims “drivel”, to use Dr. Stein’s terminology. One problem, neither one of you brought forth any scientific information whatsoever besides “this is the way it is, and you should believe me because I’m a Dr.” Now many of us in Tim’s community have a disdain for that type of mentality. I would submit to you both, that if you’re going to make claims on the falsehood of Robb’s claims, then, as the guests, the burden of proof lies with you. Give us something to work with. As a whole in this community, we’ll dig and poke and prod and test in an effort to further things. As another Dr. stated, you are all great at stitching (and writing prescriptions according to my sister, a Pharm D), but not so good in other areas. Much of the information you guys were given for a long time was based on research paid for by the pharmaceutical industry among others. Sort of like Murphy’s golden rule, He who has the gold, makes the rules. With this in mind, bring us something. NEJM reports, university studies or whatever, but give us something to work with. Personally I don’t care about the Paleo Diet, though my father is mostly vegan and quite healthy. I prefer whole natural foods myself. So, let’s see what you’ve got.

    Reply
  • Evan B
    September 28th, 2010
    4:43 am

    Hi Tim [or author],

    Took the article to heart and decided to take the 30 day gluten/legume-free challenge – at it for over a week now. i abjure blood tests, so i skipped that.

    Question: I’m vegan and opt to remain so. loading up on hemp powder, hemp seed, and chia seed is not doing the trick and not clear where the protein will come from [goal was to pass 60 grams per day. So, what can I do to secure tasty plant based protein to the tune of 60 grms per day?

    Keep these articles coming!

    Reply
  • Tao
    September 28th, 2010
    6:17 am

    Robb,
    I’ve sent you an email through your website for getting a seat at the seminar. I’d love to attend and my mother has expressed interest. She’s a yoga teacher here in Denmark and has offered to give you free yoga lessons while you’re here, should you be into that sort of thing. If you haven’t received my email, you can contact me at taohansen AT gmail.com.

    Jennifer,
    I’m sorry but in your attack on vaccines you are advocating harm against your fellow man. This is, frankly, unacceptable thinking.

    Just because one “non-mainstream” approach to health may be the better solution does not make ALL “non-mainstream” approaches to health acceptable. A small community of respected doctors have come out in support of the paleo diet. However, Andrew Wakefield’s research has been thoroughly discredited (lookup any following scientifically-valid research). Separating him from the controversy, which has evolved past its autism link, the science still does not support the claims.

    I am comfortable with people who practice alternative medicine, so long as their claims do not then begin to effect the lives of those around them who do not believe those claims. Advocating for anti-vaccination is a potential danger to everyone.

    Yes, vaccines are a preventative measure to diseases still widely prevalent today. Loss of herd immunity represents a major threat to the health and lives of fellow citizens. You are counseling, in effect, extreme violence on humanity. I’ll stop here before I start an ad hominem.

    Reply
  • Clint
    September 28th, 2010
    6:52 am

    Hey Tim! You really hit all points of “lifestyle” with your blog, and that’s just pretty sweet.

    I know you went to RKC (I was actually there with you in San Jose!) and I was wondering what you think of the beloved Warrior Diet that is so popular in the RKC community, being practiced even by Pavel himself. There are other similar diets like Fast 5 that promote intermittent fasting.

    I’d really love to get your thoughts on this style of diet. It seems intuitive, but what’s the science behind it and is it safe, and effective in the long term?

    Thanks as always for incredible content!

    Clint

    Reply
  • Gal
    September 28th, 2010
    9:22 am

    Hey Tim,
    Second attempt to post this. Not sure what happened to my first comment but if this is a duplicate, please feel free to delete one.

    I think my issue with this post is that it goes counter to your usual philosophy. You have a wonderful talent for picking action items that give the most bang for the buck. Your utilization of the 80/20 idea is something that I’ve sought to emulate in many ways and yet, this seems like the opposite of that approach. (I do realize you’re not the author but this is your site which gives this article your implied approval).

    I’ll let the doctors argue the validity of the science here, but even assuming this is all true, it’s still a lot of effort for very little return. For most people, being healthier doesn’t have to be this complicated. It simply means cutting out the junk (oreo’s, big macs, sodas), eating in moderation, being active and getting some regular exercise. That’s it. That’s not that hard and it will give you a huge return on your time investment. By comparison, this kind of nitpicking your diet is difficult to understand and difficult to follow. Most people won’t understand this, much less be able to follow it.

    If you want a good set of rules to follow about food, pick up some of Michael Pollan’s books. Great set of ideas there and very easy to follow.

    Thank you as always for the provocative posts and for the inspiration of the 4 hour workweek. I just came back from my latest Tim Ferris inspired vacation (Hawaii with one backpack and no plans other than running the Maui Marathon) and loved every minute of it.

    Regards,
    Gal

    Reply
  • Gal
    September 28th, 2010
    9:30 am

    @B

    (Tim, sorry, just noticed my first comment. No clue why I didn’t see it at first. Please feel free to delete my second post)

    “Huh? Grains are bad. I didn’t think that was so hard to figure out. Just skip them.”

    I’ll bet you a sum of money of your choice that most Americans don’t even know if rice and corn are grains. This is assuming the science behind this article is good by the way.

    “Seriously? Some hints: Fruits and vegetables don’t contain grains. Meat doesn’t. Seafood doesn’t. Eggs don’t.”

    Yes, seriously. Do you honestly believe Americans know what pasta is? How much corn is in everything we eat? Most people assume French fries fill their quota of vegetables…

    “Supermarket? Farmers market? Fish market? Mind you, if the bakery is the only place you shop for food, or if you insist that food HAS to come out of a factory and packet, then it might indeed be somewhat more difficult.”

    I usually shop for my food at the farmers market. I, however, am not the average consumer, nor is Tim. If you’re marketing this article to us then ok, but for most people this is too much effort for too little return. I would be much happier if they just focused on eating no fast food and getting a bit of exercise.

    “I have to admit that I HATE cooking, so the preparation thing is a bit of a worry. Paleo IS a bit more effort than being a raw foodist following 80/10/10.”

    Paleo should actually be a lot less effort to prepare if it were actually paleo and not some idealized supermarket checkout isle version of it. You’d be eating a lot of raw (and a little rotten) meat, grubs, insects and raw plants.

    Reply
  • Martin from Poland
    September 28th, 2010
    9:59 am

    Dear Tim,

    I would like to ask you five questions in reference to your post – I firmy believe that answering them will be valuable for many people interested in nutrition issues, not only for myself. So, supposing that the theses of Paleolithic diet are scientifically justified and proven to be effective (it is hard to reach the truth in the world mixing science with pseudoscientific theories, and it is even harder in the realm of contradictory test results…):

    1. Can reducing (not eliminating) gluten intake be beneficial? You’ve mentioned that grains may irritate the intestines for 10-15 days – but is it plausible that we may see some positive impact on our health by significantly limiting gluten-containing meals?

    2. How about gluten-free bread and pasta? It is still troublesome to compose meals for a typical, ‘always-in-rush’ college student, taking the Paleo rules into account…

    3. Let’s assume that we kicked out gluten from our diet. In many social situations or just eating out we may accidentaly consume something containing, for instance, flour – and then I can imagine a pretty severe reaction of digestive tract… Is there a remedy for that? If you really, really have to eat something with grains, how can you minimize the gut irritation?

    4. Have you ever thought of wider consequences of these findings? For the majority of people, bread is the most fundamental food product and a deeply inGRAINed, ;) cross-cultural symbol of human work. If research above get a multiple confirmation with the use of scientific method and standarized tests, we’ll experience a huge revolution.

    5. I’m about to start with my plan (diet+gym: HST + HIIT recomp training+supplements). I decided to try the ABS diet without any grains, with the simple supplementation: creatine monohydrate, whey protein concentrate, post-workout gainer, vitamins and omega-3. Some of them contain a specially modified corn starch – a kind of matrix slowing down the process of aminoacids’ absorption. Others have Gln peptides (partially hydrolisated gluten). Can I use them?

    Thank you in advance for your help! I hope that “Superhuman” will soon be published and will present us a huge dose of knowledge which may be used in the manner of compound interest for health and bodybuilding purposes.

    Greetings from Poland!
    Soon-to-be-NR and Bono’s fellow ;), Martin

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      September 28th, 2010
      11:23 am

      Hi Martin,

      Thanks for the comment! I’ll let Robb try and tackle these next. The new book is coming soon…

      Best,

      Tim

      Reply
  • mrwonderful
    September 28th, 2010
    1:39 pm

    @Jared

    While you didn’t respond to my main points (“gut damage theory” would apply to less than 1% of the population & supposed “inhibition” of protein and nutrient uptake from grains is more than cancelled out by their nutritional content) I will respond to your points.

    “99.9% of researchers is very far from the truth”

    The “don’t eat any grains” idea espoused here is not shared by I would say at least 95% of doctors and academic researchers specializing in nutrition… I feel very certain it’s more than that, but even being that conservative with my estimate… the extra 5% “believers” could be explained away as people trying to ride the next wave and take the next dollar… what about the other (at least) 95%? What’s their special agenda that makes them, as people who want to know everything about their field and help patients as much as possible, to disagree with these ideas that so many amateurs feel certain are fundamental?

    “I’ve never heard of people being sick after abstaining from meat and then eating it.”

    I didn’t say “sick,” just “feeling bad” as Robb mentioned one would feel when reintroducing grains. Myself and every ex-vegetarian I’ve heard mention it did feel this way for a while, not permanent though.

    There are plenty of such stories on the internet if you care to google it, but my point was not that such “evidence” “proves” that moderate meat consumption is bad for you, more that we should expect to feel strange after drastic changes to a highly restricted diet.

    “I have not heard about your claims of Atkins followers having trouble in old age.”

    This is the most serious omission that tells me you and other meataholics are dangerously uninformed. For the sake of time I’ll just direct you to one site, atkinsexposed.org, that has copious citation.

    High-protein diets are usually high in saturated fat that are will linked to cardiovascular problems and cancers.

    Even high-meat diets with lower fat content are linked to increased likelihood of cancers.

    Scientific American noted in January: “Cancer is most frequent among those branches of the human race where carnivorous habits prevail.”

    Despite having some of the highest calcium intakes in the world, the Inuit also have some of the worst rates of osteoporosis

    The Inuit women’s breast milk with some of the highest levels of PCBs in the world. Their blood is swimming with mercury and other toxic heavy metals.

    As for a few long-living Inuit (and related people’s), it should be pointed out that 1) they tend to have lower calorie intake and much more regular exercise (and family bonds), and 2) much of their animal consumption is actually in the form of organ meats, bone marrow, intestines, eyes, brain and other things the average high-protein dieter would avoid.

    High-protein diets lead to the accumulation of uric acid, with high-potential to, in the long-term, cause arthritic like symptoms in the joins and irreversible scarring of the kidneys.

    The acid also leaches calcium out of the bones… in fact nutrient deficiencies in general following these diets are so common that Atkins prescribed no less than 65 nutritional supplements in part to help fill the nutritional gaps created by his diet. (Of course these aren’t absorbed as well as vitamins from normal food, fruits, vegetables, whole grains.)

    The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, found that long-term Atkins adherents “suffer headaches, muscle cramps and diarrhea… They simply do not get enough carbohydrate to supply the tissues with blood sugar. That is why the organs start to malfunction.”

    Some people have become so deficient on low carb ketogenic diets that they almost went blind because their optic nerves started to degenerate.

    Their higher order mental processing and mental flexibility significantly worsens into what the researchers call “modest neuropsychological impairment.”

    Researchers at MIT are afraid the Atkins Diet is likely to make many people–especially women–irritable and depressed. In addition such diets are linked to birth defects when pregnant mothers follow them.

    In the most experimentally valid comparison so far, the Atkins Diet was compared to Dean Ornish’s high-carb low-fat diet, Weight Watchers, and The Zone Diet, and the Atkins Diet came in dead last in terms of weight lost at the end of the year. Ornish’s vegetarian diet showed the most long-term weight loss and the greatest lowering of “bad” cholestorol.

    In Europe, hospitals have already started banning the Atkins Diet, with official research boards condeming it as “negligent”[258] “nonsense and pseudo-science”[259] posing a “massive health risk.”[260]

    The American Medial Association, US Surgeon General, American Dietic Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, Harvard and Johns Hopkins Medical Schools, American College of Nutrition and many others have all regularly condemned Atkins type diets (and I believe the “Paleo” diet qualifies as this type) as ineffective, misleading, unscientific, and highly dangerous.

    The fact that you are not aware of any of this while blindly recommending that others follow this extreme diet tells me a lot of what I need to know about any other points you might make.

    Reply
  • Mike
    September 28th, 2010
    3:13 pm

    Why is everybody arguing? This is not that difficult. Try it for a month. If you feel, look, think and perform better (and you WILL), and still want to argue, then I don’t know what to tell you. He’s not asking you to change religions.

    If you feel horrible, or develop some sort of illness, I’m sure a steady diet of “heart healthy” grains will set you right back on your merry way; just like we humans evolved to do, right?

    Reply
  • Jared
    September 28th, 2010
    3:26 pm

    @mrwonderful

    Why I don’t address your points individually is because I don’t have the time. I only have time to address the forest, not the trees. Basically you are making excuses for not trying the diet, so all the arguing in the world isn’t going to change your attitude. You honestly have nothing to lose.

    Right now, are you as lean as you wold like? How are your energy levels? Are you as strong as you would like? Are you as fast as you would like? Are you as agile as you would like? If not, why not tinker with your diet? What do you have to lose? Especially given the incredible volume of success people have had with paleolithic nutrition, not just in body composition, but also in strength, power, and energy.

    Beyond that, the atkins site you linked me is a joke. You claim to be skeptic, or demanding proof, but a vast majority of the claims made within are just people’s opinions. The same people who have been offering diet and health advice as we have become the fattest and most unhealthy generation of americans ever. Do results mean nothing to you? The ADA has had the same shtick while diabetes rates have gone through the roof. The AMA has had the same bullshit shtick as we’ve gotten obese. Are these really the groups you want to quote?

    Your quote from Scientific American is from 1892. I hope we have better science than then.

    Your quote that saturated fat is associated with heart disease is untrue:
    http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/91/3/535

    As far as the Inuit go. They live in a place with no freaking sun. They probably have terrible Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is essential for bone health. This is actually a known fact. Your link between meat and osteoporosis is just a correlation.

    I am unfamiliar with the Lancet study you paraphrased (probably as a lie). Please link the study so I can see it. Your body needs 0 carbohydrates, so the idea that your organs would shut down without dietary carbohydrates is ridiculous. Gluconeogenesis? Ketones?

    I’ve heard of vegan diets leading to development issues for babies and newborns. I’ve never heard that about atkins diets. Please link the study. Sounds like a bad story some vegan dreamed up.

    Also, your citation of the A To Z diet study is a baldfaced lie. The study author admits the atkins dieters lost the most weight, and had the best blood lipid profiles. It even pains the study author to say this because he seemed biased towards plant-based diets.

    http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/297/9/969

    It’s pretty sad to paint that study as anything other than a victory for atkins. Probably the only reason people didn’t do even better at two years out was because Atkins doesn’t go far enough and tells participants to start increasing their carbohydrate intake.

    It’s pretty sad that you swallow that site’s bullshit whole cloth without even thinking about it.

    I feel bad for hospitals in europe, since low-carb seems to have much better retention and the-same if not better results over low-fat diets:

    http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Meta-analysis-of-low-carbohydrate-diets.pdf

    This is all current research. Question what you think you know. Read “Good Calories, Bad Calories.” Stop listening to people who have made us all fat and sick over the last 30 years.

    Reply
  • Kevin Teague
    September 28th, 2010
    7:15 pm

    @mrwonderful

    Gary Taubes does an excellent job of explaining how the public and the majority of the medical community managed to get things so wrong with respect to fearing fat, cholesterol and animal products in his book “Good Calories, Bad Calories”. Starting the the 1950′s there were the problems of selection bias in the work done by scientists promoting a low-fat diet, started in part by developments in science in the ability to measure serum cholestrol levels – a case of “only searching where the light was shining”. When the gov’t got in on the action in the 1970′s, they were motivated by a desire to “do good” and wanted to recommend something and this co-incided well with the idealist vegetarian and vegan movement’s of the 1960′s who believed that consuming less animal products would solve world hunger by allowing America to export grain.

    Journalists were uncritical of these ideas initially so the public bought into the whole “cholesterol is bad” myth. Form there, it became an unstoppable force. Any doctor, journalist, or scientist who went against this wisdom wouldn’t have a magazine to publish in, respect of their peers, or be able to secure a gov’t grant.

    Even if you are ardently anti low-carb, the first few chapters of Taubes book make for fascinating reading into how this mass delusion formed.

    Also, I believe the public was fairly uncritical and not so interested in listening to opposing opions on fat and cholesterol because when asked to either give up butter and lard or ice cream and bread, people would much rather give up the fatty foods than the sweeting ones.

    On the “anit-nutrients” of grains, they haven’t been bred to be easily digestable. In fact, most forms of wheat grown in America have double the gluten content that these grains used to have. They’ve been breed to maximize crop yields. If they were made too digestable, then it would be a problem of needing more pesticides to ward off insects, birds and rodents.

    As for the net benefit or loss of the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron from phytates in grains, take a look at this superb article, “Living with Phytic Acid”:

    http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/1893-living-with-phytic-acid.html

    Grains tend to be a net loss of calcium and magnesium, not a gain. Traditional cultures consuming grains and legumes knew this, which is why they used such elaborate methods of preparing these foods to neutralize phytates. These were practiced by primitive people who didn’t have to contend with cholorine content in water and prescriptions of antibiotics taking the toll on probiotic cultures in the intestine. The average modern man has much worse flora profile, and is even less able to mitigate the problems of phytates.

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 24th, 2011
      2:07 am

      Excellent point about the flora!

      Reply
  • Allan
    September 28th, 2010
    9:45 pm

    A few years ago I had a battle with a serious autoimmune disease (Guillain–Barré syndrome) that left me very sick for a few months. It causes your immune system to damage peripheral nerves (at least that is what this layman understands about it). After around three months most of the symptoms went away but I`m still left with some of the nerve damage in hands, feet and face.

    As I was reading this blog post it became clear this diet could help with some of the leftover nerve issues, more importantly help prevent another bout of this syndrome. I will try out the diet and get back to you with results.

    Thanks.

    Allan

    P.S. Tim, I copied this blog post to my Evernote account (I found out about this website from a video you did awhile ago). I love Evernote and use it daily, it has helped me become much more organized and productive.

    Reply
  • Elizabeth Allen
    September 28th, 2010
    10:17 pm

    Regarding the Weston Price Foundation…

    The word on the street is that they are funded by the cattle industry and there is little solid academic leadership in the foundation.

    I’m not trying to be inflammatory or rude, I think this is a valid point.

    Reply
    • Tom
      November 13th, 2010
      11:14 pm

      No, that’s just the discredited T. Colin Campbell’s lie about them.

      Reply
  • Brett
    September 28th, 2010
    10:42 pm

    I read a couple of posts regarding The Zone Diet. I follow a more simplistic version of The Zone meaning I don’t measure my food but, I eat protein which includes all kinds of meats and seafood, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables. I have a very sensitive blood sugar reaction to foods so I eat something I shouldn’t I feel it within 45min. to an hour. I’m in the best shape of my life following this diet. I mention this because there seems to be a serious misunderstanding for some about this diet. It’s very simple and it works.

    Reply
  • Sue
    September 28th, 2010
    11:07 pm

    Who gives a toss what “95% of doctors and academic researchers specializing in nutrition” believe if I feel shit eating grains or whatever I won’t eat it.

    “Regarding the Weston Price Foundation…
    The word on the street is that they are funded by the cattle industry and there is little solid academic leadership in the foundation.”

    Elizabeth – which street is that – the one where all the vegans live?

    Reply
  • js290
    September 28th, 2010
    11:34 pm

    @Elizabeth Allen: It’s known that CSPI is funded by the soy industry. They were instrumental in forcing the food industry to use trans-fat vegetable oils. Always follow the money. Anybody still confused and naive on the sources of conflicting information, follow the money. Food pyramid is put out by the USDA. Whose interest do you suppose they serve?

    To the other folks writing essays arguing against: As a few other folks have pointed out here, we’re the only ones affected by the food choices we make. If any of this is intriguing, then just try it. If you’re already healthy, then keep on doing whatever you’re doing. If you don’t agree, don’t recommend the page. Everybody here has already heard the traditional arguments. We didn’t come here or find this page looking for the same consensus view. In other words, n=1, but it’s the only one that matters.

    Reply
  • Elizabeth Allen
    September 29th, 2010
    1:49 am

    Sue, I give a substantial toss about what some of them say just as i will give credence to an informed layperson where merit is evident.

    I am impressed with much the article has to say and reading it has dusted off some mental space and also woke up something new inside.

    I believe you and I may be able to find some common ground in that the article is very refreshing and stimulating and presents ideas that may form excellent structure for what may lead a one closer to the dietary intake that will most benefit one,some all in expressing ones full potential spiritually, mentally, physically; endurance wise as well as strength wise

    And yes Sue…I suppose it may seem to be from the mean underbelly of the low-down vegan streets where there is an anal self righteous thug lurking around every corner. Who and how something is said is not as important as what is said. I think it’s a valid concern deserving of critical thinking by those that are up to the task.

    My intention is to discuss this topic and grow in my awareness. It’s obvious you are charged at this topic…I like that, you have lots of energy…it’s charged for me to. My goal is to learn from others and share. It doesn’t always go smoothly but I think this blog may be a great place for all kinds of info to be let loose and maybe some answers to be had for some.

    Thanks JS290…I will do some research on that.

    Mr.Wonderful…wanna make some babies?

    Reply
  • Elizabeth Allen
    September 29th, 2010
    2:06 am

    Weston Price Foundation Funding – http://www.westonaprice.org/funding-3.html

    Looks to be an average of $ 1,000,000 a year funding.

    Complete with charts time-lines and promises they are not being naughty.

    Reply
  • Elizabeth Allen
    September 29th, 2010
    2:29 am

    Jared – Thanks for the information and the reply.

    I used the ratios that are recommend on Robbs site to figure the below amounts based on a 2000 calorie intake:

    Protein – 35% of 2k cal = 700 cals /4 = 175 g
    Carbohydrates – 35% of 2k cal = 600 cals /4 = 150 g
    Fat – 30% of 2k cal = 700 cals /9 = 77 g

    I approximated that an average of 700 mg of cholesterol would be consumed based on the Monday menu selection that Robb provided.

    I would like to know if the amounts I came up with convey an average daily paleo diet intake.

    (sorry about all the cluttered incorrect previous posts)

    Reply
  • Sue
    September 29th, 2010
    4:15 am

    Elizabeth: “Who and how something is said is not as important as what is said.”
    I don’t agree, I think it’s more important who is doing the talking particularly in the case of vegans.

    “Mr.Wonderful…wanna make some babies?”
    He’s all yours!

    Why do you want to know about the average cholesterol consumed on a paleo diet? Do you still think cholesterol is evil?

    Reply
  • Robnonstop
    September 29th, 2010
    4:21 am

    Regarding easiest to measure result, age:
    Tanabe (113), the oldest man in the world drank a glas of milk every single morning.
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31439522/

    People from Okinawa (oldest in the world) eat grains, for example Toguchi (103), eats whole-grain rice every morning.
    http://www.truehealth.org/okinawadiet.html

    „Eskimos“ on the other hand, die younger than the rest of us, which makes them a questionable role model.

    Robb, do you have some statistics on mortality and grain? I’m willing to take a break eating vegetarian for 60 days to test the diet, but I need at least an indication that this diet doesn’t actually shorten my life drastically.

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 24th, 2011
      2:15 am

      Good points but, remember one of the main rules of Statistics…never ASSume there is a “correlation”…in this case, long life as a result of milk and/or rice consumption or short life span as a result of the Eskimo lifespan. Two very important words to remember….”lurking variables”.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confounding

      Reply
  • Ben RUDOLPH
    September 29th, 2010
    4:52 am

    Regarding vegitarians and vegans.

    Veganism and Vegitarianism began in the ’60′s and ’70′s as part of Environmentalism; from animal abuse at factory farms.

    Please understand we as a species are evolved to eat meat. Just as your car needs regular gas, not diesil or jet-fuel, no matter what.

    I think the problem you have with meat eating is the ethics part, in which case I suggest you look at Kosher, Free Range, Wild-caught, etc.

    We NEED animal protein to be healthy; but I agree “factory farms” are not the way to do it.

    Well, forty years latter, we heard your cries. It is why we have Free-Range, Grass-fed, Wild-Caught and Organic today! With your choice of ethical standards; yes! you get a choice! You want to go “old-school”, go Kosher. You want to be a “huckleberry above a Persimmon”, go Free Range, Wild Caught and grow your own vegetables!

    You won the ethics war! :-) You can have a steak, guilt-free now!

    -B.R.

    Reply
  • Elizabeth Allen
    September 29th, 2010
    5:11 am

    Sue:

    For me, the substance in the content is more important than the person giving the information as far as what is “mission critical”.

    Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise.
    – Cato the Elder

    Do I think Cholesterol is evil, no. I honestly do not know a great deal about it and I am motivated to get educated about it. I do know that it’s used for critical functions in the body…it is certainly not evil.

    In fact humans recycle and synthesize significant amounts of cholesterol just like the animals that some eat do, that’s how important it is for our bodies.

    The jury (mine) is still out regarding what the safe and functional ranges of dietary cholesterol are and what factors might produce such varied ranges.

    Thanks for your permission Sue but I think I should ask his mother first.

    Robb: It’s true I am ill informed as to the details of the Paleo diet. Thank you for your time in addressing my questions. I think it’s very important to be informed, I will do more solo research before I talk about it again.

    Reply
  • Sue
    September 29th, 2010
    5:52 am

    Elizabeth have you purchased Robb’s book? I’m sure it will be very informative on the paleo diet. Alternatively, read his blog. I can’t wait for my copy of the book to arrive.

    Reply
  • ido halevi
    September 29th, 2010
    9:52 am

    First i’m sorry if I have a spelling mistakes but english is not my first language.

    I just had to write some points from my favorites nutritions.

    Jonny Bowden the auther of “living the low-carb life” and a parsonal favorite of Charles Poliquin an olympic level trainer says in is book “the 150 healthiest foods on earth” :

    On grains: ” The natural diet served us well as long as population were limited and wildlife was plentiful. As the population of the world increased and supply of wild geme became more limited, it became necessary to provide an alternative or suplementary means of nourishment…
    … eight cereal grains (wheat, corn, rice, barley, sorghum, oat, rye and millet) now provide 56% of the calories and 50% of the protein consumed on earth”

    On Oatmeal: ” oatmeal has a place on virtually everyone’s “best food” list. It’s the Muhammad Ali of food – everybody loves it, no matter where you stand in your dietary philosophy. Even those who are stringent about keeping carbs low soften a bit when it comes to oatmeal. The “guru” of diabetic diet, Dr. Richard Brenstein, who, one might say jokingly, “never met a carb he didn’t dislike”, allow oatmeal once a day for is diabetic patients. And of course, it’s been a staple of the high-carb folks forever. I can still remember seeing the body-builders at Gold’s Gym with their Tupperwars full of the stuff.”

    The only two grains that are among is 150 healthiest food in the grain section are oat and quinoa. for more information on this read is book “the 150 healthiest foods on earth”, it’s a great read.

    Another dr his opinions i respect very much, comes from the world of sports and consulting a high level of athletics, Dr john Berardi use oats beans and quinoa in is gourment nutrition book.

    Reply
  • Ponder
    September 29th, 2010
    10:01 am

    Food always brings…certain emotions and thoughts to the forefront!
    I thank you both Tim and Robb for this great subject and post.
    Its certainly food for thought and comes at a very timely moment for me.
    Ive been having recent discussions about Paleo diet.
    And this being posted now is a definate sign for me to give this a shot and try this out.
    I have multiple sclerosis and have looked at alot of food and diet informations.
    I have already been playing around with cutting certain foods and generally focusing on diet…and food ….cooking or not cooking.. for example going the raw option.
    But this is as i said before a timely good source of information.Thank you!

    Reply
  • Ponder
    September 29th, 2010
    10:02 am

    Food always brings…certain emotions and thoughts to the forefront!
    I thank you both Tim and Robb for this great subject and post.
    Its certainly food for thought and comes at a very timely moment for me.
    Ive been having recent discussions about Paleo diet.
    And this being posted now is a definite sign for me to give this a shot and try this out.
    I have multiple sclerosis and have looked at alot of food and diet informations.
    I have already been playing around with cutting certain foods and generally focusing on diet…and food ….cooking or not cooking.. for example going the raw option.
    But this is as i said before a timely good source of information.Thank you!

    Reply
  • Cameron Benz
    September 29th, 2010
    11:04 am

    @Ponder

    You aren’t by chance located in Washington State or the UK are you?

    Reply
  • Ponder
    September 29th, 2010
    11:20 am

    @Cameron Benz
    I used to live in the UK yes,lived in a number of countries but not yet the US.
    How come?

    Reply
  • Cameron Benz
    September 29th, 2010
    11:34 am

    @ Ponder.

    My mother and my good friend’s mother are both afflicted with MS. Two different types. Progressive and Relapsing/remitting.

    The reason I asked was that, as I understand it, Washington State in the USA and the UK have the highest incidence of MS. Coincidentally both locations are thought to be areas of vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sun. This is all as I understand it. But was curious. And there has been speculation that MS is related to a vitamin D deficiency. But I’m sure you probably know most of this.

    Reply
  • Phil K. James
    September 29th, 2010
    2:49 pm

    Somehow, this probably isn’t going to make you many friends at Italian restaurants, Tim.

    And as a proper NR, I hope your VA is commenting on your blog for you. :)

    Reply
  • mrwonderful
    September 29th, 2010
    2:54 pm

    @Jared

    Thanks for responding, I don’t honestly spend much time thinking about food/health, but this matters to me partly because there is a lot of heart disease in my family. I’m not trying to be a jerk to anyone by bringing this up.

    “Basically you are making excuses for not trying the diet…”

    I should’ve mentioned that I have tried a high-protein diet while training for college sports. I felt fine doing it, but it was only for a few months.

    “The atkins site you linked me is a joke. You claim to be skeptic… a vast majority of the claims made within are just people’s opinions.”

    The claims are cited and are from people with significant credentials, in fact people who are (from the perspective of mainstream health institutions at least) the most qualified to be speaking about these things of anybody.

    “The same people who have been offering diet and health advice as we have become the fattest and most unhealthy generation of americans ever.”

    People have not followed basic diet advice, especially in regards to limiting their portions but also in terms of eating fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains.

    “Your quote from Scientific American is from 1892. I hope we have better science than then.”

    I wasn’t aware that was the date, but the science has continued to confirm the links between excessive meat consumption and cancers, especially colon and prostate cancers.

    “Your quote that saturated fat is associated with heart disease is untrue:
    http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/91/3/535”

    Thank you for pointing out that study… I am not opposed to eating saturated fat, but if you look closely at the results (which happened to have been funded by the National Dairy Council among others) you’ll see it’s not so clear.

    They weren’t focusing on people who followed high-meat diets, but people with more or less average eating habits, AND (from your link): “the authors noted that randomized controlled clinical trials in which saturated fat was replaced with polyunsaturated fat observed a reduction in heart disease, and that the ratio between polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat may be a key factor.”

    So even the most “soft on saturated fat” long-term study found saturated fat to be a risk factor for heart disease, albeit in a roundabout way.

    “As far as the Inuit go…”

    Obviously there are many reasons why “primitive” lifestyle peoples are not the best control groups. The Inuit actually tend to recieve a lot of vitamin D from eating the parts of seafood and meat that we don’t however.

    “I am unfamiliar with the Lancet study you paraphrased (probably as a lie).”

    That’s not really fair. I’ll link you to the Lancet study…
    http://atkinsexposed.org/atkins/134/Atkins_Diet:_Help_or_Hoax_.htm?highlightWords=lancet&highlightMethod=allWords

    You also falsely claim that I was referencing the “A to Z” diet study.

    I was instead referncing “Dansinger, M.L., Gleason, J. L., Griffith, J.L., et al., “One Year Effectiveness of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets in Decreasing Body Weight and Heart Disease Risk,”

    …but your study along with hundreds of others is cross-analyzed by the Lancet one. In fact the total number of low-carb diet studies they looked at was 2,609. I think we can all agree that such rigor is necessary when highly-publicized individual studies (often funded by conflicting interest outside foundations) provide contradictory results.

    I’ll summarize the Lancet inquiry in their own words: “A systematic review of low-carbohydrate diets reported that the weight loss is associated with only the duration of the diet and the restriction of energy intake, not with carbohydrate restriction itself.”

    I went over your protein power link, I think a much wider net has been cast by the Lancet study, more factors accounted for, and therefore I take it as more valid.

    On the subject of studies “proving things,” I see that the Atkins foundation claims that there are “no less than 34 studies” supporting their claims about the health benefits of low-carb diets, 34 out of hundreds of studies of low-carb diets.

    On closer inspection most of them were financed by the Atkins foundation, at least a third were not actually published in scientific journals, and several do not actually seem to support their claims.

    The tobacco industry also has come up with studies showing neutral to positive health outcomes for smoking. This is something that is possible when you are a corporate entity with revenues in the billions of dollars.

    “I’ve heard of vegan diets leading to development issues for babies and newborns.”

    I’m not a vegan (even the name sounds embarassing) but I’d say that’s partly because so many vegans ignore adding good foods to their diet and so therefore don’t get enough vitamin B in particular… in many countries folic acid (a type of vitamin B) is proscribed to all pregnant women in general.

    Reply
  • Jared
    September 29th, 2010
    2:58 pm

    Mormons live longer than Okinawans:

    http://www.mormontimes.com/article/1758/UCLA-study-proves-Mormons-live-longer

    It seems there is more to living long than just diet (though mormons are good argument as to how removing poisons from your diet is probably better than worrying about eating enough spinach).

    Personally, I think diet changes the quality of your lifespan. If you want to still be able to pick up your great grandkids, paleo is probably the way to go.

    Reply
  • mrwonderful
    September 29th, 2010
    3:14 pm

    @Kevin Teague – Gary Taubes is an Atkins evangelist who has made well over a million dollars from his pro-Atkins writing.

    Meanwhile, most of the experts interviewed by him for his original magazine piece have expressed strong opposition to an Atkins style diet and have felt they were totally misquoted and their opinions twisted.
    http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/11/The_Diet_Fad_of_the_21st_Century.htm?highlightWords=taube&highlightMethod=allWords

    “Recent investigations have focused on the beneficial effect of food phytates, based upon their strong mineral-chelating property…The beneficial effects include lowering of serum cholesterol and triglycerides and protection against certain diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, renal stone formation, and certain types of cancers.”
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/35228109/Dietary-roles-of-phytate-and-phytase-in-human-nutrition-A-review-Amit-Kumar-Sinha

    The website you linked to is a Homeopathic group… I do not believe in homeopathy and I could not find in this article confirmation that eating grains results in a net result of certain minerals from the body.

    This does not represent medical consensus at the moment, and if the consensus changes I doubt homeopaths will be the ones who cause that. (No offense to those who have found it helpful.)

    In general I can see among supportive commenters on this thread links to other kinds of “outsider” science beliefs, like questioning global warming or vaccination, and I think some of the same motivations and tactics might be at play.

    Reply
  • Demi
    September 29th, 2010
    4:38 pm

    Tim: just wanted to thank you for your blog! During a desperate moment, I typed in ‘how to lose 20 pounds in 30 days’ into my search engine, and your blog popped up. After losing more than 25 pounds on my own, I hit a serious plateau. Your blog and the information you have provided helped me to figure out how to step out of my ‘fat suit’ for good. I am following your plan to the letter, and I am nearly at goal. Again, thank you for all your research/life experience and courage to share it with the rest of the universe…D

    Reply
  • Jordan
    September 29th, 2010
    7:38 pm

    The issue of current populations eating a diet with a fair to significant amount of gluten has not been adequately addressed imo. Do populations who regularly consume the aforementioned culprits (dairy, gluten, etc.) experience higher rates of the suggested associated disease states? We are often reminded how the Italians or Japanese have longer and healthier lives, I am wondering if gluten associated ailments fall in line as well.

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 24th, 2011
      2:30 am

      Japanese have higher than normal rates of narcolepsy (believed to be autoimmune) which relates to the topic of this article.

      Reply
  • Maryam Webster
    September 29th, 2010
    9:44 pm

    Hi Tim,
    I followed a link from Facebook to this post as I became interested in leaky gut after my first encounter with darkfield microscopy. Imagine my delight and surprise to find the balance of the post was about gluten-freedom. Thanks for this!

    A chiropractor suggested I go gluten-free four years ago and it was absolutely no problem at all – a loaf of my favorite bread had sat in the fridge for a month untouched – my body was really ready to do it, plus which many of the tools I use and teach are excellent for eliminating cravings. I’d gained a tremendous amount of weight following an auto accident and paralysis in the 80′s and nothing worked to get it off. Going gluten-free reduced my belly by 4″ the first month and now a total of 8″ and 5 dress sizes. I still have more to go, but it was going gluten-free that unlocked the door.

    If you connect to me on Facebook I have a lovely album of gluten-free photo recipes I’m happy to share.

    I have one question: you took the wind out of my sails with the quinoa comment. I thought thorough rinsing removed the saponin content of quinoa. True? Not? A gluten-free doctor assured me all we had to do was rinse well. Your thoughts?

    What about other ancient grass seeds such as amaranth and teff. Any thoughts/gnosis on either of these?

    Appreciate you using your celebrity for such a cause Tim. Some people will believe it only if it comes out of the mouths of the famous and well connected. Kudos! :-)

    Reply
  • Sonia
    September 29th, 2010
    11:49 pm

    That meal plan sounds miserable. Id get depressed. Eat and be merry, or be depressed. Hmmm..

    Reply
  • B.
    September 30th, 2010
    12:16 am

    Hi Maryam,
    Just a little technicality regarding your question:
    “What about other ancient grass seeds such as amaranth and teff.”

    Amaranth is not a grass seed. (Neither is quinoa btw, never heard of teff).

    Grains are the grass seeds, the seeds from plants of the family Graminae.
    Amaranth however is related to spinach and beets. (And so is quinoa I think.)

    From: http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/amaranth-plant.html

    “The amaranth family (Amaranthaceae) includes the previously separate family of the beets and spinaches, the Chenopodiaceae. Amaranth is not related to the Graminae, the real grains.”

    Reply
  • Sue
    September 30th, 2010
    2:04 am

    Sonia: “That meal plan sounds miserable. Id get depressed. Eat and be merry, or be depressed. Hmmm..”

    I think its really good and varied. You won’t get depressed on it. Of course you should enjoy what you eat so if it doesn’t suit don’t eat it.

    Reply
  • Kari Simmonds
    September 30th, 2010
    9:36 am

    Hi, I do have issues with my stomach, especially after eating breads and pasta. For the last few years I have basically cut most of it out. I may have one slice of pizza a week, but even this bothers my stomach afterward.

    I actually just wanted to confirm what you said about wheat germ.
    I have a lot of wheat germ in the mornings with my fruit and yoghurt.
    I was always lead to believe that it is a very healthy addition to a meal.
    Should I be taking this out of my diet completely? And what about plain yoghurt?
    Thank you

    Reply
  • Brett
    September 30th, 2010
    9:53 am

    Tim, I have to be honest, this whole Zone vs. Paleo diet argument seems to be ridiculous. If you look at the majority of Zone recipes as well as Dr. Sears latest books the two diets basically go hand in hand. Here is an article regarding Barry Sears response to the Paleo diet. I think people are splitting hairs here.
    http://journal.crossfit.com/2009/12/paleo-vs-the-zone-part-4-of-the-conversation.tpl

    Reply
  • Jordi
    September 30th, 2010
    10:56 am

    Just a quick note to ask something. Yestarday I saw at the end of some article a note from Tim with a link to a web page about a product like a “body supplement for exercise and sport…” but now I am trying to visit the web again, and can’t find it anymore.
    Somebody can give me the web address?
    Thanx
    Jordi

    Reply
  • Jonathan
    September 30th, 2010
    11:27 am

    Hi Tim, another very interesting article.

    Have you read Michael Pollan’s ‘In defence of food’? I remember you mentioning the omnivore’s dillema, which is also excellent, but In defence of food is really a study of the nutritionism fad and how we can maneuver ourselves through today’s food option surplus. I’m not sure that he would agree with you about the French paradox being genetic, especially given the aboriginal Australian study that he discusses, amongst other things, but I’d be interested to see a discussion between the two of you. I would imagine that you’d be pretty agreed on most issues.

    All the best and I look forward to reading your new book.

    Jonathan

    Reply
  • mrwonderful
    September 30th, 2010
    12:15 pm

    Tim,

    I’m glad you have an open mind, even for comments posted by a total amateur with just google and skepticism as credentials.

    This well-researched Reason magazine article:
    http://reason.com/archives/2003/03/01/big-fat-fake

    was where I saw that Taubes recieved a $700,000 publishers advance to write his first anti-carb book (as a result of the success of his NYT magazine article), so I made a guess that if that was just his advance from the one book (from over 6 years ago) that he has since then most likely cleared $1 million off his anti-carb publishing etc.

    Let me say I’m still interested in your “superman” experiments, and, maybe I speak for a lot of people when I say this, I’m very interested to know how you and others you talked to have fared with extreme diets etc., it’s just that I don’t want say my great-aunt to be jumping on those bandwagons.

    Cheers,

    M. W.

    (The name is from a Simpsons episode where Homer was considering possible legal name changes.)

    Reply
  • Maryam Webster
    September 30th, 2010
    2:35 pm

    Adding a PS for those I know who are following the comment thread on “how to identify wheat in food products”:

    Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is often bound to a wheat flour base, anything that lists Modified Food Starch is usually wheat based unless it specifies to the contrary, Hydrolized or Texturized Vegetable Protien (TVP), regular soy sauce (look at the label, wheat is on it), vegetarian items like “veggie bacon/ham”, seitan (which is straight gluten), starch unless clarified as non-wheat, malt and malt flavorings.

    Even foods that look ‘pure’ like frozen french fries are often coated with flour, and wheat is often an ingredient in flavorings, extracts, sauces, soups, salad dressings and my former-fave candy, red licorice!

    Buckwheat is NOT a wheat product and can be eaten safely by those sensitive to gluten. Other grains which contain gluten include rye, barley and some sources also list corn. I am gluten intolerant, not celiac, and can tolerate limited quantities of corn, while some people cannot. Your body knows best – listen to it.

    Bottom line is to get used to reading food labels and educating those who purchase food for you. There are some great resources here:

    http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/hiddengluten.htm

    Click the other links for a thorough education. Enjoy! :-)

    Reply
  • Sue
    September 30th, 2010
    5:41 pm

    Mr Wonderful: “Taubes recieved a $700,000 publishers advance to write his first anti-carb book (as a result of the success of his NYT magazine article), so I made a guess that if that was just his advance from the one book (from over 6 years ago) that he has since then most likely cleared $1 million off his anti-carb publishing etc.”

    So you made a guess! In your previous comment you wrote the amount as if it was factual. Of course he is going to be paid. He could have written about anything but that was his topic and he deserved to be paid because of all the research he did.

    Reply
  • Robnonstop
    September 30th, 2010
    6:00 pm

    @Jared, the article on Mormons compares them to other US Americans, not Okinawans (most 100 year olds in the world).

    My great grand aunt died at 103 and my grandfather is 91 but looks like 70, both consumed grains daily as well as a small amount of milk, just like the oldest people ever recorded (certainly not Mormons).

    Reply
  • Anono Mouse
    September 30th, 2010
    7:08 pm

    Ave,
    Having read quite a few of the comments above, I find the willful ignorance appaling. It is why I abhor “customer service” jobs.

    No means no people. That means you, too.

    -Anonomouse

    Reply
  • Jared
    September 30th, 2010
    7:42 pm

    @Robnonstop

    The rate of Centenarians in Okinawa may be a lie:

    http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978510099

    Beyond that, people in Okinawa eat around 100g of pork a day and around 100g of fish a day.

    The countries with the highest life expectancy both have lots of animal products in their diets, Macau and Andorra. The Mormons also eat grains. Did you know asians in the united states have a higher life expectancy than the inhabitants of Okinawa too?

    The point is, people with high life expectancy have very varied diets. There isn’t anything magical about it that the Japanese are doing. There are a lot of factors. In the developed world, we have eliminated so many causes of death, we should probably try to avoid the big ones now: Heart Disease and Cancer (which the paleo diet claims to do). There’s not much else you can do. All of these studies of people that live long, first they DON’T live that much longer than us fat Americans. Second, there is nothing magical about what they eat or do. They have strong communities where people remain active in old age, and a bunch of other factors. Clearly, you do not need a perfect diet to live to be 100.

    Now I think diet can have a huge impact on the quality of your years. If you can keep building muscle and staying lean and active late in life, you will have quality in your old age. I think staying active, lean, and building muscle is much easier on a paleolithic diet.

    @Brett

    It may be possible for Paleo to be a subset of the Zone, but why? The zone is a huge waste of time, and a stupid learning curve, for what results? I don’t know about you, but everytime I hear Barry Sears talk about his diet my bullshit detector is going off like mad. He talks about it like it’s magic. He’s full of shit. It’s a gimmicky macro-nutrient counting pain in the ass that has no proven results to show for what a pain it is. So why do it? Is there really a debate as to which one is easier to follow? Do you really think the 40/30/30 bullshit adds anything substantial?

    @mrwonderful

    I read your Lancet study. It seems like the authors really don’t like the Atkins diet, but ultimately have to say

    “Although the diet appears, as claimed, to promote weight loss without hunger, at least in the short term, the long-term effects on health and disease prevention are unknown.”

    That sound pretty fantastic to me. Weight loss without hunger! Imagine that. Beyond that, they admit the low-carbohydrate diets create greater improvements in risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

    I don’t see how this study is damning at all to Atkins, other than the spooky sounding wording of not knowing the health effects of long term low-carb. Seeing as most every single mammal in existence gets by on a low-carb diet, I’m not too worried about it.

    Beyond that, there are other studies that do hint at at least some small metabolic advantage for low-carb dieting. However, to keep saying that with calories the same weight loss is the same is a strawman. People in the low carb community do not argue that you can eat as many calories as you want and still lose weight. That’s ridiculous, and only comes from the thinking of the low-fat calorie counters. The point is that you aren’t hungry and your body adjust to a more healthy weight cutting out a lot of carbohydrate. Which is pretty amazing. Beyond that paleolithic nutrition isn’t even specifically a low-carb diet. Yes, if you want carbs they will be from more nutrient-dense sources, but you will probably have a hard time deranging your metabolism with fruit, vegetables and yams.

    Reply
  • Genghis
    October 1st, 2010
    12:00 am

    what about potatoes? and sweet potatoes pasta?

    Reply
  • Shay Lynch
    October 1st, 2010
    2:08 am

    I have to say, this is one of the most interesting blog posts I have read in a while. There seems to be a divided opinion with great points on different sides of the coin.
    My ’2 Cents’ on all of this…. I don’t believe one diet will suit everyone…it’s not a one size fits all approach. There are too many variables when it comes to each and everyone’s body, location, blood type….etc etc… the list could go on…. If you are not feeling good on a regular basis, chances are there is something in your diet that you could change to make you feel better…what that is..well there is no easy answer to that. It takes trial and error….and eventually you will come across something that will make sense for you as you will feel the difference… It took me a long time to find something that suited me… I am not a saint with my diet either. I would use the 80 – 20 rule in many parts of my life, with my diets it’s more like >90 – <10, I do like to have a one crazy meal a week and completely over do it on the calorie front…. This keeps me sane and I also believe it keeps my system thinking a small bit so it doesn't get completely use to the norm….. this approach has lost me kg's of weight…. i've always been fit and in good shape, however this combined with an intense training program (i took up boxing at age 35 and now competing with people 10 years my junior), i have got into excellent condition, something i could never do before no matter how super fit i was…
    It took me a good 5 years to settle with my diet to get it right… and it turned out to be the most simple foods you could imagine…

    So guys, be patient, and as along as you eat natural foods, in their proper state, grown organically and local to your region, the majority will thrive on this… obviously special care has to be taken for those with allergies / intolerances, but all i will say is, put the right fuel in your body you will ABSOLUTELY feel the difference!!

    keep it real

    Shay

    Reply
  • Jones
    October 1st, 2010
    6:22 am

    Tim—I see a MAJOR flaw in this diet.

    It doesn’t look it allows for cheeseburgers, french fries, or BEER?!?

    Intestines be damned. I can’t do it. Life is too short.

    Reply
  • Nick
    October 1st, 2010
    9:16 am

    Robb,

    Thank you so much for your time and patience in answering so many comments, and especially in citing so many primary sources.

    I have two questions and would be forever in your debt if you’d take a quick moment to address them.

    1) What would you recommend for becoming scientifically literate about nutrition and diet? I’m talking self-education here, what do I need to read? Nutrition Textbooks? Human chemistry and biology? Where to start to fully comprehend the science you’re dropping here? I’m quite serious about learning it. Thank you.

    2) The China Study in light of the Weston A. Price article you posted about rats given 5% caisen dying prematurely compared to those given 20% casein and getting cancer (http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/the-curious-case-of-campbells-rats-does-protein-deficiency-prevent-cancer.html)…

    What’s your take in general on The China Study? I am trying to reconcile that study with your Paleo recommendation of lots of lean animal protein – do you have any data refuting Campbell’s assertions? Could you give a quick comment and possibly some good science/primary sources related to this?

    Thanks so much again, it is such a pleasure to see you so passionate and engaged with the community and I love to see all of the sources being linked in here.

    -Nick

    More

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      October 1st, 2010
      10:49 pm

      Hi Nick,

      I’ll let Robb jump in here, too, but he might be busy. To tackle the China Study part, Masterjohn offers plenty of citations, as do a few other intelligent critics (plenty of unintelligent critics, of course). Campbell is, at best, a nutritionist with some epidemiological experience. Even his co-authors of the actual “China Study” monograph believe he draws too many cause-and-effect conclusions that are impossible to prove with correlations in the data.

      Just my two cents. I have no vested interest in anyone eating meat, but I do care about good science whenever possible.

      Best,

      Tim

      Reply
  • Tilen Krivec
    October 1st, 2010
    10:10 am

    S**t i printed this article out and it sat on my desk for over a week. Went to read it yesterday and was so shocked i actually had to put it down a couple of times just to get myself back together.

    I’ve known about paleo for quite some time, also occasionally reading Mark’s Daily Apple, but this has pushed it over the ledge for me. I’m finally going paleo, already ordered a kilo of coconut flour just to suppress any bread cravings i might get for the next month.

    Thanks

    p.s. can’t wait for the new book :)

    Reply
  • Leigh
    October 1st, 2010
    11:09 am

    I was diagnosed Celiac about 3 years ago and went gluten-free. Nine months ago I moved to Southeast Asia. I had a very bad bout of parasites (amoebic dysentery and blastocyst) a few months ago. Lately I’ve been noticing some sensitivity. I assumed it was a new sensitivity to dairy, but am curious to see what will happen if I eliminate rice from my diet. At this point, rice is the only grain I eat regularly.

    Reply
  • Julia
    October 1st, 2010
    12:08 pm

    Some of these comments are so funny! So many people think that the only foods are meat or grains…when in fact, they are the least like FOOD and the most like ENTERTAINMENT.

    Fruits and vegetables my dears. That’s the only real food on the planet and it’s all you ever need.

    The closer to the vine, the more divine! :)

    Reply
  • Kori
    October 1st, 2010
    12:49 pm

    You make a good case, and I know this helps a lot of people. But the fact remains I went off gluten completely for 2 years and felt absolutely no change. In fact, I lost an unhealthy amount of weight because I didn’t like the alternatives to gluten I was eating and thus consumed too little food. The diet is not for everyone.

    Reply
  • K
    October 1st, 2010
    1:07 pm

    I have been doing this since Monday, and have amazingly lost 5.2lbs! This is the easiest eating plan I’ve ever done, and I feel amazing. The only weird thing I’ve experienced is terrible acne. I suppose this is my body purging itself of toxins, but it’s like puberty all over again! WIll report back at the end of my 30 days :)

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      October 1st, 2010
      10:37 pm

      Hey K,

      Try avoiding any fatty meats within 3-4 hours of bedtime. Too many nuts can also cause this.

      Good luck!

      Tim

      Reply
  • Cameron Benz
    October 1st, 2010
    11:11 pm

    @ Jones.

    Hey if ya did it Tim style, you’d get one cheat day to have all the cheeseburgers, fries, and beer ya wanted.

    Reply
  • js290
    October 1st, 2010
    11:53 pm

    Are we still talking about the China Study? Hasn’t everybody that’s read the China Study also read Denise Minger’s critique?

    http://rawfoodsos.com/the-china-study/

    Reply
  • Emm
    October 2nd, 2010
    1:44 am

    Thanks so much for this article! One of my resolves before heading off to college was to eat better. Which sounds crazy, but I thought maybe not being around my parents (who are very into potatoes and steaks) would make it easier. We are occasional South Beachers, so that’s what I planned on doing. I did pretty well the first couple weeks, but I’ve been slipping off the boat. I had actually been noticing that I felt better than I usually did with most of the grains out of my diet, and this article was that final kick in the butt to get me back on the wagon! Thanks!

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 2nd, 2010
    5:46 am

    Some powerful vegan quotes (some from some of the most profound thinkers of our history): -

    One farmer says to me, “You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make the bones with;” and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying himself with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle. ~Henry David Thoreau

    You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I’ll buy you a new car. ~Harvey Diamond

    Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them. ~Samuel Butler

    We don’t need to eat anyone who would run, swim, or fly away if he could. ~James Cromwell

    The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of “real food for real people” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital. ~Neal Barnard

    A mind of the calibre of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows. ~George Bernard Shaw

    You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Truely man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs. We live by the death of others: we are burial places! I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look on the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men. ~Leonardo da Vinci

    I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other…. ~Henry David Thoreau

    While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth? ~George Bernard Shaw

    I think if you want to eat more meat you should kill it yourself and eat it raw so that you are not blinded by the hypocrisy of having it processed for you. ~Margi Clark

    “Thou shalt not kill” does not apply to murder of one’s own kind only, but to all living beings; and this Commandment was inscribed in the human breast long before it was proclaimed from Sinai. ~Leo Tolstoy

    We manage to swallow flesh only because we do not think of the cruel and sinful thing that we do. Cruelty… is a fundamental sin, and admits of no arguments or nice distinctions. If only we do not allow our heart to grow callous, it protests against cruelty, is always clearly heard; and yet we go on perpetrating cruelties easily, merrily, all of us – in fact, anyone who does not join in is dubbed a crank. ~Rabindranath Tagore

    Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstaining from flesh? For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of soul or mind the first man did so, touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, he who set forth tables of dead, stale bodies and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived. How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds? ~Plutarch

    To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. ~Mahatma Gandhi

    Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ~Albert Einstein

    Would you kill your pet dog or cat to eat it? How about an animal you’re not emotionally attached to? Is the thought of slaughtering a cow or chicken or pig with your own hands too much to handle? Instead, would hiring a hit-man to do the job give you enough distance from the emotional discomfort? What animal did you put a contract out on for your supper last night? Did you at least make sure that none went to waste and to take a moment to be grateful for its sacrifice? ~Anonymous

    My body will not be a tomb for other creatures. ~Leanardo da Vinc

    Live simply so that others may simply live. ~Gandhi

    Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~Gandhi

    A nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals. ~Gandhi

    Silly person….. Eating flesh is for zombies, ~Anonymous

    You can’t eat your friends and have them too ~Franz Kafka

    All the arguments to prove man’s superiority cannot shatter this hard fact: In suffering, the animals are our equals. ~Peter Singer

    All the best.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 2nd, 2010
    5:49 am

    Oh and LOL, Denise Minger hasn’t managed an even half decent critique – and she won’t even submit to peer review – Nuff said.
    If you think you have found a debunking of the china study think again.

    Reply
  • Leena
    October 2nd, 2010
    8:00 am

    Hi,
    what opinion do you have on macrobiotics? some people get great results, and virtually all grains.

    thanks

    Reply
  • Eyre Price
    October 3rd, 2010
    7:53 am

    Am I missing something? If a natural inability to digest the proteins contained in grains makes them essentially poisonous to humans. And if grains are the primary food source–(they’re an essential component of most Third World diets and the foundation of our own “food pyramid”) Then it seems to me that the ultimate solution isn’t avoiding grains–(which seems uncomfortable, impractical and/or impossible depending on the availability of alternate foods)–but rather in developing a supplement that would allow human digestion to safely break down these naturally indigestible proteins and, in so doing, arguably make them even more beneficial. I would think this would be a significant advancement for medical science and world health care–and an enormous profit source for the “supplement” industry. Is there any research or development taking place?

    Reply
  • Karl
    October 3rd, 2010
    9:14 am

    Tim,
    I read the whole article and a lot of comments but I don’t understand if it’s crucial to _eliminate_, or can I just cut back on grains and gluten in order to improve my health?
    Robb writes that it takes 10-15 days for the gut to heal and means that you will not notice any changes, while you(Tim) have your “day off”. How does that work?

    To be honest, I couldn’t manage without these products from time to time, if it is an orgasmic existence I would consider elimination though.

    If anyone can clear this up I would be grateful!

    Karl

    Reply
  • Kaja
    October 3rd, 2010
    10:35 am

    *sigh* always getting mixed messages about these kinds of things… Wheat is good for you! No, wheat makes you sick! Coffee has been discovered to be beneficial for you! Don’t listen to that guy, coffee will kill you!

    Not sure who to believe now-a-days… but I’m starting to think somebody is trying to kill me.

    Reply
  • Madeleine Fulton
    October 3rd, 2010
    7:26 pm

    This might have been addressed in the comments, but I couldn’t read through all 667 of them…

    I knew of lectins and phytates in grains and legumes, but I had no idea about dairy. Are they in all dairy? I don’t consume milk or yogurt because of the sugar but I consume heavy cream and full-fat cheeses quite regularly. Should I be avoiding dairy just as I do grains?

    Reply
  • Mike
    October 3rd, 2010
    9:43 pm

    This is RIDICULOUS. I’ve switched (with the exception of some beer on weekends) to full blown paleo. I started the day I read this article. I have since dropped 8 pounds. A chronic rash that I have had on my arm for almost 9 months (probably candidiasis) has almost completely disappeared. My acne is gone and I’ve stopped using harsh cleansers at night just to ward off zits.

    I feel better than I ever have in my life. I mean really, how do you know you feel like shit if its all you’ve ever felt?! I can spring out of my bed in the morning now, where as before I would drag my bloated ass out of the covers after hitting snooze 19 times. And no more 3PM zoning out at my desk. I’m alert all day now.

    This is it, Paleo/primal for life.

    Reply
  • Kevin Olega
    October 3rd, 2010
    10:30 pm

    Hi Tim and Rob,

    I’m from the Philippines where Rice is the main grain used. I’m still trying to figure our alternatives since oats, sweet potatoes and potatoes are also not allowed. I’ll go for vegetables as an alternative for now. Do you have any suggestions for people from Asian countries?

    Thanks,

    Kevin Olega

    Reply
  • Rev ramO
    October 4th, 2010
    3:04 am

    Wheat is a grass, obviously, well not to me, I hadn’t really thought of wheat that way. But I have hay-fever, I’m allergic to grass (and other things). True not all grasses elicit the same reaction in me, but grass is grass yes.

    So why have I been eating grass for 30+ years when I’m allergic to the stuff?!?! I’ve always had IBS too and just it was one of those things, changing diet but never cutting out wheat (or other grains).

    My gut must’ve been having a horrid time with grass inside it. My skin hates grass touching it, and skin is designed as a barrier. My gut is the opposite, so even if I’m much less sensitive to wheat, it’ll still only take a little of it to irritate my gut and get into my body and play havoc!

    I’m not evolutionary geneto-food scientist, but I’m not eating wheat anymore simply because I know I’m allergic to grass!!

    I’m one week into the no-grain diet, already I feel a bit better and my bowel movements are much better.

    I reckon no-grain is a no-brainer for hayfever sufferers like me :)

    Reply
  • Warren
    October 4th, 2010
    3:33 am

    I’ll give this a go, and write about it on the blog linked to from my name.

    Ack, it’s the age old dilemma of health, vs. normal social life. When I tried veganism and macrobiotics I got sick to death of having the same old conversations, and people demanding that I justify my decision to them, trying to challenge me, cycling through different foods trying to catch me out:

    Them: Do you eat x?
    Me: No.
    Them: What about y?
    Me: No.
    Them: z?
    Me: No.
    Them: But you’re wearing a leather belt!
    Me: *yawn* zzzzzzzzzzz….. etc.

    (Note, x y and z would be replaced with real foods in the conversation, I’m not talking about alphabet soup!)

    Or there’s the meal at a friend’s house, where you’ve been invited along and they don’t know your specific dietary decisions. I once had to not eat a lasagne someone made for me, because they thought I was vegetarian, not vegan. Really felt bad that they had made it for me… I considered just eating it anyway to be polite, but by that point eating dairy gave me…umm… ‘stomach issues’ (use your imagination), and it was a question of etiquette as to whether not eating it, or eating it and dealing with the consequences that went with that was the more polite option!

    I do want to push for better levels of health, but at what expense? Good health also flows from low stress, happiness, strong social bonds. All of these are hindered to a greater or lesser extent depending on your personality and how OK you are with being the ‘awkward one’, or how accommodating or not your friends and family are. Some people will get off on being different but others will hate it.

    But if you don’t get the benefits unless you’re 100% compliant for a month, and then after that you have problems with re-integration, it seems like an either/or decision to me.

    Anyway, I’ll give it a go for a month, and see what happens. Been doing this for 4 days already and currently in that phase where I’m enjoying the novelty. And I do feel better about the things I’m eating, if not in myself. It’s hard not to be proud of yourself when you’ve only eaten real food things for a few days!

    Reply
  • PapaSwamp
    October 4th, 2010
    5:37 am

    Monday…I ordered the book and starting the diet (via the 7 meals listed) today. I’m tired of feeling tired. Not overweight, but high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and blood sugar. I’m tired of taking pills to solve the problem. (yes, I eat bread and pasta like it is going out of style).

    Reply
  • Robb Wolf
    October 4th, 2010
    8:26 am

    For the folks who were certain Sat’d fat would kill you:
    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/203288.php

    If you notice, removal of saturated fat and increase in STARCH did increase CVD.

    I’ll get back on this thread as there are some good questions, have been buried.

    Reply
  • Robb Wolf
    October 4th, 2010
    10:25 am

    All kinds of goodies. A new low carb vs low fat study here:

    Researchers from of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, Philadelphia have revealed that after a two-year comparison, a low-carb diet fares about as well as a low-fat diet with regards to weight loss, but low-carb improves cardiovascular risk factors more.

    The study, published in the peer-reviewed medical journalAnnals of Internal Medicine, explained that cardiovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure and lipid (cholesterol) levels responded better with the low-carb diet. Both diets produce identical weight loss when coupled with comprehensive behavior treatment

    Put simply – it appears that both diets are equally good for losing weight, but the low-carb diet protects you from potential coronary heart diseases more effectively.

    The findings may come as a surprise to many people who instinctively link low-carb with worsening cardiovascular risk factors.

    Three hundred and seven patients were randomly assigned to either a low-carbohydrate (n=153) or low-fat (n=154) diet with behavior treatment. Weight at two years was the primary outcome, but other effects were measured throughout the study period.

    At 3, 6 and 12 months, the participants were evaluated for:
    Weight
    Serum lipid concentrations
    Blood pressure
    Urinary ketones
    Bone mineral density
    Body composition
    Among the participants in the two diet groups, the researchers found:
    Weight – no differences at any point during the study. About 7% loss of weight at two years in both groups.
    Body composition – no differences at any point during the study
    Bone mineral density – no differences at any point during the study
    Good cholesterol levels – double the increase among the low-carb group compared to the low-fat group at two years. 23% and 11% respectively.
    Gary Foster, PhD, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, Philadelphia, said:

    I think an important outcome from a study like this is to think about which diets fit best for which people. This study would suggest that perhaps for those with low HDL-cholesterol levels to begin with, that a low-carbohydrate approach to weigh loss may have some dvantages.

    “Weight and Metabolic Outcomes After 2 Years on a Low-Carbohydrate Versus Low-Fat Diet – A Randomized Trial”
    Gary D. Foster, PhD, Holly R. Wyatt, MD, James O. Hill, PhD, Angela P. Makris, PhD, RD, Diane L. Rosenbaum, BA, Carrie Brill, BS, Richard I. Stein, PhD, B. Selma Mohammed, MD, PhD, Bernard Miller, MD, Daniel J. Rader, MD, Babette Zemel, PhD, Thomas A. Wadden, PhD, Thomas Tenhave, PhD, Craig W. Newcomb, MS, Samuel Klein, MD
    Annals of Internal Medicine August 3, 2010 vol. 153 no. 3 147-157

    Reply
  • Mike
    October 4th, 2010
    12:17 pm

    Oops. I think because I cursed in my comment it isn’t showing up. Thanks for the nod anyways, Tim!

    Reply
  • Susan
    October 4th, 2010
    1:48 pm

    As a fitness professional, this both frustrates me and excites me.

    On the one hand, it is nice to have a cause for so many of the problems my clients face today.

    On the other hand, if you combine this information with that found in the China Study we now have to eliminate the following foods:

    Dairy
    Meat
    Legumes
    Grains

    What’s left? Fruits, veggies, nuts.

    It’s probably healthiest but those are difficult to survive on – even for a fitness pro like myself.

    Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  • Quora
    October 4th, 2010
    4:25 pm

    How does one embark on Paleo diet and be a vegetarian at same time?…

    If your problem with eating meat is related to animal death and respect for all living things, you may want to look at your beliefs more carefully. Eating grass fed meats actually contributes to less animal deaths than eating plants when you look at in…

  • Chris
    October 4th, 2010
    10:37 pm

    This is a short, well-researched NY Times Mag article that looks critically at the poor science and aggressive politics behind the low-fat, high-carb, low-cholesterol diet that’s been promoted in the US. The author, Gary Taubes, has written for Science magazine, often scrutinizes scientistic claims in his work, and provides in-depth back-up references in his book on the same topic.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html

    If you want to go into the research and problems with studies and logic used to promote the traditional food pyramid, check out the book — Good Calories, Bad Calories. The body of the book is more thorough than typical about examining studies (vs. simply quoting them) and includes 50+ pages of references.

    Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease, ISBN 978-1400040780 (published as The Diet Delusion in the UK, ISBN 978-0091891411).

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 4th, 2010
    10:55 pm

    Susan ignore the China Study and you can then eat your dairy and meat along with the fruit, vegies and nuts.

    Reply
  • Chris
    October 5th, 2010
    12:23 am

    As another TF blog commenter on this thread mentioned, the Gary Taubes article I reference above received a critical response in the magazine reason. http://reason.com/archives/2003/03/01/big-fat-fake

    And, then the discussion continues further too as Taubes responds: http://reason.com/archives/2003/03/01/an-exercise-in-vitriol-rather. Somewhere in the reason archives there is counter to Taubes’ counter.

    The important thing is to research, question, think, engage in thoughtful safe experimentation, and make your own informed, conscious decisions. Expose yourself to a variety of (divergent) opinions and new ideas like those on the TF blog. Check out the books, points, and counter points on health topics as complex as nutrition

    As a side note, celiac’s is a serious condition that can lead to many complications. If you think you have it, don’t be worried about being cast as a faddist. Find out. And, if you have celiac’s, you need to be strict about a GF diet.

    Reply
  • Chris
    October 5th, 2010
    12:29 am

    As another TF blog commenter on this thread mentioned, the Gary Taubes article (What if …) I reference above received a critical response in the magazine reason. http://reason.com/archives/2003/03/01/big-fat-fake

    And, then the discussion continues further too as Taubes responds: http://reason.com/archives/2003/03/01/an-exercise-in-vitriol-rather. Somewhere in the reason archives there is counter to Taubes’ counter.

    The important thing is to research, question, think, engage in thoughtful safe experimentation, and make your own informed, conscious decisions. Expose yourself to a variety of (divergent) opinions and new ideas like those on the TF blog. Check out the books, points, and counter points on health topics as complex as nutrition

    As a side note, celiac’s is a serious condition that can lead to many complications. If you think you have it, don’t be worried about being cast as a faddist. Find out. And, if you have celiac’s, you need to be strict about a GF diet.

    Reply
  • Carla
    October 6th, 2010
    2:22 am

    Thanks for the advice. I’m fairly certain that it works. I used to get nausea basically everyday before I went on the Paleo diet. After about two week on the diet I gave in and ate one donut and got sick. I think that that says something.
    On an unrelated issue. I did that Freak to Geek/ Colorado Experiment and after a few weeks I looked like She-Hulk. Is that supposed to happen? Or do I have some genetic ability to gain muscle quickly even though I am female?

    Reply
  • matthk777
    October 6th, 2010
    7:44 am

    I know I risk flaming things up a bit – and this comment is drifting ever-so-slightly off topic, but I just can’t help respond to these posts. ;-)
    (I promise this will be the only one!)

    @Lukifer Aurelius (pt1)
    Yep Lukifer, meat production IS less efficient than other forms of farming, but we get SO MUCH goodness out of meat as the cow’s done all the hard work for us! Plus, crops aren’t the goodie-two-shoes they’re cracked up to be either. Do you know how devastating rice production is? Or how ludicrously labour intensive it is? Or how much of the methane in the atmosphere comes from rice fields?

    My point is that all food creation comes at a price, and rather than attack good food, we need to attack issues like overpopulation (which can be addressed by education and social mobility for poorer nations – as educated, safe, content people don’t have (or NEED) lots of kids – and more efficient farming through clever, green technology. Little farms are nice, but they’re highly wasteful and destructive. Out best hope is GOOD, well monitored large-scale farming.

    @Lukifer Aurelius (pt2)
    “…There is also a fair amount of research that is making strong claims for the harmful effects of eating dead animal flesh…”
    Is there? No, no, there isn’t, surely? Not ‘real’ research. It sounds like anthropomorphic hokum to me, but I’d love to read whatever research is out there on the subject, so point the way.

    @C.T.T. “…In disagreement with Dan’s comment, I don’t think human teeth were designed to devour meat, because my teeth look nothing like my dog’s or my cat’s extremely sharp teeth…”

    You’re welcome to disagree CTT but I’m afraid it seems a fairly well established fact that our teeth were designed for many things, including eating a fair amount of meat.
    The reason our teeth are unlike our pet’s teeth is that our pets are solely carnivorous while we’re omnivorous. No-one here has ever suggested humans are – or were – pure carnivores, but meat has always been a prominent part of our diet. Meat gave us our large brains which we wouldn’t have evolved on a pure vegetarian diet as we’re VERY inefficient vegetarians. Our intestines show that too. Even cows, who are incredibly efficient vegetarians STILL need to eat constantly. That’s why we went to the moon and the moo-cows didn’t – not that I like debunking nursery rhymes. ;-)

    @Shanna-lynne
    “…Meat is highly acidic and is a dead animal you put in your body…”
    Meat isn’t ‘highly acidic’, but apples and citrus fruit are, and they’re just fine. I’d have thought that food acidity isn’t really a great concern, (as our stomach is full of hydrochloric acid after all) except when it comes to your teeth – which is why dentists HATE fruit juice!

    As for the “…meat is a dead animal you put in your body…” line, all I can say is… So? Beans and carrots are also dead life-forms you put in your body, so I’m not really sure what your point is.

    But, whatever works for you is great by me.
    If you’re feeling well doing your thing, keep doing it, and by all means celebrate it, but it’s uncool to use fake science to guilt people out of eating good, healthy food that we’ve been consuming for eons.

    Reply
    • jkh
      June 25th, 2011
      12:52 pm

      haha, well written! you should start a blog man!

      Reply
  • Crystal Loewen
    October 6th, 2010
    9:09 am

    Thank you Tim and Robb!

    Tim, if you hadn’t sent out this post, I never would have looked into this at all. I’m now 5 days into eating Paleo and looking forward to the results.
    You’re really helping people out!

    Robb, the book is awesome and easy to read. I couldn’t put it down.
    It’s pretty hard to keep eating the unhealthy stuff when you know exactly
    what is happening when you eat it.
    Thank you for explaining it all.

    You guys are awesome!

    Crystal Loewen
    (Canada)

    Reply
  • Charly
    October 6th, 2010
    11:23 am

    Tim and Robb,

    Do chickens eat grain? And if so, doesn’t that go against this glutten free diet? I’m honestly curious, can’t wait to read the book. :)

    @ Elizabeth A
    Protein – 35% of 2k cal = 700 cals /4 = 175 g
    Carbohydrates – 35% of 2k cal = 700 cals /4 = 175 g
    Fat – 30% of 2k cal = 600 cals /9 = 66.7 g

    Reply
    • Joshua
      November 2nd, 2010
      10:31 am

      @Charly:

      What are livestock and poultry fed to increase weight gain/fat? Anyone?
      Lots of grain and corn.

      Why exactly does this not have the same effect in humans?

      It seems as though many of the objections to this diet are based on opinion and suspect studies. Can anyone who thinks this diet is bad explain where the bad effects come from at the metabolic/biological level? Robb Wolf explains how diet affects various biological processes in his book. If you want to really learn more, you need to purchase the book as this article is only a very small part of what is discussed there.

      Reply
  • Brent Yonemoto
    October 6th, 2010
    10:15 pm

    Tim

    Effective use of your blog. This article made me want to read your new book even more.

    I am tired of the immature framework of gluten=bad, veggies=good. I find this framework to be an oversimplification of the situation. Diet and nutrition are two of the most misunderstood and misrepresented topics. I would believe that the four hour body would be set up in a way that drives past the simplistic good/bad squawking.

    I wish I could read your book right now. If you are sending out any advance copies, I will surely send you my address. I would think you could enjoy some testimonials from real 4HWW fans.

    Thanks
    Brent

    Reply
  • Andrew
    October 7th, 2010
    12:21 am

    Holy crap, how is anyone going to find my comment in a pile of 600+? Anyway, I was going to point out that you are totally right on gluten and grains, but your stance on “good” fat is rather dangerous – or so I feel. You know heart disease can be cured in almost 100% of cases by keeping fat down to 10% of total calories? (Very very little fat – practically no overt fat sources). Animal fat is worse than plant fat for heart disease, though I’m not sure what you consider “good” fat.

    Just food for thought, I know there’s a lot of differing opinions on diet and all – this is what saved me from Crohn’s disease, a sickness that the doctors told me I’d have for (relatively short) life. If you want more, check out “The 80/10/10 Diet” by Douglas Graham, the best book in the universe.

    Andrew

    Reply
  • Andrew
    October 7th, 2010
    12:23 am

    PS replying to the above commenter, birds eat grain but they have a special organ which causes grain to sprout, becoming less like a seed and more like a little plant. They are also adapted to grain toxins, which humans aren’t. We are adapted to eating fruit and greens primarily (which is why everyone tells you fruit is good for you, but no one tries to give fruit to a dog!).

    Reply
    • darc
      October 22nd, 2010
      5:52 am

      “…a special organ which causes grain to sprout…”…WHAT!?!?!?!?!

      Reply
  • Sue
    October 7th, 2010
    3:28 am

    Andrew said:
    “You know heart disease can be cured in almost 100% of cases by keeping fat down to 10% of total calories? (Very very little fat – practically no overt fat sources). Animal fat is worse than plant fat for heart disease, though I’m not sure what you consider “good” fat.”

    Andrew do you have a reference for that?
    I think when Robb is talking about good fat – saturated fat, omega 3 fats and limiting omega 6 fats and eliminating trans fats.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 7th, 2010
    3:37 am

    Andrew, okay you must have got the reference from the Douglas Graham book. Which wouldn’t really qualify as a sound reference.

    Reply
  • frank
    October 7th, 2010
    6:09 am

    interesting for you breadlovers!!

    Ongoing research in cereal microbiology is investigating some preliminary evidence that the traditional sourdough method may also sever the bonds of the “toxic” peptides in wheat gluten responsible for the celiac reaction and neutralize them as well.8 In short, certain lactobacilli in a sourdough culture acting on wheat flour for a 24-hour period achieved nearly complete digestion of the peptides. When bread made with these species was fed to recovered celiac patients for two days, the patients showed no signs of increased intestinal permeability that were found among recovered celiac patients who consumed the same amount of regular bread over the same time period. These intriguing results suggest that wheat (or rye) flour that has undergone 24 hours of culture fermentation may render the “toxic” peptides harmless and allow the bread to be safely eaten by those with celiac disease, although studies of celiac patients consuming sourdough breads for a much longer period of time will be needed to confirm this.

    Source:http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-diseases/digestive-disorders/621-against-the-grain.html

    Reply
  • Nick
    October 7th, 2010
    7:46 am

    Tim: Thanks for the feedback! Love to see an appreciation of objective science. I’m checking out everything you’ve cited there right now. Thanks again.

    Robb: I would still love a few suggestions on great starting points for self-education on the -science- of all this stuff so I can objectively evaluate some of these things. I am looking myself, but your expert guidance and experience would certainly save me thousands of pages and hundreds of dollars in trial and error. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  • walter
    October 7th, 2010
    8:19 am

    Tim, I love ya’,man, but you’re spamming me with this piece. I read it the first time back in September. I know you’re marketing the book, don’t worry, I’ll buy it, but lighten up. Relax and read a little Seth.

    Reply
  • mike_flow
    October 7th, 2010
    8:37 am

    Also getting spammed with this one… was it a glitch or was it intentionally sent twice?

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      October 7th, 2010
      2:42 pm

      Hi Mike,

      No spam. It’s a problem with re-dating posts in WordPress and then how Feedburner/Google sends. I took the Random Show off the homepage by re-dating, and it sometimes does this. Not sure how to prevent it.

      Sorry!

      Tim

      Reply
  • David Nilsson
    October 7th, 2010
    8:39 am

    Great post Tim and Robb, thank you.

    What would you suggest for post workout (fast carbs)?

    No more chicken pizzas after training…

    Reply
  • Sam
    October 7th, 2010
    8:53 am

    Hi all,

    Interesting post, and I’m a nutrition practitioner with “in the trenches” experience. Most of these types of articles and systems are useful to initially educate, but there are always a few areas that don’t get addressed, and I’ll throw these out there.

    1. There is no “one size fits all” approach to eating. Just the same as there are different body types, dominances in nervous system and psychological profiles, people respond differently to dietary approaches because we are different!

    Just as Roger Williams, in his work on Biochemical Individuality, states, that nutritional needs amongst the average person vary DRAMATICALLY.

    Thus, this one size fits all approach is “generalized”. There will be 3 likely responses. Some people get better on it, some people have no response, and the third group will have a negative reaction.

    2. Eliminating food groups for EVERYONE is not the answer. There isn’t enough research and/or data supporting that any of the food groups such as gluten is a problem for everyone in the population. Again, biochemical individuality. Additionally, we need to include the concept of Allergy vs. Intolerance vs. Sensitivity to foods. These are ALL different concepts. Not all can be lab tested either. Many people appear to tolerate natural grains like stone ground VERY well, provided they are soaked to break down natural phytates.

    3. Nutritional needs and responses to diet CHANGE. Based on the work of individuals whom pioneered the typing processes of diet, such as William Kelley, Royal Lee, Weston Price, Roger Williams, William Wolcott, and others, we have two aspects to address. We have a genetic type, and a functional type of metabolism. Where, we may need certain ways to eat to tap into our genetic potential, but the environment influences our nutrient needs strongly. Therefore, you may need the “paleo approach” or the “vegetarian approach”, etc. for a particular time while under particular circumstances, but as those environmental circumstances change, that diet may not work to balance your system any longer. Many people experience this “flip flop” when changing from vegetarian lifestyles to meat-lifestyles, etc. Neither diet works indefinitely.

    There is no research data to prove this, but plenty of empirical data that any clinician who has worked with clients for a number of years notices. (Provided he/she is not stuck in their own nutritional ‘dogma’)

    4. Underlying imbalances in the body alter normal metabolic function. Subclinical parasite infections, yeast overgrowth, leaky gut, and many other types of imbalances alter perception of what is working. For example, if someone has a candida overgrowth, and eating carbs makes them feel loopy, or in the case of low stomach acid/enzymes someone feels tired after eating meat, this does NOT mean those foods are bad for someone! Once these underlying imbalances are corrected, the foods no longer cause issues.

    My point here is that these types of nutritional generalizations simply lead to more confusion and conflict, rather than recognizing that each individual is different and will have different responses when their genetics make contact with the “terrain”, under certain influences.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 7th, 2010
    8:59 am

    @Quora
    What a ridiculous thing to say. YOU should actually look at the research and the different types of vegetarian/vegan diets before putting the ridiculous argument that eating grass fed animals is more ethical. Like this grass fed utopia will ever happen anyway. You’ve looked at one biased persons article and affirmed your own beliefs without doing the proper research.

    @Susan
    I eat 3000 cals a day minimum, usually closer to 4000, and I only eat fruits, veggies and a very small amount (less than 30g) nuts. Read ‘The 80-10-10 Diet’ by Doug Graham. He actually works with pro athletes, and has been a low fat raw vegan for around 30 years (maybe more maybe slightly less). This diet (low fat raw vegan) also cures diabetes.

    @Sue
    It isn’t just Doug Graham saying these things. William C. Roberts, Caldwell Esselstyn, John McDougall, John Furhman, Dean Ornish et al all back this up, and have had the best rates for reversing heart disease within the medical establishment. I suppose you think you can’t trust any of them either? 25% of all heart attacks happen to people with a cholesterol count of 150-200. Go figure.
    How you could possibly think that Doug Graham isn’t a good reference when the man is 100% muscle and in absolutely phenomenal shape, has lectured all over the world, and has worked with a great deal of pro athletes is beyond me, and has done a great deal of testing this diet with literally 10′s of thousands of people, and is the leading authority on raw vegan diets. Quite frankly if you take the time to study his work (including his book called ‘Grain Damage’ which supports Robbs claims about grains here), and take into account how long he’s been following his own diet, you don’t have a leg to stand on argueing him as not being a qualified source of information. Do the research before making such comments please.

    @Robb
    Here are 10 studies which contradict your claims about low carb which you can look up via google: -
    1. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/76/1/281S#SEC5
    2. “One Year Effectiveness of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets in Decreasing Body Weight and Heart Disease Risk” by Michael L. Dansinger, Joi L. Gleason, John L. Griffith, Wenjun Li, Harry P. Selker, Ernst Schaefer; Tufts University, New England Medical Center, Boston, Mass.
    3. American Journal of Cardiology 69(1992):440
    4. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 1997: 1264
    5. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders 1(2003): 227-232.
    6. Obesity and Fad Diets. U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. 12 April 1973 CIS S581-13.
    7. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 68(2001):761.
    8. Diabetes Care 7, 1984: 465
    9. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders 1(2003): 227-232.
    10. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcibr0908756
    Here are 1000+ other references (not all studies of course, but enough): -
    http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/58/References_1_-_1160.htm?highlightWords=76&highlightMethod=exactPhrase
    Not to mention the China Study and all supporting peer reviewed studies held within (and no, there has not been a good debunking of The China Study by anyone).

    Here are what some of the most respected establishments have to say about low carb: -
    http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/22/Opinions.htm

    The Gerson and Hoxsey therapies also back up plant based diets and there incredible effectiveness on curing disease, health and longevity. The Inuits and Maasai drop dead at 60 (not taking into account child mortality which drops there time on earth down to 45 – but is not accurate) and these are very physically fit cultures – or at least the Inuits were before they began to adopt a more westernised diet.

    I really don’t understand the logic behind low carb diet (I personally follow an 85% plus high carb diet -5% protein, 10% fat). The body runs off carbs, needs very little protein and very little fat. Converting fat and protein into glucose is far from efficient. You wouldn’t put diesel in your petrol car, even if it was somehow able to convert it. The number of postings ive read about athletes falling off the wagon on low carb fads is just getting stupid.

    You wanna get the most from this diet then cut the meat out and focus on fruit and veggies. Plant based diets (or at least diets with very little meat) have been proven over and over, especially when it comes to curing pretty much every disease known to man, physical and mental performance and longevity. Not all carbs are created equal, but the body can only run off carbs, even if it has to convert the other dietary rubbish into them. Excess protein does nothing but harm.
    Humans are no more omnivores than a cat or dog is. Nothing about our physiology, anatomy or biochemistry supports this myth.

    Sorry about the rant.

    Reply
  • Bluefish
    October 7th, 2010
    9:11 am

    All of this sounds right – and I am going to get started trying it for a month – but there must be more complexity to it. I am thinking of that HL Menken quote: “For every problem there is a solution that is simple, elegant, and wrong.” What about microbes in the gut? They do a lot of digestion for us, right? Might some of those bugs break down the nasty stuff more efficiently than our own chemistry can? Might some people’s bugs do a better job on certain critical tasks than other people’s bugs?

    Reply
  • Nick
    October 7th, 2010
    11:16 am

    I am wondering the same thing as David. Possibly fruit and chicken? I would think according to slow carb diet any kind of bread, milk, etc. would go post-workout, but with Paleo’s no bread/gluten/dairy restriction it sounds like the only fast carbs available would be fruits with a piece of chicken for protein? Thinking of course that the ingredients in protein powder don’t fit the Paleo diet.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 7th, 2010
    11:21 am

    I think the post-workout carbs recommended more are starchy carbs like sweet potato.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 7th, 2010
    11:35 am

    A post I found from Robb:
    “The idea of a PWO meal containing carbs (and protein) is to take advantage of a period of time in which the muscles are particularly insulin sensitiveve. We can fly nutrients into the muscle “under the radar” via a mechanism called “non insulin mediated glucose transport”. Amino acids are also taken in during this time and may play a synergistic role in both glycogen repletion but also decreasing inflammation that accompanies hard training. Said another way, you recover from exertion faster. So, what should ya eat? We actually want a starchy carb as our primary carb. Yams and sweet potatoes are great options as they are also highly nutritious. Fruit should be used sparingly in this meal if one is focused on optimized glycogen repletion as fructose refills liver glycogen first, and once liver glycogen is full we up-regulate the lipogenic activity of the liver and start down the road towards fat gain and insulin resistance.”
    http://robbwolf.com/2008/11/03/post-wo-nutrition/

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 7th, 2010
    2:45 pm

    The body fuels whatever needs fueling, and fruit is an excellent pre and post workout meal. Fructose is metabalised in the liver, and unless your only eating like one apple (about 40 cals), you will refuel your whole body within a very short time frame, replenishing all glycogen, -whether the liver is replenished first or not is irrelevant, the sugar is already there. Also, following this diet you’ll also recover very very quickly. Experiment with both roots and fruit, but makesure you eat enough.
    There are no fat or diabetic long term low fat raw vegans. I’m 5% bodyfat and eat at least 85% carbs.

    Reply
  • Nik Cree
    October 7th, 2010
    3:17 pm

    Great articel. I get so many I skim through but this one I read word for word. I and my family are vegetarian and have been for the past 25 years and the recommended eating plan does provide a challenge. I am interested in 1. what Robb says about vegetarian diets (pros and cons) and if he has a vegetarian eating plan version. As ever Tim your articles are a source of inspiration for everyday living. Thanks.

    Reply
  • Daniel
    October 7th, 2010
    3:28 pm

    Hey,

    I’ve definitely noticed a change on all levels now that I’m in Korea, where wheat noodles are NOT commonplace nor is bread. I still eat a small amount of bread…

    Just coming over here I’ve lost almost 14 kg.

    “Reading Time: 1-2 hours”….

    I think I speak for those of us who liked the shorter synopsis-prone blog posts that an all encompassing 2 minute summary is always good.

    Reply
  • David Nilsson
    October 7th, 2010
    4:07 pm

    @Sue & Ste, thanks for the info, something for me to look into over the weekend.

    Man oh man my head is spinning. Just when you think you have your post workout shakes/meals sorted, you happen to read a blog post like this. haha.

    That’s the great thing about learning. You are never to old or young to learn something new.

    Cheers to everyone for the great comments..

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 7th, 2010
    4:24 pm

    No worries and good luck David. But just to clarify I don’t support any low carb diet, high protein and/or high fat diets, and my above post may have come off like I do. You simply don’t need these in high amounts.

    Reply
  • Miki
    October 7th, 2010
    4:30 pm

    @Ste

    In reply to your last 2 comments.

    The fact that you eat 85% carbs, <5% fat and <%10 fat and manage to have 5% body fat is great, but I'm sure you're not only lean, but also very thin (i.e. no muscles).

    Carbs, convert to glycogen faster than fat and protein, but it doesn't mean you should *only* fuel on carbs. When you exercise, you're consuming all your glycogen and when you don't have enough, you'll start burning fat and protein (i.e. muscle). After exercising, you'll need to replenish your glycogen stores, and that is why you eat carbs, but carbs don't build muscle.
    Now, if you eat too much of the carbs, the body doesn't know how to store glycogen over time, so it will convert the carbs eventually to fat – and this is how you gain weight (unless you exercise again straight). Protein, on the other hand, builds muscles, and assists recovery a lot faster than just carbs.

    All fruit have sugar in them, which increase the level of insulin in the body, so eating to much fruits is not good for you as you're overloading your pancreas until it fails and you get diabetes (even if you're lean as a stick, you can still get it, but as type 1, which is worse than type 2).

    The low-carbs-high-protein diets are designed to limit the amounts of food consumed, as eating more protein (with limit) will keep you full for longer, and change your metabolism to burn fat (and not carbs), so overall you eat less, burn more (you should read Tim post on how he gained 34lbs, most of it muscle, by eating all the time, and not carbs).

    What I take from this diet is not the losing weight part, which is nice but only a side effect, but the health ramifications of eating gluten, i.e., diseases, etc. Using your example of cars, if you know how cars operate and how driving effects all parts, you will change the way you drive. The same here. If you know what is happening inside, you can make a better decision on what is good for you.

    As for your list of references, Robb supplied with plenty of research (not observations) done on *human* participants (not mice and rats) to substantiate this diet. In addition, you should have a look at middle eastern countries, where they consume a high protein and fat and relatively low carbs diets, and they don't have obesity as you find in western countries.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 7th, 2010
    5:59 pm

    Ste, I’m not convinced that a vegan diet is the way to go. Doug Graham is looking a little worse for wear.
    Regarding the studies you can quote as many as you like but I’m sure there will be something when you delve into them that doesn’t match the abstract or conclusion. The study is set up in such a way to get the desired results etc.

    Reply
  • spanish
    October 7th, 2010
    6:05 pm

    Wow… tons of comments here!!!

    I train for marathons and long distance trail running events. I typically run 80-110 miles per week. How does this diet fair for endurance athletes? and could I stay full on such a diet?

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 7th, 2010
    7:59 pm

    More than anything I’m a vegan for ethical reasons. It started purely for health and this has shifted. I find it bizarre that you say Doug Graham is looking worse for wear (he’s 68 years old, on zero medication and still trains like a 20 year old), but your entitled to your opinion. I’d encourage you to google storm and Roger Haeske and see how you think they look for their age.

    When it comes to studies I can say the exact same thing about all the low carb ones, and also show that the research simply out numbers them ten fold. The cholesterol issue is just undeniable for one: People with a cholesterol count of below 150 don’t have heart attacks. The research ive looked at for high meat (and dairy) are always sponsored by the industry which has something to gain from them such as the Weston Price foundation, (who himself actually encouraged his family and friends to eat grains – not that I do). You can look at every single institute out there and they all advise against low carb diets. The numbers are 90+% against this style of eating.

    It’s true you don’t have to be a vegan to live to a ripe old age, but there are no low carb centanarians. Among the long lived cultures meat was always used as a condiment. Being vegan also takes time, and a lot of people fail for a number of silly preventable reasons. You can of course be a vegan and still have an unhealthy diet, there’s a massive amount of differing vegan diets out there, some which are also low carb.
    People need to eat more fruits and veggies and less of everything else.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 7th, 2010
    8:52 pm

    @matthk777
    I don’t have time to write a proper response but basically: -
    1. Human brains did not evolve because of meat consumption and no one in the field of evolution is putting this idea forward anymore. Even at the time it was only a hypothesis called the ‘Expensive tissue hypothesis’ and with a strict reading of this a vegetarian diet would still make it hold true. People forget that evolution has everything to do with natural and sexual selection and nothing else. Also ‘Catching Fire’ and ‘Left in the Dark’ (books on human evolution) contradict your dietary claims. If you really understood evolution you would understand that we have had no need to adapt to any other diet than our earliest ancestors because we can reach reproductive age eating any old rubbish.
    2. Humans are not omnivores were frugivores. Nothing about us, including our teeth suggests. During our evolution we’ve acquired a wopping 8 genes to help us more efficiently process meat. Hardly enough to call ourselves omnivores. Just because you can feed a dog a vegan diet doesn’t make it an omnivore, the same is true for humans.
    3. Meat is highly acid forming within the body and hence it leaches calcium, iodine and other alkaline minerals during digestion. All ripe fruit is alkaline forming, even citrus. Fresh juice is nothing like the store bought rubbish which isn’t healthy, and as you stated is acid forming. No we can’t survive on veg alone, but with fruit it can be done with ease. And eating LIVE fruits and veg means that you maintain all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, anti-oxidants etc etc. Not all food is dead when it enters the body.

    I can offer you a great deal of studies and information which contradict all your claims. You in turn have offered none in your post, so let me know and I’ll post them for you here.

    Reply
  • reptilianwisdom
    October 7th, 2010
    9:08 pm

    I switched my diet right after I read this post.
    Results after 2 weeks on this diet:

    I got off my IBS medication
    No more nausea and bloating right after eating
    No more feeling sleepy and fatigued in the afternoons
    Much better quality of sleep
    No more random attacks of abdominal pain and diarrhea
    Bowel movement reduced from 4 times a day to just one

    I am also getting tested for celiac disease.

    This article has definitely increased the quality of life for me.
    I have seen many doctors and all they have ever done was to overprescribe medication and order unnecessary and painful procedures.

    Thank you so much Tim and Robb!

    Reply
  • Adam Lamotte
    October 8th, 2010
    12:22 am

    Hey everyone.

    So I’ve beendoing this paleo diet for 2 weeks.

    2 things I have noticed are:

    -My energy levels are not super high, but they feel more stable.
    -I’m really thirsty all the time. And it doesn’t matter how much water I drink.

    Anyone had similar stuff happen or anyone know why?

    Thanks,

    Adam

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 8th, 2010
    12:52 am

    People need to eat whatever they feel best on.

    Reply
  • Norberto Marcel Maldonado
    October 8th, 2010
    2:21 am

    Dear Tim, I have been a big fan of yours since first discovering The Four-Hour Work Week and have tried to keep up with your blog as best I can. Of course I had to pre-order your second book to get a signed copy from B&N.

    Anyhow, my comment concerns this latest post by you and Robb about grains and gluten. It’s a real eye-opener. Enough of one that I emailed at least 50 of my closest family and friends to consider the 30 day gluten-free diet trial.
    I know I’m going to give it a try even though I consume tons of gluten-loaded foods and appear to be in great health.
    I just turned 39 years old but rarely get any age guesses above 28 or twenty nine years old. Most people are shocked to hear how old I am; to my delight of course. I attribute that mostly to good genes and a really healthy dose of a well-rounded vitamin intake since I was 20 years old.
    I am never sick and never even suffer from allergy or common colds. Maybe once a year I’ll start to feel a fever coming on and even feel the accompanying muscle aches only for it to pass very quickly, usually within 24 hours.
    The main reason I was really intrigued about this post had to do with 2 things. Firstly, The restaurant chain I work for just rolled out our Alllergen Guide and Menu to identify and inform our guests about allergy ingredients in our food, gluten in particular. Secondly, are my irregular bowel movements. Irregular in that I many times can be a bit constipated and have a difficult bowel movement or I may have an inconsistent loose movement for no particular reason. I mostly usually feel like I never completely empty my bowels. I’m starting to think this definitely has to do with the various foods I consume.
    While I regularly consume a lot of raw almonds and my fair share of vegetables I definitely consume a ton of grains, bread, pasta and legumes.
    I am wondering if the cause could be the grains I consume and if I’m really not that healthy but just lucky thus far.

    These are the reasons I’m sacrificing 30 days of my life to see if the grains are the culprit and look forward to sharing my results. I hope that at least some of the 50 I emailed also feel compelled to do so as well.

    As you have helped me, i hope I can help them.

    Thanks a million Tim. Keep up the good work!
    Muchos gracias,

    Norberto Marcel Maldonado

    PS I could really relate to all your Argentinian stories in your book cause my mother and I were born in Uruguay and my Father was born in Buenos Aires.

    PS2 Tranquilo :)

    Reply
  • Joe
    October 8th, 2010
    7:20 am

    I am now almost 3 weeks into this experiment on myself. I’ve never not eaten grains before. I usually eat a lot of brown rice, quinoa, couscous, pasta, and good breads; so it has been interesting. All good quality stuff, though.
    My digestion has improved. I don’t have the gas pains and bloating in the evening that I used to always get. I poop a little bit better. The eczema on my hands is getting better with this diet too. And, I make some awesome soups now that provide 4-5 gluten free meals!
    I have always loved beer and have had a few during my experiment and now it kind of hurts my stomach, so I’m resisting. That part really sucks, though.
    The article mentioned that this diet helps depressed people. Well, I have never been as depressed as I am now on this diet. The reasons really have nothing to do with eating this way, but maybe this major change makes everything come to a head.
    I have lost almost 10 pounds, but I didn’t need to (160 to 152). I can’t afford to go to the gym now, and I think this way of eating is alot better when you work out alot. He also said you’ll be less hungry; I’m still always hungry and meat is more expensive than brown rice & quinoa.
    Sometimes I just feel weird. My eyes are drawn and they have bags sometimes. Could this be my body consuming muscle?
    Anyway, it is an interesting experiment to do on myself and I’ll compare results when I go back to a normal diet.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 8th, 2010
    9:06 am

    I’d love to agree with you here Sue, I really would, but this is small picture thinking. Weve almost fished out (and thus destroyed) the oceans, the meat and dairy industry is poisoning the environment at an unfathomable rate, and if we carry on like we are we will inevitably destroy ourselves as well as the 1000′s of other species were driving to extinction.
    Eating whatever makes someone feel best may be a mcdonalds. It’s in the same category as ‘I care about myself and F everybody else’ mentality

    A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.
    —Leo Tolstoy

    Life is life – whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man’s own advantage.
    —Sri Aurobindo

    If you visit the killing floor of a slaughterhouse, it will brand your soul for life.
    —Howard Lyman

    Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.
    - Dr. Albert Schweitzer

    I have little hope for us as a race, but if we are to survive the first step requires a more moral stance on living, and this includes diet.For this change to happen people need to stand up for what is right and just, regardless of what is considered popular or ‘normal’, something the majority of our species is not good at.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 8th, 2010
    9:12 am

    In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.
    —Ruth Harrison, author of Animal Machines

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 8th, 2010
    9:23 am

    I doubt a McDonalds will make someone feel best – I was referring to raw, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, low-fat, high-carb.
    I don’t agree with your philosophy.

    Reply
  • Cameron Benz
    October 8th, 2010
    10:30 am

    @ Ste,

    I can honestly say, I’ll probably never totally agree with you. But I do think this discussion between you and Sue is missing a couple of things.

    First, High protein is relative. How do you quantify it? Is it the person that eats 3000 calories per day of quality foods (veggies, fruit, and meat), or is it the typcial old rancher type diet that involved fried eggs and bacon for breakfast and a freakin 16oz Tbone for dinner? Presently I’m on a high protein diet right now and my protein sources are primarily fish. But I also only consume about 1400 to 1500 calories per day while leaning my body down. The 2000 calorie diet is an outdated concept(from before most people were office workers) and let’s face it, the average American probably gets 1500 calories in a regular meal because they’re eating fast food. 3500-4000 is probably a safe guess. Admittedly its a guestimate, but look at the number of overweight people. What do they subsist on? Junk carbs, fatty processed foods, and soft drinks.

    For the time being I’ve cut out beef and if I never see another egg again, it’ll be too soon. When I do buy beef, I get organic grass fed beef from a local supplier. Its ethically treated. One question I have though, is what’s worse, the raising of beef or the running of the chemical food manufacturing? You can’t convince there isn’t stuff being dumped that shouldn’t be. I mean they use stuff that people shouldn’t even eat. How good can the by products be for the environment?

    Second, far more important than the over-fishing and cattle production, is the De facto path of breeding. More mouths, means more consumption. That’s the ultimate problem and is well on its way to being our ultimate undoing. We are raised to go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, and raise them to repeat the process. And that is going to have to change ultimately or we’ll run out of useful land even for veggie farming.

    Reply
  • julianne
    October 8th, 2010
    5:38 pm

    Dr Green,
    I am a registered nurse and nutritionist (degree).
    One thing about being a nutritionist is that try to find a way with diet to make your clients well. I recently got a small group of clients to try Paleo eating, they were already eating well along standard healthy pyramid guidelines and healthy food choices. I had them try paleo eating. As a nutritionist – a lot of what we learn is nutrition biochemistry – in this context paleo theory makes absolute biochemical sense, which is what drew me to it.

    However just because it worked for me and thousands of others, I wanted first hand proof amongst my own already healthy eating clients, some of whom continued to have health problems, such as joint inflammation, weight that wouldn’t shift, gut issues like bloating, skin problems like rocacea, and mildly elevated blood pressure.

    After 6 weeks, all had weight loss of 1 – 6kg, loss of abdominal fat, 1 – 8 cm, all clients who had high BP approx 135/90 returned to 110 – 120 / 70 – 80.
    Skin improved, energy levels typically went from 5-7 up to 8-9 /10.
    Gut issues disappeared, and startlingly – all those with joint problems had a huge improvement.
    Like Robb, I get daily feedback from people thrilled with the benefits of changing their diet to paleo eating. One of them my own mother who informed me her bladder spasm and urgency disappeared (weird but true).
    And all without drugs and their side effects.

    Reply
  • julianne
    October 8th, 2010
    5:48 pm

    About the China Study:
    Read this, and this is not the only analysis debunking Campbells take on the data:
    http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/03/the-china-study-a-formal-analysis-and-response/

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 8th, 2010
    6:35 pm

    Hey Cameron

    ”First, High protein is relative. How do you quantify it?”
    Its proportionate to the total calories involved. Anything over 10% isn’t doing you any good (if your starving yourself then thats not healthy anyway so high or low protein is irrelevant). The time in our lives when we need to most protein is the first couple of years of life when we go through a massive growth phase, and breast milk is around 6% protein. William Rose put forward the daily recommendations by looking at the maximum a test group needed for each of the 8 essential animo acids and putting together a figure which he then doubled to offer a ‘margin of safety’.
    Bodybuilding is of course (what your average gym goer does) is a seperate issue which has no place in a health discussion in my opinion. Although there have been one or two who have adopted an 80 10 10 diet.
    http://www.healthknot.com/amino_acids.html

    ”Second, far more important than the over-fishing and cattle production, is the De facto path of breeding. More mouths, means more consumption”
    The importance is relative. People don’t make any effort to become even a little self sustaining – which is understandable because practically no one knows about these issues in detail. Those who do turn a blind eye and hope for the best – just like people who say they like animals and then eat them for dinner.
    People are already starving all over the world, and at the moment there is enough food to feed everyone plus. When we in the west start to struggle for food then perhaps we’ll start to care a little more. Sustainable farming of course has its limits – and we can’t simply keep adding to our numbers forever. For the mean time, there is plenty of land, even though a lot of its depleted.

    ”When I do buy beef, I get organic grass fed beef from a local supplier. Its ethically treated. One question I have though, is what’s worse, the raising of beef or the running of the chemical food manufacturing? You can’t convince there isn’t stuff being dumped that shouldn’t be.”
    Of course theres stuff being dumped that there shouldn’t be, and this goes for everything, every chemical people use in their home, the pharmaceuticals people use, the ridiculous amount of garbage that food packaging brings, any industry that uses chemicals etc. All the pesticides, herbicides, and anything that ends in ‘cide’ etc etc etc etc. The current factory farming situation appears to be worse – as it eats 90% of the grains, drinks 50% of the water and pollutes the other 50%. I’m not immune to this – i still use washing powder, toilet roll and soap (although I’d estimate these things all last me about 5 times the length on the average person). The point in minimising it all. The grass fed organic beef is a hell of a lot better and at least while they’re alive they have a reasonable life. There’s no ethical way to kill an animal though

    As for the average westerner yes they exist on garbage, but this doesn’t make low carb healthy.

    @Sue
    McDonalds etc is addictive (literally, it contains a variety of excitochemicals) and emotionally satisfying to those who are used to such foods. People don’t eat this junk because it makes them feel crap. I kind of figured you don’t agree with my philosophy. Perhaps if you watch ‘Earthlings’ or killed and butchered your own food you may

    @Julianne
    I think most people are familiar with Denise Mingers work, and there are debunkings of this (more than one). Also bare in mind that she doesn’t advise people to change her diet based on her work, and she hasn’t submitted to peer review. Also if you at her conclusions she offers no evidence that meat is actually healthy, she just try’s to divert the blame. The other critics generally belong to the Weston Price foundation which are themselves laughable. The China Study and the various studies within are just a small piece of the overall research.
    Again people with cholesterol below 150 don’t have heart attacks. 25% occur with a count between 150-200. The numbers are quite clear.
    Also, the biochemistry issues a side – because this diet isn’t biologically sound and its unbelievable to me that people put forward that it is – the same benefits your patients recieved would be the same if not better on a low fat raw vegan diet. Pretty much anythings better than the standard american/western diet.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 8th, 2010
    6:41 pm

    Julianne, I am a naturopath and concerned with improving health. If people have been following a “healthy diet” and still have symptoms trying the gluten-free, grain-free is warranted. The post from Robb is about improving your health not the environment. Our health is very important too! What others think about this type of diet isn’t really important – if you see results – symptoms disappear then its working.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 8th, 2010
    7:10 pm

    Ste, if I had to kill my own food I would. We kept chickens and I watched mum cut their heads off. Also, my parents grew up growing their own vegetables, raising animals and then killing them for food. When on holidays to the “old country”, I watched family members kill a sheep and then skin it.
    If removing grain didn’t help with symptoms I would go a step further and cut out meat or whatever but I wouldn’t go to the extreme of low-fat vegan diet if I didn’t have to. Plus I don’t think its healthy but if others preferred this way and thrived on it then thats okay.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 8th, 2010
    7:15 pm

    I had to also say if people thrived on low-fat vegan diet I would in the back of my mind be thinking – maybe they are cheating and eating the occasional animal product.

    Reply
  • Jared
    October 8th, 2010
    7:28 pm

    @ste
    Why do people with cholesterol below 150 not have heart attacks? Probably some other reason besides the cholesterol. I mean, the number of people in the population with cholesterol below 150 is tiny, of course there are not many heart attacks. You believing getting your cholesterol there prevents heart attacks has no more logic to it than saying if there are no police visible in a neighborhood then there is no crime.

    Also, people are starving all over the world because of industrial agriculture. To keep on down the road of more, and bigger agriculture probably won’t solve the problem, it will just make it bigger.

    As far as protein goes, babies don’t need to eat a lot of it because they have fat and lactose to use for energy. A lot of the protein we eat is probably converted into glucose, and done so in a way that does not spike our blood sugar. Speaking of which, making arguments from breast milk seems a little hypocritical given that a majority of the energy comes from fat. You can’t say human breast milk shows us we should eat less protein and ignore that it also ‘shows’ us we should eat more fat.

    Also, about the China Study. Is that all you have to say, she hasn’t submitted to peer review? What the hell do you think the internet is? She published it on the internet. You’re free to pick it apart as you see fit. And if you think that the critique has been seriously answered, you’re seriously deluded, and nothing I say is going to change your mind. At the least her critique conclusively showed that the China Study book that Dr. Campbell wrote is an exercise in selective number crunching. Campbell’s response was a pathetic ad hominem mixed in with an argument from authority.

    http://crossfitoneworld.typepad.com/files/proteindebatecordaincampbell.pdf

    is an interesting debate between Campbell and Cordain.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 8th, 2010
    7:33 pm

    Perhaps you should do the research instead of just making assumptions. From your posts its clear that .

    Look at vegan athletes, look at Doug Grahams work (and who he’s worked with), look at plant based therapies and natural hygiene, and perhaps try and improve your EQ too. The reason you think people would cheat on these diets is because you can’t understand my ethical stance on living. There are a great deal of people who thrive on these diets and you can find a great many of them at http://www.30bananasaday.com

    As for meat, your talking about short term relief of immediate symptoms, not health or longevity. A placebo can relieve symptoms, it doesn’t mean your suddenly healthy. You havent done the research – there is always more to learn when it comes to nutrition, its never done. and you never know all there is to know

    Perhaps you could try and tell me what animal products actually offer for human health: What benefits would I get through eating animals?

    Reply
  • Jared
    October 8th, 2010
    7:40 pm

    @ste

    Also, if you read this study:

    http://oxidized-ldl.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/a2.doc

    You will see the mean total cholesterol of people admitted to the hospital with CAD is 174. The standard deviation of +/- 47, puts a non-trivial percentage of the hospitalized with total cholesterol below 150.

    You still think you can make yourself heart attack proof just by changing that one number?

    Ridiculous….

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 8th, 2010
    8:25 pm

    30bananasaday – bunch of fruit loops!

    Reply
  • julianne
    October 8th, 2010
    10:02 pm

    Ste,
    Could you please supply some evidence besides belief that this diet is not biologically sound?

    Reply
  • Madeleine Fulton
    October 8th, 2010
    11:21 pm

    The 30bananasaday website. Ohmygod, ridiculous! Have they done any actual research??

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 9th, 2010
    2:27 am

    lol yeah were all really really really unhealthy over there. Really fat, unathletic unethical people. Probably all die of heart attacks in a couple of years. Your right, fruit and veg?? What am I thinking?? Lmao….
    Better meat myself up, makesure I get all that really ‘good quality’ protein and cholesterol that the body so badly needs for optimum function. All carbs are of course the same and really bad for you and its much better to eat fat and protein instead of carbohydrates even though it stimulates far greater insulin spikes, so that the body is forced to convert all this rubbish into glucose.

    Your right Jared, its obvious that cholesterol plays no role in heart disease. I’ll just forget that all the leading health authorities, and those with the best rates of reversing and curing heart disease all put it as culprit number one and cure by putting patients on a zero dietary cholesterol diet. I’ll also forget that during heart surgery they literally remove built up plaque from the arteries.

    I guarantee the majority of people on that forum are well informed. If anyone thinks this is an easy decision to make, and an easy diet to follow in today’s world your gravely mistaken. So far no has offered me any information on the health benefits of eating meat, and let me ask you this: If you were diagnosed with heart disease would you follow the eating plans of John McDougall, Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn and William C. Roberts, or would you follow the Paleo diet?
    And Jared, that study is recommending the reduction of LDL and overall cholesterol……

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 9th, 2010
    2:45 am

    @Miki

    Sorry I missed your reply to me
    I am indeed slim, and I don’t look like a bodybuilder, my build is much more similar to how you might picture a martial artists (I only do calistenic exercises, zero weight training, and ive only recently taken up serious training again), and if you want I can post a pic up somewhere of what I look like. Carbs don’t build muscle no, but diet alone doesn’t build muscle. I get around 50g of protein per day which is more than I need. These things are relevant, everything in the body runs off simple sugars, this is something that just occurs when exercising. When exercising, you need to eat more calories because your using more fuel. It makes zero sense to give your body more fat and protein that it needs, these are essential nutrients, not fuel.
    When it comes to building muscle, exercising is what stimulates muscle growth, you won’t become stronger without exercising, and true strength training doesn’t stimulate massive muscle growth. It is hard to gain bulky ineffective muscle on this diet, but it is indeed possible.

    I’m afraid like most you have lumped all carbohydrates into the same category and don’t really understand how the body uses them. There simply are no fat ‘low fat raw vegans’, and high carb -when fats are low, will stimulate weight loss. Fruits do not spike blood sugar and this is a proven cure for diabetes. Eating meat on the other hand has a dramatic effect on insulin production, and has been demonstrated to produce 27 more times than carbohydrates: -
    ”A study done by the dept of Biochemistry at the UNI of Sydney which has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that beef actually raised insulin levels more than white pasta & that fish raised them more than whole-grain pasta….when compared with rises in glucose levels, beef raised insulin levels a whopping 27 times higher than brown rice…”
    Blood sugar issues arise from carbs when fat is involved, and hence you shouldn’t eat fruits and nuts together, or follow the ugenerally recommended 30% fat diet.

    Obesity isn’t the only issue here even though everyone seems to go about it like it is. The issue is longevity and there are no low carb centenarian populations. Read ‘Healthy at 100′, ‘The Blue Zones’ and other books on these populations, these are almost exclusively plant based cuisine cultures (and look at the mortality rates in those middle eastern countries). The Paleo diet will result in long term ramifications, in effect what your doing is exchanging one immediate set of problems for another. Human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry doesn’t support high meat consumption, and we have aquired 8 new genes which help us process meat slightly more efficiently from back in the days of our undoubtably frugivorous ancestor 3 million years or so ago, hardly an adaptation which can be used to classify us as an omnivore. The only long term low carb studies are Atkins based do not give the paleo eater good news.

    You can look up the Pritikin, Gerson, Hoxsey and Hippocrates therapies, and Natural Hygiene for more info.

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      October 11th, 2010
      1:07 am

      OK, guys. I”m going to cut these comments short soon. Calling people stupid, etc. is against comment rules.

      Be civil or I’ll just delete your stuff. Consider yourselves warned.

      Tim

      Reply
  • Ste
    October 9th, 2010
    3:05 am

    @Jared

    The fact that if you remove dietary cholesterol from your diet, your body produces the optimum amount it needs and people who follow plant based diets don’t have heart attacks. Your argument and plain lack of logic is ridiculous. The number of people within the population that have this cholesterol count is indeed low, and heart disease is the number one killer. You don’t think these go hand in hand?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Perhaps you should actually research what logic is before making such a plain ridiculous statement.
    Show me the low fat plant based cultures that are dying of heart attacks please.

    90% of industrial agriculture is fed to animals. The world is starving because of greed and for no other reason. The amount of waste in the west is just unbelieveable.

    Protein is not an effective energy source, you not seriously advocating that ketosis is good are you? Babies require higher levels of protein because this is the most rapid growth phase in our life. The argument itself was used to illustrate protein requirements. No animal consumes milk beyond infancy. You don’t see grown cows eating high fat, or any primate consuming high fat diets.

    Again her critique is pathetic, and how you can possibly suggest that ‘the internet’ is the same as peer review is just absolutely stupid. Yeah real good science there, lots of people not wanting to hear that meat is bad for them just agree with someone else who says it isn’t. Peer review is a scientific process, one she has not lived up to, and there have been scientific debunkings of Denises claims, including the fact that she only takes into account one of the two data collections from the China Study and offers no correlation for the positive effects of meat on health. Campbell has no reason to selectively crunch numbers, and the research from the China Study itself is backed up by countless other studies which you arent taking into account. You seriously need to branch out your reading. You my friend are deluded. Your in a place where you don’t challenge your own world views or look at the big picture. You think its easy being vegan? Ive come from a place where I ate animals 3 times a day. You need to seriously consider the reasons so many take plant based diets seriously – including the ethical side of this debate, and the long term implications. Show me the healthy old aged low carber, I’ll show you plently of long lived plant eaters

    Reply
  • Madeleine Fulton
    October 9th, 2010
    9:47 am

    @Ste
    Agriculture is destroying more ecosystems, draining more rivers and depleting more fish populations, displacing more animals, poisoning exponentially more soil, and destroying more forests and wetlands all over the world than “killing animals for food.” Modern agriculture also means the consumption of tons and tons of fossil fuel. Grain cartels are destroying local economies and putting small (perennial, pasture, etc.) farmers out of business.

    Yes grain-fed animals are only accelerating this destruction–that’s why its important to buy only grass-fed, organic, local animal products.

    If you want actual numbers and an explanation of the above, I highly recommend Lierre Keith’s book, The Vegetarian Myth. Here are some excerpts:

    “Rich pastures of perennial grasses died, so that some 20,000 head of cattle had to move away. Fish yields fell by 90%”

    “We are out of topsoil, out of water, out of species, and out of space in the atmosphere for the carbon we can’t seem to stop burning.”

    “Deserts and dead zones are the end point of an agriculture of annuals with no animals.”

    “Animals were taken off their native food, out of their natural life patterns, because they weren’t needed on farms anymore [to fertilize the soil ever since 1947 when fertilizer started being produced from fossil fuel]. There ability to turn cellulose into protein [something humans can't do] wasn’t an asset when corn could be grown so densely, so cheaply out of bare land and fossil fuel.”

    “…The result has been an unending river of corn, drowning our arteries and our insulin receptors, our rural communities, and poor subsistence economies the world over.”

    “This cycle of corporate control, oversupply, and dumping leads to the destruction of local subsistence economies. It ‘undermines the livelihoods of 70% of the world’s poorest people.’ This is hardly a solution to world hunger.”

    She thoroughly explains and supports these statements if you read her book.

    Reply
  • Jim Greenleaf
    October 9th, 2010
    11:26 am

    I am very curious as to what the effects on nixtamalization on corn would be wrt zein and other nasties, and whether such processes could be used on other grains to make them safer for human consumption, assuming this research is accurate.

    Reply
  • matthk777
    October 9th, 2010
    10:40 pm

    @ste
    ste wrote: “Life is life – whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man’s own advantage. —Sri Aurobindo”

    He’s right, but Sri Aurobindo stops short of TRUE respect for life and instead, adopts the all too common childish anthropomorphic rationale that informs (or misinforms) the positions and justifications of many
    vegatarian/vegans. i.e. “I don’t want to eat anything with a face!”.

    I choose to go further than this and would say:
    “Life is life – whether in a cat, dog, man, oak tree or apple.”
    All forms of life are incredible to me. But we are all, eventually, someone’s (or something’s) dinner.

    There was a time when most Europeans thought that indigenous peoples had no soul, and in fact were no better than animals. (and indigenous people often thought the same ridiculous notion of the Europeans).

    Then we learnt better.

    But we still thought animals had no souls, and felt no ‘true’ pain.

    Then we learnt better.

    But we still thought plants felt no pain – had no ‘life force’.

    And we learnt that even this was untrue, as plants have been shown to feel a form of pain and shock – but most – especially vegetarians and vegans – ignore this because what would we eat if we regarded the life of plants as sacred too? After all, they have a drive to survive and prosper don’t they?

    Should the hypocritical vegans not weep for the baby carrot, it’s life cut short before it even had a chance to thrive? ;-)

    This greatly informs my position, which is to eat everything, as we always have, but try to do it as ethically as we can.

    Food (pun intended) for thought? ;-)

    Reply
  • the_truth
    October 10th, 2010
    12:26 am

    lectin? most plants we eat have lectin, not just grains. that avocado you recommend is one of the more heat resistant lectin producing fruits! ever wonder why carrots or avocado can make your mouth itch?

    you can’t get away from toxins, they’re in everything (i’m talking about natural toxins). focusing on a single lectin group and saying ‘stay away’ as if that will cure everything is very uninspired. robb’s recommended diet is just shifting the lectin intake to other foods. hardly revolutionary.

    perhaps actually understanding the actual problem is the answer: FOOD PREPARATION. understanding that ALL food is toxic in some form (really, they’re drugs) and that the only way to nullify those toxins is it’s correct preparation is the TRUE way to optimal health. proper soaking, fermentation, and heating of most grains/legumes will eliminate lectins, phytic acid, and anti-nutrients. cooking certain vegetables for certain periods of time does the same. the auto-immune diseases omni-present in modern times are a result of modern manufacturing ignoring the above favoring economics, not because ‘grains are bad’. ridiculous.

    our ancestors spent 10′s of thousands of years researching, testing, understanding food preparation and have left us an enormous body of knowledge to safely remove the toxicity present in ALL foods. yet somehow, we should look to some insanely speculative ideas about the dietary habits of our ancestors 100k years ago to guide us? suggestion to robb and all the ‘paleo’ followers: our very recent ‘pre-modern’ history has much more to share than your mental masturbations about the past. although, they might not sell as many books…

    Reply
  • jason palmer
    October 10th, 2010
    4:03 am

    too long, lost interest, i buy things from health food shops, i mean, how unhealthy can bit be at mchealthy ?

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 11th, 2010
    1:47 am

    Ste said:
    “let me ask you this: If you were diagnosed with heart disease would you follow the eating plans of John McDougall, Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn and William C. Roberts, or would you follow the Paleo diet?”

    A: The Paleo diet of course.

    Reply
  • matthk777
    October 11th, 2010
    2:36 am

    @ste STE stated “…the leading health authorities, and those with the best rates of reversing and curing heart disease …. cure by putting patients on a zero dietary cholesterol diet”

    Someone who reads as much as you STE should be WELL aware that dietary cholesterol is not really an issue and the cholesterol scare that gave eggs a bad reputation was a farce. I first learnt in 2002 that you don’t ‘get’ high cholesterol by consuming cholesterol but suspected this for many years before.

    CAVEAT: Unless it’s OXIDISED).

    This is a great example (and we’ve all made it) of people, the media, nutritionists, dieticians (and those with dodgy, hate-mongering agendas like PETA) referring to research that has l-o-n-g been debunked. The study all this ‘eggs iz evil!’ rubbish was based on was done 60 years ago, and they used powdered egg yolks (i.e. OXIDISED cholesterol).

    Hundreds of similar tests conducted with raw and cooked eggs have given eggs the all-clear. The current scientific thinking says: If you cook eggs properly or in the shell, you’re fine. I eat almost 2 a day and my cholesterol is spot on. Were there times when my cholesterol went UP? Yep. When I ate less meat and more starch. (but that’s just me).

    (PS: The internet’s full of references)
    cheers,
    matt

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 11th, 2010
    8:09 am

    @Madeleine Fulton
    I own the Vegetarian Myth. The fact that 90% of agriculture is fed to animals means that animals and agriculture go hand in hand, and the whole ethics of the current state of the food industry is obismal as your no doubt aware. The animal pollution is causing catastrophic damage, AND 50% of the fresh water in america is given to them. Personally I don’t believe this book to be very well researched and author doesn’t really understand nutrition.
    Also, you can find different numbers for all this stuff all over the net, some vegan favourable, some pasture fed meat favorable, and I really have no idea whom to believe, but I’m more inclinded to believe the vegan statistics simply because they are generally correct and are produced by people who have nothing to gain. By the way, the diet she followed I certainly do not recommend. Not all vegan/vegetarian diets are healthy, and I wouldn’t advise the consumption of any soy whats so ever.

    If you do eat grass fed free range organic animals then at least this is a step in the right direction. This ‘grass fed’ society however is not sustainable given the current dietary trends, and the land use is still not as efficient as growing fruit and veg (and also roots, tubers and nuts). Also, bear in mind that the price of meat would sky rocket in such a society.

    @matthk777
    Well lets look at the animal facts subjectively and actually include the EQ implications of killing animals – and bare in mind that I have heard all these arguments before.
    As humans we have the ability to empathise with animals as they express emotions, and literally scream with terror. It has a highly stimulating emotional affect. The animals you eat have a limbic system and thus experience pain, stress, fear, sadness etc just like we do. Triune Brain Theory – the mammalian/emotional brain, this is what makes them similar to us, and thus a much higher form of life, capable of much more complex feelings. Eat bugs if you simply must consume animals, they at least can’t feel pain, have a much shorter life span, and you’ll get everything meat gives you from them.
    Basically, not feeling anything when killing animals is low on the EQ totem pole, just above sociopath. It’s a heart wrenching experience taking the life of a mammal for the emotionally intelligent simply because of the highly developed levels of empathy and compassion that person feels. The people who kill animals for a living live in the highest violent crime related area’s and its simply basic psychology and is associated with a great many neurotic and egocentric tendencies. Psychology, philosophy and spirituality all support this. Most know it’s implications in children…. This isn’t something that changes as we grow older.
    “The most important part of vegetarianism is the real shift in consciousness that takes place. There is a true correlation between our food choices and violence in the world. The only person who would disagree with that is a meat-eater”
    – Peter Burwash, Davis Cup Winner.
    Try and develop your EQ while killing your own food. It’s not possible. The very nature of such an act prohibits it’s proper development. Survival circumstances are different, i.e. when your choosing between your own life or that of another creature in which case the reptilian/survival drive dominates one’s thinking. There’s no need for the eating of animals in today’s world. The research doesn’t support that it’s healthy, its a leading cause of environmental destruction and it has a negative impact on our race’s emotional intelligence. Did you read all the other quotes too? Basically your philosophy may aswell extend to eating humans, or ‘growing’ humans for slavery purposes. It disregards the psychological implications and implies that all suffering is equal and thus I better act in my own best interest. No one eats oak tree’s either! There is a plain difference between conscious emotional life that is capable of love and joy, and non-conscious life that does not rationally make its own decisions, but instead follows pre-set instructions (the consciousness debate is far too tricky to get into here, and this replies dragging on long enough). I will respond to any points you have to make which contradict my claims.

    Also, the fact that we are the only animal that can empathise with our food should also tell you something you should consider. The tiger does not feel for the deer. The deer does not feel for the grass. You cannot empathise with or get emotionally aroused (I of course don’t mean sexually) by a carrot (and I personally don’t eat em because of their high cellulose content), and to imply that they suffer just as much as an animal does is your own justification for your eating habits and is not based on science. This vegan and plant argument is in my opinion, naive. Pain is subjective, what is classed as pain for a plant is literally just a word which best attributes our own emotion on to them for a state in which we percieve as being similar to systems reaction. Life is irritable, it reacts to the environment. Cut a dogs leg off and cut a plants flowers off – there is of course a massive difference, including the fact that the plant can grow back. Currently my food stock includes banana’s, dates, papaya’s, melons, sweet potato, pineapples and pears. Not much suffering involved here my friend ;)
    You don’t actually have to kill all plants to eat them, and they aren’t equipped to feel ‘emotions’ or pain. Also bear in mind that a great many plants are literally designed to eaten for aid in reproductive purposes. Out of curiosity, just how much do you think plants suffer?

    As for cholesterol, not all people are affected by high dietary cholesterol, just most. This is genetic, and you are like myself in that respect (I always had low cholesterol, even in my bodybuilding (standard gym weighlifting) days), and is also the reason why not everyone dies of heart disease – they also die of cancer and the other major killers (for the most part). You can’t rule out this I’m afraid. The research is quite clear and always has been, its not just this egg study. What do you think the plaque is made up of? Its made primarily of cholesterol and calcium, and high fat diets thicken the blood which is also a contributor (unless its high in omega 3 which is a natural blood thinner, and hence the eskimo’s arteries didn’t block up – but they still died around age 60 of debilitating diseases from there horrendously unhealthy diet). Again, the people with the most success reversing heart disease all put it down to zero cholesterol plant based diets, and they all accuse cholesterol as being culprit number one. The science outweights cholesterol not being a factor. People who eat lots of animals, die younger, and generally do not die well. People who don’t have cholesterol in their diet don’t get heart disease. Meat consumption also messes with your hormones and by itself could stimulate the liver to produce more cholesterol that it actually needs to.
    One thing I have heard about eggs is that if they’re raw then the cholesterol can’t bind and is passed out through the system. Something I haven’t verified and had forgot until now. I highly recommend that don’t consume your actual ‘meat’ raw, and if your eating raw eggs, then makesure they’re free range and organic. I’m not actually against freerange organic egg consumption providing the animals are well taken care of – and providing people don’t eat anything but minute amounts of them.

    @Sue
    Considering your a health practioner thats quite a frightening statement. Your rejecting a proven medical system with a truly astounding success rate, for a completely untested and unproven one which goes against these very systems and the practioners that use them. You really should think about this as from your statement I would guess that you would no doubt recommend your patients to follow a similar treatment and this is simply irresponsible. (If I’m wrong then I apologise for the accusation).

    @Julliane
    We don’t have the correct jaw structure of teeth (our jaws are perfect for grinding plants, not in anyway are they good for eating and tearing raw meat). Our stomach acid is ph4-5, an omnivores is ph1, the digestive tract is way too long and we requires a great deal of soluble fibre for optimum function, and the reason people smell on these diets is because the food is not being fully digested or quickly removed from the system (like fibrous fruits and veg are). We don’t salivate when we see cows or pigs, and quite the opposite for animals such as deer etc that we find naturally beautiful. Unless we get exposed to killing and eating the raw insides of an animal (because muscle tissue is always last choice in the wild) we find it grotesque, and quite rightly so because eating the intestines etc is something our body is not equipped to deal with raw. Everything about us supports fruit and certain veges (not all) including our eyesight and psychology as well as our physical body, which can be eaten live and raw. Everything else should be considered a condiment. Tropical fruit is natures perfect food. Other fruits are still ok, and certain veg also provides a lot of good stuff and is easily digested. Our physiology is that of a frugivore, and is extremely similar to other frugivorous primates, who unsurprisingly thrive off fruit. The longevity statistics speak for themselves.
    The only changes our body has made with regards to our digestive system since of frugivorous ancestory are 8 genes which apparently do give us some benefit that we wouldn’t have if they were not present (i.e. we would get more sick than it already makes us), weaker jaws and a slightly smaller digestive system – the latter two believed to be for freeing up energy for our brain. Eating meat no doubt helped us survive, but no one knows how much we ate and we’ve had absolutely no reason to evolve the ability to eat meat. Just because we have been eating it a long time doesn’t mean anything, one can ‘survive’ off the SAD diet for 70-80 years, we will never adapt to it. Meat makes insulin production go haywire, its highly acidic and leaches the bodies alkaline minerals, is laden with adrenalin and contains zero fibre. Hardly a food that our body is equipped to deal with in anything but minute amounts. If people really really have to eat meat, perhaps they should do so in the amounts of primate relatives do: eat approx 2-5% animals.
    But since you have a degree in biochemistry (sorry if you said your degree was in something else here), perhaps you can convince me all this incorrect?

    Reply
  • Epicurus
    October 11th, 2010
    9:51 am

    Interesting article and the comments have been as well.

    I came across the whole “paleo” thing after reading “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes. I found the low carb thesis interesting and started reviewing the references he cites (with 50 pages of notes and close to 70 of bibliography, it’s a monster). What seems clear to me from all this is that the science of modern day nutritional advice is much less settled than the media (or my doctor, for example) make it seem. It’s also interesting that the emphasis on a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet coincides rather uncomfortably with the spike in obesity and diabetes in the general population.

    For me, paleo is more of a variant on the low-carb diet. I’ve been following it for several weeks now, emphasizing mostly vegetables and grass fed (or at least hormone-free) meats and free range eggs. I’ve lost weight but, more importantly, I feel much better. I’m seeing my Dr. in a couple of weeks. We’ll see what the blood work shows.

    The oddest thing is that I no longer feel hungry in the same way. Hunger used to be a forceful driving feeling that overrode most anything else I was doing. Now it’s a much more gentle signal that says “Oh, and by the way, think about topping off the tank, would you?”

    Reply
  • Maurille
    October 11th, 2010
    11:32 am

    Hi Tim,
    Just wanted to say…wow way to go.
    Very good article!!!

    All doctors are always very sceptical about allergies…since they do not see it as an illness. I have two daughters who both have food allergies. And i myself are doing gluten free…which I find very hard…but when I do eat gluten…I swell up like a baloon and I know i should not have done that.
    I did not know that whole gut damage thing….but now that I do I will not ever sneak a pizza slice again!!!

    I do hope you can convince other people that not all food given to us since birth and has had the ” healthy” sticker on it really isn’t healthy at all.

    I do would like to add that chicken is not really good for you also…unless you eat organic chicken. But chickenmeat is full of diseases that once you get them in your system there is no way to cure you. Antibiotics do not work on this disease and you could die from it.( Sorry do not know the name) Here in the Netherlands a few people have actually died from eating chicken and getting sick. Supermarkets are trying to convince everybody that it is completely safe to eat chicken. How stupid…money over peoples lives
    Have some turkey instead.

    Good luck on the book and with your ordercount!
    xm

    Reply
  • Sysy Morales
    October 11th, 2010
    3:42 pm

    Very interesting stuff, Tim. I’m a type 1 diabetic since age 11. I’ve long wondered about the connection between celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. I will be re-reading what you’ve written here and doing some research.

    I know many diabetics who say they can’t go on a paleo or similar diet because of blood sugar issues but, I can tell you that I have followed it and lost about 35 pounds with it. My twin pregnancy through me off of my routine and my daughter is very allergic to eggs so we’ve given up that truly versatile food and have been busy figuring out what other foods we can afford to eat in place of it. Anyway I’m back on and feeling so much better-and I know diabetics benefit from this diet because I do and I know my blood sugars are much more easily controlled by shunning basically…anything white.

    I have a question, have you heard about the Metabolic Typing Diet? If so, what do you think about it? I’ve had a lot of luck finding out that I’m a “carb type”. I know my husband has done much better knowing he is a “protein type”. For example, I’ll eat tilapia, he’ll have salmon. We don’t feel well switching that menu the other way around. The Metabolic Typing Diet reminds me of the Paleo diet in that it takes into consideration the way our ancestors have ate for many many years.

    Reply
  • Miki
    October 11th, 2010
    5:28 pm

    @Ste

    Thanks for your reply.

    Did you actually read the research or did you use the same wordings by Dr. John McDougall?

    If you haven’t read the publication, I suggest you do and specifically read page 9 of that article (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/66/5/1264.pdf), where it says “Six test foods (chocolate chip cookies, eggs, cheese, beef, fish, and Honeysmacks cereal) were not included in this analysis because GI values were not available.”

    It also says there that insulin values were divided by glucose values….now, obviously, when you have some insulin values and nearly no glucose values (–> 0) the result is very high, and then you say “wow, the increase in insulin is much higher for this group of food”, which is only statistics. This is all statistics.

    You need to look at these things from an absolute point of view (to use an analogy, driving on the freeway doing 110, while all the rest are doing 55, means you’re doing 55 relative to the rest… try selling that to a policeman).

    And just to clarify a point you made on muscle growth, you’re right about exercising will stimulate growth, but without the protein, you’re actually damaging your muscles. Lifting weights generates microscopic tears in your muscles to stimulate the growth, which will happen at recovery. Without protein at recovery, your muscles are only going to repair themselves to what they were before, without the growth and without an increase in strength.

    Reply
  • Martin from PL
    October 12th, 2010
    5:01 am

    Hi Tim,

    how about my questions? You promised to ask Robb…

    Regards,
    Marcin

    Reply
  • Jesse
    October 12th, 2010
    8:48 am

    I would like to make a comment to JIMMY about his attitude towards gluten and having this book be a pointless read. Ever so simply, you choose what you eat. Have all the gluten in the world, but this is just simply educating an audience of knowledgeable consumers. A LOT of people, like my mother for instance, have been seeing every kind of doctor for unsolvable digestive ailments for the past 3 years. It was not until she removed gluten from her diet that she was able to get relief in MANY WAYS.

    There are healthier versions of meats, as long as they are fed appropriately for what their body will sustain and not make them over-fat and inflamed/sick. If it is important to you to actually remove the factors that may lead to an array of health issues, it would be good to heed these warnings.

    Just saying.

    Reply
  • Ed Abeles
    October 12th, 2010
    1:13 pm

    Sorry if I missed an answer to this BUT….

    What about SPROUTED GRAIN BREAD i.e. EZEKIEL??

    I do not eat flour or sugar and feel really good using this
    bread.

    Reply
  • Luciano
    October 12th, 2010
    4:39 pm

    Interesting article, but I’m not sure if all this is accurate, I agree that grains can contain a lot of unhealthy stuff but many thousands of years ago we discovered something called cooking. There’s an interesting documentary about that called “Did cooking make us human?” http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r9svk
    Another thought… these paleo diets and weekly food plans look very healthy but anybody believe that during the paleolithic humans got 4 scheduled meals a day? c’mon, in those days we ate what we found and when we found it, many times we didn’t have what to eat for some days, reagarding vegetables and fruits we could only eat them seasonally. So, if somebody want to have a real paleolithic diet should take all these into consideration, why not starve for a couple of days, eat only one kind of fruit during its season, “hunt” some meat and eat all we can till they gone bad, that would be a real paleo diet :)
    Let me know your thoughts.
    Sorry for my English, it isn’t my primary language.

    Reply
  • Fred
    October 12th, 2010
    8:52 pm

    Note – *I am going to try the paleo diet*

    Do I believe it’s going to make a difference? No… not at all.. SNAKE OIL in another form… Robb… put your money where your mouth is and found thorough, arms length studies in different parts of the world that to prove your point that Paleo cures diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and everything else you claim it solves.

    The stories typically go like this… here are a bunch of people with crappy lifestyles.. let’s put them on paleo… do you fell better? Answer: Yes… of course they do…paleo is a much better diet than the std american diet… want to feel better? try P90X…. that will also make you feel better.

    Your insistence that paleo is the only way to go… no other way is good… vegetarianism is bad…… your and your followers like Jared have an facist extremism for paleo is disturbing and brings out the doubters (you are using the same tactics as any salesman) … as many people have said… we are not all the same… optimal diets will be different for us…paleo will work for many people who do have symptoms that paleo can solve… definitely not everyone…..

    i have been veg for over a year now… *and* in amazing shape at 32… I always ate healthy… so let’s see if paleo makes a difference

    I do think eating meat is selfish… you kill because you like the taste… not because you have to… and that is the bottom line…

    I will try the diet… and write back…i may eat my words… i may be right

    Reply
  • letartes
    October 12th, 2010
    8:53 pm

    I liked the fact that there is some science behind the claims. The mechanism of lectins was explained, their biological roles as well as what happens to them in the gut. At first glance, it seemed to make sense. However, after checking the facts, the story does not make sense anymore.

    It is true that proline inhibits some proteolytic enzymes. However, WGA lectin seems hardly a proline-rich protein, as the article claims. It has 212 amino acids, 5 of those being proline. If you digest it with trypsin, an enzyme that is inhibited by proline near the cleavage site, you end up with 13 fragments instead of 14 if there were no proline. Therefore, claiming that lectins are not broken down in the normal digestive process is false. This does not leave large intact proteins in the gut. And this is just the case of trypsin. There are many other enzymes in the digestive system. It has evolved for millenia and is quite adept at digesting proteins.

    WGA lectin is not a proline rich protein.

    Reply
  • Gym Girl
    October 13th, 2010
    7:46 am

    Robb Wolf’s book is amazing, as is his web site/pod cast etc…
    I look and feel better after only 16 days of Paleo (no grains, sweeteners, dairy etc) than the last 4 months of dieting.

    I eat more calories and I am not hungry all the time.

    I can’t stop telling everyone I know about this and I have sent this blog link to all my friends and clients.

    I do enjoy the grumblings of some of the doctors on here. See, my dad is actually a pretty well known doc. He saves livee everyday, but I had to tell him to lay off the fruit- as it was driving his blood sugar too high. He has Type II Diabetes, and although he had lost a lot of weight, and gone :low carb” he started adding in more an more fruit (since fruit is “healthy”).

    I think fruit is by and large a candy bar that grows on a tree. But I know many of you “vegetarians” “vegans” and “doctors” will argue that.

    There is enough information about fructose that you can google it yourself. I have nothing to prove other than to say that I am gratfeul for the information that is out there. Oh, and I LOVE my dad, but he don’t know bleep about food/nutrition…. despite being a genious in so many other realms.

    Reply
  • Paleo Diet (Why I am on it) | Kristin Bennett
    October 13th, 2010
    10:00 am

    [...] research kept leading me closer and closer to a Paleo diet, an article posted by Tim Ferriss about grains/leaky gut/MS gave disturbingly supportive evidence that eating grains not only aggravates but in my mind could [...]

  • Ricky
    October 13th, 2010
    12:27 pm

    Just be careful…
    I tried low carb diet a few months ago. Consuming around 30-40g of carbs a day only. I was eating plenty of fresh vegetables, lots of meat/fish/poultry, and drinking lots of water.
    From second day on things started getting bad.
    After about 4 days on this diet I started getting exhausted by walking even 100m. After about a week or so, I was unable to walk even 100 feet without feeling faint and started having sharp pains in both of my kidneys.
    Eventually, when the pain got too much I stopped this and went back to regular diet.
    As soon as I started eating a little bread e.g. next day pain in my kidneys totally disappeared and it never came back.
    Not sure what the problem was!
    Like I said I was drinking lots of water daily and eating fresh vegetables as well.
    Perhaps there’s no one single diet that works for everyone. We can only find out by trying it ourselves.

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 13th, 2010
    11:18 pm

    Ste said:
    “Considering your a health practioner thats quite a frightening statement. Your rejecting a proven medical system with a truly astounding success rate, for a completely untested and unproven one which goes against these very systems and the practioners that use them. You really should think about this as from your statement I would guess that you would no doubt recommend your patients to follow a similar treatment and this is simply irresponsible. (If I’m wrong then I apologise for the accusation).”

    I would never recommend a diet that I didn’t think was healthy. The Paleo diet is extremely healthy – eggs, meat, fish, nuts and seeds, butter, olive oil, fruit and veg, no junk foods, no grains, no vegetable oils.
    I can’t recommend that someone follow Ornish or extremely low-fat, high carb diets.

    Reply
  • Ross
    October 13th, 2010
    11:33 pm

    I’m finding it hard to stomach this idea. Grains have been staples in cultures for thousands of years. I would think we have developed many ways to digest these kinds of foods. Plus, through breeding specific strains of plants, we have created many kinds of grain that are edible and nutritious. Plants that adapted to be grown by us have an incentive to provide us with nutrition.

    I agree with some of the comments on here that this post does diminish the Tim Ferriss brand. If you were not paying close attention, it was difficult to notice that this post was not written by you, and instead by Robb.

    You are my favorite guinea pig, Tim. I eagerly await any personal case studies or data you have from trying this diet (as well as the new book!).

    Cheers, and happy living!

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 14th, 2010
    7:41 am

    @Miki
    @Miki
    I just quoted that off the website exactly as it was wrote. Thank you for the link, I’ll certainly get around to it, and thanks for pointing this out to me :)

    As for protein your no doubt correct, but who gets zero protein? I get more than enough protein and so will any fruitarian, and anyone following a high carb diet will automatically get enough (as long as their not living off pure sugar). The medical term for protein deficiency is starvation, and if this is the case, protein is the least of your worries. 5% protein is more than enough, anything more than you need has no beneficial effect and all the research says over 10% animal protein will have a negative effect. Strength training isn’t about mass, its about muscle contraction and the muscles will naturally enlarge at a normal rate (not the bulky heavy weighlifting rate) as your strength increases. No one has to worry about getting enough protein, just enough calories. Breakdancers, gymnasts, martial artists develop a natural muscular build. Bodybuilders generally develop large bulky unfunctional muscles for visual purposes only, while neglecting the rotator cuffs, joints, spinal muscles, ligaments and tendons.

    @Fred
    ”I do think eating meat is selfish… you kill because you like the taste… not because you have to… and that is the bottom line…”
    Just out of curiosity, how do you define selfishness? I don’t want to get into this ethics debate again because its too hard to hold a proper debate over this comment system.
    Lets rephrase your logic: -
    - I don’t think rape is selfish, you rape because you want sex, not because you have too, and that is the bottom line…
    - I don’t think stealing is selfish, you steal because you want whats not rightly yours to take, not because you have to, and that is the bottom line
    - I dont think eating the neighbours dog is selfish, you kill because you like the taste, not because you have to, and that is the bottom line…
    - I don’t think beating up a child is selfish, you beat them up because it makes you feel superior and powerful, not because you have too, and that is the bottom line…

    End of the day, killing in the name of gluttony is perhaps the best way I can think of to define selfishness. This all life is equal sounds good in theory, but the reality of the situation isn’t so easily swallowed. Tomorrow for dinner I could eat a big bag of banana’s OR a bag of kittens/puppies. After all, no difference here is there?

    Reply
  • Aaron
    October 14th, 2010
    9:53 am

    Nice, your menues are healthy and also bring to weight loss.

    I would like to hear your stance on eating animals and vegeterians.

    Reply
  • Sysy Morales
    October 14th, 2010
    11:53 am

    I’m with Ed (commentor) Indeed, what about sprouted grain bread like Ezekial’s? It makes me feel awesome, too lol

    Reply
  • michelle
    October 14th, 2010
    3:30 pm

    And if your vegetarian what do you eat?

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 14th, 2010
    4:16 pm

    @Gym girl
    A fruitarian diet is a proven cure for both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Low fat raw vegan will ensure that your father never suffers with diabetes related issues ever again. It’s clear that you don’t understand what happens inside the body to make such claims. Do the research yourself and don’t lump fructose, or corn fructose syrup in the same category as whole fresh ripe fruit. Also look up Doug Graham, and Robby Barbaro and read ”Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs”. Fruit will not spike blood sugar on a low fat diet. So, read about those who do know about food/nutrition while also walking their talk. Your claims are false.

    @Sue
    Dean Ornish: Proven medical system, peer reviewed, replicated in practice, inline with the other leaders in the medical field, and other proven therapies such as Gerson, Hoxsey, Pritikin, Hippocrates. Diet very similar to that of high centanarian cultures.

    Robb Wolf: Hyped up new atkins, no long term studies, no long term followers, massive contradictory evidence – far more so than offered, goes against human anatomy, physiology and biochemisty.

    Fruit and veg = healthy.

    Reply
    • William Mandell
      November 4th, 2010
      1:40 pm

      “Robb Wolf: Hyped up new atkins, no long term studies, no long term followers, massive contradictory evidence – far more so than offered, goes against human anatomy, physiology and biochemisty.”

      1, paleo is nothing like Atkins
      2, 100,000 years of long term followers
      3, absolutely no contradictory evidence except from A-Corn and Grain growers that keep telling you, on TV of all places, that HFCS is good for you.
      4, goes 100% with human anatomy,physiology AND biochemistry

      Reply
  • Mike
    October 14th, 2010
    4:25 pm

    @Aaron

    I think we can all agree that it’s ok to eat vegetarians.

    Reply
  • matthk777
    October 14th, 2010
    5:37 pm

    @ste
    You said “Fructose is metabalised in the liver”

    The current thinking seems to be that the liver turns fructose into fat more easily (and far more often) than it turns it into glucose. I need some back-up/further-info here, but what I recall is that Fructose (just like alcohol) is treated like a toxin by the body, and routed DIRECTLY to the liver (just like alcohol) where it’s turned into fat.
    In contrast, glucose can be metabolised up by every organ in the body.
    FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Anything routed ‘directly’ to the liver, is generally a toxin right? So we should think of fructose the same way.

    Earlier in this thread you spoke of the difficulty/silliness of making the body work hard to turn one thing into another – well the same goes for fructose surely?
    Fructose is NOT glucose. To remind folk here, sugar(sucrose) is fructose AND glucose together. The glucose is the good bit, the fructose is the not-so-good-bit.

    From my old notes on my laptop:
    “…Fructose increases fat production in the liver (denovo lipogenesis) which in turn increases blood fats like cholesterol and triglyceride. It also increases uric acid which in turn increases blood pressure and causes gout…”

    I’d like your thoughts on this.
    cheers,
    matt

    PS: 5% body fat? You need a feed STE! :-) If we were lost together in the post-nuclear wasteland, I’d survive a LOT longer without food than you! ;-) and this brings me to another point about vegies/vegans. My last vegetarian housemate ate me out of house and home. The poor, skinny wretch was exactly like our three chickens, eating CONSTANTLY to try and get enough good stuff to fuel his body and mind. I on the other hand, had a food bill that was a third of his (and I also created less waste – both household and body waste!) as I ate meat or fish two, maybe three times a week, and eggs most days.

    Reply
  • matthk777
    October 14th, 2010
    5:57 pm

    @ste
    You wrote: ‘… What do you think the plaque is made up of? Its made primarily of cholesterol and calcium…”

    I won’t get into reminding you that the cholesterol in the plaque is MADE by our bodies and NOT a foreign object (oops, I just did!) but I would ask you this:
    What do you think the brain is made up of?
    Yep, that’s right. Cholesterol and Saturated Fat.

    So, you see, some connections aren’t as clear as they may seem.
    It’s as silly as saying “Bob’s fat – and Bob ATE some fat – so THAT’S what caused it!” We all know this is poor logic.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 14th, 2010
    7:39 pm

    Hey Matt
    The current thinking doesn’t include whole ripe fruit, it just includes stand alone fructose, and the two are not the same. As your no doubt aware, when we eat there is a complex chemical reaction that we can’t actually decipher and food combinations/nutrient combinations all affect each other in ways we can’t measure. There are no studies which show that fruit consumption leads to fat gain. All the evidence is in fact to the contrary (and fruitarians are living proof). The body runs off carbohydrates which are easily converted into glucose, but where is glucose found in nature? Not all fats are the same, not all amino acids are the same, and these are not efficient fuel sources, where carbohydrate is much more easily and efficiently used – without the side effects ketosis brings. Glucose is also present in fruits don’t forget. The studies that suggest ‘fructose’ is bad don’t suggest fruit is bad. Fruit has never been shown to raise cholesterol or triglycerides, it certainly does not increase uric acid lol, and fruits don’t cause high blood pressure or gout. High fat on the other hand might just do that. As for only toxic stuff being sent to the liver, thats just an assumption you’ve made and has no scientific basis. The liver has a variety of other functions other than waste removal and carbohydrate conversion, including breaking down fats (are all fats thus poisons?), making non-essential amino acids, producing cholesterol, storing vitamins A, D, K and B12 (also toxins?), and producing urea.

    Calories are the best way to measure energy intake even though its not perfect. For me to consume 3000-4000 calories per day I do indeed have to eat a larger amount of food than the meat eater. Most people have a small stomach and simply can’t eat the volume that I can. It takes time to adapt. I eat 3-4 times per day.
    I’ve heard the nuclear wasteland argument before too lol. You know, if it comes to that I’d probably be better off dead anyway, you can go on as long as you can last. I’ll take my chances ;)
    As far as longevity goes, a low body fat percentage is a must. All long lived people are very lean people. Anything over 10% (I realise these 10% figures I keep throwing out there are sounding like 10% or above = bad, anything below is good, and its of course not as clear cut as that, its just the general guideline) ain’t doing you any good. As for waste, I pretty much use zero packaging except the odd plastic bag and water box, I use practically zero toilet paper because I just don’t need it, and all the rest is biodegradable. I still do use soap and other little bits and pieces, but my impact is quite minimal.

    The brain is roughly two thirds fat, primarily made of the omega 3 fatty acids (essential nutrients) Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), found in plant sources can be converted into these. Now, I am contradicting myself a little here, because the body has the ability to convert ALA into both DHA and EPA and its not as efficient, but its also not a costly energy consuming process. It’s also something the body can do without issues in a healthy person. Before we were talking about the primary fuel source of the entire body (including what the brain runs off: glucose) and converting a non-fuel source into carbohydrate, here were talking about converting a longer chain fat polyunsaturated fat into shorter chain polyunsaturated fats. Yes, it also contains cholesterol, but this isn’t an essential nutrient, and also bare in mind I never said cholesterol = bad, I said high cholesterol = bad. You can have too much of a good thing.
    Low fat plant based diets cure heart disease, and the body makes all the cholesterol it needs when given the correct nutrition. Its been demonstrated over and over and over by a variety of different therapies all back by clinical studies. I highly recommend you read Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish, John McDougall, John Furhman, Neal Bernard etc, and research the Gerson, Hoxsey, Hippocrates and Pritikin therapies, along with nature cure and natural hygiene. Just look at the results. No more heart disease! Ethically sound diets.

    Were going around in circles with the cholesterol debate. Dietary cholesterol will increase blood cholesterol. Not all things that are generally accepted are incorrect and not much literature supports it doesn’t get increased by dietary cholesterol (perhaps eggs uncooked or cooked a certain way won’t, but the paleo diet without a doubt will). But lets say your correct, and this isn’t the case. Will it offer any benefits or is just another waste substance like the other mass of harmful stuff in meat? More does not equal good.
    You have given me food for thought in a few different ways Matt, and I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

    Reply
  • Matt
    October 15th, 2010
    1:24 pm

    I’ve read nearly 1/2 the comments now :) I really enjoyed the article. Enjoyed it so much that I immediately went out and bought the book and read it in less than a week (big deal for me as I’m a not so well read code jockey). Funny thing is I couldn’t put it down and even stayed up late reading the Sleeping chapter. LOL

    At any rate, thanks for the post and the book. I think some people are getting the wrong picture, here. Just wanted to add my 2 cents. If you haven’t read the whole book then you don’t know the whole diet plan. It’s important you read the entire book and try the diet. I’ve been on it for nearly a month now eating fresh fruits, veggies, grass feed animals, and doing Crossfit :) I feel great, not to mention I’ve met countless people on the same diet getting excellent results. Several have even been following the diet for years.

    To me the 1000 mile view of the Paleo diet, is to be cutting out the grains along with other processed foods. To shift to more truly organic unaltered un-processed foods that are time tested and undisputed, fundamental, pillars of nutrition. As with so many things in life, when you stick with the basics, aka the fundamentals, your bound to go the right direction.

    Read the book there is plenty of scientific backing and you can easily meet your bodies nutritional requirements from the proposed diet plan.

    Thanks again Tim and Robb!

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 15th, 2010
    3:26 pm

    Well said Matt.
    My copy of booking set to arrive in November – can’t wait to read it.
    Ste get the book.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 15th, 2010
    7:29 pm

    I’m reading it at the moment :)
    But bare in mind the diet plan up there speaks for itself and is just plain ridiculous so anyone who hasn’t read it knows all they need to know. I myself don’t critique others work without good reason and without being familiar with it, but others can evaluate the diet plan above without reading this book. Basically it emphasises the wrong end of the stick and it is certainly not ‘the original human diet’..

    It amuses me reading through the comments here that people are saying that high carb diets are responsible for obesity and diabetes etc as if there are a lot of people out there on a high carb regimen. Barely anyone follows a high carb diet, they all contain a massive 20-40%+ fat and like 15-20% protein..

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 15th, 2010
    11:29 pm

    “Barely anyone follows a high carb diet, they all contain a massive 20-40%+ fat and like 15-20% protein..”

    I beg to differ. B: cereal, toast Snack: fruit Lunch: sandwich snack: fruit, vegie sticks, cake or muesli bar Dinner: meat and veg, or pasta dish or rice dish, plus a dessert
    Definitely high carb eating going on and probably high fat with low protein. Combination of high carb eating and high fat (excess calories) responsible for obesity and diabetes.

    Reply
  • Sylwester
    October 16th, 2010
    1:25 am

    @Sue “Combination of high carb eating and high fat (excess calories) responsible for obesity and diabetes.”

    Combination of high protein and high fat (EXCESS CALORIES)
    responsible for obesity and diabetes.

    Combination of high protein and high carb (EXCESS CALORIES)
    responsible for obesity and diabetes.

    You see something? All ppl are damning the evil carbs, that’s just ridiculous…

    It’s all about calories. You don’t have to eat the desert aka cheese cake (high fat and protein) for example, it’s up to YOU and not the guilt of the desert.
    If you eat too much you HAVE TO get fat! Period.

    So don’t say it’s only the carbs, there are no innocent calories of protein and fat.

    Reply
  • Ste
    October 16th, 2010
    2:14 am

    @Sue
    I suppose it depends on how we define ‘high carb’. 40-60% carbs is not high carb in my opinion. 80%+ is high carb.
    The average diet is typically 50c/30f/20p and this is ‘advised’ as being healthy by the leading health institutions (greed at work). Very few follow a truly high carb regimen, and most who do experience great results. I’d agree with you that a more even number between the fat and carb ratio (60/30/10 for example) are responsible for obesity and a contributor to diabetes, especially when including the processed junk food which seems to multiply the damage.

    @Matthk777 and Miki
    I tested my bodyfat again today and I’m now at 9.1% (average of two different readings both very close to 9%, one slightly under, one slightly over) so I’ve basically being lying – sorry! The last time I tested this was a couple of months ago. This is measured using Bioeletrical Impedance Analysis (body fat scales) and bare in mind that different body fat tests, and even different scales will yield different numbers. I suppose the point is that I’m a lean person. I shouldn’t have spouted off the 5% figure as I have done here without testing myself again. The point though is that its easy to become ripped following a healthy high carb plant based diet.
    Again, my apologies for basically lying. This number will drop once I take up proper cardio training again.

    Reply
  • bkaellner
    October 16th, 2010
    10:28 am

    Does chestnut bread work as a healthy alternative to wheat bread? Anyone have a good recipe? I’ve got loads of chestnut trees ready to be picked.

    Also, how safe is it to eat raw eggs from a small family farm? I’d prefer not to cook them if I don’t have to… it’s a pain to clean up, uses unnecessary energy, and probably reduces the nutritional value. Any advice?

    Reply
  • Cat Shuler
    October 16th, 2010
    12:18 pm

    As someone with celiac disease, I have seen enormous improvement in my health as a result of a completely gluten-free diet. I’m completely compliant and fastidious in ensuring that my food is not contaminated. (There are people who “cheat” on the diet, which makes no sense to me, but there are different levels of sensitivity.) However, there is much information touting the evils of gluten but this information is entirely lacking in rigorous scientific evidence. It disturbs and frustrates me when I see people jumping on yet another cure all bandwagon. A gluten-free lifestyle, while improving as awareness increases, is a difficult one to negotiate. It’s not just the obvious breads and pastas that must be avoided. Gluten is added to an enormous number of products including some paper coffee filters and envelope glue. But I digress. I think that it’s important that people consult a physician prior to making a radical dietary change like this. I stopped eating gluten on my own and then to get the accurate diagnosis had to start eating it again for four weeks. Celiac disease is a genetically passed autoimmune disease and needs to be overseen by a DO or MD (in my opinion and experience). Seeing a nutritionist is a good idea as well.

    As for the comment about oatmeal–oatmeal itself is gluten-free but in the US most oats are grown in close proximity to wheat fields causing some levels of cross-pollination. In other words, when you get oats grown in the US, you’re getting oats that are cross-contaminated before the manufacturing process, You can, however, get oatmeal with oats sourced from Scotland where there aren’t wheat fields to contaminate.

    On alcohol–there are several decent gluten free beers: New Grist and Bard’s Tale. (Red Bridge is terrible as are some others. You can find some gluten-free beers in the UK but they aren’t get available stateside). Also, European studies have concluded that many liquors created from gluten containing grains can still be consumed by those with celiac or gluten sensitivity/allergies because the distillation process changes the chemical make up of the gluten. As someone who is highly sensitive to gluten, I’m able to drink scotch, vodka , whiskey (though I do stay away from rye whiskey) without issue. Sadly, since beer is brewed and not distilled, it will still make you sick.

    On other gluten free cooking–millet and flax breads are excellent; rice flour is great for batter if you want to do fried chicken or something; Pamela’s Bake Mix is a great substitute for all purpose flour; most health food stores carry gluten-free soy sauce; PF Changs has a fabulous gluten-free menu; most international food stores have bulk options for getting gluten-free grains and are much cheaper than health food stores; Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have gluten-free product lines.

    Hope this is helpful for some folks. If you’d like more information, you can contact me through my website: catshuler.com

    ~Cat

    Reply
    • Sue
      November 9th, 2010
      1:30 am

      Cat, I don’t think excluding gluten from your diet will have any negative consequences. So even if people are not celiacs they can still decide to go gluten-free on their own without consulting a health practitioner. They won’t be missing out on any nutrients if they are eating meat, fish, vegies, fruits, nuts and seeds.

      Reply
      • Sue
        November 9th, 2010
        4:27 pm

        Thought I’d add this too after reading it in the comments section at Denise Minger’s site:

        Denise Minger:
        “If you’re interested in the wheat/disease/mortality links, Mark Hyman recently wrote a very good article on gluten:”
        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/gluten-what-you-dont-know_b_379089.html

        “A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and “latent” celiac disease or gluten sensitivity had a higher risk of death, mostly from heart disease and cancer.
        This study looked at almost 30,00 patients from 1969 to 2008 and examined deaths in three groups: Those with full-blown celiac disease, those with inflammation of their intestine but not full-blown celiac disease, and those with latent celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (elevated gluten antibodies but negative intestinal biopsy).
        The findings were dramatic. There was a 39 percent increased risk of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten, and 35 percent increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac disease.
        This is ground-breaking research that proves you don’t have to have full-blown celiac disease with a positive intestinal biopsy (which is what conventional thinking tells us) to have serious health problems and complications–even death–from eating gluten.”
        http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/11/01/new-interview/#comments

  • Derek
    October 16th, 2010
    4:40 pm

    Like the post, agree with most of it. Grains are bad, period. Grains have only been in the human diet since the agricultural revolution (approximately 10,000 years ago). This means that for roughly 99% of human existence on planet earth we have not ate any type of grain. Considering that humans of today are pretty much genetically identical to humans of 100,000 years ago I think it is fair to say that we have done just fine without a high diet of grains, and thus high insulin and gluten (I would say it is a safe bet that there were not too many obese individuals 30,000 years ago).
    As for people complaining about the high amount of antibiotics, salmonella, mercury, and hormones you do have a valid point, all of these toxins/disease can greatly damage your health. The goal however, should be to get these foods without such toxins. There are plenty of organic farms that grow fruits and vegetables without fertilizers (they use manure), without pesticides, and any other chemicals that could be thrown on crops. I do agree that Americans eat WAY to much meat and WAY too much bad meat. As meat I am referring to poultry too (basically any animal). Humans should follow a Hunter Gatherer diet or more accurately a Scavenger Gatherer diet. Pre-agricultural humans gained most of their calories from plants. This included vegetables, fruits, berries, roots, etc. They would munch on insects and such throughout the day and get an occasional small kill (ex rabbit) and would on rare occasions get a large kill such as a deer. So yes, try to limit the meat while eating as much fruits and vegetables as you can. Also, the meat people do eat today is awful. If you take one thing from this article do not eat meat from factory farms, fish farms, etc. Beef should be grass fed, free range, raised without antibiotics and hormones. Chicken should be free range (they do eat insects so when companies advertise 100% vegetarian fed this is not ideal) and also raised without antibiotics. Fish should be wild, but be careful in overconsumption, unfortunately our waters are so polluted that many do have high amounts of mercury. As for salmonella simply cook your food (eggs) well. Healthy fats are good so do enjoy these. Lard, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. NO vegetable oil, canola oil, cotton seed oil!!! Mushrooms (fungus) are great to eat, also mix in a lot of nuts. I recommend almonds and walnuts. Note that peanuts are a legume not a nut. I’m not a dietician but if I had to recommend I would say 70-80% of calories from vegetables and fruits, 10-20% from meats (include fish, poultry), and 10-20% from healthy fats (which do also come straight from healthy meats as well as oils and nuts).
    As a side not eat local when possible. A large percentage of fossil fuel in this country is from transporting food (about 1,500 miles of travel to your plate). Another side, about 70% of antibiotics in this country is used in meat, which in turn gets into your body. This kills normal flora (healthy bacteria that reside in your body, bacteria outnumber cells in our body 10:1) and increases the amount of general toxicity in your body. Happy health everyone!!!

    Reply
  • harmoni
    October 16th, 2010
    9:40 pm

    i would love to try this. only problem is is that i’m vegetarian. so where all the chicken and other meat options are on the weekly plan i would normally put in a meat substitute. but….. most meat substitutes, like morning star or boca burgers are made out of gluten!!! so what should i eat???

    Reply
  • Henning
    October 17th, 2010
    2:32 pm

    Diet advice from the US? Not very credible. If you were French or Japanese I might believe you.

    Ok I am only half serious.

    Reply
  • jason kennedy
    October 18th, 2010
    4:03 am

    It’s really work for me and thanks for letting us know and getting me out of problem!!!

    Reply
  • Alex
    October 19th, 2010
    9:22 am

    Here
    http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/

    your diet is different. a lot of beans and rice. also it is different from paleo diets.

    where is the truth?

    Reply
  • Sylwester
    October 19th, 2010
    9:37 am

    @Derek you are wrong with your 10.000 years ago argument

    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/revised-paleolithic-diet/

    Reply
  • Liezel
    October 19th, 2010
    7:05 pm

    Great Robb…its amazingly good..me to had the such a big problem how to platen my tummy. I really follow those diet you had it might really of great help. I’d love to have your books on it. So that i can ease my eating habit cramping for sausages and fatty food!……Thanks Robb

    Reply
  • Matt
    October 20th, 2010
    12:18 am

    Robb:

    I just noticed the comment about spicy foods. Was wondering about them just the other day. How do they fit into all of this? Good or bad? I love spicy food but am tending to lean towards bad… Yesterday I ate a spicy meal then went to do Crossfit and could feel my entire body burning from the inside.

    Do you recommend avoiding spicy foods? Or just before workouts lol Where can I learn more on this topic?

    Thanks… I really enjoyed your book! Several of my friends have bought it since. It was really well written.

    Matt

    Reply
  • joe
    October 20th, 2010
    2:17 pm

    Since you are the authority, in my opinion, on all things food/health related, I had a question for you and didn’t know where to ask it. I have been drinking yerba matte, green tea, and ‘regular’ Lipton fresh brewed teas for a while now and I have been getting bad heart burn from them, particularly green and regular. I don’t get heartburn from anything else I eat or drink and I have caffeine in coffee regularly without negative side effects as well. I want the anti-oxidant and other health benefits, but the heartburn is kinda bad. I’ve googled the symptoms and the probable causes with little luck. Is this some kind of ‘getting used to it’ period as my body purges ‘the crap’, or am I allergic and should quit drinking the stuff? If that’s the case, what are other good sources of anti-oxidants?

    Reply
  • Fred
    October 20th, 2010
    4:04 pm

    sooo…. tried the paleo diet for two days…. and I was sooooo hungry… sorry guys, my body needs more energy than paleo provides… like i said before, if you eat crap now… go for it… if you eat well… dont bother… you want to feel better… go to a gym, get a trainer and do strength training… or try a workout program like P90X… you’ll feel better

    I was telling others enthusiastically about the new diet I was going to try… interestingly I did get a blasting from someone who has celiacs… they said
    1) You can digest gluten so you don’t have a reason to stop…
    2) you should feel lucky because there are so many people who cannot eat gluten and suffer and i can eat it

    For those that haven’t read the news… journalists specifically said this one might upset paleo diet fans
    http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=news&cd=2&ved=0CDIQqQIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2FidUSTRE69H4FT20101018&ei=wHO_TJo4zZGfB7LrrYoO&usg=AFQjCNFZRvKM4xnSwNZxTNCwmZ-jg6h-hg
    Man has been eating ground up
    ‘New evidence found for flour in stone-age diet’
    Yes it’s different than our bread… point with this article is this… we have a very insignificant amount of information when it comes to prehistory. If you have notice… dates for everything keep getting pushed back… it’s completely expected that mankind’s flour making will date back further to 50 000 years (scientist quoted) and it wouldn’t surprise me if we went back even further to 100 000 years…. knowledge was passed around very slowly…. no interweb back then ;)

    @Ste
    If I am reading your point correctly… we were saying the same thing

    Reply
    • Dana
      November 5th, 2010
      9:03 pm

      I feel the same way. Tried this “paleo diet” and I think is just a get rick quick scheme. I was soo hungry and that was not the worse part. I was really aggressive, I don’t know if it was the hunger or the meat (I ate wild fish & veggies) but everything&everybody annoyed me during the diet. Also, my energy levels went down, I was sleepy all the time. I’m back to my oatmeal & I feel great!
      Anyone felt similar during this mickey-mouse diet?

      Reply
      • Sue
        November 6th, 2010
        2:31 am

        Dana, you’re full of it. You think its just a get rich quick scheme – how idiotic. You were so hungry and aggressive – goodness it must be the wild fish!! Of course your energy levels will go down you are not relying on the sugar boost from carbohydrates. You need atleast a week to adjust.

    • Sue
      November 6th, 2010
      2:28 am

      Fred, you tried it for 2 days then gave up. You body needs to adjust.

      Reply
      • Dana
        November 8th, 2010
        8:57 pm

        Dear Sue,

        I was on the frickin’ diet for a month! Also, just because someone does not agree with you, does not make them idiots. Only an idiot would think otherwise.

      • Tim Ferriss
        November 9th, 2010
        12:19 am

        Easy guys…

  • Mike Tighe
    October 21st, 2010
    4:35 pm

    Anyone have a place/book/site where I can learn more about what to look for when going to get a blood test to track this?

    This was a great read and very helpful as I’ve been (finally) making some powerful changes in what I eat.

    The next step seems to be more consistent tracking than just ‘how I feel’ so it would be great if Tim/Robb/Anyone might have some thoughts on specific markers to look at. (I read several hundred comments, but never managed to piece together a complete answer to this.)

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jessica Oliver RHN
      November 8th, 2010
      3:29 pm

      Currently conventional scratch test have been in use for many years and are a good indicator of environmental allergies with the presence of the antibody IgE.

      For more complex food intolerance the ‘ELISA’ tests have recently been developed which detect the presence of the antibodies IgA and IgG. The response to an allergen triggers the release of histamine and other chemicals. This is available throug hyour MD. Alternatively people have had good assessments through their ND and ‘muscle testing’.

      Reply
  • darc
    October 22nd, 2010
    5:40 am

    Could somebody, just once, admit that not everyone will lose weight/fat on a Paleo diet? Please?

    Fat has not “melted” off me. I am still overweight. I workout. I eat Paleo, about 85%, admittedly. But even when I did it as close to 100% as possible I still only lost a few pounds. Literally, like 7-8 pounds in 4 months. Oh yes, and I still got sick when I encounter a virus or my allergies kick in.

    Everybody does not have the same experience, and if we do not, it DOES NOT mean we are doing anything wrong or that we are secretly cheating. Everybody has a different experience because EVERY BODY is different. Please, let’s admit this so the “guilting” can stop.

    The community should stop touting Paleo as the end-all for obesity and/or disease. It’s not, and making it sound as if it is is misleading, at best, and really no better than the crap that Jillian Michael’s and her ilk spew out.

    Paleo is a wonderful, healthy way to eat and the food is delicious. Some people may experience weight/fat loss and improved overall health. For me that’s good enough, and it’s honest.

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 22nd, 2011
      10:21 pm

      Check out metabolic testing. Also, there could be other reasons why you’re not losing weight, for example, sub-clinical hypothyroid, poor sleep, medication, insulin resistance, candida overgrowth.

      Reply
  • darc
    October 22nd, 2010
    1:15 pm

    How long does it take for a comment to show up on this thread—or, if it’s taken more than 8 hours should I assume you have decided not to post it?

    If that’s the case I have to wonder why you would not allow my opinion to be presented. At tleast I spelled all the words right.

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      October 23rd, 2010
      11:31 pm

      No problem, I imagine. I just take some time to get to all the comments, as I still like to read them :)

      Tim

      Reply
  • joy
    October 22nd, 2010
    7:36 pm

    This is such an eye-opener for me. Not all healthy looking food are really healthy. They just seem so. We just have to be mindful in everything in we eat and basically do a lot of exercises in our daily routine. Self-discipline is the word.

    Reply
  • Gerard Iribe
    October 22nd, 2010
    9:34 pm

    Wait, so I can’t eat tacos or beans anymore?

    Reply
  • Sara
    October 23rd, 2010
    8:33 am

    I’m (predominantly) vegan — I *sometimes* eat dairy on my cheat day– and what I took away from this post was “no grains-no gluten.” There are hundreds of fruits and vegetables in the world so I wasn’t worry about what to eat. Moving on, I decided to try it for a month and see what happened. I’m 5’4″ and went from 114 to 110 lbs, eliminated digestion problems, and noticed a huge change in my energy level. I’m a convert and this plan is here to stay. Can’t wait to see my blood work which is scheduled in a month and I will report back. The grains/gluten I cut out were quinoa, chickpeas, lentils, homemade pasta and basmati rice. Though, I will eat these on my cheat day and have a negroni.

    For those vegis still curious about what to eat, a typical day for me goes something like this: 7.5-9 hours sleep, wake-up with warm glass of water followed by fresh juice (my favs are fresh squeezed orange or apple with ginger — you will need a fruit/veg juicer and/or hand citrus juicer), green tea, more water, whole fruit if I get hungry before lunch (whatever is in season), start lunch with a whole avocado salad, followed by cooked vegetables with olive oil or coconut oil and sea salt (something like sweet potatoes, onions and red peppers), after lunch go for a walk in the sun, more water (but not with meals), afternoon snack is more whole fruit followed by a handful of almonds, before dinner exercise/workout, dinner is cooked vegetables with olive oil or coconut oil with sea salt (something like kale, garlic and carrots), one glass of water after dinner, spend time with people I love and then off to bed.

    I really appreciated and agreed with Ravi’s post.

    Reply
  • jerome
    October 25th, 2010
    7:32 am

    Hello,

    A little over a year ago I became sensitive to sulfites (or so I have concluded). I have become so sensitive that even natural sources of sulfur give me issues (e.g. egg yolks, avocados, non-organic milk). On top of being extremely sensitive to most foods, I have acid reflux, asthma, and a nut allergy from childhood.

    Overall, my diet consists of many starches in rotation to avoid any change in sensitivity (oats, bread, rice, and potatoes). While it seems that some people have a problem losing weight, I find it difficult to maintain/gain weight.

    Where do you suggest I get my calories?

    *Also note that I am 24 years old and cook every meal, while living in South Korea.

    Reply
  • mark lester ner
    October 25th, 2010
    8:08 am

    this oen is an eye-opener. Kudos for giving suggestions in losing weight because obesity is a modern weapon of mass destruction.Imagine how many people are now trying to stave off weight and suffering from debilitating illnesses stemming from their excessive weight.
    I know people will have a great interest in reading this article and it needs to be shared of.

    Reply
  • EmBolanos
    October 27th, 2010
    10:20 am

    Pretty good article, question how about fiber? For the past 2 weeks I have been eating salads, vegetables and fruits and interesting enough I don’t get sleepy after I have dinner. Starting cross-fit in a week. Thanks and best regards

    Reply
  • Rumia
    October 29th, 2010
    11:53 am

    Hi Tim!

    Thanx a lot for your valuable information sharing.
    I will go with that trial diet cause I want to loose a lot of weight for before belly dance compatiotion.
    Tim please advise, how can I faster my weight loss?

    And before I haven’t been eating about three weeks at all except water and tea with lemon. And now I have to fix my skin) What to do? BUT Guys I’m stupid that crushed myself by this because I’m perfectly gaining these 10 kilos again!!!!

    Better to keep diet than not to aet at all!

    Reply
  • renee
    October 29th, 2010
    10:42 pm

    Hi Tim,

    I’ve been thinking about this information from several different viewpoints.

    1. My QiGong teacher Zhu Xilin, once reminded me the importance of “noticing how each food I consume makes me feel” and not just the in the momentary mmmm….delicious kind of feeling or the sugar rush feeling, but the sustained energy kind of feeling. “If it feels bad,” Zhu said “don’t eat it.” “If it feels good and tonifying to the whole system eat it, but pay attention before you shove it in your mouth, remember how you felt the last time” It’s challenging maintain this awareness to the sometimes subtle clues the body give regarding energy.

    2. An elements I see lacking in this article and in many of your blog posts re: nutrition is the emotional element. It’s all good and well to know the science behind food consumption and digestion, its a whole other thing to make long-term sustained habit changes.

    I’ve finally gotten honest with myself re: the how it has happened that I find myself 80lbs overweight. Repressed anger stemming from my parents separation and subsequent divorce I was 14-16 and I just started padding on weight to protect myself from all the hurt and anger I felt. My mom died of cancer at age 42 and my dad was killed in a car accident age 55. Every time I came up for air from the sea of grief and trauma I experienced some new profound shitty thing happened, and I, in my unconscious folly, exercised less (everything, my whole body hurt) and ate more comfort foods.

    I share this perspective because, I feel like I’m ready to make that sustained effort to treat my body as a temple and tend it with the care it deserves. I feel blessed that it has brought me this far in relative ease and health. It wasn’t until I was ready to confront those issues of anger and abandonment that I could really pay attention to what was happening to my body.

    My change in perspective has as much to do with curiosity, (what can this body really do, how good can I feel, what does my inner athlete want to thrive, what great things can I do if I’m not lugging around this extra weight and the shame of unworthiness that comes with it.) as it does about shedding excess physical baggage and getting healthier.

    Your blog article along with the work of Derek Sivers have inspired me to look again within myself and discover what inspires me and how I might invest my time and energy differently. I realize if I want to work in the theater all this extra weight is truly holding me back, it is exhausting to lug around this much extra weight not to mention makes me self-conscious.

    Unfortunately, it seems I needed some external desire to strive for, something bigger than my own survival to help me begin to make changes.

    I hope your new book addresses some of the emotional component as well as chemical and if not that you will consider writing about this element in a future article.

    While I realize people get so fed up with feeling crappy or health has deteriorated to the point that life hangs in the balance and these are the times when people make magnificent lifestyle changes. They simply do what must be done in order to return to better health. But what about the people who are not in such a precarious situation, people like myself who’s comfort comes in the form of a jelly doughnut or mashed potato’s or home baked bread. What do you say to those of us who know we need to make changes, but the stoic, mind over matter model will crumble if built on the weak foundation of emotional dis-ease.

    Relating directly to my experience of low carb diet: I’ve used the Zone method in the past and my Naturopath recommend either the Paleo diet for me at one point. This is the method I’ve been striving for the past few weeks. When I eat less carbs and I only eat ones that feel good and I consume clean meats; I notice my energy level improves, I actually digest food, my emotions are more stable, I can focus easier and for sustained periods of time and I simply feel better. This should be reason enough to make and maintain healthy changes. Alas, experience tells me there is more to it than sheer will; more like “reason to live”.

    Thanks again for the inspiration to begin again this journey!

    -Renee

    Reply
    • Rumia
      October 31st, 2010
      10:09 pm

      Hi Renee,

      You are REALLY BRAVE!
      Thank you for being SO!

      You will succed in your life… for sure!

      My best wishes and respect!

      Rumiya

      Reply
    • EAD
      December 22nd, 2011
      10:23 pm

      For the emotional aspect, have you read The Gabriel Method?

      Reply
  • Jeff
    October 30th, 2010
    5:31 am

    Steve Nash the NBA star has credited his career longevity to a gluten-free diet.

    Reply
  • 20 Things I’ve Learned From Traveling Around the World for Three Years
    October 30th, 2010
    7:08 am

    [...] recent guest post from Robb Wolf created something of a religious war between meat-eaters and vegetarians. The comments — 816 [...]

  • Jim
    October 30th, 2010
    9:02 am

    Hi Tim,
    You often refer to blood testing. I may have missed this in the post, but what are we looking to measure with these tests?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      October 30th, 2010
      1:27 pm

      Hi Jim,

      Nothing in this post (the blood part is not necessary to measure in this case), but I’ll be getting into more of this soon.

      All the best,

      Tim

      Reply
  • Joe
    October 30th, 2010
    12:53 pm

    I made it 21 days gluten free and I felt mostly good – eczema & digestion improved – and I still don’t want to live that way because it isn’t realistic. I got too skinny, got depressed, was always hungry and spent TONS of time cooking and washing dishes. For me, moderation remains the way.

    Reply
  • Anthony Hoang
    October 30th, 2010
    5:50 pm

    I think the paleo solution and argument for and against it have one common flaw. They don’t think about general happiness derived from food. I understand a lot of fast food can make you happy in the short run by increasing blood sugar etc. But this denies that fact that some food that contains grains/wheat just taste good. If we are going back to cavemen diets, it is rejecting the culinary refinement that we as a human race has had. What is the point of life if we have to live by such strict rules? A lot of things we do is bad for our bodies. We live our lives in constant risk. Why is gluten such a big fear? Think about how much of life we will not experience by living this diet. You travel to Japan, just to eat Sashimi and not try some of the best ramen in the world? You go to New York and not try New York Pizza?

    Last point. If you are thinking about having a paleo diet, you are well off financially. Poor people don’t have this luxury. You go to a 3rd world country and tell them to go gluten free and they will think you are insane. You know how expensive going paleo can be?

    Can’t we just live a balanced life with wholesome food and lots of exercise?

    Reply
  • Janine
    October 30th, 2010
    7:40 pm

    No doubt I will cop flack for this but here goes anyway. Nobody seems to want to discuss the esoteric component of this argument. Surely we don’t have our heads so far into science that we discount all else? My understanding is that gluten directly blocks the light of the soul from entering into the body. How can anybody be healthy when they are not functioning without the aid of their firey energetic origin? This is just wonderful to see the science and intellect catching up. No doubt that those that argue against it are those resisting being in their hearts and feeling the truth.

    Reply
  • Severe
    October 30th, 2010
    7:44 pm

    Interesting and well written, but considering how long these grains have been in our diet it makes me wonder – how is it possible that these things make us sick? Bread and pasta have long been filling foods for entire civilizations that have certainly not died out.

    I feel compelled to echo many vegetarian’s thoughts – if you don’t want feces in your food, not eating factory farmed meat is a great start.

    I did enjoy this and am now compelled to research it more, so thanks!

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 22nd, 2011
      10:28 pm

      It works both ways. Meat has been consumed since Adam and Eve fell from grace…before bread. Yes, most meat is now processed but, so are bread/grain products. The fact is, gluten/celiac is medically documented, even in the allopathic circles.

      Reply
  • Michal Mitrega
    October 31st, 2010
    5:21 am

    It seems that what we have here are 2 fractions: no animal products vs no grains and dairy. Both of them are right yet they fight with each other. There seems to be almost no data on these diets because the mechanisms are pretty complex and what is doing harm in one way can do good in another. Therefore you cannot prove the other party wrong.

    Personally, I only eat fruits, vegetables and fish plus B12 and D vitamins. It seems right because I feel much better then before. It is only by feeling what is going on inside you that you can say what works for you.

    Reply
  • Soul Patel
    October 31st, 2010
    6:59 am

    Renee – I admire you for being so open and honest in your post. I had to respond to your words about a weak foundation because I have felt that way at times too…

    “What do you say to those of us who know we need to make changes, but the stoic, mind over matter model will crumble if built on the weak foundation of emotional dis-ease.”

    …and these words from Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art” have always inspired me:

    “Remember, the part of us that we imagine needs healing is not the part we create from; that part is far deeper and stronger. The part we create from can’t be touched by anything our parents did, or society did. That part is unsullied, uncorrupted; soundproof, waterproof, and bulletproof. In fact, the more troubles we’ve got, the better and richer that part becomes.”

    That’s the foundation we come from. From there we can build anything we really want to.

    Reply
  • Andy
    October 31st, 2010
    12:28 pm

    Great post! I just want to add that Mark Sisson from the site Mark’s Daily Apple made a post about fermented foods and how adding some of those to your diet can lessen the bad effects of grain/lactose. I followed the research and it’s pretty solid, like researchers in an academic setting are trying to create pro-biotics that could give us the good bacteria found in fermented foods.

    Tim, do you have any opinion on fermented foods? So many comments, if you don’t reply no big deal

    Reply
  • Sue
    October 31st, 2010
    3:11 pm

    Anthony, “Can’t we just live a balanced life with wholesome food and lots of exercise?” Not if gluten is causing you issues – you remove it from your diet. Any other healthful behaviours you practice may lessen the impact of grains but they would still be affecting your health negatively in some way.

    Andy, fermented foods are good. One could remove the gluten, heal the gut using supplements and fermented foods and then re-introduce gluten and see if any issues. You may be okay for a while but it takes time for gluten to damage gut. Some may experience acute symptoms whilst others have chronic low-grade symptoms that cause slow damage over time.

    Reply
  • Lisa
    October 31st, 2010
    11:12 pm

    FWIW-
    I have Multiple Sclerosis. I have been tested for gluten tolerance, and surprise- it’s negative!

    Nonetheless, I thrive on a Paleo diet just because it gives me the most bang for the buck, especially because I also have to watch my caloric intake due to lessened activity. I find when I “cheat” or “fall off the wagon”, the weight comes back right away. My biggest vice, though, is wine. Anyway, the Paleo stuff works for me.

    Luckily, I still do as much Yoga as I can. I started Yoga at age 12,(I’m 52, now). In the end, I think that’s what’s going to keep me most mobile.

    I’m also a huge fan of Michael Pollan. Paleo fits in there, and, if you keep your portions reasonable, weight shouldn’t be a big issue.

    I only started reading 4HWW today, and I’m totally ready to take the plunge!

    Thanks, Tim!

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 22nd, 2011
      10:32 pm

      There are several different methods for testing gluten/celiac and not all reliable.

      Reply
  • Jeff Pritchard
    November 1st, 2010
    12:26 am

    As a source of information (raw data), the internet is simply mind-boggling in its breadth and depth. As a source of knowledge or wisdom (pre-digested data), however, it sums to zero. There is truth and falsehood in roughly equal amounts, and no viable way to determine which is which.

    Nowhere is this unfortunate fact more visible than in health related topics. Part of the reason for this is that even peer reviewed medical “science” is wrong more than it is right. The science is deeply flawed and the opinion that follows on its heels is completely random.

    There are only two relevant things to be found here…and one of them is HUGE! One of them is an idea, the other is a tidbit of wisdom that is oh so lacking in humans in general and has been further reduced by the huge pile of free opinion called the internet.

    The idea I refer to is not a new one, but is something that has worked for some people (gluten elimination), and is thus worthy of mention. It won’t work for everyone, but it will work wonders for some…which brings me to the really HUGE thing mentioned above.

    Both here and in his 4HWW stuff, Tim advocates for personal experimentation. I believe this is the single most important thing in all of his teachings. Don’t assume that anybody has the answer you seek. Don’t assume that everything that has worked for somebody will work for you.

    But for crying out loud…FIND OUT! Try it and see. Be your own laboratory and your own scientist. Try things that seem safe, and see if they work for you. As Tim suggests, measure things that will tell you if it is working or not.

    Lemmings suffer a lot. Don’t be a lemming.

    Reply
  • Kevin B
    November 1st, 2010
    9:37 am

    The comments about our slightly pointy cuspid teeth “proving” we’re carnivorous are laughable. Check out the fangs on a gorilla, which put ours to shame. Yet gorillas are entirely vegan, unless you count the tiny amount of animal protein they consume accidentally from insects and such that happen to be clinging to their real food, leaves. How about orangutans? They’re even more vegan than gorillas, if that is possible. Yet they also sport an impressive set of fangs that puts ours to shame.

    Anybody here can Google “gorilla teeth”. Take a look at a few photos. Then come back and tell us all again how “carnivorous” our pathetic cuspids make us look.

    Reply
    • Rumia
      November 2nd, 2010
      12:04 am

      Kevin, you are awesome!!!! :) ha ha ha…keep going!

      Reply
  • Jared
    November 1st, 2010
    4:48 pm

    @Kevin B

    First of all, you are looking at one tree, saying, this is a pine tree, and then concluding that there are no oak trees in the whole forest. Not only are you doing that, but you are completely misclassifying the pine tree.

    One, you are relying on a very naive ‘look’ of teeth to decide whether or not gorillas have teeth more adept at eating meat. The difference is not in how ‘scary’ teeth are, the difference is in the flatness of our teeth. Gorillas, chimps, orangatans all have much flatter molars and pre-molars than us.

    Beyond that, it is a preponderance of evidence that shows we evolved as meat eaters. From the energy needs of our large brains, to our short digestive system. From our inability to synthesize B12, the amino acids found in animal products, or essential fatty acids found in animal products (which we have terrible conversion for from plant sources). Gorillas, orangatans and chips all have colons over twice as big as ours for converting plant cellulose into energy rich fats. Also, all of these animals eat their own shit, probably to get more nutrition out of their foods. Do you eat your own shit?

    Anyway, it’s pretty abundantly clear that humans have evolved eating meat. Talking about how scary gorilla teeth are will not change this.

    Reply
  • CR
    November 2nd, 2010
    12:30 pm

    This Article has knocked the heck out of eating bread or grains for that matter. I have tried to quit cravings and lose weight and I am at a point in my life where I am not feeling too great about my self. I have Low Self-esteem, Suicidal thoughts on anti depressant drugs and with arthritis and asthma not to mention the chronic Bronchitis and spitting up constant phlegm; Oh did I mention that I have acid reflux.

    Well just from reading your article and then the diet I want to know more and I also want to get rid of 80 lbs as I would be much happier to be thin again instead of unpleasantly plump at my age. I have done the Scars Dale Diet and lost great amounts of weight on that before but now I have no ambition to do that as it seems to be ok while you stay on it but to completely change your eating to a healthier life style makes more sense to me.

    In one month I will get back to you and let you know my results. From this day forward I no longer want to have anything to do with wheat, whole grains, or dairy. I will drink filtered water, herbal teas, and stay away from sugar. I am so tired of this rollercoaster. Wish me luck.

    Casey

    Reply
  • Joshua
    November 2nd, 2010
    1:42 pm

    There are more anti-nutritional substances in wheat than gluten, so if you think that if you are not gluten intolerant that you can eat wheat, you need to do some more research.

    Here are two interesting papers by Sayer Ji:

    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/page/dark-side-wheat-new-perspectives-celiac-disease-wheat-intolerance-sayer-ji
    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/content/opening-pandoras-bread-box-critical-role-wheat-lectin-human-disease

    Reply
  • Chris
    November 2nd, 2010
    2:15 pm

    I’ve been a pescetarian for 6+ years now, and a crossfitter for about 1 1/2 years. After reading this post, I decided to try a Paleo/Pescetarian diet for 30 days. Within the first two weeks, I blew through my max on all lifts, and I felt like I was hitting a new gear in my workouts.

    It’s very hard to be Paleo & Pescetarian at the same time, having only fish & eggs (omega 3 enriched) as your main protein sources, but I have made it work. 5 weeks in, I am feeling better than ever, and I will not be going back.

    At 36 years old, I am in better shape than I was when I was a 19 year-old Div I college athlete…

    Thanks Rob & Tim!

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 22nd, 2011
      10:37 pm

      Very encouraging post Chris!

      Reply
  • Rob
    November 3rd, 2010
    5:11 am

    Hmm… I’m going to have to look into if there is any way to mix this diet with the Macrobolic Nutrition diet. Looks like it might not be possible.

    Reply
    • Mike
      November 3rd, 2010
      1:19 pm

      Two+ weeks ago I commented on my two week success with Paleo/primal. Today Richard Nikoley recently posted an article on my one month success. I figured I would post this here in case anybody was interested in an n=1 experiment on the results of a paleo/primal diet and corresponding exercise.

      http://freetheanimal.com/2010/11/real-paleo-results-amazing-what-a-month-can-do.html

      I wonder if anybody else took Robb and Tim’s challenge to try it for 30 days? Maybe you should have.

      Reply
  • Real Paleo Results: Amazing What a Month Can Do | Free The Animal
    November 3rd, 2010
    12:26 pm

    [...] got an email about a month ago from Mike calling attention to Robb Wolf's guest post of sorts at Tim Ferriss' blog that's essentially a lengthy excerpt from Robb's book, The Paleo [...]

  • William Mandell
    November 4th, 2010
    1:20 pm

    I must chime in about three observations.

    1: PLEASE – go to the mall , any mall, in America. You will see what grain+sugar+dairy has done.

    2: Vegetarians: I have yet to see a female vegetarian with any decent muscle mass. The ones Ive observed are ‘skinny fat’. That is, they are Skinny, but when you squeeze them, its fat, not muscle.

    3: I have been to the furthest outback possible, areas of Afghanistan where the people have not seen a ‘foreigner’ EVER. These people have no electricity, running water and are IN FACT as CLOSE to being CAVE-MEN as possible. Here is my observation:

    They live to be OLD, not 30 years. With little to no medicine!
    They EAT vegetables and meat and a little fruit when available and are on a VERY low calorie diet because that is just the way it is.
    They are VERY strong lb for lb and skinny, somewhat lean (not spartans!)

    IF they only ate meat, theyd be dead, vegetables – dead, if we fed them a Double Quarter pounder with large fry and milk shake, I dont know what would happen, but IM SURE it wouldnt be pretty!

    Eat Lean protein and veggies.

    Reply
  • Jimmy C
    November 5th, 2010
    9:27 am

    So many passionate opinions. As a student I’m prone to ignoring sources, so I’m going to take the post at face value. Try it for a month, I don’t think it’ll kill you. And if you feel better, keep trying it. Your overall well-being depends on so many different variables, but what’s the harm in seeing what works for you?

    I’ve suffered with sinus infections for 5 years now, and never really committed to trying a gluten-free diet, but this post is enough for me to give it a shot. It would be nice to not be clogged up and pissed off about it for a while. Any other resources for getting rid of chronic f-ed up sinuses?

    Reply
    • Sue
      November 6th, 2010
      2:43 am

      Give it a go Jimmy but don’t do it for 2 days only like some previous commenters and then call the diet a failure.
      I really think going gluten-free will help with the sinus infections.

      Reply
  • Minerva
    November 7th, 2010
    6:22 pm

    Fascinating info about what gluten is and what it does to the human body. Thank you, Tim Ferriss and Robb Wolfe, for the time and hard work you’ve put into posting this information and responding to comments and questions. Like many people I’ve struggled with some health issues (especially depression and weight) for many years and have tried everything — everything except a gluten-free diet. I knew nothing about it. So this is a new beginning for me. But I have a lot of sorrow/conscience issues about eating animals — even though I absolutely love the taste of steak etc etc etc. and have done NeanderThin and other paleo/primal diets from time to time, very yummy but I can’t get over the guilt and depression. Ambivalent c’est moi :( Can either of you address this matter of carnivore guilt? I’m so weary of my guilt complex. Anyway, so I’m trying the raw vegan thing in combination with gluten-free. This basically means veggies and fruits. It’s making me feel better already and I will continue the experiment for at least 2 months. In the meantime, I would seriously appreciate your opinion about “The Protein Myth” a la Tim Van Orden (which I found from a comment posted here). I’m not a nutritionist, so it’s impossible really to decide what’s what. Thank you (both, and also thanks to those who took the time to comment here).

    Reply
  • Jessica Oliver RHN
    November 8th, 2010
    3:22 pm

    Perhaps what is known today as allergy is actually the symptoms of slow poisoning. Poison by definition is, “any substance, when ingested, inhaled or absorbed or when applied to, injected int, or developed within the body, in relatively small amounts, by its chemical action, may cause disturbance of function or damage to structure”.

    Why are Milk, egg and wheat in their current forms causing this reaction? Consider what has fundamentally been changed in each. Is allergy a symptom of an immune system imbalance or the result of being slowly poisoned?

    I question how industrial food production has fundamentlly altered traditional foods which mankind has relied on through out our history. I suspect many current health concerns are related to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics and genetic modification.

    Reply
  • Sue
    November 9th, 2010
    1:05 am

    Dana said:
    “I was on the frickin’ diet for a month! Also, just because someone does not agree with you, does not make them idiots. Only an idiot would think otherwise.”

    Dana, I didn’t call you an idiot. I said that your comment that this diet is just a quick rich scheme is idiotic. I did say you were full of it because you just sounded so rude.

    Reply
  • Kryss
    November 9th, 2010
    6:58 pm

    Interesting information. Thank you for posting it all. I switched to a primarily raw diet back in June and I noticed great improvements in how I felt, energy level, and digestive ease (i.e. I experience a significant decrease in bloating and gas and just that heavy funky feeling). One thing that might also be useful in your sample diet, is to soak nuts for at least 5 hours before eating them. It helps make the nutrients more bio-available and even easier on the digestive system.

    On the other hand, I just started watching the National Geographic series, “Guns, Germs & Steel” and the whole first episode discussed how the domestication of these grains were integral in the development of agriculture and civilizations. I don’t dispute that they are damaging to the body, I just think it’s interesting that they are at the foundations of the great civilizations.

    Reply
  • LG
    November 9th, 2010
    7:03 pm

    I’m also a nutritionist.

    To throw a monkeywrench into the discussion, have you seen the twinkie diet? http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=Sbin
    “once he added meat, his cholesterol levels went up” – CNN

    I’m not an advocate for any diet. Just healthy eating with as much food in natural state and as little processed food as humanly possible. Most do very well on that.. and there’s no need to worry about getting too much/ not enough of anything.

    Reply
  • Jeff
    November 10th, 2010
    12:51 pm

    I’ve cut out most of this still about a year ago and I’ve been feeling much better than before.

    For breakfast, a very quick meal that I make is a protein shake with Coconut milk, 2 raw organic eggs, 1/2 a banana and a scoop of protein powder (peanut butter flavoured). It’s super fast and tastes delicious.

    Reply
  • Theo Lopes Garcia
    November 13th, 2010
    3:57 pm

    This post did not come up on Google reader, my RSS reader and neither did few other posts.

    Any trouble ?

    Reply
  • John Marlow
    November 14th, 2010
    3:56 am

    See this is one of the things that’s just bugging me about this country. Really bugging me. Americans have become these great big ‘fraidy cats. Afraid of everything. Everything’s got to be sterile and germ-free. Well everybody needs to grow up… You’ve just got to step back and look at the big picture… It’s a sad fact of life, but the truth is, we all have to eat a little sh*t from time to time.

    –Harry, in Fast Food nation

    Harry’s views are not my own. Fascinating post. Who knew?

    Reply
  • Satsiri Winberg
    November 16th, 2010
    12:27 am

    Hey Tim and All !

    My contribution to the vegetarian/vegan debate.

    Great work! As always. I am a lacto-vegetarian verging on the vegan side. So that means no meat, fish or eggs. I try to limit my dairy intake. I think there are alot of us out there who really love your work but there is no real provision for us “veggies” in your strategy, at least not a comprehensive solution so I do look forward to the 2 chapters you mentioned above.

    A awesome solution to the infinite debate on “to kill or not to kill animals for consumption” would simply to have two menu’s / daily plans. One for “meaties” and one for “veggies”.

    As far as the evolutionary argument goes though (hmm those sharp teeth). Well or conciousness is not actually subject to evolution (it has a heavy impact, but is not the be all and end all), evolution is actually subject to our consciousness and the choses we make everyday. Dont be fooled that you cannot change evolution, the very word itself tells you that you can evolve, you can change and change does not need to be something threatening, it can be amazing, fulfilling and can also make you super human. Your choice every body.

    How about a cool blog post or section where we/you can crowd source the ultimate vegan daily menu that builds, nourishes and makes you “super human” (without eating those animals, just teasing, no judgement, I used to love my animal protein once upon a time :-)

    And then one menu with the meaty stuff and everyones happy.

    that was easy.

    Enjoy!

    ps. Sorry if some of this has been covered already I havent read through the entire site… yet!

    Reply
  • Jeff
    November 16th, 2010
    7:23 am

    A very compelling post, right in line with what I’ve read from others (Sisson, Gegoudas, Weston Price Foundation, etc.). However, you mention the deleterious effects of corn and dairy but go into no detail on those. I, for one, consume dairy raw from grass-fed cows from my local farm; I make it into yogurt. Dairy has been used this way by cultures for thousands of years, and since it contains no gluten, I’m wondering why it’s mentioned in the context of grains. I’d love to see a follow-up to this piece.

    Reply
  • Iva
    November 16th, 2010
    2:53 pm

    Gluten can also lead to infertility and gluten intolerance is one of the common causes of ‘unexplained infertility’. However according to the Nurse’s Health Study from Harvard, women who got their protein from vegetable sources (as opposed to animal sources) were less likely to suffer from ovulatory infertility (for ex. PCOS) then those who predominantly ate animal protein. There is a lot to be said about gluten and dairy but on the same token animal based diets are also not ideal. Not to mention the modern farming, animal suffering, environmental consequences and water pollution…I think back when our ancestors lived, killing one animal for the tribe was sustainable — modern farming is not. David Wolfe and the raw food movement may hold the key to the solution that can work for us and for the environment not to mention the animals. Iva

    Reply
  • Marissa
    November 16th, 2010
    3:50 pm

    I’m a fit 20-year-old female. As a woman, I find myself complaining about having days where I “feel fat,” which have no correlation to amount of exercise I do. I feel sluggish and bloated. After reading this article, I thought I would give it a shot: there is nothing to lose, and only knowledge to gain from trying.

    I’m on day 18. First of all, my body feels good. I thought I felt fine before, but now I feel GOOD. I had never realized there was a significant difference. Second, I am happier. I have more energy to do things and get more out of doing them. I’ve been battling depression over the last year, and thought it was due to my medications. Thank goodness I tried a change in diet before going off my pills! I’ve also lost 5 pounds… this was a surprise benefit!

    The most amazing thing is that it’s not that difficult to do. I’m on a college student’s budget, I adore bagels and pasta, and am known for baking sweet goodies regularly… I lived off grains. I thought it was going to be impossible for me to last the 30 days on this diet. The first week was both tricky and educational for learning which foods to avoid. I whined to my boyfriend about wanting dinner rolls and Luna bars. Now, something shocking has happened: I’m not craving them. I even went down the gluten-free aisle of my local Whole Foods store, stared at the variety of baked goods for a good ten minutes, waiting for something to catch my eye, and walked away. I genuinely didn’t want those things anymore. That is incredible.

    Call it a placebo effect. Call it whatever you’d like. But I’ve found something (thanks, Tim and Robb!) that makes me feel good. It’s not illegal, it’s not bad for the environment, and it doesn’t harm others… so why make a big fuss over it?

    Reply
  • Tim McGuire
    November 18th, 2010
    8:45 pm

    Hey Tim and Robb,

    It is amazing how much negativity and resistance people with whom I share this give when suggesting the possibility that you could be on to something. I even put someone onto this article who discounted it just because of the writing style/ voice! I put it down to the fact that people generally don’t like change and the majority are pessimists (Tim – have you read Learned Optimism by Martin Seligmann? – former president of the APA). It’s like it is too good to be true. Hell, it’s not that great when you have to sacrifice so much (damn you ice cream store in Oriental Bay). Unfortunately, I’m finding and experiencing plenty of real world indicators that support this. And it isn’t like I’m not educated in the fields of exercise physiology and nutrition.

    I’ve just come across a case where a woman with endometriosis has got herself symptom free and now has two kids (obviously this predates your blog). She tried wheat-free and diary-free on seperate occasions and got slight improvements. Upon elimination of both, her health improved greatly and no longer feels pain and has normal periods. Her skin problems and blinding migraines have also disappeared.

    Personally, I’ve been attempting paleo for a couple of months. It’s bloody hard to do it 100%! So far I’ve pretty much eliminated the following niggles:

    - IBS (til diagnosis, I seriously thought blood every now and then was normal)
    - Asthma
    - Fatigue (because I’m an undisciplined dumbarse, I still get tired. But I don’t get that fatigue that never leaves you anymore)
    - Headaches several times a week
    - Losing fat at around 1kg a week
    - Maintaining FFM/ muscle mass while having a break from weight training

    On top of this, in the last few days I’ve started avoiding soy altogether and am now trying to ween myself off the typical Kiwi coffee addiction.

    My 2 and 3 year old boys are diary and wheat free. They still have rice – something I hope to deal to. Anywho, they don’t shit like sheep now (which is good cos for a bit I thought they could be Aussies) and eat around twice my daily volume (I eat a lot more protein though). They no longer have ecsema, their glue-ear is dissipating, they’ve grown three inches each (diagnosed not coeliac), sleep solidly, don’t look bloated (you know how kids do), they don’t have constant runny noses or chesty coughs and heaps more. I just have to stop them from beating the crap out of each other.

    This is inspiring me and I am going to look into doing some postgrad research into some niche area of the matter.

    Any suggestions on the exercise science/ prescription side?

    Reply
    • LG
      November 19th, 2010
      6:37 am

      Hi, Tim M.
      Nice to meet you. I have a masters’ in Ex Phys from UMD. What about how people perform on the paleo diet vs regular (50% carbs) while training for short, intermediate, and long distance running events. How is muscle glycogen and performance affected.

      Reply
  • Tim McGuire
    November 18th, 2010
    8:47 pm

    oh, and i really don’t feel like wheat anymore. can’t say the same about diary. oh it’s a curse being a Kiwi

    Reply
  • Gruesome
    November 19th, 2010
    4:27 pm

    Holy guacamole! This post has stirred up a maelstrom. What all the but-I’m-not-sick’ers don’t yet understand is the simple fact that the supremely intelligent homeostatic and immuno-endocrine systems of the human body do everything possible to beat back the phytochemical onslaught of ingested grains, and for a time are surprisingly successful. But the continuous attack from a grain-rich diet over 20 or 30 years eventually overwhelms the Alamo, and the enemy gains entry into the fort in early middle age, ergo diabesity, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and other “age-related” stuff, which curiously appear almost simultaneously.

    SIDEBAR: Much of the evil wrought by ingested grain is made worse by poor toilet habits. Just as there is a paleo way to eat, there is also a paleo way to evacuate your GI tract. Most paleo dieters neglect this very crucial knowledge, and go on to report digestive problems, even after adopting their newfound lifestyle. See http://www.naturesplatform.com and redesign your toilet lifestyle.

    Reply
  • Gabriel
    November 20th, 2010
    3:45 pm

    I’m in pretty good shape, but i’m a black guy who is verging on diabetes…I want to try to this diet, but it basically says you can only eat meat, vegetables, and fruit. That’s nuts…My question is, is there any allowance? Can you go cold turkey and then just eat the occasional beans, and sweets infrequently? It seems like everyone these days is trying to say everything we eat is evil…but i’ve found that everything is fine in moderation :/

    So…cut out all of it? or have a little?

    I’m on day 5 of this diet attempting to go for a month to see if there are any REAL effects…

    Reply
  • Jared
    November 21st, 2010
    7:33 pm

    @heuristic

    There’s nothing neurotic about eating like the original homo sapiens sapiens.

    Second, you confused causation with correlation in the Nurse’s health study. Eating those nuts was correlated with health benefits, not a cause. Besides the fact that peanuts a ‘nut’ per se, there is really no reason to believe nuts are any special kind of food.

    Besides, eating a few peanuts is probably not going to make or break anyone, assuming you have good gut health and a healthy immune system. Robb Wolf would probably agree. But I think the point here is to make it easy to see what kind of problems people have by cutting them out for a month. The only neurotic thing is to refuse to try giving up peanuts for a month. It’s not that hard.

    Reply
  • Choosing Paleo for Weight Loss? Here's My Story.
    November 21st, 2010
    10:26 pm

    [...] 3 months ago I was reading Tim Ferris’s 4-Hour Work Week Blog. That day he had a post titled How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream (or Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days), I thought to myself, wow that’s gross… I gotta read this and so began my journey on the [...]

  • Brendan
    November 22nd, 2010
    6:44 am

    My two cents:

    I am a college student and I just discovered this website. I really wish I had of known about this site/book years ago, it would have definitely helped a lot. Efficiency is a constant battle for me but one I am convinced worth fighting. Reading everything here is probably not helping that much but one battle at a time. Also when I see a post about keeping feces out of your bloodstream I am compelled to read it.

    I have tried low carb diets and they work. Plain and simple. Cutting carbs will get you ripped fast if you workout hard. When I have reintroduced carbs (read caved in and binged on cake and cookies) I feel horrible and have a huge distended belly for a day. I have found that carbs stress my system.

    As far as dairy goes though I have some questions. Paleo diets are based on natural process of our bodies as evolution has formed them. The source of nutrition for infants is milk. Mammals produce milk to feed their young. It seems that feeding your young a toxic form of nutrition would not make evolutionary sense. I realize that many people are lactose-intolerant but for the rest of us it seems that milk would be a perfect source of nutrition. How do these two sides balance out?

    Just an interesting consideration.

    Hope it was helpful

    Reply
  • heuristic
    November 22nd, 2010
    6:48 am

    @Jared Well I don’t see my comment on the blog so maybe it was deleted after you got it by RSS (and if that’s the case then we’re obviously not engaged in a fair discussion of the merits of Robb Wolf’s dietary program).

    You are the one who is confused. I wasn’t talking about dropping cereals for 30 days.

    I was responding to his claim that peanuts are “highly atherogenic” and that peanuts in the diet is comparable to taking cocaine. I pointed out that the “highly atherogenic” comment is meaningless because there are no numbers relating to human risk, just a result where a bunch of rats were overfed peanut oil. His claim is not supported by the science and therefore is not a medical opinion. It is an Internet marketing “opinion.” It discredits his claim to be a doctor and in turn it discredits Tim Ferrisss for publishing such foolishness.

    You are putting words into his mouth by saying that he wouldn’t care about small amounts of peanuts.. What he SAID is that it is like cocaine (at which point I expect someone to take the cowardly way out by saying “it was just a joke”).

    So no rational reason has been given here to refrain from eating peanuts and sadly it makes one skeptical of anything else published here.

    Reply
  • heuristic
    November 22nd, 2010
    6:53 am

    @Jared One other thing: how do you know whether “the original homo sapiens sapiens” ate groundnuts or not? It is superstitious bullshit to invoke such a “standard” in the absence of any evidence.

    Reply
  • Tony
    November 22nd, 2010
    1:15 pm

    Well there’s been a lot of comments already, but I wanted to put my 2 cents in. You see I was a vegetarian for over 20 years, and five weeks ago I started eating meat again, and have never felt better. I originally made the move to the vegetarian diet as a serious amateur triathlete around 1990, I mean Dave Scott (aka The Man), was vegan for goodness sake! After 20 years of it I have come to the conclusion that my vegetarian diet seriously damaged my health. Having recently read Robb’s book I was stunned that his story could practically have been my own – it just took me a lot longer to figure out what my problem was. I have written a fairly lengthy article on my experiences on my blog (http://www.regardsfromthebalcony.com/2010/11/the-easy-way-to-lose-fat-fast-and-dramatically-improve-your-health.html). If you are currently a vegetarian please have a read, as I am convinced you may be damaging your health severely. I’d also be interested to hear if people who switched back to eating meat experienced the same benefits I did. All the best!

    Reply
    • Sue
      November 22nd, 2010
      3:42 pm

      Tony, thanks for sharing your sotry. I wish you all the best.

      Reply
    • Sue
      November 22nd, 2010
      3:42 pm

      Tony, thanks for sharing your story. I wish you all the best.

      Reply
  • Joe
    November 22nd, 2010
    2:35 pm

    Robb!

    I really enjoy your books. I have read several Paleo books. I couldn’t explain myself why I didn’t pick your book up?

    Love the sign language part on bulls*it in ur book. Lol. It took me 0.5 second to recognize since American Sign Language is my native language.

    However, I got a question. Going Paleo for a week, I notice a change in my stool. It is more of pellets. Is it normal? Also, I am having difficult time get it out. I also note myself that I need to drink more water. My intake of vegetables have increase big time.

    Will it continue to change as you said it take 14 days to adapt.

    I am using my stools as my feedback mechanism.

    Thanks for taking a huge step to help us life better, Robb.

    Reply
  • Angela
    November 22nd, 2010
    8:08 pm

    Hi
    I have an enquiry about if there could be any relation between gluten and hayfever allergys.

    I’m 23 now and have suffered pretty cronic hayfever since about the age of 18. When I say cronic it is not constant, but every few days I wake up sneezing, and am absolutly stuffed with more sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, puffy face, sore sinus etc the works for the rest of the day, anti histamines dont seem to work very often, even when i switch brands, but then I can wake up the next day and be absolutly fine.

    As a kid i never, never, ever suffered at all, and for years I have blammed my hayfever on exposure to sulfur. at the age of 17 – 18 i worked as a cellar hand in a winery and was constantly exposed to sulfur in different forms, sometimes as a gas which was injected into wine tanks, sometimes as a powder bound to potassium. now i have developed an allergy to sulfur, and if i consume wine, or any other food product that contains a high sulfur count then i get the very same hayfever symptoms almost immediatley.

    so now i have a sulfur allergy, and its seams that i now suffer hayfever (probably pollens and things like that cause when im sleeping im not ingesting any sulfur) and these may be totally unrealated and may just be conincidence that i now get hayfever at the same time as i developed a sulfur allergy.

    but question is: will eating a Paleolithic diet help in reducing or even eliminating hayfever and my sulfur allergy ? also i saw something on TV a while ago about Paleolithic diets, and this nutritionist or whatever she was said that Paleolithic people also did not eat very much meat, as it wasnt farmed, only hunted so could only be eaten on the rare occasion that some kind of animal was caught, and even then probably eaten raw because fire hadnt been discovered yet. is there any truth to those statements ?

    sorry if these questions have already been answered but i couldnt sit here and trawl through the last 892 responses

    Reply
    • Tim McGuire
      December 19th, 2010
      1:54 pm

      Hi Angela,

      My family has pinpointed, through elimination and reintroduction of various dairy products, that our asthma, hayfever and eczema appear to be triggered by A1 casein (the protein in dairy). The first clue was our boys when they repeatedly developed some light hives on their cheeks with the reintroduction of lactose free milk. They then went on to develop constant clear running noses and chesty coughs. My asthma (exercise and cold induced) seems to have disappeared in removing casein from my diet. In reading about it more, it seems that this is a common sign of casein allergy. We are yet to trial A2 casein. Still, gluten might be your issue, after all it is a protein with some similarities. Despite finding much of the speculative science behind paleo and, more to the point, evolutionary theory amusing, I have been slow-carbing on fruit, veges, nuts, meat, fish, poultry and eggs for a while now and do feel amazing.

      Reply
  • Jared
    November 24th, 2010
    11:21 am

    @Heuristic

    I disagree with everything you just said.

    First, the idea that you can’t have a single peanut ever again if you eat like this is your own interpretation of what was said. I hear Robb Wolf talk considerably about how sugar is correlated with all kinds of ailments. There is a lot of science to back this up. But at the same time, he would never say don’t eat a single gram of sugar again for the rest of your life. To paraphrase Robert Lustig, sugar is a dose-dependent poison. The way you are interpreting what he said is inconsistent with his actual dietary recommendations.

    The same is true of peanuts. It is a fact, inarguable, that peanuts contain lectins, and that many people in the population react unfavorably to them. Some are even allergic (as high as 1 in 100 Americans). Beyond that, their fat composition is unlike anything paleolithic humans would be able to derive most of their calories from.

    And yes, this is a good STARTING POINT for investigation as to what human beings can eat without making themselves sick.

    http://www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/fatsnuts.shtml

    The point is probably not to get a majority of your calories from peanuts, and this 30 days of no peanuts is a test to see if you may be someone whose body reacts negatively to peanuts, something you might not even know about. The fact that millions of people are provably allergic to peanut lectins is cause enough (at least for me) to do this measly 30 day test.

    To sum up, you are completely mis-characterizing Robb Wolf’s view on peanuts. You are the one making outrageous claims as a straw man, not him. If you have no problem with peanuts, I’m sure he would have no problem telling you to keep on eating your peanuts in moderation. Second, studying what paleolithic man did is only a guide for further investigation, not a termination point.

    Reply
  • Angela
    November 26th, 2010
    12:36 am

    I know have another question, if I were to stick to a gluten free diet for a year or so, then fall pregnant and continue not to have any gluten, would my baby be born with an extreme allergy / sensitivity to gluten and not be able to eat bread or cereal etc ?

    Reply
  • Eduardo Pinheiro
    December 1st, 2010
    9:52 am

    Hi Tim,

    For the whole month of November I tried what you suggested: going gluten-free. Today, reporting the results.

    The only thing I did measure precisely was weight, and there was little change there: lost 2 lbs.

    Throughout this time I continued my daily routine of exercise and I continued my multi-year-long effort of controlling carbs (I was on Atkins for 3 years and now I’m a laid back carb counter).

    I may have noticed a little less bloating and a little bit less abdominal fat. But I think it’s probably psychological because I didn’t measure them.

    I wish I had tracked body fat, triglycerides and cholesterol.

    Overall, changes, if any, weren’t big. But to be honest I’m already in decent shape and I do watch what I eat.

    Going gluten-free helped me cut some bad carbs, especially from bread, which I like and is my weakness in the mornings.

    I’m considering extending this for another 30 days to see how it goes. Any suggestions? What would you have expected from this 30-day experiment?

    Reply
  • Marius
    December 4th, 2010
    1:44 pm

    tried this diet for 2 weeks, 1 lbs lost.

    Reply
  • Lauren Kuhlman
    December 6th, 2010
    4:05 pm

    People like to hate. Anyway, I went to a couple traditional docs for recurring stomach pain. Their only advice was more whole foods. I already ate only whole foods… pain continued. I read this, cut gluten out (already never consumed dairy). No pain. Ate gluten over Thanksgiving without even considering it, nearly immediate pain. Thanks guys.

    Reply
  • Mike
    December 7th, 2010
    1:16 am

    I’ve dropped a total of 26 pounds of fat. I no longer stink. My teeth no longer build up plaque like mad; in fact, I can skip brushing for two days and feel zero skuzz (I know! I was camping). Rashes gone. Acne gone. Sluggishness gone. Low grade IBS gone. I haven’t experienced heartburn, indigestion, bloating or diarrhea since I last ate grains. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long, long time.

    What did I do? I LISTENED, and tried paleo/primal for 30 days. It went so well I’m now on my 2nd month. Don’t just cut out one thing and call yourself “paleo.” Do it for real or it won’t do much for you. In the time it took for you all to bicker and complain on comments, I got results and changed my life.

    Reply
  • Jamie
    December 7th, 2010
    8:00 pm

    I don’t understand, this diet is recommended for everyone?

    I had to go on the allergy elimination diet a while ago and there was literally no change when gluten was re-introduced. Or anything for that matter.

    More specifics on my diet: literally everything someone could possibly have an allergy to was eliminated excluding fruits and vegetables. I stayed on the strict diet for a month and a half until the suspect groups were re-introduced one by one. Each group was introduced for a week and then taken back out of the diet, I would then take a week or two (depending on the group) back on the strict diet and then introduce a different group. The “strict diet” consisted of fruits (except for fruit such as strawberries, where allergies aren’t uncommon), vegetables, lean protein (pork, chicken, etc.), and.. Actually I think that’s it. I was allowed to use almond flour and water to make a batter for anything (like pancakes) after we had cleared the nut group.

    Reply
  • Tyler Walker
    December 9th, 2010
    5:29 am

    If you are clever enough to figure out the secrets of the human digestive system, you ought to be clever enough to figure out how to do a double blind test of your hypothesis wih a statistically significant number of participants.

    There may be something to your arguments, though the track record for people touting radical diets is not great. However anecdotal or personal experience does not trump scientific method and rigorous research procedure. It isn’t sexy and it means you might, in the end prove yourself wrong, but it is the only honest way to investigate.

    Unless you are willing to do that, you are selling snake oil at best. It is nice that you have picked something reasonably harmless to remove from a person’s diet, no one will die of grain deficiency, but that does not absolve you of your responsibility to test your theories scientifically before you step up on your soapbox and start waving your arms around.

    The burden of proof rests with the person making the extraordinarily claim. And for an extraordinary claim you better have some extraordinary evidence.

    And that is if you honestly believe what you’re selling.

    If not, you have set up a nifty little mind trap.

    You have picked a food source that is very difficult to remove entirely from a person’s diet. Grain products and by-products are used in many different kinds of common foods and products. Dieters routinely fail to maintain even the most lenient of diets. One can assume that only the most dedicated will make it to the thirty day mark without slipping up intentionally and with the number of unusual uses for grain products growing every day, the chance for accidentally ingesting a grain is almost inevitable. Add to this that you have stated that even a tiny amount of grain in a 7-10 day period is enough to undo all a person’s hard work. Well, unless a person is living in a laboratory in a hermetically sealed plastic bag, we can see that it will always be possible to blame the dieter for unusual, unexpected or deleterious effects experienced during the dieting period.

    I also love the comment on Candida where you state that a person might experience a lot of discomfort for the first two weeks they are on your diet because they are purging fungus. Might they not simply be feeling discomfort as a result of radically changing their diet?

    I like about 75% of what Tim puts up on this blog and believe about 50%. I put on ten pounds in four weeks with his 4 hour work out which is pretty impressive given my build and age. I love TI swimming and am jumping in the pool 3-4 times a week, swimming further using less energy. But, I’m calling big BS on this one.

    If you are really sure this is the answer to so many health problems, get off your butt and put together a real double blind study with independent researchers and a statistically significant number of participants. If you get the results you claim other researchers will try to recreate your results in their own labs. If your results turn out to be true, get your speech ready for The Nobel prize awards banquet.

    My final two cents:

    Anytime someone steps up, and in the fitness community it happens a couple times daily, and claims that there is a way to completely cure everything that ails the world with a diet that will make you lose weight, gain strength, give you a twenty inch erection of solid steel, make members of the opposite sex (or the same sex) swoon at first exposure to your newly cleansed, improved, balanced, integrated and synergistically energized aura of healthfulness, keep a tight grip on your wallet and sprint for the door.

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 23rd, 2011
      9:53 am

      You sound like me after I took a Statistics course. Everything you said is true but, the way you said it is not very appealing.

      Reply
  • Jared
    December 9th, 2010
    1:26 pm

    @Tyler Walker

    Was the four hour workout you describe as giving you “impressive” results proven by a large-scale double-blind trial? No.

    So why did you try that but you demand so much proof before eschewing grains for a measly month?

    The studies are coming. The research is constantly being done, and a lot has been done.

    Look, no one is forcing you to give up grains. No one needs to prove anything to you. You can take all of this advice and the anecdotal evidence for what it’s worth. You do not have to act on it. No one is going to come to your door and preach to you.

    For the record, this is not that extraordinary of a claim. “Giving up grains for 30 days will make your life better.” And all you have to do is do it, and you can evaluate how biased you are and how effective it really is. That’s all the proof most of us need. It seemed to be all the proof you need for the four hour workout, but seems there is a double standard here.

    So, my advice to you is to quit making ridiculous excuses. We don’t want you to believe in Jesus or make your kids pray in schools. Just make you look, feel, perform better, at very little if any personal cost. Do what you did with the 4 hour workout and give it a try, sans mountains of scientific evidence. If you wait for all of that to get done, it will probably be too late.

    Honestly, I wish I would have learned about this stuff back in high school. Every month and every year I am on paleo I feel healthier, stronger, and my body looks better. I can barely remember the times I would sit in class in college and not be able to stay awake, knowing now it was because I was fueling on all carbs. I can’t even take a nap in the middle of the day if I want to anymore. I can barely remember in college not being able to make consistent gains in the gym. Now I am always moving forward, and even if I don’t make it to the gym consistently for whatever reason, my body maintains itself.

    Reply
    • Tim Ferriss
      December 9th, 2010
      1:39 pm

      I love and really appreciate the discussion, guys, but please try and play nice! Truly appreciate the conversation, just don’t want things to escalate and get ugly.

      Thanks!

      Tim

      Reply
  • The Paleo Prescription for Primary Care Medicine | Sam Snyder
    December 10th, 2010
    2:07 pm

    [...] general health of the population, leaving doctors to handle more significant medical issues.  A recent blog post by Robb Wolf and Tim Ferriss describes the variety of health problems that can be cured by avoiding [...]

  • Odille
    December 10th, 2010
    2:45 pm

    A an absolutely terrific article, I have saved it, and it explains gluten intolerance so well.

    I first started Atkins on September 2005. I lost 29.6 kgs (from 131kgs on a 170cm frame) in 5 months and felt fantastic. I put on all my weight after an accident in 1997 to both Achilles tendons which I had surgically ‘fixed’ after 2 years (80% left ankle and about 95% right). My favoured exercise of walking (5-8 kms daily) was denied me due to the injury and after the operation, due to my weight gain, it was just as hard and painful as before! So I just got fatter and fatter. I climbed to 131 kgs and was in constant pain from ankles, knees and back. I finally decided to act. I had picked up the Atkins book and had a read, thought (idly) I could do that, and then just sat on it – the information and my fatt bum! Then, after 15 months on the dole, I got a job! I started Atkins the same day and never looked back. I no longer had pain, my blood pressure went from sky high (3 eye bleeds during coughing episodes when I had the flu) to 110/76, and I had so much energy.

    The other plus was discovering I was gluten intolerant. After suffering migraines for my whole life, since infancy, I was migraine free after 5 days on low carb and have never had one since. And I had the whole range of food intolerance symptoms: migraine and headaches; gastro-intestinal symptoms including stomach aches, irritable bowel, diarrhoea, urinary urgency; eczema and other itchy skin rashes; nasal congestion (stuffy or runny nose); depression, unexplained tiredness, impairment of memory and concentration,; tachycardia (fast heart beat);; irritability, restlessness, inattention, difficulty settling to sleep, night waking. All caused by gluten and modern high carb foods.

    In March 2006 I had a car accident which initially slowed me up and sent me right off track. While I didn’t go back to lots of refined carbs, I did go back to eating too much potatoes – and they were my big downfall. I had a bad deep tissue bruising injury to my left leg caused by the dashboard and steering wheel coming down and bouncing off it. SInce then I have languished terribly but am now really dedicated to getting back on track.

    I have been reading up on the Primal Lifestyle and I do think it is for me. Virtually what I am doing anyway. And he says listen to your body and exercise gently, not like a mad thing as modern fitness gurus suggest.

    I have about 10 people I know who have given up gluten for a fortnight at my urging and said they felt ‘heaps better’. A couple have stayed off it completely, but they all eat much less than previously.

    Reply
  • Doug
    December 11th, 2010
    3:36 am

    Just one comment. Great article, I agree with most everything except I find your argument that our bodies have problems with gluten because grains are out to get us a little simplistic. The buffalo, antelope and fish our ancestors ate didn’t want to be eaten either but you’d cringe if the vegans made that argument against eating meat (as would I). Also, you recommend eating almonds–the germ of the plant…wouldn’t the same reasoning hold that there would be ill-effects from eating almonds?

    The reality is that being a food source for humans is often beneficial to the species that’s being eaten–even if we do destroy the seed. Look at corn…from a lowly grass in the americas it’s genes have been spread around the world–not by winds, but by humans. The real problem is that grains have only been available as an efficient calorie source for the last 10,000 years or so (when was the last wind you saw blow some #2 corn kernels around?). Quite simply we did not evolve to eat modern grains–most people can live off of them, but they are a new food and if you want to optimize you shouldn’t eat them.

    Reply
  • Erika
    December 12th, 2010
    3:58 pm

    Was wondering if anyone had any success with
    respect to allergies and the paleo diet? I have quite the list
    and have been strictly paleo for almost 2 weeks now. Figure I will
    find out this answer eventually, but was wondering if someone had a
    fast-track to the answer. Or thoughts. I have already lost over 5 lbs
    and feel better than ever before. Energy, sensitivity to environmental
    allergens = less too.

    Thanks!

    Reply
  • How to lose 7kg in one month without starving or exercising yourself to death
    December 13th, 2010
    7:46 pm

    [...] Until I encountered a blog post by Tim Ferriss on Paleo eating. [...]

  • Dan
    December 13th, 2010
    11:43 pm

    I have gone back and forth on this debate for awhile, mainly because ever since a surgery and an infection (required antibiotics) my digestion has been terrible and stomach aches are a daily issue. However, the longest I’ve gone grain free is about 10 days (didn’t notice any improvement) so maybe I didnt give it a fair shake (and it was hard as hell from a social perspective as well as economic). My celiac panel came back negative as did an intestinal sample test. I’ve heard many smart people use evidence that our ancestors ate grains thousands of years ago (recently saw an article about the discovery of a device used to grind grains from “ancient times”) and that evolution of the GI tract CAN take place in a 10,000 year span. On the flip side I still have stomach issues and bloating and the backed up feeling with no cure coming from modern medicine and this growing paleo trend claiming help.

    Regardless of the food source I tend to feel the best on a low fat diet w/ slow-carbs and lean meat as my macros. Whole grains SEEM to be good for me as opposed to refined ones anyway (and the dietician I spoke with recently told me to eat more!), but so would berries and veggies I’m sure.

    I’d love to do some comprehensive blood testing, go Paleo, and then test again after… to really set things straight once and for all…
    if only my doctors and insurance company were courageous enough lol

    Reply
  • Nuno Xico
    December 15th, 2010
    6:50 pm

    Tim, i need help!

    I just found out about you and i ordered your last book, impressive!
    I do not eat meat, yet i eat fish and eggs, which is all good.
    Now reading this, (and i been having digestive problems all my life so i am going to do this diet and see how i feel), i realize i can not eat as well legumes and dairy.
    Your suggestions include some legumes, and eating fish many days a week worries me too, as there is too much pollution.
    So what to do? What is the main problem with the legumes, cause they are one of the main sources of proteins to me. No tofu, no seitan, just eggs! and fish…i know this is all about my health, so I will cut on gluten.
    My question is, what do you suggest.
    I know your book as chapters on being vegetarian, looking forward to read them.

    What to do, legumes or no legumes?
    Are they so invasive and aggressive to you like grains?

    Thank you so much and keep on with the inspiring work!

    nunO

    Reply
  • Chris Khoo
    December 20th, 2010
    11:29 pm

    You should include this post as a link in your book!

    When you said to cut out grains, I honestly wasn’t happy with the lack of explanation, but after reading this post, I understand why grains are bad.

    Chris

    Reply
  • Dan
    December 22nd, 2010
    6:40 am

    Removing carbs will make you loose weight. That’s for sure. But what if you have to run 40-50 miles a week. Where do you get your fuel from?

    Reply
  • Joanie
    December 22nd, 2010
    11:05 am

    I am 47 year old woman and about 45 lbs. overweight. My son bought this book — he is college-age avid weightlifter and watches his diet religiously — thinking it would be interesting. I read through the diet info and figured what the heck — I’ll give the diet a try (exercising and other diets didn’t work). Tim is right, we basically eat the same things over and over, and I already eat the musts for the diet, albeit with the stuff that keeps fat on women (read: milk products — turns a calf into a heifer!). Today is only Wednesday and I have already lost over 4 lbs. Simple little things like no milk in my tea, increasing protein (which I did not eat a lot of) and switching to beans instead of traditional carbs. Already a veg eater, this is really not a huge sacrifice for me to try and lose — which I am. So far, so good.

    Reply
  • Gloria
    December 27th, 2010
    9:39 am

    How come nuts are okay to eat – they are also seeds ???

    Reply
  • Seth
    December 28th, 2010
    10:55 pm

    First of all I would like to say great book. I know you recommend selective reading, but I can’t put it down. However, this article is extremely confusing and somewhat contradictory to your “SLOW-CARB DIET.” This article recommends cutting out all gluten products, but your diet from the book recommends 1 cheat day a week. I understand the reasoning behind the cheat day, but can you explain why this article contradicts your books recommendations?

    Reply
  • Matt Main
    December 29th, 2010
    7:52 pm

    There is no mention of potatoes anywhere in the article. Can I get my starch fix from my Irish cousins?

    Reply
  • Mander
    January 3rd, 2011
    5:08 pm

    One thing that makes me leery of “palaeo” and similar diets is the certainty with which they assume that know what our palaeolithic ancestors ate. As an archaeologist I can tell you that most people who research the subject of ancient human diets are not at all certain about it, and it forms the subject of many lively bar conversations and research articles.

    Oh, and agriculture is much older than 2-5 thousand years. Up to 10,000 years old, depending on the part of the world you are looking at.

    Not that it necessarily changes the validity of what you are saying with respect to human biochemistry and digestion, but these kinds of errors irk me.

    Reply
    • EAD
      December 23rd, 2011
      9:56 am

      The half-life of Carbon-14 is 5,000 years.

      Reply
  • Laura Corby
    January 5th, 2011
    3:32 pm

    Just stumbled upon this post and have had an interesting read going through the virtual cafeteria of comments here, from all walks of life! Wow – talk about a firestorm!

    As the Founder/CEO of an autism treatment center, I can tell you first hand the incredible improvement we see in patients who go gluten AND casein free. Not only do we see tremendous improvement in immune system and gastrointestinal health, the neurological and cognitive changes are incredible. Of course, you would not be surprised, as I know you are aware of the gut/brain connection!

    I am constantly under scrutiny by the medical community and other “professionals” in the field stating there is no “double blind, placebo controlled study to prove these findings”, yet I can also tell you that our patients don’t have time for those studies to be done! THEY NEED HELP NOW and can’t wait until the scientific community decides to finally get on board!

    The comment I continue to make is that at the end of the day, you can make a study say anything you want it to, depending on who funds it! There is no such thing as an unbiased study, and let’s be honest, everything starts out anecdotal! OUTCOMES are what has to be looked out. Studies can say what they will, but if we are not seeing consistent outcomes to support that, then we need to change tactics. Likewise, just because there is an absence of data, this does not disqualify many interventions that have fantastic efficacy.

    There are a few good rules of thumb I maintain:

    If there is no danger or risk, if it is not financially out of limits, if it meets the rules of common sense, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BY TRYING IT!

    If you try a diet and it doesn’t work for you, what have you lost, other than a few days with the removal of crap in your diet? On the other hand, if you find health that has been illuding you, look at what you have gained!

    Scare tactics on either side are frankly uncalled for. This is a personal decision to be made by each individual, and as I have learned, every person is as individual as their fingerprint, so there is no one-size-fits-all with any given intervention. Try it, tweak it for your individual needs, and THEN make the decision if it’s right for you.

    Some of the most misleading information I have ever received has come from MD’s and PhD’s who, as opposed to their god-like self-view, just were not fully educated on the topics at hand. It’s imperative that in this day and age, you do your OWN homework and don’t take ANYONE’S word without taking the time to follow the logic.

    Just my 2 cents!

    Reply
  • Andi
    January 6th, 2011
    4:38 pm

    Hi Guys,

    My dog has an allergy to beef (?!?) and eats dog biscuits when not consuming her body weight in chicken…the dog biscuits contain high levels of cereal. Surely dogs have never had to live off grains in the wild (they struggle to harness the horse and plough for starters) so am I killing my wee beastie? Should she be on a meat diet only? How do dogs that live on grains only (those vegetarian dogs) cope with such a diet? Any vegetarians with veggie dogs out there? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Will
      January 11th, 2011
      8:38 am

      You could Google that one Andi, but you would need the ingredients, your dog biscuits might contain chicken or even beef.

      Eskimo’s feed their dogs a whole fish, head, bones, guts an all, if that helps.. maybe set up a deal with a fishmonger for unwanted fish on the cheap.

      Reply
  • Jared
    January 10th, 2011
    6:04 am

    Ive been paleo for about a year or so, at first things were great but things have declined a lot. Im going in today in fact for some bloodtests and tests as I believe I have hypothyroidism among some other issues. Its not too hard to adhere to this diet I think, as long as you change it up and try different things. In fact there are several ways to go about a “paleo” or primal diet, with the ratio between fat/protein/carbs being anywhere from 80/20/0 to 30/30/30.

    I don’t have some problems anymore that I used to in the past, such as headaches, migraines and upset stomach a lot of the time. I remember when I was in college I had such a upset stomach that I vomited a couple of times, one time even on my birthday.

    I know a lot of what is in paleo or primal dieting and nutrition goes against conventional wisdom and what is commonly touted by the medical community but I’ve had a growing disdain for conventional wisdom ever since I read the four hour work week. A 30 day trial is all that Robb Wolf or Timothy Ferriss is asking and that isn’t asking much.

    If I had to do it all over again I would probably track it better and keep my diet more constant, especially with blood tests and testing. I don’t necessarily agree with Veganism/Vegetarianism either. I understand and relate to some of the moral and ethical issues, as I am a die hard hippie, im a member of the Zeitgeist community and meditate daily, but its a step in the wrong direction, protein sources need to be primarily animal.

    In fact animal protein is one of the reasons we were able to evolve to a much higher level, especially mentally, and enabled are brains to go larger and lead us to where we are today.

    From my own experience I would say to get a 2nd and third opinion, and don’t read one source or book and think you are an expert on the subject. At least read a few books on the subject and do your research. It takes some tinkering and adjustment to get the right diet, but it should be as natural as can be to get the best results. Track your progress on your own and with a doctor as well, especially if things start to go negatively or badly.

    I know this is primarily anecdotal and conjecture but people need to look outside the box, outside of local news and newspaper to get their answers. Doctors can be wrong, experts can be dis proven and studies can be biased as well. Timothy Ferris may not have a Phd or be a doctor but he did go to Princeton, which I believe is one of the best institutions of higher learning out there and helps develop some great minds as well.

    This isn’t entirely related and i know Four Hour Body just came out but do you plan on writing another book in the future?

    Reply
  • matabele
    January 10th, 2011
    11:06 am

    Even if some of our ancestry was adapted to grains, other ancestry is not so well adapted. Many of our enzymes necessary for detoxifying grains have been compromised by heavy metal and chemical toxins (especially mercury amalgam), and seed lectins which are often milled up with the grains and beans in the fake food we buy these days.

    Many will benefit from eliminating grains, industrial seed oils, legumes and dairy from their diet (in that order unless lactose intolerant.) Give the Paleo diet a try for a few weeks as an detox (elimination) diet – you might find it suits you!

    After that, follow an 80/20 rule – follow the diet strictly 80% of the time, and try out some of the eliminated foods one at a time for 20% of the time. This way you can work out what can be added back to your diet.

    A quick way to calculate your diet:
    1. Subtract 100 from your height in cm – this is the weight in gram of your protein ( x 5 to find weight of meat+cheese+eggs you eat.)
    2. Carbs are half of protein in grams.
    3. Fats are 2.5-3.5 x protein in grams (depending upon exercise.)
    - for someone 180cm tall 80g protein:40g carbs:200-280g fat

    Happy hunting.

    Reply
  • Nacho
    January 18th, 2011
    5:50 am

    Hi!

    I´m newbie at Tim Low-carb diet. I start past monday (10th January) and i have several questions.

    Can i eat corn? Corn is a nut or a grain?
    Can i eat peas?
    Nuts have the domino problem. Otherwise, are nuts recommended?
    Can i eat a lot of beans?

    I still reading your book Tim.

    Reply
  • susan
    January 20th, 2011
    7:55 pm

    Tim: Thank you for all your great advice and research, I love both of your books.

    Q- In your research on the 4 hour body, did you come across any doctors that were familiar with adrenal burnout or chronic fatigue?

    In our overworked fast paced society this seems to be the new disease or problem. Many doctors do not even recognize the symptoms of adrenal gland disorders till people crash.

    One of the most common signs besides the unexplained fatigue for adrenal burnout is an insatiable craving for salt. Left untreated the adrenal problems can turn into what is called Addisons Disease and JFK ironically had this disorder. In fact Addisons dates back to the 1800′s

    Often chronic fatigue is so mislabeled and overused, but there seems to be a growing number of people with many of these same unexplaned issues.

    I have written some stories on this and hope that if you stumble across any research you will share your knowledge. One prescription for this malady is the 4- Hour Work Week for sure.

    Thanks for all your knowledge

    Reply
  • Jared
    January 29th, 2011
    5:31 am

    Is it possible to make refried broad bean? Ive seen recipes for fried broad bean but not for refried broad bean, I guess I could make it and see how it comes out. Are pinto beans or black beans better for refried beans? I know that in the book you put an asterisk next to black bean one of the best results for losing weight. Im a reformed paleo dieter and trying slow carb to see how it goes.

    Would appreciate any help. Beans are a whole new territory for me lol.

    Reply
  • Nacho
    February 1st, 2011
    4:46 am

    Hi forum!

    Can i drink lactose free products like “lactose free milk”?

    I took 15 days to do your diet and have lost 4 kilos (about 8.80 lbs).

    Thank you.

    Reply
  • Tom
    February 1st, 2011
    1:57 pm

    Thanks for reposting this Tim I missed it last fall. I had already cut out all wheat and dairy but it looks like I am now going to eliminate the brown rice and oatmeal.
    One question I had was; what about whey protein? Good or Bad?

    Reply
  • AP
    February 1st, 2011
    7:30 pm

    It seems to me that convenience led early humans, who unlike us reading this blog were struggling to produce enough food to survive, to stray away from the healthier hunter gatherer diet of meat, veges/fruits, and nuts and rely heavily on the grains that were more easily cultivated and less perishable.

    Reply
  • Greg Zajaczkowski
    February 2nd, 2011
    7:34 am

    I’ve been using the PAGG stack for the last two weeks with excellent results. Unfortunately, my girlfriend tells me that the garlic supplement is making me smell terrible. I don’t want to stop taking the stack, because of the results, but I don’t want my girlfriend to recoil every time I go for a kiss.

    Is there another garlic supplement out there that will work and not make me stink?

    Reply
  • Regev
    February 12th, 2011
    9:19 am

    I have read the whole post, and I have to say that this area of study is extremely interesting and I follow it whole-heartedly.

    One thing that bothers me, is, assuming that grains are indeed as devastating as you mentioned, I highly doubt that chicken, turkey, lamb or eggs are not far worse. The China Study’s huge collection of studies are very convincing regarding the dangers of animal protein.

    Some more light should be shed upon this subject.
    Thank you very much, It’s always good to have people researching for scientific truth.

    Reply
  • James Schipper
    February 14th, 2011
    11:41 am

    I didn’t leave a comment when this first came out, but it sparked my interest. After a lot more research I’m now at the end of the first 3 weeks of doing Tim’s version of the diet (slow-carb with cheat day from 4HB, which was fantastic too), I am about over the cheat day.

    I feel great all week, then feel like crap when I eat any grains. I am still eating legumes, mostly black beans, but otherwise cut out bread/rice/pasta/pizza dough I was eating before. All kinds of problems I’d had for years are either clearing up or just plain gone after only a short time.

    I’ll get more specific once I’ve spent a few more weeks and gotten some more data. But so far, this is working very well for me, and I haven’t felt this healthy since I was about 25 (I’ll be 41 in a few days).

    Reply
  • Kristin
    February 19th, 2011
    9:46 pm

    Also has anyone else experienced problems when going off this diet? I was quite good for months and then I ate a few delicious bars made with whole wheat and feel like I ate a brick.

    Reply
  • rob
    February 20th, 2011
    3:00 am

    This might be interesting, an article on more vegetarian UFC fighters.
    http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-mmavegetarians021711

    I recently saw a documentary that showed that roman gladiators were vegetarians. I’ve started to eat meat and less carbs but feel neither better nor worse in any way. Feels good to know that I can do without either one though.

    Reply
  • rob
    February 20th, 2011
    4:13 am

    Regarding the eggs, I eat about 1000 per year which I order from a small farm near my town. After two years of this (I eat the yolk too) I got my cholesterin tested and was at the low end of healthy. So I can’t say anything about other animal products but eggs are no problem.

    Regarding the long list of problems one might have with white rice and other carbs, I never had insomnia, chest pain, depression or any of the other named sideeffects, maybe weight gain but I’m quite light for my size. I’ve spent more time with people above 90 that are still walking upright and do gymnastics and I’ve looked more into areas where people grow very old. They all don’t eat much (opposite of Tim’s suggestion) but a large part of what they eat is whole grain. I’ve also seen documentaries on old age that named not eating a lot as one of the main points.

    Now I’ confused as these theories oppose each other so strongly.

    Reply
  • kevin harris
    February 24th, 2011
    4:28 am

    So this says no Legumes and you advise them at every meal, I’m confused???

    Kev.

    Reply
  • Jeffrey Held
    February 27th, 2011
    11:34 am

    What kind of substitutes would you suggest for a marathon runner?

    Reply
  • Tanya
    February 27th, 2011
    1:12 pm

    I want to say thank you to both Tim and Robb. As I have known about Robb and Norcal Crossfit for a few years, am familiar with Paleo and have been on the fence about it for a long time. Reading this post made me decide to give 30 days a shot.

    Today is my 8th day and I am thrilled with the results. I surprised not just about how much better I feel, and how my symptoms have gone away in such a short time (autoimmune disease, inflammation, thyroid, blood sugar), but also by how much FUN it is to cook paleo! I thought I would be miserable! There are great resources for recipes like everydaypaleo.com and nomnompaleo.com that make it easier.

    I was a vegetarian for 6 years, and ate a whole-grains natural diet for the past 20 years. All I can say is try it for 30 days,.

    To my vegan friends who I highly respect: When I was in Tibet I asked them why they weren’t vegetarians.They replied that if you are vegetarian, you hurt thousands of smaller animals like insects and worms when you harvest – who are we to decide that one life is better than smaller life? They loved their animals, like the yak that they took care of and raised, honored in death, and consciously consumed it gratefully. I have sought after grass fed humanely raised cows and honor them each time I eat. I am grateful for the animal’s contribution so I can help other people become more conscious reach their potential, and live a happier life.

    Reply
  • Logan Parker
    February 27th, 2011
    9:20 pm

    Intense read… but informative as hell. Ive been doing your slow carb diet…(lost at least ten pounds so far with no exercise yay)

    I decided to eat some rice for dinner a couple days ago… after not having it for a long time… and man it didn’t feel very good in me at all…

    I can see why

    Reply
  • Erik
    March 5th, 2011
    8:30 am

    Hey great article. I had one question or if you have any links to any elaborations on the point about the gallbladder. I’m 19 now and had mine out when I was 18. I changed my diet to one much healthier before and began to exercise. Now what I’m wondering is since I weight train now and am trying to put on some muscle mass, how badly will my lack of a gallbladder effect? I’m thinking in regards to digesting fats and protein. I have some fat on my but no where near what I had a few years ago. I think some of it could be excess skin however. But any and all thoughts would be appreciated,

    -Erik

    Reply
  • Gina
    March 7th, 2011
    1:30 am

    You are recommending eating nuts…but don’t they also have toxins to prevent their being eaten?

    Fruits are offerings. They want to be eaten.

    Green vegetables are parts of the plant. They are not offering themselves up to be eat, but they generally won’t invest a lot of energy making toxins to dissuade.

    But seeds.. they don’t want to be eaten. They want to form the next generation. So what about other seeds aside from grain seeds:

    sesame seeds
    pumpkin seeds
    sunflower seeds
    and nuts which are seeds of nut trees.. almonds, hazel nuts, etc.

    I understand nuts also have phytates?

    thanks Gina

    Reply
  • Cee Cee
    March 7th, 2011
    11:48 am

    You mentioned gall bladder removal. Many have it removed due to gallstones, yet not because of low production of bile salts or acid as I refer to it. The acid is produced and enters the stomach continuously without regulation of the gall bladder. This wreaks havoc with the whole bathroom neccessity after eating. You do not address this issue or the effect on the other functions that occur in the stomach.

    Reply
  • Enis
    March 8th, 2011
    12:54 pm

    If you stop consuming dairy how will you get enough calcium?

    Reply
    • matthk
      March 16th, 2011
      3:40 pm

      @Enis “If you stop consuming dairy how will you get enough calcium?”
      How did we get calcium before milk bottles? Did we throw ourselves under a wild yak and latch onto a teat for dear life whenever we felt thirsty?
      No, we get calcium through food.
      Some sources that spring to mind are: kale, collard greens, tofu, shellfish, salmon, legumes, oranges, almonds, black-eyed peas, sardines etc. Oh and get lots of vitamin D, which aids calcium absorption.

      I’ve also recently read that milk isn’t such a great way to get calcium anyway, as it contains high amounts of calcium-blocking protein. Go figure. I’ll leave that one to Tim and the technical folk here.

      Reply
  • matthk
    March 16th, 2011
    3:28 pm

    Tim, just thought you’d like to know that one of Australia’s media darlings, Tim Pape, aka “The Barefoot Investor” has been taking cheap shots at the 4HB in his blog and calling it a scam. Somebody set him straight please?

    http://www.barefootinvestor.com/four-hour-body-scam/

    Reply
  • Scott
    March 19th, 2011
    8:34 am

    I found the part about iron deficiency in 4HB interesting… except I am one of those males that tends toward very low iron (to the point of anemia when I go without an iron-supplemented multi). I’ve almost not been able to donate blood because my iron is generally low (tho’ I don’t seem to have any issues with low physical energy).

    Now, I am considering cutting back on my grains (by changing breakfast to eggs/lentils/spinach), but I see that things like legumes also contain phytates.

    And then there is the tea (with its tannins) that I’ve been drinking… that seems to be problematic as well.

    Would the best solution be to up my Vitamin C?

    In general my diet is more ovo-lacto with the occasional red meat (i.e. about once or twice a month) and fish/poultry (4-5x a month).

    Reply
  • Tristam
    March 23rd, 2011
    4:54 pm

    @Tim and Robb,

    This is the most provocative article I’ve read in a long time and the comments alone took me five hours to read through. Thanks for sharing your ideas and insight in to an area that for most of us is a black box. I’m currently doing CRON and constantly researching new studies in an effort to find a better short list for healthy foods. If anything this can explain why things like CR and intermitant fasting work in a variety of ways. Simply by eating less often you are restricting the amount of proline passed through your body which could explain some areas of CR that have yet to be explained. My own thoughts are that every food contains beneficially nutrients and destructive nutrients in varied quantities. Balancing all of these variables is precarious at best but seems to even out when you consume less and are thus forced to eat pretty much only super foods. Even still this issue exposes why, even with our best efforts, metabolism isn’t perfect and infinately complicated. I only hope that with more new theories and research like this, that we can start to explain more precisely why our diets are not perfect and to someday be able to engineer diets that a suited more precisely to our bodies and indeed their variances.

    Great read, thanks for the article,

    Tristam.

    Reply
  • Heather
    March 26th, 2011
    10:20 am

    My son was diagnosed with a peanut and tree nut allergy around the time we found out he is also on the “lighter” end of the autism spectrum. A more intensive allergy blood test showed he should really only be eating meats and certain fruits and vegetables — basically, this diet, which he has been following to avoid allergic reactions to the other foods.

    Another commenter mentioned candida, and many kids on the spectrum have problems with yeast in their digestive tracts or sometimes even in the brain. Actually, the five-year-old mentioned at the beginning of this chapter sounds like he had a yeast problem with the extended belly and inability to sleep. And it’s true — when you stop feeding the yeast with these foods, the yeast die-off can be pretty awful. We are trying to keep yeast under control.

    When I read the part about dysphagia, I recognized myself. For about 10 years, I’ve had trouble swallowing, with no apparent pattern to it. I don’t have gall bladder problems or other digestive problems, but I’m always fatigued and have sinus congestion. So I think I should put myself on my son’s diet!

    Reply
  • Stefani
    March 26th, 2011
    12:27 pm

    Tim, how do you reconcile this article with your slow-carb diet which has legumes at every meal?

    Reply
  • matthk
    March 28th, 2011
    11:13 pm

    Interesting article from “Crossfit Renegade” on:
    “…Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds…”
    http://crossfitrenegade.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/benefits-of-soaking-nuts-and-seeds/
    Your thoughts folks?
    matthk

    Reply
  • Jennifer Russell
    March 30th, 2011
    1:04 pm

    Tim,

    Loved this article! As a (lacto-ovo) vegetarian of 10 years I’ve often said that the ‘evidence’ isn’t compelling enough to support this kind of diet on a health basis alone. If health were my only reason I would have never stayed a vegetarian. If health is your only reason, I’d look at articles like this and various others. I felt fantastic for 3 years…then all of a sudden I had fatigue issues and foggy brain that I’ve wrestled with likely from deficiencies in things like B12, Iron, Omega-3s, Vitamin D, etc. So you’ve really got to be ontop of it!

    I’ve been trying out a moderate slow-carb, high protein diet. I drink a 35g protein shake in the morning then workout then eat a breakfast with 2-3 eggs and then generally include more vegetable protein and veggies for afternoon and dinner meals.

    My question is exactly how much protein do I really need if I’m looking to increase my strength 30-50% and muscle mass 2-3% plus lose about 2-3% body fat (I’m 21.7% now).

    Some articles say 1g protein per 1 kg body weight which for me at 120lbs would be about 54g protein. Other recommendations say 1g protein for every pound of lean body mass which is more like 94g protein a day. Big difference…especially as a vegetarian. What kind of protein intake do you generally recommend both to reach my specific goals and for people in general?

    Also…I’ve got to add this in. I’m totally eating my words right now!!! I’ve just finished devouring your 4HB book cover to cover and loved every value packed page!!! I’ve been on your blog for days now reading more of your articles and am impressed not only with the sheer depth and broadness of what you cover here but also with the person behind the words who shines through in how you respond to threads.

    So I’m eating my words because I met you briefly in NYC at a dinner with Annie L, Liyana S, Michael E., and Bryan F. You might not remember – but we ended up having a short and somewhat terse discussion about vegetarians and women and true partnership….I walked away not liking you one bit! But now I’m not only a supporter of your work but I have recommended your book and the concepts you talk about repeatedly. Just wanted you to know…perhaps we’ll cross paths at Summit Series and I’ll tell you in person. Glad I gave you another chance you more than deserved it.

    Much love and support,
    Jennifer

    Reply
    • matthk
      March 31st, 2011
      8:50 pm

      @ Jennifer Russell
      Loved your post Jennifer, esp. the last piece where you spoke of changing your attitude towards Tim. This shows just how comfortable you are in your own skin.

      Most people are loath to change their minds, even when presented with hard evidence, and this is why we get the sticky myths of fat=fat, eggs=cholesterol and caffeine=dehydration etc. that just won’t go away.
      I’ve just watched a great YouTube video of Lierre Keith (who wrote ‘The Vegetarian Myth’ after 20yrs as a vegan) where she talks of this same thing in terms of ‘Cognitive Dissonance’.

      This inability to accept new information and change our minds is – I feel – the biggest hurdle that people like Tim, Robb, Lierre etc. face. It manifests itself – to our detriment – in an even more destructive manner in government bodies and educational institutions, who, like giant, lumbering ships, are subject to a form of inertia which makes it almost impossible to implement a change of course without huge effort.

      So, without further ado, Jennifer, I salute you. ;-)

      Info about The Vegetarian Myth here:
      http://www.lierrekeith.com/vegmyth.htm

      Reply
  • matthk
    March 31st, 2011
    8:53 pm

    “The only opinion worth having, is one you’re prepared to ditch when new, better evidence comes along. If you can’t then what you have is not an ‘opinion’, but quasi-religious blind faith”. ;-)

    Reply
  • Rob
    April 15th, 2011
    2:28 pm

    Another very interesting piece of news: The oldest man on earth just died. How did he stay fit till 114? He only ate twice a day, so it’s yet another hint towards not eating high volumes, although it could be interpreted differently. In the 4HB you describe feeding a man who never ate much, he might have gained muscle while losing years. It will be interesting to read more on such cases in the near future and compare them.

    Reply
  • Rob
    April 19th, 2011
    7:19 pm

    Even more interesting news: The new oldest man alive just turned 114 too. Jiroemon Kimura is Japanese and prefers meals with red beans and rice (grain carbs + legumes)! There seems to be a trend here.

    Reply
  • Kat
    April 23rd, 2011
    10:59 am

    Robb and Tim,
    Thank you for this post. The information presented resonated strongly with me and I have cut most gluten out of my diet… Tinea Versicolor GONE! I won’t even list the other improvements — this one is huge. Now I’m off to swing my kettle bell. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  • Italian food lover
    April 27th, 2011
    9:50 am

    It would seem that people who alter their diet by removing gluten to protect their “guts” would also refrain from all alcohol intake that is similarly harmful to their “guts.” This is not the case, however, and therefore, it comes across as disingenuous to advocate for abstention from one but not the other. For me, I’ll take the weekly pasta dinner over the glass of wine any day…to each his own!

    Reply
  • mryanfisher
    April 30th, 2011
    7:57 am

    What is your perspective on CHIA seeds?
    Surely paleo brethren ate seeds between the hunts. And what of the feast famine dynamic rather than protein daily?

    Reply
  • Christine
    May 2nd, 2011
    1:15 pm

    I have to ask – Isn’t this the same as the atkins diet?

    Reply
  • Lauren
    May 4th, 2011
    11:01 am

    I wonder if there might be any sex differences in regards to diet. Maybe women are more tolerant of vegetable based diets (berries, tubers, leaves) due to foraging and men are better on marrow/meat diets due to hunting/scavenging. 80,000 years or so might be enough time to select for those adaptations. Of course, variations in modern populations could be accounted for by genetic drift.

    Interesting article!

    Reply
  • Ralph.C
    May 6th, 2011
    2:30 pm

    Is flax seed oil bad for you as well i take it in a pill form everyday? Great article by the way..

    Reply
  • Naomi
    May 6th, 2011
    6:37 pm

    I am concern about the some of the diet choices that you posted for the article. Having to be gluten free myself, it is easy to overlook things like condiments and forget that they can hide gluten within as can sauces. I think being a bit more specific and careful of such things might be advantageous if you indeed do want/need to avoid gluten entirely. Other than that, some good information that I will be thinking about.

    Reply
  • riley
    May 9th, 2011
    4:30 pm

    Dose anyone know how coffee beans, cocoa, vanilla, and the like fit into Paleo? They are not legumes, but do they contain lectins or look-a-likes?

    Reply
  • Axel
    May 27th, 2011
    3:16 am

    I went on a low carb meat and plant based diet for a month and got really ill, low energy and lost way too much weight. I was down to 45 Kgs and I am 176 cm, while I do agree that people consume too much grain I dont think it should be completely ruled out. You can find poisons/inflammatory substances etc in every food we eat if you put them all under the microscope. I think that is why it so important to eat a variety of food, so were not eating the same poison all the time.

    Reply
  • Elia
    May 30th, 2011
    10:17 pm

    So are you saying that Whole Grain toast is NOT good? I thought it was which was the reason I buy it and eat it with my turkey breasts! can you please be more specific in saying what exactly IS good and what exactly isn’t?!

    Reply
  • cindy sul
    May 31st, 2011
    10:55 am

    but what about The China Study?

    Reply
  • Sarah
    June 8th, 2011
    10:01 am

    So many conflicting posts all over web about whether Sweet Potatoes are Tim Ferris approved… In your above weekly menu, Sweet Potato Hash is mentioned. Not sure what that is, but does that mean that Sweet Potatoes are indeed a slow-burning carb?
    Love Love Love this food plan, btw. Losing like I haven’t before. So thankful for some truth and real guidance FINALLY!

    Reply
  • Sysy
    June 13th, 2011
    3:52 pm

    Has anyone ever heard about “bio-individuality”? I think it’s fair to look into the fact that no one diet is right for everyone. Many people will do awesome on the Slow Carb diet and others with a very different genetic background will do thrive on fruits and veggies, I really think it varies.

    Reply
  • Katherine
    June 14th, 2011
    8:41 am

    while this all sounds very reasonable and interesting i think there’s a lot of manipulation behind it. let’s compare it to adverts. you know the typical: buy this it’s perfect just because it does…
    my point is that this might be good for some people and that all this substances MIGHT be harmfull, but you shouldn’t overread the “can”, “possibly” etc. maybe some things mentioned happen because of stuff inside of grains but they might as well not. you can’t put this scheme on every person in earth. not everyone is becoming diabetic or the like because of grain.
    and if all you care for is the negative stuff in grain go on and support genetic engineering. nothing’s impossible.
    so i’ll be happy eating my bread with cheese in half an hour.

    P.S. i support and eariler mentioned comment: if you listen to everyone you’re only allowed water.
    wait no… the water might contain something that’s killing your cells -.-’

    Reply
  • mryanfisher
    June 15th, 2011
    6:34 pm

    Tim,
    You discuss lectins (grains, legumes, including peanuts) as clogging/agglutinating our systems but in other places in your book you encourage eating black beans and other lectin containing foods. Are these foods you suggest you should eat in moderation depending on one’s intolerance or reaction? Does cooking affect the lectin levels in foods? Also, you suggest eating egg whites – what is wrong with the yolk?

    here is some good research on lectins for your info
    http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html
    http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/toxins-in-food.html
    In addition, this paper discusses the ability of lectins to bind to insulin receptors on your cells, enabling the transport of glucose into the cell, much like insulin does. The import of this is that even vegetables and nuts, which are staples in a low carb diet, can stall weight loss if they contain active lectins which mimic insulin.

    Reply
  • jkh
    June 25th, 2011
    12:33 pm

    There are always 2 sides the every debate, and this one in particular! I would urge people to understand the alternate side of the debate, where many doctors and those specializing in the human body can explain how the body adapts to what we eat- evolution is not only for the dinosaurs.

    Reply
  • jkh
    June 25th, 2011
    12:47 pm

    a little quote from the book “Food in History”, talking about grains being a main staple since well before 2300 BC!!! this huge fattening of america happened how long ago? the problem isn’t grains, it is PROCESSED FOODS! please look at all sides of an issue, since this author is full of shit-The raw materials of the Sumerian diet…were barley, wheat and millet; chick peas, lentils and beans; onions, garlic and leeks; cucumbers, cress, mustard and fresh green lettuce. By the time Sumer was succeeded by Babylon a special delicacy had been discovered that was dispatched to the royal palace by the basketful. Truffles. Everyday meals probably consisted of barley paste or barleycake, accompanied by onions or a handful of beans and washed down with barley ale, but the fish that swarmed in the rivers of Mesopotamia were a not-too-rare luxury. Over fifty different types are mentioned in texts dating before 2300 BC

    Reply
  • Anonymous
    June 27th, 2011
    5:29 pm

    “Bread, pasta, and cookies are yummy. They are also likely killing you. ”
    Wow, what a dumb statement.

    Reply
  • Mike K
    July 1st, 2011
    1:49 pm

    The “staple” (for lack of a better term) carbohydrate with 4HB seems to be legumes, while according to the above, it seems to be fruit on the Paleo diet. I do not want the negative results to fat loss from fruit (as detailed in the 4HB), and I do not want the negative health consequences of legumes (as detailed above). Attempting both plans in this respect, is it possible to have a sustainable, healthy diet with no regular, “substantial” carbohydrate intake (in this case, no legumes OR fruit)?
    If not, is there some sort of carbohydrate one can eat that would be permissible by both diets?

    Thanks a lot!
    Mike

    Reply
    • Madeleine
      July 1st, 2011
      11:53 pm

      Hey Mike,

      I eat no staple carbohydrates in my diet at all, unless you count greens for salads (which have negligible carbs anyways), and I am doing great. If anything maybe try going Robb Wolf style and integrating yams and sweet potatoes as your carb intake (ideally post-workout)–no harmful fructose and some good nutrients to eat with those carbs. Or Kurt Harris endorses occasional servings of white–REFINED!!–rice in a paleo diet since rice has much lower levels of lectins/anti-nutrients, at least when refined and cooked. Check out both of those guys’ blogs if you’re interested! http://robbwolf.com/ and http://www.archevore.com/

      hope that helps!

      Reply
  • Collin
    July 6th, 2011
    1:09 pm

    I agree with Karl (Sept 25, 2010, 5:50pm) completely. This article is full of fantastic claims, all of which are plausible. But the article uses correlation to imply causation, and on top of that, it uses scare tactics to try to make its point.

    For example, the bit about plants evolving survival strategies: the author presents two strategies, and implies that grains must fall into one or the other. Since we don’t eat the fruit to spread the seed, as we do with blueberries, then grain must be poisonous. It’s very scary, but it’s also not true. It’s a false dichotomy.

    As an aside, I take issue with describing evolutionary traits as a “strategies”, as this implies design. New traits emerge by chance, organisms with detrimental traits die off, and the survivors pass their traits on to the next generation. That’s evolution, not a deliberate strategy. Species may not evolve “defensive” traits at all: some have very few predators or competitors, or they have strong “offensive” traits that promote their propagation so their sheer numbers assure their survival.

    This is a trait found in most grasses… the “strategy” is to be plentiful. There is so much grass, and it grows and reproduces so quickly, that animals can eat huge quantities of it without decimating the population. Grass doesn’t have to be poisonous to rabbits and cattle to survive. It just has to replenish itself at a faster rate than it is consumed.

    Here are a couple more things about grains that aid their survival: they are appealing to humans and they are easy to cultivate. Grains sustain us, and we believe them to be good for us, so we seed, care for, and harvest them. The survival of wheat is assured, as long as humans consider it to be a nutritious and viable food source. (This could even be considered a “give a little, get a little” strategy, or perhaps more accurately “give a lot, get a lot”, if you accept that a species can strategize). In fact, if grains are proved to be bad for humans, it will put their survival at risk.

    It may well be true that grains cause harm that offset their benefits, but the dangers and doom that are so spectacularly laid out in this article actually undermine the author’s arguments. I would very much like to see the studies that back up the claims made here, and I agree with Karl that a more reasoned approach is required.

    Reply
  • Cindy Lee
    July 11th, 2011
    9:58 am

    Thanks for the information. It was a big surprise to learn that I was gluten-sensitive. Even bigger was my surprise at how GREAT I feel without gluten! No more unreasonable pains; fewer digestive issues; gone is the low-level depression which confused the heck out of me. It’s good to know why gluten is such an issue.

    Reply
  • Valerie
    July 12th, 2011
    12:19 pm

    I had many anti biotics last year and it caused what I feel is leaky gut. I pretty much could eat anything without a problem before that but I started to get sick. Had all the signs of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. Where I live it is very difficult to get diagnostic tests for stomach related issues and i could not afford to go private so I basically had to start on an elimination diet of sorts to try to get to the bottom of what the heck it was causing the problem. I removed a lot of stuff. Wheat, eggs, milk and nuts. It was only three weeks ago when I started to follow the low carb diet with clean carbs (and some veggies and fruits added in) that I began to feel better. That and stepping up my water intake which prior to the diet change was NIL. lol. I did get water…in copious cups of tea and coffee!

    This past week I decided finally to have a cheat day…I deserved it I felt. Not a good idea! My gut was like a be afran childs within half an hour and I had sinus symptoms and eyes felt like crap. Absolutel nightmare. All I had was a caramel slice and a large Mocha! Sucks to be me because I can’t cheat it seems LOL!

    Well not at least on utter crap that has no nutrition value whatsoever anyway… I was so pissed but i guess my stomach is trying to be my best friend at the moment cos if I ate half of that trash it winds up in my blood anyway and eventually would kill me. Listen to your gut!

    Reply
  • Valerie
    July 13th, 2011
    3:06 pm

    Got a copy of Cindy’s message and came back to elaborate on my experiences and to say, yes, I am gluten and lactose intolerant but it has been a case of pharmageddon that got me where I’m at not so much anything to do with a regular allergy as such that has just been there all along but masked. I feel pharmaceutical medicine (anti biotics and steriods for chest infections and other health issues) are over used, and this is causing many people to have problems similar to mine after taking various scripts for medication. One of the anti biotics that I took I later looked it up and it can cause spontaneous rupture of tendons! I was so angry because given the choice, I would have told my GP to script another anti biotic or run a test to see what the bug was before scripting one.

    These days a lot of health problems are down to what I call dumb medicine. By that I mean, the average GP thinks he is an expert and yet has no nutritional qualifications to pick up deficiences causing health related problems, and no knowledge of the drugs he is prescribing – they dont even research drug trials in some cases. They just get told about a new amazing drug and script it. When you go back and say it isnt working or there are side effects, often they’ll script you something for the side effects and tell you to keep using the other drug. Looking at the average set of side effects for most drugs these days I ask myself, why the heck do Doctors script them – some seem laced with dangerous side effects that are worse than what your presenting with in their surgery!

    I have to add that not eating too great in the first place and possibly having various deficiencies pre disposed me to anti biotic use on the other hand as I didn’t eat Paleo and I was not a purist as such, but i certainly did not eat masses or processed foods. Everything was in balance and in moderation where junk was concerned. The cart got tipped with pharmaceutical drugs IMO. The reason I have come back to point all this point all that out is, there are many people in disbeleif that grain could be unhealthy food or a problem for them, but they can get away with eating grain and drinking milk right now in their lives – no problem. So they see the issue as alarmist I guess, but at some point this may change for them health wise.

    For me at almost aged 48 yrs it was a bit of a shock to have to change my diet so drastically. The hilarious thing is my food was 70% natural and the other 30% was junk related (and when I say junk related I mean flour based and grain based with gluten and milk etc). These days I’m dead against the consumption of milk as I feel it causes more osteoporosis than it cures. Ironic that it is alkaline before drinking and highly acid and pulls calcium from bone when it’s digested. Especially homogenised and pasteurised stuff! We are our own worst enemies at times as a species. Half the deaths out there are down to pharmaceutical drug side effects because patients did not change their life style or their diet instead they relied on drugs and continued eating unhealthy food. GP’s given them an excuse to when they script durgs for high blood pressure or high cholesterol indefinitely without decent dietary advice to reverse their health problem.

    When I visited my GP with the gut related issues it only tool two years to get come to the realisation that it was a food allergy! My GP kept insisting it was “IBS” and just stress and I was scripted IBS medications which exacerbated my health problems all the more. When i went back and told him drugs were not working, i.e. causing other gut related problems, he just scripte me medications to get rid of the side effects of the drugs. e.g. I became seriously constipated because I took meds for diahorea and also cholofac which slows down the gut motlility. The GP gave me something to take for constipation instead of looking at the colofac and taking me off it. More drugs get added to that pile if you in anyway seem depressed because of your ongoing gut related issues e.g. anti depressants. GP’s have become too blaze when someone shows up in their practice with these problems and just happy to write a script out for IBS medications instead of investigating each patients symptoms and ruling other more complex and irreversible gut related issues out first that may be causing issues such as allergy, chrons disease, ulcers or colon cancer etc.

    I do not trust ANY GP now because of this. Almost every drug that I have been scripted in the last two years has hit one symptom and created ten more and practically wrecked my immune system. GP’s are all too happy to script drugs that arn’t even testd for any longer than three months…look at the mass scripting of anti depressants as an example. If your using any drug that is less than 7 yrs used in patients call yourself a guinea pig. That goes for most of the anti biotics they are creating these days which are extremely chemotherapeutic. I hate to be cynical but the reason why so many people are suffering in my situation (even when eating what I used to consider some healthy foods such as whole grains) is modern medicine is destroying what is technically 70% of a persons immune system when they script anti biotic.

    I know sometimes these drugs are necessary and save lives and there is a place for them, but they are scripted out all too easily in a lot of cases. Likewise drugs for high blood pressure or high cholesterol… which often see the patient go home and just continue eating as they did before without even looking at the cause for the high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. This is why? Because GP’s just write a script and watch numbers instead of sending the patient to a dietician as a compulsory part of their appointment to set them on the right track. Once they get to a dietician though…half of them haf different views on what should be eaten and what should not be eaten.

    Unless the average person has the brains to hit the net and research their health related issues and clean their act up, they are on their way down a slippery slope with a six foot hole at the end of it. My GP told me to “go home and eat normally and just take this and this twice a day.” Ironically I was 14 pounds over weight too at the time. Since then I have gone up to 175 lbs (5ft 1) and my health has slowly deteriorated to the point that I had what I felt was frozen shoulder (both arms) every day and I don’t even lift weights at the moment or do anything major to have such muscle problems. I have had to research and diagnose myself because the local hospital do not take referrals at the moment for gut related issues unless you are bleeding from the back passage or in excrutiating pain. When I researched I had every symptom of fibromyalgia and i started to treat myself holitically for that as well as eliminating foods from my diet. This technically should be done under a dietician here, but my GP has just not been onto this at all.

    I’m in New Zealand and here we do not have a user pays system… it is funded. You cannot get health care insurance for ongoing health problems. In other words, I was at the mercy of the crap hospital system they have here and had to literally bail myself out after beuingfed up everytime i went to see my GP. I was on three drugs for IBS and then she wanted to give me anti depressants because surprise surprise I was depressed with all my gut related issues which were being made worse due to ignoring the real problem = serious allergy to foods I was eating. I have NO faith in modern medicine anymore. I’m far more likely to research for a natural cure these days and drop by my health food store than resort to a GP visit. I do get concerned about other people like me who are not intelligent enough to figure this out or investigate their health problems and who listen to everything their damn GP says – which often is just not for your best interests at all.

    Reply
  • Robb Wolf
    July 21st, 2011
    10:27 am

    Two new entrants to the story:
    Lupus is a form of gluten sensitivity:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1754806/

    Everyone benefits from a gluten free diet:
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_111841.html

    Reply
    • davoid
      September 29th, 2011
      3:30 am

      That article did NOT conclude that “lupus is a form of gluten sensitivity”. Having reported 3 case studies, the article, entitled “Gluten sensitivity masquerading as systemic lupus erythematosus”, concluded that:
      “The prevalence of antigliadin antibodies in patients with SLE has been reported to be 23%. None of these patients had an enteropathy on biopsy. The conclusion was that there is no association between CD and SLE, but an association between gluten sensitivity and SLE cannot be excluded. More likely, however, is the possibility of misdiagnosis of SLE in
      patients with gluten sensitivity.”

      To causally associate gluten sensitivity with an awful disease like SLE which has a 100% mortality, either due to wilful misprepresentation or a failure to properly read, but either way through sloppy research, is an absolute disgrace, brands you as a fanatic and undermines your statements.

      Reply
      • Brian C
        December 29th, 2011
        8:34 am

        Seconded. Autoimmune disorders and their interrelationships is an interesting, but still developing subject. Autoantibodies that are principally associated with one autoimmune disorder are often found to pop up in others (e.g., Specific ANAs associated with primary Sjogren’s also found in SLE and vice-versa). The article he cites is an example of that, but he seems not to have read the article, and instead issued a baseless claim based only on the title and/or abstract.

  • Gwyneth
    September 1st, 2011
    9:37 am

    Hi Tim,
    This blog at the Paleo Diet Solution has been a real life changer for both my son and me. He reads your blog regularly, came across this last fall and checked into. When I first heard about his new way of eating I was beyond skeptical … mostly that anyone could stick to it. He printed the blog and I picked it up and started reading very quickly knowing it was information I could not ignore. I jumped in fully the very end of October and am very thankfully totally happy with all my results. Can’t imagine eating any other way again. Once you experience the results … it becomes even easier. I began to eliminate and/or head off some health issues–losing weight has been a very pleasant bonus. I began as a size 12 and am now a loosely fitting 6 and have been for over 2 months. In pounds it’s 30+ from my highest weight. I so believe in this that I have a video posted on my website in the “Food – Health Full” link called “The Paleo Strip” where “demonstrate” (“G” audience style) my dramatic results. Thanks again for sharing! My life is changed!

    Reply
  • Randy Burleson
    September 1st, 2011
    2:59 pm

    Is beer ok? It is made by fermenting only the sugars from the malted barley.

    Reply
  • Alex
    September 9th, 2011
    10:37 pm

    oh nooo…so even quinoa is a no no!???
    I’m crushed… but also definitely confused…so much (conflicting) info out there!
    The raw foodists… the vegans… paleo… and everyone claiming to be right and superior to the other… and yes you can research, BUT there are studies that will convince you of either lifestyle…
    Sooooo…I guess I just have to try for myself what works best..
    The one thing I do get is that most grains are bad for you and pretty much most dairy..
    BUT even quinoa and oats!? now that is crushing!

    Reply
  • Valerie
    September 12th, 2011
    1:42 am

    Something of interest…I’m highly allergic to moulds and was before I had problems with grains in my diet. Mould brings on asthma for me if there is enough of it around. I can walk into a room that has black mould and my nostrils start to burn within seconds they are that sensitive to it. I had hoped when I removed wheat and gluten from my diet that I’d be able to stomach oats somehow as I’ve always loved porridge oats with egg whites and some nutmeg as a high protein snack.

    Unfortunately I can’t eat those now…my stomach bloats within minutes of eating them and I get the runs. Strange thig is I noticed that all porridge oats (no matter what brand they are) smell like black mould to me when I either smell them dried or cooked. I feel generally unwell after eating them. Got to be something in that…either oats are exposed to black mould in the vats and the manufacturers are not keeping the vats clean or the oats themselves attaract mould anyway.

    Reply
  • Valerie
    September 12th, 2011
    1:52 am

    Hey… I was not far wrong! Look at this page here:

    http://tuberose.com/Mold_Fungus.html

    Look down the bottom at the “Top ten myco-toxic foods!”

    Yet another reason why you should avoid that junk! lol

    Reply
  • Tara
    September 12th, 2011
    8:25 pm

    When I gave up gluten and dairy, my cravings for junk food and sweets were reduced DRASTICALLY. I believe people are not only addicted to gluten, but to the chemical additives in all the process foods that contain gluten. If you think “omg…I could never give up bread or pasta” then you are probably addicted.

    Reply
  • Valerie
    September 12th, 2011
    11:45 pm

    Just popped back to add that I have just found out that a lot of my so called chronic fatigue was adrenal exhaustion and mild hypothydroid probs. I’m very deficient in iodine apparently (which is a common thing here) due to the fact that I had not been using iodised salt and had in fact cut my sodium levels low (supposedly good dietary advise!). The average diet these days is very high in processed foods and manufacturers do not use iodised salt, they just use normal bog standard table salt. For those who diets are not processed, often they’re advised by most nutritionists to cut sodium drstically in their diets to avoid health problems and water retention.

    I went to my GP over a year ago with the same symptoms:

    gut problems
    water retention
    puffy hands and face, neck
    severe fatigue
    aches and pains and prone to injuries
    tinitis (chronic)
    eye problems
    itchy scalp and skin
    drastic hair loss on top of scalp
    increased tendency to infections and easily in injured
    blood pressure was higher than normal
    low temperature (constant)
    irregular menses (three monthly)

    All symptoms of hypothydroidism. I could never get warm no matter what I did. I used to have an awful shivering sensation as I was dropping off to sleep at night and as my body temp dropped. It would feel like a buzz through the nerves from my extremeties to the core or me. My allergies increased and new ones cropped up. I’ve been suffering these symptoms for two years. My G[ ran thydroid checks but mine came back within the normal ranges so that idea was canned. Apparently though, if you’re deficient in iodine for any length of time, you’re body is placed under a lot of stress due to the low temperature (which only needs to be a degree or so below normal = 98.6) and the adrenal glands are over active and can become exhausted and overworked (adrenal exhaustion). Because you’re releasing stress hormones and so on you wind up gaining weight due to a slow down in metabolism.

    There is also a syndrome called Wilson Syndrome that mimics hypothydroidism and which does not crop up on thydroid tests either so it would pay people who have had similar symtpoms to get their iodine levels checked to see if they’re deficient, as just treating you for that, and bringing the body temperature back up can kick start weight loss apparently. Many people who are on extreme clean diets are susceptible to this. It’s one of the reasons I wound up deficient I feel. I removed all iodised and table salt because manufactures use aluminium salts as a free flowing agent. I switched to sea salt which is lower in iodine and used less salt and over time that occured for me. In New Zealand apparently in 2010 they raised the RDA for iodine as it is a common occurence here apparently and the Health Boards and Midwives now advise all women who are pregnant to be prescibed iodine subsidised. But the population in general is low in iodine as it is not high in the soil either.

    I highly advised anyone who has had ANY unusual fatigue with a similar story to get their iodine levels checked not just their thydroid hormones! Honestly I had such a foggy head in recent weeks I felt like the top of my skull was full of cotton wool. This problem can lead to an autoimmune disorder also if not corrected. As soon as I started to supplement with iodine I had a rush of energy. I advise to go slow though and take small doses and build up as the thydroid can be shocked when it has not had any iodine in a while. Case in point, my throat has been aching on the weekend because my thydroid is so iodine sensititive. Unbelievable!
    I honestly thought I was going nuts through it all as I was eating clean, not eating anymore than I would normally do. Yet I was gaining truck loads of weight and water. But apparently you can literally be on something ludicrous like 600 calories a day and if you’re thydroid is not working due to iodine deficiency you’re body goes into conservation mode and you’re metabolism slows right down to a grinding halt. I pulled my achilles tendon just going for a walk because my ankles were so swollen with water and the muscles had wasted. It is awful.

    If anyone has a weight loss stall and you have been cutting sodium like crazy and there is no iodine in you’re multi, get you’re iodine levels checked. The RDA here now is at least 150 mcg per day. Big jump up! My naturopath gave me adrenal and thydroid support and I’m booked in for Bowen therapy and lymphatic drainage massage to get my lymph glands cleared later this week. But my energy is fantastic since taking the supplements on the weekend! I mean I did go an buy a multi a while back to cover all my bases but it did not contain iodine, so people beware. It can lead to a big fat autoimmune disease if it isnt picked up. Worse still I had been cutting salt even further back and eating even cleaner due to the salt retention on the advice of my GP. I feel so relieved because food allergies are the first to go UP when you’re thydroid is not in check or functioning well.

    Reply
  • singing water
    September 15th, 2011
    3:01 pm

    Valerie, iodine supplementation can be extremely dangerous. I use seaweed products (hopefully not poisoned by Fukishima) and that seems to help me immensely. Liquid chlorophyll made from seaweed, toasted seaweed treats, etc.

    Reply
  • Valerie
    September 15th, 2011
    4:40 pm

    PS: Do you’re research before supplementation. To avoid major side effects, don’t go gung ho and take whacking great doses all at once. Otherwise MAJOR detox problems are headed you’re way. I’ll keep you all posted lol!

    Reply
  • Valerie
    September 15th, 2011
    4:52 pm

    Cool. Another highly debatable topic. Iodine versus Scaremongering medical professionals who prefer we walk around deficient in the stuff, get seriously ill so they can get rich from it all. If you are one of these people who have been brain washed into thinking that iodine is poison I highly recommend doing the following:

    Research and look at these articles and web sites. You need to!

    http://www.health-science-spirit.com/lugol.htm

    Read the whole of that guys web site. You will possibly not be converted right there but go a little further:

    http://joannebrophy.com/programs/iodinetherapy.htm

    http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james37.htm

    Also research Iodine as a detoxifier of heavy metals in you’re body. Apparently those pesky side effects the medical establishments warn us all about are

    actually major detox symptoms e.g. bromide, flouride and metals such as aluminium, lead, arsenic, mercury. Probably we all know that when you’re not getting enough iodine (deficiency) the thydroid holds these toxins in you’re body? Guess not. If not check those articles out. You need to. The less iodine you have in you’re body, the sicker you get. Consider that the thydroid gland is the gatekeeper for all other organs and glands to function correctly and at full tilt in the body. Iodine is not only needed for you’re thydroid to convert T4 to T3, it is also needed by those glands for them to function and be healthy. Studies into Fibrocystic breasts revealed, women suffer less the higher their iodine intake is for example.

    Your thydroid can’t do it’s job without T3, so if you don’t get enough iodine, you’re
    thydroid is underactive by varying degrees. Consider also that the typical RDA for
    iodine was set between the 60′s and the 80′s (need to check this) when lot’s of studies were done to determine what was needed in the way of iodine for the thydroid to function adequaltely. They reckon that that magic figure back then was 150mcg. However, in countries where iodine intake is much higher, (e.g. Japan 12-50MG per day) no harmful effects are seen and in fact they have the lowest rate for cancer and sickness throughout the world. They LIVE on a high seaweed diet yes. Seaweed in itself has a detoxifcation method…it actually uses iodine to clean the toxins out of itself.

    See studies into the following and plug them into Google. Heaps will come up for study:

    Iodine deficiency causes breast cancer and other types of cancer or prevents such
    Iodine is an anti fungal, anti bacterial and tonic Iodine scare mongering In healthy people iodine is found in every gland in the body, not just in the thydroid gland and this prevents diseases. The RDA above is set for the thydroid gland function only, not for the anti cancer or disease effects to other organs in you’re body.

    The typical so called side effects of large doses of iodine supplementation are correlated with large amounts of toxins (that I mention) being excreted in the urine of those that take them and the easiest way to cut back on detox effects is to cut back the dose and then gradually buid the dose up. Start low and go slow in other words just as you would if you did a detox diet.

    If you choose to listen to the propoganda that iodine is harmful and hazardous to you’re health after looking at all the above then I take my hat off to you because no amount of clean diet will get you’re butt out of trouble health wise if you skip on iodine intake.

    I am living proof of this. Perhaps Tim there can do this little experimentation for us all (cos I am done experimenting with low iodine intake here thanks!) and cut iodine for 12 months or maybe 24 months completely and see how the heck he feels and then re introduce it. I think it is relative and important for people to be re educated because I for one am sick of friends and family telling me they have cancer. Two females now diagnosed with non genetic form of breast cancer in my family within two generations. Thousands of women and men developing “hormone” related cancers and the medical establishment will cannot get their heads around why we need iodine??? Yet in medical school they are taught that iodine will kill anything, slap it all over wounds and use it to kill bacterial or fungal infections or prevent them. Hilarious!

    PS: You need both types of iodine. Iodine and Potassium Iodide. One is used solely by

    the thydroid gland and the other is used by organs in the body or so this is believed.

    So if you’re going to be consistent and treat underactive thydroid and know what dose you’re taking you need to be able to measure this because seafood and diet is not an accurate barometer to gauge how much you need or where you need to go from one day to the next. Lugols idoine is therefore the best type to use when starting out and gradually increasing doses for accuracy. It is just as effective as organic iodines found in seaweed. Research this topic as thoroughly as you can before you decide what you’re opinion is re iodine and make sure that you read the following article to polish it all off:

    http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-16/PUB_16.htm

    I think you will find that we are STILL all being conned in the 21st century into the

    mode of thinking that iodine is poisonous in quantities above a mcg dose and yet studies in the past prove that people taking between 12-50mg iodine per day achieved total saturation in the body and 99% of them showed NO toxic effects whatsoever! Whereas those low in iodine present with goiter, and other thydroid diseases such as thydroid cancer.

    Learning about what you’re body needs really doesn’t take much. But for me it took two years of hit and miss and spending thousands of dollars on natural supplements and remedies to get to one basic nutrient and within a week of taking that my chronic fatigue levels have disappeared. Also, for people like me who have high incidence of cancer in the family, it really matters that you make every effeort to educate youself and think outside of the box because the medical establishments have no incentive to educate you whatsoever Their propaganda re iodine is designed to scare you out of using the ONE thing that will improve you’re health big time. It’s my bet that iodine would probably win out over chemotherapy and all the other crap that allopathic medicical practitioners could probably throw at you, but then they don’t need you all knowing that because iodine is less costly and doesn’t make the medical profession rich does it??

    Reply
    • Brian C
      December 29th, 2011
      8:23 am

      Er, your thyroid doesn’t “need” T3 to function, it MAKES T3 (and T4) by iodinating thyroglobulin. In peripheral tissues, T4 is converted to T3 by deiodinases, through the REMOVAL of iodine moieties from T4.

      But, back on topic.

      Reply
  • Spoof
    September 20th, 2011
    12:47 pm

    I am starting to see the benefits of this diet on paper.
    I however have been a vegetarian for 24 years. I am considering adding fish to my diet (which currently includes eggs and some cheeses). It’s going to be a very difficult road even getting my head around it, let alone my system, which has been free of flesh for so long.
    I have just started taking krill oil and that’s certainly a big step for me.
    Any suggestions on how to incorporate fish into my diet slowly?
    Also, any suggestions on fish that doesn’t taste too ‘fishy’ ?
    I’d like to stay away from meat and poultry altogether and keep things eggy and fishy.
    I would appreciate any advice from the experts on this board!
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Holly
      November 15th, 2011
      10:33 am

      If you can afford it, alaskan halibut is excellent tasting.
      I just add sea salt (unprocessed) and pepper.
      Add a little organic butter to a pan and sear it about 5-6 min on each side or until its done.
      good luck

      Reply
  • davoid
    September 29th, 2011
    3:07 am

    Why are the so many centenarians in Sardinia? Could they be living to 120 if they gave up pasta and bread?

    What about bowel cancer? Most paleolithic people didn’t live much past 50.

    Do we have any idea how many people live with some degree of gluten-derived gut inflammation? How many people have detectable IgA levels?

    I assume that there is a spectrum from full coeliac to no problem at all with gluten, and that most people have no problem at all with gluten. And this will be determined largely by genotype, possibly HLA markers in some cases, possiby also by environment e.g. past episodes of leaky gut from whatever cause allowing systemic exposure to gliadin. There is likely to be population-based differences associated with genotypic differences. But I don’t have evidence, and I’ve not seen any from any blogger who has professed authority in this area.

    Basically I’d like to know: across the asymptomatic population as a whole, how serious an issue is this? Certainly Stephan Guyenet (http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/), who seems to take an evidence-based, non-hyperbolic approach, noticed little or no effects of a gluten challenge following several weeks exclusion. And he’s paid-up paleo.

    Comments welcome.

    Reply
  • Duncan
    October 21st, 2011
    12:56 pm

    Interesting article with a lot of good stuff in it

    But:

    Talking about the potential association between grains and Huntingdon’s as if it is established fact is just incorrect.

    If you are born with the chromosomal defect responsible for Huntingdon’s disease, unfortunately you will get this disease, irrespective of what you do or do not eat.

    It would be great if the 2 cases under investigation yield valid data concerning a link between grain and Huntingdon’s but presenting something which is still very speculative as ‘fact’ is misleading and (in my opinion) undermines what was otherwise an interesting read…

    Reply
    • Brian C
      December 29th, 2011
      8:12 am

      Agreed. I had missed that association in my initial skim-through, but now that you mention it, I am positively shocked that made it in. Perhaps it’s not entirely fair, but it does make one consider the source a bit more skeptically when that source implies that lectins are somehow a causative factor in the development of Huntington’s. There’s no relationship; whether or not you will develop the disease is determined at the moment of conception.

      Additionally, Robb seems to be a bit fuzzy on the science of celiac disease and associated autoimmune disorders. In fact, there is substantial evidence to support the idea that celiac disease IS an autoimmune disorder (it’s not the GLUTEN that affects TTG, but rather auto-antibodies to TTG made by the patient), and a bit of study will demonstrate that autoimmune disorders have a damnable tendency to cluster together.

      Reply
  • Dessy H
    October 30th, 2011
    8:13 am

    I hope u guys really read this, your diet wont work for someone like me who stays in Africa: Nigeria precisely- if i stay away from rice, bread,corn etc what am i supposed to take? We havent got strawberries, cauliflowers and stuff, an even if we do, i don’t know what you mean by marina sauce,indian-style coleslaw,western omelet,jerky, chicken fajita salad,pot pork loin,and other stuff, here’s what we got- rice, beans, yam, garri, potato, fishes, meat(beef, u dont want to know the other types), chicken,turkey, apple,banana, water-lemon, pawpaw,grape, lime, garden egg, vegetables and various types of soup eaten with either garri or yam(pounded)- no pun intended but for the most part, u speaking GREEK- If i stay off those stuff(grains)then there’s basically nothing to stay on- we also got snacks but its egg-roll,meatpie, fishpie,sausage( dont know if it’s the same as yours ) cake,biscuits, gala or maybe beef-roll etc, way different from what u mentioning so what’s someone in my “high-heels” supposed to do? Any ways thanks for the information, it’s unbelievable but i’m guessing true- thanks

    Reply
  • CoachToni
    November 3rd, 2011
    6:31 am

    The information you present is well articulated and sums up to problems with present day diets in a way that makes it fairly easy for anyone to understand. Thanks for that.

    As a reader in search of a lectin free or a lectin low diet- i get all the stuff about beans and grains. No problem. Where i am struggling is around the contradictory information i have been reading (many sources) on the foods highest in lectins. Among these are tomatoes (especially cooked), potatoes, and all nuts. yet, your menu suggestion (very helpful, BTW) includes these foods. Can you shed any light on this and help me (and other readers?) to get this right. There are some folks out there that really need this help.
    Thanks much

    Reply
  • Holly
    November 15th, 2011
    10:29 am

    For me I try to have several vegan days per week.
    I listen to my body and eat animal protein when I crave it.
    I try to alternate between wild caught alaskan fish and chicken or turkey.
    I do eat a lot of beans tho. Cook a pot of them every week and eat on them several days.
    What to do…

    Reply
  • Amit
    November 16th, 2011
    1:03 pm

    Holly,

    Do you want to be Vegan but find it not practical. reasons for your current plan, just curious? Love the fact you listen to your body.

    Keep well,

    Reply
    • Holly
      November 16th, 2011
      1:33 pm

      Hi Amit,
      I’ve been on a health plan for almost 1 year now and have lost over 100lbs. Initially it was about losing weight now its about being as healthy as I can be. I believe that vegan is very healthy but I also believe that every “body” is different and we have to listen to the clues we receive from our body on a daily basis. I have recently found myself to be Gluten intolerant and allergic to dairy and corn. It seems that once you shred your gut all of your “favorite” foods become allergens.
      Our bodies will tell us what they need if we will just listen.
      Cheers to Health!

      Reply
  • Amit
    November 16th, 2011
    6:25 pm

    Holly,

    thanks for the response. The reason i asked why because i lost about 35 pounds and most importantly got rid of IBD experimenting with lot of diets. mixing ayurveda, primal & Ph/alkalinity principles. primal helped quite a lot but recently i just don’t feel like eating meat ( maybe spiritually)..so doing mostly lot of vegetables, some fruits, lot of flax seed oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, olive oil with small portions of rice at times. i do need to eat 5-6 times versus 2 when i was on primal. Overall trying to burn fat for energy ( mostly following Stu Mittleman’s – Slow Burn). I don’t do great on milk but yogurt cured me and fresh made buttermilk from raw milk yogurt suits me.

    You have done awesome and made great progress. I wish you well. Cheers.

    Reply
    • Holly
      November 18th, 2011
      9:39 am

      What about beans? I eat them a lot. I cook a pot and eat on them during the week. Now I’m reading that they may be as bad as Gluten and Dairy? I don’t seem to have reactions to them like I do corn, wheat, etc. Any insight?
      thanks

      Reply
  • Amit
    November 18th, 2011
    9:47 am

    Holly,

    Couple of points that i would follow with beans:

    - i would stick to your basic essence of how your energy levels change and feels after you consume beans. Let your body and sensitivity be your guide. I used to have issues when i was going through IBD/IBS issues but now it seems fine. Any food that constantly gives you bloat, heartburn shows that your body is uncomfortable digesting it

    - How you prepare beans is very important. precooked out of a can is an issue but if you soak overnight or sprout a little before cooking. I usually add tomatoes, onions, leeks, lot f herbs, jalepenos and spices as personal preferences.

    - according to ayurveda beans are list of foods which are difficult to digest or irritants along with eggplants, okra, peppers, potatoes and should be avoided during indigestion or if you have digestive disorders.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply
  • billiga resor turkiet
    December 28th, 2011
    6:22 am

    hm… i’m sorry to be a tad boring but i think your website could look a little bit better and a little more easy on the eyes if it had more of a green vibe to it, however that is just me. good post anyhow! :) Best regards, Stander

    Reply
  • how to twitter followers
    January 6th, 2012
    9:07 am

    Nice blog here! Additionally your site a lot up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your associate link on your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as yours lol

    Reply
  • Kristina
    January 10th, 2012
    10:46 am

    Thanks for explaining some of the digestive science – that’s the kind of thing that will help me stay on track as I transition to a grain-free diet!

    I’ve been soy, corn, and dairy-free for years with great improvement but recently was forced to acknowledge that wheat/grain is also problematic. On two occasions I set out to eat “paleo” for a day and felt fine, although hungry, all morning. Both times I gave in and ate grain in the afternoon and soon felt bloated, lethargic, and get this, still hungry.

    My biggest concern as I embark on such a major dietary change is how to make it kid-friendly so the whole family can enjoy better health. I suspect malabsorption issues with my middle child, an underweight preschooler who is somewhat picky with vegetables and not a big meat-eater. He is also my stubborn one so going on a grain-free diet is sure to be an adventure! Wish me luck.

    Reply
  • Brian C
    January 12th, 2012
    7:35 pm

    So… no retractions or corrections whatsoever? Even with something so laughably absurd as the assertion that somehow any of this is associated with Huntington’s?

    Reply
  • Mike
    January 17th, 2012
    9:25 am

    Just curious if there is a way, other than a can that says it bpa free to tell if a can is lined with bpa…? I’ve seen the insides of an ungodly amount of cans lately(Thanks Tim!!!) and there seem to be a couple of types, at least in my area. Most are a semigloss white inside, which I’m assuming is the plastic lining, but the other predominant ones are galvanized inside. If they galvanized the inside of the can would they still coat it in bpa…? I will try to cook the dried beans when possible but with my work schedule it’s not the most convenient way to get my legumes… Thanks for any input…

    Reply
  • oli
    January 24th, 2012
    5:36 am

    http://www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org/Resources/

    Q: “Should gluten be excluded from my diet?”

    A: … “In fact the researchers found no statistically significant association between coeliac disease and subsequent multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, hereditary ataxia, the symptom ataxia, Huntington’s disease, myasthenia gravis or spinal muscular atrophy. This is very strong evidence that there is no link with gluten.” …

    Reply
  • Jessica
    February 1st, 2012
    10:19 am

    I am have not only had my gall bladder removed when I was quite young (17) but I have also had Gastric Bypass surgery. After my bypass surgery, I lost 120lbs and felt great and kept it off for about 4 1/2 years. The past couple years though I have had issues with terrible bloating after eating and have gained about about 45lbs. At times I especially notice the bloating after I have eaten stuff like sandwiches, wraps, etc. I am suppose to already be having a high protein diet but I have re-introduced some carbs, bread and occasional sweets into my diet again. I am not sure if the bloating is from the food I am consuming or if it is an internal thing that stems from my surgery. I have gone to the surgeon to have them look to see if anything is wrong internally and the tests come up negative. I am also experiencing a lot of anaemia which has also been present the last couple years since the bloating started and other strange symptoms. Because I am a gastric bypass patient I take iron and B12 supplements regularly but still seem to end up anaemic. So I guess my question is – do you know if this sort of diet would benefit me and have you heard of people in my situation experiencing similar symptoms that this diet has benefited? I would welcome any suggestions. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dave
      May 6th, 2012
      10:25 pm

      Hi Jessica,

      Problems from eating wheat products, like bread and four tortillas, are one of the main things the Paleolithic Diet was designed to avoid.

      And here is your answer to your iron deficiency question:

      “Phytates are important for seeds and grains because they tightly bind to metal ions (like magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and copper), which are crucial for the growth and development of the grain. If the metal ions are not tightly bound by the phytates, the process of germination can happen prematurely and this can spell disaster for the grain.

      When we consume grains, the phytates are still active and powerfully bind to calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. This means the calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron are unavailable for absorption.”

      Give Paleo a try for 30 days, and see if you feel better.

      Reply
    • ravi
      May 20th, 2012
      6:39 am

      jessica, exactly what do you have to lose? your health is spotty at best and you already have mucho damage from conventional eating and conventional medicine reaction to the problems it caused you (cut it out!) –

      head over to Mark’s Daily Apple and check out the “success” stories which include a plethora of medical resolutions as well as weight loss –

      good luck

      Reply
  • Healthy Cardio Diet
    February 29th, 2012
    7:14 pm

    Our bodies are made to be healthy. It does not have to be a struggle to get thinner, stronger and healthier. We can help you reach your goals faster than you can believe and it won’t even feel like a chore. Our diet tips are tested and proven to work for a wide range of people. Easy to follow and implement into your life. Our diets won’t require expensive food or cutting out what you love. It is nothing like any diet you’ve tried before. Pills, drugs and massive diet changes can be dangerous. Our tips and programs are all safe and also effective. Being thin isn’t worth it if you lose your health. Lose weight and be healthy the right way. Food is essential for life, don’t let it be your enemy. Our diets and programs will give you a completely new outlook on food. Food will become enjoyable and never leave you feeling guilty again.

    Reply
  • David
    March 12th, 2012
    7:44 am

    Hi tim,

    Would you consider that “Psyllium Husk” may do more harm than good to our gut ?

    David

    Reply
  • lolo
    March 15th, 2012
    8:34 pm

    This site is de facto interesting i am searching for is there any other examples? however anyway thanks abundantly because I found that i used to be yearning for.

    Reply
  • identity lookout
    March 21st, 2012
    5:52 am

    Very aptly presented and put forward. this is a great blog post. Gives Fodder for brain as well as compells you to ponder. Happy That I stumbled upon this site.

    Reply
  • V Jefferies
    April 11th, 2012
    9:51 pm

    Just came back for a catch up on my health. I could not seem to get it under control for some time after posting. I removed a lot of grains and foods from the diet, and was literally playing guessing games with my health and my body was run down to the point that I literally hobbled when I got out of bed in the morning, my achilles tendons were so tight.

    Two months ago I sent a sample of hair from the nape of my neck to a company in Auckand who run tests to detect food and environmental allergies or intolerances, and I also had the vitamin and mineral tests done. It took three weeks to get the results back and when I did, it turned out that I was highly intolerant to the following

    Wheat (highest)
    Candida (was high suggesting I had systemic candida problems)
    Potatos (Nightshade vegetable)
    Tomatoes (Nightshade vegetable)
    Oranges
    Dairy (any at all)
    Mushrooms
    Coffee was a problem but lower than the above as was sugar

    You might remember I had extreme abdominal distention following eating some foods which was so bad it gave me breathing issues and made me feel wiped out and full all the time. Those foods where the ones that were cropping up for me to remove from my diet. I was also severely deficient in the following:

    All the B Vitamins
    Vitamin D
    Omega 3′s and 6′s
    Magnesium

    I was very low in B12 so all the iron the GP was scripting me was not being absorbed as B12 is needed to absorb that. My nerves were shot at because of the low B vitamin status and I did not handle stress well. My hair was falling out in handfuls and hormones all over the place because of that. Magnesium is needed by the muscles of the gut to function properly for one as is calcium, not just the muscles of the body. But the reason I couldn’t walk properly was because of the vitamin D deficiency…

    I had started to develop osteomalacia due to that. My gut was not absorbing vitamins and minerals properly from foods because the allergies had caused gut absorbency problems. As well as this being on anti biotics and prednisone for infections also wrecked my gut lining and immune system. I was not getting enough D in diet so couldn’t absorb calcium. I do go out in the sun but wear a high factor sun block because i burn within minutes and the sun over NZ is particularly harsh…

    Vitamin D deficiency is common in the elderly, people living in Australia and NZ because of the level of sun block we use to protect from skin cancer. A deficiency in d will also cause balance problems which I had begun to have when shooting. I would look through the view finder of my dslr to shoot and would veer off to one side and fall over on some occasions with the balance problems. But basically that is why a lot of elderly have falls…and then fracture their hips…they’ve done studies to show that a lot of elderly people who lack sunlight have very low bone density in hips and balance issues exacerbate the falls. So D is very important folks and if you are not getting the sunlight daily – supplement with D3.

    More or less all the vitamins that I was lacking in for years in fact are needed for good hormone production and the B’s especially also help your gut to process sugars and foods etc, so if your deficient in those, you will have a tendency to develop diabetes eventually. In my situation I wound up being deficient in those because of allergies and candida and it caused leaky gut and all the other issues after it because of the deficiencies candida causes in itself. Your hormone levels become depleted and your immunity also.

    Candida needs vitamin B’s to thrive and will cause deficiencies in that as above. I found the hair allergy and intolerance test very useful as I was able to know more or less straight away what I can and cannot eat which was such a help. It is no fun dabbling around trying to guess which foods your intolerant to, and 9 times out of 10 you will remove stuff that isn’t even a problem and keep eating the stuff that is making you ill. So finding that much out is gold. I removed all grain apart from brown rice. I removed all nightshade veggies from my diet. I also removed caffeine and have cut sugar very low whilst I heal the gut. The protocol I’m on involved addressing the candida and getting that under control as well as bumping up to high potency B vitamins and getting plenty of D in the diet until I’m back to normal bone density wise. As an aside I did see a study where they were now treating people with high levels of d 6 mothly because it reduced pelvic pain for some women, so that does support the theory that D is more like a hormone in the body.

    Since doing all that and addressing it all I am feeling a heck of a lot better. A bit of a way to go but getting there and heading in the right drection now. I highly recommend the hair tests, as I had vit d blood tests but they only show what is happening in the blood at one time (like a snap shot0 and the hair shows vitamin and mineral deficiencies over months at a time so it a good barometer to finding out what you need to take to bring your body back into a good healing state.

    I particularly found the allergy tests good, because despite numerous allergy tests via the GP, they do NOT show you any intolerances to foods. Intolerances over time can cause more damage than an allergy because people with allergies have an instant reaction and can know what it is giving them the problems and just avoid it whereas intolerances tend to never quite have you really sick enough to know you need to remove certain foods or environmental stuff causing them. Again the hair does show more on that front as it is over a long period of time not just one vial of blood taken on one day etc.

    I highly recommend that people try the hair tests and analysis. It is not cheap, but then I had been spending to the tune of thousands on my health since it started to go down hill a few years ago trying to find out what was causing issues. Supplements, surgery, constant GP visits which all resulted in me never being treated effectively. In fact GP’s made the whole situation worse by giving me drugs and medication that exacerbated the leaky gut. Plus they are not holistic in their thinking and do NOT look at your mineral of vitamin deficiencies as closely as the hair tests do. But more or less within 3 weeks of supplementing with stuff I’m lacking in high doses, I felt my energy return enough for me to attempt a candida cleanse.

    Reply
  • V Jefferies
    April 11th, 2012
    9:54 pm

    the reason I came back was I saw the email about only eating “clean” “uinprocessed foods” and laughed… tomatoes and potatos, oranges, mushrooms and all nightshade veggies are natural foods which are not tampered with and yet they were high on the list for giving me problems. So it’s important to get to the bottom of what your list of “no no” foods are really as eating fresh veggies doesn’t always solve the issue. Natural foods can be just as toxic to some people as processed.

    Reply
  • V Jefferies
    April 11th, 2012
    9:55 pm

    the reason I came back was I saw the email about only eating “clean” “unprocessed foods” and laughed… tomatoes and potatos, oranges, mushrooms and all nightshade veggies are natural foods which are not tampered with and yet they were high on the list for giving me problems. So it’s important to get to the bottom of what your list of “no no” foods are really as eating fresh veggies doesn’t always solve the issue. Natural foods can be just as toxic to some people as processed.

    Reply
  • Stephanie
    April 17th, 2012
    2:02 pm

    I love that there are over 1,000 comments here! Tim, this post changed my life… It introduced me to Robb, whose words of wisdom and awesome Paleo community have helped completely cured me of my Crohn’s symptoms. I encourage all of the sceptics to try it out for at least 30 days. No harm in that!

    Reply
  • Jim
    April 19th, 2012
    11:26 am

    Why Wheat Is Bad For You http://www.aboutgrain.com/why-wheat-is-bad-for-you/

    Reply
  • V Jefferies
    April 19th, 2012
    3:13 pm

    I would say that someone needs to do a study on Massai Warriors to determine exactly what they died of? In my opinion, in tribes there is a lot of spats to dominate and it isn’t so much what they eat that is the problem or which shortens their life span, as fighting over women and to dominate a tribe involves killing men. Also, if the odd woman or man wants to get a quickie divorce, there is no paperwork…just a knife to the chest.

    Reply
  • carlyt
    May 14th, 2012
    3:34 pm

    Hi,
    My family is sick, fat, tired, and unfortunately, poor. We have a multi generational household with11 people in it. We have a food budget of 1000 dollars a month. No matter how I try to figure it out, our finances will not allow us to eat only paleo. This is so sad to me because my husband and daughter both have been diagnosed ( w/ biopsy) as having Celiacs. My insurance would pay for chemical medicine, but not fruit and veggies. I am begging anyone out there to please help my family come up with a meal plan that can stay in our budget, feed 6 teenagers and 5 adults. We would literally eat anything to get well, but I can’t figure it out. Hoping for a miracle,
    C

    Reply

Subscribe to followup comments via RSS | TrackBack URL

Leave a Comment or a Question

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be -- cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration)




If you’d like a picture to show up by your name, get a Gravatar.

Follow Me