Meat vs Vegetable Protein October 27, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in paleo diet.Tags: Meat Eater, paleo diet, protein, Vegetarian
1 comment so far
I was reading some of the comments in my most controversial vegetarians vs meat eaters post. Which frankly I wish I had never wrote now because it seems you can’t show one slice of evidence in favour of eating meat without some people thinking your trying to bring down the whole vegetarian movement. However, as I was looking through some articles I found this article, which I thought was interesting and relevant. It is by Wiebe et al (1984) and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol 40).
This study looks at the effect of plant and animal protein on blood lipid levels in eight healthy men aged between 18 – 27 yr (scary they would be 43-52 now). All men were fed both plant and animal protein diets for a 21 day period in a cross over design. What they found was that when men ate meat proteins they showed higher HDL cholesterol proteins (good healthy fats) and did not show any difference in LDL (bad healthy fats – apparently) when compared to when eating vegetarian proteins. When eating vegetarian proteins there was also a significant increase in mean serum triyglyceride values. So this study shows that meat protein is likely to better for you than vegetarian protein. Surely.
Squid with a Spinach & Pine Nut Pesto October 1, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in Uncategorized.Tags: paleo diet, paleo food, recipe, spinach pesto, squid
3 comments
Ingredients
3 X Squid (sliced in half and then halved again – i.e. quartered)
t tbspn butter
3 cups of spinach
2 tbspn pine nuts
1 garlic clove finally chopped
1 tbspn olive oil
Heat frying pan to a medium heat and then add olive oil. Once hot stir in the spinach and keep stirring until soft (but not mushy) then set aside. Place spinach, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor and process until a smooth texture. Meanwhile heat frying pan until hot and then add butter. Once melted add the squid. Squid can be overcooked very easily and should be undercooked if anything (like salmon). Place the squid in for no more than 30 seconds each side. Serve onto a plate and poor the butter from the pan over the top. Then place teaspoons of the pesto on the plate. Enjoy!!
New Paleo Friends September 30, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in Uncategorized.9 comments
I have been meaning to do this for so long and now I finally pulled my finger out and did it. I have now updated my link list. Some have gone, some have remained and some have been added. Here are some of the newbies.
I am very sorry I have not added you earlier!!!
Fat September 28, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in carbohydrates, fat, paleo diet.7 comments
In my last post I made a statement that the paleo diet was a low to moderate fat diet. I would definitely state that saying that the paleo diet is low in fat was wrong. My intention was to state that a lot of the meat they consume is often low in fat not that the diet itself is low fat. But I would argue that in general most hunter gatherers eat moderate amounts of fat. Obviously there is reason to give a definition of what I think is moderate. To me a diet high in fat would be around the >65% mark and most hunter gatherer diets are below this. Of course there are examples of hunter gatherers eating a higher proportion of fat in their diet most notably the Inuit. But there are also examples of cultures that eat diets very low in fat most notably the Aborigine who in one study ate as low as 13 % fat.
So what we can take from this is that hunter gatherer diets are incredibly adaptable to the local ecosystem. For an Inuit, who is far from the equator and in cold icy conditions, there is an environment lacking in plants but abundant in large fatty mammals and fish, it is therefore not suprising that their diet begins to shift towards predominance of fat and protein. In a hot and dry desert environment like the Outback, which is close to the equator, there is going to be a lack of access to big fatty game and greater access to smaller animals and plants. Under such conditions it is not surprising you see a drop in fat and a raise in carbohydrates within aboriginal groups. Animals in this environment will not be fatty beasts!!! So I think it is important to bare in mind that there is a huge spectrum of hunter gatherer diets each amazingly adapted to its environment.
However, I think that there are some universal truths inherent in all hunter gatherer diets. We know that they are always unprocessed diets. We also know that compared to western diets they are high in monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fats, which have been shown to have great health benefits especially for your heart. They are also high in protein, which has been shown to reduce hunger and keep you full for longer. In addition, they are always low in carbohydrates. This is true even for the Aborigine which only got about 33% of their energy from carbohydrates, which by western standards, is very low. When you consider they were eating on average 1200 calories a day then they were consuming around 100g of carbs per day. Not much. So although hunter gatherer diets are often considered as high in fat its important to bare in mind that if anything they are better categorised as high in protein and low in carbs with fats depending on the location and available foods. which tends to be directly related to how far away from the equator they are.
Low Carb Diet Documentary September 20, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in Uncategorized.Tags: atkins diet, low carb, paleo diet
11 comments
I just found this documentary about the Atkins Diet. Really excellent viewing and also really dramatic!!! Enjoy.
The results are what Loren Cordain has been saying all along. Eat lots of lean meats because protein is filling and so you won’t be hungry. Additionally, I believe carbs also increase hunger levels due to their effects on insulin. The one problem with the study where they compared low and high fat diets was that they were making meals high in carbs (i.e spaghetti bolognese). These would all have caused insulin spikes resulting in high hunger levels. Fats seem to be somewhat inconsequential but most hunter gather groups probably ate moderate to low levels of fat based off the few existing studies that have looked at this.
Spicy Fish in a Tamarind Sauce September 18, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in paleo foods.Tags: fish, paleo diet, paleo recipes, tamarind sauce
1 comment so far
Ingredients
250g of white fish (firm fleshed)- cubed
1/2 brocolli head – chopped into florets
1/2 tspn of chilli powder
1-2 tspn of turmeric
1 tbspn of tamarind puree or paste
Handful of curry leaves
1/2 carrot – sliced
1/2 onion – finely chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
Oil
Firstly mix the fish together with the turmeric and chilli. Then place a frying pan over a high heat and add some oil. I used mustard seed oil which is one of the only oils that you should use only when it starts to smoke, and I like this because it means its hot. Add the onion, curry leaves and garlic and cook for a minute. Then add in the brocolli and carrot and continue to cook until they have reached the softness that you prefer. Keep adding oil as necessary to keep the vegetables from burning. Then add the fish and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until cooked. Finally, add the tamarind puree and mix well into the dish.
This dish is quite versatile and you are able to change things around as long as you keep the base the same. You can exchange the fish for shrimps for example and can use any vegetables you want.
Fish Can Make You Smart September 16, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in Omega 3.Tags: fish, Omega 3, paleo diet
2 comments
After my post yesterday on ‘meat eaters vs vegetarians part II‘ I thought I would look up some studies about how Omega 3 did improve the intelligence of children. Here are two video’s from the BBC which highlight two studies testing this.
Another swedish study showed similar results in teenage boys aged between 15-18. The boys that ate fish at least once a week scored at least 7% higher in Swedish Military Conscription tests than those who didn’t. Boys that ate fish greater than two times a week showed a 12% increase. This was despite variables such as ethnicity, location, educational level, well being, exercise and weight.
Meat Eaters vs Vegetarians Part II September 16, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in Omega 3, paleo diet.Tags: meat eating, paleo diet, vegetarianism
4 comments
I wrote a post a long time ago about a study I had found that showed how a strictly vegetarian diet may not be as good for you as we think. I have had many responses (many by offended vegetarians) and thought that it might be time for another controversial post on this topic just to add some more wood to the fire (to cook our meat of course). Here it is.
In evolutionary terms our biochemical inheritance indicates that we must have been eating fish fats as our brains evolved and became what they are today (read this post), and you can’t find fish fats on the savannah or in plants. The human brain could not have developed as it did if we had not moved out of the savannah and along the shorelines, eating seafood. DHA, one of the fish fats, is a major part of the make-up of our nerve-cell membranes and was critical in the development and evolution of our large sized brains! Fish oils (omega 3) are also vital for the health of our cardiovascular system – there is no argument about that. This is why not eating fish, especially oily fish, could be a major reason why there is so many mental illnesses found in western civilization such as schizophrenics, depressives etc.
It makes sense, in the developing foetus, 70 per cent of the energy that crosses the placenta is devoted to brain growth – and for that you need a really good blood supply. And the brain is 60 per cent fat and needs the Omega 3 fat DHA. Vegetable oils don’t cut the mustard because to convert these oils (walnut, soya, rape seed, pumpkin, hemp seeds, whatever) to DHA is a slow and costly business for the body and when is the only time that homo sapiens do this….. in human breast milk. Thus, Omega 3 fats are important for the developing child! Studies have shown that children given fish oils show a major reduction in depression and a rise in their intelligence and ability to learn. So to be a vegetarian, to not eat fish, is anti evolution, and it is anti intelligence (case in point). The only thing I guess to escape from their depression is to comment on websites like this and convince themselves that vegetarianism is the right thing to do.
On a final note I would like to say that if you eat fish and you call yourself a vegetarian YOU ARE NOT. Fish is meat and fish are animals just like a cow. They have pain receptors and feel pain just like a cow. If you give a fish a painful stimuli it responds next time to avoid that stimuli – just like a cow. So please don’t think that your not hurting anything. You are and you are an omnivore that kills things just like me.
Bring it!!!
Egg and Lettuce Wraps September 15, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in paleo foods.Tags: paleo foods, paleo recipe
2 comments
So today I decided to be creative yet again. This is probably quite common for other paleo dieters but I have never tried to make it myself. I made some Egg and Lettuce Wraps (pic above) and here is the recipe. Another great breakfast or lunch snack. Very light but filling.
Ingredients
3 Boiled Eggs – mashed
Iceberg Lettuce
1/2 Carrot – grated
1 Tomato – finely chopped
Alfalfa sprouts – 4 Tbspns
Mayonnaise - 4 Tbspns
Red Onion – 4 Tbspns finely chopped
Take a leaf off the iceberg lettuce to provide the ‘wrap’. Then place carrots, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, red onions, mayonnaise and mashed eggs in that order. Add some pepper to taste. Preferably use homemade mayonnaise that is made with olive oil and egg. I will post how to do this another time.
Health Benefits of Soup September 15, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in paleo diet, paleo foods.Tags: paleo diet, soup
2 comments
Have you ever heard the saying ‘nothing fills me up like a hot bowl of soup’ or thought about why people always force feed you soup when your sick. I never thought much about the health benefits of soup until I saw something on TV where scientists showed that soup kept you full for longer than most other meals. In the show they tested the amount of time truckers took to eat their next meal when given a hearty soup vs any other meal.
The overall premise was that the protein in hearty soups helps satisfy your hunger, and the nutrient rich liquid is digested rapidly and signals your brain that you’re full. Unlike what happens during stewing and frying – vegetables, mushrooms, meat and poultry cooked directly in soups conserve much more of their natural nutrients, vitamins and general essence. And despite the fact that soups usually contain a lot less calories than the main dish, they aren’t any less nutritious or filling. When I was away on the Russian boat they typically had a soup at every meal and I realised then how full they can make you and they really do reduce your appetite. The soups were basic – more like a stock with some fish or meat in it. However, it worked.
So I made a Paleo soup today (see above). It consisted of some white fish, curry red paste, spinach, coriander (cilantro), and squeezed lime. It was very refreshing and gets better the longer you leave it.
