Fat September 28, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in carbohydrates, fat, paleo diet.trackback
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.
You’re also describing the adaptability of the human physiology to different diets, unless you attribute the success of the Inuit and Aborigine to their specific genetic code.
As an experiment, I’ve recently cut my daily carbs from about 300 g down to 25 g. Other than 2-3 days of mild muscle aching and lightheadedness, and an ongoing tendency to constipation, I don’t feel any different.
-Steve
Dan,
Spot on. Recently I’ve thought a lot about the fact that we just eat to much as compared to the different HG tribes.
The other day I watched a show on the Kalahari, and they were on their second day of a hunt. The snared a small bird, they cooked it and split it amongst them. I think about 6 ounces of meat between 8-10 people. This sustained them for another day until they found some honey, that in turn sustained them until they finally caught a large porcupine. Thoughts? Great to have you back blogging by the way.
Marc
Steve so you are doing the spanish ketogenic diet? Very similar to paleo I believe. I was making the point that the human body is remarkably adaptive.
Marc – thanks for the positive comments. I think your right we do eat too much but hard not to in this day in age.
Dr. Dan, sorry I missed your point about adaptability of human physiology. We agree.
I think a lot of paleo advocates would argue that citizens of “primitive” societies are healthiest if they eat what they’ve genetically adapted to eat for millenia. So Inuit and Masai tribesmen wouldn’t be as healthy if they ate each others foods.
The experiment of Stafansson and Anderson, who ate a meat-only diet for one year (1928), supports the adaptability of human physiology, which would make sense from an evolutionary viewpoint. Too bad that experiment had only an “n” of 2. [Taubes wrote about them in Good Calories, Bad Calories.]
-Steve
Marc, thanks for that remark on the Kalahari. It made me think of all the people who are convinced we HAVE to eat something every 3-4 hours! Especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Our bodies are much more resilient than that. Most people can live on their stored glycogen easily for 12-24 hours.
Dr. Dan, to answer your question about the Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet. I’m eating something similar that I put together, with somewhat less emphasis on fish, but requiring 1 ounce (28 g) nuts daily.
It’s an experiment as part of my attempt to adapt the Mediterranean diet for people with type 2 diabetes. My very low-carb Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet may seque into a low-carb Mediterranean diet. It’s all very preliminary at this point. May end in a blind alley.
Anyone interested in the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet can see version 1.0 here: http://diabeticmediterraneandiet.com/ketogenic-mediterranean-diet/
-Steve
I know someone who is diabetic and keeps complaining about it. I keep promoting the paleo diet but I think it is a bit much. He might however be very interested in your work. I will point him in your direction.
Stephan Guyenet at his Whole Health Source blog has done a fair amount of blogging on the paleo diet applied to type 2 diabetes. It looks promising.