Carboholics Anonymous: Ancestral Health

Monday, April 16, 2012

Ancestral Health

If you're interested in anthropology and ancestral health, you'll like this interview with Robb Wolf, the author of The Paleo Solution, in which he provides an overview of the development of modern diet from its hunter gatherer roots and the impact that has had on human health. If you're impatient to get through the introductory stuff, you can fast forward to 2.42, when Robb starts talking.

For an excellent overview of Wolf's ancestral diet, head over to his site for this summary.

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About

I'm not a dietician, but I'm interested in healthy eating. My husband is a plastic surgeon and we both read a lot about the problems with overweight and Type 2 Diabetes all around us. He turns away a lot of elective surgery because so many of his patients are overweight. We have been influenced by the author of "Good Calories, Bad Calories", Gary Taubes, the cardiologist, Dr. Davis and Dr. Michael Eades.

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In the summer of 2010, we stopped eating sugar and wheat. Our weight loss stabilized after we lost over 50lb between us, at a time in our lives when most of our friends are complaining about their creeping middle age spread. We feel great, our blood work is great, and we are more convinced than ever that it works.
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You become overweight not because of the fat you consume, but because of the fat you absorb. You absorb fat when you eat grains & sugar.
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I would rather go through the pain for a week or two and kick my habit and not have to give it much thought, if it all, for the rest of my life, rather than walking a tightrope of balance and moderation on a daily basis.
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Inspiration

"Obesity is an inflammatory brain disease that has numerous causes. But how carbs start the process is known…it just does not appear to be well known .... Insulin is merely the initial trigger that starts the cascade." Neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Ruse

"Processed food is the main problem, and if there is a solution, it is to avoid it. If you aren't willing or able to eat mostly home cooked food made from basic ingredients, as every healthy culture does, you will have to accept a higher likelihood of fat gain and disease. That is the cold, hard truth." Stephan Guyenet

“Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated, we stockpile calories as fat. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and burn it for fuel. . . .By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity. . . .The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the leaner we will be.” Gary Taubes

"I do not believe that obesity is caused by gluttony or sloth, but I do believe it results predominantly from food choices, which do eventually lead to energy imbalance due to alterations in the homeostatic mechanism." Stephan Guyenet

"The Standard American Diet contains about 40 percent of calories from processed foods such as sugar, and refined grains, both of which are nutrient depleted. " Joel Fuhrman MD

"You are out of your mind when you take insulin in order to eat Danish pastry." Dr. Blake F. Donaldson

"I have never been able to stick to a “diet” like this one........I am pleased to say that I have lost close to 30 pounds since starting this 2 months ago ....I plan to keep this as my new way of eating............I feel fantastic." October 25, 2010 BH

"I don’t like to call this a “diet” I like to think of it as a lifestyle change. I have lost 16 pounds since starting this 9 weeks ago and I have never felt better....It is actually a very easy plan to stick to once started........the best part is that I no longer require my cholesterol and diabetes medications." November 9, 2010 L.H.

"When I sit in a restaurant with a rare 20-ounce rib eye steak, a bowl of butter-sautéed mushrooms and a glass of fine Cabernet in front of me, I never feel sorry for myself that I didn’t order pasta or that I won’t be having the bread or potatoes or rice." Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint