The Ultimate Guide: All About Paleo, The Cavewoman's Diet Part 2
The Reasons Why Grains, Sugar, Processed Foods and most Dairy are not part of a Paleo Lifestyle
Welcome to Part 2 of The Ultimate Guide: All About Paleo, The Cavewoman’s Diet! Being that you have made it to this next article in the series shows that your health is important to you, and that is important to us! If you skipped the first blog in this series, hop back and read it here!
So we now know that the Paleo lifestyle excludes grains, sugars, processed foods, and dairy…but why?? Read on to see how each of these affect the body.
Glucose, The Un-Sugar Coated Truth
The glucose, or sugar, consumed through grains by the majority of Americans is the first reason grains aren’t allowed.
But why? Grains contain starch which digests into glucose. When we consume the typical lunch; sandwich, chips and a soda, all of that glucose can't be used for energy at once. Some is converted to glycogen by the liver but the bulk is converted to fat and shuttled into your fat cells. You can see this example in action by just looking around you at the obesity epidemic. Put simply – eating grains make us gain fat, and being overweight is harmful to every system and cell in your body.
The second-way people consume glucose is pretty much straight up. In their sugary coffee, in their baked goods, in their pantry, in their fridge, and probably most other places you look.
We all know that too much sugar is bad. And quite frankly, I hate to break it to you but any sugar that is not natural – such as what is present in fruits and vegetables – is bad.
Sugar doesn’t just make you fat; processed sugar harms nearly every component of your body. It spikes your blood sugar, harms your liver and causes insulin dependence, and those factors are just the tip of the iceberg.
Lectins, Glutens...Oh, My!
The second thing we should discuss are the two other things found in grains that also put your health in jeopardy. These evil little things are called lectins and glutens, which pose a serious risk to our bodies.
Gluten is a protein that an overwhelming majority of Americans are sensitive to and leads to a solid number of diseases and disorders. I’m sure your eyes and ears have been inundated with the term “gluten-free”, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about. Sensitivity and intolerances are different, but the same side effects that come along with intolerances can also be the same side effects of a sensitivity to gluten.
Grains also contain lectins, but we should probably just call them what they are – TOXINS, which are not meant to be consumed by the human body. What do toxins do? Prevent your body from doing its job. They damage the lining of the intestines and contribute to leaky gut.
The grains we consume today are definitely not the same grains your Grandparents used to eat back in the good ole’ days!
What about Dairy?
I know you’re probably wondering what’s so bad about dairy. As part of a Paleo lifestyle, you likely wouldn’t be consuming dairy (many don’t). Many people, again, have an extreme sensitivity to dairy, which causes many other health problems. But don’t worry; dairy isn’t as important as the dairy industry makes it out to be.
Can you drink it? Yes, you can. Do you have to have it to be healthy and is it considered in the Paleo diet? No on both accounts.
I do want to mention raw milk is a benefit to a Paleo diet, and some Paleo experts suggest it. Raw dairy contains the enzymes needed to digest it, while pasteurized dairy does not. Therefore, some people that are sensitive to pasteurized dairy and whose body does not contain the enzyme, lactase, to help digest it, may do better on raw milk – if that’s what they choose.
What’s Important to You?
By going grain-free and only consuming natural foods, you’re preventing all of these toxins from entering your body, thereby boosting your health immediately, draining your body of toxins and boosting your immune system so that illness and disease stands no chance against your body!
Going Paleo is a personal choice that only you can make. But before you eat that next French fry or chug down that soda, be mindful of what it’s doing to your body – creating a perfect environment for disease to enter and thrive.
For tips and tricks that will help you kick grains to the curb for good, visit my blog post here:
Have specific questions or need advice on your health? Contact me at SandAWellnessDuo@gmail.com
