Back to the food basics!

After posting and then following a 'Palaeolithic Diet', I have come to learn (actually experience) some new facts about eating, diets and how you may feel in the aftermath of making dietary changes too quickly!

First, and foremost, I feel that any extreme or sudden change in the food you regularly consume is probably not a very good idea. For instance, if you are used to eating dairy products and breads all the time, then by all means you may want to continue to do so. The key is to focus on moderating these and other processed foods while bringing more and more 'fresh' fruits and vegetables to the table over time. I highlighted the word 'fresh' as canned vegetables and fruits are usually found to be literally swimming in salt and simple sugars! Two substances that are scientifically known to be bad for your health when consumed in large quantities over long terms of time. (If you find you must use a can of beans or corn, for instance, just make sure to rinse them well to get out as much sodium as possible). Likewise, eating breads and pastries are basically the same as eating white sugar, in that they are quickly converted to glucose in your blood stream – This action dramatically raises your glycemic load and thus stresses the pancreas and can lead to a problem known as insulin resistance. Young people who are not overweight can get away with this for a time before the resulting weight gain begins to turn them more and more toward problems like diabetes. The bottom line of all this is the term 'moderation' (a line from Andria, written in the second century B.C. by the Roman playwright Terence). I like to think of the 80-20 Rule in that you can eat so-called bad foods 20% of the time just so long as the bulk of your diet is fresh veggies, fruits and lean (not processed or packaged) meats, poultry and seafood. Bon apetite!