Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Diabetic Caveman?

I have a bit of an obsession.  Yes I know, it is not good to obsess over any thing, but I do think this is a good one!

I have been on this reading kick, and the theme lately has been low carb eating.  So in the past couple of months I have read three books and I am on my forth book related to this particular topic.

Natures Candy!
I woke up today and the first thing I craved was something sweet.  Tested the sugar and it was 3.9 mmol.  A little bit on the low side but it explained my unusual craving for something sweet.  The first thing I noticed was the beautiful ripe delicious looking orange sitting in the fruit bowl.  Of course I popped 1 dex tab to get me into normal range.  But it got me thinking about one of the books I really enjoyed.  

The "Paleo Diet" written by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.  It is a great read!  The book's premise is based on the fact that since the industrial revolution and agriculture our society no longer eats what we were genetically designed to eat, and as a result we have a huge growing obesity issue in all modern societies.  

It is commonly referred to as the "Cave man diet"  Hence the title.  

If you think about it, our ancestors could only eat what they killed, trapped, plucked, picked, and in rare occasions found in nests (eggs) Basically, berries, leafy greens, seeds, lots of lean animal protein, and the occasional egg when the opportunity presented itself.  

In other words, no processed food, bread, potatoes, anything modern agriculture and manufacturing have placed in our grocery stores. 

The modern diabetic caveman could hunt for lean meat(turkey), pick up a huge bag of frozen berries, find a small bag of unsalted seeds, and one dozen free range eggs.  Notice they are all found on the perimeter of the grocery store. 

The book ranks turkey as the highest source of protein, and nuts the lowest in terms of net protein.  

It discusses the American Food Pyramid and the recommended starch servings, and how they differ dramatically from the way we as a species used to eat.

I have put these principals into practice and feel great while eating loads of lean protein, fresh fruit, and lots of veggies.  

I am not a Diabetic Caveman, but can honestly say this is one diet that is easy to put into practice and satisfies that sweet craving.

Trev


2 comments:

Unknown said...

First off..."hi". I found you through your comment on Joanne's blog at Death Of A Pancreas.

Secondly...I love the principles of the Paleo Diet. I try to avoid processed foods. I have a thing for Trisuits though. My son Joe (7 with type 1) likes fluff, Sunchips, and bread...so I don't know how far I could push something like this with him. I do try to make sure most of the other foods he eats are not processed. I wonder if there is a healthy/non-processed FLUFF - LOL.

Have a great day.

Minnesota Nice said...

I have been on dialysis since last October. I am supposed to eat 8-10 ounces (cooked weight) of animal protein each day. I found that once that requirement is met, I have no room for carbs. Without even trying, my last A1C came back at 6.3.