Paleo
You Have Wheat Allergies and Don’t Even Know It (And Why you May Never Find Out)
Wheat!
Ahh, wheat! How we do enjoy it. We put it in everything. Flour helps us make our soups and broths thicker. It allows us to bake cookies, cakes, and pizza’s. And who really wants to eat a burger and a slice of cheese if we didn’t have two slices of bread to put it between? It’s hard to imagine going to a ball game and asking for a hot dog without a bun? Things just would not be the same without wheat. Or would they?
For some reason, there seems to be an attraction to wheat that we can’t explain. There is a strong attraction to wheat that you can really feel physically especially when you stop consuming it. I am not surprised because this grain has begun to permeate our food supply. It’s almost impossible to find a package food that does not have wheat in it! It is obviously very popuplar, but at what cost?.
Wheat allergies do not just present themselves in the gut
As many are aware, an allergy to wheat is relatively common. More prevalent than previously given credit for, allergies to wheat can create a multitude of symptoms. Conventional thought has suggested that a reaction to wheat meant gastrointestinal distress. However, as we better know now, gastrointestinal dysfunction does not make up the largest percentage of reactions against wheat. Instead, areas such as the nervous system are more dramatically impacted. Likewise, the skin can also be affected leading to notably rashes. This does not mean that the gut does not have a role. It just means that if you are only looking to the gut for an answer to your ails concerning wheat allergies, you may be overlooking the problem.
Allergy or sensitivity?
Moreover, the definition is not completely accurate. What most of us consider as wheat allergies are actually wheat sensitivities. Therefore, if you are looking for an allergy by traditional standards, when in reality it is a sensitivity that is causing the problem, you are likely to miss the primary cause. Add to this that wheat as we know it has changed greatly over the years. We no longer eat the strains of wheat talked about in the Bible. Instead, if you are consuming wheat in the form we know it today, you are consuming a hybridized form. This hybrid form produces a greater quantity of the allergenic proteins, thus making it more reactive.
If you were told that you have an allergy or a sensitivity or something like that to wheat, would you be able to stop eating it? You wouldn’t really have a choice if you wanted to feel better. If you gave it a try, you could be amazed at how much better you would feel. Especially if you ae routinely consuming wheat. I have seen countless patients that remove grains from their daily diet and feel so much better just after a month. Yo don’t want to dismiss a wheat allergy. You could be opening the door to reactions against other things you re eating. Also when consumption of wheat stops you may be removing unexplained symptoms that were connected to your wheat allergy. You can’t go wrong with a grain free diet based in whole foods. You could also follow the Paleo Diet, this is exactly the diet you need to be eating to get rid of those allergies and unexplained symptoms.
Everything in Moderation, Including the Paleo Diet
Are Nuts Part Of The Paleo Diet?
Recently I was asked to review an article on the Paleo Diet. Someone had asked the author, a Paleo Diet advocate, about eating nuts. Just like in grains and legumes, nuts tend to be high in phytates. Legumes and grains are not considered Paleo foods and should definitely be avoided. How does one justify the consumption of nuts when grains and legumes were high in phytates as well and are not recommended, especially since nuts are often recommended as part of the Paleo Diet.
Phytate Accumulation
The author diplomatically provided sound science and logic to show that the amount of phytates in nuts can at times be higher than that found in grains and legumes, but that nuts are not considered a staple of the diet. In those instances were grains and legumes are commonly eaten, they are eaten on a repetitive basis, thus making the total accumulation of the phytates from these foods substantially higher. The level of phytates accumulated from eating nuts alone is not likely to be a problem. Therefore, the primary concern of phytates interfering with mineral absorption becomes a non-issue.
Moderation
The bigger point is not whether phytates, or even grains and legumes for that matter, are a problem. The bigger issue is that if you look hard enough you are going to find some issue with nearly all food categories. Therefore, the idea is not to avoid a particular food grouping, but rather to eat it on a moderate level, or stated another way, to diversify the consumption of food. One thing I have learned from practice is that the body is not a fan of extremes. Too much is often just as bad as too little. Neither is an ideal state for the body. Stated another way, we call too little deficiency, and too much toxicity.
Too Much Of Anything Is Not Healthy
As a real world example, let’s take something that nearly all Paleo eaters like, meat. For simplicity, let’s use a chicken breast. A chicken breast is a protein source, and as such it is made up of amino acids. Just by the name, you can see that these are acidic. Lack of adequate protein consumption hinders detoxification, promotes muscle wasting, reduces our metabolic rate and impairs our ability to produce some of our hormones and neurochemicals. Clearly stated, it is essential. In opposition, too much protein, or an imbalanced amount of protein in the diet relative to other food categories has a tendency to make the body more acidic. Higher levels of acidity, as noted through urinary and salivary pH assessment can promote the onset of some chronic diseases. However, when protein is consumed in moderate amounts throughout the day with sufficient amounts of vegetables and fruits, the acidifying nature of proteins is kept in check by alkalizing effects of potassium.
Keep the diet diverse as possible and try to avoid extremes. You are more likely to stay balanced in your diet when you consume a variety of foods. I have often noticed that Paleo eaters have a tendency to be extreme in their actions. I personally think sometimes it just goes with the mindset. But instead of extremes, if you try to stay in the middle of the road and practice a more central line of moderation with your Paleo Diet choices, you will maximize the health promoting benefits that the Paleo Diet aims to provide.
The Paleo Diet Cannot Be Low Carb
Paleo Diet Low Carb?
It has been a while now since the low carb craze hit the United States. Yet, here we are many years later still talking about it. There must have been something to the ideas of Dr. Atkins. Indeed there was. He knew that an abundance of carbohydrates was not ideal for normal human function and that decreasing their intake could lead to weight loss. As weight loss is always a hot topic, the low-fat-fad grew. A few other popularly named diets even followed, all with same basic premise of cutting back the carbs in the diet. Included in this category is the Paleo Diet. However, I am here to proclaim this as a fallacy by those that do not eat Paleo.
Why Do We Need Carbohydrates
The Paleo Diet cannot be low carbohydrate. The whole premise that we should eat low carbohydrates goes completely against the way that our body functions. There are two very simple reasons that we should be eating carbohydrates. Foremost, our body’s primary energy source is carbohydrate and second, most of the diet should come from plants, which are denser in carbohydrate.
We Need Balance
We have to eat carbohydrates. Even those individuals that subscribe to the low carbohydrate diets know this. The key, as is often understated, is that the body needs balance. Too many carbohydrates are a problem, but so are too little. As is typical of human behavior, we go to the extremes, leaving rational thought behind. However, let’s take a simple look at the need for carbohydrates. Your body burns glucose for energy. If glucose is not available, protein and fat are used for energy, the latter being preferential. However, their use is precipitated by the conversion to glucose. The need for glucose is extremely high in the brain as it is the only macronutrient that allows proper function.
Cortisol
Moreover, when glucose is absent in sufficient quantities, the hormone cortisol is produced to maintain adequate blood levels. Cortisol is produced at the expense of other hormones. Add to this that many of us are already suffering from low cortisol levels due to chronic stress. Bottom line is that as this scenario plays out, hypoglycemia / low blood sugar functional can set in with accompanying hormone dysfunction. Do you have the mid afternoon lull in energy, get irritable when you don’t eat and get headaches or brain fog sometimes? You may already be headed down this path and don’t even realize it.
Plants Are Carbohydrates
Apart from any of this, most of your diet as a Paleo eater should be plants. Plants are carbohydrates. Granted, not all plants are the same. Nuts are higher in fat and protein, and beans / legumes have a reasonable amount of incomplete protein. That aside, the rest of the plants that you should be eating are carbohydrates. The carbohydrates differ in quantity and composition, but nonetheless, they are carbohydrates. Yams and butternut squash are higher in carbohydrates than say broccoli and asparagus. However, the makeup of both is a carbohydrate. When you consume a balanced diet of both carbohydrate dense and sparse plants, your total carbohydrate consumption is likely to look far more balanced than if you were to consume a diet higher in grains. Grains are of course carbohydrate laden.
So as you can see, the Paleo Diet cannot be a low carbohydrate diet by its nature when implemented correctly in a balanced fashion. Can you eat low carbohydrate on the Paleo Diet? Sure you can. I would even argue that there are times that “low carb” is the best approach. But this is not the premise of the Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet is about eating real foods as you would find them in nature, including those that have more carbohydrates such as starchy vegetables and fruits. For Paleo success, the answer is not no / low carb, it is balanced carbs.
Beating Common Food Allergies is About Getting Back to the Basics
Our Food is Hurting Us.
You are exposed to it every day and don’t even realize that it is harming you. Three times each day at least, and often times more, you are coming into contact with substances that are negatively affecting your health. Sometimes they are obvious, other times they are hidden. They have the potential to cause reactions, whether as simple as annoying congestion or as serious as a chronic ailment. What are we exposed to every day that has the potential to have this great of an impact on our body? It is our food, the very thing that we have to consume to maintain life.
Junk Food.
We have reached a tipping point with food. Once only viewed as a necessity to sustain life, now our view about what is classified as food is different. Consideration has to be given to not only the beneficial role that foods can have, but also to the damaging effects that food may present. We have even come up with catchy terms like “junk food” because we know certain foods should not be routinely consumed. You honestly have probably given little thought to why a food might be called such.
Food Can Make us Better Or Sicker
Food is a very powerful substance. It has the ability to help regenerate health, while also having the ability to weaken our bodies to the point of allowing disease promotion. Yet, most of us don’t realize why this is. In short, it has to do with the interaction of our bodies and the food we were intended to consume. There is synergy between whole, unadulterated foods that are raised and grown in an environment that is minimally affected by man and our bodies. This food matches the way in which our bodies function, literally down to the level of our DNA. In contrast, more modern foods don’t mesh with our bodies. Rather they work against us placing undue strain on our biochemical systems. Herein is the link for why we are seeing an increase in food allergies.
Allergies Are Not A Normal Reaction
Allergies are not a normal reaction from our body. They are triggered by interaction with substances that stimulate the immune system to be over-reactive. In the case of food allergies, you are eating something that is not consistent with your body. This list of foods that are damaging to the body and the immune system is long and continues to grow. But you don’t need a list of foods to avoid. Like I tell my patients, you just need to know where to shop and what to avoid.
Unrecognizable Foods
Inherently, the more unrefined, non-genetically modified foods you eat, the less likely your food is damaging your health. Food allergies are a manifestation of the ill effects of unrecognizable foods. You know, the ones that make up most of the typical grocery store. These foods promote deterioration of our guts and find their way into our system to trigger reactions. What we think of as the typically allergic reaction is often multiple reactions but they all stem from intake of the wrong foods.
Just as eating the wrong foods can make your symptoms worse, eating the right foods can help alleviate your symptoms. When you are eating a Paleo style diet, you are eliminating the major triggers for the immune system. Remember, allergies to food are not inherent. They exist because we consume food that is “junked” up, which we fondly call “junk food”. Getting back to the basics of food selection is a must for reduction of the common food allergies.
Finding Your Food Allergies Depends on the Right Testing
Common Food allergies
Food allergies are common. In fact, they are much more common than the average person would anticipate. If you think you are reacting to foods, how do you know which ones? After all, you could be reacting to one of the big food allergens. Such reactions include a wheat allergy (gluten allergy), milk allergy, egg allergy, and / or a corn allergy. These are the common food allergies. In most cases, one of these reactions will be a contributor to the overall state of dysfunction originating from foods, but there are likely others as well. The question becomes, how do you figure out which foods are causing problems.
The Elimination Diet
This is a question I often get from patients. They want to know how to figure out which foods to avoid. Many options exist for figuring out food allergies. The traditional approach was known as an elimination diet. This diet works well in some cases, but depending on the number of reactions and the state of health of the gastrointestinal tract, it can be difficult to tell which foods are actually problematic.
Food Allergy Testing
Beyond the elimination diet, food allergies are often assessed with lab tests. I am going to let you in on something here that most of the doctors that deal with allergies don’t pay attention to. That is that food allergies are often delayed. This means that the reaction they cause does not happen immediately, but rather takes time to manifest. A true allergy happens quickly. If you are waiting to see an immediate response to determine a food allergy, most of the time you will miss it. When looking for common food allergies, it actually is more efficacious to look for delay reactions, better defined as sensitivities. Food sensitivities make up the greater portion of reactions against food.
Which Test Should I Take?
Herein is the next question that my patients will often ask. They want to know what food allergy test they should run to figure out the best way to identify their problem foods. The best food allergy tests are actually going to look for delay reactions and sensitivities. Within this grouping, there are 3 types of reactions that can take place. Let’s just call them type 2, 3, and 4. (Type 1 reactions are related to true food allergies and are more immediate). Here is the big difference when you are selecting a lab to perform delayed sensitivities to food. Most of these labs only look at the type 2 reaction. What if your reaction is type 4? If you were only looking for a type 2, you may think that eating a particular food is okay, when in reality it could still be causing a reaction. For example, if your test shows that you are not reactive to gluten, but in reality you are, you may continue to have the classic gluten allergy / sensitivity symptoms.
Which Foods Should I Test For?
When it comes to food allergies, and food sensitivities, I let my patients know that there is no compromise for testing all of the foods that they come into contact with. Moreover, I let them know that testing all of the possible reactions for delayed sensitivities, types 2, 3, and 4, is the best option. An added benefit we get from doing this is that we are also able to look at other aspects of the environment that may be a problem, a real consideration here in Houston and South East Texas.
If you are going to take the time to figure out what you are reactive to, make sure you do it right. Not only does this save time, but it also saves a lot of frustration. Nothing could be more aggravating than trying to eliminate foods you are reactive to, only to later learn that the most problematic ones are still a part of your diet.
Reduce Inflammation with the Paleo Diet
Reduce Inflammation with the Paleo Diet
Most of us know that inflammation is bad, but few actually realize what inflammation is. Simply, inflammation is the breakdown of the cellular structures in the body. It is the damaging and dying off of our bodily tissues. If this sounds meaningful, it is. While not all inflammation is bad due to its need in normal function of the immune system, prolonged and overbearing amounts of inflammation are problematic.
The Consequences of Inflammation
The consequences of inflammation can be numerous. The most generic way to think about inflammation is that it is aging at a faster pace. I don’t know anyone that wants to age faster than they already do, but that is exactly what happens when you are inflamed. Inflammation promotes damage to the telomeres, the tips of our genetic structures known as chromosomes, that influence our biological versus chronological age. The more inflamed one is, the weaker the stimulus for healing. Aging, and health as a whole, is about building your bodily structures up, repairing and replacing them faster than they are being broken down. Yet, when inflammation is present, cellular structures become inefficient and healing is impaired. If this continues for a prolonged period of time, degeneration becomes pronounced and chronic diseases manifest. Therefore, it is important to keep inflammation to a minimum so that healing can occur and aging progresses slowly.
Standard American Diet Contributes to Inflammation
If you are not familiar with the acronym SAD, it stands for the Standard American Diet. To say that the foods that most people eat is SAD, is an understatement. Food is life. It gives our body most of the things that it needs to function properly. Standard American Diet food in many instances can hardly be called food. Rather, it is a refined amalgamation of food constituents and chemical ingredients. Couple this with an abundance of grains and dairy and you have the perfect mix for an inflammatory storm to occur in the body. Foods that are not as they are found in nature create distress in the body. They are difficult to metabolize and as a result they increase inflammation and promote such problems as abnormal glucose management. In short, if you are eating the Standard American Diet, you are expediting the development of chronic disease by increasing your overall level of inflammation.
Inflammation is Present, Where Do You Start?
So now that you realize you have created an inflammatory environment for yourself, you need a place to start to turn things around. If your lifestyle, particularly your diet, created inflammation, then it can also reduce your inflammation if you make the right selections. Making the right selection to reduce inflammation begins with the Paleo Diet. As previously noted, foods that are refined and denatured contribute to inflammation. In contrast, the Paleo Diet, a diet of real, unrefined, unadulterated foods as would be found in nature and not tampered with by modern man, offer a much different effect on the body. Foods of the Paleo Diet provide key ingredients such as anti-inflammatory fats and antioxidants that limit inflammation at its core. Given the vital nature of food and the necessity to consume it routinely, eating a Paleo Diet is the only real place to start when it comes to controlling inflammation.
Paleo Diet Helps Heal the Damage Associated with Inflammation
The Paleo Diet is one of the best ways to reduce and control inflammation. Yet, what if your inflammation has been present for a long period of time and you have begun to suffer damage associated with this inflammation. This varies from person to person. It may be joint aches and pains, or it may be the onset of chronic disease, for example diabetes. Food is an amazing substance, and due to the inherent healing qualities that food found on the Paleo Diet possesses, it has the ability to not just shut down the inflammatory process, but to also aids in healing some of the damage that might have developed. Based on the observation in my clinic, I would even go as far as to suggest that some chronic conditions can be completely turned around with a lifestyle overhaul centered on modifying dietary habits to match those of the Paleo Diet.
An Effective Detox Begins with The Paleo Diet
What is “Detox”?
Detoxification has become a buzzword in healthcare. Unquestionably when performed correctly it works. Otherwise, so many people would not be interested in detoxification programs. But detoxification also comes with a stigma. Many hear detoxification and shun the idea because they associated it with frequent trips to the restroom and feeling poor. If this is what you experience with detoxification, you are not undergoing an adequate detoxification process. In fact, you may be doing your body more harm than good.
Do You Know Why You Should Detox
Detoxification is an important concept in today’s world. We are inundated with toxic chemicals and substances from nearly every direction. As we become a more industrialized society, chemicals that did not exist 50 years ago now saturate our environment. Those that we deemed toxic decades ago remain because they don’t breakdown efficiently. This is a real problem as bodies have the same burden. While we have effective means to breakdown some toxicants, not all are so easily transformed and released from our system. Thus our body needs support. Add to this picture the fact that we produce our own toxins that have to be equally eliminated. As you can see the load of toxins can become burdensome rather quickly. With this toxic burden often come many common symptoms. These include fatigue, weight loss, allergies, and gastrointestinal dysfunction just to name a few.
Detoxification Does Not have to be Confusing
Detoxification can seem like a confusing term. Much of this has originated from the idea of detoxification being confused with colon cleansing, or as it should more accurately be stated colon purging. When I speak of detoxification, we are referring to a completely different process. Detoxification, or as the research community calls it detoxification, is a true bodily process. It is something that your body performs on a daily basis. Without it you would accumulate numerous internal toxins that would damage the body. When we speak of physiologic detoxification, we are actually referring to the process of transforming a harmful substance into one that is less damaging to the body and eliminating it through the liver and ultimately the bowels. For this to happen, purging to the bowels is not required, and further not recommended.
The Benefits of Detoxification
Detoxification has numerous benefits, the most profound of which is the reduction of chemical substances that promote inflammation and degeneration of our bodily systems. As these systems degenerate, the body becomes less efficient as it is becoming toxic. The human body can deal with some toxic burden, but the system cannot handle an accumulation of toxins, whether environmental or produced from within. When our inherent detoxification systems are functioning appropriately, many of the common symptoms noted above become less significant. If the body is not focused on dealing with the strain of toxins, it can increase the resources needed for energy production, promoting a healthy immune system and optimizing bowel function.
The Paleo Diet Accelerates Detoxification
Since detoxification is founded in good health that instinctively means that the Paleo Diet must be a part of it. The Paleo Diet has some true advantages when it comes to daily maintenance of detoxification or application of a detoxification program. Foremost, the Paleo Diet provides adequate protein. Protein is essential to maintaining good liver function and without it, the liver lacks the resources to efficiently clear toxins through the second of its two stages. Additionally, the diet emphasizes the incorporation of vegetables and fruits. These have 2 key advantages, fiber and antioxidants. Fiber is necessary as it provides a binding site for toxins so that they can be eliminated. Antioxidants are needed to reduce the inflammatory load that can present as toxins are being eliminated. These same foods also provide the nutrients needed to support the phase one of two that is a part of detoxification by the liver.
How to Have Detox Success Using the Paleo Diet
A successful detox begins with the Paleo Diet. When using the Paleo Diet, you are incorporating foods that are naturally nourishing to the body, provide the essential nutrients needed to support the body’s detox process, and avoiding the consumption of foods that are themselves toxic to the body. If you are serious about detoxification, you must follow through on the Paleo Diet. The best part is you will get to enjoy tasty, nutritious food while supporting your health at the same time.
Don’t Sabotage Your Paleo Diet with Corn
Don’t Sabotage Your Paleo Diet with Corn
With so much talk over the last few years about gluten, it can be confusing to know what to eat and what to avoid. The food industry is not making it easier for you either. They label many products as “gluten free” without themselves really knowing what contains gluten and what does not. As a consumer, this leaves you second guessing your decisions about the appropriate foods to stock your pantry and refrigerator with. Moreover, it results in your frustration as you feel that you are eating foods that do not contain gluten, when in reality they do. If you feel this frustration that I speak of, know that you are not alone. There are others as agitated about this mislabeling practice as you.
The Food Industry’s Lie
Likely the food ingredient most to blame for the food industry’s misguidance is corn. Some time back my curiosity was triggered by all of the gluten free labels in the grocery store. Not being able to leave well enough alone, I had to examine each of the labels to see what the main ingredient replacing the commonly used wheat was. To my surprise, every bag I picked up at that particular store stated corn as the primary ingredient. Spinning the bag from front to back repeatedly, I had to check to make sure I was not misreading the label. But I was not. It said what I feared. It stated gluten free and then went on to use corn as the replacement ingredient. My first thought was this is blasphemy. If we counted the number of times I have instructed patients on the importance of being grain free and not just gluten free, my frustration with the food industry would be well understood.
What is Corn really?
In short, corn is a grain, and as with any grain, there are inherent risks associated with eating it. Corn has become a science experiment in many ways. The conversation on avoiding corn can be irritating for some. I completely understand this, yet, we have to recognize the history of corn and what has been classically considered gluten free. Originally, gluten has been considered only to be a problem if you were eating wheat, oats, barley or rye. While these unquestionably contain gluten, they are not the only ones to do so. Gluten, and more specifically prolamines, one of the immune stimulating components of gluten, is found in all grains. So by its very definition, this makes corn a problematic food. Corn contains gluten because it contains the prolamine, zein.
But My Recent Lab Tests Don’t Show a Reaction to Corn
The picture can become especially confusing when you factor in lab testing. Labs associated with food reactions have the ability to check two types of reactions, immediate and delayed. The immediate reaction is what we think about as a classic allergy. Delayed reactions are not allergies, but rather sensitivities. In the case of corn, as with almost any food, you can develop either type of reaction. Most individuals are somewhat aware of allergies, but they may still hide themselves and not be apparent. The idea of having a full blown allergy attack is certainly possible, but does not represent the majority of allergic reactions. In contrast, it is also possible to have a delayed reaction which takes longer to manifest after exposure to the stimulating food. For most food reactions, delayed reactions are what I recommend testing as they can be the most elusive. Yet as with any food testing, caution should be used with interpretation and understand that there can be a degree of unintended ambiguity with the results. If a food you were suspecting does not show up, there remains the possibility that your immune system may be reacting through a mechanism that was not part of the testing you performed. This does not mean the testing is flawed, rather that the immune system is complex.
Corn Has Many Problems
Corn is a known problem though. When you factor in the fact that it is a grain, often refined, and genetically modified when derived from commercial agriculture sources, corn should quickly lose its appeal. Corn is not the food that many of us once thought of it as. Rather, it is a genetically mutated cross between a food substance and bacteria able to produce a damaging toxin that has been shown in studies to damage red blood cells. Equally as important, this same toxin damages the gut lining according to additional research, setting up the infamous “leaky gut”.
The Best Solution is Avoidance
The best solution to escaping all of these damaging effects from a genetically mutated food substance that the food industry has lied to you about is avoidance. If you are not eating it, it cannot damage your health. Make no mistake, the consumption of corn as we now know it, as with other grains, has been repeatedly shown to be problematic to the health of humans. Whether it is the promotion of intestinal permeability and autoimmune reactions, metabolic disorders such as diabetes, or other common health ailments, your health will benefit most by not consuming grains. Therefore, if you are looking for the most ideal pattern to support your efforts, the Paleo Diet is your answer.
Fatigue
Getting a handle on fatigue
The most common complaint a healthcare professional hears is Fatigue. A quick glance through the Merck Manual, a multi-edition text that details most clinical conditions, you will see that fatigue is a symptom to most of them. Fatigue has several causes. However, taking steps to narrow down these causes can lead to an accurate diagnosis and deliver good results. Since some causes may be related to each other, it makes sense to have the appropriate tests to help you find which ones are relevant to you. Finally, a realistic treatment approach must be taken that does not follow common conceptions about how to deal with fatigue and which probably don’t apply. With the following steps, getting a handle on fatigue can become very real.
Sleep
So why is fatigue so common? The easy answer is that we are rarely consistent about taking the actions necessary to promote an energetic state. One such cause of fatigue is lack of sleep. Most people when asked consider 5-6 hr of sleep sufficient. This is inaccurate. The old adage of 8 hours of sleep is the amount needed, maybe even a little more. It is not enough to get just 8 hours of sleep, rather you must get 8 hours of sleep during times of darkness. This is important because many hormones are dependent on the circadian, or 24 hour, rhythm. Therefore, ideal sleep is estimated between the times of 10 pm and 6 am. This is the time in which the body is to rest. The energy systems of the body are so efficient during daylight hours at providing us energy for activity. Yet during nighttime hours they support rest and recuperation. If this is not allowed to take place, then the body does not adequately recover from the previous day. When this occurs often enough, the body becomes rundown and fatigue begins to onset. One additional note to consider with sleep is that it needs to be restful. For many, sleep is very light and the deeper stages of sleep are not achieved. Reaching the deeper stages of sleep has proven the most restful and allows for the refreshed feeling in the morning as opposed to waking tired. Attempting to overcome fatigue without quality sleep is a futile effort that will lead to disappointing results.
Cortisol
While lack of sleep can negatively affect the hormones, hormones in their own right when imbalanced can result in fatigue. The most common hormone associated with fatigued states is cortisol. Cortisol is a survival hormone. It is often nicknamed the stress hormone as it is the hormone that has the greatest fluctuation in times of stress. The predominant role of cortisol is to maintain stable glucose levels. Glucose is the primary energy source for the body. Either we have adequate glucose for energy, or we convert other components like fat and protein into glucose for energy. When our glucose levels drop too low in blood, it is cortisol that stimulates release of stored glucose from the liver to provide energy. However, with repetitive stress, the glands that produce cortisol lose the ability to continually manufacture it. When this occurs, there is not enough glucose available to continually fuel the cells with energy. This is like trying to run your car without gas. This state is most commonly noted by episodes of hypoglycemia. Examples of being hypoglycemic would be less energy in between meals, roughly mid-morning or afternoon and/or irritability if you go too long without food. This is a problematic scenario since being hypoglycemic taxes the cortisol producing adrenal gland over time making it more difficult to respond to low states of glucose. If this scenario progress long enough or often enough, the cells become less responsive even when glucose is present. Correction of cortisol dysfunction to address low energy is dependent on many things. .
Nutrient defiency
Another common cause of fatigue is nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies were once thought to be rare, however valid clinical testing now allows us to see that the average person has 4-5 nutrient deficiencies, sometimes many more. Even those that are taking supplemental vitamins and minerals are not immune from deficient states. This can be related to poor forms of nutrients, improper combinations of nutrients and lack of assimilation after taking. Vitamins and minerals are most analogous to spark plugs in your care. They are not the main source of energy, but they keep all the cylinders firing. Vitamins and minerals don’t supply energy to the body. That is the role of glucose and oxygen. What vitamins and minerals do among there many functions is to act as cofactors to support the metabolic workings of the body. They allow glucose to go through all the energy production cycles of the body so that it may be used for energy, but they don’t give you energy. This is a false assumption. The only way a vitamin or mineral can provide energy is by making the pathways of the body that generate energy more efficient. Likewise, vitamins and minerals are also needed to produce healthy red blood cells, which transport oxygen. Without oxygen, energy cannot be made. In fact all of the energy production cycles can run effectively, but if you cannot supply oxygen, you will not produce energy. Making sure that you have adequate supplies of nutrients on a daily basis depends on several factors, but some of the most important include a quality diet that focuses on Paleolithic principles as well as targeted nutritional supplementation to address your specific needs as identified through testing.
While these are not all the causes of fatigue, they are the most common. Giving attention to fatigue in a systematic manner allows you a better understanding of what you may need and how to treat it. Unfortunately, a lot of people deal with fatigue related issues simply because they have many times not had their basic needs met like I was mentioning above.
Strict Vegetarian Diet Improves Gut Function in Metabolically Challenged People
It’s All About the Science, Not Mantra
Foremost, you may find it odd that the Paleo Doctor, who so strongly advocates the Paleo Diet, is getting behind the benefits of a strict vegetarian diet. To that point, ideology is not important, but the facts derived from science are. As it relates to gut function, science suggests that vegetarians have a hand up on the typical Paleo Diet mantra of high protein and high fat. While often applied as high protein and high fat, the Paleo diet is not in fact meant to be high protein or high fat. Rather it is a diet founded in the consumption of unrefined foods that remain in their natural living forms with high nutrient density.
What the Vegetarian Can Teach the Paleo Diet Person
Let me be clear from the outset here, I am not recommending a vegetarian diet. However, there are some things that people that follow, or that are just learning to follow, the Paleo Diet,could take away from a proper vegetarian diet that is high in living plant based foods. When consumed as it was intended, a vegetarian diet supplies high quantities of the food group that should predominately be the diet. Vegetarians have it right by consuming vegetables and fruits. These should be the greatest percentage of the diet. However, where they have it wrong is that it should not be the only part of the diet. Key micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and macronutrients (protein) are absent from the diet.
The Importance of the Gastrointestinal Tract
The gastrointestinal tract is the fundamental system of the body. Through it we are able to begin to turn food into the necessary components that our body needs to stay functional. Likewise it also acts a regulator of the immune system, helps manage cholesterol and glucose to help control body weight and fat, and helps control inflammation. Most of this is done through the action of the beneficial bacteria of the gut, the probiotics. When probiotic colonies are supported they flourish and keep chronic low-grade inflammation suppressed. However, when they do not get the nutrition that they need, glucose is not as well controlled, cholesterol and triglyceride levels increase and inflammation goes up, just to name a few things.
Vegetarian Diet Keeps Gastrointestinal Tract Healthy
The key to keeping the probiotics of the gastrointestinal tract functional and viable is related to the type of food consumed. This is where we champion the vegetarian diet. According to Environmental Microbiology Reports (2013 Oct;5(5):765-75), a strict vegetarian diet improves the risk factors associated with metabolic disease by altering the microorganisms in the gut and lowering intestinal inflammation. The reason that the vegetarian diet excels in this function is that it is full of high fiber foods. The higher the fiber content of the diet, the greater the availability of short chain fatty acids, the fuel source of the probiotics. The probiotics in turn grow and positive change is made in the intestinal environment. As the probiotics increase their colonies to support our health, they reduce the growth of bad bacteria that harm our health.
How to Support Gut Function, the Vegetarian Way
Not to be redundant, but because it is important enough to repeat, the Paleo Diet when properly applied should borrow some key concepts from a strict vegetarian diet. The strict vegetarian diet provides ample quantities of plants, most notably fruits and vegetables. These foods offer benefits unparalleled by other food groups that affect the health of the probiotics in the intestines. If the probiotics are growing and producing healthy populations, our bodies will be healthy and at less risk of chronic disease. Therefore as a Paleo Diet eater, you still want to maintain a diet that is mostly plant based focusing on vegetables and fruits.
