Diet Fad Debunkers

Just because it is on Youtube does not mean it is any good. Here is a good example of really bad information, packaged in the guise of common sense. 

I see two possibilities. Either the doctor here has not actually read anything about gluten and the Paleo Diet, or he is lying. There really is no other option. (I suppose he could have misspoken.) Most people who are gluten sensitive or allergic do not quit eating bread. Instead they eat gluten free products like rice bread. The doctor does not seem to be concerned about gluten at all. He knows that only 1% of the population is allergic to gluten so why worry? However 80% of the people who have gluten allergy, or to use the more precise term, celiac disease, are not diagnosed. This is an issue for concern, it is a life threatening illness. 

No one knows the precise numbers, but it is estimated that 1% of the population is allergic to wheat, barley, and rye. A recent middle schooler’s science fair project showed a 4% rate among children. Since the symptoms of celiac disease can be described as ADHD, you think that this would be of interest. I guess not? 

In addition some people are sensitive to gluten. Once again no one knows the number, but the rate is much higher. About 30% of the US population has the gene for gluten sensitivity, so the number could be quite high. I have seen estimates from 3 to 10 percent of the populace. Most have no symptoms. 

I had none. Yes, I was diagnosed with Gluten Sensitivity with a recent blood test. I am not sure exactly what I will do, but I will certainly eliminate my wheat consumption. I had rice bread this morning—not my favorite. Since I am sensitive—not allergic or have celiac disease, I may not be too concerned with the fact gluten is in a huge number of traditional food products as an additive. 

This leads to the Paleo Diet. The basic premise of this is that one should eat what our pre-agricultural ancestors ate. Since grains were not a significant part of that diet, most Paleo eaters do not eat them. They correctly point out that gluten issues are horribly under-diagnosed. They also point out that 3/4 of the world's population do not handle milk well. So that is "forbidden" too. 

No, the doctor is wrong, meat can be cooked by Paleo eaters. While raw meat Paleo people must exist as the world is wide, I have never read or seen a presentation by one. The Paleo emphasis is on cooked grass fed meat as our modern food system, meat especially, is not conducive to health. 

But there are a number of issues with a Paleo Diet. The most important one is that it is impossible to eat a diet like our hunter-gatherer ancestors without becoming a hunter-gatherer. Vegetables, for example, are very, very different. What Paleo believers try to do is mimic the diet as much as they can. 

So today I will offer a final video that critiques the Paleo diet. This presentation is well done and points out some of the assumptions of the Paleo Diet that may not be true. This video was pointed put to me by a Paleo eater, so it shows the rather large variation among those that practice this type of eating. 

My own personal philosophy about anything like this is to look at the whole situation, and then do the best you can.