George DiGianni and Jim Judd, nutritionist, of www.NutritionalProfiles.com discuss the Paleo diet – what it really means and its benefits.
The Paleo diet is one of the fastest, easiest and most effective ways to drop unwanted pounds and dramatically impact your blood pressure, and possibly, even get you off of a blood pressure medication. It is all about cleaning up the diet considerably and consuming food that our body naturally knows how to respond to. When the body recognizes what we eat, it will respond accordingly.
However, many people think they understand what Paleo is and how to eat because we are tricked by advertising and marketing into thinking that what we’re eating is ‘natural’.
Overprocessed foods, including whole grains and legumes — especially the ones grown today that are genetically-modified — contain high carbohydrates and a compound called phytic acid that gets in the way of proper metabolism. This causes all kinds of illnesses such as inflammation, insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
When we reintroduce locally grown, organic, grass-fed and sustainable food, these can help us be lean, more energetic, disease-free and even slow the aging process.
George and Jim further debunk the bad reputation of fats. There’s a big misunderstanding of the role that fats play in our diet and in running our bodies. In fact, it is the most nutrient-dense — and when used correctly — can be a great fuel and source of energy. Science has proven that in order to lose weight properly, we have to have fats (but not combined with carbohydrates) in our diet.
Some athletes think they need more carbs, but consuming the starchy ones may slow down recovery from workouts, invite disease, and affect stress levels among others. Jim suggests consuming alternatives such as the Okinawan sweet potato which contains high levels of hyaluronic acid which helps reduce inflammation in the body.
For people who are looking at getting into the Paleo diet, Jim advises to look for websites that will teach you the science first before going into the food groups and what to eat.
On the second half of the show, the guys even delve into breastfeeding.
We often hear about how a mother’s milk is supposed to be the best source of food for the baby, but is it really the best source or is it the only source? How many mothers are really healthy enough to produce milk for their babies?
Jim explains that in the first 7 days, most of the mother’s breast milk is colostrum which is an immune-building substance and that’s really what the baby’s after to get a good foundational immune system.
The show also provides some simple but sensible questions for self-assessment. Ask yourself: What is the status of your health? How do you feel in the morning when you wake up? When you go to sleep at night, do you sleep throughout the night? What is your mood like?