The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes a food pyramid designed to show Americans the best way to eat. There are several pyramids depicting the FDA-advised American diet for several special groups of people — pregnant women and diabetics, for example. All FDA pyramids rely heavily on grain consumption but a growing number of scientific studies indicate a Paleolithic diet with fewer grains, less dairy and more fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats may be a better choice for diabetics.
The Palelolithic Diet
The Paleolithic diet is thought to resemble the diet of our early Stone Age ancestors, during the hunter-gatherer period of human evolution. The Paleolithic period started about 2.5 million years ago and ended with the development of agriculture 10,000 years ago.
Agriculture led to cultivation of wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, and other grains that were scarce and too fibrous to digest easily before farming altered them. Modern food production techniques now strip away many nutrients and almost all the fiber from these grains, making them so quickly digestible they wreak havoc on glucose / insulin balance.
Advocates of the Paleo diet claim the human body can’t evolve as fast as agricultural crops. That humans today are feeding our caveman bodies with newly evolved foods we cannot digest properly. That eating these modern foods are causing a host of ills, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Glycemic Load
The speed at which a food is converted to glucose in the bloodstream is measured by the glycemic index. Glycemic load describes the amount of glucose in circulation. Glucose is the body’s only source of fuel but too much of it causes illness. Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome are all connected to a glycemic load too heavy for the body to digest effectively.
The Paleolithic diet is based on foods that are more nutritious, fresh, and fibrous — all factors important for controlling glycemic load. When glycemic load is high, we crave foods and often eat unwisely as a result. Fatigue becomes a problem, too. The energizing Paleolithic diet supplies a steady supply of glucose that signals the brain that the body isn’t hungry anymore.
Paleolithic Dos and Don’ts
The Paleo diet consists of an abundance of these foods:
- Lean meats
- Fish
- Eggs
- Leafy green vegetables
- Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, artichokes, brussels sprouts, etc.)
- Root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, etc.)
- All other fresh vegetables
- Fresh fruit
- Dried fruit
- Nuts and seeds
- Olive and grape-seed oils
The diet does not include:
- Grains and grain-based products
- Beans and legumes, such as peas
- Dairy products
- Refined sugars
- Added salt
- Processed oils, especially those made from grains
Processed foods such as breads and other baked goods, pasta, cereal, beer and grain-based spirits, soft drinks, candy, potato chips, crackers, popcorn, and just about anything that comes in a box, bag, can, or bottle are not part of the Paleolithic diet. These foods are usually high in fat, have little or no nutritional value, and are undesirably high in the glycemic index.
Calcium and the Caveman
Calcium-conscious 21st century humans may note what seems to be a lack of calcium in the caveman diet.
Calcium is not as abundant in the dairy-free Paleo diet as it is in the food pyramid diet but there’s little doubt our long-ago ancestors had strong bones. Weight-bearing exercise increases bone growth and density so adding such exercises to one’s daily routine is sure to be a healthy thing. Walk like a caveman. Run like a caveman. Hop, skip, jump. Take the stairs. Lift heavy things. Often.
Some recent scientific studies question the connection between calcium and skeletal health. Consult a physician if calcium consumption is a concern.
Any radical changes in a diabetic’s diet must be discussed with a physician before the change is made. Medical monitoring, especially during the first few months, is important for maintaining optimum control of glucose levels. It will also alert your physician to any adjustments needed to medications that are currently prescribed.