{"id":9,"date":"2010-12-23T19:06:25","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T02:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.engrevo.com\/blog\/?p=9"},"modified":"2011-06-22T13:47:17","modified_gmt":"2011-06-22T20:47:17","slug":"evolutionary-eat-this-not-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.engrevo.com\/blog\/evolutionary-eat-this-not-that\/","title":{"rendered":"(Evolutionary) Eat This, Not That"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I mention in the “About<\/a>” section, I think food quality is extremely crucial to health, and my definition of food quality is very similar to the paleo\/primal menu. Here’s my take on nutrition.<\/em><\/p>\n

What you should eat:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Meat and Eggs<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my opinion, protein is the most vital macronutrient, and meat\/eggs are the best source of that protein. (For the love of diet, eat the yolks too<\/a>!) It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty widely accepted that what separated us from monkeys in evolution<\/a> was the percentage of meat in our diets; it allowed for larger brains and flatter stomachs. Animal products are so great because the protein, vitamins and minerals are present in the forms that we process most efficiently. Think of the animals as convenient processors for our benefit: they take in nutrients in forms that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t as beneficial to us (grass for cows, flax seed for chickens) and produce meat and eggs with the nutrients readily available (beef, omega 3 enriched eggs).<\/strong> Also, go nuts with the fish, if for nothing beyond the anti-inflammatory effects of the Omega-3\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s found in large proportions (don’t worry about mercury<\/a>). Meat source is important too, though there is some argument<\/a> about how critical it really is.<\/p>\n

Vegetables<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though many zero-carb enthusiasts (ZCers) claim that all benefits of vegetable eating can be realized through consumption of a good multi-vitamin (like beef-liver), I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still a fan of veggies. Many boast impressive nutrient profiles (especially the dark green leafies), and they can be a wonderful carrier for delicious fats (i.e. asparagus drenched in olive oil). Any and all veggies are good in my book<\/strong> (though some are more sugary than others), but you may find that local or homegrown options taste better. Please remember corn is not a vegetable (it is a grain, and as such should not be eaten).<\/p>\n

Fat<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you keep carbs low, your energy is coming from fat, either dietary or stored (remember we want that protein going towards construction projects in the body, or being converted to glucose\/ketones in the liver for brain and organ function). Fat intake fills in the gap between your desired total intake and your intake from protein and carbs.<\/strong> Stay away from those nasty, unstable vegetable oils (olive oil is ok so long as you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t heat it), but go crazy with animal based fats, avocados and coconuts. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still saturated fat phobic, you have some assigned reading<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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What you should not eat:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Processed Carbohydrates<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay away from sugar, bread, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The easily digestible sugars lead to large insulin spikes, resulting in arterial plaque<\/a> and storage of nutrients in the adipose tissue (getting fat). A large dose of readily available carbohydrate also inhibits immune system function<\/a>, and contributes to poor sleep<\/a> and depression<\/a>. In short, processed carbs make you fat, hungry, sad, and sick.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gluten<\/strong><\/p>\n

I realize it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s covered in the above group, but I want to hammer home the point on gluten, because it is just so darn awful<\/a>. I basically wanted to copy all the text here<\/a>, but I can save the space if you all just promise to do your homework. Read the whole thing and I promise you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll look at bread like poison from now on.<\/strong> And then go read this<\/a> (look at all that research!) to really cement the severity of the situation. From the studies listed at the bottom, we see exactly what gluten is capable of<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bad things correlated with gluten intake:<\/em><\/p>\n