45. HOW HEALTHY IS PALEO?

Jayne is excited about the Paleo Diet. She said there is a lot of information on the internet with the benefits of the diet, meal plans, recipes and motivational material. Her intense interest drove me to take a critical look at this way of eating which is quite popular in our world today. 

The Paleo Diet has come from the Paleolithic era in human history, which supposedly was 2.6 million years long. During this stone-age, people didn’t eat cereal or grains, they didn’t drink milk or eat dairy, and they consumed no sugar or processed food. I read about the diet on Paleo Diet 101 and The Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet.

We can give the diet a plus rating for being high in fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society has pounded it into our heads that we should have 5 fruits and vegetables daily to prevent cancer and heart disease.

A super plus rating can be given to the Paleo Diet for eliminating all sugar and processed food, which includes soft drinks. That step would improve the health of countless Americans who make up the group who consume about 3/4 cup of sugar daily in soft drinks and sweet desserts. Sugar destroys immunity which brings on much of the illness which afflicts us.

The third positive stroke for the Paleo Diet has to be tempered with a criticism—the elimination of dairy other than butter and maybe heavy cream. Certainly no human being past weaning age needs the milk of any animal. The saturated fat in butter and cream make it possibly the most deadly part of the milk. To make matters worse, the author suggests if the person cannot live without dairy, he should consider a raw full-fat or fermented dairy product. It seems highly dangerous to use raw milk in our disease-laden world.   

Possibly the greatest criticism of the diet from my standpoint is the recommendation to consume high fat. The author of Paleo Diet 101 states: “Eat generous amounts of saturated fat like coconut oil, butter, clarified butter, beef tallow, lard and duck fat.” These are all considered good if they come from healthy well-treated animals. Olive oil, avocado oil and macadamia oil are recommended for eating on salads but not for cooking.  

Another recommendation that raises a flag to me is to eat a good amount of animal protein, which includes red meat, poultry, pork, eggs, organs (liver, kidney and heart), wild-caught fish and shellfish. The writer of Paleo Diet 101 tells the people they shouldn’t be scared to eat the fatty cuts and all meals with proteins should contain fat as well.

The high fat recommended in the Paleo Diet seems to be a bad trait, even though the followers of the diet claim it is good. Our number one killer in the U.S. is heart trouble, which usually comes from a high-fat diet that has built up plaque in the veins. It was in 1980 that Dr. Dean Ornish’ book, REVERSING HEART DISEASE, was published. He made headlines with his discovery that changing the typical high-fat diet of heart patients to an approximate 20 percent plant-food diet reversed their heart disease.

In spite of the popularity of the Paleo Diet, I am convinced a 100 percent plant food diet is superior. I hope Jayne will compare the two ways of eating. Plant food is healthier for the body, kinder to the animals and saving for the earth. 

VEGAN ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
3 ripe bananas
1 T coconut milk
2 t maple syrup
1 t vanilla

COOKIES
1/3 c natural peanut butter
1/2 c cooked white beans rinsed and drained
1/2 c old-fashioned oats
2 T unsweetened applesauce
1 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1/3 c carob chips (more for rolling edges)
To make ice cream: Line 4-by 6-inch baking dish with
parchment paper, allowing paper to hang over the sides.
Blend all ingredients until smooth, spread in the dish
and freeze for 2 hours.
To make cookies: Preheat oven to 350. Line baking dish
with parchment paper. Blend all ingredients except chips.
Roll dough into twelve 1-tablespoon balls, place on baking
sheet and flatten into 2-inch circles. Bake 12 to 15 minutes,
cool and freeze. Unmold the ice cream, cut into 6 disks
using a 2-inch round cutter. Place each disk between two
cookies. Roll edges in carob chips if desired. Freeze until
fully set.