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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Paleo Diet
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Paleo Diet
by kevtt, May 16, 2004 12:00AM
A couple of afibbers (not physicians but supposedly knowledgeable about this condition)from a different board are advocating the paleo diet for afib suffers.
Your opinion about this diet ... positive, negative, it's all hype? From a cardio standpoint, any downside (it appears that the diet advocates alot of meat which I don't think is good for the heart but maybe it's offset by the lack of grains - just surmizing here).
When it comes to conditions like afib, other than cutting down on stuff like MSG and caffine, does diet really have an impact other than for the overall health of an individual?
Muchos gracias.
Your opinion about this diet ... positive, negative, it's all hype? From a cardio standpoint, any downside (it appears that the diet advocates alot of meat which I don't think is good for the heart but maybe it's offset by the lack of grains - just surmizing here).
When it comes to conditions like afib, other than cutting down on stuff like MSG and caffine, does diet really have an impact other than for the overall health of an individual?
Muchos gracias.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-M.D.-RCJ, May 16, 2004 12:00AM
kevtt,
Thanks for the post.
The "paleo diet", short for paleolithis diet, advocates against:
Grains- including bread, pasta, noodles
Beans- including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas and peas
Potatoes
Dairy products
Sugar
Salt
and for:
Meat, chicken and fish
Eggs
Fruit
Vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)
Nuts, eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond.
Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.
Root vegetables- carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Swedes
Organ meats- liver and kidneys (I accept that many people find these unpalatable and won’t eat them)
My source for this list was paleodiet.com.
I think this diet, like the Adkins, Ornish, Mediterranean, and South Beach diets, has some merits, but goes too far in its claims. Any "Standard" in the 21st Century needs to be based on strong scientific evidence, not historical anecdote and supposition. This diet, or one of the others, may indeed be the ultimate diet, but no one has proven it thus far.
Certainly avoidance of certain substances, and these are likely to be different for each person (but may include caffeine), makes sense for persons with afib. I think pursuit of a sensible diet made up of mostly vegetables and fruit and with enough caloric content to maintain a healthy weight is the right way to go. The one thing that has been convincingly demonstrated in animal models is that eating fewer calories, while maintaining weight, leads to longevity.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the post.
The "paleo diet", short for paleolithis diet, advocates against:
Grains- including bread, pasta, noodles
Beans- including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas and peas
Potatoes
Dairy products
Sugar
Salt
and for:
Meat, chicken and fish
Eggs
Fruit
Vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)
Nuts, eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond.
Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.
Root vegetables- carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Swedes
Organ meats- liver and kidneys (I accept that many people find these unpalatable and won’t eat them)
My source for this list was paleodiet.com.
I think this diet, like the Adkins, Ornish, Mediterranean, and South Beach diets, has some merits, but goes too far in its claims. Any "Standard" in the 21st Century needs to be based on strong scientific evidence, not historical anecdote and supposition. This diet, or one of the others, may indeed be the ultimate diet, but no one has proven it thus far.
Certainly avoidance of certain substances, and these are likely to be different for each person (but may include caffeine), makes sense for persons with afib. I think pursuit of a sensible diet made up of mostly vegetables and fruit and with enough caloric content to maintain a healthy weight is the right way to go. The one thing that has been convincingly demonstrated in animal models is that eating fewer calories, while maintaining weight, leads to longevity.
Hope that helps.
Currently, there's good evidence that grains reduce risks of certain cancers but paleo diet advocates believe it's the opposite.
-jeff