This blog is about the intersection between evolutionary biology and food. But also about practical applications, sustainable agriculture, and general tasty things. I originally started eating this way to heal from chronic health problems and...it worked!
Melissa McEwen
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My Diet: Good, local, whole foods. Mostly meat, fish, and vegetables with some traditional whole grains and legumes.
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low-carb
12/15/2011 - 17:06
It's bad enough that I'm dead
It's unfortunate that well-meaning health bloggers and personalities have joined grave robbers around the world in misusing mummies, particularly since there aren't a lot of them. It's clear they had some pretty tough lives and in death they are being paraded around to debunk various popular diets. If you think high-protein diets are bad, you have a tiny selection of Siberian, Aleut, and Eskimo mummies to defame. If you think grains are evil, you have a nice selection of Egyptian mummies with a few bog and ice mummies from various agrarian settlements thrown in.
But if these diets are all so horrible, why do mummies from diverse places all seem to have atherosclerosis? And the other problems commonly represented in mummies, osteoporosis and cavities, don't seem to track with particular diets at all. For example, caries are present in Aleut mummies AND copper-age grain-eaters like Otzi. Osteoporosis is present in some Eskimo mummies, but also low-fat grain-eaters from South America. With sample sizes so low and the same problems present in all kinds of populations, I'd think nutrition geeks would be happy to leave mummies alone.
But tragically, mummy abuse is rampant in the nutritional community. I recently saw a anti-paleo vegan Youtube Series that used the poor Eskimo mummies to say "What we see here are effectively long-term studies of an animal-based Wise Traditions diet and the results are not pretty." (Credit to Cordain for first abusing these particular mummies).
Yikes, that's one sad little study, but it's not just vegans who mistreat our poor mummy friends. Dr. Eades has written quite a bit on Egyptian mummies. While I agree it's quite hilarious that their low-fat diet didn't do much for them, I'm not sure there are a reason to throw out the kamut just yet.
You see, while mummies are great for understanding how people lived in the past, they aren't great tools for shooting down diets. There aren't very many of them and their health problems weren't all caused by their diets anyway. An excellent book if you are interested in mummies is Mummies, Disease, and Ancient Cultures, which includes an excellent survey of various mummies and what modern science can tell us about their health problems. Like the original scientists who studied the Eskimo mummies, this text concludes that their methods of heating and cooking were extremely detrimental to their health: "The winter houses were semisubterranean with a tunnel entrance and heated by small seal oil lamps. The hot air in the house would not sink into the tunnel when the door, in the floor of the house, was opened. This effect also trapped smoke in the house. In addition it was the duty of the women to trim the lamp at night; sleeping next to the lamp increased the exposure to smoke, resulting in severe anthracosis* at an early age and lung damage, including bronchiectasis and emphysema."
So their cooking and heating practices were the equivalent of working in a coal mine and definitely worse than smoking modern cigarettes (which almost always have a filter). Needless to say, this is not good for your lungs, heart, or bones. Indoor air pollution from cooking and heating fires remains a major health problem in developing countries. If anything, these mummies are an excellent reason to me to be thankful for my gas stove and radiator heating during this cold December. And a reminder that things like lung and heart problems are not diseases of civilization.
For the other mummies, in the age of modern dentistry and antibiotics, it's easy to underestimate the contribution of dental disease and infection to atherosclerosis. It's also easy to overestimate the certainty of paleopathology, which can be quite controversial:
The development of vascular calcification is related not only to atherosclerosis.4 Other conditions may lead to the formation of such lesions, including aging, diabetes, disorders of calcium-phosphorus metabolism, chronic microinflammation, hyperhomocysteinemia, and chronic renal insufficiency.3 Moreover, given the poor state of preservation of the organic tissues, a differential diagnosis for the findings should include parasitic calcifications in lymphatic vessels (particularly from filariasis).
Conclusion on Mummies:
Relevance to your health: low
Chance of being haunted by vengeful undead: high
*= AKA "black lung"
Comment?: 0
11/07/2011 - 10:15
I've noticed that Dr. Rosedale has all the sudden become a guru to low-carbers and even to the "paleo" movement. Sometimes I have a sudden desire to go back to school and enroll in normal Nutrition classes so I can be reminded that the vast majority of scientists don't think that way. But not all doctors are scientists, though the public seems to often think they are. So Rosedale would consider me a diabetic:
Also, there is really no totally safe level of blood sugar that will not cause non-enzymatic glycation or damage. The thresholds for diagnosing diabetes are arbitrary numbers. As such, I consider most everybody to have diabetes; just different degrees. Is the intake of 100 g daily of starch/sugar terrible? No, compared to the vast majority of diets being consumed. Can one hundred grams starch be tolerated? Yes, by most. Can it be called healthy? That depends on if one means healthy or healthier than what is unhealthy. My answer would be no.
Despite the fact I'm probably more leptin and insulin sensitive than anyone I know, I guess I'm diabetic. He said on Paleohacks that the Kitavans would benefit from his diet, which strikes me as arrogant considering his diet has only shown in a single small study to improve the markers of sick people and the final numbers were nothing impressive particularly compared to raw vegans, starch-eating horticulturalists like the Kitavans, or small-scale fish eating farmers. Either way, viewing starch as poison doesn't make sense evolutionarily or physiologically.
Maybe he will soften as he realizes that the paleoanthropology does not support his conclusions. Paleoanthropology supports the idea that humans thrived on MANY different diets. The content of fat or starch in ancient diets is incredibly controversial. Rosedale says it doesn't matter because ancient diets only optimized for reproduction, but again, that is not true. One of the unique things that makes us human is the presence of very old "elders." There are many anthropological theories and debates regarding their importance, most notably the "grandmother hypothesis." It's quite clear to me that humans have been evolutionarily selected to thrive at older ages.
The human digestive system is neither that of a carnivore nor an herbivore. It's something special, a tool for taking over the world by thriving on many different diets. Our metabolism is equally flexible.
And either way, if a truly starch-free low-carb diet was something magical that made people live an especially long healthy life, the early explorers would have found the polar regions full of such people at first contact. But many explorers actually noted that the Inuit and other circumpolar tribes seemed to age faster.
When mainstream media folks are criticizing us for being a monolith, it doesn't make sense for us to embrace someone who fits that word to a T.
If you want to follow the biochem debate between Rosedale and Paul Jaminet, this is a good starting point, but my point is that it doesn't make sense evolutionarily.
Edit: Chris Masterjohn comments.
Comment?: 0
06/10/2011 - 19:41
However, despite treatment, many Type 1 diabetics die prematurely, often having suffered adverse effects from their diabetes, including blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, skin ulcers, and amputations. Bob Krause, on the other hand, appears to be in great shape (especially bearing in mind his advanced years). What is clear is that Bob has managed his diabetes with meticulous care. What is especially noteworthy is that his eating regime contrasts sharply with the standard advice given to diabetics: Eat three meals a day and include starchy carbohydrates with every meal.
What is noteworthy here besides his success is his low-carb diet, which really honestly doesn't look what more low-carb bloggers eat:
Actually Bob normally eats twice a day. His breakfast is usually made up of nuts with some prunes. His dinner is protein plus salad. He doesn’t eat much. And critically, he doesn’t eat much carbohydrate.
It sounds like CRON (calorie restriction with optimal nutrition) to me.
When reading this I remembered Michelle, a young blogger I had read about in Loren Cordain's newsletter who was having success using the paleo diet. I wonder if many people noticed that she quit the paleo diet?
My sugars started increasing to the 140s-150s in March and I went back on insulin. The diet really wasn't helping. However, I stayed on the paleo diet for a few days but I couldn't take it anymore and started having dairy, grains, and legumes again.
My opinion is that the diet is too restrictive and is very difficult to follow (100%). You almost have to be obsessed with the food that goes in your mouth. I am very happy to have the freedom of my food choices.
Interestingly, Bob Krause's son, who also is type 1, couldn't follow his father's footsteps:
And though Tom Krause inherited his father's diabetes, he doesn't share his father's regimented control of the illness.
"My dad, he is just a machine in how well he cares and manages his diabetes, with his willpower and how long he's been doing it," Tom Krause said.
I get the sense that Bob is a person with unusual willpower and obsessiveness. It makes sense that he was an engineer. I understand why Tom and Michelle had trouble. I did CRON strict paleo for awhile and thought it was hell. Anyone who is even slightly disorganized or who actually likes food is going to have trouble on such a diet.
But here is a story from Robb Wolf's blog about a young man who did a strict paleo diet and eventually was able to eat more carbs. But the article notes that even Robb Wolf says that only 5% of his type 1D patients have that kind of recovery.
What do you think? Do you think you could follow an extremely strict diet where cheating means serious illness if it meant better long term health?
Comment?: 0
06/08/2011 - 21:51
I'm perfectly comfortable with blood, guts, and that sort of thing. But when it comes to the food of simple Americans, I can be quite squeamish. There is nothing so horrible as things such as meatloaf, casserole, "hamburger helper," or lasagna. Add some steamed mixed frozen vegetables and I'm in Hell. I'll never forget the one horrible summer at camp in Wisconsin where I was served mac & cheese with pearl onions and pieces of boiled ham.
In a tiny bookstore in central Illinois I discovered that this sort of horrible cuisine devoid of true flavor has been adapted for the low-carb lifestyle. I unfortunately neglected to record the name of this dread Necronomicon placed upon the dusty shelves of Jane Addam's of Champaign. But this recipe will live in my nightmares forever:
Busy Day Cake
1/3 cup coconut oil or butter. Hmm sounds OK...
1/3 cup soy protein isolate OH GOD
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten flour NOOOOO
1 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon SteviaPlus
6 packets sucralose
1/2 cup cream thickened with water
2 eggs
vanilla extract
I won't record the exact specifications of this miserable recipe for fear of what innocent souls might encounter if the instructions were to be followed. The victim might think they were following a healthy diet because it is low in carbs and be mystified when they feel like crap and accidentally eat the whole thing despite a complete lack of true culinary virtue. Don't worry, paleos" are victims too. I once ate half a tray of "paleo" cupcakes. Baked goods of any sort are really not a good idea for anyone, no matter what they are made of. Reminds me of what I feel are the habits of highly ineffective dieters:
- Candy cigarettes: sorry "paleo cupcakes" are still cupcakes and are not healthy food
- Low quality food
- Foods of neolithic invention such as breaded and deep-fried foods.
- Food that is engineered by food scientists to taste good. Be very suspicious of anything made in a lab.
- Liquid calories.
- insipid food. I part ways with Stephan here in that I don't think blandness is key. I think very bland food is very satiating, but so is very complex food with many spices, fermented sauces, bitter and unusual flavors.
I think the meal Chris and I had after we went to the bookstore illustrates this. Portions were very small at Bacaro, but we left satisfied. Flavors like black truffle in risotto, liver-based sauces, and olive oil gelato walk the line between grotesque and delicious that puts you in a state of culinary satisfaction without incitement to overeat.
We also had an incredible lunch at Blackbird in Chicago. The portions here were also very small, but the flavors were unlike anything I'd ever had. Smoked ham hock with sturgeon, lamb with lavendar and broccoli, and licorice root for example. My new goal is not to eat out unless it's something really good like this.
Perhaps this jives with Seth Robert's set-point theory:
3.6.2. Birth of the idea. In June 2000, I visited Paris. The food was excellent. I wanted to eat three meals per day but to my surprise and disappointment I had little appetite, even though I felt fine and was walking a lot. I realized that the new weight-control theory suggested an explanation: It had been hot and I had drunk two or three sucrose-sweetened soft drinks each day, about 630 kJ (150 kcal) each. All of them had been new to me because they were brands not available at home. The novelty meant that their flavors were not yet associated with calories and therefore would not have raised my set point. They had been sweet, of course, a familiar flavor that presumably was associated with calories. But maybe sweetness was effectively a weak flavor, I thought, and what I had observed was another instance, similar to Example 9 (sushi), of bland food reducing the set point.
My weight loss definitely coincides with my growing interest in complex flavors. Of course it's very possible to get fat on Haute Cuisine; there are plenty of expensive restaurants serving baskets of bread and fried cheese balls (maybe a fancy cheese, but still very stimulating to the appetite).
Comment?: 0
11/16/2010 - 07:43
I spent this weekend in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania at the Weston A. Price Foundation's Wise Traditions conference with John Durant and Allison Bojarski. I live-Tweeted it, but here is also a list of things I learned:
1. Dr. Stephan Guyenet and Chris Masterjohn are as cool, smart, and genuine in person as they are on the internet. These two scientists are doing great work and someday I hope to see books from both of them. I think it's hilarious that Colin Campbell criticized Chris for not being a real scientist when he wrote his critique of The China Study...so he became one! Well, that's not the only reason, but it's quite amusing.
2. Question your ideas. Did you know that your arteries are not like pipes? Masterjohn's presentation completely blew my understanding of heart disease away and we hope to host him for that same talk in NYC some time. Masterjohn says that heart disease isn't about too much fat, but about impairment of the LDL receptor, eventually leading to rupturing of the fibrous cap on the artery lining when collagen breakdown exceeds synthesis. Because the receptor is messed up, LDL sits around and oxidizes, damaging the endothelial wall. What can prevent this? Optimizing thyroid status, supporting antioxidant defense systems, and cooling inflammation. It's interesting that Chris does not think antioxidants are useless, but believes you can't study them in isolation because they act in concert. Stephan and I also talked a bit about how he believes fiber really is important. I hope he'll post more about this in the future :) but it's about short chain fatty acids. You can get some from animal products, but the absorb differently than those made from fiber fermentation. I'm also hoping to see something from Chris about how to optimize thyroid status, but he gave some clues in his presentation: protein, iodine, selenium, and good gut flora. He also noted that the master of thyroid function is leptin, which makes sense given that many CHD sufferers also have other markers of leptin dysfunction.
3. I'm 200% more committed to knowing where my meat comes from. On Saturday I attended the livestock nutrition track, where we learn how pasturing isn't the end of the story. Good pastures and significantly different from bad pastures and the meat from the animals grazing on good pastures really is more nutritious. There needs to be more study on this matter because there is a lot of sub-standard beef out there and consumers don't know enough to care about it. If you are interested in this subject Jerry Brunetti and Dr. Will Winter are doing some amazing work.
4. Yes, the Inuit do eat plants and lots of them. I already knew this, but at least ONCE A MONTH I get a comment, email, or tweet from a low carber insisting they ate only meat and fish. This is stupid and Anore Jones, who actually lived with a tribe, documented hundreds of plant foods that grew in large quantities. I have ordered her book and plan to post more about this in the future.
5. Gentle cooking methods and unprocessed proteins are the way to go. Interestingly, none of Price's "healthy cultures" fried their foods. I think Masterjohn will be exploring the science behind this in the future, but a lot of healthy cultures used steaming and boiling.
6. Starches are interesting. In Stephan's talk about Pacific diets he mentioned taro, cassava, and other starchy vegetables. Given how easy these are to find in NYC, I'm curious about experimenting with them in my diet.
7. Stop blaming the macronutrients! Anore Jones presented on the healthy, but fairly low-carb Inupiat and Stephan Guyenet presented on the healthy, but very high-carb Pacific people. During his presentation, Stephan put it this way "The idea that high intake of carbs or fat causes diseases of civilization is completely inconsistent with the data."
8. Added sugar(even natural sugar) and gluten (even fermented) are still bad and there is no reason to ever eat them. Unfortunately they were present in great amounts, despite numerous sessions I attended blasting them. It's interesting because high-carb Kitavans lose weight with age, but the opposite effect was quite evident at Wise Traditions.
9. Sometimes I get sick on paleo's overemphasis on macronutrients and disconnection from traditions. There is something much more enduring and exiquisite about some of the food traditions displayed here, that goes beyond some of the just-so stories and banal health products associated with paleo. That said, paleo is generally more scientific and there were things at Wise Traditions that would probably fall under the umbrella of woo.
10. I was really proud to see paleo/Crossfit representing good physical health. I think we gained a bunch of fans, including a farmer who provides meat to a Crossfit affiliate. In one session she was like "So this presentation lists a lot of problems with grains. Why even bother?" The only reason to bother is when they taste good IMHO. But ultimately I am a busy person and I'm not going to make blini or dosa very often. Paleo is so much easier. It was telling that one of the most popular sessions was Nora Gedgauda's one on curbing the carb cravings...
And a bonus:
11. The government isn't going to fix the food system and in its blundering will destroy many small farmers and food businesses. Wow, it was scary seeing a doc called Farmageddon, which was accounts of military-style raids on FARMS. It was weird being in the same room as many of the people I did my senior food law thesis on like Linda Faillace and Mark McAfee. I was very glad to pay $4 at breakfast for bone broth because it supported the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. But I still don't feel sad about not going to law school because the whole thing is just too depressing for me.
Comment?: 48
09/14/2010 - 16:31
Aunt Maude still sending you links on that study that purported to show how terrible meaty diets are? Here are some great links for a takedown:
Denise Minger on Brand-Spankin’ New Study: Are Low-Carb Meat Eaters in Trouble?
Comment?: 0
03/27/2010 - 11:02
Cordian looked at the food intake of studied hunter gatherers and concluded:
"Of the 229 hunter-gatherer societies listed in the Ethnographic Atlas, 58% (n = 133) obtained 
66% of their subsistence from animal foods in contrast with 4% (n = 8) of societies that obtain 66% of their subsistence from gathered plant foods...For worldwide hunter-gatherers, the most plausible (values not exceeding the mean MRUS) percentages of total energy from the macronutrients would be 19–35% for protein, 22–40% for carbohydrate, and 28–58% for fat "
Paleolithic people clearly preferred animal foods as they represented the highest quality nutrition, but only those without the choice to eat plants survived on very low carb diets and the Inuit clearly prized berries when they were in season.
I think a very low carb approach to paleo is as un-paleolithic as a vegan approach. Both can be done and technically fit the definition of paleo, but they are far from optimal. The funny thing as that the people I know on very low carb are often as dependent on supplements as vegans, which doesn't speak much to the suitability of their diet for humans. Although it probably doesn't help that they often don't really try to emulate the diet of successful human carnivores like the Inuit who certainly consumed more than just ground beef. They ate kelp, berries, and a wide variety of meats ranging from fish to polar bear. In fact, arctic foods like smelt and seal are very high potassium and would prevent cramping.
Comment?: 16
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