Paleo vs. Gluten-free Diets

Following my post on my 5-day Paleo meal plan last April 22 and my review of Gluten last May 3, I did a bit more research on what makes a Paleo diet Paleo and how does this differ from a Gluten-free diet.

 

So essentially, all Paleo diets are gluten-free but not all gluten-free diets are Paleo. Paleo Grubs says that doing the Paleo diet is like going gluten-free and taking it a step higher by staying away from highly processed foods at the same time. Other food items to avoid in the Paleo diet are most sugar (from what I know, only coconut sugar is allowed) and dairy other than butter.

 

Incorporating the Paleo diet claims to result in the following health benefits:

• Lower rates of diabetes
• Balanced blood sugar levels
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Lower cancer rates
• Clear skin
• Higher energy levels
• Improved digestion
• Healthy hair
• Reduced chronic inflammation

 

The benefits are all wonderful and does sound too good to be true.  But if you think about it, it does make sense. Cutting down on processed foods that are packed with preservatives has indeed been proven to reduce the risk of heart diseases and lower cancer rates while reducing gluten may improved digestion and reduce chronic inflammation.  Sugar lower diabetes rates and our overall good health will result to clear skin and healthy hair.   

The Paleo diet has also been called a 'Cavenman's Diet' because it only allows for food that were available during the time of the cavemen. If a caveman could not eat it, neither can you. You can learn more about the Paleo diet here.

 

With this knowledge, you can decide for yourself what works best for your health. In my case, I am concerned about the lack of calcium from the absence of dairy so I am doing a modified Paleo diet. I intend to go gluten-free to the best of my ability (and willpower!), lower consumption of processed foods, reduce my intake of sweets and replace our brown sugar with coconut sugar at home. I'll give it a few months and re-evaluate if changes need to be made.

 

What about you? What is your game plan towards great health? Share your thoughts with me on twitter @densfan or instagram @densfan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Going Gluten-Free

I recently talked about going on a 5-day Paleo diet which I found quite beneficial. I have been wondering whether doing Paleo is synonymous to going gluten-free and I'm going to learn more about it and share my findings with you in a separate post. For today, let's understand what it means to go gluten-free.

 

First, let us define what Gluten is. Here is what Wikipedia has to say.

Gluten (from Latin gluten, "glue") is a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains, including barley, rye, oat, and all their species and hybrids (such as spelt, kamut, and triticale). Gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture.

 

In my mind, I imagine gluten to be a natural 'glue' or adhesive. I imagine that when it gets to our digestive track, it will be naturally harder for our stomach to digest it. For some though, like me, who are gluten-intolerant, digestion becomes a bigger issue and may need to be avoided all together.

 

Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist and health crusader who wrote about doing a grain detox, says that the wheat we eat today is not the same wheat that was eaten during Bible times. "It’s the product of 40 years of genetics research aimed at increasing yield-per-acre. The result is a genetically unique plant that stands 18-24 inches tall, not the 4 1/2-foot tall “amber waves of grain” we all remember."

 

Contrary to Dr. Davis' recommendation to avoid gluten all together, some studies say you should only go gluten-free if you have Celiac Disease or Gluten sensitivity/intolerance.

Personally, I would agree with the video.  The gluten-free diet is not necessarily for all.  I might change my mind as I pursue more readings but that's my take on this for now.   If you have been experiencing constant migraine, bloatedness or skin problems, then you may want to have yourself tested for gluten sensitivity.  You may also do a self-test like what I did with the Paleo meal plan. Go gluten-free for a week or more and see if your symptoms go away.  

 

You can get tested for food intolerance at Accuserv by calling 726 3219 or 7241615.

 

 

 

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My 5 Days with Paleo

I have been contemplating on going gluten-free for a while now. After learning that I am allergic to a lot of grains and essentially gluten from my Food Intolerance Test last 2014, I have been challenging myself to go totally gluten-free and see its effect on my body.

 

So I searched online for a gluten-free meal delivery service since I am not yet that familiar with the different ingredients that contain gluten and may inadvertently include them in my diet. One that I found is from Paleo Manila. I signed up for a 5-day meal plan to test their meals and see if a week is enough to see the effects of a totally gluten-free diet.

 

Paleo Manila delivers your meals the night before. It comes in a brown paperbag with the meal plan for the day attached to it.

Each bag contains Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and two snacks. I usually eat the snacks as dessert after taking my lunch and dinner.

 

Unlike the usual meal delivery in Metro Manila, the Paleo Manila meal plan does not count calories. They usually cover anywhere from 1,300 to 1,800 calories a day. This actually worried me a little when I was starting with the program. I am a relatively healthy eater and my average caloric consumption based on my Fitness Pal tracker is around 1,500 a day. So going over my average intake might make me gain weight. But I pushed through with it since my goal was not to lose weight anyway. It was to see if going gluten-free has any tangible health benefits for me.

Omelette for breakfast, Roasted chicken with mashed sweet potato and grapes for lunch,
a serving of carrot cake for dessert

Beef brisket

The meals were pretty hearty, as expected, and they tasted good. Some better than the others. My only challenge was to eat the pork-based meals since I really do not like the taste of pork. Unfortunately, customizing your meals with Paleo Manila means adding another thousand to the weekly cost of P3,750. Too expensive!  So I just ate whatever pork came my way. Sometimes I only finished half of the pork meal. 

 

My favorite is Day 5 - they really saved the best for last.

Seafood with Cauliflower Fried Rice, Chicken Pesto, Vegetable salsa with egg

The desserts were exceptionally good except for the cookies on the last day which did not taste like cookies at all. They were more like caramel crinkles.

 

The Gluten-free Orange Nut Bread was the best! Should I decide to splurge and customize my Paleo meals, this would be my snack all week!

Gluten-free Orange Nut Bread

Five days into my Paleo diet and I lost 4 lbs!  I could not believe it! I went down from 108 lbs to 104 lbs by simply eating right even when I was technically eating more!  I felt energized and could even run 5km to 7km each day while I was on my Paleo meal plan. My digestion improved and I did not feel bloated at all. I think that was the biggest winner for me. I can finally conclude that Gluten is the cause of my bloating.

 

So is eating Paleo and the same as going Gluten-free? I have been reading about it and will share my findings with you soon. Stay tuned...

 

If you want to try Paleo Manila's meal plan, you may book with them by clicking here.

 

 

 

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