← Back to All Blogs
Category Archives: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Breastfeeding Gluten and Lactose Intolerant Newborns
Dear Dr. Cordain I am extremely passionate about the Paleo Diet. I have lost 59kg and cured severe depression, my husband has cured his IBS and our son, Joshua, was cured of severe reflux by adopting your recommendations for a Paleo diet. In the first eight months of his life, we were really struggling with Joshua. He screamed and swallowed constantly, and despite trying various medications, nothing relieved his pain. I had to keep him upright after breastfeeds for at least an hour, no one else could hold him or change his nappy because he would scream in pain if…
Antinutrients, the Antithesis of True Paleo
We all know what nutrients are. The three macronutrients, fat, protein and carbohydrates, along with vitamins, minerals and water are the six essential nutrients we need to thrive. Basically, nutrients are substances that provide nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life.1 Everything we eat and drink falls into one of those categories. Unfortunately, the modern day diet also includes another category of substances that are often eaten even more than the nutritious type of food: antinutrients. A naturally occurring substance, like saponins or phytates, found in plant-derived foods, antinutrients interfere with absorption or proper functioning of nutrients in…
Balancing Migraine Pain with a Paleo Diet
As a migraine sufferer, I was all too excited several years ago when the local hospital hosted an expert panel on migraine remedies which included diet. The 45 minute presentation covered the basic physiology, briefly mentioned chocolate and alcohol, and then spent the bulk of the time on medications – Aspirin, Excederin, Midrin, and Fioricet. During the Q&A I asked about omega-3 PUFAs since they are known to inhibit COX-2. One expert replied that she was unaware of any research on PUFAs or COX-2 for migraine. I appreciated her congenial reply, but sat down disappointed. Most of the medication identified…
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Ketogenic Diet
Many are aware that ketogenic diets offer a plethora of health benefits. Among the ketogenic diet’s best properties are its anti-inflammatory effects.
Sprouting Truth From the Rubble: The Modern Paleo Diet Template
The Huffington Post, Meredith Melnick (@MeredithCM), the Health Director for the publication, recently informed the readers of a paper published in December 2014’s issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology, a review paper examining the evolution of human diet.1 “Paleoanthropologists are pretty amused by the faddish Paleo Diet,” said Melnick. “And now a review of studies on hominid evolution is using environmental and chemical evidence to prove, once and for all, that there was no such thing as “clean eating” during the Stone Age.” What “clean eating” actually refers to is unclear; however, Melnick believes that the Paleo diet, as…
Is Paleo Sustainable for 7 Billion People?
Can our planet support 7 billion people following the Paleo Diet? We cannot dispute that there are negative environmental factors, such as excessive water and fossil energy use and large emissions of greenhouse gases, resulting from the standard process of agriculture and livestock farming. These methodologies make it seem unrealistic that even our current food production system can sustain our planet, let alone support the Paleo diet alone. Obviously, no one wants to contribute to an ecological collapse. If 7 billion people adopted a diet higher in animal meat under the existing methods of production, it would continue to tax…
The Wheat Series Part 2: Opening the Barrier to Poor Gut Health
Did you miss The Wheat Series Part 1: Wheat and the Immune System? Read it HERE. It was a comment I’ve heard too many times. I was watching tennis with a friend who knew me as a cyclist, not as someone who researches nutrition. The commentators were discussing world No. 1 ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic’s newfound success since going on a gluten-free diet. My friend got noticeably irritated and finally blurted “I’m tired of this gluten-free fad! There’s not a scrap of evidence it makes a difference unless you have celiac disease.” As much as I wanted to, I…
How the Paleo Lifestyle Protects Against Food Allergies
Within our intestines, we harbor some 100 trillion microbial cells, collectively known as the gut microbiome (GM). For better or worse, the GM profoundly influences our health, impacting physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune function. GM disruption can promote obesity, diabetes, and chronic inflammatory diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.1, 2, 3 In short, according to the human microbiome project (HMP), “we are supraorganisms composed of human and microbial components.”4 The HMP was an initiative launched in 2007 by the National Institutes of Health to study the role of microbes in human health and disease. The HMP sparked widespread…
Mexican Cuisine, Intestinal Permeability and the Paleo Diet
In the U.S., Mexican cuisine has become enormously popular in the past 30 years. A recent USA Today poll1 listed the 15 “Best” Tex-Mex chain restaurants in the U.S. as follows: It has certainly been argued that fast American “Mexican” food is a far cry from the authentic cuisine actually found in the 31 Mexican federal states. Genuine Mexican cooking clearly is not uniform from one area or State of the country to the next. The foods of northern Mexican States differ from those in the south which in turn vary from coastal regions. Distinctive cuisines have arisen in Oaxaca,…
Ulcerative Colitis in Remission
Born into an Italian-American family, it was inevitable that I fall in love with food. Fresh mozzarella, homemade pasta, and a crusty piece of Italian bread were components of an average meal. But my passion for food was not limited to Italian cuisine. I used to pride myself on my pie eating and Twinkie eating contest wins. Then there was that one week I ate nachos for dinner seven days straight. And I could drink craft beer like a disturbingly large German man. I never had a weight problem and, in fact, I never had a problem period. I thought…
Contact Us
