Anyone on or tried Chris Kresser's "Paleo Diet?" Anyone found out if they're intolerant to the big 4: gluten, dairy, soya and corn? Recipes?

[Soldieress]

I'm considering trying it but need to find a simple recipe book full of simple delicious meal ideas. It won't be easy. I wish I could have a test done first to make sure it's worth the inconvenience and sacrifice of not eating some foods I like.

[greygoose]

Hi Soldieress, I'm sorry I don't know anything about the Paleo Diet, but it was the mention of soya that caught my attention.

You don't have to be intolerant of soya for it to be bad news. Unfermented soya is a form of poison that causes cancer, birth defects and all manner of other horrible things.

It is especially bad news for hypos because not only is it a goitrogen - i.e. impedes uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland - but also acts at a cellular level to impede the uptake of thyroid hormone by the thyroid hormone receptors. I would strongly advise you to cut it out of your diet completely.

Hugs, Grey

[Soldieress]

Thanks for your reply Greygoose. I wonder if that's the sort of soya they use in vegetarian sausages and vegetarian alternative meat food eg vege burgers. I didn't eat red meat for 25 years and substituted that with soya products. I've started eating read meat again for just over 2 years now. Recommended by an acupuncturist who was treating my frozen shoulder at the time and saw that I was weak and had a stomach and metabolism problem but she didn't know exactly what it was. I found out it was Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism a year later! The Paleo Diet is mostly staying off gluten I think.

robbwolf.com/2012/05/18/pal...

[mg51 in reply to Soldieress]

hi, being gluten free isnt that bad, I have been for at least 3 years, both myself and my husband eat gluten free pasta, and he doesnt have to...he is brilliant at cooking so that helps. There are lots of things you can make from scratch, so you know what goes into sauces, gravies etc. I do have a Paleo recipe book but to be honest have never used it, I think it is american based so some of the things you probably cant get here. We make wheat free toad in the hole which is fabulous, pastry is not so good, bread is better toasted, it made a difference to me, not being bloated and looking pregnant especially on pasta, it becomes a way of life, plus on the internet you can get loads of gluten free products, hope this helps........xx

[Soldieress in reply to mg51]

Thanks, I think I will give it a go. Do you sometimes have some gluten when you go out and it's difficult to have an alternative or if you're invited to someone's home for a meal and they give you something with gluten in it?

Do you know of any gluten free beer being sold in the supermarkets?

[Lolalois in reply to Soldieress]

Hi, I'm not an expert on this, but as I understand it Bud is a rice beer, so might fit the bill.

I've been gluten free for a year or so now and it gets easier. I used to have a little bit here and there but don't now at all.

Good luck with it,

L x

[greygoose in reply to Soldieress]

Yes, that is the sort they use in vegetarian foods. Are you still eating them?

Anything that says soy protein, soy flour, etc is unfermented soya and should be avoided. One of the main problems with soy protein is that humans cannot absorb it, so well be protein dificient if they rely on soy for their protein. So I'm not suprised you were weak.

[Soldieress in reply to greygoose]

I've always eaten nuts- particularly peanuts. I even used to steal the peanut butter jar and eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon when i was very young!But the acupuncturist told me to give up nuts as she thought they would be hard for me to digest. I didn't give them up though as I love them. I also eat beans on toast quite often which is also high in protein I think. I don't use soya products now but still use quorn a vegetarian alternative made out of mushrooms I think. But I have chicken and a steak and fish about once a week.

[greygoose in reply to Soldieress]

I don't know how difficult nuts are to digest, but some of them are goitrogens. Peanuts, almonds and walnuts are goitrogens which can be bad for hypos. Beans are also goitrogens, I'm afraid.

Do make sure you get enough fat. Fat is needed to make hormones and you can die of fat starvation, but even if you aren't that deficient, not eating enough fat can further upset the delicate hormonal balance. It's a myth that fat makes you fat, quite the opposite, in fact. And you need fat in your diet. Preferably animal fat.

[Soldieress in reply to greygoose]

I'm just beginning to realize this. Chris Kresser - a nutritionist on the web/net is always going on about this. One of my early symptoms is yellow hands and feet (for over 12 years now) and apparently that could be due to not being able to convert the beta - carotene version of vit. A. But apparently you can get vit. A from animal fat so I try to buy a steak with fat on it now. I quite like the fat so that's okay but before I found out about the vit. A in fat I was choosing the leaner cuts. where do you get your information from? Thanks xxx

[greygoose in reply to Soldieress]

Where do I get my information? Wow. It's years and years of reading everything I can get my hands (eyes) on in a desperate bid to feel well. There's information everywhere, but there's also misinformation and one has to use one's experience/intelligence to tell one from tother. Basic rule: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! lol

[Moggie]

Try this for good ideas. I am a member so hopefully the link will still work for you.

coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-...

Moggie x

[Soldieress in reply to Moggie]

Looks good, thanks xx

[Hidden]

Hi there soldieress

I have been asked by admin to reply to your post, so here I am First of all, please refer to my post, which explains how I have found success in just making myself feel more healthy - and lost a considerable amount of weight into the bargain by following Mark Sisson's 'Primal Blueprint', which is a less extreme version of the paleo diet you refer to. As I said in my post, I would refer you to marksdailyapple.com for lots of info about the lifestyle - yes, it is very American but anyone with a mind to can take the extremely sound principles behind the programme, based on extensive research and scientific facts and make the whole thing work to their advantage.

My first step was to read the book 'The Primal Blueprint', which is available on amazon. I was extremely sceptical that it would work - after years of low fat eating and 'chronic cardio', I have had to re-train my brain and be open to what - to me at least - is a totally different way of looking at what is healthy and what is not. Once you have read the book, I would take a good old look at the marksdailyapple website - have a marvel at the success stories, look at the archive stories and the advice given and have a serious think about why you shouldn't give it a go. I committed myself to giving it a try for 30 days and I'm unbelievably glad I did. Chris Kresser's website contains a lot of relevant and interesting articles and information but is generally a little stuffy and technical for me. Mark Sisson is a shining example of practising what he preaches and can be very amusing.

The recipe books I have bought are The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by the afore-mentioned Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier (a bit simple if you're already a moderately capable cook and very American); The Paleo Diet Cookbook by Loren Cordain (again, very American, but more interesting and tasty-sounding recipes) and . . . wait for it . . . Paleo/Caveman Diet and Gluten Free Recipes Tailored for British Tastes Using Foods Commonly Available In English Stores and Supermarkets!!! (highly inaccurate at times, but gives you some ideas). The most interesting and tasty recipes I have found have come from links on a great website called Primal Britain, run by a young English couple who follow the Paleo/Primal principles.

Now as for whether it's worth the 'inconvenience and sacrifice' you refer to . . . I would say give it your all for a month and if you don't lose weight and feel better, I'll eat my hat!!

Hope this helps

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Very interesting - lots of sites & books to look into - thank you! Definitely worth a trial month I think.

[Schenks]

Once I have sorted out my CT3M, adrenal fatigue and T3 dosage, I hope I will have enough energy to read the book - and then maybe even try it! How do you get your head round all of this? Have you been self-managing for a while? You seem to have a lot of energy - I'm wondering how you got the thyroid problems sorted because you seem really sussed. By the way, I've bookmarked the daily apple site for when I feel able to start on the fat issue - so thanks!