[From Ari Armstrong’s blog:] Largely due to the influence of Diana Hsieh, who recently started the Modern Paleo blog, and the book Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, my wife and I have switched to a largely “paleo” type of diet. The results, as indicated by our recent blood work, are positive.
Basically the diet means that we have cut out most grains, sugars, and vegetable fats. Largely the diet consists of trading off carbs for healthier fats. We’re not as strict in our diet as some are; I still eat an occasional slice of sprouted bread or a bowl of beans. However, most days I don’t eat any grains, and my intake of processed sugar is low. I have a soda or glass of juice maybe once a month. I buy chocolate of between 60 and 100 percent purity (which contains much less or no sugar).
I just bought a freezer full of grass-fed beef from Lasater Ranch, and we enjoy other kinds of meats. We eat plenty of vegetables, eggs, and nuts. Unlike stricter “paleo” eaters, we drink (whole) milk, and we eat moderate amounts of fresh, frozen, and dried fruit. So we are getting considerably more carbohydrates than are stricter “paleo” eaters, though our carb intake is dramatically lower than seen in the typical American diet, and our carbs are a lot healthier.
Earlier this week I paid the King Soopers pharmacy $20 to test the cholesterol levels in my blood. (Because I pay for my health expenses out of a Health Savings Account, I tend to seek good value for my money, unlike the case with most American health consumers.) My triglycerides are comfortably low at 51 (milligrams per deciliter), and my high-density lipoprotein (HDL) count is nice and high at 65.
My wife has seen a dramatic improvement in her blood counts with the diet. Four years ago her triglycerides were nearly 300; today they were 127. Her HDL count is even better than mine at 81.
Eating real food works.