How does the Paleo Diet work? From Dr. Loren Cordain http://thepaleodiet.com/

With readily available modern foods, The Paleo Diet mimics the types of foods every single person on the planet ate prior to the Agricultural Revolution (a mere 500 generations ago). These foods (fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and seafood) are high in the beneficial nutrients (soluble fiber, antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, omega-3 and monounsaturated fats, and low-glycemic carbohydrates) that promote good health and are low in the foods and nutrients (refined sugars and grains, saturated and trans fats, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and processed foods) that frequently may cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous other health problems. The Paleo Diet encourages dieters to replace dairy and grain products with fresh fruits and vegetables -- foods that are more nutritious than whole grains or dairy products.

The Paleo Diet is the unique diet to which our species is genetically adapted. This program of eating was not designed by diet doctors, faddists, or nutritionists, but rather by Mother Nature's wisdom acting through evolution and natural selection. The Paleo Diet is based upon extensive scientific research examining the types and quantities of foods our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. This nutritional plan is totally unlike those irresponsible, low-carbohydrate, high-fat, fad diets that allow unlimited consumption of artery-clogging cheeses, bacon, butter, and fatty meats. Rather, the foundation of The Paleo Diet is lean meat, seafood, and unlimited consumption of fresh fruits and veggies.

Conventional wisdom tells us that to lose weight we must burn more calories than we take in and that the best way to accomplish this is to eat a plant-dominated, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. The first part of this equation is still true -- a net caloric deficit must occur in order for weight to be lost. However, the experience for most people on low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diets is unpleasant. They are hungry all the time, and for the vast majority, any weight lost is regained rapidly or within a few months of the initial loss. The diet doctors with their low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets offer us an alternative, but this nutritional gambit is nothing more than a short term ploy to lose weight that in the long run is unhealthy because of its reliance upon fats (bacon, butter, fatty meats, cheeses, etc.) at the expense of healthful fruits and vegetables. There is an alternative -- a diet that emulates what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate -- a high-protein, high-fruit and veggie diet with moderate amounts of fat, but with high quantities of healthful omega-3 and monounsaturated fats. Protein has two to three times the thermic effect of either fat or carbohydrate, meaning that it revs up your metabolism, speeding weight loss. Additionally, protein has a much greater satiety value than either fat or carbohydrate, so it puts the brakes on your appetite. Finally, three recent clinical trials have shown high-protein diets to be more effective than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets in promoting weight loss.

The carbohydrates (unlimited fruits and veggies) in The Paleo Diet are of a low-glycemic index, meaning that they cause slow and limited rises in your blood sugar and insulin levels. Excessive insulin and blood sugar levels are known to promote a cluster of diseases called Syndrome X (obesity, hypertension, undesirable blood cholesterol and other blood lipid levels, Type 2 diabetes and gout). The high fiber, protein, and omega-3 fat content of The Paleo Diet will also help to prevent Syndrome X diseases. Because of the unlimited amounts of fruits and veggies permitted on The Paleo Diet, your body will be slightly alkaline -- meaning that diseases and disease symptoms of acid/base imbalance (osteoporosis, kidney stones, hypertension, stroke, asthma, insomnia, motion sickness, inner ear ringing, and exercise-induced asthma) will improve. The high soluble-fiber content of The Paleo Diet will improve most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and the high omega-3 fat content will improve most of the "itis" or inflammatory diseases. To learn more please vist Dr. Cordain's website.

I feel by combing first GAPS to heal the intestine, then SCD without dairy and then a combination of Paleo/SCD/GAPS will sustain people in choosing healthy food options without feeling deprived. There is a lot of recipes on the web to help guide you through.

Continuing the dissertation of the "new" diets.

What is SCD?
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a dietary regimen that eliminates all grains (including gluten), potatoes, refined sugar and food additives.

How it Works
SCD was originally designed by Dr Hass for the treatment of children with Celiac disease. It was first called the ‘banana’ diet because bananas were the primary source of carbohydrates used and tolerated by the children he treated. The sugars in bananas are simple sugars (mono-saccharides) which are easily digested and don’t cause diarrhea. Mono-saccharides are also found in honey, fruit and some vegetables. Dissacharides and polysaccharides are sugars that are not easy to digest and contribute to diarrhea. These sugars and starches are found in grains, potatoes and sugars which are all to be avoided on this diet. It is believed that because these complex sugars are not digested easily, bacteria and yeast which feed on them are prone to overgrow in the intestine. When bacteria and yeast overgrow, the byproducts and toxins excreted by them irritate the lining of the digestive tract causing digestive distress. Eliminating the sugars that feed these organisms will return the digestive system to a more balanced state. Elaine Gottschall, author of the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, was instrumental in making this diet known to others.

Who Would Benefit From SCD?
The diet was originally intended for those suffering from digestive ailments. It also works for other diseases, conditions and symptoms. The following is a list of conditions that have shown benefit from this style of diet:-Celiac disease-Crohn’s disease-Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)-Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)-Ulcerative Colitis (UC)-Autism-acne-eczema-food allergies-seasonal allergies-Rheumatoid Arthritis-digestive symptoms

Allowed Foods
This is not a comprehensive list of allowed foods. Please see the Legal/Illegal list.
Meat: Any unprocessed meat including red meat, fish, seafood, poultry, game meat, organ meats, bones, bone marrow, unflavored gelatin
Dairy: SCD yogurt, hard naturally lactose-free cheese, kefir (advanced)Vegetables: most vegetables excluding potatoes, rutabaga & turnips are considered advanced and should not be tried right away
Fruits: all unsweetened fruit including frozenNuts: all nuts with no added ingredients, nut flours, nut butters
Sugars: honeyOils/fats: all animal fats, cultured butter, ghee, coconut oil, cocoa butter, vegetable oils

Disallowed FoodsThis is not a comprehensive list of disallowed foods. Please see the Legal/Illegal list.
Meat: all processed meat (check for added ingredients)Dairy: all fluid milk, cream, buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese, feta, cheese slices, processed cheese
Vegetables: potatoes, seaweed, all canned vegetables
Fruit: canned fruit, sweetened fruit, fruit stored in syrup
Grains: all grains including wheat, corn, rice, kamut, barley, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat, oat
Sugars: white sugar, cane sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup, coconut/palm sugar, brown sugar, sucanat, rapadura, molasses
Legumes: chick peas, bean sprouts, soybeans, mungbeans, faba beans, and garbanzo beans
Oils: margarine, butter substitutes

Weight Management
Most people find that this diet helps to normalize their weight. That is, underweight people will gain weight appropriately and overweight people will lose weight. I did manage to gain weight from being too low. It will take time, as your body has to heal and balance out before weight can finally be normal. Many overweight people benefit from low-carb SCD. I benefited from low-carb SCD at time to manage symptoms, but did not follow low-carb for prolonged periods.

Supplements
You do need to take supplements while doing SCD, an alternative doctor can prescribe or other health care professional can recommend. I highly suggest looking for SCD legal foods that are good sources of nutrients rather than taking supplements all the time. Beef liver is very high in vitamin A, vitamins B, and iron. Oysters are high in zinc. Grass-fed beef, wild salmon, and fish oil are good sources of Omega 3s. Consider finding food sources of nutrients you need and including those in your diet. I use Nutrition Data to see the nutritional value of foods. I also use FitDay to input all my food for a day to see where I might be coming up short.
Some people choose to use supplements to make sure they are getting enough of certain nutrients.Some people use probiotics or beneficial yeasts to help re-balance the digestive system. Here is a list of good sources:-Freeda Vitamins also available at SCDiet.com, Lucy’s Kitchen Shop, and mailing address.-Probiotics available at GIPro Health, Kirkman Labs, Lucy’s Kitchen Shop, and SCDiet.com.-Saccharomyces Boulardii

The Gaps Diet
This is a good website to get all the information you need for this diet. It does differ from SCD. Below is the differences between SCD and GAPS.

Overview: The SCD is a diet only. GAPS is a three-part program: diet, detoxification, and supplementation. GAPS’ diet is based heavily on the SCD. However, the GAPS diet includes a stronger emphasis on broths and fermented vegetables; removal of casein for at least 4-6 weeks (then very careful reintroduction); fewer types of beans (legumes); no baking soda; and only homepressed (as opposed to storebought) fruit juices. GAPS also allows the use of sea vegetables upon sufficient healing.

Intro Protocol: The intro presented in Breaking the Vicious Cycle includes honey, fruit, broth, dairy, meat, and vegetables. For some people, yeast overgrowth can be maintained throughout this intro. Also, for people sensitive to casein (and it’s hard to know until it’s first removed), this intro will have limited effects. GAPS’ intro protocol involves veggies, broth and meat –working up from there. This is a pretty safe starting point for everyone, giving full opportunity to heal the gut and also to see what foods might be bothersome for a given individual. GAPS’ intro is much more detailed and clear-cut than that presented in Breaking the Vicious Cycle.

Supplementation: The GAPS program recommends a handful of supplements specific to bowel and brain function. The author of GAPS also recommends a wide range of bacteria, including Bifidus which Elaine Gottschall declared illegal for SCD.

Philosophy: Breaking the Vicious Cycle promotes ‘fanatical adherence’. GAPS is more accurately described as a list of recommendations, from which each patient will develop a personalized program. Besides adherence to the SCD, GAPS recommendations (but not requirements) for supporting the body’s balance include: use of pasture-fed meat, use of pastured eggs, a toxin-free home, safe removal of mercury fillings, etc. From the various recommendations, each patient selects the ones that suit his particular needs, lifestyle and budget. For example, the developer of the GAPS program has found that some people continue having symptoms until all pesticides have been removed from their diet. These patients, then, would find this critical to success. Others have found this variable to not be as crucial, so focus their resources elsewhere.

Detox: Of the two, only GAPS includes a detox protocol. This includes healthy living, avoidance of harmful chemicals, and baths with baking soda, epsom salts, etc.
Purpose: SCD was developed specifically for bowel disorders. (It was shortly recognized, though, that it also helped to resolve autistic traits.) GAPS was developed specifically for people struggling with behavioural/cognitive/mood issues with or without obvious bowel issues.
Personal Perspective: Personally, I see GAPS as the next stage in SCD’s evolution. The diet, originally developed by Drs Haas, was tweaked by Elaine Gottschall to improve results. My perspective is that GAPS has done this again. That is, although GAPS was developed specifically for people dealing with cognitive, behavioural or mood issues, I believe that the full GAPS program would be an absolute boon to folks focusing primarily on bowel disorders, too. After all, “all disease begins in the gut”. GAPS simply springboards from earlier excellence to offer results even more spectacular. I am deeply grateful for the work done by Drs Haas, Elaine Gottschall, Dr Campbell-McBride and all the others who have contributed to this particular healing approach.
http://www.gapsdiet.com/
Tomorrow a look at Paleo.

What is Celiac?

First Post: In the beginning

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.

When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.

Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption—meaning nutrients are not absorbed properly—and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease is genetic, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.

What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system or in other parts of the body. Digestive symptoms are more common in infants and young children and may include
abdominal bloating and pain
chronic diarrhea
vomiting
constipation
pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
weight loss
Irritability is another common symptom in children. Malabsorption of nutrients during the years when nutrition is critical to a child’s normal growth and development can result in other problems such as failure to thrive in infants, delayed growth and short stature, delayed puberty, and dental enamel defects of the permanent teeth.

Adults are less likely to have digestive symptoms and may instead have one or more of the following:
unexplained iron-deficiency anemia
fatigue
bone or joint pain
arthritis
bone loss or osteoporosis
depression or anxiety
tingling numbness in the hands and feet
seizures
missed menstrual periods
infertility or recurrent miscarriage
canker sores inside the mouth
an itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis

People with celiac disease may have no symptoms but can still develop complications of the disease over time. Long-term complications include malnutrition—which can lead to anemia, osteoporosis, and miscarriage, among other problems—liver diseases, and cancers of the intestine.

Why are celiac disease symptoms so varied?
Researchers are studying the reasons celiac disease affects people differently. The length of time a person was breastfed, the age a person started eating gluten-containing foods, and the amount of gluten-containing foods one eats are three factors thought to play a role in when and how celiac disease appears. Some studies have shown, for example, that the longer a person was breastfed, the later the symptoms of celiac disease appear.
Symptoms also vary depending on a person’s age and the degree of damage to the small intestine. Many adults have the disease for a decade or more before they are diagnosed. The longer a person goes undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the chance of developing long-term complications.

What other health problems do people with celiac disease have?
People with celiac disease tend to have other diseases in which the immune system attacks the body’s healthy cells and tissues. The connection between celiac disease and these diseases may be genetic. They include
type 1 diabetes
autoimmune thyroid disease
autoimmune liver disease
rheumatoid arthritis
Addison’s disease, a condition in which the glands that produce critical hormones are damaged
Sjögren’s syndrome, a condition in which the glands that produce tears and saliva are destroyed.

How common is celiac disease?
Celiac disease affects people in all parts of the world. Originally thought to be a rare childhood syndrome, celiac disease is now known to be a common genetic disorder. More than 2 million people in the United States have the disease, or about 1 in 133 people.1 Among people who have a first-degree relative—a parent, sibling, or child—diagnosed with celiac disease, as many as 1 in 22 people may have the disease.2
Celiac disease is also more common among people with other genetic disorders including Down syndrome and Turner syndrome, a condition that affects girls’ development.
1Fasano A, Berti I, Gerarduzzi T, et al. Prevalence of celiac disease in at-risk and not-at-risk groups in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2003;163(3):268–292.

How is celiac disease diagnosed?
Recognizing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. Celiac disease can be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia caused by menstrual blood loss, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, intestinal infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome. As a result, celiac disease has long been underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. As doctors become more aware of the many varied symptoms of the disease and reliable blood tests become more available, diagnosis rates are increasing.

Blood Tests
People with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain autoantibodies—proteins that react against the body’s own cells or tissues—in their blood. To diagnose celiac disease, doctors will test blood for high levels of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) or anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA). If test results are negative but celiac disease is still suspected, additional blood tests may be needed.
Before being tested, one should continue to eat a diet that includes foods with gluten, such as breads and pastas. If a person stops eating foods with gluten before being tested, the results may be negative for celiac disease even if the disease is present.

Intestinal Biopsy
If blood tests and symptoms suggest celiac disease, a biopsy of the small intestine is performed to confirm the diagnosis. During the biopsy, the doctor removes tiny pieces of tissue from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi. To obtain the tissue sample, the doctor eases a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the patient’s mouth and stomach into the small intestine. The doctor then takes the samples using instruments passed through the endoscope.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis
Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an intensely itchy, blistering skin rash that affects 15 to 25 percent of people with celiac disease.3 The rash usually occurs on the elbows, knees, and buttocks. Most people with DH have no digestive symptoms of celiac disease.
DH is diagnosed through blood tests and a skin biopsy. If the antibody tests are positive and the skin biopsy has the typical findings of DH, patients do not need to have an intestinal biopsy. Both the skin disease and the intestinal disease respond to a gluten-free diet and recur if gluten is added back into the diet. The rash symptoms can be controlled with antibiotics such as dapsone. Because dapsone does not treat the intestinal condition, people with DH must maintain a gluten-free diet.

Screening
Screening for celiac disease means testing for the presence of autoantibodies in the blood in people without symptoms. Americans are not routinely screened for celiac disease. However, because celiac disease is hereditary, family members of a person with the disease may wish to be tested. Four to 12 percent of an affected person’s first-degree relatives will also have the disease.4
3Rodrigo L. Celiac disease. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2006;12(41):6585–6593.
4Ibid.



Stool Sample: Enterolabs, do not have to be eating wheat to be diagnosed. https://www.enterolab.com/


How is celiac disease treated?
The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Doctors may ask a newly diagnosed person to work with a dietitian on a gluten-free diet plan. A dietitian is a health care professional who specializes in food and nutrition. Someone with celiac disease can learn from a dietitian how to read ingredient lists and identify foods that contain gluten in order to make informed decisions at the grocery store and when eating out.
For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvement begins within days of starting the diet. The small intestine usually heals in 3 to 6 months in children but may take several years in adults. A healed intestine means a person now has villi that can absorb nutrients from food into the bloodstream.
To stay well, people with celiac disease must avoid gluten for the rest of their lives. Eating even a small amount of gluten can damage the small intestine. The damage will occur in anyone with the disease, including people without noticeable symptoms. Depending on a person’s age at diagnosis, some problems will not improve, such as short stature and dental enamel defects.
Some people with celiac disease show no improvement on the gluten-free diet. The most common reason for poor response to the diet is that small amounts of gluten are still being consumed. Hidden sources of gluten include additives such as modified food starch, preservatives, and stabilizers made with wheat. And because many corn and rice products are produced in factories that also manufacture wheat products, they can be contaminated with wheat gluten.
Rarely, the intestinal injury will continue despite a strictly gluten-free diet. People with this condition, known as refractory celiac disease, have severely damaged intestines that cannot heal. Because their intestines are not absorbing enough nutrients, they may need to receive nutrients directly into their bloodstream through a vein, or intravenously. Researchers are evaluating drug treatments for refractory celiac disease.

The Gluten-free Diet
A gluten-free diet means not eating foods that contain wheat, rye, and barley. The foods and products made from these grains should also be avoided. In other words, a person with celiac disease should not eat most grain, pasta, cereal, and many processed foods.
Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods. They can use potato, rice, soy, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, or bean flour instead of wheat flour. They can buy gluten-free bread, pasta, and other products from stores that carry organic foods, or order products from special food companies. Gluten-free products are increasingly available from mainstream stores.
“Plain” meat, fish, rice, fruits, and vegetables do not contain gluten, so people with celiac disease can freely eat these foods. In the past, people with celiac disease were advised not to eat oats. New evidence suggests that most people can safely eat small amounts of oats, as long as the oats are not contaminated with wheat gluten during processing. People with celiac disease should work closely with their health care team when deciding whether to include oats in their diet.

The gluten-free diet requires a completely new approach to eating. Newly diagnosed people and their families may find support groups helpful as they learn to adjust to a new way of life. People with celiac disease must be cautious about what they buy for lunch at school or work, what they purchase at the grocery store, what they eat at restaurants or parties, and what they grab for a snack. Eating out can be a challenge. When in doubt about a menu item, a person with celiac disease should ask the waiter or chef about ingredients and preparation or if a gluten-free menu is available.
Gluten is also used in some medications. People with celiac disease should ask a pharmacist if prescribed medications contain wheat. Because gluten is sometimes used as an additive in unexpected products—such as lipstick and play dough—reading product labels is important. If the ingredients are not listed on the label, the manufacturer should provide a list upon request. With practice, screening for gluten becomes second nature.

This is what I knew 4 years ago, since then I have decided that the starches such as corn, tapioca and arrowroot are not good. They feed the bad bacteria. So encouraged by my alternative doctor I have changed my diet to a Specific Carboydrate Diet. I have altered that to a dairy free also. More like Paleo.
More on SCD, GAPS and Paleo tomorrow.
Namaste