Caving in

The cave girl has left the building.  Well, for now anyway.  Inspired by my recent reading into all things 'paleo', I've been avoiding sugar and grains for six weeks or so now, trying to find out whether it makes me feel better.  It doesn't.  Okay, I may have had a few lapses during that time.  The race weekend was a big one.  But on the whole I've done well to stay off bread, pasta and sugary things (even cake).  It has been hard work!  I'd planned to stick it out through October, but I feel even more tired than I did before, and I think it's now time to agree it's not for me. 

I can't call it a true 'paleo' experiment because I've slipped up so many times.  The tiredness has probably been caused by the sheer exhaustion of looking for something I'm allowed to eat.  I've always disagreed with the idea of cutting out whole food groups unnecessarily, but I wanted to give this a chance. It turns out that 'Paleo' and vegetarianism really don't mix.  It's been almost impossible to find things to eat, and I've ended up eating far too much cheese, potatoes and nuts.  I tried eating more fish but the truth is, I don't like it.  I think the only way to do 'paleo' and stay healthy is to eat lean meat and fish.  But I'm not ready to give up being vegetarian, even for a short while. 


Brian did do really well in the couple of races he took part in soon after we altered our eating pattern.  So there are certain elements that I think we will keep up.  Gone is the never-ending supply of supermarket bread.  And the evening snacks of chocolate and cereal.  But I still believe there isn't anything wrong with the occasional cake.  So I think the way forward is to think less about what not to eat and more about what to eat.  The extra veggies, soups, eggs, nuts and, oh okay, a little bit of fish will stay. 

I love nutrition. The more you read into any nutrition topic, the more you learn that nothing is black and white.  Paleo diet advocates will tell you that grains are bad for you and should be eliminated.  Carb-lovers will tell you that saturated fat is the work of the devil.  I think there's good and bad in most things.  Take quinoa as an example.  If I believed everything in 'The Paleo Solution' I'd never touch it again, on account of the fact that it contains saponins, which apparently punch holes in your gut.  Nice.  Just reading about it made me feel like I'd been punched in the stomach.  But these aren't just found in quinoa, they're also present in onions, spinach, peppers, tomato seed and asparagus, all of which are okay in the 'paleo' world.  A review in the British Journal of Nutrition explains that saponins have a range of positive and negative effects.  Although, in test tube conditions, they have been shown to increase the permeability of gut mucosal cells, they also boost the immune system (not necessarily a good thing if you have an autoimmune condition), lower cholesterol and inhibit the growth of cancer cells.  Food is supposed to be pleasurable, and I don't want to spend my life miserable, eating things I hate and obsessing over what harm one food may do to me.  A varied diet should balance out the pros and cons of individual foods.

I'm not saying that 'paleo' isn't the perfect way to eat.  It may well be for many people, and I would support anyone who wanted to give it a try.  But the perfect diet is only the perfect diet if it's something you can stick to.