These results are my own and published for your amusement.
Eating Habits Recap
I was on a (subjectively) healthy diet (the slow-carb diet) for almost a year which resulted in my lipid panels on 12/12/2011. I’ve been on the Paleo diet since 2/21/2012 with very few exceptions. My data is pretty clean. I haven’t eaten at a restaurant, and I haven’t had any cheat days. I’ve made all my meals from scratch at home.
I’ve eaten madman-like quantities of some misunderstood foods like steak, eggs, bacon, and sausage; Sometimes I eat more than one steak a day. To most this seems crazy. “What about all that saturated fat?!” But here are the positive results that I anticipated:
Results of Paleo Diet on My Lipid Profile
Test dates: 12/12/2011 -> 3/22/2012
CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL: 163 -> 157 (lower = better)
HDL CHOLESTEROL: 36 -> 43 (>40 ideal)
TRIGLYCERIDES: 158 -> 102 (<150 ideal)
LDL-CHOLESTEROL: 95 -> 94 (lower = better)
CHOL/HDLC RATIO: 4.5 -> 3.7 (lower = better)
Summary
In your face. Or rather, in my face. With lots of healthy food.
However, this data comes with one seldom-known caveat: Single tests are not enough to determine cholesterol levels. The standard deviation for total cholesterol, for example, is 17 mg/dl–it can shift 35 mg/dl in either direction for no apparent reason.
Total Cholesterol Variability: 35 mg/dl
HDL Variability: 10mg/dl
LDL Variability: 30 mg/dl
Triglycerides variability: 40 mg/dl
Total cholesterol/HDL ratio variability: 0.8
Faced with this knowledge the results don’t look as impressive, but all numbers did shift in a more ideal direction as expected. If I assume–perhaps naively, but I don’t care–that these numbers already represent their mean perfectly, then I can go on celebrating.
And it has only been a month on Paleo to see these kind of results. I doubt the first 3 months had any variability as there were no significant dietary changes then.
Paleolithic Diet Primer – For those not in the know
- Eat Paleolithic foods we most likely have evolved to tolerate (pre-10,000 B.C.)
- Avoid all agricultural products like wheat, gluten, grains, rice, legumes, dairy, soy, processed vegetable oils, canned foods
- Avoid meats from animals that did not eat their natural diet (cows eat grass, chicken eat bugs–be wise to this)
- Low carb (low sugar) except for fruit (in moderation)
- Seriously avoid Omega-6; Enjoy Omega-3 !
- Eat organic and avoid pesticides
- Etcetera
Yeah seems like a nightmare at first. I won’t disagree. This section is not nearly a full guide to Paleo, but gives you some idea. For example, I didn’t mention at all what foods you can still eat. Well, surprisingly a lot: Fish, meat, fat, non-starchy vegetables, in nearly unlimited quantities, and fruit in moderation.
The selling point for Paleo is typically “try it for 30 days, and then you decide how you feel.” Paraphrasing Robb Wolf, “there is no participation trophy.” It takes 15-30 days for a civilian body to repair itself from intestinal damage, and 3-4 weeks for an athlete to start seeing better results. Stick to it. If you are hungry, eat more of the approved foods. I’m serious. There is no reason to be hungry.
Most importantly, don’t stress over it your entire life. When eating out with friends do what you can; However, I highly suggest completing the 30-day challenge with no exceptions. Once completed, feel free to introduce other foods back in, one at a time, to see how you feel. This is important diagnostic information for yourself.
Help yourself with this book:
Buy The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf on Amazon