Paleo Diet - Heart Health Success Story!

          Heart disease runs in my father's side of the family.  My grandfather has had a heart attack or two, and it seems all the males in that lineage have high cholesterol.  I probably wouldn't like my numbers, but I'm too busy refusing doctors attempts to check.

          However, there is some good news.  My father, after being put on a statin a few years ago, finally decided to come around and give my wacky Paleo/Track Your Plaque diet ideas a shot.  It took some tweaking and more than a few long phone calls, but he has had a pretty good handle on the diet for the last few months.

Week's Reflections - 1/7/12

          The first week of the new year is in the books!  I am excited to celebrate by heading on vacation next week.  Don't worry, I'll still post a few updates.


1.) New Track Your Plaque Article

          I like this article, because it's a very succinct and to the point summation of the reasoning behind the Track Your Plaque low carb diet.  Dr. Davis briefly describes the phenomena he sees with a low carb vs a low fat diet, through the lens of a cardiologist mainly concerned with heart disease.  His article is backed by many years of clinical experience managing the diet and heart health of his patients.  At the end, he also suggests that avoiding wheat in particular can also cause people to benefit in several non-heart related ways.  He doesn't break any new ground here, but I appreciate it for being short and concise and easy to understand with or without medical training.

Vitamin D - Gotta Have It

I am planning to write a post on a supplement every week or two.  I'm actually not a huge fan of large scale supplementation, but I do think there are a few things that are helpful and should be taken, particularly in certain situations.  I also think there are a few that should definitely not be taken, and I'm equally excited to write about those.

The first on the list is vitamin D, which might be my favorite supplement.  It's a close fight between Vitamin D and fish oil, but I think I have to give vitamin D the edge.  The funny thing about Vitamin D is that it technically isn't - or shouldn't be - a supplement.  We actually produce vitamin D - vitamin D3, cholecalciferol - in our skin.  The precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol reacts with ultraviolet light - specifically UVB light - to form vitamin D (for the biochemists among us, there is a step in between, as precholecalciferol is formed first) (1).  Basically, we produce vitamin D from sunlight.

Paleo Diet

           I eat a "paleo diet," but I really don't like the term "paleo" with regards to the diet.  I think it conjures up images of a caveman, scrounging for food, wearing furs, dying when you're 30, and etc.  While many of the other paleo bloggers or writers have embraced the caveman idea, I have not.  I am getting a little ahead of myself, though.  The purpose of this post is simply to introduce the paleo diet's framework and concept, so first I need tell you what the paleo diet is.

           A paleo diet eschews grains, legumes, and dairy.  It also removes any processed foods or sugary foods.  Instead this diet encourages you to eat your veggies by the truckload, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and some meat/seafood.  Yes, this diet requires you to remove your heart healthy whole grains, and it tells you that the reason for that is that grains simply aren't heart healthy!  Or healthy at all for that matter.