Chapter 10 - Choose (The Best) Primal Foods Flashcards
Your Primal options include:
- meat
- fish
- fowl
- eggs
- vegetables
- nuts
- seeds
- approved fats and oils
- moderate amounts of coffee
- high-fat dairy products
- locally grown, in season, fruits
- approved supplemental carbs for mega-calorie burners
- sensible indulgences, such as high-antioxidant wine and dark chocolate
Quick checklist of priorities:
- Ditch bad fats
- Ditch sugars and grains
- Emphasize healthy fats
- Focus on increasing food quality and nutrient density
- Increase intake of oily, cold water fish
- Shop frequently
- Relax!
- Ditch bad fats
- Strictly eliminate consumption of refined polyunsaturated vegetable and seed oils, and the many processed foods that contain them
- This means avoiding fast food and reading labels on processed packaged snacks, frozen meals, and condiments…
- Focus on increasing food quality and nutrient density
Pastured Eggs
- eggs are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet
- locally raised, pastured eggs are often easy to source and extremely affordable
- consume them in abundance!
Pastured, grass-fed and grass-finished, and/or organic meats
-with some effort (shopping grocery, warehouse, small specialty markets, mail-order options, farmers markets), you can likely discover small, local farms and ranches that will sell to you directly at reasonable prices
Produce
- consume a variety of vegetables and, if desired, seasonal fruit - ideally locally grown, pesticide-free, and/or organic
Vegetables are high in:
- antioxidants
- vitamins
- phytonutrients
that fight inflammation and oxidative stress
For omnivorous eaters, vegetables should:
Make up the bulk of your diet in terms of portion size
*(while fat and protein rich animal products such as meat, fowl, fish and eggs provide the bulk of your calories)
Choose from a variety of vegetables, starting with:
Leafy greens loaded with essential minerals like calcium and magnesium
Don’t just stick with greens though…
Red plants
(e.g. pomegranates, cherries, watermelon, etc.)
Have been shown to reduce the risk of prostrate cancer as well as some tumors
Green plants
(e.g. avocados, limes, green beans, zucchini, etc.)
Are high in carotenoids that have a powerful anti-aging effect and are especially helpful for vision
Yellow and orange veggies and fruits
(e.g. bananas, papayas, carrots, butternut squash, pineapple, etc.)
Offer beta-carotene for immune support, as well as bromelain, which has been shown to aid digestion, joint health, and the reduction of inflammatory conditions
Cruciferous vegetables
(“cross-shaped” with a branch and leaves - broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale, arugula, turnips, bok choy, horseradish, cauliflower, etc.)
Have demonstrated specific anti-cancer, anti-aging, antimicrobial properties
Certain vegetables have a higher glycemic value
- Making them a great post-workout choice if you are already at your ideal body composition and looking to restock muscle glycogen
- If you’re currently trying to lose excess body fat, consume these vegetables in moderation
Vegetables with a higher glycemic value, include:
- cassava
- sweet potatoes
- yams
- taro
- winter squash
- pumpkin
…
Fruits
Are rich in disease-fighting
- antioxidants
- phytonutrients
but they are also high in sugar, especially fructose
- those looking to lose weight should, therefore, moderate their fruit intake
For those who exercise regularly and deplete muscle glycogen, fruit is a great way to efficiently reload liver glycogen
Fructose
A natural sugar that converts easily to fat (high content in fruits…)
- those looking to lose weight should, therefore, moderate their fruit intake
If glycogen stores are filled to capacity, the liver converts fructose to fat and dumps it into the bloodstream
Fructose intolerance
Some research suggests that up to 1/3 of the population is fructose intolerant
- and intolerance is perhaps even more common among people who suffer from chronic digestive issues
Fructose intolerance can cause:
- flatulence
- cramps
- bloating
- irritable bowl syndrome
- diarrhea
Modern fruit
Modern cultivation and chemical treatments have transformed our fruit
*Today’s large, brightly-colored, uniformly shaped, and extra-sweet fruits are a far cry from the varied, highly fibrous, deep-colored, less sugary, and less insulin-stimulating fruit that our ancestors consumed in the wild
Best fruits to consume
Try to emulate our primitive relatives by consuming most of your fruit in-season and locally grown
- enjoy the farmer’s market berries in the summertime, but refrain from buying the giant-sized, highly cultivated berries offered at your big-box store throughout the dead of winter
- if you can find fruit grown in the wild, this is by far the best choice
Wild fruit has
- a better nutritional profile
- lower fructose content
- free from pesticides and other chemicals
Fruits nutritional value spectrum
Best
= antioxidant and low glycemic fruits, including:
- all berries
- most stone fruits (pitted fruits like cherries, plums, peaches and apricots)
Good
= lower-antioxidant, higher-glycemic options:
- e.g. apples, bananas, figs, grapefruit, kiwi, pears, pomegranate
Exercise some moderation (or avoid if you’re trying to lose body fat)
= low-antioxidant, high-glycemic fruits like:
- dates, all dried fruit, grapes, mangos, melons, nectarines, oranges, papayas, pineapple, tangerines
*high-water-content fruits such as watermelons and other melons score poorly on the antioxidant/glycemic scale, but due to their water content, they can be enjoyed with much less concern than more calorically concentrated fruit (such as dates and mangos)
Pesticides risk spectrum in fruit
High risk = soft, edible skin
- e.g. apples, apricots, cherries, concentrated juices, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, tomatoes
Low risk = tough, inedible skin
- e.g. bananas, avocados, melons, oranges, tangerines, mandarins, pineapple, kiwis, mangos, papayas
Organic produce has long been lauded as more nutrient dense because
Organic plants need to produce antioxidants internally to ward off pests
When pesticides are applied to conventionally grown produce l, there is no stimulus for the plant to elevate antioxidant production
“Organic”, however does not mean “pesticide-free”
Organic farmers can, and often do, apply to their crops approved:
- pesticides
- fungicides
- chemical fertilizers
*individuals who want to minimize their exposure to these products are best off shopping directly from local farmers and inquiring about their growing methods
The main advantage of local produce is:
It’s generally allowed to ripen on the plant/tree
The result is:
- better-tasting
- more nutritious
*also, smaller farms often try to minimize their use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, even if they aren’t certified organic. (The process of becoming certified can be arduous and cost-prohibitive for small farms.)
—> if you can, go to your local farmer’s market and talk to growers directly…
Growing methods, best to worst:
- Wild
- hardest to find. When you can’t forage, plant your own or hit up the farmer’s market - Locally grown, in-season, organic or pesticide-free
- superior choice for nutritional value, taste and safety - Locally grown, in-season, conventional
- fresh picked, sustainable, benefits the community - Remote organic
- points lost for transportation and premature picking.
- opt for in-season, if possible, and look for ones that have traveled the smallest distance
*for items with edible skins or that are on the Dirty Dozen, remote organic is arguably superior to locally grown conventional options - Remote conventional
- avoid due to diminished nutritional value and pesticide risk
Limit or avoid these produce options
- conventionally grown, out-of-season produce, especially from distant origins
- conventionally grown produce with edible skins or that is difficult to wash
- low-antioxidant, high-glycemic fruits, especially for folks with fat-reduction goals
- genetically modified fruit and vegetables
Herbs
Generally green plants or plant parts used to add flavor to foods
Spices
Typically dried seeds, fruits, and plant parts. Used to:
- enhance flavor
- add color
- help prevent bacterial growth on food
Herbs and spices boost
The nutritional content of a dish, while providing variety in aroma, taste, and flavor
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC)
Determines the antioxidant power of a food, or how well it fights oxidative damage
Some of the highest Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) values among all foods can be found in:
Assorted herbs and spices
*certain marinades and herbal preparations are so powerful in their antioxidant capacity that they have been shown to mitigate or eliminate potential oxidative damage and the formation of carcinogenic compounds that occur when cooking - especially overcooking - meat
Certain herbs have a higher ORAC when
Dried, such as:
- oregano
- parsley
- basil
*that’s not to say that basil with a 5yr shelf life is more nutritious than fresh
—> BUT if used shortly after drying, you’ll get a bigger nutritional payoff
Conventionally grown herbs
Usually undergo an irradiation process that may affect their nutritional profile, and you can’t wash pesticide residue off dried herbs and spices
Turmeric
Offers potential anti-inflammatory effects and high antioxidant value
Cinnamon
Regulates blood sugar and demonstrates high antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant values
If you enjoy the flavor of salt…
Go ahead, without trepidation, and shake a reasonable amount on your food
*there is actually a very minimal correlation between sodium intake and high blood pressure or heart disease
Folks who follow a ketogenic diet likely need to increase
Their salt intake because ketosis causes the kidneys to dump sodium (the most common dietary salt is sodium chloride)
Best salt choices
Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, which are richer in minerals and trace elements than is table salt, which has been nutritionally diluted by refinement process
Estimated percentage of total calories from animal foods that our ancestors ate
45-85%
Primal-aligned eating derives the bulk of calories from
Animal products, such as:
- beef
- fish
- chicken
- and many other animals
In grain-fed cows
Omega-6 predominates over omega-3s that the animal might obtain from eating omega-3-rich grass and plant life
Concentrated animal feeding by operations (CAFO) commonly contain:
- Hormones
- are dispensed to make the animals grow more quickly - Pesticides
- Antibiotics
- pesticides and antibiotics are both used to eliminate the high risk of disease that comes from living in a cramped, dirty feed lot
Beef spectrum
- 100% grass fed/finished or pasture raised beef = best
- eat all cuts, organs, bones, marrow - Certified organic beef, which has likely been grass-fed for some portion of the animals’ lives and then finished on grain feed = second
*if budget considerations of limited availability lead you to conventional meat, opt for leaner cuts and supplement with pastured butter, coconut oil, and other Primal fats
*if you eat organic or conventional meat, you may want to supplement with fish oil to improve your dietary omega-3s
Lamb spectrum
- Local, 100% grass-fed = best
- eat all cuts, organs, bones, marrow
*New Zealand lamb is reliably grass-fed and grass-finished…
*Australian lamb is is usually grass-fed and grass-finished
*American lamb generally gets some grain
—> still, it is mostly a grass diet, and lamb fat has fewer omega-6 fatty acids than grain-finished beef
Pork spectrum
- Pastured or wild pigs given free range to forage for roots, grubs, and small animals = best
- Organic, free-range pigs given supplementary grain (are far more common than grain-free pigs)
- Conventional pork = last choice
- as with beef, opt for leaner cuts if buying conventional… because while pork has a fair amount of omega-6s, conventional grain-fed pork is even higher
