Page 7 - Fall2013

Letters

PALEO MYTHS the earlier paleo movement has under- shortcoming in my thinking and moved
Your remarks on paleo versus an in- gone a subtle but incontrovertible shift on. Paleo folks who have adopted WAPF
clusive, nutrient-dense WAP-based diet into a wiser WAPF-style diet, as it has principles should not be calling their diet
were spot on, well analyzed, accurate, moved away from unsaturated oils, by the name paleo.
honest and much needed. There is this lean meats and no carbs towards a more I also especially admire the work
myth out there about what comprises balanced, and high quality diet based of the WAPF local chapters in hooking
the “real” Mediterranean diet, then on real food, food uncontaminated by up individuals to good sources of food,
there are all these “paleo” myths float- hormones, antibiotics and destructive in helping to build a real economy, a vi-
ing about, and in balance lies the health processing. Responsible in a big way able community and in educating all the
of our children. Faddishness is bad for for bringing about this shift in thinking stakeholders along the way into seeing
children's health. Period. Especially is the massive amount of educational how interconnected we all are.
low-grain or no-grain, which may be material posted for free on the WAPF Sushama Gokhale
fine for immuno-compromised adults site, and also the evangelical efforts of Larkspur, California
(or children) who have eaten a Standard bloggers such as Dr. Chris Masterjohn,
American CAFO diet in their early and a couple of doctors in Scandinavia. A NEED FOR GRAINS
lives, or been prescribed toxic meds, A lot of the paleo folks discovered the I was deeply inspired by the myth-
or been near intense pollution, but it is deficiencies in their diet the hard way, buster article from the Summer 2013
not a remedy that should be applied to via first-hand experimentation on their issue of Wise Traditions. I joined the
someone who is not sick, has generally own bodies, with these very same diets, WAPF many years ago because I fell in
cooked and eaten foods made of high and consequently amended what now love with the simple message of return-
quality ingredients, and whose system comes to be defined as “new paleo.” So ing to a traditional diet based on whole,
is not wrecked with prior abuses from paleo is, in a sense, what you want it to real food. I learned how to be a better
exactly these types of diets―accompa- be. Paleo folks of recent years have, in cook, how to prepare grains, legumes,
nied of course by the ubiquitous array point of fact, come pretty close to the seeds and nuts properly, the value of
of supplements touted under the banner nutrient-dense eating concept of a WAP grass-based farming, and the impor-
of “paleo”' (those nasty protein shakes diet. tance of fat-soluble nutrients.
come to mind). The big difference I see is this: I fully understand that many people
WAPF, on the other hand, has WAPF has espoused a constant way of feel better and live healthier lives on
stressed the importance of cooking real eating and thinking about health from a low-carbohydrate or low-grain diet;
food, without supplementation short- day one, with steadfastness, without however, I was particularly relieved to
cuts. Although I know there are lots backpedaling and with the resolve that read your article as I have felt discour-
of paleo cookbooks out there, I get the comes from deep knowledge, a lot of aged for quite a while due to the mis-
impression that the main paleo writers digging through abstruse research, conception that the WAPF is all about
aren’t familiar with the basics of cooking with an understanding of the conflicts low-carb, high-protein. Over the years,
and really don’t want to be bothered with between food, pharma, healthcare and I read books written by WAPF-friendly
it. human health. If folks were truly hon- doctors who wrote about the dangers of
When you stand for something, you est, they would acknowledge this debt grains and the value of low-carb diets. I
cannot keep changing the underlying to WAPF. I do. I was engaged in an ex- tried desperately to follow a low-grain
precepts, because if you have to do that, tremely faddish diet until it hurt me so diet, a no-grain diet, a full GAPS diet,
you really are not standing up for that badly I was forced to realize I was doing and a high-protein diet. All had a terrible
something. it all wrong. I then did not quietly change effect on me. During this time, I became
I have followed the paleo move- my diet and call my new diet by the same pre-diabetic and was trembling all the
ment and have noted what used to be old name. Rather, I acknowledged the time. I suffered from depression, I had
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