Kim Mulvihill, MD of CBS News San Fransisco
CBS News San Francisco recently did an in-depth report on The Paleo Diet. In this informative five part series, Kim Mulvihill, MD of CBS HealthWatch follows The Paleo Diet for just two weeks with remarkable results: reversed insulin resistance (insulin resistance precedes the development of Diabetes 2), reduced blood pressure, and reduced LDL (the bad cholesterol). Dr. Mulvilhill also lost 30 pounds by continuing to eat a diet of lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits nuts and by eliminating all dairy, grains, beans and processed foods (a.k.a. – The Paleo Diet)!
CBS 5 HealthWatch: Caveman Diet Trend Video Series
My husband recently finished reading “Anticancer – A New Way of Life” written by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PHD. After being diagnosed with brain cancer, Dr. Servan-Schreiber began a 15 year journey investigating the latest research on how best to fight and prevent cancer. Early in his investigation he discovered that we all have cancerous cells residing in our bodies. Yet, only 1 out of 3 people will die from the activation of these deadly cells.
Anticancer is an accumulation of his research which surprisingly explains the role both food and stress play in the growth or inhibition of cancerous cells. Although my husband and I are personally aware of the health benefits associated with The Paleo Diet (see “Robb Wolf: Paleo Nutrition Guru), we were pleasantly surprised to learn Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s Anticancer diet recommendations are very similar to those of The Paleo Diet – both of which recommend eliminating all sugars and processed foods from one’s diet.
You can read more on Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s anticancer recommendations, published articles, and “research based insight” by visiting his website: Anticancer – A New Way of Life
I’m currently reading Dr. William Davis’ latest book titled “Wheat Belly”. William Davis, MD, a cardiologist and author of the The Heart Scan Blog, also encourages his patients to avoid sugar and processed foods. More specifically, similar to The Paleo Diet he recommends his patients completely eliminate all wheat from their diets (yes, that includes whole wheat breads, pastas, cereals, etc). His book “Wheat Belly” is well-referenced and documents the numerous health issues that can be resolved by simply giving up all whole-wheat products: guaranteed weight loss; reversal of metabolic syndrome and diabetes 2; reduction of systemic inflammation; improvement in LDL bio-markers of health; etc. The same health benefits you can also expect when following The Paleo Diet (see “Paleo Talk Resources”)!
Dr. Davis discusses how wheat eaten today is very different from the wheat eaten by our ancestors. In order to cultivate crops that will produce higher yields and resist pest (insects, bacteria, fungus, etc), seed companies have now begun altering the actual DNA of plants. For a better understanding of how plants are genetically modified and how these modifications impact your health, I also highly recommend watching the documentary “Food Matters“.
Dr. Davis also discusses the high rate of gastrointestinal cancers found in individuals who knowingly or unknowingly have had some form of gluten sensitivity. There is cause for concern when Melissa Smith reports in her book “Going Against the Grain” that 50% of the population is gluten-sensitive. Whole wheat bread is loaded with many anti-nutrients – one of which is gluten. Gluten is known to irritate and damage the intestinal tract (see “Got Leaky Gut?”). Eating genetically-modified plants and long-term wheat consumption by gluten-sensitive individual can result in chronic gastrointestinal inflammation. Could the ill effects of wheat be key in understanding the continual rise of gastrointestinal cancers?
One final thought on diet, wheat and cancer. Few folks understand that a slice of whole wheat bread increases blood glucose more than consuming a teaspoon of table sugar (The Glycemic Load Diet). Michael Eades, MD, author of Protein Power and The 6-Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle, recently wrote an excellent review on “Wheat Belly”. In this book review, Dr. Eades highlights Dr. Davis’ explanation of how wheat affects blood glucose levels:
It’s well understood that high blood glucose levels result in increased insulin production which in turn increases the body’s ability to store fat. Simply said – eating bread can make you fat. What does this have to do with cancer? For one, sugar just happens to be the food that fuels the growth of most cancer cells:
Anti-nutrients, genetically modified plants, gut irritants, autoimmune issues, obesity, diabetes 2, cardiovascular disease, etc – how many more reasons do you need to stop eating sugar and processed foods, especially wheat??!!
See Poll Results (image credit to US News)
This is exactly why I don’t follow the advice of traditional Registered Dietitians. Recently the so called “experts” ranked The Paleo Diet as the least effective diet for losing weight and improving overall health (here). These experts did not do their research before shamefully stating their ill-informed opinions (here). Now folks much like myself who have experienced tremendous success on The Paleo Diet (here) are ensuring their voices be heard or at least their votes be counted. Tamara Abraham reports that readers polled on the US News “Best Diets Overall” ranked The Paleo Diet as the MOST effective of all diets ranked by the so called “experts”! You can read Abraham’s article by following the link below.
Dr. Loren Cordain recently wrote a “Rebuttal to U.S. News and World Top 20 Diets” highlighting the “erroneous and misleading” conclusions made by the U.S. News “experts”.
Kettlebells were originally used to train the Russian Special Forces. Yet Kettlebells are for everyone…. soldiers, policemen, athletes and even soccer moms. Executing Kettlebell technique correctly will not only burn body fat, but will also increase strength, stamina and agility, all of which are common goals for anyone hoping to “look good naked” or increase athletic and professional performance!
Although it may be common knowledge that eating sugar makes you fat and causes tooth decay, little do most folks know that it’s also correlated with cardio vascular disease (CVD), hypertension, diabetes II, and even some cancers.
I’ve had several questions concerning Gary Taubes’ book Good Calories, Bad Calories. Most questions have been from folks who believe that there are just not enough hours in the day to read a two-inch-thick, nonfiction book on nutrition. So for those who are only interested in the “cliffs notes” version, you can give a big thanks to Greg of www.gutsandblackstuff.com. Greg not only provides one-paragraph summaries of each chapter, he also condenses the entire book of 601 pages into ten short sentences:
Cheryl, I hope this message finds you well. I think we all at one point had an aha moment about why we do the things we love to do. When I first came upon CrossFit I knew that my world would be turned upside down. I’ve learned so much and am so grateful for the people like you that make my fitness journey such an exciting one. I honestly do what I do and strive to become better at what I do because of genuine people like yourself. Take pride and be passionate about what you do and how you do it. Get comfortable with uncomfortable is a theme we’ve chosen here at OPT, because we believe that getting into this uncomfortable zone unfolds many life lessons. Here’s hoping you teach others about this, make it happen, all the best.
Cheryl,
It says here that Cheryl has a new blog. I say, it's about damn time. Cheryl has been accumulating knowledge and experience about the serious side of exercise for a while now, and I can't think of a better ambassador for barbell training to women who typically refuse to consider its benefits. One look at Cheryl dispells any apprehensions they may have regarding the aesthetic effects, and she is quite capable of explaining the health and fitness advantages to this group of folks in desparate need of a better way to approach their exercise prescription.
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