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Myth Busting The Paleo Diet 

29/8/2014

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There has been a lot of media coverage re: the Paleo Diet of late which has meant a larger number of individuals are starting to follow it in attempt to improve their health. Unfortunately we have seen a handful of people in the last 2 months who have been following this diet and have had some adverse effects from it. Namely higher cholesterol results when previous readings were in the normal range prior to the diet, headaches and fatigue. 

So with this in mind we wanted to do some Myth busting - 

What is the Paleo diet


The Paleo diet is based on the diet of our Palaeolithic ancestors and focuses on only consuming foods that our ancestors consumed during this time. The diet is high in protein and fat and lower in carbohydrate– it allows people to consume fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat, poultry, seafood and eggs, while excluding dairy, grains, alcohol, processed foods, refined sugar, potatoes and salt.  The modern Paleo diet also promotes the use of coconut oil and butter, while recommending legumes be avoided. During this period, food choices also depended on availability which supports that the diet altered between region and season, and revealing there was no one specific Paleo diet.

Risks of following the Paleo diet

It is not recommended that individuals follow the Paleo diet as the exclusion of grains and dairy foods places people at risk of nutrient deficiencies and at risk of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis. By encouraging people to use saturated fats such as butter and coconut oil, the diet also places followers at an increased risk of heart disease. It is great that the diet encourages more fruits and vegetables and some unsaturated fats such as avocado and nuts and encourages the avoidance of processed and refined discretionary foods. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating also recommends this. Followers of this diet claim that our current dietary guidelines are causing us to be overweight however the recent Australian Health Survey indicates Australian’s are eating less fruits and vegetables and greater than a third of our daily dietary calories come from foods high in saturated fat and refined sugars.

In addition, research also suggests that grains were consumed at some stage during the Palaeolithic era despite the diet encouraging avoidance of them. Research has demonstrated the benefits of wholegrains for managing weight and also for the digestive tract. Research also discussed the importance of dairy for bone health.

Summary

  1. Anthropologists know that there was not one Paleolithic diet and evidence exists that shows that during this period of time humans consumed both grains and legumes.
  2. The Paleo diet is not recommended as a diet low in carbohydrates, high in fat and high in protein is not supported by the extensive body of research.
  3. The Paleo diet limits legumes which are rich in fibre and protein, dairy which is rich in calcium and grains which are high in fibre, carbohydrates, Grains have been found to be associated with a lower BMI and waist circumference.
  4. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat and calories and research recommends this oil not be included regularly in the diet due to the risk of heart disease. Interestingly humans in Paleolithic times would not have consumed coconut oil as they had no means of extracting and refining it!
  5. Only 5.5% of Australian adults consume the recommended serves of fruit and vegetables every day.

We hope this helps with your knowledge and if you need further advice Simply Nutrition Dietitians are able to help with understanding the risks of following the Paleo diet, and provide healthy, balanced nutritional recommendations instead. 

References
Dietitians Association of Australia. Part 2: The modern paleo diet: What is it? Available from: http://daa.asn.au/for-the-public/smart-eating-for-you/nutrition-a-z/paleo-diet/part-2-the-modern-paleo-diet-what-is-it/
Dietitians Association of Australia. Part 1: The paleo diet: What is it?
National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Available from: http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-guide-healthy-eating
Osteoporosis Australia. Calcium, vitamin D and osteoporosis.

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Coconut Oil – Myths & The Facts!

27/10/2013

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Coconut Oil DietitianCoconut Oil -Myths & Facts
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel (meat) of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm. Coconut oil is made up of both saturated fat (bad fats) as well as medium chain triglycerides.  By consuming large amounts of saturated fat, this can put your body at risk of clogged arteries or a heart attack.  In today’s society, coconut oil has become a very hot topic, however a lot of the information provided is not evidence based and is very misleading. Here are some myth busters for coconut oil! 

Remember : We are always skeptical when buying a vehicle from a used car salesman or a house from a real estate agent! Why not take the same approach when buying and consuming food. There’s a lot of false and misleading information out there from the people that market and sell these products.
MYTHS
Coconut oil has really positive health benefits. Lots of celebrities use it so it must be good.
FACTS
Currently, there is no literature to show any benefits for using coconut oil. Although coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (which are thought to have some clinical benefits), these are different to regular medium chain fatty acids and have no benefit due to their different make-up. 90% of coconut oil is saturated fat which will raise cholesterol levels, therefore making it unhealthy.  

There is so much information on the internet saying coconut oil is healthy, therefore this must be right. 
Despite there being a large amount of information on the internet regarding benefits of coconut oil, it is important to understand that these sources are not high quality or evidenced based (meaning that studies have been used to show this evidence). As explained by Nicole Senior, an Accredited Practising Dietitian, when typing coconut oil into Google, the first 10 results were for selling coconut oil, books on coconut oil or coconut oil diets – VERY biased sites and information purely for money making! 

Coconut oil lowers cholesterol.
Coconut oil is very high in saturated fat and therefore is not recommended as an oil to be used regularly. To lower cholesterol levels, it has been found that polyunsaturated oils will produce the greatest reduction. These include olive, peanut and canola oil, as well as others. 

Coconut oil is a healthier alternative than natural butter.
Although coconut oil is slightly better for you than butter as it uses different oils, it is still seen to increase bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. There is only a very small difference between butter and coconut oil. 

A high intake of coconut oil can prevent heart disease.
Once again, there is no evidence to suggest that this is true. When looking at the facts, coconut oil increases your level of cholesterol, meaning that it may actually increase your risk of heart disease rather than decrease it. It has been found that populations with a high intake of coconut oil also have very high rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity. 

Coconut oil can help me lose weight.
Although coconut oil has been found to be broken down to be used for energy by your body rather than stored as fat, it is important to remember that it is 100% pure fat. Nobody is going to recommend eating large amounts of fat to anyone trying to lose weight. 

Therefore, from this, it is evident that the negatives of coconut oil greatly outweigh any possible benefits. It is important to keep in mind, coconut oil is an important cash crop for India, the Philippines and Indonesia and unfortunately, in today’s society, wealth is often placed before health.  Any information, from any human being can be presented on the Internet, however it is important to make sure it is quality evidence and from a reliable source. If you are unsure, always speak to your Dietitian or Doctor before commencing any diet strategies that have conflicting evidence. In conclusion, coconut oil should not be used more than once per month or if possible, completely avoided.
References:
Hu, FB.,  Stampfer, MJ., Manson, JE., Ascherio, A., Colditz, GA., Speizer, FE., Hennekens, CH., & Willett, WC. (1999). Dietary saturated fats and their food sources in relation to the risk of coronary heart disease in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(6): 1001-8.
Kabagambe, EK., Baylin, A., Siles, X., & Campos, H. (2003). Individual saturated fatty acids and nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in Costa Rica. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57(11): 1447-57. 
Updated by Danielle McLaughlin
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