Paleo Lifestyle Change?

P.S - There is NO physiological NEED for carbs in the human diet. We don't need them to survive.

I would not be so sure of that...

I am positively, 1000000% sure. We do not need carbs in the human diet. The body can convert everything we need to function just fine and survive on proteins and fats alone.

Carbs are merely a quicker energy source than fat is. But, there is no need for us to eat them at all.

gluconeogenesis. We don't need carbs to survive. The body can create glucose from protein and fat. And as far as I know the inuits survived on a diet that was practically zero carb

Not quite - they get carbs through the summer and have dried berries/roots/etc through the winter. And they physically adapted to processing protein with larger livers. I'm not sure that I'd recommend cutting out a macro-nutrient if there is no health reasons behind it, but I'm learning

I'm not recommending cutting out carbs just trying to point out that there's no essential carbohydrate. Protein and fat are essential though and you need to obtain them from your diet. I definitely wouldn't want to cut out carbs completely though. They're yummy

OP - have you even been tested for gluten insensitivity? Just curious...

no but maybe i should

it could not hurt…but I do not know what the cost is…I would assume it is a simple blood test, but I could be wrong...

Basically the only reliable test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity is elimination.

When I was tested for celiac, I had to have an endroscopy and they did a biopsy.

But I'm also not a doctor...you should definitely work with your own.

OP - have you even been tested for gluten insensitivity? Just curious...

no but maybe i should

it could not hurt…but I do not know what the cost is…I would assume it is a simple blood test, but I could be wrong...

Basically the only reliable test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity is elimination.

When I was tested for celiac, I had to have an endroscopy and they did a biopsy.

But I'm also not a doctor...you should definitely work with your own.

yep. blood tests are inconclusive, especially if it's just a sensitivity and not full-blown celiac.

P.S - There is NO physiological NEED for carbs in the human diet. We don't need them to survive.

I would not be so sure of that...

I am positively, 1000000% sure. We do not need carbs in the human diet. The body can convert everything we need to function just fine and survive on proteins and fats alone.

Carbs are merely a quicker energy source than fat is. But, there is no need for us to eat them at all.

gluconeogenesis. We don't need carbs to survive. The body can create glucose from protein and fat. And as far as I know the inuits survived on a diet that was practically zero carb

Again, gluconeogenesis is a stress response by the body to make glucose for the brain at all costs. Brief stress (think training) is a good thing, chronic stress is probably not. I just am not convinced that willingly putting the body in a chronically stressed state is necessarily a good thing.

Sure the inuit survived... they also had no choice.

Given that one of the side effects is amenorrhea, I'd be inclined to agree with this. Based on the discussion today, yes, you CAN survive for an unknown amount of time without carbs. You probably shouldn't, for a variety of reasons. Like clementines, for one example.

Where have your read the gluconeogenesis is considered a chronic stress condition?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11724664

I don't think gluconeogenesis is a chronic stress state... I am talking about chronically putting yourself in a state of gluconeogenesis unnecessarily.

P.S - There is NO physiological NEED for carbs in the human diet. We don't need them to survive.

I would not be so sure of that...

I am positively, 1000000% sure. We do not need carbs in the human diet. The body can convert everything we need to function just fine and survive on proteins and fats alone.

Carbs are merely a quicker energy source than fat is. But, there is no need for us to eat them at all.

gluconeogenesis. We don't need carbs to survive. The body can create glucose from protein and fat. And as far as I know the inuits survived on a diet that was practically zero carb

Again, gluconeogenesis is a stress response by the body to make glucose for the brain at all costs. Brief stress (think training) is a good thing, chronic stress is probably not. I just am not convinced that willingly putting the body in a chronically stressed state is necessarily a good thing.

Sure the inuit survived... they also had no choice.

Given that one of the side effects is amenorrhea, I'd be inclined to agree with this. Based on the discussion today, yes, you CAN survive for an unknown amount of time without carbs. You probably shouldn't, for a variety of reasons. Like clementines, for one example.

And beer!

Though I like clementines too!

Guiness!

I'm a little late to the party of this discussion, but I'm also a relatively new Paleo/Primal.

Prior to starting this eating plan, I'd lost 52 pounds over the course of 8 months. I'd done this under a Naturopath's supervision. My Cortisol was high, DHEA was low, so I was on low-level DHEA supplements.. I also modified my eating, cutting out the junk food and sodas (my only addiction - soda, now gone!) and ate healthier, but still included some grains in the form of tortillas, pizza (sometimes gluten-free, sometimes not), crackers, the occasional sandwich. Bringing the Cortisol and DHEA into balance allowed resistant weight to come off, even with the grains in my diet.

But around mid-July of last year, it started creeping up, 10 pounds at a time.

I tried doing a 28-day liver cleanse and took off the 10, then it crept back on within a few weeks. Nothing in my diet or activity had changed - in fact, I was probably MORE active than I had been when the weight was coming off. Then, another 10 pounds came on, a couple at a time, over the next couple of months. I tried another cleanse and lost 8, but I was up 12 pounds regardless. Then, in November, I took a trip to Northern California. I dined out, but also worked out, hiking around the hills of Sonoma, taking yoga classes....and in the 9 days I was there, I gained 19 pounds!

To say I was freaked out would be an understatement.

In the interim, my Naturopathic physician had retired, and I felt lost at sea. I KNEW there was something going on with my body that wasn't "healthy".

I redoubled weight loss efforts, and got 20 pounds off by the first week of January.
Then, I found another Naturopath who "got" it (I'd tried one in the meanwhile who probably would have gotten there eventually, but I didn't feel confident in her approach). My new Dr. took one look at my blood work and spent 30 minutes listening to me, then proclaimed that Leaky Gut Syndrome was behind both the weightloss resistance and my autoimmune conditions (hypothyroid and ITP), and recommended a Paleo-style diet, far-infrared sauna twice a week, and some herbs to support my immune system.

About 7 weeks ago, I eliminated all grains (except rice), corn and soy (unless it's clearly non-gmo, so very limited), very clean meats (grass fed, no antibiotics, etc), lots of vegetables, some fruits (mostly berries). If I use sweetener, it's coconut palm sugar, turbinado sugar, or stevia, and in very limited amounts. I know that I'm not dairy-intolerant, so I've kept butter and ghee, cheese, and a little whole-fat yogurt, cream and sour cream (again, organic, grass-fed) in limited amounts.

Maybe it's because I've struggled with my weight, and been on so many "diets" throughout my life, but I find this really easy to stick to, and haven't strayed back into grain-eating at all so far. Occasionally, I miss my tortillas (well, I do live in the southwest!), and pizza, especially pizza. But it's a small price to pay for....

The results: I've lost 12 pounds since starting on Paleo/Primal (I joined MyFitnessPal about halfway through that time). NO digestive problems (which were common prior to going grain-free). My energy is returning again (went into a slump late last fall with the extra weight). My thyroid levels are improving, and I've eliminated one of the thyroid prescriptions I've been on for years.. As far as the ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocitic Purpua - a long way to say I have low blood platelets and as a result, bruise easily and deeply), I see the Hematologist in April, but I've had much less bruising, so I think the platelets are up.

Is Paleo for everyone? I don't know. I know that it's working well for me, and I will stick to it for as long as it does.

Hope this helps you somewhat. Good luck on your journey to better health!!!

Where have your read the gluconeogenesis is considered a chronic stress condition?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11724664

I don't think gluconeogenesis is a chronic stress state... I am talking about chronically putting yourself in a state of gluconeogenesis.

No, it's the effect on glucose production and gluconeognesis after administering high doses of cortisol. "Thus cortisol administration in humans increases GP by stimulating gluconeogenesis" Cortisol is a stress hormone which effects glucose production from blunts/diverts energy from low priority processes, like digestion, immune system, decreases Glut4 which is a glucose transporter and at the same time increases glycogen synthesis, basically optimizing the fight or flight response. Cortisol and the fasting were the stressors in this study You're interpreting this data incorrectly imo.

I am certainly open to the possibility that I am in fact interpreting it wrong. Which is why I don't say no, I say I am not so sure.

Reading studies and coming to the wrong conclusion sometimes, is normal, it happens to everyone, without exception.