Hi, I have a few questions about paleo diets. I've read Ray Audette's book and have read some web pages, but am far from an expert. I've been low carbing for awhile now, but found the paleo ideas compelling so am transitioning to that eating plan. Cutting out the Carb Countdown and Low carb tortillas was the easy part. Now for the harder decisions:

1. Are artificial sweeteners really a problem? The Audette book says that some sweeteners can cause cancer. I'm guessing he means saccharin (not really shown to cause problems in humans though). But what about splenda, which is basically tweaked sugar so you only use tiny amounts of it? Are there theoretic problems? Have people done studies (or reasonably anecdotal evidence) of problems with splenda?

2. Where does chocolate fit in? I realize sugar isn't a good thing, but I've been using Lindt 85% select. A 3.5 oz bar has 12.5g of sugar. I melt the chocolate and add some splenda and pistachios. Yummy, but again, any problems in the paleo world view?

3. How is black tea? I realize that green tea is not fermented, and is supposed to be better, but black tea works much better (in my mind) for iced tea; it's also much easier to find decaf black tea. Is using black tea really a problem?

4. Generally how are fermented products? Tea is one instance, and I like worcestire sauce on meats. I could give up worcestire sauce, but tea would be trickier.

Thanks in advance for any help.

joe

Hello,
I'll try to answer some of your questions here. To begin with the artificial sweeteners: they are not found in nature, which is why Audette does not support them. Like anything unnatural, your body was not intended to have them. Plus, sugars and their replacements are highly addictive. That is the easy answer. The harder answer is that despite all of the government tests on artificial sweeteners and the statements of safety, there is still danger to them because of the way they break down in the body. Aspartame partially breaks down into methanol, that is wood alcohol and is considered a toxic substance. Saccharin is not supposed to be absorbed by the body. The same for sucralose. But that can't entirely be proven. When I first tried Splenda, I had an immediate spike in my blood sugar followed by a low. My body absorbs Splenda. This is after reading all of the hype about it being a safe substitute and that it passes right through you. Another thing about sweeteners is that you don't need them. If you stick to a natural diet, there isn't anything that absolutely 'needs' to be sweetened for consumption. But if you want a sweetener, I would try stevia. It is the extract of a plant root. It has not been tampered with and is in a natural formation. I use the liquid form but a family friend uses it as a powder mixed with fiber. She loves it and says she's been able to use it in coffee, some baking, and as an all purpose sweetener.

Chocolate: it is a legume and contains alkaloids in its natural state. You can't eat chocolate raw. Like other legumes, once cooked, chocolate is poison free. Chocolate is a food that many people have addictions to . . . not a good sign.

Tea: caffeine is addicting and black tea is high in caffeine. Side effects of caffeine addiction are well known from headaches to shakiness. But teas contain other good substances.

Fermented products: these range from vinegar to alcohol and are not found naturally. I consider fermented products in be more of a personal decision. Some are very high in carbohydrates. Some are toxic to the body.

I would suggest finding a happy medium. If you notice that fermented products, chocolate, or teas cause cravings for more of the same thing or other 'addicting' things, it is probably best to avoid them. If you notice that you don't have addictions and don't notice any problems with your body after consumption, maybe it is ok for you.

Hope this helps.
Shazzer

Just wanted to add something about Splenda. It is a chlorinated sugar molecule--not really what you want to put in your body. I agree with Shazzer that stevia is the best alternative.

Howard

Fruit sugar or fructose would be natural if you don't mind the carbs and I'm sure our paleo friends had vineyards didn't they? I'm sure I read that somewhere. I think it was Lucy. She fell down drunk in that volcanic ash around 3.5 million years ago.

Small amounts of naturally occuring fructose such as is found in fruit an vegetables is OK, but adding refined fructose to your diet isn't - regardless of whether it comes from a natural source. Fructose does more damage in your body than glucose, because it is absorbed into the tissues without the need for insulin (which is good) but it is much more likely than glucose to attach to and damage proteins (which is bad) and the damage glucose does is largely to the red blood cells which are replaced every 3 months or so (hence the significance of a glycated haemoglobin test - A1c) whereas fructose having been absorbed from the bloodstream is more likely to damage more important tissues and organs (which is very bad!)

Cheers,

Malcolm

I'm new at this too, but here are my thoughts...

Trying to find ways around carb limits using artificial sweeteners, Splenda, and chocolate sounds like a long-term formula for dissatisfaction. It'll keep your appetite for sugars up, and you'll continue thinking of candylike sugar as the ultimate treat. Hopefully someday you can get to the point that your body can recognize something as "too sweet to taste good"!

Then again, who am I to talk? I'm one of those mutants who hates chocolate. ;D

I second the green tea idea -- I don't know how it is up in Pittsburgh, but all the local grocery store chains here carry decaf green tea. I know you're accustomed to black tea, but you can get used to iced grean tea fast, I bet. Of course, this reminds me of the previous concern with sugar -- are you sweetening that tea?

I don't eat fructose but I just thought it would be more natural than the techno sugars like splenda and aspartine. I find it strange that a natural thing like fruit sugar could do so much damage to the body? But who am I, a newbie, still pretty low on the food chain.

In small amounts, fructose isn't going to do any damage. The sweet fruits that we have now did not exist prior to the invention of agriculture. Apples were more similar to crab apples (very tart). Berries were about a sweet as anything got, and they are very seasonal and have lots of competition in eating them from the animals.

Shazzer:
Hi, I agree with your points - I think your response was very comprehensive and sensitive to the questions of a person just starting out. I was wondering whether you have ever tried raw chocolate. It actually is something that can be eaten raw.

I eat mostly raw and I discvered "Raw Cacao Nibs" they are organic and raw - just broken bits of cacao beans, no processing whatsoever. I have decided to incorporate them into my diet because they are delicious, crunchy and hve nearly 20 times the antioxidant levels of red wine and 30 times that which is found in green tea. (made by nature's first law superfoods.com)

[Chocolate: it is a legume and contains alkaloids in its natural state. You can't eat chocolate raw. Like other legumes, once cooked, chocolate is poison free. Chocolate is a food that many people have addictions to . . . not a good sign.

I just wanted to add, I also have bad spikes and also have mood swings from Splenda. It is really, really, bad for me. It took me a bit of time to isolate out the problem, but for me Splenda is a

I like liquid Stevia, but have problems with all the powdered stevia that I have tried, probably because of the bulking agent they use.

Marty

I haven't seen *anyone* suggest using honey to sweeten things. It is nature's first sweetener and didn't have to be extracted from a plant root to get it. It is the ONLY thing I use to sweeten with and you do not need copius amounts of it. (Everything in moderation as everyone suggests applies)

I used to be on Neanderthin but have long switched to an anti-inflammatory diet which seems to be working for me. It is a lot like Neanderthin where everything one eats is natural (ie. NOT PROCESSED) and no dairy is allowed.
The ONLY meats I am allowed to eat are fish, poultry and grass fed game meats. Lamb is okay as long as it is grassfed and there is no dairy allowed. Nuts, fruit and vegetables are highly encouraged and only water and green tea is what I drink.

I did see something the other day that mentioned green tea has half the amount of caffeine then fermented teas. It is also less processed then fermented teas which is why it is used.

Now on my plan I am not allowed to have chocolate but when I do crave it I have a *TINY* peice of the best and darkest chocolate I can buy. I had a small peice last night in fact (less then one ounce and yes I weighed it) but I do not eat it every day. I think if you use moderation with it and eat it only occasionally, perhaps once or twice a month as I do, then you should be fine. IMO life is too short to be deprived of chocolate.

FYI Chocolate is NOT a legume
Family: Sterculiaceae
Genus: Theobroma
Species: cacao
Common Names: Chocolate, cacao, criollo, cacaoyer, kakao
Parts Used: Fruit, Seed, Leaves, Bark
HTH
CHris

The local food co-op carries raw cocoa beans. I tried a couple and didn't think they were particularly chocolate-like (I suspect roasting is needed to bring out that flavor), though it had a pleasant smooth velvety texture, probably due to the fat content.

Wyv

Hi, I wanted to write and let people know that I found your advice/comments helpful. I've done some modifications based on what people suggested:

Gone: Chocolate (ouchie!) and black tea. I've taken to drinking loose white tea . The smell is delightful, but I'm still acquiring the taste. White tea is even less processed than green tea and has a somewhat different taste.

Greatly reduced: Splenda. I've stopped adding it to tea, but occasionally add some to strawberries. Blackberries and rasberries are fine straight, but strawberries seem to be missing something.

Still using: Worcestire sauce. It makes meat taste even yummier (quite an accomplishment). I haven't seen any problems with it affecting me badly.

At some point I want to make the transition to grass fed meat, but am in an apartment with a smallish freezer. Unfortunately grass fed seems rather expensive if you're not buying in bulk.

Next big question: I'm doing a TKD which entails eating some carbs just before workout (twice a week) and taking some whey protein just afterwards. I need to do weight training while dropping weight to maintain muscle mass. Has anyone found a good paleo substitute for whey protein, or should I just accept breaking protocol twice a week isn't so bad? Thoughts?

Thanks.

joe