Atkins as it was originally practiced, even in the last version of the book put out before Dr. Atkins’s death, called for something very like the Paleo diet in terms of what foods were allowed. Don’t confuse the induction phase of the diet with the entirety of the diet. (Even if you did, induction isn’t that different from Inuit dietary practices, at least inasmuch as the food groups involved are concerned–the food prep methods, of course, are another matter.) I felt good on Atkins and I would imagine I’d feel just as good on paleo.

The milk question is an interesting one. The Weston Price folks claim that many of the physical problems suffered by the average milk-drinker disappear when that person drinks raw milk instead of pasteurized. I would be interested to know if that’s the case. They also claim, which I find easier to believe, that lacto-fermented milk is better still. Not only is most of the lactose digested by lactobateria but the casein and fat are broken down into forms more digestible by the human body as well. This is why yogurt was such a hit in the Middle East–they almost never drank fresh milk. And if you look at the traditional diets of Scandinavian people you will find a preponderance of lactofermented milk over fresh as well.

I think there may even be a difference in outcomes with grain foods based on preparation methods. I wish I had some way to find out. Traditional sourdough bread, for instance, is more broken down structurally than modern bread made with baker’s yeast. I wonder if this affects the lectins as well. It certainly affects phytic acid and probably affects some or all of the enzyme blockers. Then there’s Ezekiel and Essene breads which are made from sprouted grains, which definitely eliminate phytates and blockers by definition.

For someone who is trying to transition to a more sustainable diet and one not so hard on the human body I could see where taking up home cooking and practicing fermentation methods might make a big difference. This would be especially useful to people who don’t want to give up what they view as “traditional” fare just yet (i.e., bread).

You’re going to get a lot of saturated fat in animal foods, so claiming that saturated fat’s a form of malnutrition and then extolling it as a part of the paleo diet is kind of weird.

I feel better eating high-fat than I do eating high-carb. I think the studies “proving” saturated fat is harmful did not isolate that saturated fat intake from a concurrent high-carb, especially high-sugar, intake.

A little while ago I was reading a Peak Oil-related website and they were discussing what sort of diet one could sustainably follow post-Peak, and it was suggested that vegetable intake is very important, and then the author took a swipe at Dr. Atkins. Except… vegetables ARE allowed on Atkins. In fact they’re the primary source of what carbohydrates are allowed early in the diet.

I don’t mean to take over your blog with shilling for a diet plan, but accuracy is important, and I’ve taken to correcting inaccuracies because unlike the people I read who say things like this, I have actually read his books. Considering they are generally available at public libraries, there really isn’t any excuse for anyone else to not have done so if they should feel moved to discuss the diet at all.

I also owe Dr. Atkins something of a debt because thanks in part to his work, I can now read something like this blog essay and nod my head in agreement instead of saying, “What IS that nutcase yammering on about?” So there.

Speaking of dietary lectins, you should read Peter D’Adamo’s works about his “blood type diet.” He says a lot of the same things you’re quoting here. And now I wonder whether the folks in Sweden who mutated to keep making lactase are type B, as D’Adamo thinks the gene for blood type B is clustered with other genes that make it easier for type Bs to digest milk, especially fermented milk. Very interesting.

I’m really interested in this subject matter, but I shook my head both at the jab at saturated fat in the original article and at some of the comments here.

Saturated fat, according to Nina Planck, makes up about fifty percent of our cell membrane material. It is also necessary for the production of hormones and nerve cells, among other vital structures and functions. We were obviously getting plenty of it from animal sources, so I am unclear as to why it is a problem in industrial diets. Particularly as cholesterol isn’t a problem either–researchers actually paying attention to the data seem to think it’s a repair molecule, and that if someone has high cholesterol it’s because they have latent heart disease, not because they’ve been eating too much fat.

As for us needing sugar and starch carbs because the brain needs glucose, that is just silly. We don’t need huge amounts of sugar and starch; in fact, they make us sick! Furthermore, the foods highest in those substances–grains and legumes–contain phytic acid and protease inhibitors which lead to such fun conditions as osteoporosis (and probably explain why people shrank in the Neolithic!). Additionally, soy contains goitrogens which damage the thyroid. Considering that we can manufacture all the glucose we need from fruits and vegetables and organ meats (yes, organ meats contain carbohydrate) and that the brain is more efficient on ketone bodies than it is on glucose (it needs some of the latter, but not a lot), a meat-and-vegetables diet is not half so unhealthy as grain advocates seem to think.

It’s certainly more healthy for me. I became and remain obese on grain foods. If I cut them out of my diet, my blood sugar completely normalizes and I lose excess weight. My teeth also remain cleaner and my mood more even. That’s enough evidence for me, and any so-called “expert” suggesting my diet is unhealthy ought to have his head examined.

The only thing grains and beans have got going for them is efficient energy storage that does not go bad immediately. Implementing an efficient agricultural system that did not overly disturb the topsoil and which took vegetable seasonality and animal husbandry into account would be far better for us than continuing to plow and plant cereal crops every year only to have to supplement with nutrient pills or else die from chronic disease.

“She identified a protein fragment made up of 33 amino acids that was resistant to further digestion and whose structure was known to be toxic.”

STANFORD RESEARCHERS FIND CAUSE, POSSIBLE CURE FOR GLUTEN INTOLERANCE
STANFORD, Calif. – A team of investigators led by Stanford University researchers have discovered the cause and a potential treatment for celiac sprue, an autoimmune disease that leads to an inability to digest gluten, a major protein in wheat, rye and barley products. The disease is estimated to afflict as many as 1 in 200 Americans.
In the Sept. 27 issue of Science, researchers identify a fragment of gluten called gliadin as the celiac culprit. They showed that this fragment is resistant to digestion and is responsible for the intestine-damaging inflammatory response experienced by celiac patients. They also report the use of a dietary enzyme made by a bacterium that can break down the fragment into harmless bits, suggesting future treatment through dietary supplements.
“These findings are the first step to giving people with celiac disease real hope for a normal life,” said Chaitan Khosla, PhD, professor of chemistry, chemical engineering and, by courtesy, of biochemistry. Lu Shan, a graduate student in Khosla’s lab, was lead author on the paper. The team included other Stanford researchers as well as a group from the University of Oslo in Norway.
The lining of the small intestine is normally carpetlike, covered with small protrusions called villi. Celiac disease, however, results in a smooth, pipelike intestine. The reduced surface area keeps the body from absorbing nutrients. Often diagnosed in childhood, the disease can lead to the distended stomach and stunted growth typical of starvation.
“The only effective therapy for most people is a lifelong gluten-free diet, and that’s fairly restrictive,” explained co-author Gary M. Gray, professor of medicine, emeritus. The diet is essential over the long term both to restore normal intestinal function and to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, lymphoma or cancer of the small intestine, he added.
In the laboratory, Shan simulated the digestive process, exposing gliadin to digestive enzymes in test tubes. She identified a protein fragment made up of 33 amino acids that was resistant to further digestion and whose structure was known to be toxic. Most proteins are broken down into small peptides of between two and six amino acids or into single amino acids. She then repeated her study in rats and again in test tubes using tissue taken by biopsy from patients undergoing unrelated medical procedures. “Even with prolonged treatment (exposure to intestinal enzymes), the peptide doesn’t lose the ability to induce the inflammatory response,” Shan said.
When they looked more closely at the fragment, Shan and her colleagues found that it was made up of even smaller fragments already known to induce human T-cells to attack the intestine. The team in Norway then measured the ability of the gliadin fragment to induce autoimmune activity. “The response by T-cells was about 10 to 20 times higher than the smaller peptides themselves,” Shan said.
Because the fragment is rich in the amino acid proline, investigators reasoned that a peptidase (an enzyme that breaks down proteins) with the ability to digest proline-rich chains might be able to break down the gliadin fragment, rendering it harmless to celiac patients. They have now shown that this is the case in test tubes and in rats. Because there are no animal models of celiac disease, testing this approach in humans is a long way off and will require further preclinical work, Khosla said.
“We think that this mode of therapy – peptidase supplementation – may offer hope in treating celiac sprue eventually, and we’re going to test this hypothesis.”

http://mednews.stanford.edu/releases/2002/september/gluten.html