Rewind the clock ten, even twenty, years ago and the idea of a restricting carbohydrates and increasing healthy fats wasn’t even on the radar of nutritionists. Today we have seen a drastic shift towards various “popular diets” – Ketogenic, Paleolithic, Atkins, Zone, South Beach etc. The diets have become household names as more and more individuals are showing an interest in healthy living through healthy eating. Now more than ever individuals are eliminating sugar and grains while including more whole, organic, non-processed foods into their diets.

Of all the diets mentioned above, the Paleolithic (Paleo) diet is by far one of the popular trends this year (in my opinion mostly due to its popularity among CrossFit – a workout regimen that is also gaining in popularity). A paleo diet focuses on what our Paleolithic ancestors ate: only whole, unprocessed foods (meats, vegetables, nuts, seeds). A paleo diet would exclude anything that required modern technology or convince to produce.

The Paleo diet was actually first coined in the mid-1970s by Gastroenterologists Walter Voegltin who promoted a primal way of living – not only avoiding modern convince in diet, but in as many areas of life as possible. His original version included only grass-fed meats, wild fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts and specifically noted to avoid all grains, refined salts and sugars, all processed vegetable and animal oils as well as daily. According to Voegltin, this is why our ancestors lived a healthier life as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other lifestyle induced diseases was rarely seen.

Other key nutritional influencers like Loren Cordain (lead researcher and publisher of articles supporting the health benefits of the paleo diet) and Dr. Ron Rosedale (Medical professional specializing in metabolic disorders) make note that the reason the Paleo diet works to minimize and also reverse various health conditions is mostly due to the removal of grains, as no known form of agriculture existed in the Paleolithic era to grow, harvest or process grains.

A traditional daily intake for the Paleo diet would look as follows:

• Fat: 40%
  • Protein: 40%
  • Carbs: 20%

Here in lies one of the pitfalls of the Paleo diet – Equal Fat to Protein Recommendations. While this can certainly have a massive impact in someone’s life when switching from the Standard American Diet (50% carbs, 40% protein, 10% fat), the concern over time is that equal fat to protein diets have been shown to reach a maximum effect, as too additional proteins can be converted into a reserve carbohydrate that creates inflammation when used as an energy source.

The cellular healing diet places an emphasis on limiting this reaction from taking place by lowering the protein in- take and offsetting the balance with additional fats, as much as 60-65% of your daily intake.

Another aspect of proteins to consider when comparing Paleo to CHD is the quality of proteins recommended. Many of today’s Paleo dieters are happy to eat shellfish and pork – two proteins that are eliminated on the CHD as these sources are known to be highly toxic.

Shellfish are bottom-feeders, and absorb a significant amount of toxic waste from the ocean floor. Pigs often live in a mixture of mud and excrement and are fed highly inflammatory feed. In addition, they have a very rudimentary digestive system and are unable to produce sweat and eliminate toxins. As such they store toxins in their fatty tissues, which includes muscle. Because of these feeding and environmental issues, these protein sources will contain higher levels of toxins and are therefore to be avoided in order to maintain optimal health.

Fruits and Sweeteners

Many Paleo dieters indulge in moderate amounts of fruit – as they do fall into the “non-processed, whole foods” category. The danger here again lies in the accidental overconsumption of sugar – even if it is from natural sources. Fruits with high sugar content (high glycemic fruits) spike blood sugar more than we need, which results in large insulin surges. Insulin not only is responsible for decreasing sugar when it is elevated, but it also activates fat burning states when it is low. The sugars mostly found in natural fruits is Fructose, for which insulin has little effects. As such, additional enzymes and conversion are needed to take place in the liver as Fructose is a disaccharide sugar composed of both glucose and sucrose. While the glucose may be excreted and used for energy by the cell, the majority of the sucrose is converted into fat. The easy way to remember fructose can be dangerous is that both Fructose and Fat start with an F.

Reducing sugar also leaves many Paleo dieters with a challenge when it comes to sweetness and sweets. As such there is now a wide array of “paleo approved” deserts and sweeteners (xylitol, erythritol, monk fruit, coconut sugar, palm sugar etc.).

It is my opinion when I say that nutritionists and food experts have used the glycemic index of sweeteners to determine if one is healthy or not. It’s not uncommon to find the above mentioned sweeteners alongside agave nectar, raw honey, blackstrap molasses and even “raw” organic cane sugar – as if they were acceptable forms. Sugar is sugar no matter what form it comes in.

When looking at sweets and sweeteners its best to evaluate them based on acidity, inflammation, quantity of fructose (remember the Fructose and Fat connection) and what else they are combined with (as most are added to various processed or grain-based food items.) The cellular healing diet sticks with a plant-based sweetener known as stevia.

What About Organic in Paleo Dieting and Cellular Healing Dieting

It’s a surprisingly common misconception that Paleo means organic. In fact, a survey conducted by Food Business News found that only 30-35% of paleo dieters strictly ate only organic. Perhaps it had to do with convince or price, but one thing is for certain, there were no toxic chemical sprays used in the Paleolithic era. Because of the importance of cellular detoxification in the Cellular Healing Diet only organic.

Conventional vegetables, fruits, and meats that are not only contain pesticides but also hormones and other medications that can create serious damage in the body. Not only do these toxins load your system with unnatural stress, they generate a dangerous risk for several diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes. Reducing the risk of toxin exposure is a core value in the Cellular Healing Diet.

The Cellular Healing Diet was designed to take the best that has been learned from each popular diet (Paleo, Keto, Atkins etc.) and merge it into a program that fits all areas of your life (both in the healing state and long-term maintenance state). If you would like to learn more about incorporating the CHD into your daily routine visit our website (www.AskDrErnst.com) as we now have a free gift just for you – A CHD eBook + recipe packet PLUS a local grocery shopping guide to help you navigate the isles AND our newest 10 CHD gut cleaning recipes for you to download. Simply click the REGISTER button found in the center of the home page.