INSIDER ROOT FOODS IN PERSPECTIVE THE PALEO DIET THE LOREN CORDAIN, PH.D. FROM ROOTS TO RHIZOMES BAKED WALNUT STUFFED CARROTS 90 DAYS TO BETTER HEALTH

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1 THE PALEO DIET THE INSIDER Vol. 2, Issue 3 ROOT FOODS IN PERSPECTIVE FROM ROOTS TO RHIZOMES BAKED WALNUT STUFFED CARROTS 90 DAYS TO BETTER HEALTH LOREN CORDAIN, PH.D. 1

2 Vol. 2 Issue 3 FROM ROOTS TO RHIZOMES The basics of The Paleo Diet are simple: lean meats, fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables. It s been said that good food is food that goes bad, and by focusing on fresh foods it is hard to go wrong. But because potatoes have a high glycemic load, there is some confusion about whether root foods are appropriate. This month, we tackle that question. Dear Dr. Cordain, I know that potatoes and sweet potatoes are banned foods, but what about other root vegetables such as celeriac, turnips and Swedes (rutabagas)? Thanks, Anna W. Design Manager Hi Anna, Let me take a round about approach before I directly answer your question. First off, potatoes and sweet potatoes are not necessarily forever and completely banned from the diet. For overweight individuals and for anyone suffering from chronic diseases of insulin resistance, I highly recommend that potatoes and sweet potatoes be eliminated or severely restricted until body weight normalizes and/or disease symptoms ameliorate. Because both sweet potatoes and potatoes are net base yielding vegetables, they represent superior carbohydrate sources compared to cereal grains. Additionally, when fully cooked, these vegetables contain few or no antinutrients (such as dietary lectins) which can adversely affect health. In contrast fully cooked cereals still contain numerous antinutrients including lectins In my original book, The Paleo Diet, I spoke of the 85:15 rule meaning that if one were 85% compliant with the diet most of the time, significant improvements in health could occur. I still believe this concept, and I believe that minor dietary discretions involving potatoes and sweet potatoes on an occasional basis will have little adverse impact upon health. In fact, for highly fit athletes, or for healthy, normal weight individuals doing significant aerobic exercise on a daily basis, potatoes and sweet potatoes represent a good source of carbohydrate necessary to replenish spent muscle glycogen stores. There are approximately 96 vegetable crops that are grown world wide which fit under the catch all phrase of roots and tubers. 1 Root and tuber vegetables are actually the underground food storage organs of various plants. These edible underground organs are classified into one of five categories: 1) roots, 2) 2

3 tubers, 3) rhizomes, 4) corms, and 5) bulbs. Commonly consumed roots are carrots, parsnips, radishes, beets, Swedes (rutabagas), sweet potatoes, cassava and celeriac, whereas commonly consumed tubers include potatoes and yams. Examples of edible rhizomes are the arrowroot, ginger and turmeric. Corms include taros and Chinese water chestnuts whereas common edible bulbs take in onions and garlic. Crops with an enlarged stem (leek and kohl rabi), even when located underground, are generally not classified as roots and tubers. 2 The table below shows worldwide production of the top 11 root and tuber crops. CROP (METRIC TONS/YR) Potato 307,440,446 Beet (Sugar) 246,475,609 Cassava 184,852,540 Sweet potato 136,130,396 Onion (dry) 51,914,247 Yam 39,643,170 Carrot 21,020,436 Garlic 12,107,007 Taro 9,220,522 Ginger 988,182 Chicory roots 960,700 Source: FAO, 2003 It is interesting to see that the world s top two tuber crops (potatoes and sugar beets) are major contributors to the ubiquitous high glycemic load in the U.S. diet (see Figure 1 to the right). Note that 41.4% of the total calories in the typical US diet come from high glycemic foods: 1) refined grains, 2) refined sugars, 3) potatoes. From previous newsletters, eagle eyed Paleo Diet newsletter subscribers will immediately recognize that a high glycemic load is one of the major dietary factors underlying obesity and numerous chronic health problems in westernized countries. 3, 4 OK, now let s get down to directly answering Anna s question, but what about other root vegetables such as celeriac, turnips and Swedes (rutabagas)? In the table below I have compiled data for the only 9 root and tuber vegetables listed in the International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values. 5 I have also compiled data for 5 additional root and tubers whose glycemic indices have not yet been determined, including turnips and celeriac. Figure 1. Per Capita Percentages of Highly Glycemic and Highly Insulinemic Foods in the U.S. Diet (199099) Refined Sugars Refined Grains Potatoes Dairy (Except Cheese) Other Foods My recommendation for overweight subjects or for people with diseases of insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia [elevated triglycerides, low HDL, elevated small dense LDL], coronary heart disease, gout, and acne) is to not exceed a glycemic load of 10 for any given meal and to keep the days glycemic load under 40. If you look at the table carefully, you can see that a 100 g (~1/4 lb) serving of baked potato would provide you with half your daily glycemic load allotment. A similar serving of sweet potato would be a better choice with a glycemic load of 14.8, but better choices still would be beets, Swedes or carrots, which under normal circumstances you can basically eat until you are full, as it would be quite difficult to consume enough of these foods to exceed a daily glycemic load of 40. Although glycemic index and load values for celeriac have not yet been determined, the amount of carbohydrate per 100 g (9.2 g) is similar to that for beets, Swedes and carrots. Consequently, it is likely that celeriac has a similar low glycemic load and presents no problems. The same goes for turnips. Enjoy these healthful, net base yielding root and tuber vegetables. One final note for eagle eyed readers. I have calculated the glycemic load using a standardized 100 g serving as this procedure will level the playing field when making comparisons between and among various food items. In the International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values, 5 glycemic loads are calculated by multiplying the glycemic index by the carbohydrate content of a standard serving. Although this practice is widely utilized, the problem is that standard servings vary from food item to food item, thereby introducing a bias for the greater serving size. 3

4 Vol. 2 Issue 3 International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values 4

5 PRIMAL IN THE KITCHEN BAKED WALNUT-STUFFED CARROTS This recipe comes from The Paleo Diet for Athletes: 4 large carrots, washed and pared 1 medium onion, chopped ¼ cup chopped walnuts ½ green bell pepper, chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil Freshly ground black pepper Boil the carrots for 30 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Hollow out the centers and puree the extracted portions. Combine the onion, walnuts, and bell pepper with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add ground pepper to taste. Mix in the pureed carrots, and stuff the eight carrot halves with the mixture. Bake in a dish coated with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 30 minutes. Serves 8. 5

6 Vol. 2 Issue 3 SUCCESS STORY Dear Dr. Cordain, Thank you for your work on Paleolithic eating. Here is my experience with removing virtually all grains and legumes from my diet for the past 90 days. I do continue to drink less than one glass of skim milk per day and eat perhaps 8 oz of sheep and/or goat cheese per week. I eat seafood at least twice per week and eat until satisfaction a good quantity of lean meats, whole fruits, and non-starchy vegetables. In between snacks are a trail mix of walnuts and other assorted nuts (all raw) and chopped fruits. I am a 54 year old male in good overall health except having been on Lisinapril for three years for blood pressure of 130/90 (unmedicated). Height is 67. Here are before and after statistics: Start: Weight: 178 BMI: 27.9 Chol Tot 182, HDL 48, Tot/HDL 3.79, LDL 109, Tri 128, Gluc 92 (fasting) After 90 days: Weight: 158 BMI: 24.9 Chol Tot 180, HDL 60, Tot/HDL 3.00, LDL 105, Tri 77, Gluc 93 (not fasting) My doctor and I were very pleased with the 20 pound weight loss, reduction in blood pressure (about 10 points) and significant improvement in HDL and Triglycerides after just 90 days. He is reducing the Lisinapril dosage, and I should be off of it in a month. I m also looking forward to continuing dropping more weight. This is the first time in my adult life that I have felt in control of my weight and blood chemistry. Thank you for your part in researching and publicizing this way of eating. Sincerely, Bob S. 6

7 REFERENCES Cordain L, Eades MR, Eades MD. Hyperinsulinemic diseases of civilization: more than just syndrome X. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A 2003;136: Cordain L, Eaton SB, Sebastian A, Mann N, Lindeberg S, Watkins BA, O Keefe JH, Brand-Miller J. Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Am J Clin Nutr Feb;81 (2): Foster-Powell K, Holt SH, Brand-Miller JC. International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: Am J Clin Nutr Jul;76(1):