User denise minger - PaleoHacks.com

Answer by Denise Minger for Who has experience with using fruit as main source of carbs?

2011-09-02T10:50:08Z

I've been using fruit as my main carb source (and at least half my calories) for about 8 out of the past 9 years. I think fruit tolerance varies tremendously from person to person, but it's been my favorite approach out of anything I've tried so far. Fantastic energy, easy to stay lean, no morning breath, clear thinking, feeling well-rested with less sleep, major desire to exercise instead of feeling like movement is a chore, and general at-peace-ness with the world (I guess that qualifies as "improved mental state"). I've experimented with cutting out fruit and going low carb/high fat, swapping fruit for cooked starches, and doing only berries instead of the sweeter stuff -- but the only changes those brought were things I didn't like (fatigue, skin issues, brain fog when I did VLC, and arthritis in the elbow I broke a few years ago).

I find that eating lots of fruit only works if certain other elements are in place, though. My lifestyle is very active, and if I have a sedentary streak for any reason, fruit starts making me feel antsy and sugared out (not sure how else to describe it). Season and location seems to play a role, too -- eating this way is a breeze in the summer and in tropical climates, but is considerably less pleasant when it's snowing and I'm huddled next to a space heater with three pairs of socks on. Access to ripe, hopefully-local fruit is also way better than relying on waxed year-old apples from the store.

I also had major dental issues the first year I was eating lots of fruit, but I think it had more to do with being a vegan at the time than the fruit itself -- adding back animal products cleared everything up. That said, if you're going to eat fruit in any appreciable quantity, make sure that it's really ripe. Especially citrus. Sugar + acid in juice form = havoc for the teeth!

Answer by Denise Minger for Hack this Yahoo article just up

2011-07-25T04:17:37Z

There's no evidence that people eating low-fat diets based on whole grains and legumes are actually free (or nearly free) from modern diseases -- only that they fare better than people on highly processed/industrial diets. The notion that they're "healthy" is relative. If a grain/legume/low-fat-dairy-heavy diet brings heart disease mortality down to 150 deaths per 100,000 instead of 200 deaths, can we really call that successful, or only less terrible?

I doubt that any diet can completely eradicate disease, but IMO, ones rich in grains/legumes/low-fat dairy only seem good because the baseline is Lean Cuisines and Cocoa Puffs.

The "people who eat grains, etc. are healthier" argument would only be legit if we compared that kind of diet to something paleo-style and found the grain eaters had superior health outcomes. It's useless to compare low-fat-whole-grain to a standard industrial diet and then extrapolate the results to paleo, like the linked article seems to do.

By the way, the guy who was quoted for that "grains, beans, and low-fat dairy are healthy" statement (Keith Ayoob) wrote a book called The Uncle Sam Diet, which is based on the 2005 USDA guidelines for Americans. It's pretty clear what perspective he's coming from.

Answer by Denise Minger for Acceptable Organ Meat Substitutes

2011-07-22T10:05:57Z

Shellfish. They're nutritionally flabbergasting. Calorie for calorie, oysters are pretty comparable to liver -- super high in iron, B12, copper, zinc, selenium, vitamin D, etc. Mussels aren't too shabby either.

Answer by Denise Minger for Paleo attractions on Hawaii's Big Island?

2011-07-19T04:36:26Z

Definitely check out the Kona Farmers Market on Ali'i Drive (http://www.konafarmersmarket.com/). Not much in the way of meat there, but it's your best bet for fresh produce, sometimes eggs, and chilled young coconuts (if you don't mind getting ripped off a bit). I hope you like fruit, because you can typically get eight or nine papayas for $2 there, mangoes, exotics like longans and mamey, jackfruit, as well as amazing pineapple that doesn't chew your tongue up like the ones sold on the mainland do.

There's a local dish called "poke" (POH-kay) sold at most of the grocery stores in town. This is basically raw fish, usually local tuna, chopped up and mixed with seaweed, nuts, and other seasonings. Some of the poke varieties have some questionable oils added, but most are paleo-friendly and delicious -- even if you don't normally like raw fish. Definitely try some. It tends to actually be cheaper than buying whole fish.

If you want to see (and swim/snorkel with) sea turtles, go to the Honokohau Marina off the Queen K, a bit south of the Kona airport. You'll see turtles all over the water, usually right next to the shore.

The northwest tip of the island (North Kohala) has fantastic black sand beaches (e.g., http://www.letsgo-hawaii.com/waipio/index.html). If you're staying on the Kona side of the island, you'll have to drive a bit to get to the best hiking, which is typically on the north and east part of the island. If you're into strenuous multi-day hikes, consider the Muliwai Trail to Waimanu Valley. I haven't done this one yet so I can't vouch for its difficulty, but it's 17 miles round trip and is supposed to be breathtaking: http://www.hawaii-guide.com/big_island_of_hawaii/spot/muliwai_z_trail_waimanu_valley/

There's a very paleo-friendly pan-Asian restaurant called the Lotus Cafe here too. All their food is gluten- and dairy-free, no MSG, mostly local and organic, cold-pressed oils only, and they'll easily cater to anything you request (no sugar, etc.): http://thelotuscafe.com/menus.aspx

Aloha :)

Comment by Denise Minger

2011-09-02T09:55:46Z

Not to be a downer, but I'd take this with a grain of salt unless they prove the lady has at least four generations of children and grand-children. Sometimes, especially in rural parts of the world, people adopt the identity (and birth certificates) of their dead parents or grand-parents -- which the Hunzas did to forge their longevity reputation, for example. And in China, some families don't report the deaths of elderly members so that they can keep getting pensions from the government. It'd be awesome if this woman really is 121, but right now I'm skeptical.

Comment by Denise Minger

2011-08-23T00:44:08Z

This was a line of thought I clung to from my raw vegan days -- I no longer think it's valid. It looks like vitamins A/K2/D play a much bigger role so long as calcium intake is sufficient (which isn't hard, since the requirements are pretty low if your diet isn't full of grains). I actually thought I'd taken that post down!

Comment by Denise Minger

2011-07-19T09:26:14Z

Thanks! I've been lurking here since the dawn of time, but had to pipe up for this one.