Another helpful excerpt from dietitian and paleo expert Amy Kubal: What is the reasoning behind restricting dairy, or natural whole grains (oats, barley?) for that matter?
“Grains, legumes, soy, dairy, etc, all contain proteins and/or anti-nutrients that our bodies were not designed to handle. Grains contain large protein molecules called ‘lectins’. The digestive system doesn’t have the ‘equipment’ necessary to breakdown lectins, which means, they just hang around in the gut. These ‘loose canons’ have the ability to bind to certain gut receptors and then act as ‘keys’ unlocking a door that lets them out into our bodies. Unfortunately, lectins were ‘born in a barn’ – not only do they not close the door as they leave, but they also damage the gut on the way out. This is how the gut gets ‘leaky’ and it doesn’t end there. Since the lectins are not part of the ‘normal’ environment, the body doesn’t recognize them and the immune system, standing on guard, initiates an attack on the strangers creating antibodies against them. The antibodies made have a striking resemblance to other proteins normally found in our systems. This leads to an autoimmune response (the body attacking itself). The story is similar for legumes and dairy both of which also contain proteins, anti-nutrients and protease inhibitors that irritate the gut in much the same way as lectins. While many may feel exempt from the whole process, claiming that they feel fine – this may not necessarily be the case. While some may be more sensitive to these foods than others, it is likely that removing them will have positive effects across the board.”
What about low-fat and fat free dairy?
“These are particularly conspicuous as one of the most beneficial components in dairy is CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). CLA has been found beneficial in the prevention of cancer, CVD, hypertension, elevated blood lipids, weight loss, osteoporosis, inflammation, insulin resistance, and immunity. The CLA in dairy is housed in its fat component. When the fat is removed, as is the case in low fat and fat free dairy products, you are basically left with insulin spiking sugar (lactose), along with a bit of protein and calcium. Remember that milk is “fortified” with Vitamins A and D – they aren’t naturally there. To address the calcium issue, it is well known that dairy is not the only source for this mineral. In fact, some of the best sources of calcium are sardines, trout, salmon, etc, and these protein rich sea creatures also contain long chain omega 3 (DHA) fatty acids, and a plethora of other nutrients. Additionally; chard, kale, broccoli, spinach and many other vegetables are sources of the mineral too and are also rich in many other nutrients.” Click Here to read the whole article.
WOD:
Front Squats