It is now over 7 years later and through much study, frustration, trial and error, I think I have finally found the best diet for good health. For my own good health, anyway, and apparently many others agree...and it's not the Paleo diet (or at least the Paleo Diet that Loren Cordain made famous).
I am incredibly frustrated that it has taken me SEVEN YEARS to get to the truth of the matter. But I now understand that this is why there can be such uncertainty out in the world about diets and health. It is a slow process to see how a diet affects you. You have to eat a certain way for a good chunk of time to see if it is detrimental or beneficial in the long run.
I'm sad that I was steered in the wrong direction originally, trying Cordain's Paleo diet. It seemed very beneficial at first (i.e. eating less carbs and taking less insulin, losing some weight initially), but I found that over time it was making me sick. I became constipated, developed eczema on my hands (which spread to the rest of my body), felt like I had to try SO hard to stick to the diet - it didn't feel like the "natural" thing to do, and my digestion got worse.
You can look through my blog posts and see some of this frustration mounting over the years. I tried other variations on the same "Paleo" diet theme: a gluten free "Wheat Belly" diet, an extremely low carb "Diabetes Solution" (Dr. Bernstein) ketogenic diet, fasting, juicing, Buzzfeed Clean Eating Challenge, a no dairy diet, a low carb vegan diet, a raw food vegan diet, a green smoothie diet, the Nourishing Traditions diet... you name it, I probably tried it! None of these diets quite felt right though. None of them quite fit 100%.
I'm writing this blog post today to let you know that I found a diet that fits. A diet that works. And I want others to know so they can enjoy the happiness and good health I am now enjoying! What is this diet you ask? It is called "The Starch Solution" by Dr. John McDougall.
In a nutshell, the Starch Solution involves making your diet 70-90% starch (rice, potatoes, oats, corn, wheat, beans, squash), eliminating animal foods - meat and dairy - and oils. It is a lowfat, mostly vegan diet. McDougall says to feel free to have a little bit of animal foods on the holidays, but most of the time your diet should be starchy foods. This aligns with the findings of The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, as well.
"Starches are plant parts that store large amounts of energy for daily activities. They are very low in fat with no cholesterol. They are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Starches are essential to satisfy your appetite and they make you trim, strong, and healthy. Eat starch!" - Dr. John McDougall
Here's a food pyramid I created for the diet:
(click on picture above to make it bigger)
This is how most of the world has eaten for thousands of years. Asians based their diet around rice, the Mediterranean "Bread Belt" based their diet around wheat, the Aztecs ate mainly corn, Native Americans ate corn, beans, and squash, the Irish ate potatoes, many South American countries eat rice and beans, etc. McDougall acknowledges that no traditional cultures were completely vegan, but the bulk of their diets was starch!
At first, I thought this diet would be terrible for my blood sugars. Won't starchy carbs raise my blood sugar dramatically? Turns out I was wrong! When I stopped eating oils and ate low fat, it allowed my insulin to work better. I didn't know that fat inhibited your insulin from working as well as it can (thanks for teaching me this, Dr. McDougall!). So even though I was eating many carbs at every meal, my insulin matched these carbs and put them to work in my body as energy! My energy levels have sky rocketed since switching to this diet. Furthermore, I am eating whole food carbs/starches which don't raise my blood sugars like processed food carbs.
Another concern was "Wait a minute, doesn't starch make you fat?" After all the books I've read on low carb diets and seeing how less insulin means less weight, I was sure I'd gain weight on this diet. But I was wrong again! I have been losing weight on this diet, probably because of the decrease in calories when I cut out animal products and oils, which are generally high in fat (the Cleveland Clinic says "Fat has more than twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and proteins. A gram of fat has about 9 calories, while a gram of carbohydrate or protein has about 4 calories. In other words, you could eat twice as much carbohydrates or proteins as fat for the same amount of calories."). McDougall argues that starch doesn't make you fat, fat does: "the fat you eat is the fat you wear."
Lastly, I wondered, how will this diet make me feel? Will I be hungry all the time without lots of protein? I was so happy to find out that I feel fantastic on this diet. I feel better on this diet than any other diet I've ever tried. I was worried that eating vegan would leave me feeling hungry and greatly missing animal foods. Every once in a while now (about once a month or so) I get a craving for a little meat, but other than that I feel super satisfied eating this way. And the great thing about this diet is that I can have a hamburger every once in a while if I really want one. I just try to limit my animal products to no more than once a week, since eating more than this is what the China Study seemed to find contributed to increased death and disease.
After doing this diet for only 2 weeks, I have seen my blood sugars improve, my weight drop, my digestion improve, my constipation go away, and my eczema heal.
Did I mention this (whole food, plant based diet) is the only diet proven to reverse heart disease, the #1 killer in the U.S.? Yup. Look it up for yourself!
Here are some links to more information about The Starch Solution in case you'd like to learn more:
- McDougall's website: https://www.drmcdougall.com/
- The Starch Solution book: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/starch-solution/
- Color Picture Book: https://www.drmcdougall.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Dr-McDougalls-Color-Picture-Book1.pdf
- Dr. McDougall's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/drmcdougallmd
I hope my story might be helpful to you.
In good health,
Andi
