www.ThePaleoDiet.

com
Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
Issue: # 2008 - 05 / August 15, 2008

Hello! Welcome to The Paleo Diet Update, your guide to eating

for optimum health. Through the understanding that our genes were
shaped by the selective pressures of our Stone Age diet, we can better
understand what kind of diet will lead to optimum health.
There are many misconceptions about protein consumption, particularly
confusion surrounding what is "adequate" protein intake versus what
might be ideal. Most official guidelines for protein consumption
recommend intake amounts that do not reflect our evolutionary history,
and that are too low for optimum health. In this issue, we look at the
dietary guidelines for protein, how much people are actually eating, and
some new scientific consensus on recommended intake.
We also share some tips on food prep, so you can eat the Paleo Diet
with less effort.
Enjoy!

Results from Scientific Meeting on Protein and Health

Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

In This Issue
Consensus on Protein and Health
This Week's Food Tip
News and Upcoming Events
Our Recommendations

Pedro Bastos

Paleolithic type diets were almost certainly universally higher in protein than western diets, containing 19% to 35% of total energy1,2.
Because our ancestors evolved eating this much protein, the same amounts are likely to promote optimum health in people today.
Although an emerging body of evidence continues to indicate that high protein diets have numerous health benefits2-4, the recommended
dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is just 0.8 grams/kilogram/day. This is actually below 10% of total caloric intake, which is the low end
of the range of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein fixed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of
Sciences5. Furthermore, the food patterns established by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been estimated to provide a protein
intake ranging only from 17% to 21% of calories6.
To settle this issue and to discuss the collective body of scientific evidence for the role of dietary protein in optimizing health for the adult
populations, 52 internationally recognized experts in protein research gathered in Charleston, SC, on May 24, 2007, in a conference
called "Protein Summit 2007: Exploring the Impact of High-Quality Protein on Optimal Health,"7.

In this meeting were presented the results current usual intake of protein in American men aged 51-70 y averaged just 16%, and that the
highest percentile of protein intake was only 20.8% of total calories6.
The participants of the conference concluded that8:
1. The minimal value for active adults or the elderly may be above the RDA.
2. The determination of the optimal level of protein intake shouldn't be based on the estimation of the minimal amount of protein needed
to maintain nitrogen balance in healthy young adults (which was the criteria used to set the RDA), but on functional outcomes, such as
muscle mass, strength and metabolic function.
3. Protein intake can be increased to at least 1.6 g/kg/d (and maybe higher), without posing health hazards risks in healthy individuals
without kidney dysfunction.
The bottom line: most people would do well eating more protein. Eating a Paleo Diet based primarily on meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables
will naturally provide optimum protein levels and contribute to your optimum health.
References are available at www.ThePaleoDiet.com/v4n5.shtml
Next time we'll talk about protein and kidney function.

This Week's Food Tip - An Hour in the Kitchen!

Nell Stephenson

One of the keys to eating the Paleo Diet is to learn how to prepare food quickly
and easily, so you don't find yourself running to McDonalds for lunch. In just one
hour you can prepare enough meals and snacks to last you for days. Here's how:
* Turn on the oven to 400. If you are training hard and following The Paleo
Diet for Athletes, wash your sweet potatoes and place in a pan with water; let
them bake for about 45 minutes as you continue to prep. The perfect post workout
food! (Most people will do better by limiting high carbohydrate foods like sweet
potatoes).
* Boil water in a large pot with a vegetable colander. One bunch of veg at a time,
wash, then briefly steam, removing them from the colander when done and setting
aside to cool.
* Wash your fresh fruit and arrange in a fruit bowl; ready to grab & eat!
* Get the meats marinating! Be creative- one of the fun things about cooking is experimenting! Fancy an Asian Style Beef? Combine
fresh garlic, ginger, olive oil, sesame seeds. Italian Chicken, maybe? Marinate the poultry in fresh basil, garlic, chopped tomatoes and
olives. Marinating will help keep your meals diverse and prevent you from tiring of the same old cuisine.
* Once everything is cooked and cooled, take out your small 'to-go' containers and in each one, place some veg, some fruit, some
protein and a small amount of healthy fat, such as avocado, raw walnuts or flax oil.
* The next morning, when you leave for work, grab two or three of your meal containers, place them in your insulated bag and go!
Happy Eating!

News and Upcoming Events

A video describing one young man's success following The Dietary Cure for Acne is posted on YouTube, with nearly 8000 hits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S08VGSbvgR8

An audio of a discussion between Loren Cordain and Richard Feinman, a biochemistry professor at SUNY-Brooklyn and the editor of the
online journal, Nutrition & Metabolism, is posted on the KGNU LaVida! Website at http://lavida.kgnu.net/lavidaradioshow.php?show_id=331.
On September 8, Dr. Cordain will be giving a brand new talk entitled Malaria and Rickets Represent Selective Forces for

the Convergent Evolution of Adult Lactase Persistence. This will be held at Harlan ll, An International Symposium.
Biodiversity in Agriculture: Domestication, Evolution, & Sustainability, University of California, Davis, CA http://harlanii.ucdavis.edu/index.
htm.
All of Dr. Cordain's previous scientific papers are available for download from our website, www.ThePaleoDiet.com. Just click the
Published Research link on the left side of the page.
Our Recommendations

For personal fitness and nutrition coaching, you may want to check out The Paleo Diet Update contributor Nell Stephenson's website,
http://www.trainwithnellie.com/.
If you are interested in how proper nutrition promotes optimum health, I encourage you to read The Dietary Cure for Acne. This
book is of course geared towards the reader suffering from acne, and provides a program that will typically eliminate this disease in just a
few weeks. While acne is a disease that makes itself quite visible, many of the same mechanisms involved in the development of acne
are also active in the progression of cardiovascular disease and other "hidden" health problems that may take longer to manifest.
After reading this book you'll have a greater understanding of the powerful impact that glycemic load, fatty acid balance, and certain
dietary lectins can have on how the body operates. You can order the paperback, e-book, and also a one hour DVD presentation, at http://
www.DietaryAcneCure.com.
Talk to you next week!
To your optimum health,
Wiley Long, M.S., Nutrition and Exercise Science
Editor

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