Monday, June 13, 2011

Whole 30 / Perfect Health Diet

Well, after much debate and trialing several supposedly "safe" starches, it looks like I'm going back to what works for me, and that's the Whole 30. I have to say that I'm much more open to the idea of starches now due to the Perfect Health Diet. And while the Jaminet's diet does include yams & sweet potatoes as safe starches, which work for me, some of their other starch recommendations, rice and potatoes, don't. Or at least right now, they don't. Also, I'm getting a little OCD on the measuring. I've also been consuming unregulated amounts of dairy (not Perfect Health compliant), which I already knew I shouldn't. I have terrible acne at the moment.

I still believe that there is a lot that both Paleo and low carbers can take from the Jaminet's diet. Here are several things I'm taking away from trialing the Perfect Health Diet.

1) I don't really need as much protein as I'd always assumed, as long as my carbs from starch is comparable. For example, keeping my fat constant at 100 grams, if I consume 65 grams of protein and 65 grams of starch, I'm just as full as if I had consumed 120 grams of protein. And that's 65 grams of starch, not just any carbs. Caveat - this did take a few days of adjustment with the higher carb/lower protein in regards to hunger. I just ate more starch if I was hungry for a few days, then it regulated itself.

2) With the additional amounts of starch carbs, not including what I'm getting from veggie carbs, I find that I also don't need as much fat to be satiated. Back when I was doing vlc/no carb, I could consume upwards of 200 grams of fat and not be satiated.

3) I can handle higher starch carbs than I had previously assumed, as long as it's from yams or sweet potatoes. Trialing some of their other "safe" starches produced some crazy high postprandial #'s, along with ravenous hunger after a couple hours. In fact, their weight loss ratio is 600 calories from protein/carbs and the remaining calories from fat (up to 12-1500 calories). I actually have trouble consuming their recommended 100 grams of starch plus 50 grams of protein and 100 grams of fat to get to 1500 calories.

4) With the more lenient carb/starch intake and more moderate protein and fat intake (at least in relation to the average low carb diet, not SAD), my meals are looking more "normal". Looking at some of the meals using a low/moderate protein, some starch, some veggies & moderate fats, gave me some surprisingly delicious and decadent meals.

And finally, I, and my bowels, really do not enjoy eating excessive amounts of fibrous veggies (i.e. more than about 30 grams of veggies). <Yikes!> And I can honestly say that getting over 50 grams of starch carbs really limits my desire for any additional veggie carbs.

But what it boils down to is that I really don't want to measure my food anymore. I have a tendency towards OCD if I do. And then I start manipulating what I'm eating to get to the "correct" ratios, instead of eating what's appealing. Or start franken-baking so I can have "treat". And the majority of the time, I find that when I just eat real food, and then log - what I like is close to the ratios anyways. But only when it's real food. When it's frankenfood or SAD, forget about it. I've also found that I have trouble eating more than about 80 grams of starch carbs from yams/sweet potatoes in a day, I just get too full. Which still works out just fine, because the food is so filling, my calories are still under control.

1 comment:

  1. Hi there,

    I'm also on Paleo diet and just like you I consume safe starch without much problem as long it comes from tubers like yams and sweet potatoes (purple ones are my favorite!)

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