For health reasons I've decided to do Neandrathin (as closely as I can which means my meat sources for the most part aren't free range except when there's a good sale!) I'm hoping for a marked change for the better in cholesterol (total 270; ratio 7.5)


I need to bring cholesterol, bp and weight down...All are very high. After 2 yrs of doing Atkins and falling on and off the wagon, I can't "play around" anymore.

Basic plan: 3-4 cups of greens, low carb veggies, some raw is best but
I'm easing myself into raw veggies.
Anything w/a face w/out additives such as sugar or nitrate
eggs (I just can't do raw for now)
Good fats (coconut, olive, a little butter)
Minimal raw seeds, nuts and berries (including kiwi), and the "veggie like" lower carb fruits such as avocado, cucumber and tomato
when my weigh loss allows. And of course water and herb or fruit teas (ie. celestial seasoning blueberry) Terry

Doing great! Almost a week doing neandrathin and I have so much energy inspite of the hot humid Ohio weather!

I had gotten back up to 230 and have come down to 218 (thats a 12 pound loss) in almost a weeks time! Incredible after so many months of stalling and falling off of lc.

This is definitely the plan for me....Lots to chose from good pure foods. Simple plan w/out distraction. I must have food allergies/intolerances/sensitivities to have had such a great loss in the first week.....

For now I keep my journal in the lowcarb christians site under flowergirl if you are interested in what I've been eating. I'm looking forward to seeing my cholesterol ratio normalize and sleep apnea cease. I've already been able to decrease my bp med to 40mgs instead of 80!!! Some day with God's grace I'll be off all meds. I love this WOL. Terry

Congratulations on your success this week even with the horrid Ohio weather. It is tremendous that you feel such an improvement by going Neanderthin.

Cutting out the additives in food and the marketed 'low-carb' products by going all natural can be challenging. But it is so worth it. In many ways, it is much easier eating Neanderthin because the gray areas are fewer. There are some personal challenges like whether to eat any dairy, or whether to still count carbs.

Welcome to 'The Cave.'

Thanks for the response Shazzer.

I feel better and don't have cravings when I eliminate dairy (except I do use butter). I realized what a cheese addict I was when I stopped eating it! Now its not even a temptation because I have so much more energy.

How important is it to health to eliminate vinegar and why? I love vinegar in my marinades and salads, but I've been subbing lemon juice or lime in the salads.

How impt is leaving out nitrates? I found sugar free bacon but it is smoked so too salty and has nitrates too....I need to acquire the taste for pork belly sliced thin...any suggestions at making it more palatable w/out adding too much salt?

I know I notice I feel better w/out the salt and nitrates, which is reason enough to keep it out of my food plan, but not sure about the vinegar part.

Thanks! Terry

The answer on vinegar is that it is often high in carbs, sometimes has added sugar, and is made through fermentation. Like other fermented products, the end product you consume is the waste product of the yeasts. It can't be found in nature, so the advice of Ray Audette is to avoid consumption of it.

For nitrites/nitrates question, nitrates and nitrites occur in nature as part of the nitrogen cycle, thus by eating naturally, we injest small quantities and use small quantities in the body. But like all substances, there is a delicate balance as to what humans can consume safely. Both will form nitrosamides in the human body. Various studies have linked nitrosamides in large doses to cancer. So it is best to avoid any excess exposure by eating non-processed foods.

For pork belly, I generally fry it or bake it in the oven. Instead of salt, I will use herbs such as sage with it to make it more palatable. But I've never liked salt very much, so I don't miss it by eating uncured pork.

Thanks for the guidlines Shazzer! I just saw you are from Ohio too. I'm a little East of Cleveland. Terry

Another Ohioan here in the capital.

Congrats on the week, Terry.

Wrt fermentation propducts, I follow Nourishing Traditions/WAPF recommendations which are big on fermented products. I eat a ton of sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented condiments that have really helped to "up" the healthy bacteria in my system.

Paris, How did you discover kimchee? Our daughter in law is Korean and it is THE national food of Korea so we are enjoying it w/her.

Good news...lost 2 more pounds so I'm resetting my signature today! I found that eliminating salty meats (yes even no nitrate, no sugar bacon and sausages caused me to retain water and stall) has helped me a lot. Terry

Keep up the good work Flower!! Cheese seems to be a problem when it comes to weight loss. Have you tried thinly sliced steak with your eggs in the morning? With cucumber and tomato slices smothered in olive oil and a little salt. That will definitely keep you full til lunch. Burp.

Yum Vic, it sounds wonderful, I'll try some!

Just want to say I feel GREAT today! So much energy I even cleaned the garage (well started...lots more to do in there!!!) It must be a combo of neandr and the fact that I've used an auto cpap for about 2 wks now. My memory is back (lack of oxygen at night from stopping breathing and just plain exhaustion from not sleeping at night because of sleep apnea worked mischief w/my mind!), my darling dh doesn't wake up from my snoring at night anymore and when I wake up I feel like STAYING up at 6am instead of needing more sleep! What a great change!!!! Also bp is now 100/69 which is a big improvement (still on meds but half what I was taking). Things feel like they're coming together and I am so grateful to feel this good. Terry

Ray Audette is right about a lot of things, but not about this one. Fermentation by yeast and bacteria is ubiquitous in nature - it's how all plant matter is decomposed. Acetic acid (vinegar) and other volatile fatty acids resulting from bacterial fermentation are found in quantity in the guts of ruminants. They are walking fermentation vats - it's how they extract energy from cellulose.

IMO, naturally fermented products like kimchi and saurkraut are convenient and more appealing substitutes for the stomach contents of our prey. I always have some with meat. It tastes good and my digestion seems to be much better for it.

Wyv

The difference between what occurs naturally with decomposition and what occurs with human prodding of decomposition is the distinction, I believe, Ray Audette was aiming at when he wrote that fermented foods should be avoided (although there isn't too much in the book about fermentation). I don't want to misinterpret what he wrote, but my understanding is that fermented products to avoid include alcohols, cheese, vinegars, etc. But I think you make a valid assertion about substituting for stomach/digestive tract contents of animals (not something I previously had considered).

I would agree that distilled products (both alcohol and vinegar) should be avoided since distillation is a technological innovation to produce higher concentrations of alcohols and acids than those produced by natural fermentation alone.

Wyv

I used to add organic apple cider vinegar to my water, besides using it on occasion w/olive oil for salads or marinating meat. Good idea? Not a good idea? T

If it the vinegar doesn't hurt you, why not? I sure didn't mean to come off like the Paleo police! (Just finished a latte breve with splenda...) LOL! I am more interested in discussing what is and isn't Paleo as a matter of scientific interest, rather than whether we must all be paleo purists. That's a whole 'nother discussion

Wyv