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Apparently there is controversy regarding the heavy use of nut flour by those of us on a paleo/modified paleo diet. As soon as I find something that works for me, someone comes up with a reason why it's a bad thing. I eat a paleo muffin every other day for breakfast. It is filling, tastes good and doesn't make me sick. These muffins are a lifesaver when traveling and there is nothing reliable to eat. So, is a paleo muffin a bad thing? I ran my recipe through the "My Fitness Pal App" and these are the results:
Per serving:
Calories 359
Carbs 15
Fat 31
Protein 9
Sodium 231
Sugar 5
This recipe for paleo muffins is made with zucchini, almond flour, apple, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut, pistachio nuts, 3 eggs, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt and baking soda. One article complained about calorie load with such a large consumption of nuts, another was about phytic acid and another about Omega fats. With 2 1/2 C of almond flour per recipe and a total of 12 muffins, each muffin contains .208 C of almond flour.
So, are those of us on a paleo/modified paleo diet relying too heavily on nuts and nut flour? Is it a bad thing? Should I care?
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
When I first tried Paleo, and before I did the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol (no nuts allowed), I went on an almond meal baking binge. My cookies were addicting, but I don't think they were doing my digestive system any favors. After 5 months with no nuts, I've recently reintroduced cashews, pecans and almonds, but I plan to eat them in moderation. I've also read that soaking them before use makes them much more digestible.
This is just my personal opinion, but I have never paid any attention to the food police. Most of them tend to go by assumed (never proven) rules that can be just as far removed from logic as the "food pyramid" and "food plate" guidelines published by USDA. Besides, a lot of 'em (the ones who are constantly harping on calorie content) look as though they're on the verge of starving to death.
Your body will tell you what works for you and what doesn't work. It knows your health situation better than anyone else in the world.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I think that's the little voice worth listening to. In our situation, if it works, do it! Don't pay any attention to what others (who don't know your situation) might think.
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
If it makes you feel any better, when I first went GF, I went to a nutritionist and told her I was eating at least half a cup of nuts a day. She said that was fine and very healthy.
Sheila,
Re: phytic acid and the Omegas, here is a recent thread where this was discussed. I can't do almonds at all, and intend to dry chestnuts and pecans to make flour (when I get enough energy to tackle the dehydrator) and use them instead of almond flour. Whether someone will come out and say that those nuts are also not good? Who knows?
I say if you are feeling OK, you are not piling on the pounds, and they seem to suit you - eat away, and enjoy.
Thanks for the input. Paleo muffins are going to be a mainstay for me and I'm not going to worry about the controversy. They are safe and necessary to keep my weight from dropping too low.
Giving up budesinide is turning out to be more of a challenge than I expected. Even with a very small, very safe, completely home made diet, D is happening more frequently. I don't want to go back to budesinide and can live with some early morning D issues and imodium when necessary. I DO NOT want to go back to WD and losing the race to the bathroom and feeling lousy most of the time.
Sigh.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Have you tried antihistamines lately, to help with controlling symptoms while discontinuing the budesonide?
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I so hope you can get things under control. I haven't managed to. To some extent C is more "convenient" than C, but it's just as debilitating in it's way. It always resolves in C of some level.
Yes, Tex. I've been taking one Zyrtec at night before I go to bed. Leah, I realize that everything I thought was safe while I was taking budesinide may not be safe now. The reactions seem to be worse if I have a lot of grains in a day. I'm going to eliminate rice for the time being and keep grains to a bare minimum and see what happens. After I started the Paleo diet experiment, I lost weight much too quickly and added some grains back into the diet. I don't snack at all, don't overeat, make everything I eat from scratch and have been eating the same foods for at least 1 1/2 - 2 years. I've been gluten, soy, dairy, egg free for 3 years and after the MRT test 2 years ago, my diet got even smaller. I think of Gloria and Lesley and their very, very small number of acceptable foods and I could cry.
I'm keeping a food diary and will continue with that. I think the paleo muffins are okay. When I travel I depend upon them and have never had even the smallest reaction after eating them every day or even a couple of times a day. I just made 1/2 gallon of butternut squash soup and will have that with meat chunks instead of a sandwich for lunch this week. Meat or fish and a sweet potato or other vegetable for dinner. With that diet, I will continue to lose weight and that is going to be a problem. I'm thinking of adding a few nightshades, tomatoes in moderation and white potatoes. White potatoes were a low yellow on the MRT but that could be because I ate a lot of potatoes. Growing up Irish, no meal was complete without a potato. Chicken was a mid yellow on the MRT and I wonder if it really is a problem. This isn't the time to add it back in but life would be easier if I could eat chicken.
Thanks for the suggestions and always being available to help.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
I am sitting here smiling to myself because I can SO relate to all of your posts. We are very much alike in our food issues and the questions we have, I think.
I see you can't do guar gum. I can't either, although I don't have it listed under my avatar. Also, I am like you in that I lose way too much weight on paleo solely. I need to add some rice (the only grain I can tolerate) to be able to maintain a healthy weight. And, like you, I was thrilled to discover the paleo muffin (one of our all-time longest threads-LOL) and now am wondering about the fact that nuts contain omega 6 fats, which we are being told to avoid or limit.
Here are my thoughts on the issue. It is primarily refined oils with omega 6 that seem to be a problem - soy, safflower, sunflower, corn, peanut, etc. By nature, nuts do have omega 6 oils, but they undoubtedly have many other beneficial properties: vitamins, minerals, fiber, and probably some good things we don't know yet know about. It has been proven that a handful of nuts a day is heart-healthy, despite the fact that the refined oils that contain omega 6 probably are a cause of heart disease. So, I say - let's keep on eating those yummy muffins! LOL. Of course, the fiber might be a problem when we are flaring or tapering off of budenoside, but once the gut is healed muffins should be OK.
I am a believer in eating whole foods as they were meant to be eaten. I avoid juices and eat only the whole fruit, for example. And I don't take supplements (other than vitamin D) because I believe the actual food provides the best nutrients.
Finally, one of the biggest issues on the paleo diet is the lack of satisfying (filling) "convenience" foods. The muffins are one of the few foods that can fill this role. I take them when I travel and nuke them in a few seconds when I am starving.
BTW, I will be interested in your white potato experiment. Once again, like you, coming from an Irish background, potatoes were a staple - and my favorite food to boot! I f I were asked what single food I would take on a desert island, I always said potato. I was also yellow on MRT for white potato and have been thinking of trying them again. Let me know how you do? Are you planning to try a specific potato - like red?
Good luck with your continued taper.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Polly, Have you ever been on Entocort? I remember reading that your colon showed no CC when you had your last colonoscopy and that it had taken many years on a strict diet to reach that goal. That certainly gave a me a lot of hope.
I found the recipe for what I called "paleo muffins" in a cookbook I got from the library, "Paleo Comfort Foods". The author took a recipe for Morning Glory Muffins and adapted it to be gluten free. She made them with carrots and raisins, two things that I don't tolerate. I experimented with using zucchini and then pumpkin when I first tried them. They are still a miracle food for me. Members of the board made them with almost every conceivable fruit, veggie and flour. It was a Muffin-Fest!
One in three hundred Irish (Celts) have celiac disease. The locus seems to be Southwestern Ireland. When I was there in 2007 I found family names in cemeteries on the Dingle peninsula. Most of my family comes from south-central Ireland and I believe I will post a question to relatives I found through ancestry.com regarding celiac in their branch of the family. Since it is genetic, it seems plausible that there would be a lot of us with the genes.
I've been off Entocort for about a month and each day has been a bit worse than the last. I've been dropping foods, one by one, having a good day and then the next is not so good. Re-reading Gloria's posts from 2009-2011, when she was weaning off and on Entocort has been interesting and daunting. I don't want to have to take Entocort again but I also don't want to be miserable for the rest of my life. I will give this trial more time, be extra careful with my food choices and hope for the best. I love potatoes and will look for red or yellow skinned varieties. Without rice in my diet, my pants will be falling off in a few weeks.
Thanks for the information about the Omega issue. Being on the modified paleo diet hasn't caused any cholesterol problems and now that I am eliminating ALL dairy, (goodbye butter), it should be even better.
I'll keep you posted about my potato trial. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
