Comments on: Zucchini and Feta with Spaghetti Squash

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 21:37:32 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Rose.

Paleo is often described as an evolutionary approach to nutrition where you eat the kinds of food our ancestors would have eaten before the beginning of grain-based agriculture. Most people who follow a Paleo diet eat only meat, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds. Some add minimally processed fats such as coconut oil and olive oil. Some also add low sugar, full-fat dairy such as cream, butter, yogurt and aged cheeses. All Paleo folks stay away from grains, legumes, processed sugars, industrially-processed oils (like canola and soy) and preservatives/chemicals/fake foods. You can read more on blogs such as Mark’s Daily Apple, Paleo Mom, and Everyday Paleo.

Many people who have oxalate toxicity (which can cause kidney stones along with a host of other symptoms), have issues with oxalate because of poor gut health or intestinal permeability. The Paleo diet is well-known for it’s gut-healing properties. Other diets to research for gut health benefits (and therefore oxalate detoxing benefits) are GAPS, Weston A. Price and Gluten-Free/Casein-Free. Low Oxalate Paleo is the diet I personally feel the healthiest following, but many people have healed their guts with these other choices also.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your healing journey.

By: rose

rose — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:20:47 +0000

i like to know what is PALEO? for the last 5 years my husband keep getting kidney stone ,we willing to try
any diet so they don’t reacurethank you .

By: Heidi

Heidi — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:45:31 +0000

Hi, Ben.
I plan to do a post on low oxalate Paleo, but for me there have been four huge benefits and many minor ones. I’ve completely healed my reactive hypoglycemia (enough reason to stay Paleo for life). I’ve got tons more energy. It’s easier for me to stay low oxalate. My immune system is working much better (a much easier spring allergy season than ever before, including very few colds this winter and NO sinus infections – amazing!). It has improved my gut health dramatically, and I believe it is helping to actually heal my leaky gut (verdict’s still out on this one), which is one of the causes of my oxalate-related symptoms. Oh, and I’ve lost 20 pounds without going hungry! I personally love the Paleo diet, although at first glance I think most people find Paleo overwhelming. If you think your oxalate-related symptoms are a result of poor intestinal health or function, then the Paleo Diet (or GAPS) may be really helpful for you (some doctors believe every fibromyalgia patient has a leaky gut). Also, it can really help chronic fatigue, so it seems like it could really help your wife. Anyway, I’ll try to post more soon, so you can get a better idea of whether it could help you personally.
Take care,
Heidi

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:25:13 +0000

Thanks for your fabulous website! I just found it this morning and am really happy. I have kidney stones and my wife has bladder pain and fibromyalgia, so we both need this diet. I’d like to hear more about your Paleo diet and why you think it’s been so beneficial. We already have reduced our grain and legume consumption on the low oxalate diet, but it sounds like maybe completely ditching these foods is helpful?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:06:25 +0000

You’re welcome, Therese.

I identify my diet as low oxalate Paleo, but there are so many nuances and differences within the Paleo community that I’m not sure there is any one correct way to be 100% Paleo. And for me I’m don’t think that would be desirable. I personally like Lauren Cordain and Mark Sisson’s approach where they suggest you eat Paleo most of the time, but don’t sweat the small stuff and go ahead and have an occasional indulgence. For me, that means eat a whole foods diet that emphasizes meats, veggies, fruits and healthy fats, but don’t worry if you occasionally eat a bean, some rice, or a little too much honey. Also, I follow the “primal” version of Paleo, so I eat butter, cream, yogurt and some cheeses. I don’t consider these cheats, but part of my healthy diet. Given that, I’d say right now I probably eat 90% Paleo and my boys probably eat 70% Paleo with the bulk of our non-Paleo foods being white rice, sweet peas, sweet corn (boys only) and watered down juice (boys only).

By: Therese O.

Therese O. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:26:46 +0000

Heidi,
Thank you so much for posting your recipes and all you do to help bring healing to others. I wanted to ask if you eat totally Paleo? Thanks!

Therese