Akil Palanisamy, MD

The paleovedic diet

Episode Description

Many have asked among the myriad of diets, “Which one is for me?” Dr. Palanisamy answers this question in his book, The Paleovedic Diet: A Complete Program to Burn Fat, Increase Energy and Reverse Disease. In this book, Dr. Palanisamy blends the best of the modern scientific method with the time honored ancient healing system, Aruveda. His approach helps to understand a person’s biochemical individuality and develops a diet and lifestyle plan that is individualized for each person. He also discusses the importance of nutrition, intermittent fasting, exercise, sound sleep, a balance of the mind-body-spirit, connectiveness, and the role of toxins and detoxification.

Book:  Paleovedic diet

www.Drakil.com

 

EVOLUTIONARY MISMATCH

For three million years, we lived as hunter gatherers and lived a different life style.  We are not genetically well adapted to today’s processed food, and the lack of social connection.   The microbiome has changed over fifty years with the rise in the use of antibiotics and the decreased quality of food, C sections, and hand sanitizers.

 

 

  1. PALANISAMY’S BACKGROUND

He was a vegetarian, while in medical school, he had to take a year off from school due to a health crisis with chronic pain, weight loss and fatigue.   Visits to doctors did not help until he saw an Aryuvedic practitioner who recommended a diet with some meat and bone broth

 

IMPACT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Impact of Sleep

  • The body has circadian rhythms, predictable variations in patterns.
  • The melatonin cycle coincides with sunset and sun rise
  • Melatonin is highest at sunset which helps people to go to sleep.
  • Melatonin is lowest in the morning when the sun rises.
  • Melatonin has an inverse relationship with cortisol which energizes people
  • Blue lights from computers, TVs interferes with the production of melatonin.
  • Blue light devises should be turned off two hours before bed time.
  • Wearing yellow glasses can block the blue light

 

Impact on cognitive abilities

  • People check their devices up to 85 times per day
  • The average attention span is 8 seconds
  • The attention span of a gold fish is 9 seconds

 

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

Combines alternative approaches such herbs acupuncture with conventional medicine.  This includes physical exercise and connectiveness.

 

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

Looks at underlying causes for illnesses.

 

AYURVEDA 

  • 3000 years from India
  • “ayur” = life; “veda”= science;  ayurvda means “science of life”
  • Three body constitutions
    • Vata   wind
    • Pitta   fire
    • Kapha  earth
  • We are born with different proportions of these three types and the goal is to get people back toward their original proportions.

 

 

PALEO DIET 

Emulates the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors.  It eliminates processed, modern food.

 

PALEOVEDIC DIET 

Customizes a nutrient rich paleo diet based on the ayurvedic principles.  Examples include:

 

Vata patient

  • A women with the vata constitution presents with constipation, anxiety and fatigue.
  • Excess vata manifests as constipation, fatigue and anxiety.
  • Her diet of cold foods, salads, cold cuts and iced water made this worse.
  • Changing her diet to include more fish and cooked foods made her symptoms improve. More spices to reduce inflammation.

 

 

A pitta patient

  • A Silicon Valley software engineer with a pitta constitution presents with ulcerative colitis and inflammation.
  • His diet consisted of red meat, fermented dairy, sauerkraut. These foods were too heated for him
  • Excess pitta symptoms include diarrhea, inflammation and feeling warm all he time
  • A diet focusing on bitter greens, rice and legumes with some raw foods  and a reduction of excessive spices made his symptoms improve

 

THE ROLE OF SPICES  

  • Underutilized in modern Western diet
  • Are among most nutrient dense food second only to organ meats
  • Have anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties
  • Help with blood sugar regulation
  • Keep digestion strong and optimal
  • Except for turmeric which is universal, spices should be determined by body type.
  • Grind whole spices before cooking especially seeds such as cumin, coriander and fennel.
  • Spices can be stored for up to three to six months.

 

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE  

  • Ayurveda and functional medicine have a lot to offer
  • Conventional medicine uses steroids or immune suppressants. These have a role, but don’t address the root cause

 

TOXINS AND THEIR ADVERSE EFFECTS ON HEALTH

Mercury

  • Mercury reacts with certain proteins and binds with the body tissues.
  • The immune system sees these as foreign and creates antibodies against those tissues
  • Is in dental fillings, fish

 

Lead

  • In paint, environment, chocolate, lipstick, personal care products
  • It is important to use green cosmetics

 

Glyphosate

  • Brings aluminum into the pineal gland
  • More and more data about the cancer promoting effects of glyphosate, the microbiome, liver function
  • This information was known and suppressed

 

GMO

  • The past research was done by companies producing the products
  • Independent research shows GMOs throw off endocrine system
  • GMOs affect enzyme
  • BT used on crops produced BT toxin and is found in the blood of women and fetuses
  • We should avoid GMO products until is research on the effects of GMO

 

 

GLUTEN

  • There were societies in Europe that ate gluten
  • These societies had healthy microbiomes and ate fermented foods
  • They had a different, less processed type of wheat
  • Who can tolerate gluten is an individual thing. Persons need to have a healthy microbiome, no blood sugar problems and no autoimmune problems
  • Current wheat (dwarf wheat) is higher in starch and gluten.
  • People who have a gluten sensitivity may be able to tolerate wheat in Europe and the Middle East

 

SOCIAL CONNECTIVENESS

  • Huge epidemics of isolation contribute to poor health
  • Blue zones areas of longevity are socially connected

 

 

EXERCISE

  • Exercise should be customized
  • High intensity for some (HIT) mimics activity of hunter gatherers with high intensity efforts interspersed with moderate activities
  • This is more effective than traditional cardio exercises.
  • The high intensity activities deplete glycogen and energy stores promoting greater fat burning during cardio
  • The high intensity efforts also produce lactic acid   which is cleared from body during cardio

 

INTERMITTENT FASTING

  • Part of evolutionary perspective as food was not always available
  • Helps with burning fat
  • Increases GH
  • Normalizes metabolic hormones insulin, leptin, and ghrelin
  • His book discusses five different approaches to intermittent fasting
  • One approach is to eat all foods within an eight hour window

 

PALEOVEDIC DETOX

  • 3 week pale
  • Minimize toxin exposure
  • Eliminate problematic foods
    • Gluten, dairy, soy, alcohol, caffeine
  • Take food that help with detox
  • Teas, herbs to help liver and kidney to clear toxins

 

OTHER ADVICE

  • Avoid prolonged sitting
  • Optimal sleep

 

Contact Info

Paleovedic diet

Drakil.com

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