Occasional insulin spikes should be "Paleo" page

[bookstorecowboy]

Since a fair number of naturally occurring foods cause insulin spikes, I would think that occasional events of this kind would be no problem for most people -- part of our evolutionary heritage to which we are adapted. According to my reading, some such foods are pumpkin, parsnips, honey, potatoes, watermelon, figs, beets, carrots. Who knows, maybe if insulin spikes happen just every now and then, they are beneficial. The problem seems to come from habitual consumption of high g.i. foods, right?

None of these foods would have been available to paleolithic man on a regular basis, I understand. But still, they, or foods like these foods, seem to have been part of our genetic history; and if they were harmful, they would probably taste bad.

I know that at a certain point we come close to the land of Just So Stories, but still, this seems reasonable to me. Does it to you?

[Nion]

Hmm. Lots of stuff that is bad tastes good, though. Like antifreeze :P

[bookstorecowboy]

Yeah, that's true about synthetic chemicals, but very few *natural* substances that taste good are poisonous. Honey is an interesting example because bees protect it so fiercely that it is impossible to get it very often.

[gumbogirl]

And occasional insulin spikes help bring leptin back in balance, I think.

[pyro13g]

Sure makes some sense to me. Even spikes via protein since I can see gorging on large kills before spoilage set in.

[Waskydiver]

I think the answer can be found within natural selection.

If high sugar and carb foods caused instant death, then I would suspect them to taste very bad to us.

However, people can eat high carb and high sugar diets, without much interference with their ability to reproduce. In fact, most of the life threatening conditions would happen after child-bearing age.

[bookstorecowboy]

Sure, but child-bearing age is a factor only for women, and for both women and men, being alive to protect your children and their children and grandchildren is highly adaptive.

[Silky]

Yes I'm su grok would have been able to gorge on a crop of fresh berries in season and had an insulin spike. Sadly she wouldn't have found a stash of milk chocolate nestled in the undergrowth.

[Waskydiver]

Sure, but child-bearing age is a factor only for women, and for both women and men, being alive to protect your children and their children and grandchildren is highly adaptive.

Perhaps... but I think that when you are living, literally hand to mouth, I think that those with the willingness to consume the widest range of nutrients would have a much better chance of making it to child bearing years than those who did not.

During periods of feast, they could consume large quantities of things like carrots and berries and pack on additional fat to take them through the periods of famine.

Sure... MAYBE they would have a higher risk of heart disease once they reached their 60's or 70's (not that it was at all likely that they would make it that old in the first place).

Natural selection will always follow the path of the lesser of two evils.

[Lily Marie]

Sadly she wouldn't have found a stash of milk chocolate nestled in the undergrowth.

What do you mean?? What about the prehistoric Easter Bunny?