21-total body transformation book CONFLICTING INFO page

[babycakes]

Ok, here I am... trying my very best to stay primal and do my LR at the same time. As I was reading the book mentioned above, I came across page 92 "Legumes: alfalfa, beans, peanuts, peanut butter, PEAS, lentils, soybeans, and tofu... they still contain appreciable levels of anti-nutrients and stimulate an excessive insulin response." (listed as to avoid) Then page 113: "Here is a quick list of some of the vegetables with the highest antioxidant values: beets, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, garlic, kale, onion, PEAS, red bell peppers, spinach, and yellow squash."

Totally conflicting info in the same book... I don't even like peas, but that is not the point. The point is the conflict here. I do not like this, because it makes me wonder what else could be wrong.

Another problem, but this IS NOT conflicting in the book, is that I was told that almond milk was primal. Then I get to page 89 where Mark lists almond milk in the same level as soy and rice milk, all meant to be tossed... What the heck?? I guess I will just stick with cow milk then. I was getting almond milk just because I thought I was doing something good to my body. It is more expensive and has less protein than a 2% milk.

So what is the explanation if any for this conflicting info??
thx anyone for their input! I appreciate it!

[ChocoTaco369]

Some people are not researchers and need blanket generalizations. Others love to delve into the details and want to optimize the situation.

For the 'Average Joe' that isn't going to research this stuff, they should 'avoid legumes'. That includes peanuts, cashews and beans. It's simple and easy to remember. Now, for the detail-oriented individual, there are exceptions. String beans, peas, fermented soy (tempeh, gluten free tamari) and occasional cashews are okay in small quantities. Now, could you imagine if Mark's rule was "avoid legumes for the most part except for string beans, peas, tempeh, gluten free tamari and small quantities of cashews as long as they're not staples in your diet"? That would turn a lot of people away because it's way, way too complicated. But yes, you're okay with eating green beans and peas. They're both starchy and they both contain anti-nutrients, but the quantities are very low of each. You're best off not eating them every day or making them a nutritional staple, but if it's a beautiful summer night and you want a steak and a pile of fresh string beans, absolutely go ahead. That's completely harmless. It's not conflicting information, but rather details that would turn away the average person, and Mark would much rather have 1,000,000 people on board at 75% than 1,000 people on 100%. It's the greater good, and it's better for business.

Almond milk is a similar story. Personally, I'm anti-nut for the most part, but there's a big difference between "almond milk" and "almond milk". Ok, that was confusing. Basically, you can make your own almond milk and it would be okay in terms of the Primal Blueprint. There are plenty of recipes online that tell you how to make it, and it's pretty simple. However, the store bought almond milk is different - it's full of extra ingredients. Most common are carageenan, soy/sunflour lecithin, many have added sugars and flavoring agents...they're not exactly Primal because of all the words in the "ingredients" list you can't pronounce.

[Noctiluca]

Peas are one of those foods that are a bit on the fence. If you are significantly worried about avoiding ALL legumes then avoid the peas too. If you want a few in a salad every now and again they won't kill ya!

And as for the almond milk just think about that one for a minute. Is it primal by the definition of not containing grains or dairy? Yes. Is it primal by avoiding processed foods? No. If your body tolerates dairy you are probably much better off with dairy milks. Obviously the higher quality the better (organic, grass-fed, local, raw, etc). But if you don't tolerate dairy well and you occasionally want a 'milk' to drink then Almond milk or coconut milk is probably ok. But I wouldn't down gallons a week you know?

[iniQuity]

Red wine is a toxin (alcohol is technically a poison), but red wine is also an antioxidant. We take this seemingly conflicting information and we turn it into: drink some red wine, but not too much.

[ChocoTaco369]

Here is a great tutorial on how to make your own almond milk.

How to Milk an Almond (fresh homemade almond milk, easy)

Or, you could just go buy a can of coconut milk, add some water to dilute, maybe toss in a tablespoon of vanilla extract and a cinnamon stick for some flavor and go with that. Or just drink organic milk, preferably grass-fed and raw if you can find it.

I'm one of the more anti-nut people on this site. It turns my stomach when people use almond meal because it's like baking with a highly oxidized omega 6 caloric bomb. It's a trade-off because they're also loaded with minerals, monounsaturated fats and anti-oxidants. Does the good outweigh the bad for you? Personally, I'll take canned, boiled black beans over nuts as soaked and rinsed canned beans have shown to have immeasurable levels of lectin activity (pressure cooking and boiling most beans quickly removes the lectin content), but that's just my opinion. I eat fermented corn as well that I ferment with a mixture of baker's yeast, Greek yogurt and kefir, and I eat white rice quite often, so keep that in mind. I'm not perfect, either.

Ultimately, experiment and find out what works for you. I recommend cutting out everything except meat and non-nightshade vegetables from your diet for 30 days straight and add things back one at a time to truly see how your body reacts.

[babycakes]

Awesome! I understand now, however... I must say... Mark should be more clear about these things. That's my opinion... I guess I'll stick with regular milk... I despise coconut milk as bevarage, yuck! And making my own?... I am already loaded with things to do, uh... no thanks! But this is all great explanation you guys gave me. Thanks a lot!

[babycakes]

@ choctacco: I started losing a few pouns as soon as I started primal. Then I got Mark's book and all those nice recipes with nuts (like the bars) and started making my own grain-free crackers and snacking on them... in the meantime I started working out again and GAINED the weight back! I was puzzled!... and MAD! Then I came here again, and reading a recipe for banana pancakes, the person that posted it, mentioned that if you are trying to lose weight, those are too starchy and not supposed to be consumed. Aha! Then I understood the point. And then again, I think Mark should be a little more careful with the recipes, by adding notes like this person did. I like the fact that the quick recipes cookbook has the table with protein, carbs, etc listed for each serving, but for the novice it is very important that we know this is a recipe for every now and then or that should be avoided when trying to shed some pounds.
I am learning a lot! I love this! THANK YOU ALL!

[babycakes]

And I still think it's pretty conflicting have peas under two different categories on the same book... Peas either are legumes to be avoided OR they are the ones to go for!

[Uncephalized]

A food can be high in antioxidants and still be bad to eat.

In fact, most antioxidants are poisons in high amounts and concentrations. The trick is getting a small quantity of a large variety of antioxidants. I've been reading a lot of places that recent research is refuting the idea that eating a lot of antioxidants is even a good thing (as in supplementation doses, real food is fine!), because the actual benefit is from the hormetic effect of your body up-regulating its defenses against plant toxins when exposed to them in small doses, which has other health benefits as well. The plant compounds themselves are just the triggers that impel your body to up-regulate its repair mechanisms.

[Vanessa120]

Not everything is black and white, especially when it comes to nutrition. Sometimes it is hard for us type "a" people to live in the gray! Good luck on your primal journey.

P.S.
I just made a batch of almond milk. Super easy and very cheap.