Avoid gluten? page

[Thaumas]

Hi guys,

I'm 40, I live in Paris, and I've just found out about Mark Sisson's research. I'm 6 foot and approaching 100 kilos, so obviously main motivation for going primal is my desire to lose weight and remove stored fat. In terms of exercise, I ride a bike between my workplace and my home every day, and I take occaisional walks. In terms of nutrition, I'm going to cut back on dairy, sugar (I'll have my coffee unsweetened), and carbs (turning to legumes such as beans for proteins). Which leads me to my first question. I've just bought red beans and the notice on the packaging says they may contain gluten. Now, I understand gluten is a protein but it is found in foods processed from wheat and other grain-related species. Does this mean that this protein is part of the carbs grouping? Should I therefore avoid it?

Thank you very much for your insights.

[iniQuity]

Yeah beans are generally considered off limits and I would look to get protein from animals instead. That being said, some people do utilize beans, though for carbs not for protein, at certain times, specific to training. The gluten in the beans is a warning to celiacs (people that have strong allergic reaction to gluten) and probably means these beans were processed in a factory that also processes gluten-containing products. Your beans most likely don't contain a large enough amount of gluten, and given that you're French and have presumably eaten plenty of breads in your life, you would already know if you're seriously gluten intolerant. You're not.

Focus on meat and vegetables, do some weight training (2x/week is enough) and you'll drop body fat in no time.

[DSR84]

Welcome! Here's a pretty good starting point, re: Gluten -

Gluten | Mark's Daily Apple

If you haven't read "The Primal Blueprint" yet, you really should. It goes over stuff like this way better than any of us knuckleheads.

[kennelmom]

some normally non-gluten containing foods may carry a gluten warning on the label if they are processed in a facility that also processes gluten-containing products. Celiacs can be severely sensitive to even trace amounts of gluten.

Also, legumes aren't a very primal protein source...eat animals instead. I DO eat properly prepared (soaked) legumes from time to time as a small part of a meal or dish, but never as my main protein source.

[Thaumas]

Thank you all for explaining the gluten warning. I now understand that the amount of gluten in those beans is so small that I can overlook its presence.

As for eating beans, I thought they would be a good source of calories (I wrote "turning to legumes for proteins" but I meant "turning to legumes for calories"). What worries me now is what iniQuity said about beans containing carbs, since I want to go on a low-carb diet. Where will I found the calories I need for energy if I cut back on legumes and focus on meat and vegetables?

[iniQuity]

Where will I found the calories I need for energy if I cut back on legumes and focus on meat and vegetables?

In the meat and vegetables! You can eat A LOT of vegetables, if all you're doing for a "workout" is riding your bike, you really don't need that much in the way of calories. You should make sure the meat you're eating is fatty (in "meat" I'm including any animals, so for instance fatty fish like salmon would be perfect here) as fat has plenty of calories in it, you just can't really see them. You will most likely be eating a lot less, but that shouldn't alarm you if you're feeling good.

You can also throw in some sweet potatoes/yams and even white potatoes further down the road. I would try to focus on mostly greens and colorful non-starchy vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, all types of peppers, tomatoes, onions, etc) cook them in coconut oil (for fat, you need fat to take in the vitamins contained in the veggies) and pair them with sources of protein, beef, pork, fish, poultry, all are fair game. Of course, if you're able to, go for grass-fed/pastured/wild-caught as often as you can BUT don't worry so much about that. It's undoubtedly better for you, but conventional meat isn't all that terrible. I'm not sure how it is in France, but I'm assuming your cows aren't caged in like ours are. Oh, right, eat butter too! vegetables cooked in butter are delightful.

Prioritize fat, as odd as it may sound, as counter productive to weight-loss as it may seem, and you will experience.... the truth!

[Thaumas]

Thank you iniQuity for emphasising the need for fat. I happen to have high cholesterol levels, though. What do you recommend? Saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat? And in what foods can I found the fats that will help me both drop body fat and lower my cholesterol levels?

[wendyland]

If you're wanting to eat low carb, it might be useful for you to keep track of what you eat for awhile to get familar with how many carbs are in foods. A lot of people like spark people. I prefer tracking using myfitnesspal.com or mydailyplate at livestrong.com. It will give you a breakdown of how many carbs are in your foods. You can also buy calorie/carb counting books. I find that if I stick mainly to meat and vegetables that I have a hard time going over my carb limit.

[iniQuity]

Thank you iniQuity for emphasising the need for fat. I happen to have high cholesterol levels, though. What do you recommend? Saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat? And in what foods can I found the fats that will help me both drop body fat and lower my cholesterol levels?

Saturated, that's the fat found in most animals as well as coconuts (and its oil, butter, etc) I'm by no means an expert on the matter, but if I recall right high cholesterol has more to do with bad carb sources. However, this blog is a good read for that: The Heart Scan Blog | Measure, track, and reduce coronary atherosclerotic plaque

I would also recommend NOT talking to others about this. I'm not sure how it is in France, but here in America most people have the incorrect notion that saturated fat is bad for you. This is a result of our governing agencies purposely campaigning against it, in order to make people consume man-made oils (which are terrible for your health, but good for their pockets) so that they'll get sick and require medical assistance. I don't think everyone here shares my conspiracy theories, so it may sound harsh, but I strongly believe it. The same happens with other sources of fat, that's why in America everything sold is low in fat, people think this is good, but it is absolutely not good.

Now, I don't want you to eat a ton of fat, keep it sensible, use enough to cook things in or to coat them, there's no need to have so much fat around that you're forced to drink it. Moderation is very important in life, and it certainly is important when it comes to what you put in your body. If using coconut oil (which I highly recommend) and preparing a meal just for yourself, half a spoon is plenty.

[john_e_turner_ii]

You are feeding him...