Documentary Review: Love Paleo

This documentary was different than anything else that I’ve read or watched on Paleo thus far. I’ll get into that more in a bit. Love Paleo interviews almost a dozen people regarding how living a paleolithic lifestyle helped to change their lives.

These people had a host of problems: chronic migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal issues, adult acne, foggy mind, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, as well as a general feeling of “ickiness.” They were told by their doctors to accept their fate and to take <insert any number of pharmaceutical drugs here>.

Almost all of them had to find out on their own how powerful changing your diet can be when it comes to fixing specific health issues. And they were all eventually led to–you guessed it–paleo.

One of the things that I was most struck by in this film was the number of diabetic patients (with type 2 diabetes) successfully using paleo to come off their medicines. Especially older patients who think that their blood sugar going up is simply a part of aging.

“We were satisfied with what we knew to be, and we thought this was it. You grow old, and you die, and you feel miserable, and you have aches and pains, and that’s just part of the life process. And we know [now] that that doesn’t have to be. So… we’re moving more. We’re feeling better. It’s incredible.”

Kathy & Freddie, Vital Rejuvenation Patients

Love Paleo points out that if you think you need to eat every 2 hours to maintain your blood sugar, you aren’t eating right. You weren’t made to eat every few hours.

“We’re not grazers. We’re not ruminants. There’s just something wrong with that whole concept, evolutionarily, dietary health-wise.”

Michael A. Farley, Nutritional Consultant

So many diets these days rely on the concept of eating every few hours. It’s one of the biggest trends of modern-day “diets,” in fact. Why? Because it’s easier to stick to your diet when you eat more often. Why? Because your blood sugar is all over the place when you’re eating carbs.

But as I pointed out in my previous article, we shouldn’t need to graze if we’re eating a high protein diet, because protein keeps you satiated. Your blood sugar spikes, then slowly goes down instead of crashing.

Love Paleo talks about why Americans are gaining an average of about 1 1/2 pounds every year. Eating 150g-300g of carbohydrates per day means steady, insidious weight gain. Eating 300+g of carbs per day, what most Americans eat, is the “Danger Zone.” Whatever that means. Obviously, it’s dangerous. And obviously, it means weight gain.

And finally, I got some clarification on low-carb diets and cholesterol levels. Michael Farley points out that the problem with cholesterol and heart disease is something called oxidated cholesterol. Not dietary or serum cholesterols. Inflammation in the body can oxidize your cholesterol, and that’s where the problems come in. 

“So the issue isn’t to suppress cholesterol, which is fundamental to our health. In fact, it’s the most powerful antioxidant in our body. And now we’re suppressing it. What we should be doing is eliminating the cause of the inflammation. What’s the cause of the inflammation? Bad dietary choices.”

Michael A. Farley, Nutritional Consultant

In 2015, a study found that 4 months of paleolithic nutrition significantly lowered total cholesterol, LDL, & increased HDL in subjects compared to a grain-based, “heart-healthy” diet.

I’m really starting to think these paleo folks have got a lot of stuff figured out, let me tell you. This research is making me dread when I switch to vegetarian/vegan and need to eat grains again! But perhaps when I do, the difference will just be that much more clear to me. Or not.

Alright, so I mentioned that this film was different than a lot of the other paleo information that I’ve found thus far. How so?

It talks about paleo as a lifestyle, which–I’ve heard that term plenty of times before. But nothing else I’ve stumbled upon so far has really talked about a “lifestyle.” It’s talked about a diet.

But Love Paleo talks about how important sleep is to our bodies (which most of us surely already know). It talks about exercise and how it should be functional. It should be things like hiking or rock climbing or sprinting or playing sports with quick, jerky movements that mimic the way that our ancestors moved on a daily basis. 

I felt like Love Paleo was a very compelling, relatable film. It’s the kind of documentary that should “speak” to everyone in one way or another. These are stories of real people who changed their lives remarkably by changing their eating habits. Stories resonate. The more, the better.

The film ends by basically saying, “Hey, what do you have to lose?” Give it a try for 30 days. If it doesn’t help you to feel better, go back to eating how you were. But if it even has a chance to improve your life for the better in some small (or large) way, why not give it a shot?

Why not, indeed.