On Wed, 7 Oct 1998, Cecilia Thornton-Egam wrote:

> Gregg,
> I found your post about weight loss/carbo cravings to be very interesting.
> When you mentioned carbo-cravers requiring some good quality (presumably
> non-paleo) carbos, did you mean unrefined, as in carbos plus fibre (whole
> grain flour) or as in easily digestible carbos (monosaccharides, eg honey)?

The carb cravings are usually for starches-- breads, chips, pastries,
potatos, et al.  So by "good quality" I meant eating a baked potato
instead of french fries, eating a slice of whole grain bread instead of a
donut or slice of white bread, and so on.  Interestingly, not only does
consumption of starches seem to stifle the carb cravings that come for
many individuals who try to go on a caveman diet, but starches also appear
to have a positive effect on the immune system.  In her Lick the Sugar
Habit, Appleton reports on a Loma Linda University study that examined the
effects of sugar (sucrose), glucose, fructose, honey, orange juice, and
starch on the production of phagocytes (white blood cells that eat matter
foreign to the blood, e.g., bacteria).  Except for the starch, all of
these substances are simple sugars.  And the starch was the only one to
cause a rise in the "phagocytic index--the phagocytes actually ate up
more bacteria after starch was ingested . . . The sugars, on the other
hand, caused the phagocytic index to decrease greatly" (p. 52).

For people who find Neandethin too strict to maintain (for social,
psychological, or physiological reasons), I would recommend the Hellers'
approach, which recommends 2 or 3 caveman meals plus a "reward" meal each
day.  The reward meal shouldn't be considered an excuse to pig out, but
any food is allowed in reasonable portions (see their "Carbohydrate
Addict's Diet).  It kind of combines the best of both worlds (paleo vs.
modern; what's-good-for-you vs. what-you-really-like) and has a very high
success rate.

Cheers!

Gregg C.
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