To the editor:
I was disappointed in Dr. Thiel’s column on the paleo diet. (A New Book That Shows Pathway to Healthy Eating, July 12 Capital News)
To start with, as a dietitian I wouldn’t attempt to realign someone’s spine, that being beyond my scope of practice.
Secondly, he recommends following the paleo diet and removing dairy and grains entirely from the diet, but doesn’t recommend how to do this while replacing the valuable nutrients found in these food groups.
I completely agree with reducing or eliminating our intake of refined grains, sugars and heavily processed foods; however, to equate grains with refined carbohydrates is extreme.
We know from epidemiological studies that there are many healthy ways to eat, many of which involve whole, unprocessed or minimally processed grains. The paleo diet eliminates beans, grains and starchy vegetables, all of which are healthy sources of fibre and other nutrients—just Google research on the health benefits of these whole foods and you will find much more true scientific research to support their intake than to support eliminating them from your diet.
I would recommend that anyone who is interested in losing weight and gaining more energy talk to a registered dietitian—we have four years of nutrition-based university and another year of practical experience.
Kelly Lehmann,
West Kelowna
