"Then one has to consider modern foods. They are far from the paleo stuff of life and even not very close to med foods. Fruits are too sweet now and lack flavor and texture. Vegetables may not have sufficient mineral content and also be lacking in color, flavor, and texture. On the other hand, they are available in great variety and often year round. Moreover, one can get olive oil and wonderful spices, fresh or in a container, all the time.
Why not take advantage of the benefits of this variety and freshness? I do.
As you have seen from the many meals I have put up on the site, I go for color, texture, and freshness in all I cook. This implies a high antioxidant content and diversification in toxins and minerals. My carbs come from water-containing plants, almost exclusively. This means fresh vegetables and fruits. I do not juice vegetables or fruits (sorry Jack La Laine) because 1. it is better to chew, and 2. juicing breaks the cell walls and significantly increases the glycemic index because it increases surface area relative to mass, permitting better access of the enzymes that convert plant starch to sugar. (This is a major problem with white flour because milling creates a small particle of almost pure starch.)
The other Mediterranean aspect of my eating is the pleasure and simple enjoyment of preparing flavorful, colorful meals. And eating them without haste or TV. I cook to music and eat to music or to enjoy company when I have it. Dinner was always a special time for my wife and I.
Finally, there is the temporal pattern
of EF eating. Never three squares a day all the time. Skipping meals is just fine. Even alternating days of little food with days a good deal of food is healthful. But, never gorging, just eating to a comfortable level. A huge meal followed by a big desert (just this one time) is an enormous shock to your metabolism. You will get such a big rush of insulin that you will turn off insulin receptors. It is like sun exposure: one big shock from a real, all-day burn is far worse for your skin (and your whole system) than more frequent moderate exposure.
Eating 5 or 6 or more times a day (to stay in positive nitrogen balance) is plain dumb (read my post on gene expression). You will build less, not more muscle, because you turn down gene expression and you sabotage your insulin sensitivity."
--Art DeVany
I like DeVany's take on this stuff. I can't sync Paleo with Zone ratios for the sheer volume. 40% carbs coming from green vegetables for a 15-16 blocker is a literal mountain of veg and I could never consistently eat that much. Trying to break down all that plant fiber makes me feel bloated and I suspect overworks the digestive system. Robb's rec for subbing fat for carb blocks works great.
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