How to Convert Any Recipe to Real Food

5 steps to convert any recipe to real food

1) Look over the ingredient list. Make a note of the following:
fats
sweeteners
grains/flours
dairy
meat products
2) Consider whether the ingredients you listed are processed or whole foods. Some
examples:
egeta!le oil s. coconut oil
corn syrup s. honey or pure maple syrup
!leached white flour s. white whole wheat flour
pre"shredded cheese s. a !lock of cheese you shred yourself
!readed chicken fingers s. raw chicken you can toss in a homemade !reading
#) Do you have the substitute ingredients handy or will you need to purchase them$ %ou
can make many real"food ingredients yourself&!readcrum!s' for example (whirl dry
homemade !read in the food processor)' chicken or !eef stock' any !aked item like !urger
!uns or tortillas' etc. )ther ingredients you can !uy in !ulk' such as coconut oil or white
whole wheat flour.
Many people grind their own grains as well' which is een !etter for you than purchasing
een ery high"*uality whole"grain flours.
+) Let me demonstrate how this works. ,ook at this recipe for a cheesy !roccoli frittata
(sounds delicious). Most of the ingredients look fine' !ut check the fats and dairy products.
-he recipe calls for .ust one ta!lespoon of egeta!le oil' !ut it/s .ust for sauteing the eggies.
0se !utter or coconut oil instead. 1nd for the cheese' use a whole chunk that you shred
yourself (you can !uy some pre"shredded 2armesan cheese that does not contain added
ingredients).
-his recipe for cinnamon"raisin !iscuits is a little more complicated. 3t calls for !iscuit mix
and added sugar. 4e don/t want to use either of those. %ou could .ust skip this one' !ut it
sounds great5
6ere/s a recipe for !asic !iscuits. 3t uses white flour' sugar' and has the option to use
shortening' !utter or margarine. 7o with the !utter or su! in coconut oil. 8ow' compare this
to the first recipe. -hat calls for 1/2 cup of milk. -he !asic !iscuit recipe calls for #/+. 4e/ll
go with the #/+ cup since we/re using the !asic recipe for a !ase.
-he cinnamon"raisin recipe calls for 1/# cup sugar. %ou pro!a!ly don/t need the !iscuits so
sweet' !ut if you want some sweetening' use rapadura' or su! in a!out 1/+ cup of honey or
pure maple syrup. 3f you use honey or maple syrup' that will add moisture so stick with the
1/2 cup of milk.
1dd the cinnamon to the dry ingredients in the !asic recipe' and mix in the raisins with the
milk and li*uid sweetener (if you/re using it)' after you cut in the fat.
-hat sounds complicated' !ut it/s .ust adding cinnamon' raisins' and a little extra sweetener to
a !asic !iscuit recipe which you can mix up in a!out ten minutes.
7et the idea$ !ou can make any recipe real"food.
9) 4hat you/re looking for when you su! ingredients are ingredients in their most basic
whole form. -he less processing something has undergone' generally the !etter it is for you.
-ake shredded cheese' for example. 6ae you looked at ingredient lists on those
packages$ Cheese is 8)- the only ingredient. )ne is cellulose: !asically powdered wood
pulp. %ummy. 3nstead of using that' .ust !uy a !lock of cheese&the highest *uality you can
afford&and shred it yourself. )r get one of your kids to do it (not a toddler' and please
superise them).
More real-food versions of common processed ones:
Fresh or fro#en fruits and vegetables are a much !etter alternatie to canned (the only
canned egeta!le 3 use is tomatoes). Canned fruits usually contain corn syrup and canned
egeta!les hae a lot of added salt. :ro;en fruits and eggies are usually .ust that&fruits and
eggies. )!iously fresh (organic if you can afford it) is your !est option.
$nstead of buying pre"sliced lunch meats !uy a whole ham' whole turkey' whole chicken'
etc. Cook and slice it and use the meat for sandwiches' and half a do;en other meals !esides.
-ry making dairy products yourself' such as yogurt (use whole milk' prefera!ly raw' for
this).
%ou can een make pretty much any condiment yourself&something on my list of soon"to"
accomplish real"food goals5
I hope these suggestions and examples have given you the knowledge
and confidence to convert any recipe to real-food.
3f you want een more ideas for real"food su!stitutions' and a lot of recipes for things to make
yourself instead of !uying them' check out my cook!ook' Real Food for the
%he &cience and Art of 'aleofying
2aleofying is often used as a derogatory term to descri!e the process of adapting 8eolithic
foods' typically desserts and sweet treats' to use only paleo"approed ingredients. 4hile
some people look down on this practice as not addressing the pro!lems of excess
car!ohydrate consumption and food addiction' 3 look at it as an important tool<it is a
powerful strategy for making paleo accessi!le and sustaina!le for the general pu!lic. =ating a
restricted diet is much easier when you feel like you can still hae !irthday cake' can still
cele!rate a .o! promotion with a special dessert' can still !ring cookies to your kid/s !ake
sale' can still make pancakes for Sunday !runch' and generally still get to eat delicious foods.
2aleofied !aked goods mean that haing a treat won/t damage your gut' cause rampant
inflammation' or create a cycle of food craings. 3 like the word paleofy. -o me' this
represents the union of nutrient"rich' anti"inflammatory >old? foods and modern life.
1s we start the lead up to the holiday season' many of us are looking at conentional holiday
!aked good recipes and wondering how easy those recipes would !e to adapt to paleo
ingredients. %ep' 3/m doing this too. 4hether these are family faorites or recipes that .ust
look delicious off of pinterest or in maga;ines' the first step to paelofying is deciding what
recipe to start with. 7luten"free recipes are often a great place to start' as long as the recipe
don/t rely too heaily on xanthum gum to hold it together. )ther recipes that are often good
!ets too are those that use cake flour' use at least a couple of eggs' hae dried fruit' hae fruit
or egeta!le purees' hae li*uid sweeteners (like honey)' or that hae fairly large amounts of
fat in them.
2aleofying is as much an art as it is a science. 3 aguely remem!er a time when 3 did not hae
extremely well"honed cooking instincts (3 think that was !ack in middle school). @ut een
starting out as a fairly good cook' there was a steep learning cure to all of these new
ingredients and to !aking without gluten. 1fter a year of paleo !aking (and !logging5)' 3 hae
a much !etter understanding of how to adapt conentional recipes now and thought it was
high time 3 share some of this knowledge and experience with you' in addition to my
perfected recipes.
-his post is the first in a +"post series. 3n this post' 3 will discuss paleo flours and other
ingredients that add !ulk to a recipe. 2art 2 of this series will discuss !inders (ingredients that
hold !aking together). 2art # will discuss leaening agents and sweeteners. 2art + will
discuss some strategies for doing iterations and trou!leshooting your recipes. %ou may also
!e interested in some of my posts that reference paleo !aking ingredients: 3mportant 2antry
3tems for -he 2aleo @aker' 2aleo :lour Su!stitutes' Sugar s. Sweeteners' and 3s Sugar
2aleo$).
3 am continuing to expand my paleo !aking tool kit !y playing with new ingredients. @elow
is a list of all the paleo flour su!stitutes 3 can think of and other ingredients that add !ulk to a
recipe. Some of these are still fairly new to me' so 3 still hae fairly limited experience with
them. 4hich flour su!stitute(s) you choose really depends on the type of recipe and what the
texture of the finished product should !e. 3 will try and gie you enough information to help
get you started.
(lanched Almond Flour)-his is the stereotypical paleo flour su!stitute. 1 high *uality
!lanched almond flour (like 6oneyille :arms or AB 7ourmet) is ery finely milled and can
!e *uite light compared to other nut and seed flours or een a less finely milled almond flour
(like @o!/s Ced Mill' which 3 consider and almond meal). 7enerally' it measures 1:1 when
su!stituting for wheat flour. 3t works ery well in !aking where you want a denser crum!'
like muffins' coffee cakes and chewy cookies. 3n recipes that also hae a fairly large amount
of wet ingredients' adding a starch or coconut flour can !e helpful.
Almond *eal)-his is a less finely ground ersion of !lanched almond flour. 3t typically
uses the whole almond (like 8atur1lmond' -rader Aoe/s or 6oneyille :arms) !ut some
!lanched almond flours (like @o!/s Ced Mill) actually *ualify more as a meal than a flour.
-his is !est for !reading meat' !ut also can !e used for dense !aking like dense cakes (e.g.
fruit cake)' some cookie recipes and pie crusts. 3f you are using almond meal in place of
almond flour in a recipe' use slightly less as it tends to !e denser.
Coconut Flour)-his flour has a ery high fi!er content and a!sor!s li*uid ery efficiently'
so it is really only used in recipes that hae a large amount of wet ingredients. @ecause it
makes for a finer crum! than nut flours' 3 like coconut flour for cake and cupcake recipes. 3t
is also good for short!read style cookies. -his is a ery tricky flour to work withD often 1tsp
can make the difference !etween the texture you are going for and something completely
different. 4hen doing iterations with recipes that use coconut flour' always make small
changes to the amount of flour used. 1lways sift coconut flour !efore adding to your recipe'
unless you are !lending your !atter in a !lender or food processor. 4hen you add coconut
flour to wet ingredients' the !atter will thicken as it sits for the first few minutes. 3t/s always a
good idea to gie your !atter time to thicken !efore putting it in the oen. -he general rule of
thum! is to replace wheat flour with E the amount of coconut flour. -his will !e sufficient
for some recipesD !ut if you need to !ulk up your dry ingredients' you can then add some nut
or seed flours to !ring the olume up a little (a good place to start is with the same olume
you are using of coconut flour). Fifferent coconut flour !rands do !ehae slightly differently
depending on how finely they are ground. 3 typically use -ropical -raditions !rand now !ut 3
find that @o!/s Ced Mill !ehaes ery similarly.
Arrowroot 'owder)-his is the dehydrated and ground arrowroot tu!er (not the cassaa
root). 3t is mostly a starch and is great for adding lightness to a recipe (also loely for
thickening sauces). 1rrowroot powder can replace corn starch in recipe 1:1. %ou can also
mix arrowroot powder with ery finely ground granulated sugar to make an accepta!le
su!stitute for icing/confectioner/s sugar. 3f replacing wheat flour with arrowroot flour to add
lightness to a recipe' replacing up to E of your flour with arrowroot is typical. 3 loe using
arrowroot in con.unction with coconut flour for cake recipes. 3t doesn/t add much hold to
!aking that don/t hae much !inding ingredients' though. 3 use arrowroot powder fre*uently
enough that 3 actually use the Su!scri!eGSae program from ama;on to hae it automatically
shipped to me.
%apioca &tarch)-his starch comes from the ground cassaa (a.k.a. yucca' yuca' manioc'
tapioca) root. -his is not the same as arrowroot powder. =en though many people use
tapioca and arrowroot interchangea!ly' they actually hae fairly different properties in
!aking. -apioca adds elasticity to !aking' helping !ind as well as giing more !ounce (the
cassaa root is naturally a ery slimy starch). -apioca nice to use in paleo !read recipes and
can !e useful in cake recipes as well to gie a little more !ounce to the !aking. %ou can
replace up to a!out half of the flour normally called for in a recipe with tapioca (some gluten"
free !aking replaces all of the flour with tapioca' !ut tapioca is pro!a!ly the least healthy of
the paleo flours' so 3 don/t recommend this). -apioca also isn/t a ery good su!stitute for
corn starch' !ut would do in a pinch.
Most paleo baking you will find on my site and others use various combinations of the above
four flours. But, these arent the only paleo flours out there and there are some really great
less-freuently used options to consider.
'lantain Flour)2lantain flour is *uickly !ecoming one of my faorite flours to work with'
although 3 am still experimenting with it. 3t is simply ground dehydrated plantain. 3t does
hae a distinct plantain taste so it doesn/t work in all !aking. 3t has a loely a!ility to !ind
(similar to tapioca starch' !ut with more of a wheat flour like texture and crum!) and
generally can !e su!stitute wheat flour 1:1. 3t seems to work ery well in soft' cakey and/or
chewy !aking recipes and not as well if you want some crunch or crispness. 1 word of
caution. Some flour are la!eled as plantain flour !ut actually contain a mix of different
tu!ers' often containing potato starch in addition to plantain flour. 3f you are !uying this
from a store' make sure to check the ingredients la!el. 3 !uy @arry :arm plantain flour from
ama;on.
&weet 'otato &tarch)-his is sometimes la!eled as sweet potato flour' !ut this fine white
powder is actually a processed flour/starch. 3t su!stitutes well for arrowroot' !ut has almost
no a!ility to hold !aking together. %ou can use this as a corn starch su!stitute or in
com!ination with other flours as a flour su!stitute. 3/m not super enthusiastic a!out this
starch' !ut it/s a good option if arrowroot is hard for you to find.
&weet 'otato 'owder)-his is also sometimes la!eled as sweet potato flour' which can !e
ery confusing. Sweet potato powder is ground dried sweet potatoes and still retains its
orange color (sweet potato starch is white). -his is a more interesting flour !ecause it has
some fi!er and can a!sor! li*uid so it has more a!ility to hold !aking together. 3 hae used it
in pancakes and hae played with it as a flour su!stitute for !rownies. 3/m still getting
familiar with this flour' !ut it/s definitely a neat one to play with.
+u#u &tarch)3 am .ust starting to play with ku;u starch (which is ground dehydrated ku;u
root' used in 1sian cooking). 1pparently' it is een !etter than arrowroot at thickening and
3/m hoping that it will !e useful to help get a few recipes 3/m working on a little firmer in
texture.
&unflower &eed Flour):or those allergic to nuts or .ust almonds' sunflower seed flour can
!e used the same as almond flour (it can !e a little denser depending on !rand' so you might
need to pull !ack the amount somewhat). 3t has the fun property of turning green when used
in !aking that also contains !aking soda (it/s totally safe to eat when it does this).
Ha#elnut Flour)-his can also !e used the same as almond flour' !ut yields a different
flaor to the !aking.
Chestnut Flour)-his can also !e used the same as almond flour' !ut yields a different
flaor to the !aking. 3t has a more hold than almond flour' which is ery handy' so you can
easily use this flour on its own in some recipe. 3t/s also *uite a !it sweeter so you may want
to reduce the sweet ingredients in your recipe if you are using this.
'umpkin &eed Flour)-his is another seed alternatie to almond flour. 2umpkin seed flour
measures more closely to almond flour due to its higher protein content. 1lso has a distinct
flaor and slightly green color and is easier to make at home than most other nut flours.
,round nuts and seeds)7round nuts and seeds are a wonderful way to add more texture
and !ulk to making. Many of them can help act as !inders as well. Mostly' you/ll !e
grinding your own in a food processor or !lender. 1 finer grind will act more like a nut flour'
!ut you can also grind more coarsely which replicates the texture of oatmeal or other whole
grain ingredients ery well. Making a mix of different nuts can replicate the flaor and
texture of oatmeal and can help fix texture pro!lems when working on denser !aking recipes
like cookies and muffins. 7round flax seed also *ualifies here as a way to add !ulk and
texture to !aking and is an excellent !inder too. Chia seeds are often used similarly to flax
seeds !ut these are a pseudograin' and 2rof. ,oren Cordain comes down pretty hard on chia in
-he 2aleo 1nswer. My faorites to use are 4hole 1lmonds' 2ecan 6ales' 4alnuts 6ales'
Macadamia 8uts' 6a;elnuts (:il!erts) ' 2istachios' Cashews' @ra;il 8uts' 2epitas (hulled
pumpkin seeds) ' Sunflower Seeds' @rown Sesame Seeds' @lack Sesame Seeds' and ground
flax seed (golden or regular' which act the same !ut .ust look different). -he com!ination of
walnuts' coconut' and pumpkin seeds makes for a fantastic oat"like flaor (see my recipe for
paleo porridge' >oatmeal? cookies' and apple crisp for examples).
Finely &hredded Coconut)-his is also a good !ulking ingredient' similar to ground nuts
and seeds !ut with a slightly different texture and flaor. @ecause of the fi!er content' it will
a!sor! a little li*uid (although nothing like coconut flour)' so it does !ehae slightly
differently than other nuts and seeds.
-egetable 'owders)2umpkin' carrot' spinach' sweet potato' winter s*uash' red ca!!age'
and !eet powders are all aaila!le. 3 hae only used a handful of these in pancake recipes' !ut
3 think these are a ery fun way to deal with recipes where you want the sweetness and may!e
flaor of these egeta!les !ut are struggling with too many wet ingredients. -hese are also a
great way to add natural color to recipes (usually you can use little enough that these
contri!ute color !ut not flaor).
'ureed ,reen 'lantain)-his is my newest secret weapon in paleo !aking. 7reen plantains
are ery starchy' hae a fairly neutral flaor and can act as a !inder and gie !ulk to a recipe.
3 hae seeral recipes that use green plantains and many more ideas for this ersatile fruit5
Check out my 2erfect 2aleo 2ancakes' 2aleo Crepes' and Fecadent Fou!le Chocolate
Cookie recipes for examples. 4atch this ideo from my %ou-u!e Channel to learn more
a!out green plantains. Cipe plantains are another option' !ut !ehae *uite differently in
!aking (sweeter' more flaorful' act more as a !inder than a flour).
'ureed or ,round Root -egetables )Fon/t underestimate the ersatility of canned or
pureed root egeta!les in your !aking. 1nd you aren/t limited to canned pumpkin. Sweet
potato' yucca' taro' parsnip' carrot' winter s*uash' and plantain are all good options (see my
recipe for paleo !iscuits for an example). 4hen cooked and pureed' they can !oth act as a
!inder and add !ulk to a recipe (see my spinach !rownies or pumpkin ginger!read muffin
recipes as examples). 4hen ground and raw' they hae a ery different effect on texture (see
my carrot parsnip muffins for an example). -hey also can add some sweetness without the
use of sugars and the flaors are often well camouflaged !y other ingredients.
&o which one do you use. -he classic is to use almond flour on its own or in con.unction
with arrowroot' tapioca and/or coconut flour as a first attempt in a recipe. -he reason why
this is so common is !ecause the ingredients are fairly easy for most people to find and they
are fairly predicta!le in how they will !ehae in recipes. 1nd while 3 encourage you to play
with the other flour su!stitute options' to get you started on your paleofying adenture here is
my !asic formula for replacing wheat flour with almond' coconut' arrowroot and/or tapioca
flours.
1. :or a recipe without many wet ingredients (like cookies): replace wheat flour with HI"
1IIJ almond flour' I"2IJ arrowroot or tapioca (depending on whether 3 want the
lightness or the elasticity) and I"2IJ coconut flour. %es' there is a range here. 3 am
more likely to use a starch and coconut flour if the olume of flour is fairly high
(almond flour is expensie5).
2. :or a recipe with su!stantial wet ingredients (like muffins or cakes): replace wheat
flour with 29J nut flour' 29J coconut flour' 29J arrowroot or tapioca (depending on
whether 3 want the lightness or the elasticity). %es' this doesn/t add up to 1IIJ'
which is !ecause of the properties of coconut flour.
#. 3 don/t hae a fixed formula for replacing flours when the desired outcome is nut"free.
3 .ust wing it.
+. -hese are .ust my first iterations. Sometimes 3 change things up as soon as 3 see the
texture and thickness of the !atter (that might !e harder for you to do if you aren/t
used to working with the flours). 1fter 3 see what the texture and taste is of my first
attempt' 3 either change *uantities or try different flours. 1nd of course' as 3 play with
other flour su!stitutes' this may change' my default formulas are likely to change.
3 hope this will get you started on your paleofying adentures. 1s you play more and more
with these ingredients and get to understand their properties !etter' it will !e easier to intuit
what will work in any particular recipe. @ut' 3 still hae recipes that take me many iterations
to get right. 1nd of course' if you adapt a recipe that is a!solutely awesome' you are welcome
to contact me using the form on this page to discuss sharing it on the !log.
2aleofying is often used as a derogatory term to descri!e the process of adapting 8eolithic
foods' typically desserts and sweet treats' to use only paleo"approed ingredients. 4hile
some people look down on this practice as not addressing the pro!lems of excess
car!ohydrate consumption and food addiction' 3 look at it as an important tool<it is a
powerful strategy for making paleo accessi!le and sustaina!le for the general pu!lic. =ating a
restricted diet is much easier when you feel like you can still hae !irthday cake' can still
cele!rate a .o! promotion with a special dessert' can still !ring cookies to your kid/s !ake
sale' can still make pancakes for Sunday !runch' and generally still get to eat delicious foods.
2aleofied !aked goods mean that haing a treat won/t damage your gut' cause rampant
inflammation' or create a cycle of food craings. 3 like the word paleofy. -o me' this
represents the union of nutrient"rich' anti"inflammatory >old? foods and modern life.
1s we start the lead up to the holiday season' many of us are looking at conentional holiday
!aked good recipes and wondering how easy those recipes would !e to adapt to paleo
ingredients. %ep' 3/m doing this too. 4hether these are family faorites or recipes that .ust
look delicious off of pinterest or in maga;ines' the first step to paelofying is deciding what
recipe to start with. 7luten"free recipes are often a great place to start' as long as the recipe
don/t rely too heaily on xanthum gum to hold it together. )ther recipes that are often good
!ets too are those that use cake flour' use at least a couple of eggs' hae dried fruit' hae fruit
or egeta!le purees' hae li*uid sweeteners (like honey)' or that hae fairly large amounts of
fat in them.
2aleofying is as much an art as it is a science. 3 aguely remem!er a time when 3 did not hae
extremely well"honed cooking instincts (3 think that was !ack in middle school). @ut een
starting out as a fairly good cook' there was a steep learning cure to all of these new
ingredients and to !aking without gluten. 1fter a year of paleo !aking (and !logging5)' 3 hae
a much !etter understanding of how to adapt conentional recipes now and thought it was
high time 3 share some of this knowledge and experience with you' in addition to my
perfected recipes.
-his post is the first in a +"post series. 3n this post' 3 will discuss paleo flours and other
ingredients that add !ulk to a recipe. 2art 2 of this series will discuss !inders (ingredients that
hold !aking together). 2art # will discuss leaening agents and sweeteners. 2art + will
discuss some strategies for doing iterations and trou!leshooting your recipes. %ou may also
!e interested in some of my posts that reference paleo !aking ingredients: 3mportant 2antry
3tems for -he 2aleo @aker' 2aleo :lour Su!stitutes' Sugar s. Sweeteners' and 3s Sugar
2aleo$).
3 am continuing to expand my paleo !aking tool kit !y playing with new ingredients. @elow
is a list of all the paleo flour su!stitutes 3 can think of and other ingredients that add !ulk to a
recipe. Some of these are still fairly new to me' so 3 still hae fairly limited experience with
them. 4hich flour su!stitute(s) you choose really depends on the type of recipe and what the
texture of the finished product should !e. 3 will try and gie you enough information to help
get you started.
(lanched Almond Flour)-his is the stereotypical paleo flour su!stitute. 1 high *uality
!lanched almond flour (like 6oneyille :arms or AB 7ourmet) is ery finely milled and can
!e *uite light compared to other nut and seed flours or een a less finely milled almond flour
(like @o!/s Ced Mill' which 3 consider and almond meal). 7enerally' it measures 1:1 when
su!stituting for wheat flour. 3t works ery well in !aking where you want a denser crum!'
like muffins' coffee cakes and chewy cookies. 3n recipes that also hae a fairly large amount
of wet ingredients' adding a starch or coconut flour can !e helpful.
Almond *eal)-his is a less finely ground ersion of !lanched almond flour. 3t typically
uses the whole almond (like 8atur1lmond' -rader Aoe/s or 6oneyille :arms) !ut some
!lanched almond flours (like @o!/s Ced Mill) actually *ualify more as a meal than a flour.
-his is !est for !reading meat' !ut also can !e used for dense !aking like dense cakes (e.g.
fruit cake)' some cookie recipes and pie crusts. 3f you are using almond meal in place of
almond flour in a recipe' use slightly less as it tends to !e denser.
Coconut Flour)-his flour has a ery high fi!er content and a!sor!s li*uid ery efficiently'
so it is really only used in recipes that hae a large amount of wet ingredients. @ecause it
makes for a finer crum! than nut flours' 3 like coconut flour for cake and cupcake recipes. 3t
is also good for short!read style cookies. -his is a ery tricky flour to work withD often 1tsp
can make the difference !etween the texture you are going for and something completely
different. 4hen doing iterations with recipes that use coconut flour' always make small
changes to the amount of flour used. 1lways sift coconut flour !efore adding to your recipe'
unless you are !lending your !atter in a !lender or food processor. 4hen you add coconut
flour to wet ingredients' the !atter will thicken as it sits for the first few minutes. 3t/s always a
good idea to gie your !atter time to thicken !efore putting it in the oen. -he general rule of
thum! is to replace wheat flour with E the amount of coconut flour. -his will !e sufficient
for some recipesD !ut if you need to !ulk up your dry ingredients' you can then add some nut
or seed flours to !ring the olume up a little (a good place to start is with the same olume
you are using of coconut flour). Fifferent coconut flour !rands do !ehae slightly differently
depending on how finely they are ground. 3 typically use -ropical -raditions !rand now !ut 3
find that @o!/s Ced Mill !ehaes ery similarly.
Arrowroot 'owder)-his is the dehydrated and ground arrowroot tu!er (not the cassaa
root). 3t is mostly a starch and is great for adding lightness to a recipe (also loely for
thickening sauces). 1rrowroot powder can replace corn starch in recipe 1:1. %ou can also
mix arrowroot powder with ery finely ground granulated sugar to make an accepta!le
su!stitute for icing/confectioner/s sugar. 3f replacing wheat flour with arrowroot flour to add
lightness to a recipe' replacing up to E of your flour with arrowroot is typical. 3 loe using
arrowroot in con.unction with coconut flour for cake recipes. 3t doesn/t add much hold to
!aking that don/t hae much !inding ingredients' though. 3 use arrowroot powder fre*uently
enough that 3 actually use the Su!scri!eGSae program from ama;on to hae it automatically
shipped to me.
%apioca &tarch)-his starch comes from the ground cassaa (a.k.a. yucca' yuca' manioc'
tapioca) root. -his is not the same as arrowroot powder. =en though many people use
tapioca and arrowroot interchangea!ly' they actually hae fairly different properties in
!aking. -apioca adds elasticity to !aking' helping !ind as well as giing more !ounce (the
cassaa root is naturally a ery slimy starch). -apioca nice to use in paleo !read recipes and
can !e useful in cake recipes as well to gie a little more !ounce to the !aking. %ou can
replace up to a!out half of the flour normally called for in a recipe with tapioca (some gluten"
free !aking replaces all of the flour with tapioca' !ut tapioca is pro!a!ly the least healthy of
the paleo flours' so 3 don/t recommend this). -apioca also isn/t a ery good su!stitute for
corn starch' !ut would do in a pinch.
Most paleo baking you will find on my site and others use various combinations of the above
four flours. But, these arent the only paleo flours out there and there are some really great
less-freuently used options to consider.
'lantain Flour)2lantain flour is *uickly !ecoming one of my faorite flours to work with'
although 3 am still experimenting with it. 3t is simply ground dehydrated plantain. 3t does
hae a distinct plantain taste so it doesn/t work in all !aking. 3t has a loely a!ility to !ind
(similar to tapioca starch' !ut with more of a wheat flour like texture and crum!) and
generally can !e su!stitute wheat flour 1:1. 3t seems to work ery well in soft' cakey and/or
chewy !aking recipes and not as well if you want some crunch or crispness. 1 word of
caution. Some flour are la!eled as plantain flour !ut actually contain a mix of different
tu!ers' often containing potato starch in addition to plantain flour. 3f you are !uying this
from a store' make sure to check the ingredients la!el. 3 !uy @arry :arm plantain flour from
ama;on.
&weet 'otato &tarch)-his is sometimes la!eled as sweet potato flour' !ut this fine white
powder is actually a processed flour/starch. 3t su!stitutes well for arrowroot' !ut has almost
no a!ility to hold !aking together. %ou can use this as a corn starch su!stitute or in
com!ination with other flours as a flour su!stitute. 3/m not super enthusiastic a!out this
starch' !ut it/s a good option if arrowroot is hard for you to find.
&weet 'otato 'owder)-his is also sometimes la!eled as sweet potato flour' which can !e
ery confusing. Sweet potato powder is ground dried sweet potatoes and still retains its
orange color (sweet potato starch is white). -his is a more interesting flour !ecause it has
some fi!er and can a!sor! li*uid so it has more a!ility to hold !aking together. 3 hae used it
in pancakes and hae played with it as a flour su!stitute for !rownies. 3/m still getting
familiar with this flour' !ut it/s definitely a neat one to play with.
+u#u &tarch)3 am .ust starting to play with ku;u starch (which is ground dehydrated ku;u
root' used in 1sian cooking). 1pparently' it is een !etter than arrowroot at thickening and
3/m hoping that it will !e useful to help get a few recipes 3/m working on a little firmer in
texture.
&unflower &eed Flour):or those allergic to nuts or .ust almonds' sunflower seed flour can
!e used the same as almond flour (it can !e a little denser depending on !rand' so you might
need to pull !ack the amount somewhat). 3t has the fun property of turning green when used
in !aking that also contains !aking soda (it/s totally safe to eat when it does this).
Ha#elnut Flour)-his can also !e used the same as almond flour' !ut yields a different
flaor to the !aking.
Chestnut Flour)-his can also !e used the same as almond flour' !ut yields a different
flaor to the !aking. 3t has a more hold than almond flour' which is ery handy' so you can
easily use this flour on its own in some recipe. 3t/s also *uite a !it sweeter so you may want
to reduce the sweet ingredients in your recipe if you are using this.
'umpkin &eed Flour)-his is another seed alternatie to almond flour. 2umpkin seed flour
measures more closely to almond flour due to its higher protein content. 1lso has a distinct
flaor and slightly green color and is easier to make at home than most other nut flours.
,round nuts and seeds)7round nuts and seeds are a wonderful way to add more texture
and !ulk to making. Many of them can help act as !inders as well. Mostly' you/ll !e
grinding your own in a food processor or !lender. 1 finer grind will act more like a nut flour'
!ut you can also grind more coarsely which replicates the texture of oatmeal or other whole
grain ingredients ery well. Making a mix of different nuts can replicate the flaor and
texture of oatmeal and can help fix texture pro!lems when working on denser !aking recipes
like cookies and muffins. 7round flax seed also *ualifies here as a way to add !ulk and
texture to !aking and is an excellent !inder too. Chia seeds are often used similarly to flax
seeds !ut these are a pseudograin' and 2rof. ,oren Cordain comes down pretty hard on chia in
-he 2aleo 1nswer. My faorites to use are 4hole 1lmonds' 2ecan 6ales' 4alnuts 6ales'
Macadamia 8uts' 6a;elnuts (:il!erts) ' 2istachios' Cashews' @ra;il 8uts' 2epitas (hulled
pumpkin seeds) ' Sunflower Seeds' @rown Sesame Seeds' @lack Sesame Seeds' and ground
flax seed (golden or regular' which act the same !ut .ust look different). -he com!ination of
walnuts' coconut' and pumpkin seeds makes for a fantastic oat"like flaor (see my recipe for
paleo porridge' >oatmeal? cookies' and apple crisp for examples).
Finely &hredded Coconut)-his is also a good !ulking ingredient' similar to ground nuts
and seeds !ut with a slightly different texture and flaor. @ecause of the fi!er content' it will
a!sor! a little li*uid (although nothing like coconut flour)' so it does !ehae slightly
differently than other nuts and seeds.
-egetable 'owders)2umpkin' carrot' spinach' sweet potato' winter s*uash' red ca!!age'
and !eet powders are all aaila!le. 3 hae only used a handful of these in pancake recipes' !ut
3 think these are a ery fun way to deal with recipes where you want the sweetness and may!e
flaor of these egeta!les !ut are struggling with too many wet ingredients. -hese are also a
great way to add natural color to recipes (usually you can use little enough that these
contri!ute color !ut not flaor).
'ureed ,reen 'lantain)-his is my newest secret weapon in paleo !aking. 7reen plantains
are ery starchy' hae a fairly neutral flaor and can act as a !inder and gie !ulk to a recipe.
3 hae seeral recipes that use green plantains and many more ideas for this ersatile fruit5
Check out my 2erfect 2aleo 2ancakes' 2aleo Crepes' and Fecadent Fou!le Chocolate
Cookie recipes for examples. 4atch this ideo from my %ou-u!e Channel to learn more
a!out green plantains. Cipe plantains are another option' !ut !ehae *uite differently in
!aking (sweeter' more flaorful' act more as a !inder than a flour).
'ureed or ,round Root -egetables )Fon/t underestimate the ersatility of canned or
pureed root egeta!les in your !aking. 1nd you aren/t limited to canned pumpkin. Sweet
potato' yucca' taro' parsnip' carrot' winter s*uash' and plantain are all good options (see my
recipe for paleo !iscuits for an example). 4hen cooked and pureed' they can !oth act as a
!inder and add !ulk to a recipe (see my spinach !rownies or pumpkin ginger!read muffin
recipes as examples). 4hen ground and raw' they hae a ery different effect on texture (see
my carrot parsnip muffins for an example). -hey also can add some sweetness without the
use of sugars and the flaors are often well camouflaged !y other ingredients.
&o which one do you use. -he classic is to use almond flour on its own or in con.unction
with arrowroot' tapioca and/or coconut flour as a first attempt in a recipe. -he reason why
this is so common is !ecause the ingredients are fairly easy for most people to find and they
are fairly predicta!le in how they will !ehae in recipes. 1nd while 3 encourage you to play
with the other flour su!stitute options' to get you started on your paleofying adenture here is
my !asic formula for replacing wheat flour with almond' coconut' arrowroot and/or tapioca
flours.
1. :or a recipe without many wet ingredients (like cookies): replace wheat flour with HI"
1IIJ almond flour' I"2IJ arrowroot or tapioca (depending on whether 3 want the
lightness or the elasticity) and I"2IJ coconut flour. %es' there is a range here. 3 am
more likely to use a starch and coconut flour if the olume of flour is fairly high
(almond flour is expensie5).
2. :or a recipe with su!stantial wet ingredients (like muffins or cakes): replace wheat
flour with 29J nut flour' 29J coconut flour' 29J arrowroot or tapioca (depending on
whether 3 want the lightness or the elasticity). %es' this doesn/t add up to 1IIJ'
which is !ecause of the properties of coconut flour.
#. 3 don/t hae a fixed formula for replacing flours when the desired outcome is nut"free.
3 .ust wing it.
+. -hese are .ust my first iterations. Sometimes 3 change things up as soon as 3 see the
texture and thickness of the !atter (that might !e harder for you to do if you aren/t
used to working with the flours). 1fter 3 see what the texture and taste is of my first
attempt' 3 either change *uantities or try different flours. 1nd of course' as 3 play with
other flour su!stitutes' this may change' my default formulas are likely to change.
3 hope this will get you started on your paleofying adentures. 1s you play more and more
with these ingredients and get to understand their properties !etter' it will !e easier to intuit
what will work in any particular recipe. @ut' 3 still hae recipes that take me many iterations
to get right. 1nd of course' if you adapt a recipe that is a!solutely awesome' you are welcome
to contact me using the form on this page to discuss sharing it on the !log.
&o /hat 01actly $& 'aleolithic 2utrition.
3 generally find that most people !ack away slowly when 3 start talking a!out this great new
way of eating 3/e found. My hus!and acts like 3/e .oined a cult or something. 3 like to
think that 3 am too critical of a thinker for that and that' although he is one of my heroes' 3
would not follow Co!! 4olf to an alien spaceship in the sky. @ut 3 digress.
1s 3 mentioned !efore' it wasn/t .ust weight loss that led me to paleolithic nutrition. 3
suffered health issues' from 3@S to migraines to asthma to psoriasis to anxiety' not to mention
a worthless immune system (which is ery inconenient when liing in the petri dish like
enironment that life with two young kids emulates). 2aleolithic nutrition can completely
resole these conditions (which it has for me already) as well as many others. 3t also
dramatically reduces your risk factors for cardioascular disease' dia!etes' 1l;heimer/s and
cancer.
How does a diet address so many different health issues. -hese diseases hae root causes
in commonD including gut irritation' high !aseline inflammation and insulin sensitiity
pro!lems.
&o what do you get to eat. -he short answer is fresh' whole foods' including meat' poultry'
fish' eggs' egeta!les of all kinds' fruits' nuts and seeds. -here are 1,)- of wonderful meals
you can make using these foods.
/hat foods do you avoid. Fon/t !e afraid. -his sounds worse than it is. 1 paleolithic diet
aoids all grains' legumes (including soy and peanuts)' dairy (except !utter' ghee and heay
cream)' modern egeta!le oils (like safflower and canola)' and processed foods.
1 few other important factors are aoiding excessie salt' refined sugars' too many
car!ohydrates (!ut this doesn/t need to !e a low car! diet5) and also trying to !alance omega"
# s. omega"K fatty acid intake. 3/ll coer each of these in detail in future posts.
/hy these foods. 1 paleolithic diet is one where you eat modern foods similar to what
humans ate oer the 2.9 million of years of eolution from apes. -he hypothesis is that these
are the foods that our !odies eoled to use for optimum health. 1s such' a paleolithic diet
aoids eating foods that only !ecame part of the human diet after the agricultural reolution
1IIII years ago' which coincides with the adent of the >diseases of ciili;ation ? (such as
cancer' dia!etes and cardioascular disease). -he rationale is that the diet and lifestyle of
hunter"gatherers is responsi!le for their apparent health (although they did still lead
dangerous' !rutal lies). 4hile we can/t truly test the hypothesis that these foods are what
kept caemen so healthy' there is a wealth of scientific research to support that the foods
excluded in the paleo diet are' at !est' nutritionally poor and' at worst' harmful to the lining of
the gut' disruptie of normal hormone leels' and proinflammatory. -his way of eating
protects the digestie system from harmful proteins that cause inflammation (like gluten)'
protects the kidneys' lier and pancreas from getting oerworked and restores !alance to your
!ody.
-here are many ways to implement paleolithic nutrition' so you can really make this work for
your specific needs. 1s 3 tweak my own implementation' 3 am en.oying learning a!out the
detailed !iochemistry and physiology of why certain foods are good and others are !ad. 3f
you are also a nutrition nerd' there are some great we!sites out there to peruse. 3 suggest
starting with www.thepaleodiet.com' www.ro!!wolf.com' and www.paleodietlifestyle.com.
What Is The Paleo Diet?
-he 'aleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat !ecause it is the )8,% nutritional approach
that works with your genetics to help you stay lean' strong and energetic5 Cesearch in !iology'
!iochemistry' )phthalmology' Fermatology and many other disciplines indicate it is our
modern diet' full of refined foods' trans fats and sugar' that is at the root of degeneratie
diseases such as o!esity' cancer' dia!etes' heart disease' 2arkinson/s' 1l;heimer/s' depression
and infertility. & Co!! 4olf
3kay %o 0at Avoid
:ruits Fairy
Legeta!les 7rains
,ean Meats 2rocessed :ood G Sugars
Seafood ,egumes
8uts G Seeds Starches
6ealthy :ats 1lcohol
Building A Healthy Paleo Diet
Lean proteins
,ean proteins support strong muscles' healthy !ones and optimal immune function. 2rotein
also makes you feel satisfied !etween meals.
Fruits and egeta!les
:ruits and egeta!les are rich in antioxidants' itamins' minerals and phytonutrients that hae
!een shown to decrease the likelihood of deeloping a num!er of degeneratie diseases
including cancer' dia!etes and neurological decline.
"ealthy fats from nuts# seeds# avocados# olive oil# fish oil and grass-fed
meat
Scientific research and epidemiological studies show that diets rich in Monounsaturated and
)mega"# fats dramatically reduce the instances of o!esity' cancer' dia!etes' heart disease and
cognitie decline.
Saturated fat has !een demoni;ed !y our health authorities and media. 4hat is the !asis for
this position on Saturated fat$ 1re current recommendations for L=C% low saturated fat
intake .ustified$ 6ow much saturated fat (and what types)' if any should one eat$ 4ithout a
historical and scientific perspectie these *uestions can !e nearly impossi!le to answer. 3n this
paper 2rof. Cordain looks at the amounts and types of saturated fats found in the ancestral
diet:&aturated fat consumption in ancestral human diets4 implications for contemporary
intakes.
)ne of the greatest deiations away from our ancestral diet is the amounts and types of fat
found in modern grain feed animals s. the amounts and types of fats found in grass fed or
wild meat' fowl and fish. 4hat we o!sere is wild meat is remarka!ly lean' and has relatiely
low amounts of saturated fats' while supplying significant amounts of !eneficial omega"# fats
such as 0'A and DHA. 3n this paper 2rof. Cordain and his team analy;e the complete fatty
acid profile from seeral species of wild deer and elk. -he take home message is that free
range meat is far healthier than conentional meat: Fatty acid analysis of wild ruminant
tissues4 0volutionary implications for reducing diet"related chronic disease.
3mage courtesy of -he :ood ,oers/ 2rimal 2alate " http://www.primal"palate.com
Health Benefits of a Paleo Diet
:or most people the fact the !aleo diet deliers the !est results is all they need. 3mproed
!lood lipids' weight loss' and reduced pain from autoimmunity is proof enough. Many people
howeer are not satisfied with !lindly following any recommendations' !e they nutrition or
exercise related. Some folks like to know 46% they are doing something. :ortunately' the
2aleo diet has stood not only the test of time' !ut also the rigors of scientific scrutiny.
4ith a ery simple shift we not only remoe the foods that are at odds with our health (grains'
legumes' and dairy) !ut we also increase our intake of itamins' minerals' and antioxidants.
6ere is a great paper from 2rofessor ,oren Cordain exploring how to !uild a modern 2aleo
diet: %he nutritional characteristics of a contemporary diet based upon 'aleolithic food
groups. -his paper also offers significant insight as to the amounts and ratios of protein'
car!ohydrate and fat in the ancestral diet.
Come on! Our Ancestors lived short !rutal lives! This Paleo Diet is
all !un" right?
-he 2aleo concept is new for most people and this newness can spark many *uestions. 4e
like people to not only read a!out and educate themseles on this topic !ut also to >get in and
do it.? =xperience is perhaps the !est teacher and often cuts through any confusion
surrounding this way of eating. 8ow' all that considered' there are still some common counter
arguments to the 2aleo diet that happen with sufficient fre*uency that a whole paper was
written on it. =n.oy:0volutionary Health 'romotion. A consideration of common counter"
arguments.
Does it #or" for dia!etes?
1 great *uestion to ask is >"oes the !aleo diet work#? 6ere we hae a head to head
comparison !etween the 2aleo diet and Mediterranean diet in insulin resistant -ype 2
Fia!etics. -he results$ -he 2aleo diet group C=L=CS=F the signs and symptoms of insulin
resistant' -ype 2 dia!etes. -he Mediterranean diet showed little if any improements. 3t is
worth noting that the Mediterranean diet is generally held up !y our goernment as >the diet
to emulate? despite !etter alternaties. %ou can find an a!stract and the complete paper here.
Cardio $ascular Disease
1ccording to the CDC' cardioascular disease is the num!er one cause of death in the 0nited
States. 3nterestingly howeer' our 2aleolithic ancestors and contemporarily studied hunter"
gatherers showed irtually no heart attack or stroke while eating ancestral diets. -he
references !elow will explore these facts to !etter help you understand the heart"healthy
!enefits of a 2aleo diet.
Autoimmunity
1utoimmunity is a process in which our !odies own immune system attacks >us.? 8ormally
the immune system protects us from !acterial' iral' and parasitic infections. -he immune
system identifies a foreign inader' attacks it' and ideally clears the infection. 1 good analogy
for autoimmunity is the case of tissue re.ection after organ donation. 3f someone re*uires a
new heart' lung kidney or lier due to disease or in.ury' a donor organ may !e an option. -he
first step in this process is trying to find a tissue >match?. 1ll of us hae molecules in our
tissues that our immune system uses to recogni;e self from non"self. 3f a donated organ is not
close enough to the recipient in tissue type the immune system will attack and destroy the
organ. 3n autoimmunity' a similar process occurs in that an indiiduals own tissue is confused
as something foreign and the immune system attacks this >misla!eled? tissue. Common forms
of autoimmunity include Multiple Sclerosis' Cheumatoid 1rthritis' ,upus' and Litiligo to
name only a tiny fraction of autoimmune diseases. =lements of autoimmunity are likely at
play in conditions as seemingly unrelated as Schi;ophrenia' infertility' and arious forms of
cancer.
3nterestingly' all of these seemingly unrelated diseases share a common cause: damage to the
intestinal lining which allows large' undigested food particles to make their way into the
!ody. -his is called >leaky gut and the autoimmune response?. 6ere is a M"part ideo series !y
2rof. ,oren Cordain descri!ing the etiology of Multiple Sclerosis. 1nd please watch this -=F
talk !y Fr. -erry 4ahls' MF as she descri!es how she reersed her Multiple Sclerosis with a
paleo diet. 3f you hae an autoimmune disease you might consider trying the autoimmune
protocol of the paleo diet. 3f you do' please tell us a!out your experience.
How Long Does it %ake the ,ut to Repair
after ,luten 01posure.
-his is a ery releant *uestion for those who are .ust em!arking on their gluten"free .ourney.
@ut' it/s also extremely important for anyone who has !een following a paleo/primal/gluten"
free diet for a while' !ut has !een inadertently exposed to gluten. 3t sometimes feels as
though the longer we aoid gluten' the more sick we feel after accidentally eating some. -his
is in large part !ecause the !ody stops protecting itself from gluten (for example' there may !e
less mucus in the gut) so when we do consume some' we are defenseless. 3t may also !e
!ecause we forget how we used to feel and are so used to feeling so much healthier. $hether
you are new to paleo or have been eating this way for a while, a common uestion is% how
long does it take the gut to heal after gluten e&posure#
3 hae talked a!out the irritation' inflammation and damage to the lining of the small intestine
that can !e caused gluten (3 promise 3 will go !ack and add references to this post soon) and 3
hae mentioned that it can take up to K months for the !ody to fully heal after a single gluten
exposure. 1fter deling into the research more thoroughly' 3 hae discoered that this
statement is simultaneously a gross understatement and an oerstatement. Aust like the extent
of damage that gluten causes aries from indiidual to indiidual (see this post for a little !it
more on aria!ility in tolerance)' so does the length of time it takes to recoer. 1nd it/s not as
simple as the more damage you hae' the longer it takes to recoer. -here are factors that
control how sensitie you are (genetics' oerall health' diet' stress' nutritional"deficiencies'
gut microflora) and there are factors that affect how *uickly you heal (okay' it/s the same list
of factors' !ut it/s more complicated than 1N@OC).
-he cells that line the gut' called enterocytes or gut epithelial cells are organi;ed into hills and
alleys (to help maximi;e the surface area of the gut)' forming finger"like columns of cells
called illi separated !y alleys called crypts. -he enterocytes are constantly regenerating
themseles (a pool or resident stem cells supplies the new enterocytes). 1s the cells age' they
migrate higher up the illi and are eentually shed into the gut to !e redigested (yes' we are
constantly canni!ali;ing ourseles). -his is called the >turnoer? of the gut epithelium. 3n
the normal healthy gut' the enterocytes migrate to the top of the illi in in 1"+ days' meaning
that all of the illi cells are replaced with new cells eery #"9 days (this gets slower as we age)
1'2'#
. -he cells that migrate toward the !ottom of the crypts hae a longer lifespan of 2"#
weeks. $hat does this mean# ' healthy person has an entirely new intestinal lining every (-
) weeks.
Repairing the intestine following in*ury +whether that is caused by ingested to&ins, infection,
or some other in*ury, is a more involved and comple& process that is tightly regulated and
controlled by the body (for a detailed understanding of this process' see reference +). -he
healing time aries depending on the extent of in.ury and studies trying to understand the role
of the resident stem cells of the gut show that repair of the crypt and illi structure of the
intestinal wall after in.ury can take anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks (depending on whether the
stem cells themseles are in.ured) in the a!sence of confounding factors
+'9
.
4hat does this mean$ For healthy individuals without celiac disease or gluten sensitivity
+where their bodies are producing antibodies against gluten,, the damage to individual cells
and the *unctions between them that can be caused by gluten is relatively fast to heal,
anywhere from a few days to ) weeks. :or these healthy indiiduals' most of this time is
likely asymptomatic. Many people report symptoms that only last from a couple of hours to a
couple of days after gluten exposure. -his also means that healthy individuals should be able
to heal their guts completely after following a ).-day paleo challenge such as a $hole)..
For those with confounding factors, healing is slower. Confounding factors are numerous and
include gluten sensitiity (where the !ody is producing anti!odies against gluten which
increases inflammation and slows healing)' celiac disease (an autoimmune condition)'
uncontrolled inflammation in the gut (which could !e caused !y food allergies' food
sensitiities or diseases such as 3nflammatory @owel Fisease)' nutritional deficiencies (which
can !e caused !y haing a ery inflamed and damaged gut' !ut slows healing !ecause not all
of the raw materials needed to repair are aaila!le)' gut dys!iosis (the wrong type' amount
and/or location of microorganisms in the gut)' infections' stress' !ody"wide inflammation' and
chronically eleated insulin.
6ow much do these confounding factors slow healing$ -he extreme end of the spectrum is
those with Celiac Fisease' an autoimmune condition triggered !y gluten exposure. )ne
hallmark of Celiac Fisease is a shortening or !lunting of the intestinal illi which is o!sered
!y performing a !iopsy of the small intestine (they are typically #"9 times longer in healthy
indiiduals than those with Celiac Fisease). For those with celiac disease, one study showed
that only //0 of patients had a normal intestinal biopsy after 1 years on a gluten-free diet
K
.
-his means that een after 9 years' #+J of Celiac Fisease sufferers had not recoered. -here
are no good similar studies ealuating intestinal repair in people with non"celiac gluten"
sensitiity' !ut medical professionals who speciali;e in treating gluten"sensitiity report time
frames of approximately 1P"2 years
M
.
2ts probably worth mentioning here that current reports suggest that both 3eliac "isease
and gluten-sensitivity are ridiculously underdiagnosed. 3t is estimated that 1 in eery 1II
1mericans suffer from Celiac Fisease !ut only 9J are eer diagnosed
H
. -his means that
there is something like 2.9"# million 1mericans with celiac disease that hae no idea that they
hae it (when you extrapolate this statistic glo!ally' it/s een scarier5). 7luten intolerance is
estimated to affect 19"2IJ of the population
Q
. -he take home message here$ =en if you
hae neer !een diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance' you may hae one of
these conditions which could !e contri!uting to slowed intestinal repair after switching to a
paleo diet or after accidental gluten exposure.
6ow much gluten can cause a pro!lem$ -his is highly indiidual. :or those with Celiac
disease (whether confirmed or undiagnosed)' een a minute amount of gluten can cause
significant damage to the small intestine in the ma.ority of sufferers
1I
. 3nterestingly' a not
unsu!stantial percentage of these people (22J) will hae significant damage to their small
intestine !ut not suffer any gastrointestinal symptoms. :or healthy indiiduals' the threshold
amount to suffer symptoms is highly aria!le. 0nfortunately' you don/t know until you test it
on yourself.
So' how long does it take the gut to repair after gluten exposure$ )nce again' like so many
topics 3 coer on this !log' the answer is >it depends?. :or healthy indiiduals' healing likely
takes only a couple of weeks. :or those with celiac disease (and perhaps autoimmune
diseases in general)' fully healing the lining of the small intestine may take years. -he rest of
us can !e anywhere in !etween.
1 Creamer @ et al. >-he turnoer and shedding of epithelial cells&2art 3 -he turnoer in the
gastro"intestinal tract?. 7ut 1QK1 2: 11I"11K
2 ,ipkin M et al. >Cell 2roliferation Binetics 3n -he 7astrointestinal -ract )f Man. 3. Cell
Cenewal 3n Colon 1nd Cectum? A Clin 3nest. 1QK# AuneD +2(K): MKM&MMK.
# 7odlewski MM et al >3nto the 0nknown&-he Feath 2athways in the 8eonatal 7ut
=pithelium? Current 2ediatric Ceiews. 2I11. M(+):##M"#+9
+ @likslager 1- et al. >Cestoration of @arrier :unction in 3n.ured 3ntestinal Mucosa? 2hysiol
Ce HM:9+9"9K+' 2IIM.
9 @ooth C and 2otten CS >7ut instincts: thoughts on intestinal epithelial stem cells? A Clin
3nest. 2IIID1I9(11):1+Q#&1+QQ.
K Cu!io"-apia 1 >Mucosal recoery and mortality in adults with celiac disease after treatment
with a gluten"free diet.? 1m A 7astroenterol. 2I1I AunD1I9(K):1+12"2I.
M http://glutendoctors.!logspot.com/2I1I/I+/healing"time"after"remoing"gluten.html
H ,ohi S et al. >3ncreasing prealence of coeliac disease oer time.? 1liment 2harmacol -her.
2IIM 8o 1D2K(Q):121M"29.
Q http://www.gastroendonews.com/Liew1rticle.aspx$dO3nJ2@the
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1I ,Shdeaho M, et al. >Small" !owel mucosal changes and anti!ody responses after low" and
moderate"dose gluten challenge in celiac disease.? @MC 7astroenterol. 2I11 8o 2+D11:12Q.
/hat $s A Leaky ,ut. 5And How Can $t
Cause &o *any Health $ssues.6
)ne of the fundamental principles of paleolithic nutrition is aoiding foods that damage the
lining of the gut. =ssentially' the gut is .ust a long' wrinkly tu!e. 3nside this tu!e' food is
digested !y en;ymes and friendly resident !acteria' !reaking down the components of our
food to their simplest forms: proteins are !roken down into amino acidsD car!ohydrates are
!roken down into monosaccharaidesD and' fats are !roken down into fatty acids. 4hat can/t
!e digested !y our !odies is excreted as waste. 1ma;ingly' a single layer of highly
speciali;ed cells (called enterocytes) is all that separates the inside of the tu!e from the
outside. -hese enterocytes hae two ery specific .o!s: 1) transport the digested nutrients
from the >inside"the"gut? side of the cell to the >outside"the"gut? side of the cellD and 2) keep
eerything else on the inside of the tu!e. 3mmediately outside this tu!e are two important
parts of the digestie system: 1) the resident immune cells of the gut whose .o! it is to protect
against pathogens which might accidentally find their way through the enterocytesD and 2) a
network of !lood essels and lymphatic essels that carry the digested nutrients from our food
to the tissues in our !ody that need them (amino acids and monosaccharaides are transported
through the !lood while fatty acids are transported through the lymphatic system).
1 >leaky gut? occurs when either the enterocytes are damaged or the proteins that form the
tight !ond !etween these cells and hold them together as a solid layer are damaged (or
altered). 4hen this happens' it creates microscopic holes through which some of the contents
of the gut can leak out into the !lood stream or lymphatic system. 4hat leaks out isn/t !ig
chunks of food. 3nstead' it/s a com!ination of many different pathogens: incompletely
digested proteins' !acteria or !acterial fragments from those friendly !acteria that are
supposed to stay inside your gut' or a ariety of toxic su!stances or waste products that would
normally !e excreted. 4hen these pathogens leak out' the resident immune cells of the gut
recogni;e them as foreign inaders and mount a response against them (when large *uantities
of pathogens leak out' other parts of the !ody' especially the lier' also contri!ute to the
response). =xactly what leaks out' and how much' determines the precise nature of this
immune response.
Some pathogenic su!stances (like !acterial fragments and toxins) cause generali;ed
inflammation !y triggering the release of chemicals called inflammatory cytokines (the
chemical messengers that circulate in the !lood and tell white !lood cells to attack). -his type
of inflammation has no target so any cell in the !ody can !e an innocent ictim. 3t is the
lier/s .o! to !oth control this type of inflammation and to filter out the toxins that may !e
triggering it. 4hen the lier is oerworked' the toxins !uild in the !ody and the inflammation
spreads. -his type of inflammation can !e a ma.or contri!utor to health issues ranging from
psoriasis and asthma to 1F6F and depression.
)ther su!stances (like incompletely digested proteins) cause specific inflammation' which can
take the form of an allergy or an auto"immune disease. 1n allergy is caused !y immune cells
creating 3g="type anti!odies targeting a part of a protein that is specific to the food it
originated from (like an anti!ody targeting the casein in milk resulting in a milk allergy). 1
ery similar type of immune response is caused !y immune cells creating 3g1"' 3gM" or 3g7"
type anti!odies targeting a part of a protein that is specific to the food it originated from. -his
type of immune response is technically considered a food sensitiity (and not an allergy)' and
can cause !oth allergy"type symptoms and symptoms that you might not normally attri!ute to
an allergy' such as: pain' fatigue' and ec;ema. 3t is also the formation of these types of
anti!odies that can cause auto"immune diseases. 1nti!odies target only a short se*uence of
amino acids' and not all of the amino acids that form an indiidual protein. 3n the case of
food allergies and sensitiities' this short se*uence of amino acids is still specific to the food it
originated from. @ut' sometimes the anti!odies that form in response to >leaked"out? proteins
target a se*uence of amino acids that isn/t uni*ue to that protein' !ut instead is a se*uence of
amino acids also found in many other normal proteins in the human !ody. 4hen this
happens' the !ody attacks itself thinking its own cells are foreign inaders. :or example' an
anti!ody could form against a se*uence of amino acids that is found in the insulin"secreting
!eta cells of the pancreas. 4hen the !ody attacks those cells' it causes -ype 3 Fia!etes. 1n
enormous range of autoimmune diseases can !e caused in this way' from lupus to celiac
disease to 7raes/ disease (many of which include genetic suscepti!ility as confounding
factor).
3t is important to know that' for some indiiduals' a leaky gut can deelop slowly oer years
or decades. Stress' sleep"depriation and/or some infections can make matters worse ery
*uickly (and unpredicta!ly). )nce you hae a leaky gut' it is only a matter of time !efore
related health conditions !egin to crop up. Fepending on the extent of the damage to the gut
lining' the exact su!stances that leak out' and your specific genetics' the inflammation and
immune reactions caused !y haing a leaky gut can add up to any of a huge ariety of
different health conditions' many of which can !e life"threatening. -his is why the gut"
friendly' anti"inflammatory paleo diet is known to address so many different health issues: if
your gut is healthy, then so are you.
How Do ,rains Legumes and Dairy Cause
a Leaky ,ut. 'art 74 Lectins
)ne of the fundamental principles of paleolithic nutrition is to protect the lining of the gut !y
eliminating foods that damage it. @y prioriti;ing gut health' we are a!le to treat and preent
the many health issues associated with haing a >leaky gut?. @ut how exactly do grains'
legumes and dairy wreak so much haoc on the digestie tract$ -here are seeral ways in
which these foods create holes in the gut lining. -he !est understood is the damage caused !y
lectins.
,rains and legumes contain lectins. ,ectins are a class of proteins found in many types of
seeds (like wheat' oats' !arley' rice' peanuts' soy' etc.) that are part of the plant/s natural
defense mechanism. 1 digested seed is not one that can grow a new plant. -o defend itself'
the seed from these plants either deter predators (like us) from eating them !y making us sick
or resist digestion completely or !oth. -he grains and legumes that hae !ecome a part of the
human diet since the 1gricultural Ceolution 1I'III years ago aren/t toxic enough to make
most of us seerely ill immediately after eating them (otherwise humans neer would hae
domesticated them5). 3nstead' their effects are more su!tle and can take years to manifest as a
life"threatening disease. %ou may !e wondering why other seeds (like the ones in !erries or
kiwi or !ananas) are okay to eat. -hese come from plants with a friendlier defense strategy:
we get to eat the delicious fruit encasing the seeds and then the seeds' which pass through our
digestie tracts intact' get to !e planted in rich manure. 6ow do you know the difference
!etween a harmless seed and one that contains damaging lectins$ 6ere/s the rule: if you can
eat it raw' then it/s okay to eat. 3f you hae to cook it' it has damaging lectins.
,ectins are not !roken down in the normal digestie process' !oth !ecause the structure of
these proteins are not compati!le with our !odies/ digestie en;ymes !ut also !ecause the
foods that contain these lectins also contain protease inhi!itors (compounds that stop the
en;ymes from !reaking down proteinsD more on these in 2art 2). ,ectins' which remain
largely intact throughout the digestie tract' can damage the gut lining in seeral ways. :irst'
lectins trick the enterocytes (the cells that line the gut) into thinking they are simple sugars.
-he enterocytes >willingly? transport the lectins from the >inside"the"gut? side of the cell to
the >outside"the"gut? side of the cell. 4hile in transit' the lectins may cause changes inside
the enterocyte that either kill the cell or render it ineffectie at its .o!' which leads to more
pathogens leaking out of the gut. )nce outside the gut' these lectins actiate the resident
immune cells of the gut which respond !y producing inflammatory cytokines (the chemical
messengers that circulate in the !lood and tell white !lood cells to attack) and anti!odies
against these foreign proteins. @ecause at least part of this response is not specific to the
lectin itself' the enterocytes (!eing the closest innocent !ystanders) can !e targeted and killed
!y the !ody/s immune cells' leading to the microscopic holes that create a leaky gut.
4luten is both the best known e&ample of a lectin, and also the most damaging. 3n many
indiiduals (like those with diagnosed gluten sensitiity and celiac disease)' gluten can
weaken the connections !etween enterocytes' essentially creating a space in !etween the cells
through which gut contents can leak through' adding yet another way that this particular lectin
can cause a leaky gut. )nce gluten has passed through the gut lining' it stimulates the resident
immune cells of the gut to start producing anti!odies. 7luten is especially insidious !ecause
parts of this protein closely resem!le many proteins in the human !ody' so there/s a high
likelihood that some of the anti!odies produced to target it will also target human cells. )ne
extremely commonly formed anti!ody is one against our en;yme transglutaminase.
-ransglutaminase is an essential en;yme in eery cell of the !ody' which makes important
modifications to proteins as they are produced inside the cell. 3t also stimulates wound
healing' !ut if anti!odies hae formed against it' then when it is secreted !y damaged cells in
inflamed areas of the small intestine (or any other damaged tissue in the !ody)' rather than
helping to heal the surrounding tissue' it instead turns it into a target of the immune system.
-his is yet another way in which gluten can cause a leaky gut. 3mportantly' when anti!odies
against transglutaminase form' eery cell and organ in the !ody !ecomes a potential target.
@ecause an exaggerated sensitiity to gluten is the cause of Celiac Fisease' which affects at
least 1 in 1## people' its effects on the gut hae !een the most studied. Scientists still don/t
know which of the many ways that gluten can harm the !ody apply to all lectins and which
are specific to gluten.
4luten sensitivity has already been linked to do5ens of autoimmune diseases. 6ven in
individuals who do not have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it can take up to si& months
for the gut to fully heal after a single gluten e&posure. $hile other lectins may not be uite as
damaging as gluten, scientists continue to discover new ways in which foods that contain
lectins can contribute to a leaky gut, inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
How Do ,rains Legumes and Dairy Cause
a Leaky ,ut. 'art 84 &aponins and
'rotease $nhibitors
)ne of the fundamental principles of paleolithic nutrition is to protect the lining of the gut !y
eliminating foods that damage it. @y prioriti;ing gut health' we are a!le to treat and preent
the many health issues associated with haing a >leaky gut?. @ut how exactly do grains'
legumes and dairy wreak so much haoc on the digestie tract$ -he damage caused !y the
lectins contained in grains and legumes (see 2art 1) is made een worse !y two other
compounds found in these foods: saponins and protease inhi!itors.
Legumes and pseudo"grains 5like 9uinoa and amaranth6 are high in saponins. 1ll plants
contain saponins' often concentrated in the seed of the plant. -hese compounds hae
detergent"like properties and are designed to protect the plants from consumption !y micro!es
and insects !y dissoling the cell mem!ranes of these potential predators. Saponins consist of
a fat"solu!le core (haing either a steroid or triterpenoid structure) with one or more side
chains of water"solu!le car!ohydrates (this com!ination of !oth a water"solu!le and a fat"
solu!le component is what makes saponin act like a detergent' i.e.' something that can make
oil and water mix). -his detergent"like structure gies saponins the a!ility to interact with the
cholesterol molecules im!edded in the surface mem!rane of eery cell in the !ody and
rearrange those cholesterol molecules to form a sta!le' pore"like complex. @asically' dietary
saponins create holes in the surface mem!rane of the cells which line the gut (enterocytes)'
allowing a ariety of su!stances found in the gut to enter the cell.
-here are many different types of saponins' and some !ind more easily and more tightly to the
cholesterol molecules in the cell mem!rane than others. 1s such' different saponins can
create larger or smaller pores' which may !e more or less sta!le. -he larger' more sta!le
and/or more numerous the pores' the more difficult it is for the enterocyte to recoer. Small
doses of some dietary saponins (like those found in fruits and egeta!les) might !e important
for aiding a!sorption of some minerals. 6oweer' legumes' and pseudo"grains contain very
high doses of saponins (and' in general' contain types of saponins that interact more strongly
with cholesterol). Fietary saponins from these foods are known to increase the permea!ility
of the gut (i.e.' cause a leaky gut)' likely !y killing enterocytes (cells' in general' do not
surie large' irreersi!le changes in mem!rane permea!ility). 3nterestingly' een when a
su!"lethal amount of saponin pores form in the enterocyte surface mem!rane' the cell loses its
a!ility to actiely transport nutrients' especially car!ohydrates. 4hile slowing down sugar
transport from the gut to the !loodstream seems like a great thing on the surface (why !eans
are so often recommended as a car!ohydrate source for dia!etics5)' the irreersi!le increase in
gut permea!ility is .ust not worth it5

4hen large amounts of dietary saponins are consumed (especially in the presence of an
already leaky gut)' saponins can leak into the !loodstream. 4hen saponins enter the
!loodstream in sufficient concentrations' they cause hemolysis (destruction of the cell
mem!rane of red !lood cells). Saponins also hae ad.uant"like actiity' which means that
they are a!le to affect the immune system leading to pro"inflammatory cytokine production
(again those chemical messengers that tell white !lood cells to attack) and can further
contri!ute to inflammation in the !ody.
,rains pseudo"grains 5like buckwheat6 and dairy contain protease inhibitors. 2rotease
inhi!itors are the seed/s attempt to escape digestion completely. -hese are compounds
designed to neutrali;e the digestie en;ymes that would normally degrade the proteins (and
toxins) found in those plants into their indiidual component amino acids. 6oweer' when
protease inhi!itors are present in the digestie tract' it affects degradation of all proteins
present at that time. 4hen the !ody senses the need to increase protein digestion' the
pancreas secretes more digestie en;ymes into the small intestine. @ecause some digestie
en;ymes are !eing inhi!ited (the proteases which !reak down protein) while others are not'
the !alance !etween the different digestie en;ymes is thrown off. )ne en;yme that ends up
in excessie *uantities during this process is trypsin' an en;yme that is ery good at
destroying the connections !etween cells. 3f there is a large concentration of trypsin in the
small intestine' it can weaken the connections !etween the enterocytes' creating a pathway for
the contents of the gut to leak into the !lood stream. -o make matters worse' in the presence
of an already leaky gut' incompletely digested proteins that cross the enterocyte layer
stimulate the resident immune cells of the gut to release inflammatory cytokines and produce
anti!odies. -he result is generali;ed and/or specific inflammation.
Dairy is designed to create a leaky gut. Scientists still don/t understand all the mechanisms
through which dairy products can create a leaky gut. 6oweer' it seems to !e an important
aspect for what dairy is designed to do: feed !a!ies (of the same species) optimal nutrition for
rapid growth. 3n new!orn infants' a leaky gut is essential so that some components of
mother/s milk can get into the !lood stream' like hormones and all the anti!odies that a
mother makes that helps !oost her child/s immune system. 4hile this is essential for optimal
health in !a!ies' it !ecomes a pro!lem in the adult digestie tract where there are more things
present that we don/t want to leak into the !lood stream. Frinking milk from a different
species seems to make matters worse since the foreign proteins can cause a larger immune
response.
-he damage to the gut lining caused by saponins has been heavily studied in the conte&t of
animal feed for poultry, cattle and fish farms. But, while there is a better understanding of
the damaging effects of dietary gluten +at least in humans,, the gut irritation and
inflammation that can be caused by saponins and protease inhibitors should not be
underrated.
/hy ,rains Are (ad:'art 7
@efore committing to paleolithic nutrition' 3 read a whole lot a!out it. 3 read scientific .ournal
articles' !ooks' and some great !logs. 1s 3 deled deeper and deeper into the reasons why
paleolithic nutrition is so remarka!ly healthful' 3 found myself learning the detailed
physiology and !iochemistry !ehind many aspects of this diet. 1lthough you don/t need to go
into as much detail as 3 hae' much of this information is releant to you and will help inform
your choices as you continue to experiment with a paleolithic lifestyle. 3 will try to distill the
most salient points for you. :irst' up: 4hy are grains !ad for you$
4rains have a particularly high concentration of two types of lectin. ,ectins are a class of
proteins (of which gluten is one) that are present in all plant life to some degree. -wo su!"
classes of lectins' prolamins (like gluten) and agglutinins (like wheat germ agglutinin) are of
particular concern for human health. -hese lectins are part of a plant/s natural protectie
mechanism (from predators and pests) and are usually concentrated in the seeds of the plant
(which is why grains and legumes hae so much). So what happens when we eat these
proteins$ Similar to what occurs in indiiduals with celiac disease (!asically' a super
exaggerated form of the sensitiity we all hae to gluten and other lectins,, these lectins can
either damage and kill the cells that line your intestines or directly causes spaces to open up
between your gut cells. -his causes little holes in your intestinesD so' things that are not
supposed to get into your !lood stream leak out. -his >leak? is made worse !y the fact that
lectins !ind to sugars and other molecules in the gut and then >help? these random other
molecule leak into the !lood stream. -here are many things in your gut (like =. coli) that are
supposed to stay thereD and' when they leak into the !lood stream' they cause a low leel of
systemic inflammation. -his can set the stage for many health conditions' including
cardioascular and auto"immune diseases.
-here are many lectins and some are more harmful than others. 7luten is !y far the most
damaging lectin' !ut non"gluten containing grains still contain lectins. 4heat germ agglutinin
is a ery close second in terms of negatie impacts on health (it has the added effect of
stimulating inflammation)' which is why the simple act of remoing wheat from your diet a la
4heat @elly !y Fr. 4illiam Fais can make such a difference to people/s health. 1nd while
some of the other >!lacklisted? foods are okay for occasional consumption (like dairy' !eans
and rice)' 3 suggest a lifelong dedication to gluten and wheat aoidance. 2t can take up to si&
months for your gut to fully heal after a single gluten e&posure +see 7ow 8ong "oes it -ake
the 4ut to Repair after 4luten 6&posure#,. @eyond the fact that some lectins are more
pro!lematic than others' dose is another important factor here. -he egeta!les and fruits that
our prehistoric ancestors ate in large *uantities are generally ery low in lectins (and typically
contain lectins that interact much less strongly with the gut !arrier than those in grains).
7rains (especially wheat) and legumes (especially soy) are ery high in prolamins and
agglutinins' the two su!"classes of lectins with the greatest negatie impact on the !arrier
function of the gut (where the gut is supposed to selectiely allow digested nutrients from our
foods into our !ody and keep out eerything else). 1nd' if damaging your gut lining and
causing systemic inflammation isn/t enough' lectins are also anti"nutrients' which means that
they stop you from a!sor!ing many of the itamins and minerals in your food (like
calcium5).
)n top of all this' grains are highly acidic foods (at the leel of your kidneys' not your
stomach). 1nother aspect of paleolithic nutrition is to !alance your intake of acidic and
alkaline foods (3 will expound on acid"!ase !alance in a future post). 7enerally' meat' eggs
and fish are acidic and we !alance this with lots of egeta!les and some fruit' which are
alkaline. 4hen grains are in our diet' it is nearly impossi!le to eat enough alkaline foods to
!alance this out and the result is strain on the kidneys' lier and pancreas.
3f all this .ust whets your appetite for more detailed information' 3 suggest starting with Fr.
,oren Cordain/s we!site http://thepaleodiet.com/ and -he 2aleo 1nswer.
/hy ,rains Are (ad:'art 8
3n my opinion' the two most important facets of paleolithic nutrition are to aoid foods that
irritate your gut and to !alance your omega"# to omega"K fatty acid ratio (aiming for 1:1 to
1:2). 7rains hae a negatie impact on !oth of these aspects of a paleo diet.
1fter reading my post on fat' you might hae picked up on an important detail a!out grains.
9ot only do they contain lectins +like gluten, that damage the cells that line your gut, but they
are also very high in omega-/ fatty acids. 7rains (including corn) and legumes are high in
linoleic acid' the omega"K fatty acid that seems to !e at the root of many modern diseases.
Cemem!er that omega"K fatty acids contri!ute to pro"inflammatory pathways in your !ody
and that the huge increase in the proportion of our dietary fat that now comes from omega"Ks
(instead of omega"#s) is a ma.or player in a wide range of diseases.
@ut it gets worse. -hese omega"K fatty acids are concentrated in modern egeta!le oils. )ils
deried from grains and legumes (soy' canola' safflower' sunflower' peanut' corn' etc) didn/t
exist until the process of mechanical extraction was inented. So' not only are you consuming
omega"K fatty acids directly from grain"containing foods' !ut also from the egeta!le oils that
they are cooked in.
1nother insidious way that grains hae negatiely impacted human health is with farmed
meat. Cows' pigs' sheep' chickens and een some farmed fish are fed grains. -he meat from
these animals no longer contains a !alanced 1:1 ratio of omega"# to omega"K fatty acids
(which they did prior to agriculture). 3nstead' it is typically closer to 1:1I5 2t is not enough
*ust to avoid grains in your diet: you need to be mindful of what you eat that eats grains too.
3n a perfect world' we would all eat pasture"fed !eef' free"range poultry' wild"caught fish and
wild game meat' while also aoiding all grains' legumes and modern egeta!le oils.
4hen !udget !ecomes an important consideration (like it does for me)' 3 suggest remoing
sources of omega"K where afforda!le' !ut also focusing more on increasing your intake of
omega"# fatty acids. )ne inexpensie way that you can do this !y eating omega"# eggs (the
ones 3 !uy hae KKImg of omega"# fatty acids per egg and only cost T2.MQ per do;en at my
local Broger) or free"range eggs (which typically hae a 1:1.9 omega"# to omega"K ratio).
1nother way to increase omega"# in your diet is to eat more wild"caught fish (canned salmon
and sardines are a great inexpensie option). %ou can also take a fish oil supplement (usually
li*uid oils are much cheaper than capsules and look for the highest =21 and F61 content for
the price). 6oweer you choose to increase your omega"# consumption' omitting grains from
your diet is critical. -here are no mammals in the wild that hae grains as part of their diet.
-he only group of animals that do well eating grains is !irds' which we are not.
*odifying 'aleo for F3D*A'"$ntolerance
5a.k.a. Fructose *alabsorption6
)ne of the many challenges that people face when adopting a paleo diet is dealing with the
confounding factor of additional food sensitiities. Sometimes these sensitiities are known
(perhaps you had allergy testing done at some point or react so iolently to certain foods that
it was a no"!rainer). ;ometimes these sensitivities are unknown and make it frustrating when
we dont e&perience the instant improvements to our health touted by so many paleo
enthusiasts. )ne such sensitiity is :)FM12"intolerance (also referred to as fructose
mala!sorption). -his isn/t a food sensitiity in the sense that there is any sort of immune
reaction to these foods. 3nstead' it is a case of a person who cannot properly digest the
fructose (and longer sugar molecules containing fructose) in these foods.
-he term :)FM12 is an acronym' deried from >:ermenta!le' )ligo"' Fi"' Mono"
saccharides and 2olyols?. :)FM12s are short chain car!ohydrates rich in fructose
molecules which' een in healthy people are inefficiently a!sor!ed in the small intestine. 3
know you/e heard the limerick >!eans' !eans' the magical fruitU?D the punchline refers to
the large amount of :)FM12 car!ohydrates in !eans (or any of other egeta!le that has a
reputation for !eing >gassy?) that are only partially a!sor!ed in the small intestine. 4hen this
excess fructose enters the large intestine' which is full of those wonderful !eneficial !acteria
we loe so much' they feed the !acteria allowing for oergrowth of !acteria and excess
production of gas. -he presence of :)FM12s in the large intestine can also decrease water
a!sorption (one of the main .o!s of the large intestine). -his causes a variety of digestive
symptoms, most typically% bloating, gas, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion and
sometimes e&cessive belching. 3n indiiduals with :)FM12"intolerance' a far greater portion
of these sugars enter the large intestine una!sor!ed' causing exaggerated symptoms. 3n fact'
some researchers !eliee that 3rrita!le @owel Syndrome is purely a case of :)FM12"
intolerance
1'2
.
Car!ohydrates' which are .ust chains of sugar molecules' are !roken down into indiidual
monosaccharides (a single sugar molecule) !y digestie en;ymes in the small intestine
(actually' this sugar digestion process !egins with the saliary amylase en;yme in the mouth
when you chew' !ut it continues all the way through the small intestine). Monosaccharides
are then a!sor!ed into the !lood stream !y first !eing transported through the cells that line
the small intestine' the enterocytes. =nterocytes hae speciali;ed transporters' or carriers'
em!edded into the mem!rane that faces the inside of the gut. -hese carriers !ind to specific
sugar molecules and transport them into the cell (where the cell can either use those sugars for
energy or transport those sugars to the other side of the cell where they can easily enter the
!lood stream). F<"M'!-intolerance may be due to lack of digestive en5ymes reuired to
break longer chains of carbohydrates down to their individual monosaccharides and=or due
to an insufficient amount of these carbohydrate carriers, specifically the carrier called
48>-1, which is the specific carbohydrate carrier for fructose +why this is also called
fructose malabsorption,.
:)FM12"intolerance means that large amounts of dietary fructose and longer car!ohydrate
chains that are rich in fructose are pro!lematic. -hese longer' fructose"rich car!ohydrate
chains are called fructans (inulin' which is a type of fi!er' is also rich in fructose and
pro!lematic for those with :)FM12"intolerance). Sugar alcohols' called polyols' (sor!itol is
an example) are additionally pro!lematic !ecause these sugars hae the a!ility to !lock
7,0-9 carriers (and if you/re working with a deficiency' that/s really not helpful5). 4hy do
some people deelop :)FM12"intolerance$ Cesearches don/t know yet. 3t may !e a
reaction of the !ody to high fructose and fructan consumption with the Standard 1merican
Fiet. 3t may !e a side effect of a ery distressed and/or leaky gut. -here are also ery likely
to !e genetic factors at play. -he good news is that' for many' as their gut and !odies heal'
their a!ility to digest and a!sor! these sugars improes.
4hen it comes to modifying your diet to address a suspected :)FM12"intolerance' dose is
the key. -he type of :)FM12 may !e important for some people. Some people are more
sensitie to the fructose and polyols (due to 7,0-9 carrier deficiency) while some are more
sensitie to fructans (due to digestie en;yme deficiency). Some people are sensitie to !oth.
6ow much you can handle is ery indiidual and is likely to change as your gut heals. -here
are medical tests aaila!le to diagnose fructose mala!sorption' howeer an elimination diet
approach is more relia!le. Cesearch has shown that the remoal of :)FM12s from the diet
is !eneficial for sufferers of irrita!le !owel syndrome and other functional gut disorders
1
.
-he following ta!le was created !y 1glaVe the 2aleo Fietitian' and is posted with her
permission. 3t !reaks down common foods into three categories: safe (ery low to no
:)FM12)' !e careful (low to moderate :)FM12)' and aoid (high :)FM12). 3t also
contains which kind of :)FM12 is richly present in each food in parentheses (helpful for
those who are more sensitie to one ersus the other). (1glaVe told me that this ta!le is likely
to !e updated in the near future. 3 will repost the edited ersion when it !ecomes aaila!le.
%ou can see the original ta!le here: http://www.eat"real"food"paleodietitian.com/support"
files/paleo"fodmap"food"list.pdf)
1s you can see from this ta!le' many of the moderate to high :)FM12 foods are foods that
we typically increase consumption of when adopting a paleo diet. 6ow frustrating for those
who experience an increase in gastrointestinal symptoms when they adopt a paleo diet
compared to so many who find instant alleiation of symptoms5 3f you suspect (or know you
hae) :)FM12"intolerance' 3 recommend eliminating all food sources of :)FM12s from
your diet for a couple of weeks. 3f you are sensitie' you should notice a fairly dramatic
effect on your digestie symptoms. %ou can try reintroducing some of the lower :)FM12
fruits and eggies and see if your symptoms return. 3n many cases' following a gut"healing
protocol (as outlined in this post' this post or in the !ook 2ractical 2aleo) will improe
digestion of :)FM12s and they can !e reintroduced carefully !ut successfully.
$t is very important to note that the symptoms of F3D*A'"intolerance are virtually
identical to the symptoms of &mall $ntestinal (acterial 3vergrowth 5&$(36. -he reason
for this is that these two conditions are highly related. -he difference is simply a matter of
location' larger ersus small intestine. 4ithout testing it can !e difficult to discern which of
these paleo diet modifications to try first (for more information on S3@)' read this post and
this post). =en more confusing' :)FM12"intolerance may or may not !e linked to Small
3ntestinal @acterial )ergrowth. 3n some cases' the una!sor!ed sugars caused !y :)FM12"
intolerance will lead to an enironment in the small intestine where !acteria will grow' thus
causing S3@). So' you may hae S3@) without :)FM12"intolerance' you may hae
:)FM12"intolerance without S3@)' or you may also hae !oth. 3f you hae digestie
symptoms and are unsure which condition is the pro!lem' then' 3/m sorry to say that you/ll
need to either hae some tests done or follow the diet restrictions for !oth. 1fter a period of a
couple of weeks' you can try adding in either the starchy egeta!les eliminated in the
modification for S3@) or some of the :)FM12 fruits and eggies (choose whicheer food
you miss the most). 3t should !e clear fairly *uickly which foods are pro!lematic. 1lso note
that !oth of these conditions are likely to resole completely with continued elimination of
these foods (although in some cases this will take K"12 months or een longer)' so you may
find that you can add eerything !ack in and your symptoms don/t return (fingers crossed5)
1
7i!son 2C and Shepherd SA. =idence"!ased dietary management of functional
gastrointestinal symptoms: -he :)FM12 approach. A 7astroenterol 6epatol. 2I1I.
29(2):292"H.
2
@orn 2 Car!ohydrate mala!sorption in patients with non"specific a!dominal complaints
4orld Aournal of 7astroenterology' 2IIM' 1#(+#): 9KHM"9KQ1
/hy $s &ugar (ad.
)r may!e this should !e titled' >4hy 1re Car!ohydrates @ad$?. Car!ohydrates take the form
of either sugars or starches (>complex car!ohydrates?)D !ut' a starch is simply a long chain of
sugar molecules strung together' so they !oth end up as the same thing once they enter your
!lood stream (the only difference is that you need digestie en;ymes to !reak up a starch).
Most car!ohydrates !reak down to approximately half glucose and half fructose (let/s ignore
fi!er and some of the other less common monosaccharides' for now). 7lucose is then directly
used !y your cells for energy' whereas fructose must first !e conerted into glucose or fat !y
your lier.
@efore we go further' let me say that carbohydrates, specifically glucose, are critical for life.
7lucose is energy and your cells need energy to lie. @0-' they don/t need anywhere near
the amounts typically consumed in the modern 4estern diet (often in excess of 9IIg per
day5). 3n fact' the high sugar consumption in our diet is the direct cause of the increase in
cardioascular disease' dia!etes and o!esity seen in the last three decades (since the moe
toward low"fat' high"starch diets' which we now know are terrible for our health).
6ow can sugar !e !oth essential and cause disease# 8ike so many things, it comes down to
dose. -hink of the analogy of alcohol: a glass of red wine a day can help preent
cardioascular disease' stroke and een 1l;heimer/s diseaseD whereas a 2+o; !ottle of scotch
a day will destroy your lier and then kill you. %ou might think this is a drastic example' !ut
it/s actually a ery apt analogy since ethanol is processed !y your lier in a ery similar way
to fructose. 3n fact' high fructose intake causes fatty lier disease' which is the precursor to
cirrhosis.
-he pro!lem comes when a person consumes more sugar than they need for immediate
energy usage or large doses of fructose. 4hen this happens' a cascade of hormones are
stimulated so that the extra sugar can !e conerted into glycogen or fat for storage. :irst' the
amount of sugar in your !lood rises. -his sugar reacts with other components of your !lood
to produce 1danced 7lycation =nd products' which cause oxidatie damage to your tissues
and increase inflammation in your !ody. 6igh !lood sugar can !e life threatening and cause
permanent !rain damage' so your !ody has a mechanism to deal with this: the hormone
insulin. 3nsulin helps shuttle glucose into your cells (and when glucose is really high' insulin
helps get glucose to into your lier cells to !e conerted into fat for storage). 4hen your
!lood sugar leels are chronically high' your cells can !ecome insulin resistant' leading to
more insulin production. -his is what eentually leads to type 33 dia!etes. Chronically high
insulin leels hae also !een shown to dramatically increase the risk of some cancers. Some
other hormones are stimulated as well' like leptin' a hunger hormoneU yes' eating sugar
makes you hungrier.
%our lier is responsi!le for conerting excess sugar into glycogen or fat for storage. @ut'
toxic !yproducts (like triglycerides' which are linked to increased risk for heart disease) are
produced as part of the conersion of either glucose or fructose into glycogen or fat for
storage. 3f you consume relatiely low car!ohydrates' the amount of toxic !yproducts is low
enough that your !ody can deal with it easily. 4hen you consume high leels of
car!ohydrates' the toxic !yproducts !uild up and contri!ute to oxidatie stress' inflammation'
tissue damage and disease.
Most of the cells in your body can easily use fat or ketone bodies +produced by your liver
when it breaks down stored body fat, for energy. -he only cells that a!solutely need glucose
are neural cells. 1lthough an exact lower limit to glucose consumption is still !eing de!ated'
there is eidence that a person can surie on as little as 19g of car!ohydrates per day.
-his doesn/t mean that you hae to do a low"car! diet. 4hen you choose low" and moderate"
glycemic load foods (that/s all fruits and egeta!les' !y the way)' !lood sugar leels are ery
well regulated een when car!ohydrate intake is ery high (upwards of #IIg per day). -his is
a!out aoiding added sugars and high glycemic load foods (like grains' refined and processed
foods' and .unk). Clinical trials actually show that aoiding high glycemic load foods is far
more important than exactly how many grams of car!ohydrates you consume. -he 1merican
6eart 1ssociation now recommends that we consume only fie percent of our calories as
added sugar (this doesn/t include the sugars in whole fruits and egeta!les' for example).
)ne of the tenants of paleolithic nutrition is to remoe all added and refined sugars from our
diets and get all of our car!ohydrates from whole fruit and egeta!le sources. 3 would een
add that we should focus on consuming large portions of non"starchy egeta!les (with more
moderate intake of starchy eggies and fruit)' which is the ideal situation for lier' kidney and
pancreas health.
&ugar -s. &weeteners
%ou may hae noticed that when 3 am making some paleo ersion of a food for my kids (like
2aleo Snickerdoodles)' 3 use actual sugar (or honey or molasses) in my recipes. %our saying
to yourself >4ait5 3 thought we were supposed to aoid refined sugars5?. 4e are. Cesearch
is now showing that it is sugar and other car!ohydrates (and not saturated fat5) that are the
cause of the current rise in cardioascular disease' dia!etes and o!esity. 3 don/t eat much of
these sweet recipes myself. @ut 3 think that kids don/t function that well on too low of car!s
and as 3 transition my kids to paleo foods' it helps to feed them something really yummy5
8ow you ask >so' why not use a sugar su!stitute$?. 7ood *uestion. My answer is that 3 .ust
don/t like them. 3 definitely fall under the Aulia Child philosophy of 3/d rather eat an
occasional little piece of the real thing than a giant !owl of the imitation (3 think she was
talking a!out mashed potatoes made with !utter ersus milk' !ut 3 can/t *uite remem!er).
4hy am 3 so suspicious of sweeteners$ 4ell' different sweeteners cause me different hee!ee
geegies' !ut it !oils down to how sugar su!stitutes affect insulin and hunger hormones. Some
of the natural sweeteners' like agae syrup' contain a large percentage of fructose. 4hile it is
true that this is a low glycemic load sweetener' it/s also true that consuming alot of fructose
completely messes with your insulin' leptin and other hunger hormones. :ructose makes you
hungrier. 1rtificial sweeteners and some natural sweetners hae !een shown to do something
similar. :or some people' they elicit an insulin response (!asically' they taste sweet so your
!ody releases some insulin !efore it reali;es there isn/t actually any glucose in there5)' which
drops your !lood glucose' so your !ody tells you to consume more glucose' so you feel
hungry. 3 .ust don/t like messing with this.
So why don/t 3 stick with honey and maple syrup$ 3 do in some cases' !ut 3/m not opposed to
small doses of white or !rown sugar. 1ll of these sugars are !asically half fructose and half
glucose' so they have nearly identical effects on your body chemistry. -here is some !enefit
to using raw' unprocessed sugars (like Blackstrap Molasses or Tropical Traditions
Organic Whole Cane Sugar or Dark Muscovado Sugar ) since these sugars do have
some valuale trace minerals! " generally choose #hich sugar (yes$ these are all
sugar) to use in my recipes ased on chemistry (desired te%ture$ other inders$ etc!)!
B&T " have to tell you one very important thing! When you stick to a strict paleo diet$
your sugar taste uds get '()*,% sensitie. -his means that eating something that
wouldn/t hae tasted ery sweet to you !efore' tastes 7C=1-5 Some of my sweet recipes are
?id Friendly (like my 2aleo Snickerdoodles)' which means there/s more sugar than most
adults would want to consume except for ery special occasions (or may!e this is a good post
work"out food$). 3 hae other recipes that *ualify as !aleo -reats (like my 1lmond Coconut
@ars)' which means may!e not sweet enough for the kids' !ut pro!a!ly okay for a more
fre*uent treat for adults. So' when you go to do some paleo !aking' don/t worry so much
a!out which form of glucose and fructose 3/m using in my recipes so much as how much of it
you eat.
1nother B=% 2)38- here is that a lot of the sugar su!stitutes out there are *uite a lot more
expensie than the old stand!ys. 1nd 3 am doing this on a tight !udget (and 3/d rather put that
extra cash toward some really good *uality almond flour). @ut' !y all means play with other
sweeteners' if that floats your !oat. 3 like the look of a lot of recipes from
www.elenaspantry.com (and loe the recipes that 3/e tried so far) and she often uses
su!stitutes like steia and yacon syrup in her !aking.
2ut"Free 'aleo (read
$ngredients4
+ eggs
+ -!sp grass"fed !utter (you could use Cefined Coconut )il or 2alm Shortening as an
alternatie)
E cup -apioca :lour
E cup Coconut :lour
1 tsp 1pple Cider Linegar
P tsp Cream of -artar
E tsp @aking Soda
1. 2reheat oen to #9I:. ,ine a M.9Wx#.9W ,oaf 2an with wax paper. 7rease the wax paper
with coconut oil (if you hae a good non"stick pan' you should !e a!le to get away with .ust
greasing it really well).
2. Melt the !utter (or coconut oil if using) in the microwae and let cool slightly.
#. @eat eggs in a !lender or food processor until frothy' a!out #I seconds. 1dd the
remaining ingredients and process again until smooth. ,et the !atter sit for a minute to
thicken.
+. 2our !atter into prepared loaf pan. Spread it out so that the surface is een. @ake for #9
minutes. =n.oy5
Coconut *ilk +efir ;!ogurt<
$ngredients4
Milk Befir 7rains
1 can full"fat Coconut Milk or a dou!le !atch of 6omemade Coconut Milk
09uipment4
1 glass .ar or two
Metal Siee
)ne of the following: Cheesecloth' muslin' linen' %ogurt Cheese Strainer .
1lternately' you could use a Befir Cheese Strainer
1. 2lace room temperature coconut milk into a glass .ar. 1dd kefir grains. Coer with paper
towel or cheesecloth secured with the ring of a mason .ar lid or an elastic !and.
2. ,et the kefir grains do their thing for 2+"+H hours (tasting periodically to see if the culture
has reached your desired sourness).
#. Strain the kefir culture through a metal strainer. 2lace the strained kefir grains into fresh
milk to start the next culture.
+. ,ine a metal siee' colander or funnel with 12"1+ layer thick cheesecloth (alternately you
could use a yogurt cheese !ag' a kefir strainer' a piece of muslin cloth or a clean linen tea
towel). 2lace siee oer a medium"si;ed !owl to catch the whey.
9. 2our strained kefir culture into the cheesecloth"lined siee and place the entire !owl and
siee into the refrigerator. 1fter 1 hour' check the li*uid in the !ottom of the !owl and make
sure that it is mostly clear (it will hae a little opa*ue white swirling around in it' !ut it should
look alot like the li*uidy whey from the top of a yogurt container). 3f it isn/t clear' dump it
!ack into the cheese cloth and add another few layers of cheese cloth or a second nut"milk !ag
or een a coffee filter to strain out the whey.
K. Check how thick your yogurt is after a!out + hours. 3t will take anywhere !etween +"2+
hours to strain enough whey to hae thick' creamy yogurt consistency (you can actually
continue straining to make a fresh kefir cheese' although if you are going to attempt this' it/s
!etter to strain at room temperature). )nce the desired consistency is reached' scrape the
yogurt into a !owl or container for storage and discard the whey (or !etter yet' use for another
purpose). -he yield is approximately 1 cup of yogurt for 1 can of coconut milk.
M. =n.oy the yogurt plain (may!e with some !erries or paleo granola) or flaor with honey'
anilla and/or pureed fruit. -o make a loely anilla yogurt' add 1 -!sp honey and 1 tsp
alcohol"free anilla extract. :or fruit yogurts' 3 typically add E cup pureed fresh or fro;en
fruit to 1 cup of yogurt. Stir to incorporate and en.oy5
2ote on straining kefir when using homemade coconut milk4 -he curd/fat layer of my
kefir can !e so solid when 3 use homemade coconut milk that the straining step can !e
aoided. 3nstead' 3 carefully spoon the thick top layer into my metal siee' and push the curd
through to separate out my Befir 7rains for the next !atch. 3f the curd is really thick' 3 might
een thin a !it with the whey that naturally separates out to the !ottom (3 always sae this
whey for smoothies). 3f the yogurt has a !it of a curdled texture (this can happen in a cooler
kitchen)' a *uick !lend in a !lender will smooth it out. So' not only is homemade kefir
>yogurt? cheaper and !etter tasting when made with homemade coconut milk' !ut it/s easier
too5
,inger"Lemon =asmine +ombucha
3f you hae decided that you are interested in growing your own kom!ucha' the fastest way to
get started is to either get a Bom!ucha Sco!y (also known as the kom!ucha starter' kom!ucha
mushroom or the kom!ucha mother) from a friend or !uy one online (some 6ealth :ood
stores may carry them). %ou can also start kom!ucha from a store"!ought !ottle' which sets
you !ack a!out 2 weeks' !ut costs su!stantially less than !uying a sco!y (3 followed the
directions on this site). -his is what 3 did' and while it only cost a!out T+ to grow my initial
sco!y compared to a!out T2I if 3 had !ought one off ama;on' 3 was drinking store"!ought
kom!ucha the entire time 3 was waiting and easily drank T2I worth in that 2 weeks. %ou can
also !uy a kom!ucha starter kit which has eerything you need' including detailed directions.
-he process of growing kom!ucha is actually erysimple. Make some hot tea (any !lack or
green tea works well) and add sugar while it/s hot (you can either do this right away or after
the tea has steeped a while). ,et the tea cool. 2our into your !ig glass .ar (6alf 7allon 4ide
Mouth Canning Aars are perfectD 3 use half gallon cracker .ars that 3 !ought at -arget for a!out
TK each)' top up with some water' put your sco!y in with a little of the preious !atch of
komu!ucha tea. Secure some cheese cloth' muslin' or paper towel oer the top of the .ar with
an elastic !and and place the .ar somewhere out of the way where it won/t !e distur!ed (it
doesn/t need to !e in the dark' although a cup!oard or pantry shelf will work .ust fine' !ut it
doesn/t like direct sunlight). 3 let my kom!ucha culture for 1+"1M days so that there will !e
ery little sugar in the finished product. %ou can let your kom!ucha culture for as little as
week' if you want sweeter tea. 3 think culturing for a!out 1I"12 days replicates the sweetness
of store"!ought kom!ucha fairly well. 3/e let it go as long as 2# days !efore (3 don/t know
how 3 forgot a!out it for so long' !ut 3 did5) and it was still fine (not sure it would take this
a!use eery time' though). 1fter it/s done culturing' you set"up the next !atch' !ut the
cultured tea isn/t *uite ready to drink. 3t needs to go through a second' anaero!ic
fermentation to get !u!!ly (you can skip this if you prefer). -his is also where you get to add
something to flaor the tea' if desired. %ou can pour the tea into small glass Mason Aars or
7lass @ottles (3 kept a !unch of glass !ottles from the store"!ought !rand while 3 was growing
my first sco!y and hae used those eer since)' add a little .uice' her!s' spices and/or fresh
fruit' screw on the lid and let it sit for #"9 days. 2ut it in the fridge until you are ready to drink
it5
-ools specific to growing kom!ucha:
1. P gallon glass .ar with a wide opening (6alf 7allon 4ide Mouth Canning Aars are perfect
or something like a glass cracker .arD you can also dou!le this recipe and grow your
kom!ucha in a 1"7allon Aar)
2. 1K o; 7lass @ottles for secondary fermentation (3 get three 1Ko; !ottles to 1 half gallon
primary culture)
#. Bom!ucha Sco!y (start your own with a store"!ought !ottle or purchase one ready to go)
+. Some kom!ucha tea from the preious culture (if you !uy a sco!y it comes packaged
with this' don/t throw it out5)
9. -eapot of similar to !rew tea
K. 1nd electric or stoetop kettle
M. Some cheese cloth' muslin' or paper towel and an elastic !and to coer the .ar so the
kom!ucha can !reathe !ut !ugs don/t get in.
H. Sugar and -ea
3 use regular old refined white granulated sugar to feed my kom!ucha. 3t .ust wants sucrose
and doesn/t care that it/s refined. 3t/s much cheaper than using my eaporated cane .uice for
it (although 3 suppose if 3 did use eaporated cane .uice' 3 would add some trace minerals to
my tea). -here is so little sugar left in the finished product +if you culture as long as 2 do,,
that 2 really dont worry about the carbohydrate load of this beverage. Most of the caffeine is
typically degraded during culturing as well. 3 een let my 2.9"year old drink it (she loves it5)
and haen/t noticed any of the typical symptoms of giing a child caffeine (whereas 3 do
notice effects if she has chocolate). 3 did try growing a sco!y in rooi!os tea to try and get a
completely caffeine"free tea' !ut it tasted disgusting. 3 don/t know if it wasn/t acidic enough
or if the caffeine is actually important for the health of the sco!y' !ut it did not work5
Bom!ucha is grown as a continuous culture. So' eery time you are ready to put the tea into a
secondary fermentation you are starting a new primary fermentation. 1nd' eery time you
make a !atch of kom!ucha' you get an additional sco!y (a new one forms on the surface and
the old ones stack underneath). 3 typically moe 1"2 sco!ies from the old !atch of tea to the
new .ar of tea that 3 am growing and compost the oldest sco!y (or sco!ies' which are the ones
on the !ottom). -his we!site has some neat ideas for what you can do with the old sco!ies
(the ones closest to the !ottom). 3 hae eaten them and they are not tasty.
My faorite kom!ucha is ginger"lemon .asmine. 3 grow the sco!y in sweetened .asmine tea
(tea *uality makes a !ig difference to the final taste). Furing the second fermentation' 3 add
fresh ginger .uice and fresh lemon .uice. 3t/s so refreshing and light' kindof like lemonade'
kindof like iced tea' kindof like a wine sprit;er' and completely uni*ue all at the same time.
6ere are the directions once you hae your sco!y for a half gallon .ar (which yields three 1K
o; !ottles).
$ngredients 5'rimary Fermentation64
9 Aasmine -ea @ags (or a!out 9 tsp ,oose ,eaf -ea)
X cups Sugar
1 Bom!ucha Sco!y
P cup of preious !atch of komucha tea
1. 2our !oiling water oer tea!ags in a large teapot (make +"K cups of tea).
2. 4hen tea has steeped (prefera!ly a!out 2I minutes)' stir in sugar until dissoled.
#. 1llow tea to cool to room temperature. Cemoe tea !ags or pour tea through a siee to
remoe leaes.
+. 2lace tea in P gallon .ar. 2lace sco!y in the tea (it/s okay if it sinks' it will typically float
up in a couple of days). 1dd the P cup of the preious !atch of kom!ucha tea to the .ar (this
helps get the culture going more *uickly). -op up with room temperature filtered water until
.ust !efore the .ar narrows at the top.
9. Coer with cheese cloth' muslin or paper towel held on with a ru!!er !and.
K. 1llow to ferment for 1+"1M days.
$ngredients 5&econdary Fermentation64
P l! :resh 7inger (this makes enough ginger .uice for 12"1K !ottles)
2 lemons
1. Cut ginger up into 1? chunks (you don/t need to peel it) and place in your !lender. :ill
with water until the ginger is .ust coered (a!out 1P"2 cups water). @lend on high for #"+
minutes. :ilter ginger pulp !y straining through a metal strainer. -his ginger .uice can !e
fro;en in ice cu!e trays for future !atches of kom!ucha (also loely to add to hot water for
ginger tea).
2. Auice lemons.
#. 2repare three 1Ko; !ottles or mason .ars each with 1P"2 -!sp of ginger .uice and 1P"2
-!sp of lemon .uice.
+. Cemoe the kom!ucha sco!y from the .ar with clean hands (place into a new P gallon .ar
of sweetened tea that is ready to go for the next !atch' remem!ering to resere P cup of this
!atch of kom!ucha to add to the new !atch).
9. Stir the tea with a wooden spoon (this gets all the dead yeast that sinks to the !ottom !ack
into the tea' which is ery nutritious). 2our into prepared !ottles (3 find it easier to pour into a
large measuring cup and then use the measuring cup to pour into the !ottles).
K. -ighten the caps on the !ottles and allow to ferment for #"9 days. 2lace in the fridge until
you are ready to en.oy5
M. :inish up your new culture as per the 2rimary :ermentation directions a!oe.