We love hearing from our customers. Many of you share your advice for healthy blood sugar on our Facebook posts. We know that most of our customers stick to eating low-sugar diets rich in vegetables and protein. You also share tips about what flours you like, what you avoid and more.

A lot of our customers go back and forth on the paleo diet. We’ve had to remove some comments because of foul language when things got heated! People argue about how healthy it is with the high amount of fat it suggests you eat. Some people love it for the way they have lost weight. Others say it isn’t healthy.

While the scientific jury hasn’t reached a final verdict on the paleo diet, we always say you should be wary of going “all in” on anything extreme. We’ve shared paleo recipes you can add to your low-carb diet and enjoy as part of a healthy lifestyle. But, we always suggest you talk to a doctor before committing to a big change. Now, research has shown that a high-fat diet can damage the gut. While that doesn’t spell curtains for the paleo diet, it does underscore the importance of discussing it with your doctor before making the switch.

Maintaining a healthy microbiome is key to good health and steady weight. A diet that’s high in saturated fat from dairy or meat can cause metabolic problems and make it harder to lose weight or maintain weight loss after shedding pounds. That’s because animal fat doesn’t feed the healthy bacteria in the intestines like fruits and vegetables do.

Not all fat has the same impact. Polyunsaturated fats from nuts and seeds can be beneficial. But saturated fat from animal sources and coconut and palm oil increase cholesterol, risk heart disease and damage gut health.

The researchers wrote that “High fat and high [saturated fat] SFA diets can exert unfavorable effects on the gut microbiota and are associated with an unhealthy metabolic state. Also, high MUFA [monounsaturated] diets may negatively affect gut microbiota whereas PUFA [polyunsaturated diets] do not seem to negatively affect the gut microbiota or metabolic health outcomes.”

They found that eating high levels of these types of fat led to low amounts of healthy gut bacteria. It was also linked to “leaky gut,” when toxic bacterial metabolites get into the blood. All of this can cause chronic inflammation and other chronic health problems.

Feeding your gut with fiber helps you stay strong, healthy and aids in weight loss. It makes your body function well. So, if you want to follow the paleo diet, first have a chat with your doctor about your gut health and the fat levels of the diet to know if it is a safe, healthy choice for you.  

Banner image: Max Delsid via Unsplash