THE PALEO DIET

THE

INSIDER
Vol. 2, Issue 3

ROOT FOODS IN
PERSPECTIVE
FROM
ROOTS TO
RHIZOMES
BAKED WALNUT
STUFFED
CARROTS
90 DAYS
TO BETTER
HEALTH

LOREN CORDAIN,
PH.D.
1

Vol. 2 Issue 3

FROM ROOTS TO RHIZOMES

Hi Anna,

The basics of The Paleo Diet are simple: lean meats,

fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Its been said that
good food is food that goes bad, and by focusing on
fresh foods it is hard to go wrong. But because potatoes
have a high glycemic load, there is some confusion
about whether root foods are appropriate. This month,
we tackle that question.

Let me take a round about approach before I directly

answer your question. First off, potatoes and sweet
potatoes are not necessarily forever and completely
banned from the diet. For overweight individuals and
for anyone suffering from chronic diseases of insulin
resistance, I highly recommend that potatoes and
sweet potatoes be eliminated or severely restricted
until body weight normalizes and/or disease
symptoms ameliorate. Because both sweet potatoes
and potatoes are net base yielding vegetables, they
represent superior carbohydrate sources compared to
cereal grains. Additionally, when fully cooked, these
vegetables contain few or no antinutrients (such as
dietary lectins) which can adversely affect health. In
contrast fully cooked cereals still contain numerous
antinutrients including lectins
In my original book, The Paleo Diet, I spoke of
the 85:15 rule meaning that if one were 85%
compliant with the diet most of the time, significant
improvements in health could occur. I still believe this
concept, and I believe that minor dietary discretions
involving potatoes and sweet potatoes on an occasional
basis will have little adverse impact upon health. In
fact, for highly fit athletes, or for healthy, normal
weight individuals doing significant aerobic exercise
on a daily basis, potatoes and sweet potatoes represent
a good source of carbohydrate necessary to replenish
spent muscle glycogen stores.

Dear Dr. Cordain,

I know that potatoes and sweet potatoes are
banned foods, but what about other root
vegetables such as celeriac, turnips and Swedes
(rutabagas)?
Thanks,

There are approximately 96 vegetable crops that are

grown world wide which fit under the catch all phrase
of roots and tubers.1 Root and tuber vegetables
are actually the underground food storage organs
of various plants. These edible underground organs
are classified into one of five categories: 1) roots, 2)

Anna W.
Design Manager

tubers, 3) rhizomes, 4) corms, and 5) bulbs. Commonly

consumed roots are carrots, parsnips, radishes, beets,
Swedes (rutabagas), sweet potatoes, cassava and
celeriac, whereas commonly consumed tubers include
potatoes and yams. Examples of edible rhizomes are
the arrowroot, ginger and turmeric. Corms include
taros and Chinese water chestnuts whereas common
edible bulbs take in onions and garlic. Crops with an
enlarged stem (leek and kohl rabi), even when located
underground, are generally not classified as roots and
tubers.2

Figure 1. Per Capita Percentages of Highly Glycemic and

Highly Insulinemic Foods in the U.S. Diet (199099).

Refined Sugars

18.6

Refined Grains
52.3

20.3
6.3

The table below shows worldwide production of the

top 11 root and tuber crops.
CROP
(METRIC TONS/YR)
Potato
307,440,446
Beet (Sugar)
246,475,609
Cassava
184,852,540
Sweet potato
136,130,396
Onion (dry)
51,914,247
Yam
39,643,170
Carrot
21,020,436
Garlic
12,107,007
Taro
9,220,522
Ginger
988,182
Chicory roots
960,700

2.5

Potatoes
Dairy (Except Cheese)
Other Foods

My recommendation for overweight subjects or

for people with diseases of insulin resistance (type
2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia [elevated
triglycerides, low HDL, elevated small dense LDL],
coronary heart disease, gout, and acne) is to not exceed
a glycemic load of 10 for any given meal and to keep
the days glycemic load under 40. If you look at the table
carefully, you can see that a 100 g (~1/4 lb) serving of
baked potato would provide you with half your daily
glycemic load allotment. A similar serving of sweet
potato would be a better choice with a glycemic load
of 14.8, but better choices still would be beets, Swedes
or carrots, which under normal circumstances you
can basically eat until you are full, as it would be quite
difficult to consume enough of these foods to exceed a
daily glycemic load of 40.

Source: FAO, 2003

Although glycemic index and load values for celeriac

have not yet been determined, the amount of
carbohydrate per 100 g (9.2 g) is similar to that for
beets, Swedes and carrots. Consequently, it is likely
that celeriac has a similar low glycemic load and
presents no problems. The same goes for turnips.
Enjoy these healthful, net base yielding root and tuber
vegetables. One final note for eagle eyed readers. I
have calculated the glycemic load using a standardized
100 g serving as this procedure will level the playing
field when making comparisons between and among
various food items. In the International Table of
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values,5 glycemic
loads are calculated by multiplying the glycemic index
by the carbohydrate content of a standard serving.
Although this practice is widely utilized, the problem
is that standard servings vary from food item to food
item, thereby introducing a bias for the greater serving
size.

It is interesting to see that the worlds top two tuber

crops (potatoes and sugar beets) are major contributors
to the ubiquitous high glycemic load in the U.S. diet
(see Figure 1 to the right). Note that 41.4% of the total
calories in the typical US diet come from high glycemic
foods: 1) refined grains, 2) refined sugars, 3) potatoes.
From previous newsletters, eagle eyed Paleo Diet
newsletter subscribers will immediately recognize that
a high glycemic load is one of the major dietary factors
underlying obesity and numerous chronic health
problems in westernized countries.3, 4
OK, now lets get down to directly answering Annas
question, but what about other root vegetables such
as celeriac, turnips and Swedes (rutabagas)? In the
table below I have compiled data for the only 9 root
and tuber vegetables listed in the International table
of glycemic index and glycemic load values.5 I have
also compiled data for 5 additional root and tubers
whose glycemic indices have not yet been determined,
including turnips and celeriac.

Vol. 2 Issue 3

International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values

PRIMAL IN THE KITCHEN

Boil the carrots for 30 minutes, then cut

in half lengthwise. Preheat the oven to
350 F. Hollow out the centers and puree
the extracted portions. Combine the
onion, walnuts, and bell pepper with 1
tablespoon of the oil. Add ground pepper to
taste. Mix in the pureed carrots, and stuff
the eight carrot halves with the mixture.
Bake in a dish coated with the remaining
2 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 30
minutes. Serves 8.

BAKED WALNUT-STUFFED CARROTS

This recipe comes from The Paleo Diet for Athletes:
4 large carrots, washed and pared
1 medium onion, chopped
cup chopped walnuts
green bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Vol. 2 Issue 3

SUCCESS STORY
Dear Dr. Cordain,
Thank you for your work on Paleolithic eating. Here
is my experience with removing virtually all grains
and legumes from my diet for the past 90 days. I do
continue to drink less than one glass of skim milk per
day and eat perhaps 8 oz of sheep and/or goat cheese
per week. I eat seafood at least twice per week and eat
until satisfaction a good quantity of lean meats, whole
fruits, and non-starchy vegetables. In between snacks
are a trail mix of walnuts and other assorted nuts (all
raw) and chopped fruits.
I am a 54 year old male in good overall health except
having been on Lisinapril for three years for blood
pressure of 130/90 (unmedicated). Height is 67. Here
are before and after statistics:
Start:
Weight: 178
BMI: 27.9
Chol Tot 182, HDL 48, Tot/HDL 3.79,
LDL 109, Tri 128, Gluc 92 (fasting)

My doctor and I were very pleased with the 20 pound

weight loss, reduction in blood pressure (about 10
points) and significant improvement in HDL and
Triglycerides after just 90 days. He is reducing the
Lisinapril dosage, and I should be off of it in a month.
Im also looking forward to continuing dropping more
weight.

After 90 days:
Weight: 158
BMI: 24.9
Chol Tot 180, HDL 60, Tot/HDL 3.00,
LDL 105, Tri 77, Gluc 93 (not fasting)

This is the first time in my adult life that I have felt in

control of my weight and blood chemistry. Thank you
for your part in researching and publicizing this way of
eating.
Sincerely,
Bob S.

REFERENCES
1. http://www.uga.edu/rootandtubercrops/English/
2. http://www.mypyramid.gov/
3. Cordain L, Eades MR, Eades MD. Hyperinsulinemic diseases of
civilization: more than just syndrome X. Comp Biochem Physiol
Part A 2003;136:95-112.
4. Cordain L, Eaton SB, Sebastian A, Mann N, Lindeberg S,
Watkins BA, OKeefe JH, Brand-Miller J. Origins and evolution
of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Am J
Clin Nutr. 2005 Feb;81 (2):341-54.
5. Foster-Powell K, Holt SH, Brand-Miller JC. International table
of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. Am J Clin Nutr.
2002 Jul;76(1):5-56.