Visiting Hawaii, you can’t help but be captivated by the stunning landscape and the mesmerizing beauty of its locals. Traditional island dances showcase strong, fit men and curvy women that seem to embody their ancestors. However, stepping away from the resorts and into the daily lives of modern native Hawaiians reveals a serious health issue: obesity. In a surprising twist, the Hawaiian paleo diet is now being used to help locals lose weight and re-establish the vitality once known to their ancestors.
The Hawaiian Paleo Diet
The traditional Hawaiian diet comprises fruits, vegetables, and a focus on root vegetables such as taro (similar to a potato), yams, sweet potatoes, and breadfruit (a flowering tree in the South Pacific). It also includes fern shoots, taro leaves, and seaweed, with a limited allowance for fish and chicken. Importantly, all foods are eaten raw or steamed – nothing is fried. Processed foods are excluded.
While the Waianae diet is high in carbohydrates, these are not sugary carbs. Instead, they are the stomach-filling starches found in sweet potatoes that are paired with high doses of fiber. When researchers placed a group of native Hawaiians on this diet for three weeks, the average weight loss was close to 20 pounds. All dieters also experienced a drop in blood pressure and improvements to cholesterol levels.
Eating towards satisfaction
So, how can you benefit from the Hawaiian paleo diet? Studies at Leatherhead Food Research in Surrey, England, show that replacing low-fiber processed snacks with high-fiber options like fruits, vegetables, and nuts can lead to weight loss. High-fiber snacks can be just as tasty and satisfying, without the artificial hunger associated with processed foods.
Apart from reducing snacking habits, fiber is essential in fulfilling your appetite. According to health expert Dr. Mark Wiley, fiber provides the bulk that suppresses the appetite; binds with cholesterol; lowers blood sugar levels; speeds up the removal of toxic waste from the bowels; reduces the risks of developing high blood sugar, diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Brain rewards
Processed foods are notoriously high in high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which tricks your brain into continually feeling hungry. A study by the University of Basel in Switzerland showed that when you consume HFCS, it doesn’t trigger the same reward circuits in the brain compared to natural sugars.
Natural sugars produce nerve signals that travel to particular brain neurons linked to the hippocampus and amygdala, responsible for emotions and impulsivity. Making these neurons happy reduces your hunger and stops you from overeating. However, fructose doesn’t have the same effect, leading to uncontrolled eating habits, increased weight gain and difficulty in losing weight.
For many, including Hawaiians seeing success from their version of the diet, the paleo lifestyle is very appealing. It not only promotes weight loss while eating large amounts of food, but it’s also relatively easy to follow. By eating similar foods to your ancestors, you’re removing processed items from your diet and creating a nutrition plan that can be both slimming and health-boosting.
