It’s all about the insulin.
Hyperinsulinemia – google it. Read about it. FEAR IT. It means “too much insulin”, which comes from what? Too much glucose (too many carbohydrates). A quick web search will link hyperinsulinemia to (drum roll): obesity, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, high blood pressure, auto-immune disorders, and more fun and exciting modern diseases.
The Paleo Diet has one goal above all others: controlling insulin levels.
Ideally, insulin and glucagon work in harmony in our body – insulin stores energy, glucagon releases it. We never store more than we need before our next meal (avoiding those nasty love handles!) and it is released by the glucagon promoted by low blood sugar levels between meals. Unfortunately, the FDA’s food pyramid, putting grains and dairy as a staple of a “healthy diet” is one big fat lie and throws this entire balance out-of-whack. Eating an average meal of complex carbohydrates results in, on average, anywhere from 2-10 times as much insulin production as eating fruits and vegetables. Once we have too much insulin in our system, things really get out of control.
From Paleo Science 101 by Cliff Hodges.