PaleoPhil's Journal

[PaleoPhil]

Never thought I would do one of these, but this forum has been such a wealth of info for me, and I've gotten such good feedback on my posts, that I think it might be both a way for me to repay this forum and learn more. Plus, I think I finally am following an approximately optimal diet for me that is producing amazing benefits that are so exciting I feel the urge to blurt them out to someone (friends and relatives get tired of hearing about my success stories after a while ;-), especially if they aren't following the diet and therefore aren't experience the same benefits). Thanks especially to Lex Rooker, who's journal and other posts are a goldmine of information.

Ironically, sharing my success in this way might encourage others to do the same and thus drive up the costs of the foods I eat. However, I doubt I'll actually influence many people, so it's a tiny risk.

[PaleoPhil]

Some abbreviations I'll be using:
HG: Hunter Gatherer
RP: Resting pulse
TSC (mg/dl): Total Serum Cholesterol (the Inuit in 1978 had an outlier value of 208, far above the avg for HGs, but indicative that such high numbers do not necessarily suggest heart disease)
HDL (mg/dl)
Tri (mg/dl): Triglyceride
LDL (mg/dl)
LCLDL (mg/dl): LDL per an Iranian formula more accurate for Low Carb dieters
CRP: Serum C-Reactive Protein
Glucose-f (fasting) mg/dl
Glucose-r (random) mg/dl

The standard Friedewald LDL equation tends to overestimate the LDL of low carbers, so Iranian scientists developed an alternative LDL equation for low carb dieters: LDL = TC/1.19 + TG/1.9 - HDL/1.1 - 38 (there is a calculator that you can plug your data into here: http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~geoff36/LDL_mg.htm). I wouldn't worry too much about high LDL numbers anyway, because triglycerides, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol, and CRP have all been found to be better predictors of heart disease than LDL.

What health stats should I shoot for?
The following are adult male data, with "normal" ranges according to my lab results reports followed by ranges found across hunter-gatherer populations per the ethnographic encyclopedia and other sources, with the following exceptions: HG triglyceride range is based on Inuit measurements only, the resting pulse number is for trained athletes, and the glucose #'s are those recommended by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein (rumor has it that Dr. Bernstein said that healthy low carb dieters may be able to maintain their health at somewhat higher levels of blood glucose--any documented confirmation of this would be greatly appreciated). Note how much better the HG numbers are than the so-called "normal" lab ranges. What is "normal" in the modern world is not necessarily "natural" or "optimal." If my diet is optimized, my numbers should move toward the HG numbers, which they indeed have been doing.

................Lab....vs...HG
Systolic...110-130...100-117
Diastolic...70-80...64-72
RP...........60-80...40-60   
TSC.........140-200...~90-150
Tri..........35-160...35-60
HDL.........>40...~100+
LDL.........<130...30-70
LCLDL.......62-178...2-29   
Non-HDL....100-160...30-50   
TSC/HDL....<5.1...1.5
CRP..........<0.5-1.0...??   
Glucose-f...74-106...70-83
Glucose-r...<200...70-100
BMI..........20-25...19-24

[PaleoPhil]

OK, here begins my story. Sorry about the long length--you can skim through it by reading the bolded text and a few of the stats in each post.

I had been extremely thin my in my youth and teased and criticized about it ("Doesn't your mother feed you?" "You look like a concentration camp survivor/Ethiopian/etc.," ...), but at age 30 I started to put on some weight for the first time. This thrilled me, but my lifelong GI issues started to gradually worsen (and would eventually be diagnosed as IBS-C with D, GERD, gastritis and gluten-sensitive enteropathy), none of the prescription drugs could control my chronic, painful, cystic acne (not even Accutane), and I seemed to develop another new chronic health problem every year or so. Like many modern people, as I reached early middle-age I felt like my body was falling apart. I attributed much of it to unavoidable, "normal" aging.

Here is what my health stats were before I started getting serious about my health, in 1997 - 1998, not long after my general practitioner started expressing concern about my numbers (I had earlier worse numbers than these, but they were skewed by a Px drug I was taking at the time):

1997-1998 Standard American Diet (falling apart)
Systolic 137
Diastolic 74
RP 60
TSC 194
Tri 269
HDL 32
LDL 162
LCLDL 238
Non-HDL 162
TSC/HDL 6.1
CRP ??
Weight 172
BMI 24.3

[PaleoPhil]

I reached my highest weight measurement in 2002 (SAD; not an enormous weight, but very flabby):
Weight 179
BMI 25.3

My BMI was only barely above the clinical "normal" range of the labs, but it looked ridiculously flabby on me, because I was born fine-boned without much muscle and thin limbs, so the weight was mostly flab and in the wrong places, with my belly bulging out over my belt, a fat front neck that made people think I had mumps, love handles, etc. My fat would jiggle when I jogged. Exercise had little impact on my weight or health stats. Up till now I had attributed my weight gain to "normal" slowing metabolism, but I realized I was also eating unhealthy and too much. I had numerous health issues and felt miserable.

People gave me the standard advice for my health issues and flab of "exercise more," "eat less," take this or that supplement or fiber bar. I tried everything, but none of it seemed to help them, much less me.

On the bright side, I had a new GP who spent more time answering my questions and seemed more genuinely concerned about my well being. My doctors up to this point had been pretty poor.

[PaleoPhil]

In 2003 my GP was concerned about my health stats, which continued to be bad, and gently suggested I may need to soon consider taking drugs to treat my cholesterol and triglycerides. I wanted to give diet and exercise another chance before giving into the drugs. He agreed and referred me to a nutritionist. In the meantime I cut down my portion sizes, soda pop and snack foods and thus reduced my weight some before I saw her. She prescribed a near-vegetarian diet with no red meat, low fat, very high carb, lots of whole grains (which I was aready eating), fruits, veggies, soy burgers instead of hamburgers (which I wasn't eating much of anyway), soy powder as a supplement, soy milk and some low-fat cow's milk. The diet stunk, which helped me to lose more weight and my stats did improve some, but they were still bad and I had worsening problems with my GI tract and nearly every other part of my body:

March 2003 Near-Veggie, lower calorie (somewhat better stats but feeling worse)
TSC 206
Tri 210
HDL 37
LDL 127
LCLDL 212
Non-HDL 169
TSC/HDL 5.6
CRP 1.2
Weight 165.0
BMI 23.3

At one point my acid reflux got so bad that I vomited in my sleep, but luckily woke up during this so that I didn't suffocate in my own vomit. I was desperate for help and I knew I had to get serious. My GP gave me a stronger reflux drug and said it was time to take the cholesterol drugs, but I said there was one last thing I wanted to ask about first, which was that I had done online research and found that people who had the GI and other issues I had reported dramatic improvements when they cut out gluten grains and dairy from their diet. I also found studies linking gluten grains and dairy to GI issues and other problems. I asked if I should get tested for gluten and lactose intolerance. He instead recommended dietary elimination challenges as superior to lab tests (which can provide false positives and false negatives)--eliminate dairy for 2 weeks, then eliminate gluten for 2 weeks "and see how you do." I later realized that this was the best advice a doctor had ever given me.

I believe that his training in Russia and Israel probably accounted for his greater willingness to consider nutritional therapy than the American-trained doctors who had only recommended drugs, surgery, taking more and more fiber, and drinking more and more water (to try to prevent my chronic urinary tract infections and chronic kidney stones--to no avail). When I asked American doctors about diet I either got angry denials that diet could do anything ("That's an old wive's tale!") or brief angry quips to "eat more whole grains" (which I was already eating a ton of), drink more water (I could already hear the water sloshing around in my gut I was drinking so much), or "eat cooked corn" (fresh cooked corn already being one of my favorite foods--and I'd never heard of eating raw corn, what the hell???), often followed by the doctor running off to the next patient before I could explain I was already doing that nonsense (plus I was still too cowed by the magical aura of doctors at that time to argue with them, not yet having learned that American doctors know next to nothing about nutrition and preventative medicine).

[PaleoPhil]

Going dairy-free produced some benefits. After just 3.5 weeks of going gluten-free, I experienced miraculously positive results (and I had decided to stay dairy free too). Here are my stats after 1.5 months of being dairy and gluten free (about 2 months dairy-free):

February 2004 (dairy- and gluten-free; miraculous improvements):
TSC 181
Tri 67
HDL 59
LDL 109
LCLDL 96
Non-HDL 122
TSC/HDL 3.1
CRP <0.5
Weight 160
BMI 22.3

I did more online research via www.beyondveg.com, medical research, etc., and learned about Boyd Eaton's theory of Paleolithic nutrition and hypothesis of biological discordance. Light bulbs went off when I read that and things started to fall into place for me. For the first time, so many questions about diet, health and lifestyle had intuitively obvious answers. Through Beyondveg I learned about the NeanderThin and The Paleo Diet books and bought them both, reanding NeanderThin first. I started adopting a modified Paleo diet in March of 2004 that combined elements of NeanderThin and the Paleo Diet, with my own modifications. My health improved to the best it had been in my life and I would even get waves of euphoria at times--such as after I first ate a large portion of wild salmon.

April 2004 (Paleo; feeling better than ever):
Systolic 102
Diastolic 56
RP 57

[PaleoPhil]

Under social pressures I gradually started to include more carbs in my diet. Most of my health stats continued to improve a bit more, though my HDL fell. I figured that my initially higher HDL was because of a temporary boost due to the dramatic improvement in my diet (I later realized it was because I was eating less carbs and more meat and fatty fish during that initial stage). My weight fell to a level that most people would consider extremely thin, but it was actually a return to my usual weight from the age of around 19 to 30, although I did hope that I would eventually be able to boost my muscle mass.

July 2005 (Paleo with increased carbs; feeling off my peak, but still far better than on SAD or near-veggie):
Systolic 98
Diastolic 60
RP ??
TSC 158
Tri ??
HDL 46
LDL 100
LCLDL ??
Non-HDL 112
TSC/HDL 3.4
Weight 135
BMI 18.3

[PaleoPhil]

Some of my old symptoms had started to gradually return, but I still felt so much better than I had before Paleo that I didn't pay much attention to it until things got noticably worse again in 2006-2007, despite my stellar health stats. I discovered one contributing factor was that prescription daily low-dose Glycolax for my IBS-C with D had given me severe chronic potassium deficiency (which I learned is why in Europe it is required that it include electrolytes). I took potassium for my cramps and zinc to keep my remaining acne at bay (which had never worked while eating SAD, but now worked in concert with a Paleo diet).

At the time I read NeanderThin and the Paleo Diet, Ray Audette's advocacy of raw and briefly-seared meat and animal fats, including pemmican, had made more intuitive sense to me than Loren Cordain's stress on lean, cooked commercial meats. I figured I could have the best of both worlds by eating pasture-fed meat and fat, but multiple factors caused me to put off trying anything beyond the occasional home-made beef jerky or store-bought grass-fed ground beef until I later got desperate again.

I supplemented with fish and flax oil and my HDL stat improved, though my weight dropped further to below normal even for me and I was feeling worse...

June 2007 (fish oil increases my HDL, but still eating significant carbs and feeling worse):
Systolic 98
Diastolic 60
RP 65
TSC 169
Tri ??
HDL 66
LDL 92
LCLDL ??
Non-HDL 103
TSC/HDL 2.6
Glucose-f 72
Glucose-r 87
Weight 127
BMI 17.7
urine pH 6.8 to 7.2

[PaleoPhil]

Tired of increasing health problems and with the new year approaching, I vowed to get more disciplined about my diet. Cutting back on nightshades and winter squashes in late 2007 and early 2008 gradually improved my health symptoms and how I felt again, with better sleep, lessened GI issues, etc., but I had a ways to go and I was too busy with an intensive training program I was in to devote time to improving my diet dramatically yet.

November 2008 (feeling bad, so begin to cut down on nightshades and winter squashes and start doing better soon after this):
Systolic 114
Diastolic 77
RP 70

After the training program was over and I had settled into my new job somewhat, and I had seen how small dietary changes enabled me to maintain my health even during a stressful, intensive program, I got more motivated to try pemmican again. I had trouble digesting animal fats and coconut oil, but I figured pemmican would be more digestible. Ray Audette was too vague about how to make pemmican, so I searched online and most other people were annoyingly vague as well, with widely varying advice and recipes. In the meantime I bought some pemmican online which was musty and salty and I hated it, with most of it going moldy before I could eat it and the price being too high for me anyway.

So I searched online again and found a discussion of pemmican at another forum by a guy calling himself DelFuego. The results that he and his family achieved on home-made pemmican were even better than I had expected and they loved it. Now I was really motivated to get going on making my own. At the same forum I came across Lex Rooker's writings on pemmican and his Pemmican Manual, which was the first really clear and detailed explanation of how to make it I had encountered.

So I made my first pemmican--disaster. Tried again--success. At the same time I began biting the fiscal bullet and buying what I figured were healthier foods, regardless of the cost. I was determined to get healthier no matter what.

[PaleoPhil]

In 2009 I gradually restricted my diet to the following with amazing benefits in all my health issues:

• grass-fed beef: raw or lightly broiled or lightly fried in tallow
• beef jerky made from grain-fed lean steak, heated at the lowest setting of 95 degrees
• pemmican, and beef jerky dipped in tallow
• raw venison sausage, usually smeared with tallow
• raw, free-range, omega-3 chicken eggs
• water, tea
• occasionally: raw bone marrow, raw quail eggs, duck fat tallow, duck eggs, uncured bacon, spring greens, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, flaxseed oil, olive oil, fish oil

By adopting this diet I no longer needed potassium supplements for toe and foot cramps or zinc to keep acne at bay, my loose teeth firmed up, gums stopped bleeding, dry skin and dandruff disappeared and I experienced other benefits.

Brief SuperInfinity "fruitarianesque" experiment bombs:
I spent 1 week on an experiment, at the urging of fellow forum member SuperInfinity, in which I increased the amount of fruits, nuts, dried fruits and canned fish I consumed and reduced red meat and fat, to clean out my pantry, see how quickly my symptoms would return and confirm that I should eliminate fruits and nuts. It only took a couple of days for me to notice worsening skin, crud on my teeth, return of mild nightmares, morning muscle aches, etc. After a week, one of my teeth started to wobble again and I ended the experiment.

Near ZC, mostly RPD: here are some of my current health stats (feeling great; weight back up a bit):
Systolic 110
Diastolic 69
RP 65
Weight: 132
BMI: 18.4
Urine pH: 5.8 (apparently normal for carnivores)

So that's the gist of the story up to now. I'm trying to further transition to all-raw and all-zero-carb.

[lex_rooker]

Thanks for posting this Phil.  It adds another beacon of light to help guide others.

Lex

[PaleoPhil]

Thanks Lex.

Tip for newbies: venison sausage is one of the easier things to eat raw--expensive, but cheaper than the finer cuts of beef. It only took a few tries of this for me to like it quite a bit, and it tastes much better raw than cooked. It has some fat in it, but not nearly as much as commercial pork sausage, so it's easier to digest--plus it doesn't have the gristle of commercial pork sausage. Only downside is, the local people that make it and sell it in local health food markets put too much sage, salt and pepper in it, but we can't have everything I suppose. If it was unseasoned it would be pure heaven.

[Iguana]

Brief SuperInfinity "fruitarianesque" experiment bombs:
I spent 1 week on an experiment, at the urging of fellow forum member SuperInfinity, in which I increased the amount of fruits, nuts, dried fruits and canned fish I consumed and reduced red meat and fat, to clean out my pantry, see how quickly my symptoms would return and confirm that I should eliminate fruits and nuts. It only took a couple of days for me to notice worsening skin, crud on my teeth, return of mild nightmares, morning muscle aches, etc. After a week, one of my teeth started to wobble again and I ended the experiment.

Thanks for the detailed report, Phil. Gosh, you suffered a lot ! Just two remarks:
- Why canned fish? There is than a (perhaps remote, but it is there nevertheless) possibility that your troubles aren't due to the increased fruits intake, but to the canned fish ! 
- Short term experiments may be misleading since there are many phenomenons and parameters which could lead to wrong interpretations, in particular detoxination and food quality.

Cheers
Francois 

[PaleoPhil]

- Why canned fish? There is than a (perhaps remote, but it is there nevertheless) possibility that your troubles aren't due to the increased fruits intake, but to the canned fish ! 

Not likely. I ate it all in a couple days and had no increase in problems from that. In contrast, the days after I gorged on fruits or nuts I experienced a big increase in symptoms. I ate the canned fish to mostly clean out my pantry so I can go fully raw ZC without many temptations around, plus so I could test the recommendation of SuperInfinity to eat more like his zany diet (he gave me the idea to eat lots more fruits and nuts and less red meat and fat and he eats canned fish) and so I could start sooner on my meat/organs/fat diet, which so far has had far better results for me.

I'm sorry to disappoint the fruit and veg fans out there, but time and time again I have done better as I've increased the meats and fats in my diet and cut back on the carbs and modern foods. First when I cut out the dairy, then gluten grains (very big improvement there), then processed foods and legumes, then nightshades and winter squashes, then juices and dried fruits, then fresh fruits and most remaining veggies (except for some spring greens, broccoli and cauliflower at this point--which I haven't noticed any ill effects from). Each step along the way I've experienced improvements, in spite of people like SuperInfinity and other plant-food fans and 99% of the experts claiming I would do worse. They lose more credibility with me each time they turn out to be wrong, whereas Lex Rooker, William and other VLC and ZC dieters continue to gain credibility in my book--even though I was a bit skeptical of some of their claims at first. I keep trying to find something that Lex is wrong about when it comes to my experience or research, but so far I've failed. I'll get him yet!

[PaleoPhil]

Thanks Lex.

Tip for newbies: venison sausage is one of the easier things to eat raw--expensive, but cheaper than the finer cuts of beef. It only took a few tries of this for me to like it quite a bit, and it tastes much better raw than cooked. It has some fat in it, but not nearly as much as commercial pork sausage, so it's easier to digest--plus it doesn't have the gristle of commercial pork sausage. Only downside is, the local people that make it and sell it in local health food markets put too much sage, salt and pepper in it, but we can't have everything I suppose. If it was unseasoned it would be pure heaven.

OK, I found near pure heaven--raw ground venison meat. It tastes very much like the venison sausage without the added spices. It's my favorite raw meat so far. Not surprising, given that it was my favorite cooked meat too. Unfortunately it's probably partly grain fed. Now if it was 100% pasture fed, that would really be pure heaven! 

[Raw Kyle]

Excellent journal so far. I wish you continued success.

[PaleoPhil]

Excellent journal so far. I wish you continued success.

Thank you raw brother!

Where did the crud and tartar go? When I ate high carb or even low carb I used a metal scraper to scrape the crud and tartar off my teeth every couple of days. I tried it the past 3 days and there was no crud or tartar to scrape! My teeth feel as smooth as polished ivory! What kind of voodoo magic is this? Heh heh.

[PaleoPhil]

I'll record this before I forget when it was I started. I used to take potassium and zinc supplements every day to avoid foot/toe cramps and acne. Since going mostly raw Paleo ZC I have not needed them.

No potassium supplements since July 19
No zinc supplements since July 21

I did have a couple of minor cases of potassium cramps and acne breakout (which were not nearly as bad as past instances), but they quickly resolved after I ate some raw meat, so supplements have been unnecessary.

I do find that I sometimes need to either eat a big breakfast or have something hot to drink in the morning to keep the bowels moving, and too much water is drawn out of them if I don't, but that was even more true before ZC RPD. I haven't noticed any decrease in quantity or frequency on ZC RPD like so many others have reported...just improvements.

[PaleoPhil]

I skipped three meals and only had a mild toe cramp, so my potassium levels appear to be continuing to improve. It also confirms that I should continue to eat regular meals, probably more than once a day. I seem to do best when I eat 3 meals a day, though 1 or 2 meals can be small as long as I have some raw meat at them.

ANOTHER PAST VEGETARIAN EPISODE I FORGOT:

After talking to a friend I realized I forgot an important part of my history that makes sense to me now. I had another vegetarian episode where I had to live in a vegetarian household for about 3 months after college. The strictest of the vegheads was an unpleasant, dour individual with a temper who went berserk when one time I cooked a tiny bit of meat in the house. I had thought the house was vegetarianism-optional, but it was actually required. I had still been occasionally eating meat outside the household too, but I decided to treat the experience as an opportunity to try vegetarianism more thoroughly after having experimented with it for only a week in college. One thing I remember is how tired I was during that time, but I thought it was because I had an uncomfortable sleeping arrangement (since then I've learned I can sleep well on nothing but a small pad when eating carnivorously).

Even after I moved out I continued to eat mostly plant foods for a while, in part because I had little money and they were cheaper than meats. I was quite shocked when at my next dental visit I had to get a bunch of cavities filled, and never made a connection, because I still thought vegetarianism was supposed to be healthy.

With my new knowledge of how much damage carbs can do to the teeth and how rapidly it can happen, I think my diet at the time was the main cause of all the cavities I got.

As I made more money I started eating more meats. I never had that many cavities at a single dental visit again after that, but I did develop gum disease and some loose teeth.

Since going carnivore, my loose teeth have firmed, a big hole in one tooth has partly filled in and my gums are much healthier, with no more noticeable bleeding.

[PaleoPhil]

Yay, I like raw, ground grass-fed beef now. When I first tried it, it tasted sour and musty and I didn't like the texture. Not any more. That makes things easier and cheaper.

Here was the secret for me: I ate ground domestic venison sausage and venison meat first (the ground venison meat tasted best) at about 4-5 meals, which tasted pretty good right from the start, then ground grain-finished bison meat once, which is about half-way in taste between venison and beef, then tried the beef and this time I liked it.

Now I just have to get used to raw suet and I should be able to eat large orders of Slankers, though I should probably continue the transition period longer, so I don't lose weight by trying to eat too high a % of raw too early.

I noticed a very subtle and unusual benefit of this diet. In my work I draw lines to cross out lines of data in lists, to keep my place. I've never been able to draw straight lines well--going back to 1st grade art class where I marveled at how straight my the lines of my teacher and some other students were. Over about the last week it seems to be easier to draw straight lines. My handwriting had improved slightly months ago, and this is a further improvement in that area. My skin continues to improve to the point where it feels enjoyable to rub--very soft and smooth--and additional tiny bumps that had been on my forehead for decades have disappeared (I thought those were going to be permanent--there are still a few very tiny ones that no one would ever notice).

Coincidentally, children with autism are known to tend to have very poor handwriting, which in at least one case was dramatically improved with dietary change.

Interestingly, each time I've eaten significant amounts of cooked meat I've had a tiny acne breakout. I searched on it and found that other raw eaters have experienced this also. Bummer--looks like even somewhat small amounts of cooked meat can have mild negative effects on me as I go increasingly raw.

[PaleoPhil]

Raw suet doesn't turn me off anymore and I ate some plain and liked it and digested it fine, though I still prefer tallow because it doesn't have gnarly and hard-to-chew stuff in it. I figure I'll get more gnarly myself over time and be able to eat more of the pure raw stuff. Heck, people in the real world and at the ZC forum already think I'm gnarly for eating raw meat and eggs, so I may as well go the whole way! 

I tried rendering tallow at the higher setting on my crock pot, but it gave it a burnt flavor after just a couple hours. So I'll stick to the low setting, though I suspect I'll have to run it for a very long time to avoid spoilage of larger batches and may need to use the stove instead if I do really big batches.

I've had a return of constipation and a tiny amount of dry skin, which may be related to skipping breakfast (breakfast helps get things moving in the morning) and the big increase in cooked meats and occasional cup of coffee I've been eating to be sociable at work and home. My dandruff has stayed in check, though, with only small amounts of extremely tiny specks of it visible even on a dark jacket (and I had it since high school before ZC). I'm going to try to eat less cooked meats and avoid coffee this week.

I noticed that tea tree oil - treated toothpicks generate lots of saliva. I suspect that this is part of its therapeutic action--killing and washing away harmful bacteria with saliva. Aboriginal peoples and chimps are known to use tree bark and twigs t clean their teeth. I suspect the oil used in tea tree oil has the same or similar active ingredients and may even come from the same tree that some of these aborigines and/or chimps use.

[PaleoPhil]

WATER IS NEARLY MY ONLY BEVERAGE NOW AND I'M LIKING WATER MUCH MORE AS A RESULT
Giving up near-daily tea required getting over mental resistance to this. Occasional heartburn from it helped me to make the switch. Unsurprisingly, as with most things, it turns out to be not as bad as I expected. By continuing to drink some juice and lots of tea with my water and then tea alone with my water, it resulted in water tasting very bland to me. By eliminating the other beverages my taste buds have apparently become more sensitive and water tastes slightly sweet to me (don't understand that fully).

[William]

I get water from the lake before my house, and filter it because otherwise in summer it tastes, um, sort of slippery and is now yellow. Lots of life in the lake, which is in a wild forest far from the madding crowd, this is probably why it turns slightly yellow in late summer.
I filter it with a large activated carbon filter because there is a limit  to how much raw paleo I can stand. it's OK to drink it straight.

Still drink coffee, home roasted and ground, organic Colombian because that has never caused health problems.

[PaleoPhil]

Already cheated some by drinking 2 cups of coffee today because I was tired. Oh well, I guess I don't have quite the discipline that Lex does. Too bad I can't control what is available at work. Got some heartburn from it because I drank it between meals when my stomach was pretty empty--just like with the tea.

[Iguana]

The easiest way to proceed is to decide one day to no longer eat or drink anything processed, mixed or heated over 40°C (104 °F). It's similar to stop smoking or stop taking any kind of dope: you have to stop totally to keep things nice and easy, otherwise you're likely to fall back. Cooked food is addictive, just like any dope. 

Cooking food also generates thousands of chemicals. There are over 1000 chemicals reported in a cup of coffee. Only 26 have been tested in animal cancer tests and more than half are rodent carcinogens; there are still a thousand chemicals left to test. The amount of potentially carcinogenic pesticide residues consumed in a year is less than the amount known of rodent carcinogens in a cup of coffee.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/Ames_Causes.html

Cheers
Francois