Fruits will affect your blood sugar far more than legumes will, as legumes are excellent sources of protein. They are also rich in iron and zinc, and have lots of soluble fibre, which is good for lowering LDL and for stabilizing blood sugar levels. That's my major beef with the paleo diet - getting rid of an entire food group - legumes - that is incredibly healthy and has SO many benefits.
Most people will benefit from cutting out processed foods, eating more vegetables, and eating healthy fats. But there is no need to eliminate foods like legumes, which are so incredibly good for us, or moderate amounts of low-fat dairy, which is part of the DASH diet that has been studied extensively, and has excellent research and evidence backing up its use.
As a dietitian, I counsel people every day who have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. In many cases, by following my dietary advice, they are able to reverse their pre-diabetes or improve their blood glucose levels if they have diabetes (in some cases they can reduce their medications or even eliminate their medications altogether). I counsel them on a diet rich in vegetables (except for starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn), healthy protein sources (including legumes and low-fat dairy if they aren't allergic to casein or lactose intolerant), and healthy fats (olive oil, avocadoes). Whole grains and fruits can also be included, but the amount, frequently, and glycemic index of these needs to be taken into account, along with what else they eat at the same time.
Whole grains are incredibly healthy - full of insoluble fibre, many of the B vitamins, many minerals (including iron and magnesium), and they provide our bodies with energy. The problem is that most people have far too much at one sitting. For example, 1/3 cup of brown rice is one serving. 1/3 cup of cooked pasta is one serving. Most people eat far more than that! That's the real problem - portion size. The other problem is processed foods. Most people don't make their own 100% whole grain bread or buy 100% whole grain bread from a local bakery that doesn't load up their bread with salt and sugar. They buy it from the grocery store, where it's the sugar (and salt) added to make the bread more palatable that's the problem.
Green peas (a vegetable) have a glycemic index of 54. Whole grain spaghetti has a glycemic index of 42. So the peas are going to cause blood glucose to rise more quickly.
If paleo works for you, then great. But it's not necessary to eliminate entire groups of healthy foods to improve health. It is possible to improve health, get excellent blood glucose control, and even to lose weight following a healthy diet high in vegetables with healthy protein sources and healthy fats, and that includes fruits and whole grains in appropriate amounts, and that doesn't eliminate legumes and low-fat dairy. People do well on the paleo diet because they eliminate processed foods and lots of added sugar, not because they eliminate whole grains, legumes, and low-fat dairy!
Caylynn, Registered Dietitian, Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics (who has studied a lot more nutrition than the originator of the paleo diet, who has a PhD in physical education and health, not nutrition!)
