Paleolithic Solution from Robb Wolf

I spent an hour the other day listening to Robb Wolf's podcast, here

Ideally when I listen to podcasts, read articles/books, watch lectures I would like to take notes. Well, since I am officially unemployed! this time I was able to multi-task and jot down some highlights.

I tried to clean them up best I could but I apologize if the stream-of-consciencesness get a bit tiresome to decipher ;)

#1 Topic: Paleo nutrition counter arguments:
There is a paper on common counter arguments to Paleo diets on Cordain's website

For example:

One Argument: cavemen didn't live long enough to get disease. This is not true; there have been numerous research projects done on older hunter gather populations that showed: at 100years of age no cancer, diabetes, heart disease in hunter gatherer groups

Second Argument: is this a high protein diet which may bring on kidney disease, renal failure? A kidney problem/renal issue must be preexisting. If there is not a preexisting problem then this diet might even improve kidney function (performance menu: Protein Debate)

Third Argument: Asian diets are famous for being healthy, lean diets and they eat rice. Actually, if you compare the Japanese to the Okinawan people, who get more protein, yam and sweet potatoes, but less rice, the Okinawan people are 6-8 inches taller, live longer.

#2 Topic: Cortisol
Can you reduce Cortisol with diet? excess to get rid of gut...protein, veggies, fats with yam/sweet potatoes PWO (not fructose into liver but glucose into blood) consistent eating, sleep, over training, control stress levels, gram of vitamin C will help

#3 Topic: Fasting/ Hemp Hearts
As far as fasting is concerned, the most you should fast is about 16-17 hour

whey powder substitute (its fine PWO) because it enhances recovery, however the growth hormone hemp is not good for that.

"Hemp Hearts turn Andy Deas into Super Mario"

#4 Topic: Workout intensity suffering/ Game Day Eating
PWO nutrition? carbs? may be really really important for some people
Rest? Take a back off week? never periodizing (which means tapering off, ramping up changing up your workload periodicaly), bad.
Calorie intake? Are ou getting enough calories?
Pre-workout nutrition depends on the WOD: strength: protein only/ metabolic: digestion depending-orange, 2 oz turkey? maybe need to be a little hungry? its all about the stomach digestion...very variation. (note: no fat)

#5 Topic: LDL
What matters for your overall cholesterol risk? particle size or particle count? Particle size matters. The smaller and denser particles are the worst LDL particles (found in dieters of high carbs)

What do the high profile researchers say?

Dr. Cordain: global cardiovascular approach is the size is the problem (bigger fluffier the better so that they break down and aren't small and dense, bad)
decrease in triglycerides, good

Dr. Eades: can have a low count but if that low count is made up of small dense and are highly oxidizable, oxidized molecules are more easily retained by the proteoglycan, clogging arteries
cardiovascular risk factor is lowered

Dr. Gary Taubes
carbs main cause of fat gain
low carbs but caloric restriction still not hungry (what kind of calories matter)

#6 Topic: Coconut
fat source? cordain just posted on coconut doesn't produce insulin resistance
olive oil wasn't used a lot in paleolithic times (like coconut) but its great for you

#7 Topic: Endurance athlete nutrition
high fat leading up to your race, then during your race eat high carb...no gels (acid forming, need too much water, might want to try: cytomax? (lactate buffer, fructose to fill up liver glycogen) the whey protein is legit, or try: pemican (coconut, dried fruit, ??)...amount of fat needed during a race is less, protein is needed when the branch chain amino acids (protein) start to get eaten for fuel when carbs are gone...protein/carb combo (BMack: pizza, cheesecake- starchy carbs and calories) but you must keep this abnormal food in your system a little bit so that its not a shock
staying below your lactate threshold, gastric emptying is usually not a problem...and the blood might be taken away from your digestion and not let you digest.

#8 Topic: Paleo pregnancy
Would it be OK to stay paleo during a pregnancy? YES. Baby turns out healthier, mom performs better, less autoimmune issues, more nutrients, need protein (might not want to eat it), fish oil

#9 Topic: metabolic typing
Makes no sense, voodoo

#10 Topic: paleo diet vs. paleo diet for athletes
zone: quantity for macronutrients
paleo zone: best quality and 40-30-30
paleo athlete zone: increase in fat, increase calories to long term sustainable, sub zone level of dietary carbs operate better
unweighed, unmeasured

Why You Got Fat

Cavemen in the Limelight

I'm sure that, by now, everyone has read the recent articles published in the New York Times and Washington Post. But just in case, I wanted to provide the two links here on the blog.

The Washington Post article came out the first of the year and the NY Times article followed 10 days later.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010101611.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/fashion/10caveman.html?pagewanted=1

Low Carb...NO CARB?

I'm always tweaking my diet and have, for the past couple weeks, mostly eating vegetables for my carbohydrates (little to no fruit) and been feeling great.

Until Sunday when I got that flu bug...so I thought I would reevaluate and go back to eating about 1-2 pieces of fruit a day. Grapefruits are super tasty this time of year as are oranges. Now with eating paleo I have to do a lot of chopping, prep and shopping if I am going to get enough carbs from veggies. But how much does one really need? Todays posting on Mark's Daily Apple was very timely so if you get a second and are curious about carb intake (like I am) take a look-see at the following link(s).

Tonight I made wild sea scallops on angel hair pasta, just kidding it was spaghetti squash but we pretended. The picture just didn't look right and the meal was very self explanatory so no more details to follow...just check out the links from Mark's Daily Apple on carb consumption

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/unrestricted-low-carb-diet-wins-hands-down/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/low-carb-diets-affect-short-term-memory/

FIRST WEEK SUCCESS

Great, great job everyone! I know how hard it is to make this work with our busy schedules, limited $$$, and huge appetites (we won't mention anything about hurdles in the creativity department ;) )

Since we are embarking on Week Numero Dos, I wanted to post another primer on this crazy Paleo thing just to keep the motivation and stuff rolling along.

I have some people emailing me outside of this blog forum so, remember if you have a specific question don't be afraid to ask : paleomac@gmail.com

Ready for your Second Week on the path to a new healthy, quicker, happier you??!!

Are We Crazy??

To a lot of people the Paleo diet is the complete opposite of everything they have been taught about dieting and nutrition. This is especially true of someone has been trying to follow the misguided nutrition advice of the government approved Food Pyramid.

According to Harvard scientist Dr. Walter Willett, the food pyramid is not up-to-date with current nutritional research. He states six faults of the food pyramid that are misleading American people, and adding to the growing epidemic of obesity:

1. All fats are bad.

2. All complex carbohydrates are good.

3. Protein is protein.

4. Dairy products are essential.

5. Eat your potatoes.

Do you really want these people guiding your nutritional future? Remember these are the same government agencies that did nothing but send a letter that threatened an investigation to the food industry when the food industry was trying to implement their "Smart Choices" program. If you have not seen this program; the program is a way the food industry is trying to help consumers make bettter choices when it comes to food.

This all sounds noble, but when you see that sugary cereals and heavily salted packaged meals receive the smart choices check mark, it should really make you question what the food industry is trying to do to you. If you would like more information on this you can check out this piece in the New York Times.

Smart Choices?

If you still need convincing about the Paleo Diet, please read the below article by Robb Wolf that was posted on the NorCal Nutrition site. Please ask Mac and me quesitons about the Paleo diet.  Leave your comments below.

Are We Crazy?

Hidden Pounds?

I want to be upfront I used to drink soda, a lot of soda. Then one day I thought all this sugar might be bad for me so I switched to Diet Soda and then Coke Zero, because “it was healthier”. Needless to say neither soda nor diet soda is healthy for you. Besides the sugar that the soda is loaded with there are the wonderful man made sugars in soda that your body doesn’t know how to break down. The prime culprit that I want to talk about is high fructose corn syrup.

Exactly what is high-fructose corn syrup? Well, it's not the same thing at all as the natural, healthy fructose in honey and fruit. High-fructose corn syrup is a highly refined, artificial product. It is created through an intricate process that transforms cornstarch into a thick, clear liquid. White sugar and "high-fructose corn syrup" are not the same. Industry advocates for corn growers say that they are the same. But nutritional science studies say that there is a big difference between the two. They say that "high-fructose corn syrup" is worse than sugar.

Not to get too into the science but, manufactured fructose is sweeter than sugar in an unhealthy way, and is digested differently in a bad way. Research has shown that high-fructose corn syrup goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to then store fat! This may elevate triglyceride (fat in blood) levels and elevate cholesterol levels. This fake fructose may slow fat burning and cause weight gain. Other research indicates that it does not stimulate insulin production, which usually creates a sense of being full. Therefore, people may eat more than they should. Indications also are that the important chromium levels are lowered by this sweetener which may then contribute to type 2 diabetes.

Here is a video put out by New York City Health Department in an effort to deter people from drinking sugary drinks. Just a warning some people might find it a bit gross



I think for optimal health you should stick to drinking lots of water and eat your calories don’t drink them.

What do you think about the video? Good way to get the message out or too over the top? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

P.S. I count Vitamin Water as don’t drink as well. To me it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Paleo Challenge begins 4 January

The CrossFit Bolling 30 day Paleo Challenge is set to begin on 4 January.  For those of you who were at the gym this morning and might have missed it Casey announced it this morning.  For those who might have missed this morning, this is your official announcement.

As someone who has been Paleo diet for several months, I can tell you that the hardest thing to overcome while starting the diet was the complete elimination of all grains and beans. It’s important to remember however that just because you are eliminating grains and refined sugar does not mean this is a low carb diet, because it’s not. The idea is just to get all your carbs from fruits and vegetables instead; which means eating a ton of salad. While on this diet, I basically eat what my body is craving, as long as it was acceptable for the diet.

There is much more to come on this blog as we get closer to 4 January.  We will have someone else posting on the blog with me.  If you have been coming to CrossFit Bolling for awhile I’m sure you all know Mac.  She will also be posting on the site.

Below is a link to a paper the Robb Wolf recommends on the nutritional characteristics of a contemporary diet based upon Paleolithic food groups,  It is a pretty quick read:

 Paleo Nutrition Paper

What is the Paleo Diet

For many people new to CrossFit the Paleo diet is a new term, quite simply it is a way of eating that closely mimics the way our Paleolithic ancestors ate. This quote taken from The Paleo Diet Website gives you a good quick introduction to the Paleo Diet.

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating in the modern age that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - combinations of lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

Notice anything that the above quote left out? For many people this is where the Paleo Diet seems impossible, you do not eat grains and you do not consume dairy. Now before you shut down your browser and think the diet is too hard and you will never be able to stick with it let me reassure you from my personal experience with this diet that you can start this diet, you can stick to this diet, and it will completely change your life.

The first part of this diet is the hardest part; I talked to Casey about this and I would like for CrossFit Bolling to do a 30 day Paleo challenge to start off the New Year. So the question, would you give up 30 days to completely change your life and the way you look at food? On this blog I will post recipes and links to help keep people motivated. If you have Paleo questions just ask and I will get you the answer.

I hope that this can become a place for us to ask nutrition questions and help each other stay on track when it comes to nutrition, because I don't think any of us have the time to ask these questions while we are there with Casey.  There is much more to come on this blog I just wanted to get this quick post out because I talked about the site (and wrote it on the white board) at the noon class.