Paleo. It’s Not That Hard People! Wed, Aug 10

With the LEANing Challenge coming to a close and many members doing just that, LEANing out,  this may help everyone gain a better understanding of Paleo and the many, many health benefits. (Sorry, this is a tad long but worth the read!!)

Don’t forget!!! Paleo party to honor our winner(s) Thursday morning at 9!

In A Nut Shell
Eat meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, little starch, some fruit, and no sugar. Stay away from heavily processed foods.  The goal here is to normalize insulin levels.

Eating food triggers a rise in blood sugar which in turn raises the level of the hormone insulin. Fat doesn’t raise blood sugar levels and protein only very little. But carbs do a lot (varies by glycemic load.) With consumption of too many carbs blood sugar spikes and so does insulin levels.  Consistent insulin spiking causes your insulin sensitivity to decrease, meaning you cannot control it.

The role of Insulin:

  1. Controls the storage of fat
  2. Directs the flow of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbs to tissues
  3. Regulates cholesterol
  4. is a growth hormone
  5. involved in appetite control; and more…

Do you really want to lose control of that?  Consistent, long-term insulin resistance leads to the inability of the body to shed extra fat; the inability of the body to absorb nutrients; and leads to hyperinsulinemia. By eating too many carbs, your body becomes insulin resistent. Your pancreas cannot tell or control how much insulin is being secreted. Hyperinsulinemia can be linked to almost ALL diseases: heart disease – cancer – stroke – diabetes – obesity – hypertension – myopia – PCOS – gout – acne – excess fluid retention- immune disorders – diabetes – arthritis – etc

Back to Basics, in Detail

  • All you want Meat: Any beef (ground beef, steak), pork (chops, ham), lamb, duck, chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, seafood (clams, scallops, etc). Fresh or frozen.
  • All you want Veggies: Any fresh or frozen veggies (except potato, corn, and beans)
  • Add Nuts/Seeds: Any nuts/seeds (except peanuts), raw/ lightly roasted and unsalted; or any nut butters
  • Don’t like nuts/seeds, add some other Healthy Fats: HAAS avocados, olive/almond/coconut oil, or flaxseed/grape seed oil
  • Some Fruit: Any whole fresh fruit (no juice), but in moderation (1-2 servings)

Why All the Meat?

  • You can’t overeat it and you can’t gain weight on lean meat alone
  • Loaded w/ BCAAs + glutamine = faster recovery = drop in cortisol (stress hormone)
  • Loaded w/ carnitine which causes fat to be used as energy
  • Raises metabolism which burns more calories
  • Satisfies the appetite
  • Improves insulin sensitivity

Note: ALWAYS eat meat with fat (naturally or from nuts/seeds, olive oil, avocado)

Why All the Veggies?

  • Loaded w/ vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc
  • Fills you up
  • Doesn’t spike your insulin
  • Balances the acid-base (more alkaline as opposed to acidic)

Why Nuts/Seeds, Olive Oil, or Avocado

  • Fat ratios of omega 3/6/9 get normalized
  • Get more 3 w/ fish oil and more 9 w/ olive oil and nuts
  • Anti-inflammatory (Inflammation causes: heart attacks, cancer, and Alzheimer’s to name a few)
  • Essential to human health
  • Promotes healthy blood flow

Why Only Some Fruit?
Sadly, fruit raises insulin levels and needs to be moderated IF you are:
1) trying to lose weight OR  2) are diabetic or have another metabolic
derangement
Fruits are still very good for you, naturally sweet, and loaded w/ nutrients

Off Limits

  • No Sugar or artificial sugar (Sugar and all substitutes spike insulin levels)
  • No Junk Food
  • No Grains (wheat products, corn products, rice, pasta, bread, oatmeal, cereals, etc)
  • No Legumes/beans – (peanuts, lima beans, kidney beans, black beans etc)
  • No Dairy (milk, ½ + ½, cream, butter, yogurt, cheese, etc)
  • No Alcohol (Drink black coffee – espresso –  green/black/herbal/oolong tea – water.  THAT’S IT.)

Why No Grains?

  • Not healthy, no nutrients, not suitable for our digestive system – (causes weight gain and bloating)
  • Contain anti-nutrients (phytates)
  • Contain lectin (grain protein causes gut irritation) > celiac: gluten intolerance > destruction of villi in intestines > a vast array of digestive/gastrointestinal problems: constipation – heart burn – colon disease – IBS – varicose veins – indigestion – colitis – gall stones – hemorroids – appendicitis – hiatal hernia – duodenal ulcer
  • Gluten (wheat, oats) disrupts insulin signalling (1 in 33 people have celiac disease)
  • Lead to carb addiction (bread anyone?)
  • Kitava study: No cancer, diabetes, heart disease or obesity. Intro to grains/dairy/legumes = disease started

Why No Legumes/Beans?

  • Contain phytates > binds w/ bone minerals > robs you of it
  • Contain lectin: originally evolved to fight off insect predators > binds w/ tissues in our body > increase intestinal permeability > allows partially digested food and gut bacteria to pass into the bloodstream > also impairs the immune system > leads to many autoimmune diseases in genetically susceptible people

Why No Dairy?

  • Spikes insulin levels
  • Nutrient deficient (cows are fed grain) and loaded w/ antibiotics and growth hormones
  • Linked to increased risk of prostate and ovarian cancer

Fish Oil
Get 2-4 grams per day.
1)  But only if you are interested in: better brain development – better emotional control/mood – hormone synthesis  –  regulation of pain and inflammation – better immune function – proper circulation  – proper kidney function – proper nerve transmission – more energy production better looking skin, hair and nails – better athletic performance or
2)  if you are concerned about the following diseases: arthritis – asthma – ADD – heart attack – stroke – cancer – depression – hair loss –  hypertension – lupus – memory problems – schizophrenia diabetes – bronchitis – emphysema – gastrointestinal disorders obesity – fatigue – fibromyalgia – autoimmune diseases

The Bottom Line
You need to follow this to lose weight; to look good; to feel good; to perform well; to live well; and be healthy and disease free. Knowledge is power and you should seek it out and share it with others.  Do this plan strictly for 30 days and you:

  1. will normalize your insulin levels;
  2. will improve your digestive health;
  3. will lose fat;
  4. will feel better;
  5. will look better;
  6. may be allowed to add some of the Off Limits food, in moderation.

References

  • The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain
  • The Omega Rx Diet by Barry Sears
  • Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
  • The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden
  • Damn Dirty Grains by Robb Wolf

And now after ALL that, here’s the WOD!
For Max Reps:
3 minutes of Fran/ rest 3 minutes
3 minutes of Grace/ rest 3 minutes
3 minutes of Isabel/ rest 3 minutes

We are going to run this WOD in teams. While one team member works the other will be resting and counting reps. This is a fun way to encourage each other and help your teammate keep fighting a good fight. These three minutes are intended to be very, very challenging. There will be weight “suggestions” for you on the whiteboard based on your “level.” But don’t sell yourself short. And remember: High Intensity = RESULTS!