The Paleo Solution

Most of you know I've been following and recommending Robb Wolf's advice on 'Paleo' nutrition.  I've pieced Information together from his and other people's websites, Robb's podcast on iTunes and information in the CrossFit Journal.

Robb finally has all the basic information on Paleo nutrition in one spot with his book that came out just a couple of weeks ago.  I've been holding off writing about it until I could read it through and find out if I'd recommend you getting it. I've set up a link up here to Amazon.com.  I think the way it works is that if you buy it through that link, I get a small kickback for promoting it.  It's up to you where to get it, of course.

Buy the book or not?  In the end you'll have to decide for yourself.  Is the information available online?  Yes, but it's spread around here and there.  The book info is generally more complete than what I've found online, mainly because it's all in one place; essentially, it's one complete thought.  In blog entries and podcasts I've sometimes found richer content on 'niche' subjects.  Links to all that stuff was in the food email that I sent out.  If you didn't get it or need it again, email me.  

About two thirds of the book is on the why; evolutionary biology and physiology.  Robb is smart and a funny guy - all this was a surprisingly good read.  I kept laughing out loud:

Suggest that people should perhaps forgo bread and pasta for their health and they will bury a butter knife in your forehead before you can say, "whole wheat!"

If you don't want to read another book and just want to know what to do, here it is:

• Shop for proteins: grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish and Omega-3 eggs.  If you can't get grass-fed, stick to lean meats (and ask me for the number for Rowan Tree Farm where you can get it.)
• Shop for carbohydrates: fresh veggies - get green and other colors. Fruit: If you are leaning out, keep this to a minimum, like one piece a day or less.  If you are lean and very active, add tubers (yam, sweet potato, rutabaga) post workout.
• Shop for good fats: fat from grass-fed meats, avocado, coconut, coconut oil, olives, olive oil, walnuts, macadamia nuts.    
• Shop for supplements: fish oil (EPA + DHA,) vitamin D3. 
• Shop for herbs and spices.

• Heat some oil, cook a protein, add a carb, a fat if you need more, herbs and spices.  
• Eat to satiety, about 3 meals a day.  
• Take your fish oil and D3.  
• Come to the gym 3 times a week, stay active during the week.  
• Get 8-9 hours of sleep in a dark room every night. 
• Manage stress (huge.)
• Do your mobility homework.  
• Take 'naked' pics and measure your waist and hips for before and after.

• Clean your house.  What goes?  Grains, legumes (include peanuts and regular potatoes,) and dairy. Sweets, even artificial.

 Why? We are trying to increase performance, look and feel better by reducing systemic inflammation.  The way (Conspiracy Theory Alert) agribusiness and government have recommended for us to eat is making us ill.  Life and death stuff.  Our bodies have evolved to live and eat as hunter-gatherers.  

If you need more explanation or don't yet get the feeling that Paleo is Life-Saving Stuff, buy the book.

Ciao,

Charles

Hamburgers for dinner!

So wer're having hamburgers for dinner, but bread isn't on the list; grains are too carb-rich, too nutrient poor and the gluten does some pretty nasty stuff to the gut lining.  So, here's what we do:

Grill up your hamburgers, add all your favorite fixings, and set it all on a bed of lettuce.  voilà!  Hamburger salad!


On ours:

• Bread & butter pickles
• Tomato
• Mayo
• Olives

Actually, you can do this with any sandwich.  Start with meat, add paleo-friendly condiments, set it on lettuce and go!  

Skip the bread, use lettuce instead!




Ciao,


Charles

"Meat, Ma'am, Meat!"

We snuck Meg in today for her OHS WOD.

Hey, it worked for Oliver Twist, it can work for you, too!
Remember in the musical "Oliver!" when the funeral director fed him meat, Oliver had too much energy?  The Warden of the workhouse, Mr. Bumble recommended a grain-based diet in the form of gruel to tame him.

So, more energy?  More meat.  (yes, good fats, vegetables and some fruit, too.)

Need convincing?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908

Interview with Mr. Paleo Diet, Dr. Loren Cordain on CBC Radio (and a couple of others, including some opposition:)
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/08/august-3-2010.html

And, of course the video short-course on Paleo nutrition (my favorite:)

Rest Day; Joanie's Onramp 12 highlights, ChiRunning, Yummy Paleo Dish

ChiRunning Workshop 

ChiRunning Instructor Cassie Kottke with our Joanie

Joanie and Charles made a trip down to Crossfit Appleton for a WOD and a morning workshop on Chi running.

ChiRunning is a technique of running that greatly reduces impact on the body while increasing running efficiency (who knew there was a technique?)  Fabulous!  Very similiar to the Pose running technique.  Cassie Kottke was our ChiRunning certified instructor.  Sometime we should get her up here to do a workshop.  Well worth the trip.

Another great workout from Theresa as well.  Here's what I can remember:

WOD
3 rounds for time:
15 box jumps
15 burpees
35 situps
15 ring pushups

Full Rx reps were 25, 25, 50, 25

Big thanks to Theresa and Mark of Crossfit Appleton!

Joanie's Onramp 12 WOD Highlight Reel

I hadn't posted this yet, so here it is:

Yummy Paleo Recipe

Cook up 2 lbs. of pasture-fed ground beef (or lean ground beef) with an onion, cut up.

Garlic, if you like.

When just about ready, add cut up zucchini. (Try this another way with cabbage.)

This time, I had green pepper, so I added that, too.

A little later, add a big can of diced tomatoes.

Simmer it up, dish it up and eat.

Yum!

Good Food - Get Some!

Yessssss!

I finally got my eggs, a happy camper at last.

Colleen Hicks from Rowan Tree Farm in Hancock called today.  She has 60# of lamb and 120# of pork all butchered up, frozen and ready for sale.  Grass fed meat, yummy!  Send me an email if you would like the phone number.

Why grass fed?  Besides it's yum, animals eating grass are generally leaner and the their fat has a better balance of omega 6 and omega 3 fats.  Omega 6's are pro-inflammatory; Omega 3's are anti-inflammatory.  Grain-fed animal fat  = higher 6, lower 3.

Less inflammation, please!

Eggs For Breakfast, or Charles Learns A New Trick

I thought I would write this up for all of you.  I've been ambivilant about my choice of eggs.  I started with egg whites, but I hate throwing away the yolks (too much omega-6 fat) and it takes 2 eggs to make one egg's worth.  Better Than Eggs, perhaps not ideal, but it all gets used and it cost less for 8 oz. than 16 eggs.

For real egg applications like hard-boiled eggs on salads and stuff, I've been getting Omega-3 eggs.  They work this way: The chickens eat flax seed containing short-chain omega-3 fats.  Their livers transform them into the long-chain omega-3s that we need.  Then we eat their young. ;)  The trouble is expense, or so I thought.

Maybe they've come down in price, I don't know.  Here's what I found at Econo Foods:

I was thinking of the price of having 2 eggs for each ounce of Bettter Than Eggs, but the omega-3 eggs are good to eat, each and every little morsel!  So a little quick math - BTE, $.36 per oz., O3s $.24 per egg.  Joy, another victory for real food!  So today it's O3s; 2 dozen is breakfast for 2 for 3 days.  Great!

Yes, he can be taught!