Paleo Diet for Athletes - review (Page 4)

 

This diet isn't low carb per say, it's involves getting your carbs from a BETTER sources like fruits and vegitables. Friel recommends that carbs make up 50% of your daily calories, the key is to get them from fruit and veggies. During stage IV of the diet you are allowed to eat "non-paleo" carbs but other then during this stage you get your carbs from fruits and veggies.

If you have not read the book I would recommend getting it. Here are the cliff notes version of the basic eating plan:

 

http://www.trainingbible.com/pdf/Paleo_for_Athletes_Cliff_Notes.pdf

Edited by Mirg 2009-07-06 12:50 PM

Why is everyone so eager to jump down people's throats on here?  Telling someone they don't know what they're talking about is pretty harsh.  Unlike I lot of people on here, I did actually read the whole book - twice.  Sweet potato is not a paleo approved food, even according to his own definition.  You are, however, perfectly right that it's fine to add some of those non-approved foods back in at certain times, and only those times.  So my statement is not techincially incorrect.  Again - his point is that for purposes of training and recovery, you should add back in foods not normally approved by the paleo diet.  Timing is everything, according to the diet. 

I think, perhaps, that while it was an oversight on my part not to have explained that sweet potatoes can be acceptable at other times, the caps and exclamation mark on "wrong" were not appropriate.

And I would say that I didn't "describe the consumption" of sweet potatoes at all (thus my admission that I did not provide as much useful information as I might have) only stated that they are not paleo approved, which is true.

 

 

Fine. My point is that for somebody that is new to the paleo diet or knows very little about it would think that sweet potatoes are to be avoided based on what your reply was. For that reason, I found your response misleading. I'm not here to argue or pick fights with people. I was just trying to clarify some of the bad information about this way of eating. I'm sorry if I went about it the wrong way.

And I bring to the table baggage of other forums where people delight in finding the littlest bit of misinformation or the slightest misstep in speech or oversight and slamming you when you are only trying to be helpful.  You're correct that there's a lot more to this diet than most people realize and it's important to get the full story.

So now we shake virtual hands and make up, I hope?

What have you guys found to be the cheapest post workout recovery drink? I'm on a tight budget and can't afford fancy powdered stuff

isn't dairy derived protein cassein?

I am not a scientist, but my understanding is that milk has two proteins, casein and whey protein.  Many whey protein products like bars and drinks also seem to have casein listed as an ingredient - this is just my experience in glancing at a few labels.

If one can't afford or doesn't want to pay for expensive protein products to use during recovery, but wants to stay close to the ideas of the Paleo diet, my impression is that chocolate milk would be a logical substitute if being used as a recovery drink.  Maybe not perfect, but not too bad in the grand scheme of things. 

3 people who have had positive results from the paleo that I know:
I started the paleo diet 2 years ago.  I was a sophomore in college, I weighed a constant 195lbs for 4+ years.  I went cold turkey onto the paleo from a lifestyle where I was drinking AT LEAST 1x16oz soda a day, and pizza, pasta or burgers etc for lunch/dinner.  And I mean cold turkey... I only at raw fruits/vegetables and lean meats.

After 4 years of constant 195lb weight, no matter how much exercise I did, I lost 15lbs in 1.5 months on the paleo while doing weight training about 4 days a week.  I got so scared from the results and thought I was doing somethign wrong or dangerous and I allowed myself some grains again.

At the same time, though, I noticed I was INCREASING the amount of weight I was lifting, even though I was LOSING weight.  I knew it couldn't have been muscle mass loss.  I picked the paleo diet back up, but have had to supplement it to get enough calories/day since I noticed when I'm working out hard, I fall asleep in the afternoon a lot while on the paleo.

I got my best friend on the diet last summer, and he went from working out a few days a week for 1 hour sessions max to 5 days a week, 3 hour workouts.  It was an INCREDIBLE change.  In 3 months he went from mild mannered best friend to full-fledged Adonis at the gym.

Last year, my father was eventually perscribed his first 'old person's pills' by his doctor: blood pressure medication.  He was so frustrated at himself for being dependent on medication that he immediately started searching for another way.  He saw me trying the paleo diet and it sparked an interest.  I went out of town for 1 month, only to return with my father off his blood pressure medication and 10 lbs thinner.  He hasn't used the medication since and swears by the paleo diet now.

A veteran's few tips to make the paleo easier
Make your day-to-day living environment ENTIRELY paleo (if possible).  That makes it so when you get those bad cravings for something sinful, your only resort is to snack healthily.  When you want to have your unrestricted meals, make it so you have to go out of your way to get the burger (or whatever) by having to drive somewhere.

To make it cheaper, shop at costco.  As a college student, it is very difficult to do the paleo because nutrient-dense foods are so expensive.  If you can get into a strong enough routine to shop for bulk, it is very helpful.  I started going to costco once I had my routine down, and I kept the paleo at less than $10 a day spent on food, which is pretty damn good.

If I have to cheat a little, I allow high quality whole grain breads JUST for sandwiches (since that allows for a very portable meal).  Sandwiches are so much more portable than loose meat and greens, and it can allow for some more meals to keep it interesting.

Find a friend to do it with and to keep each other in check.  It makes it fun when you have someone to share strategies with.

Yes - dairy in all forms is casein.

Try chocolate soy milk instead, if you are on a CF restricted diet.

FWIW, according to Cornell University's website, and corroborated by many others, there are two major categories of milk protein, the casein family and the serum (whey) proteins. 

http://www.milkfacts.info/Milk%20Composition/protein.htm

While I don't believe everything I read on the internet, Cornell seems a reasonably reliable source.

In any case, the authors of the Paleo diet approve the use of various protein additives in recovery drinks, including whey proteins.  While soy is not a part of the normal Paleo diet, soy milk may (I don't remember and don't have the book in front of me) also be one of those that is ok after exercise. 

I'm considering the idea of giving this a try and I have a question.  Would Larabars be included in acceptable foods.  I hope so, they have been a good snack for me. 

The ingredients are: Dates, Walnuts, Almonds, Raisins, Cashews, and Cinnamon...this is for the particular flavor that I'm holding right now but all flavors have similar ingredients.  

Also, larabars are: unprocessed, raw, have no added sugar, dairy free, gluten free, and soy free.

As per the package, this seems like it would be a perfect snack for the paleo diet but I'm guess the cavemen never had to open a package. 

Your friend needs to go back to grad school....your brain's fuel is glucose in the your blood.  Glycogen is stored in muscles.  No muscles in my brain.

The Paleo Diet is not a "low carb diet".  I repeat Not a "low carb diet".  You can have all the carbs you need as long as they come from fruit, vegatables, meat, eggs, nuts.  I eat a ton of fruit every week.

BTW...I just found this thread.  I've been on paleo for almost 2 years.  I shed body fat like water off a ducks back.  I feel better and perform better than ever.  The thing that has amazed me the most is how my disgestion and stomach feel.  No more bloated feeling.  Very regular, easy digetion (if you get my drift). 

Edited by zia_cyclist 2009-07-16 12:41 PM

Here's what I do for a recovery drink:
1 Scoop whey protien
1 banana
1/2 cup berries
1/2 cup OJ
table spoon of honey
Ice

Put in a blender.

As I understand the Paleo diet theory, it's not the whey protien that's the problem, it's the other stuff in dairy, lactose, etc.  As the theory goes, humans weren't meant/evolved to drink animal milk.  Our digestive system doesn't handle dairy very well, i.e. lactose intolerant folks. 

Yes, that's exactly my understanding of why dairy isn't advocated as well.  The person whose question I was responding to, though, was asking what he could do if he couldn't afford the protein powders for recovery shakes.  While choc milk is NOT the same as whey protein additives, it is a low cost way of getting much of what the Paleo diet agrees you need after intense workouts without spending the money for powders.   And in the category of "not perfect" solutions, is closer than many others.  Of course, if you have a lactose issue, it's definitely not the best solution.

Maybe I just missed this in the book, but I'd like to get an idea of some of your sample days.
Excited to get started!

Yeesh!  

1) Your friend is just plain koo-koo and doesn't know what she's talking about.  I'm also a grad student in biology, except I actually know something about cell physiology.  Tell your friend to go back to, not even grad school, but her UNDERGRAD cell & molecular bio text book, to the giant section in the middle dealing with the Krebs cycle.  Also tell her to read the part about gluconeogenesis (conversion of glycerol from fats into glucose).  Just because neurons use a lot of glucose doesn't mean that you need to gorge yourself on sugar.  Seriously, this is like 2nd- or 3rd-year undergraduate material.  What the hell kind of grad program is she in?  I hope to God that she is not planning on a future as a cell biologist or biochemist.

2)  Your friend might also be interested to learn that fruits and vegetables contain a considerable amount of carbohydrates.

lol wow guys way to hate on my friend.  I'm no bio person.... in fact i don't even think i quoted her correctly.  But thanks for the responses.

I've been easing into the paleo diet and immediately noticed how smooth bowl movements are.  The difficult part for me, is the frequent shopping because fruits/veggies go bad relatively quick.  I'm also really lazy....

I'm training for IM so most days are 2-a-day workouts. 
I don't count calories.  I just eat as I feel like it.  Mostly I eat all day long.  I bring to work a lunch box filled with fruit, nuts, fruit juice, etc.

Here is a typical day

Pre-swim
   Glass of OJ
   GU gel
5 am swim
Post swim
    Smoothie - fruit, whey powder, OJ
    Maybe a Cliff bar -depends on how I'm feeling

Mid morning snack
    Fruit or nuts (maybe both, depends on how I'm feeling)

Lunch
    Huge salad with grilled chicken breast.  Sometimes add an avocado. (love avocados)
    Drink: OJ or cranberry juice (no sugar added kind)

Mid afternoon snack
    Fruit or nuts

Pre-workout 
     Fruit
Run or bike workout
     Bottle(s) of GU2O or GE
     GU gels

Post workout
     Smoothie or OJ.  Maybe a bagel if it's a long workout.

Dinner
     Meat of some kind
     Salad
     vegitables (sweet potatoe)
     More fruit