What is the PALEO DIET? (A crash course)
-Developed by the cave men
-FOOD QUALITY over FOOD QUANTITY
-By eating the foods our body was designed to eat we are able to improve health, physical performance and -better our body composition.
-Eat meat, veggies, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.
-Be Gluten-Free
-Today’s diet is killing us. Change your eating habits to improve both your quality and length of life.
The Paleo Diet
Basically, your meals should consist of a hunk of meat, veggies and fruits, with a bit of fat.
-Insulin – Needs Balance
Syndrome X
Syndrome X is the diseases of insulin resistance. There are 4 Major parts:
Type II Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Heart Disease
Dyslipidemia (low HDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and small0dense LDL cholesterol
Beyond these 4 types are several other AIDs (Auto Immune Diseases)
Breast, Prostate and Colon Cancers
Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Acne
Depression
Alzheimer’s
Cancer
Parkinson’s
Uterine Fibroids
Gout
Obesity
Blood Clotting Abnormalities
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
High insulin impacts women’s fertility
Etc!
**These conditions are all related to elevated levels of insulin in the body which results in insulin resistance. “When people become insulin-resistant, the pancreas must secrete more insulin than normal to clear sugar from the bloodstream. This creates a state in which the blood insulin level is elevated all the time.” – pg. 75 The Paleo Diet, Dr. Loren Cordain.
For more info on Insulin and Gluten – see THE ZONE CRASH COURSE
Gluten-Free’s the Way to Be!
Gluten is mainly in wheat, spelt, rye, oats, millet and almost all other grains.
Rice and Corn are considered grains, but can be eaten on cheat days.
Eating rice or corn is like holding a fire cracker, eating grains is like holding a stick of dynamite. Fire crackers will singe your fingers but dynamite will blow off an arm.
Our gut linings are constantly being irritated by gluten. It is not something are bodies are meant to digest.
It takes 2 whole weeks for the gut lining to return to normal after gluten contact – even from just one meal. Even a little gluten can cause your gut lining to become irritated and inflamed.
Inflammation
Inflamation is the cause for just about every condition and syndrome x disease.
Inflamation ->Omega 6 + High Insulin = Syndrome X
Anti-inflamatory ->Omega 3 = Faster muscle recovery, better performance, better sleep, and oxygen capacity improves.
Bottom line: EAT OMEGA 3’s!
Fish Oil
Omega 3 = GOOD
FISH OIL
For maintenance of general health you need about .5 grams of Fish oil per 10lbs of body weight.
To lose weight, take 1 gram for every 10 lbs of body weight. The average fish oil pill is about 1.2 grams.
EXAMPLE: if you are over weight and you weigh 250 lbs, you would need 25 grams a day of fish oil. This = roughly 20 fish oil pills throughout the day.
Eat these pills with a protein and fat meal.
There are different ratios of protein to carbs to fat:
Fire breather: Protein: 17%, Carbs 23%, Fat 60%
Zone Dieter: Protein:30%, Carbs: 40%, Fat 30%
Hunter/Gatherer: Protein: 25-30%, Carbs: 20-25%, Fats 30-40%
More information to follow! Check back for updates!
If you have any questions at all please feel free to comment or email!
Can you help me understand why firebreathers get to eat such a high ratio of fat?
ReplyDeleteIt flies in the face of all the low-fat-is-good-for-you advice I've been told... then again, I never could stick with low fat. What makes 60% the magic ratio as compared to the other ratios? How do you know whether you are just a mere mortal or a firebreather?
Thanks -
Allison
Hey Allison.
ReplyDeleteHigh fat ratio isn't just for fire breathers. The reason that they are guided to eat such a high portion of fat is due to the fact, that at that level, fat is their primary fuel source.
For years we've been told that dietary fat causes body fat. That isn't necessarily true. Body fat is typically created from insulin spiking carbs(sugars and starches.)These insulin spikes cause the body to convert sugar into body fat.
Our bodies need a source of energy to use for all activities. It can either be carbs or fat. This simple fact is the main reason why low-fat diets have a high failure rate. If you minimize fat, you must increase carbs intake or starve. Any poor carb choices cause insulin's fat storing response and starving isn't a long term solution. :)
Fat is also a great way to overcome the cravings that come at the beginning of a Paleo diet. Lots of good fats like coconut and olive oil, avocados, and some nuts go along way to curtail the perceived need for sweets.
In the end, anyone can do high fat low/good carb. Leah and I have been doing high-fat/extremely low-carb for well over a month and I wouldn't consider us fire breathers(sorry Leah... you do have awesome abs.)
I hope that helps,
Tom of the PaleoBlocks Team
Well said Tom! I'd like to add that I feel REALLY good on high-fat/very low carb (i.e., 20 grams or less of carbs per day, in the form of veggies for the most part). And I would have to agree with Tom, I am nowhere close to being a firebreather.
ReplyDeletewhats a fire breather?
ReplyDeleteThank you some very good food tips. I have tried to carry out the paleo-way of eating and have so fair only a good experience with it.:)
ReplyDeleteRegards Kasper
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