Miami Heat Ray Allen on Paleo diet CBS Sports reports
fruttibiscotti
Posts: 986 Member
Interesting article from CBS Sports about NBA players on paleo diet: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24373097/nutrition-in-the-nba-part-ii-paleo-diet-takes-hold-for-variety-of-reasons
Here's a portion of the article:
A Paleo-what? The Paleolithic diet -- Paleo, for short -- involves eating like our caveman ancestors did: lean meats, wild-caught fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar or processed foods. Its proponents call it the "anti-inflammatory diet" on the theory that avoiding processed carbs and sugars decreases inflammation in the body -- the kind that causes joint pain and the kind that a growing number of medical authorities believe contributes to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
After the Heat beat the Spurs in the Finals – in large part due to Allen's clutch 3-pointer late in Game 6 -- Allen felt depleted, achy and believed he'd become dependent on anti-inflammatory medication just to get onto the floor. Then 37, the NBA's career 3-point leader had just completed his 17th season. A model of health, fitness and preparation, Allen felt his body finally rebelling against him. And he didn't like it one bit.
"My mentality was that I'm burning so much, I need the sugar and I need carbs," Allen said. "But toward the end of the year, I remember being on anti-inflammatories and my body always felt like I was hopped up on drugs just to decrease the inflammation."
Allen's wife told him about the Paleo diet and its purported anti-inflammatory properties. He studied it, asked questions, and resolved to start it on July 1, but couldn't wait. Allen took the Paleo plunge on June 26, six days after the Heat closed out the Spurs in Game 7.
"I cut everything out, and within three weeks I lost 10 pounds," Allen said. "I stuck with it all summer long and learned to eat even cleaner."
Allen confronted his one dilemma with the program once training camp began. With his activity level ramped up -- practices, weightlifting sessions, the endless shooting he does to hone his craft -- he began to feel depleted. So he did something that even one of the world's top proponents of the Paleo diet acknowledges is OK for athletes with a high activity level: He increased his consumption of carbs.
"That's absolutely what needs to be done," said Robb Wolf, a biochemist, author of the New York Times best-seller, "The Paleo Solution" and a student of Paleolithic nutrition expert Loren Cordain.
"When you start looking at any type of high-level athlete, they need a lot of carbs to be able to function optimally – potatoes, some sweet potatoes, some white rice," Wolf said. "That's spot on to make this thing work."
Wolf works most often with people who are sick and obese, and those with type II diabetes and/or other metabolic diseases are best served by a strict Paleo diet with very little starch and no dairy, he said. But professional athletes and members of the military are equally motivated to try the Paleo lifestyle for optimal health, and there's more than one way to do it.
"If they do something that improves their recovery, they feel a little better, their cognition is a little better, their fine motor skills are maintained and they're able to train a little bit harder or a little more often," Wolf said. "They just don't get so beaten down."
Here's a portion of the article:
A Paleo-what? The Paleolithic diet -- Paleo, for short -- involves eating like our caveman ancestors did: lean meats, wild-caught fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar or processed foods. Its proponents call it the "anti-inflammatory diet" on the theory that avoiding processed carbs and sugars decreases inflammation in the body -- the kind that causes joint pain and the kind that a growing number of medical authorities believe contributes to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
After the Heat beat the Spurs in the Finals – in large part due to Allen's clutch 3-pointer late in Game 6 -- Allen felt depleted, achy and believed he'd become dependent on anti-inflammatory medication just to get onto the floor. Then 37, the NBA's career 3-point leader had just completed his 17th season. A model of health, fitness and preparation, Allen felt his body finally rebelling against him. And he didn't like it one bit.
"My mentality was that I'm burning so much, I need the sugar and I need carbs," Allen said. "But toward the end of the year, I remember being on anti-inflammatories and my body always felt like I was hopped up on drugs just to decrease the inflammation."
Allen's wife told him about the Paleo diet and its purported anti-inflammatory properties. He studied it, asked questions, and resolved to start it on July 1, but couldn't wait. Allen took the Paleo plunge on June 26, six days after the Heat closed out the Spurs in Game 7.
"I cut everything out, and within three weeks I lost 10 pounds," Allen said. "I stuck with it all summer long and learned to eat even cleaner."
Allen confronted his one dilemma with the program once training camp began. With his activity level ramped up -- practices, weightlifting sessions, the endless shooting he does to hone his craft -- he began to feel depleted. So he did something that even one of the world's top proponents of the Paleo diet acknowledges is OK for athletes with a high activity level: He increased his consumption of carbs.
"That's absolutely what needs to be done," said Robb Wolf, a biochemist, author of the New York Times best-seller, "The Paleo Solution" and a student of Paleolithic nutrition expert Loren Cordain.
"When you start looking at any type of high-level athlete, they need a lot of carbs to be able to function optimally – potatoes, some sweet potatoes, some white rice," Wolf said. "That's spot on to make this thing work."
Wolf works most often with people who are sick and obese, and those with type II diabetes and/or other metabolic diseases are best served by a strict Paleo diet with very little starch and no dairy, he said. But professional athletes and members of the military are equally motivated to try the Paleo lifestyle for optimal health, and there's more than one way to do it.
"If they do something that improves their recovery, they feel a little better, their cognition is a little better, their fine motor skills are maintained and they're able to train a little bit harder or a little more often," Wolf said. "They just don't get so beaten down."
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Replies
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Allen confronted his one dilemma with the program once training camp began. With his activity level ramped up... He increased his consumption of carbs.
Game, set and match on "low carb".0 -
Paleo. And I don't think this article is "game,set, match" on low carb at all, Mr_Kinght... All it means is that people with high energy expenditures like athletes need more carbs to function (note: "more", not "majority"). I'm not an athlete, so low carb is what I need. But Paleo is amazing regardless of high or low carb. 0 -
Paleo. And I don't think this article is "game,set, match" on low carb at all, Mr_Kinght... All it means is that people with high energy expenditures like athletes need more carbs to function (note: "more", not "majority"). I'm not an athlete, so low carb is what I need. But Paleo is amazing regardless of high or low carb.
I agree...and I would also add that he looked into it also for the anti inflammatory properties of eating Paleo - as stated in the article, he was taking loads of drugs for inflammation. So, it seems like a nice trade off - less carbs for less inflammation reducing drugs.
Which brings on another question....why did the carbs encourage inflammation?0 -
Paleo. And I don't think this article is "game,set, match" on low carb at all, Mr_Kinght... All it means is that people with high energy expenditures like athletes need more carbs to function (note: "more", not "majority"). I'm not an athlete, so low carb is what I need. But Paleo is amazing regardless of high or low carb.
so you don't need energy?0 -
My boy Ray! He used to be a freak athlete before he got old. Obviously he needs carbs, he probably burns at least 5,000-7,000 calories a game. But many people don't get close to burning that many calories nearly 82 days in a row. I don't think comparing ourselves to Ray really makes sense.0
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So what? If you like low carb and paleo, congrats. It doesn't work for everyone. It's not required that you spend every waking hour seeking "proof" so you can "convert" everyone to your way.0
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Ok, so why do other professional athletes do paleo as well? For example, See article http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/nutrition/paleos-latest-converts-20130618. Here's the first paragraph:
What do professional cyclist Dave Zabriskie, ultramarathon runner Timothy Olson, and gold-medal triathlete Simon Whitfield have in common? All of these elite endurance athletes have pushed away the time-honored plate of pasta in favor of a "paleo" approach to nutrition. They've dialed down the carbohydrates and replaced them with copious amounts of healthy fat. And as multitudes of paleo converts claim (and anecdotal evidence suggests), this may be the key to optimizing performance and extending careers into the late thirties and beyond.0 -
And as multitudes of paleo converts claim (and anecdotal evidence suggests), this may be the key to optimizing performance and extending careers into the late thirties and beyond.
Or, you know, having access to world-class medical doctors and top-end training facilities and trainers. That might help too.0 -
Paleo. And I don't think this article is "game,set, match" on low carb at all, Mr_Kinght... All it means is that people with high energy expenditures like athletes need more carbs to function (note: "more", not "majority"). I'm not an athlete, so low carb is what I need. But Paleo is amazing regardless of high or low carb.
so you don't need energy?
of course I do. I just get it from mainly fat and protein sources, not carbs. Never felt better in my life. (And I've been Paleo for months now, so I think if there were ill effects I'd have felt them by now...)0 -
It's OK if they want to name it The Paleo Diet, but claiming that it's similar to what our earlier ancestors would have eaten is a bit wide of the mark, I'd say.0
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more than a bit...It's OK if they want to name it The Paleo Diet, but claiming that it's similar to what our earlier ancestors would have eaten is a bit wide of the mark, I'd say.0 -
And as multitudes of paleo converts claim (and anecdotal evidence suggests), this may be the key to optimizing performance and extending careers into the late thirties and beyond.
Or, you know, having access to world-class medical doctors and top-end training facilities and trainers. That might help too.
na, not important...paleo is the end all, cure all...0 -
Paleo. And I don't think this article is "game,set, match" on low carb at all, Mr_Kinght... All it means is that people with high energy expenditures like athletes need more carbs to function (note: "more", not "majority"). I'm not an athlete, so low carb is what I need. But Paleo is amazing regardless of high or low carb.
so you don't need energy?
Which is a back door way of saying "I'm inactive".0 -
All of these elite endurance athletes have pushed away the time-honored plate of pasta in favor of a "paleo" approach to nutrition. They've dialed down the carbohydrates and replaced them with copious amounts of healthy fat.
They "dial down" carbs to 50% of intake.
You are making the classic mistake of conflating Paleo with Low Carb - they are two different approaches - Paleo does not mean "Low Carb".
Well, "Paleo" doesn't actually mean anything, but that's for a different thread.0 -
of course I do. I just get it from mainly fat and protein sources, not carbs.
That only works if you aren't very active, as the original link demonstrates nicely.0 -
of course I do. I just get it from mainly fat and protein sources, not carbs.
That only works if you aren't very active, as the original link demonstrates nicely.
Incorrect, there many examples where athletes (very active people) do either low carb, keto, or paleo. Example already provided was article http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/nutrition/paleos-latest-converts-20130618. Here's the first paragraph:
What do professional cyclist Dave Zabriskie, ultramarathon runner Timothy Olson, and gold-medal triathlete Simon Whitfield have in common? All of these elite endurance athletes have pushed away the time-honored plate of pasta in favor of a "paleo" approach to nutrition. They've dialed down the carbohydrates and replaced them with copious amounts of healthy fat. And as multitudes of paleo converts claim (and anecdotal evidence suggests), this may be the key to optimizing performance and extending careers into the late thirties and beyond.0 -
My boy Ray! He used to be a freak athlete before he got old. Obviously he needs carbs, he probably burns at least 5,000-7,000 calories a game. But many people don't get close to burning that many calories nearly 82 days in a row. I don't think comparing ourselves to Ray really makes sense.
He plays max 30 minutes a game lately. How can he possible burn 5000-7000 calories in that time? And the season is 82 games but spread out over around 5 months.0 -
of course I do. I just get it from mainly fat and protein sources, not carbs.
That only works if you aren't very active, as the original link demonstrates nicely.
Depends what you mean by 'very' active.
I play hockey twice a week, volleyball 2-3 times a week, do spinning once or twice a week, and weight train 2-3 times per week and I'm what most would consider low-carb (I aim to keep them under 100g).
Could I potentially perform better if I upped my carbs? Maybe, but I generally feel better when I'm low-carb and I'm still able to perform at a pretty high level. If I was a professional athlete where a 5% drop in performance could have a significant impact on my life, I might look into tweaking the carb intake a little bit to find that optimal amount.0
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