the paleo challenge

peemer123

I'm confident that everyone has heard the word, "paleo" in the last six months, but the question is, do you know what it means and/or understand how it relates to you? The popular book titled "The Paleo Diet" was published in the fall of 2005 and has been revered as the most nutritious diet on the planet. Everyone is on board from professional athletes, CrossFit training facilities and personal trainers like myself. Dr. Loren Cordain has published a myriad of other paleo like minded books and I have just finished his most recent one known as "The Paleo Diet for Athletes."

In a nutshell, through studies and many many many tests performed on athletes, in particular cyclists, Dr. Cordain has reasoned that performance can be enhanced and sustained through nutrition based solely on lean protein sources, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Gone are the days of carb-loading before and after an event, race or workout session. Goodbye pre-race pasta dinner or post game bagel breakfast. Dr. Cordain has successful proven that carbohydrates outside of those found in fruits, vegetables and nuts are unnecessary and can actually slow down recovery and diminish performance.

Eating in a paleo like fashion means eliminating two staples found on the current "MyPlate" eating plan which was created and is endorsed by the USDA: whole grains and dairy. By eliminating these food groups from your daily diet means you are mimicking the eating patterns of our ancient friends of long ago. Cutting out certain mainstays in the American diet like wheat bread, pasta, rice, milk, cheese etc. for example, individuals can focus all of their calories on nutrient dense paleo foods like turkey, red meat, fish, almonds, walnuts melon, bananas, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower etc. The end result is a trimmer waist line, improved sense of well being or just feeling better, faster recovery time between strenuous workouts and increased performance. There are simply too many positives to deny the efficacy of such an eating plan or lifestyle change.

I encourage everyone to try the paleo way or caveman form of eating for three weeks, you will be amazed at how good you feel, look and perform. Below are some links to check out if you are interested and want to learn more:

http://www.livingpaleo.com/category/paleo-diet/

http://paleodietlifestyle.com

Paige