Paleo diet?

[phorunner]

Anyone try it? Pros? Cons? Running specific tips? Books? Articles? Studies?

(I've been hearing about it lately, and just watched a podcast on TWiT about it, so now I'm curious.)

[Jwolf]

I listened to the same podcast. Steve Gibson is a smart guy and gets a lot of the science right, but not quite all of it (for example, his observations about his heart rate don't really make sense). But overall I learned more about the actual facts of the no-carb diet by listening to that.

My personal impressions of the Paleo diet-- I think it's a good thing to restrict refined sugars and carbohydrates and focus your eating on whole plant-based foods and lean meats. Where I think they go a bit overboard is in limiting whole grain products and legumes like beans, chick peas, etc. and soy products including tofu. These have low glycemic index (don't release a lot of insulin) and have a lot of nutrients.

Also the premise of the actual Paleo diet has a lot of inconsistencies-- there's no real evidence that our paleo ancestors did all that much better in some ways than when agriculture was introduced. Our more immediate ancestors (even back a couple thousand years) have done quite well with agriculture and mildly processing food so that we can eat it. There is a lot of evidence that over-doing the sugar and highly processed foods has lead to an increase in diseases like diabetes and other neurological conditions, but these are more of a modern phenomenon-- and partly because we don't have a shortage of food in North America and people simply eat too much.

This video might be of interest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

She doesn't promote Paleo specifically but limiting sugars and sticking to mostly whole foods.

[La]

Most of our Paleo ancestors didn't live past the age of 35.

[Irongirl]

I'm surprised Ironboy hasn't weighed in yet.

He's been following it since October.

He hasn't cut out dairy though.

He also has non-Paleo food once in awhile, but, rarely.

Overall, it has really increased his veggie and nut intake and has made a huge difference for him, I think!

As the meal planner, it took some time to get used to, but, it's been great since we all got the hang of it!

[phorunner]

I listened to the same podcast. Steve Gibson is a smart guy and gets a lot of the science right, but not quite all of it (for example, his observations about his heart rate don't really make sense). But overall I learned more about the actual facts of the no-carb diet by listening to that.

Agreed, I maintain a healthy skepticism of everything.

I think the heart rate thing was more of a anecdotal thing than science.

My personal impressions of the Paleo diet-- I think it's a good thing to restrict refined sugars and carbohydrates and focus your eating on whole plant-based foods and lean meats. Where I think they go a bit overboard is in limiting whole grain products and legumes like beans, chick peas, etc. and soy products including tofu. These have low glycemic index (don't release a lot of insulin) and have a lot of nutrients.

Interesting point. Sidebar; I seem to have a really nasty soy allergy. Massive stomach aches.

Also the premise of the actual Paleo diet has a lot of inconsistencies-- there's no real evidence that our paleo ancestors did all that much better in some ways than when agriculture was introduced. Our more immediate ancestors (even back a couple thousand years) have done quite well with agriculture and mildly processing food so that we can eat it. There is a lot of evidence that over-doing the sugar and highly processed foods has lead to an increase in diseases like diabetes and other neurological conditions, but these are more of a modern phenomenon-- and partly because we don't have a shortage of food in North America and people simply eat too much.

Interesting point. I'm thinking it could also be more of a function of all the processing that goes into the mass production of food. In general, my family makes almost everything from scratch, and buys foods close to the source (we're italian, they grew up on a farm, "pre-made" foods, and even restaurants are not viewed as being on the same level as home made stuff)

That being said, my issue was sodium intake, portion sizes, and not drinking enough water. Italian portions are like 5x regular human portions.

This video might be of interest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

She doesn't promote Paleo specifically but limiting sugars and sticking to mostly whole foods.

I'll check it out.

Most of our Paleo ancestors didn't live past the age of 35.

Lol. That was my original argument, but that's probably more a function of knowledge and technology. The way I figure it, they probably didn't suffer from things like cancer and alzheimer's much either, but that's probably a function of the fact they didn't live long enough for their bodies didn't live long enough to degrade and produce odd mutations. (instead of diet)

That being said, one of the arguments for paleo is that our bodies evolved over years to be able to survive on that very diet. It's only in recent history that we've introduced large quantities of grains and other stuff, not to mention odd chemicals and preservatives. In that sense, it makes sense.

Sidebar: I was following something similar, not as extreme, a few years back and lost 70lbs over 2 years, and I kept the weight off - hence the inclination to try it. Never hit Ketosis though. So wondering if going that extra bit will be worth it. I think I'm at a point where time will be better invested in dropping more weight (until I'm in the 180-190ish range) for speed. My training is fairly consistent, and I could train a little harder, but carrying around 40-50ish extra pounds is definitely weighing me down. Plus it would ease up pressure on my PF, which has improved quite a bit since my new chiro has worked it.

[phorunner]

I'm surprised Ironboy hasn't weighed in yet.

He's been following it since October.

He hasn't cut out dairy though.

He also has non-Paleo food once in awhile, but, rarely.

Overall, it has really increased his veggie and nut intake and has made a huge difference for him, I think!

As the meal planner, it took some time to get used to, but, it's been great since we all got the hang of it!

Yeah, I'd like to hear all about it.

I'm curious of a few things
1) Did Ketosis occur? Does it work?
2) Was there an adjustment period where he felt sluggish? It seems like that's a common thread in a few things I've read.
3) How did it affect him on Race Day? What does he use for fuel since most other stuff is loaded with sugar?

[Ironboy]

I don't know what ketosis is.

I lost 8lbs in the first 2 months.

I get all of my carbs from fruit and vegetables.

I don't eat more meat than I used to, but I eat a lot more vegetables, especially leafy greens and bell peppers.

I don't eat any bread, rice, pasta, cereal or grains of any kind, nor do I eat any baked goods or anything with added sugar and really dont miss them at all. (it happens though, a slice of pizza, I might eat some of the crust, maybe once a month I'll have a sweet treat, but it tastes so sweet it usually turns me off sweets, for about a month and i put a bit a maple syrup in my morning coffee).

I eat eggs for breakfast, or the egg muffins discussed in another thread. I eat a lot of fat and protein and I would guess a lot of high fiber low glycemic load carbs. I don't measure, log, track, count anything I eat. I just eat good healthy natural food.

I was 189lbs last october, and had been for well over a year. I am now just under 173 and have been since just before ATB.

I feel great. Perhaps little self-righteous, because I feel that in terms of nutritional density my diet is far superior to the vast majority of people.

In terms of racing, I can't really say. ATB was a disaster (an enormously fun disaster, but a disaster nonetheless), whose contributing factors are many (execution errors for sure, training or lack thereof perhaps, nutrition... likely) so it's hard to say what impact if any paleo had on it.

Coincidently, Quickchick just linked to this article on facebook: http://running.competitor.com/2012/05/n ... ners_52363

Worth a read.

The Terry Wahls video that Jwolf linked to is what did it for me. I realized I wasn't feeding my body what it needed to be healthy, not by a long shot. I'm still not eating enough sulfer rich foods, I need to work on that.

And I'll just have to disagree with jwolf about whole grains, pound for pound, calorie for calorie, they may have more nutrition than their refined white counterparts, but they are still very weak nutrionally speaking.

[phorunner]

...and i put a bit a maple syrup in my morning coffee).

When I read that, all I could think was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS8MegEiKLk&t=39s

[phorunner]

I don't know what ketosis is.

I lost 8lbs in the first 2 months.

I get all of my carbs from fruit and vegetables.

I don't eat more meat than I used to, but I eat a lot more vegetables, especially leafy greens and bell peppers.

I don't eat any bread, rice, pasta, cereal or grains of any kind, nor do I eat any baked goods or anything with added sugar and really dont miss them at all. (it happens though, a slice of pizza, I might eat some of the crust, maybe once a month I'll have a sweet treat, but it tastes so sweet it usually turns me off sweets, for about a month and i put a bit a maple syrup in my morning coffee).

I eat eggs for breakfast, or the egg muffins discussed in another thread. I eat a lot of fat and protein and I would guess a lot of high fiber low glycemic load carbs. I don't measure, log, track, count anything I eat. I just eat good healthy natural food.

I was 189lbs last october, and had been for well over a year. I am now just under 173 and have been since just before ATB.

I feel great. Perhaps little self-righteous, because I feel that in terms of nutritional density my diet is far superior to the vast majority of people.

In terms of racing, I can't really say. ATB was a disaster (an enormously fun disaster, but a disaster nonetheless), whose contributing factors are many (execution errors for sure, training or lack thereof perhaps, nutrition... likely) so it's hard to say what impact if any paleo had on it.

Coincidently, Quickchick just linked to this article on facebook: http://running.competitor.com/2012/05/n ... ners_52363

Worth a read.

The Terry Wahls video that Jwolf linked to is what did it for me. I realized I wasn't feeding my body what it needed to be healthy, not by a long shot. I'm still not eating enough sulfer rich foods, I need to work on that.

And I'll just have to disagree with jwolf about whole grains, pound for pound, calorie for calorie, they may have more nutrition than their refined white counterparts, but they are still very weak nutrionally speaking.

Overall, interesting - so the regular nutrition stuff is ok during a race, and after, carbs are ok because the body needs glucose for recovery.

Sounds good. I just had my last spring race on Sunday, and am finishing up an Exam this weekend, so I should have time to work this out with my new running schedule.

[Ironboy]

I ate dates during my training runs. High enough GI, but no sodium or potassium like gels.

Not so good at race pace. Next time I'd blend them first, maybe add some water and store in a baggie. But that's for another day.

[Jwolf]

The Terry Wahls video that Jwolf linked to is what did it for me. I realized I wasn't feeding my body what it needed to be healthy, not by a long shot. I'm still not eating enough sulfur rich foods, I need to work on that.

If you're eating lots of meat and eggs, you should be getting plenty.

[Ironboy]

If you're eating lots of meat and eggs, you should be getting plenty.

Perhaps, but I think I should be getting more broccoli and cabbage

[Irongirl]

If you're eating lots of meat and eggs, you should be getting plenty.

Perhaps, but I think I should be getting more broccoli and cabbage

There's a Costco sized bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer.

[Mark.AU]

I didn't buy into the Paleo cult, but did cut out carbs, grains, rice, sugar for about two months earlier this year. I felt great. However, the diet is extremely difficult to keep while travelling (which I do a lot of) and I haven't been able to keep to it completely. However, it did change the way I looked at foods and my diet is still very much lower in carbs and very much higher in veggies and fruit than it used to be, and I feel much better for it.

[Jo-Jo]

I've found this discussion interesting.
When I look at my diet I find myself in the "eat mostly Paleo" camp.
Wow...I guess I'm one of the cool kids

The one thing I would like to cut out of my diet is the sugar in my coffee. I don't eat much in the way of sweets (if I have 10 desserts a year that would be a stretch) but I do like sugar in my coffee.

[Ironboy]

If you're eating lots of meat and eggs, you should be getting plenty.

Perhaps, but I think I should be getting more broccoli and cabbage

There's a Costco sized bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer.

Yes, in the freezer, not in my belly.

[JoaniB]

If you're eating lots of meat and eggs, you should be getting plenty.

Perhaps, but I think I should be getting more broccoli and cabbage

There's a Costco sized bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer.

Yes, in the freezer, not in my belly.

Wouldn't you pull it out of the freezer and put it in your belly?

... not directly, of course, but with certain time lapses, I mean.

[phorunner]

@Mark and Jo-jo

Yeah, I'm basically in the same boat - mostly Paleo already. My problem is I've been slowly letting stuff creep back in with my new career. It's tough when you're out with clients - you can't exactly whip out a tupperware container at a restaurant. I know you can try and do the best with what's available, but I don't think that's going to help me hit ketosis.

Oh well. I have about another week or so of backed up stuff to deal with before I can work out my new diet, and new running sched. I'll let everyone know how it goes.