Tips and Tricks for the 30 Day Challenge

We're a little over a week away from the start of the 30 day challenge, so I thought I'd put together a few tips to get ready for the first week. It will be a lot easier if you take a little time to prepare - especially if this is your first dip in the paleo pool.

Tip #1: start clearing out any junk food or snacks lurking in your fridge and pantry. If there are any grain or dairy based foods in the house, get rid of them now. Use them up, give them away, whatever. This goes double for cookies, chips and other convenience foods. After a day or two on the paleo plan you may get some cravings, and if those snacks are readily available it's all too easy to slip up. One way to get them out of the house is to take them to work and leave them in the lunch room. If your workplace is anything like mine, they'll vanish quickly.

Tip #2: Plan the first week of meals ahead of time. It's easier to stay on track if you have a plan, and knowing what you're going to eat in advance will eliminate last minute uncertainty. Sit down a few days before Day 1 and jot down 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 5 dinners. You can repeat meals as much as you like - breakfast is especially amenable to redundancy (I eat variations of the same thing almost every morning). Dinner requires the most planning, but if you just remember to have some meat, vegetables and maybe a piece of fruit each night you'll be fine. Make more than you can eat at dinner, and the leftovers can take care of the next day's lunch. This is a very helpful strategy since it's easy to toss a piece of chicken and some veggies in a container, put it in the fridge, and then pack it up for work the next day.

Sample day:

Breakfast: eggs scrambled in a tablespoon or so of olive oil, with any vegetables that sound good tossed in the mix. I like broccoli and spinach, but there's really no limit to what you can use. Sometimes I cut up a piece of leftover meat from the night before and stir fry it before adding in the veggies and eggs. Garnish with salsa.

Lunch: a colossal mixed green salad with tuna or leftover chicken. I like to add celery, spinach, tomatoes or even a cut up apple to the salad, then toss some drained tuna on top. An avocado will add some healthy fat and make you feel more full after eating. I may eat it just like that, or I might drizzle some olive oil and vinegar/lemon on top. Cracked pepper is good too.

Dinner: grilled steak with steamed carrots and a side salad. A sliced apple with almond butter for dessert.

The basic idea is to pick a good protein source (meat or eggs) for each meal, and load up the rest of your plate with vegetables. If you just do that, you'll be on your way to success.

Tip #3: After planning your meals, you'll have a much better idea of what your shopping list should look like -

Meats: buy 4 or 5 different types of meat that you know you like, enough for a couple of meals each. And load up on eggs for breakfast if you like them - they're cheap.
Good meat choices include chicken breast, chicken tenderloin, whole chicken for baking/roasting, pork loin, pork chops, pork steaks, ground beef, steak, roast, fish (salmon, cod, trout) or canned salmon, sardines, anchovies, and tuna. Tuna is especially useful for quick lunches.

Vegetables: buy a variety of vegetables you know you'll eat, both fresh and frozen. Several bags of salad greens, some carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cabbage, squash, broccoli, turnips, asparagus, spinach. Frozen: mixed veggies, broccoli, greens.

Buy some fruit - apples, bananas, oranges, pears, kiwis. Plenty of berries too, such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.

Get some almonds and walnuts for snacking. Sunflower seeds are good too.

Stock up on spices if you don't have enough. Curry, garlic, cayenne, basil...whatever you enjoy.

Make sure you have some olive oil on hand. This is great for cooking and will add healthy fats to your meals. One of the biggest issues people have when starting paleo is not eating enough fat, but it helps to keep you feeling full and happy and it provides essential nutrients. Other good sources of fat are coconut oil, avocados, almond butter, nuts and seeds. Avocados are pretty useful, and I've never met anyone who didn't LOVE almond butter once they tried it.

Salad dressing - make your own from olive oil and vinegar (or lemon/lime juice), plus any herbs and spices you like. You can make a cup or so and keep it in the fridge.

Tomato sauce - try to find it in a can or jar, and make sure it's tomatoes, water and salt. No added sugar. This is very useful in ground beef recipes.

Salsa - find one that's made of vegetables without a lot of added nonsense (sugar, salt, things with lots of syllables). If you're like me, salsa is good at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Take some nuts or jerky to work for snacking - make sure to avoid lots of added salt and sugar in these though. Most varieties of store-bought nuts and jerky are chock full of sugar and salt, so shop around. Trader Joe's may be a good source.

Lara Bars are good for a once-in-a-while snack, but you don't want to rely on packaged snacks too often. And avoid the ones with cashews and peanuts, which are technically not paleo foods.

Tip #4: try not to eat out at restaurants too often. It's a lot easier to make sure you're eating good paleo foods if you know exactly what's in your meal and how it was prepared. That being said, you CAN make wise choices when eating out - at least in most restaurants. Order steak, chicken or fish with a side of vegetables. If it comes with a potato or rice, just request extra vegetables instead. Make sure the meat is grilled, baked or broiled and NOT covered in a sugary sauce or breaded. I was able to eat paleo at Pasta House, so I know it can be done. Fast food is a lot harder, so do your best to stay away from it.

Tip #5: limit or avoid beverages containing caffeine or artificial sweeteners. Sugar is definitely not allowed, but caffeinated and artificially sweetened drinks can cause issues for some people. Both can affect insulin levels, and this can lead to cravings, hunger, and even slow down your fat loss. If you can't do without, at least be aware that these beverages can make you more likely to experience cravings. If you can tolerate that, you'll probably be okay with a coffee or diet soda now and then. Just don't overdo it. Water is the best thing you can drink, and green tea is not too bad either. If you do end up drinking coffee or diet soda, try to drink an equal amount of water.

Tip #6: try to do some form of exercise most days. This will help reinforce the eating plan, both mentally and physically. Don't try to do too much though. In the first week you might experience low energy levels as your body learns to burn fat instead of sugar for fuel. Do some walking and other light activity a few times the first week, and save the more intense exercise for later when your energy levels start to take off. Most people feel a big boost in energy after the second week or so, and you may feel like doing something more strenuous then - even if you normally don't work out much.

Following these tips and tricks should get you through the first week with little difficulty. After that, things start to come more naturally and you'll eventually start doing the right things automatically. Remember, if you run into any questions or concerns just leave a comment here and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Good luck and Happy Foraging!

What has Paleo done for me lately?

Today, instead of putting up links to complicated scientific studies to show the benefits of switching to a paleolithic eating plan, I'm going to get personal and talk about some of the benefits I have seen in my own life.

Keep in mind that I'm not eating 100% paleo 365 days a year, but when I am the following benefits are more pronounced. There is a direct correlation between how close I stick to the plan and the degree to which the benefits are noticeable.

Benefit 1 - Getting Lean

The more paleo I am, the leaner I get. It's a rather dramatic effect. It's also independent of my exercise routine. Earlier this year (following the winter holiday season) I was pretty far from eating a pure paleo diet. I got in the habit of eating more breads, pasta, and baked snacks (e.g. cookies) than I normally eat - and it showed in my midsection. I wasn't really fat by average American standards, and by no means as heavy as I was 10 years ago, but I added a good 10 lbs of fat. Mostly around the waist and belly (typical). During this time I was engaging in a regular program of exercise about 5 days a week, with some intense sessions and some low-level exercise. Still, the fat was accumulating. So during the March/April time frame I switched back to a paleo eating style, and kept it at about 80-90% compliance. That means most of my meals were paleo, but a couple a week were "cheat meals" where I relaxed the rules a bit. Over the next few weeks that added fat melted away at an amazing rate - it was visibly noticeable in the first week. By the end of April I had dropped about 10 lbs without any noticeable loss of lean muscle. It's interesting to note that this all occurred while maintaining the same workout routine. In other words, eating paleo melted off the excess fat without any change in the amount or type of exercise. Even if you don't exercise at all, changing your eating habits to a paleo plan will make you more lean.

Benefit 2 - Feeling Great

This one is harder to quantify since there are no numbers on a scale by which to measure it, but trust me - it's real. What do I mean by feeling great? It means a significant decrease in minor aches and pains - like those annoying feelings you sometimes get upon first waking up once you reach a certain age. It also means a higher energy level throughout the day - the kind where you feel like going for a quick run, climbing a rock wall, doing yard work, or hitting the gym, and really looking forward to it. Or doing inverted hangs on the playground equipment while relaxing with the kids, as illustrated above. Basically less sluggishness and more desire to move and play.

Benefit 3 - Not Being Sick

This one probably ties in closely with #2, but it's pretty important. When I'm on the paleo plan, I seem to have a lot less problems with allergies, sinus infections, gastro-intestinal issues, and skin problems. There's actually a lot of scientific research in these areas that show benefits of a paleolithic diet in reducing or halting various disease processes. For me, it's enough to know that I have better digestion, better skin, and fewer headaches and sniffles when I'm eating right.

Benefit 4 - Better Performance

When I'm chowing on lots of meats, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats I see an improvement in my workouts. I'm stronger, faster, and have more endurance. I also have better recovery after a hard workout - I'm less sore and I feel ready to get right back at it more quickly.

Benefit 5 - Better Sleep

Sleep quality improves on a diet free of refined sugars, grains and dairy. I fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply, and wake up more rested and refreshed when I'm doing paleo. Of course, this makes a difference in the rest of my day too. I'm pretty picky about my sleep and not getting enough or not getting good quality sleep makes the rest of my day a less pleasant experience all around. I know I can avoid all that by sticking to the plan.

Benefit 6 - Less Hunger

Yes, eating quality proteins, fats and vegetables is more satisfying than filling up on refined grains and other carb-overdose foods. After a decent meal I can go a long time before feeling hungry, and I don't get those unpleasant crashes and gnawing sensations. Protein and fat is slower burning and just seems to last longer in the system. People on paleo tend to eat less overall because the cravings and snacking that are part of a high-carb lifestyle go away.

Benefit 7 - Better Moods

Now this may be partially due to all of the above - I mean who wouldn't be in a better mood if they were enjoying the benefits above? But there are also studies that suggest a meat, vegetable, fruit and fat diet with a better omega-3 content can reduce the incidence of depression. From personal experience I can definitely say I feel more "up" when I'm on track food-wise than when I'm eating junk.

Benefit 8 - Looking Good

Given that I'm less fat, more muscular, less sleep-deprived, have better skin and general health, it's really no surprise that I tend to look better and more fit on a paleo diet. I just like the way I look in the mirror when I'm eating right. Maybe it's trivial or superficial, but for most people this one benefit outweighs all the others. And really it's not so superficial when you think about it - the improvement in outward appearance is a direct result of the numerous internal health improvements one enjoys when eating the way our bodies evolved to eat.

What else is there?

So those are a few of the reasons I like following a paleolithic lifestyle. I probably neglected to include a few of the many things I like about being paleo, but really isn't it enough to feel, look and perform better than before? These benefits are more significant to most folks than all the scientific research on how much better off you'll be on a biochemical level, even though they're really just the outward reflection of the improvements within.

Jumping right in...or taking it slow and easy

Okay folks - we're 20 days away from the start of the 30 Day Paleo Challenge. That's almost 3 weeks to get your mind made up and focus on committing to the challenge. It's a lot easier than you might think.

What to do during the next 20 days

Are you the kind of person who likes to rip the band-aid off all at once, or do you prefer to take it slowly and carefully? Do you jump in the pool to get the shock over with right away, or ease in? With paleo eating, I'm a "jump right in" kind of guy. For strict paleo challenges like the one starting in 20 days, I like to just go whole hog and switch entirely to an all meat, veggie, fruit and nut diet with no transitional phase. But to be honest, I'm usually pretty close to paleo even when I'm off the strict plan, so it's not that big a change for me. Maybe you're the same...but maybe not.

If you're currently eating a very non-paleo diet (lots of bread, pasta, milk, cheese, and other neolithic foods), you might consider trying a phased approach. Going from a standard American-style diet full of grains, dairy, soy and sugar straight into a strict paleo plan can be a big transition. You may notice a few days to a couple of weeks where you're not hitting on all cylinders while your body adapts to using the correct fuels rather than the junk fuel it normally gets. After that intro period you should start to notice improvements in the way you feel, the way you look, and the way you perform (at work or in the gym). After about 3 weeks most people are functioning at a better, more efficient level than they were before they started the plan.

If the thought of a week or three of adaptation worries you, there is an option that may help avoid or reduce the impact. Instead of going 100% paleo all at once (like me), you can ease into it gradually.

The Paleo Breakfast Phase-In

The recommended method for easing into a paleo eating program is to start with breakfast. Basically, start your day (every day) with a meat and nuts meal. The meat can be anything from eggs (yes, they count as meat) to some leftover steak or chicken from the night before. Toss a handful of nuts (almond, macadamia or walnuts) into the mix and you're done! This is a simple, inexpensive way to get one paleo meal a day, and it won't jar your system since you're only doing one per day. One thing to note: if you normally don't eat breakfast, you should quickly notice an improvement in how you feel and function during the day. Sometimes just adding this one meal can make a huge difference. Even if you already eat breakfast, switching to a meat and nut meal instead of bagels, toast or cereal will be a big improvement. I usually eat a big breakfast with meat, eggs, and loads of veggies. For those of you new to the idea, a load of vegetables at breakfast may be too much to deal with. It's perfectly cool to start without them.

Ideally, after a week or two on the Paleo Breakfast phase, you would add in a paleo lunch so that 2 of your daily meals now fit the plan. After that, the transition to full-on paleo will be much easier.

I recommend that you try doing the paleo breakfast phase-in as soon as possible. If you feel like you're doing well after a week or two, add in the lunch. By the time the June 30 Day Challenge kicks off, you'll be most of the way there already. And you'll be less likely to notice any major energy issues during the early part of the challenge because your body will already be accustomed to running on a partial paleo fuel mix. Remember - the further you are from paleo eating now, the more a gradual easing-in will help.

Robb Wolf's Paleo Solutions podcast

I have to give a shout out to Robb Wolf, who has a great website and also does a very informative podcast. Robb is a former research biochemist specializing in lipid metabolism, he's a co-founder of one of the earliest Crossfit affiliates, and he's a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. He has more academic and street cred than I'll ever have. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes - just search for "Paleo Solutions" - but some of the older podcasts (#1-#12) don't show up there, at least for me. So here's a link to the first podcasts if you're like me and like to start from the beginning. Listening to one of Robb's comments is what made me think about putting in all this info about a phased approach rather than just jumping in with both feet - so thanks Robb!

Workout

I spent all last week digging and planting my new vegetable garden. Now that the plants are in the ground and thriving (so far - thank you rain and sun), I'm back to more normal workouts this week. Yesterday I did a heavy lifting workout of squats, hang power cleans/push presses, and deadlifts. I added a few bench presses at the end for extra fun. Today I'm just greasing the groove a bit with pull ups. Basically every time I walk past my pull up bar, I do a couple or three pull ups to improve neuro-muscular adaptation. Good stuff.

Good luck and happy foraging!

Grocery Shopping - Paleo Style

Before you can commit to something like the 30 day paleo challenge, you must first make sure you have enough of the right kinds of food available in your home. You can get a paleo meal in most restaurants, but for the most part you will be preparing your meals at home.

So here is a guide to help create your paleo shopping list. There are lots of shopping lists on the web that cater to paleo folks, but there are also a few simple things to remember that will make your paleo shopping a bit easier. Here's my list:

* Shop along the perimeter of the store. Most of the good stuff is in the produce and meat departments around the edges - the aisles in the middle are a maze of pre-packaged items you are better off avoiding.

* Try to avoid items that have more than 3 ingredients listed on the label. In fact, most of the really good stuff will have only ONE. Fresh meats and vegetables, for example. Those extra ingredients are usually something you don't want - like salt, sugar or soy.

* When choosing foods in the store, ask yourself whether your ancestors living 10,000 years ago would recognize your choices. Most meats, veggies, fruit and nuts would look like something they would have eaten. If it comes in a box and is rainbow-colored, put it back on the shelf.

* Pick a few staples that you know you like - your favorite lean meats, vegetables and fruits - but don't be afraid to try something new. I got my family to try different types of squash when they did the challenge last time - and they liked them. Another hugely popular discovery - almond butter!

Once you've gotten the hang of paleo eating, shopping for the right foods turns out to be pretty simple and natural. For those of you who don't know where to start, here's a list of paleo foods to get you going. One good strategy starting out is to sit down and make a list of meals for the upcoming week before heading to the store. Just include a serving of meat, a vegetable or two, and a source of healthy fat like avocado or olive oil with each meal and you'll be good to go.

A typical day's menu for me might include the following:

Breakfast - a big glass of water, followed by eggs scrambled in olive oil with whatever vegetables I have available - usually spinach, broccoli or peppers (or all three!)

Lunch - if I'm at work, I may just have a bit of leftover meat, some nuts, and a piece of fruit. If I'm at home, I sometimes have a huge mixed green salad with some tuna and avocado.

Dinner - a good portion of meat, several vegetables, and maybe a bit of fruit. I like to change my meat choices from day to day - beef, chicken, pork and fish in a random rotation. Veggies are usually broccoli, carrots, a salad - whatever sounds good at the time. I may eat a piece of fruit, but mostly I have my fruit earlier in the day.

I may snack on a few nuts during the day, but that's about it for a typical day. Just be sure you eat a good variety of meats and vegetables, and eat enough to feel comfortably full - don't starve yourself. With paleo eating, you should be able to eat plenty without worrying about weight gain since you're avoiding calorically dense but less nutritive snacks and packaged foods.

I'll post a few more meal examples soon, prior to the 30 day challenge. Be sure to ask questions if you're unsure about anything.

Good luck and happy foraging!

30 Day Paleo Challenge - the Countdown begins!

If you're not eating a paleo diet already, I'd like to invite you to join our 30-Day Paleo Challenge. I'm setting the official start date as June 1, which means those who participate will be paleo for the entire month of June.

30 day challenges are quite popular in the paleo/primal community. This is in part because most people can commit to a mere 30 days, and because that gives your body plenty of time to start to notice real changes in weight, body composition and general health. Some folks who have access to medical testing have gone so far as to have blood profiles done before and after the 30 day period to show the improvements a paleo diet can cause in various measures. I would LOVE to see someone do this here, but all I'm really asking is that you give the plan a shot for 30 days.

Typically, a 30 day period lets people see how their normal diet leads to health issues that are normally just under the radar - they impact your life daily, but in ways that it's not always easy to tease out of your normal daily experience. For example, many people are mildly allergic or in some way sensitive to dairy or grains, and they may have sinus issues, generalized aches and pains, sore joints, or digestive problems. During a 30 day paleo diet, many people find that a lot of these ailments fade or disappear entirely because the root cause was dietary. Once the 30 day period is over, you may feel so good you'll want to keep it paleo. On the other hand, once your system is clear of the irritants in your normal diet, you can slowly add certain non-paleo foods back in to see how well you tolerate them. This can help you isolate which non-paleo foods are the biggest problem for you.

I think this is a relatively convenient time to do a challenge like this. It's summer time, and there are plenty of fresh fruits and veggies in season. It's also really easy to do paleo-style cooking if you barbecue or cook out a lot. Heck, it's meat and vegetables - you don't get much more grill-friendly than that! Also, June 1-30 is nestled between the two main summer holidays in the US, so if you plan on partying and eating with wild abandon on Memorial Day weekend or the 4th of July, you can still stick to strict paleo in between.

I'll be posting some helpful bits and pieces leading up to the big kickoff, such as handy shopping lists and meal ideas. Also, I welcome any of your questions as to what is and isn't part of the paleo eating plan so you can be as successful as possible. I expect you will be surprised with the results in weight loss and well-being. Some people also find their grocery bill drops a bit, since you're buying fresh meat and vegetables instead of pre-packaged "food" in expensively designed boxes.

More to come as the countdown progresses.

Good luck and happy foraging!

Go Fish!

Unless you've been living under a rock - and admittedly, that's pretty paleo - you've most likely heard something about the benefits of fish oil. Fish oil has been shown over and over again to provide numerous health benefits, and as I mentioned in a previous post I myself supplement my diet with fish oil.

In case you did just crawl out from under your rock to check the internet, Mark's Daily Apple has a great rundown of what you need to know about fish oil. The many benefits include:

* Improvements in cardiovascular health
* Decreased risk of stroke
* Decreased blood pressure
* Reduction in blood triglyceride levels
* Improvements in mood and cognitive ability
* Reduction in symptoms of depression
* Improved immune function
* Reduced risk of some forms of cancer
* Anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce the incidence and severity of a number of ailments such as joint pain and asthma


Science Alert!

For those of you who prefer your information in peer-reviewed form, here's an interesting paper that discusses the evolutionary basis for omega-3 requirements, and the kinds of issues one might expect from a diet deficient in them.

Essential fatty acids in health and chronic disease
Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:560S-569S.


Interestingly, much of the benefits of fish oil supplementation probably derive from its capacity to correct the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid imbalance that is a hallmark of the modern agricultural diet. Basically, we are so out of whack from eating the way we do that we are now prone to a host of illnesses that our ancestors rarely encountered. In fact, if you eat a strict paleo diet with a focus on lots of vegetables and grass fed meat, your need for an omega-3 supplement is likely much less or even non-existent. If you're like most folks though, you could probably benefit from some fish oil supplementation.

So how much do you need? Well, opinions vary - but it's probably more than the conventional wisdom would have you believe. For those of you who are interested in a more cutting edge view, there is now a convenient Fish Oil Calculator designed by Robb Wolf and the folks at Whole9Life.

My personal view is that a paleo diet based on grass fed meat, fish, free-range poultry and plenty of vegetables and fruit will provide a human being with the correct ratios of fatty acids and other nutrients. However, few people eat that diet these days - and even if you do there is likely still some residual imbalance remaining from years of eating the standard modern diet. So fish oil supplementation is a good option in my book!


Workout du Jour

Over the last few days I've been putting in a new vegetable garden, so in lieu of hitting the gym I've been stripping sod, shoveling dirt and tilling heavy clay soil. I get a lot of sunshine doing this too. With any luck I'll have some good veggies to show for all the hard work. Oh, and last Saturday I raced my 8 year old son up one of the steepest hills in Cape Girardeau, MO - the infamous Cardiac Hill for those of you who are in the know. Good times!