FALL 2014 PALEO CHALLENGE POINT SYSTEM
For the next 45 days, you can gain or lose points on a daily and weekly basis. You will keep this logged and totaled on the Paleo Scoreboard that is linked to the CrossFit Lando Website.
Daily:
Meals: You gain +1 point (up to 5) per day for a complete Paleo meal. It must follow the protein/vegetables/fat requirement in order for it to count, so plan ahead!
Sleep: +1 point for 7+ hours of sleep per night.
Fish Oil: +1 point for daily dose (Must be 1,000mg EPA/DHA) to count
Water: +1 point for hitting daily minimum of .5oz/lb. of body weight
Weekly:
Exercise: +3 points for hitting workout requirements. (Minimum of 3 days of activity, no more than 6) YES, this is all or nothing. This is time to step it up, guys. You will not reach your goals with only 2 days of exercise per week. This does NOT need to be just Crossfit class! You can do two days of Crossfit, one day of Yoga, walking/jogging, etc. Just get out and be more active!
Mobility: +1 point for completing three, 15-minute sessions per week. (Can be done at home or taking class!)
Post-Workout Protein: +1 Point for taking protein following every workout that week.
Cheats/Allowances:
“Non-Paleo” Items: -1 Point for each item.
Alcohol: You are allowed two “Paleo” drinks, two nights a week. This can be red wine, white tequila, or hard cider. Anything more than the two drinks is -1 point/drink. No “saving” drinks (example, four drinks in one night is not legal in one night just because you didn’t use the other allowance!)
Sweeteners: 1 Tablespoon Daily of Honey, Stevia, Coconut Crystals or Agave nectar. -1 Point for anything more than allowance.
Bacon: 3-4 Slices daily. Yes, it is Paleo… but it’s very caloric so use in moderation! -1 point for each piece over allowance.
Chewing Gum: 2-sticks/day allowances. -1 point for anything over.
Direct any questions to [email protected]!
Creating your meals:
The goal of this Paleo challenge is to encourage healthy, balanced eating. In order to achieve the results you want, you need to be prepared! The days of eating protein bars on the go are gone! Our goal is to eat REAL food to provide your body with the nutrients it needs and result in sustainable energy. Each meal during the day in order to count for a point towards your running tally must include:
- 1. Protein of choice (fish, chicken, lean steak cuts, eggs)
- 2. Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, etc.)
- 3. Small amount of fat (avocado, nuts, etc.)
ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS
Eating Paleo is not necessarily about weight loss. It’s a great way to eat if you’re trying to lose, maintain, or even gain weight. However, many people come to it from a position of trying to improve their body composition (how much muscle tone and bulk they have.). Throughout this chapter, we’ll let you know when it’s safe to eat something, but also when to be careful with moderation if weight loss is a goal of yours.
| UNRESTRICTED FOODS | ||
| Vegetables
You can eat all vegetables without limit. You’ve probably never met anyone who got fat eating too much broccoli! The only exception is that you should not eat plants from the nightshade family if you have an autoimmune disorder. Nightshades are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, and tobacco. And for now, if you’re trying to lose weight, lay off the root veggies below. If weight loss is a goal, limit these root vegetables Atkins was right about a few things, the first being that carbs can cause weight gain. So because the foods below are high in carbohydrates, eat these starchy carbs no more than a few times a week. If you’re an athlete, contact me for guidelines about carbohydrates. |
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| Cassava (Tapioca) | Potatoes | Yams |
| Sweet potatoes | Taro | Plantain |
| Fruits
You can eat as much fruit as you want. However, if you’re trying to lose weight, limit fruit intake to one to four pieces a day and limit dried fruit to a small handful a day. |
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| UNRESTRICTED FOODS | ||
| Sea Vegetables
They’re all good—great, in fact. They’re very high in minerals and other nutrients. |
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| Kombu | Wakame | Kelp |
| Chlorella | Dulse | Nori |
| Spirulina | ||
| Fats: Watch your intake of all of these if you’re trying to lose weight—they’re very calorie dense. A tablespoon of each is about 120 calories. | ||
| Tallow | Lard | Coconut oil/milk |
| Walnut oil | Flax oil | Hazelnut oil |
| Extra Virgin Olive oil | Macadamia oil | Unrefined Red Palm oil |
| Beverages: keep in mind you want to consume a minimum of .5oz/lb. of BW per day of pure water. | ||
| Filtered or spring water | Herbal tea |
| CONSUME IN MODERATION | ||
| Coffee | Chocolate | Dried fruit |
| Alcohol (all) | Caffeinated teas | Raw honey |
| Stevia | Coconut sap | Coconut water |
| Freshly juiced fruits and vegetables Other types of caffeinated drinks (it should be a treat—not a crutch) |
| FOODS TO AVOID | ||
| Dairy
At least for the duration of this challenge, we suggest you avoid all dairy products to maximize your weight loss results and help reduce inflammation as much as possible. |
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| Butter | Buttermilk | Milk |
| Yogurt | Kefir | Cream |
| Ghee | Ice cream | Powdered milk |
| Cottage cheese | ||
| Grains or Grain-Like Foods
Refer to this section in Chapter 2 for the reasons to avoid grains. |
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| Wheat | Rice | Millet |
| Oats | Spelt | Kamut |
| Quinoa | Beer | Buckwheat |
| Wild rice | Amaranth | Sorghum |
| Rye | Barley | Corn |
| Also, any flour, noodle, or other food or drink made out of any of these, including white flour, pastry flour, all-purpose flour, and all cookies, crackers, chips, cereals, breads, pastries, and other foods made from them | ||
| Legumes (Beans)
Refer to this section in Chapter 2 for the reasons to avoid legumes. |
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| Black beans | Pinto beans | Red beans |
| Soy beans* | Lentils | Peas |
| Peanuts | Adzuki beans | Garbanzo beans |
| Navy beans | Mung beans | Lima beans |
| Black-eyed peas | Any other old, dried-out bean that is eaten in large quantities | |
| *Soy beans including soy sauce, tamari, Bragg’s Aminos, tofu, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, tempeh, edamame, and any product made with any of these ingredients | ||
| Snow peas, sugar snap peas, and green beans are acceptable to eat
Because they’re young and green, so they contain fewer anti-nutrients. |
Dairy and the Paleo Challenge:
For the 45-day challenge, dairy will be off limits. Why, you ask? Well we have already determined that Paleo is ideally mimicking the lifestyle of our primal ancestors, correct? How many of those primal ancestors do you see are going to sharpen their hunting spear, run up to a wild animal, and decide to milk it? Of course not! They are going to run up to the animal and (sorry PETA!) yes, kill the animal and consume it for its meat and fat. Humans, after birth, have absolutely no nutritional requirements for milk, and neither do any other mammals. I am sure most of you see where I am going with this at this point in time, so for the sake of our strict 45 day challenge, STEER clear (ha, ha) of any dairy products to maximize your results.
Whether or not you choose to consume dairy after the 45-day challenge depends on each individual and whether or not you can physically tolerate it. Human beings are the ONLY species to consume milk after nursing, and the body is not designed to break down lactose efficiently for that purpose.
Not sure if you are better off without dairy? Watch for these signs your body may not be particularly pleased with your consumption…
GI Upset (Bloating, Gas, Soft Stools or Diarrhea)
Excess mucous production (clogged nose, sticky throat, etc.)
Acne
Puffiness of the face or around eyes
Paleo “Treats”
In my defense… let me remind you all that at the end of 45 days, you will THANK ME!!! Moving forward with that disclaimer… Paleo treats are just that. TREATS. A chocolate chip cookie is STILL a chocolate chip cookie! Your body still thinks it’s a cookie. A cookie made with almond flour, enjoy life chocolate chips, and maple syrup is still going to negatively impact your body’s insulin levels just as a good old’ Chips ‘Ahoy. (Kaelio Kookies… accept my apology in advance for your decline in sales for the next 45 days…)
Paleo “Cookies” are simply a way for people that are truly wheat/gluten intolerant, or suffering from celiac disease to enjoy treats that the rest of the population so loves. They are not “healthy” cookies. Although if any of you can devise a recipe that creates cookies from spinach meal and ground bison, I will offer a $100 reward.
If you are one of those people wondering why you haven’t achieved your weight loss goal, and you are one of those same people ordering two dozen cookies a week, you may need to re-evaluate. Do yourself the favor and make the commitment to yourself to kick your sweet tooth for the next 45 days. Keep in mind that your taste buds take a mere 1-2 weeks to change completely, so once you get through that first hump of the challenge, it really will get easier.
The Paleo Diet and Correcting Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance. Aka: the fancy terminology for the American Obesity Epidemic. Let’s break this down into terms we can all relate to, and move forward from there as to how we can prevent long term health issues, decrease aging, increase energy and aid weight loss!
Let’s start with a typical Saturday night. You’re relaxing with a few friends at home after a rough week and after some gentle coaxing (okay… not that much convincing was needed…) you guys decide to order a pizza. The pizza is gone within 15 minutes of arrival, and you are left stuffed, fat, and happy. Fast forward a few days later, you meet your co-worker for Starbucks before heading into the office and just can’t quite say no to that Pumpkin Spice Latte. These things may seem like small “treats” at the time and don’t seem to really bother you. What happens inside from a hormonal standpoint is what is crucial.
After consumption of any of these high sugar, processed carbohydrates, there is a rapid rise in blood sugar, and a simultaneous increase in your blood insulin as well. If that happens once every week or two weeks, your body can adjust accordingly and regulate itself. When the problem occurs is when these two responses begin to occur repeatedly, and over the course of only 1-2 weeks, your body starts to become insulin resistant. Once your body begins the early stages of insulin resistance, it can lead over the course of the next few months to years: weight gain or obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, increased blood pressure, increased blood cholesterol, systemic inflammation, gout, acne, skin tags, acanthosis nigricans (skin disorder where dark, velvety skin develops in skin folds), as well as breast, prostate and colon cancer.
If that’s not reason enough to go Paleo, here’s more!
Gluten sensitivity has recently shown to not be linked to just GI problems and weight gain, but studies dated back to 2004 show that gluten might be directly linked to mood disorders. Elimination of Gluten from the diet confirms upon MRI improvements in the frontal region of the brain, improving cognitive function.
The takeaway: Westernization of diets, specifically over consumption of fructose, is closely linked with developing metabolic syndrome and its accompanying cognitive impairment. Deficiencies in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to correlate with metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline. A simple path to a healthier life is to adopt the Paleo Diet, which is generally extremely low in sugar and high in omega-3 fatty acids. By giving your brain and body the right nutrients, you can thrive in all areas of life.
Fun Facts about the Paleo Diet, Paleo Challenge, and everything in between!
Gluten Free diets have been proven to help treat patients suffering from schizophrenia and some levels of obsessive-compulsive disorder when episodes are linked to a glutamatergic transmission. (Glutamate receptors in the brain are responsible for neural communication, memory formation, learning and regulation). A diet high in Omega 3’s and other nutrients helps improve cognitive function and brain health, such as the Paleo diet.
Embracing a Paleo Diet has many anti-aging benefits as well! Oncologists link a whopping 30-35% of cancer related deaths to diet alone. Many foods that are staples of the Paleo diet are nutrient dense and packed with antioxidants (DHA, Omega 3’s and other dietary flavonoids).
There have been actual “potato deaths” reported around the world. Often it turns up in the Paleo challenge if you are allowed to eat white potatoes over sweet potatoes. Here’s the nitty gritty: White potatoes contain “saponins” which are glycoalkaloids whose function is to protect the potato from microbial or insect attack. These saponins when consumed release a toxin in your gut that creates holes, increasing intestinal permeability. The lethal dose of potato saponins is 3-6mg/kg. (Which is a LOT of potatoes… but that’s enough to lead me to not want any potatoes in the near future!) Frequent consumption while it may not kill you, can leas to ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or irritable bowel syndrome).
Honey as a sweetener…the sticky truth! It is 40% fructose and 200x sweeter than glucose. Honey has a lesser effect than sucrose on your blood sugar levels, but causes a negative impact nonetheless, so for the challenge it will be allowed in SMALL amounts simply because yes, our ancestors often sought honey as it is the most energy dense food in nature (8.8kcal/gram).
SLEEP! And why you need 7+ hours:
If you are someone who sleeps 6 hours or less per night, neurologically it is the same as staying awake for 2 days straight. Sleep deprivation impacts metabolic and cardiovascular function (not good when trying to PR “Fran”!) Your Leptin (satiety hormone) and Ghrelin (hunger hormone) are greatly affected by sleep loss, and directly impact your appetite. A SINGLE night of sleep loss increased your levels of Ghrelin, which will make you hungrier, and your levels of Leptin decrease. So in short: You will want to eat more, but be less satisfied when you do. Boo, to that! Get your sleep!
