Information, Preparation, Clarification

Information:
Over the past 2 days, I have been doing a lot of research on the Paleolithic diet. The theory behind the diet is that our bodies are not designed to eat foods post-agricultural revolution (agriculture has been around in some form or another for over 10,000 years). The goal of the diet is to normalize insulin levels.

INSULIN AND FOOD:
When you eat food, it raises your blood sugar, which in turn raises the level of the hormone insulin. The basic food components- Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates all differ in the amounts they raise your blood sugar/insulin. Fat- no change, Protein- very little change, and Carbohydrates- a lot of change, depending on complexity.
When you ingest too many carbs or bad carbs, your blood sugar spikes causing your insulin level to spike, as mentioned above. Consistent insulin spiking causes your insulin sensitivity to decrease, meaning you cannot control it.

INSULIN AND YOUR BODY:
Insulin: 1) controls the storage of fat; 2) directs the flow of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbs to tissues; 3) regulates cholesterol; 4) is a growth hormone;
5) involved in appetite control; and more...

Consistent, long-term insulin resistence leads to the inability of the body to shed extra fat; the inability of the body to absorb nutrients; and leads to hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia is a condition that can be passed through heredity and eating too much carbs, a body becomes insulin resistent. Your pancreas cannot tell or control how much insulin is being secreted. This consistent and high level of insulin in the body leads to hyperinsulinemia. This condition can be linked to almost ALL diseases: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, myopia, PCOS, gout, acne, excess fluid retention, immune disorders, diabetes, arthritis, and more!

Based on the information above regarding insulin, the Paleolithic diet removes the following mainstream items, and focuses on protein, healthy fats, nuts, vegetables, and a little fruit.

NO SUGAR:
Sugar raises insulin levels. Period. Even sugars found in fruits have this effect, so fruit is eaten in moderation.

NO GRAINS:
In short, grains contain no nutrients, and are not suitable for our digestive system. They are known causes of weight gain and bloating. Grains and legumes contain anti-nutrients called phylates (see NO LEGUMES). Grains contain lectin (a grain protein that causes gut irritation) and can be traced to things such as gluten intolerance (celiac disease) destruction of villi in intestines, and a vast array of digestive/gastrointestinal problems: constipation, heart burn, colon disease, IBS, varicose veins, indigestion, colitis, gall stones, hemorrhoids, appendicitis, hiatal hernia, and duodenal ulcer. Gluten found in wheat and oats disrupts insulin signaling (1 in 33 people have celiac disease)and can lead to carb addiction...hmm, sounds familiar.

NO LEGUMES:
Phylates bind w/ bone minerals and rob you of nutrients (hence anti-nutrients).

NO DAIRY:
Dairy products are high in sugars and spike insulin levels. Dairy products are nutrient deficient (cows are fed grain) and loaded w/ antibiotics and growth hormones.

Preparation:
Today I made a day by day menu plan for next week (Day 1 is Tuesday, June 1st) and a shopping list:
Tuesday
Breakfast: scramble eggs/ground turkey/garlic/spinach/onions/pepper/sea salt/avocado, coffee with coconut milk “creamer”
Nuts
Lunch: Pork/veg (broccoli w/ olive oil and garlic)
Fruit
Dinner: Salad w/ chicken/nuts/avocado

Wednesday
Breakfast: scramble, coffee with coconut milk “creamer”
Nuts
Lunch: salad/avocado/chicken/nuts
Fruit
Dinner: Turkey meatloaf (grain and dairy free) and veg

Thursday
Breakfast: scramble, coffee with coconut milk “creamer”
Nuts
Lunch: chicken breast/veg
Fruit
Dinner: Spaghetti squash “pasta” with ground beef tomato sauce

Friday
Breakfast: scramble, coffee with coconut milk “creamer”
Nuts
Lunch: salad/avocado/chicken/nuts
Fruit
Dinner: meat and veg

Saturday
Breakfast: bacon and fruit, coffee with coconut milk “creamer”
Nuts
Lunch: salad
Dinner: meat and veg

Sunday
Breakfast: bacon and fruit, coffee with coconut milk “creamer”
Nuts
Lunch: salad
Dinner: meat and veg

I'm actually kind of excited about this, because after I wrote everything out there, my week didn't look so bad food wise...there is a lot of room for creativity and variation. My boyfriend is already concocting ideas on how to make my food taste better (roasted garlic, carmelized onions, spices, etc.)

Giving up my morning latte with a splenda is going to be tough, but I will adjust. I've given up sugar in my coffee before and survived. Salad dressings without honey and vinegar are going to be another challenge as well, but I'm going to replace vinegar with lemon juice and see how that goes.

In ALL of the readings I have done, "cheating" is encouraged! Hello! I think this was my first clue that this is actually a legitimate diet. Many people recommend easing into it, and occasional cheat days/meals since the process of completely changing the modern way we eat is not accomplished over night. The cheating "go-ahead" came with the caveat of- the more you cheat, the longer it will take to see results. Ha! Of course! My goal is to be good 95% of the time.

Clarification:
I mentioned in my previous two posts that I would be 'giving sugar and bad carbs a funeral' on Monday, May 31st. This does not mean that I will be gorging myself on anything and everything that I can no longer eat. I will literally be giving items in my cupboards a burial (in the trash) complete with a eulogy (I never said I wasn't lame). I think its silly when people eat "one last meal" before a diet, because then you have that one last meal to burn off in addition to all the other crap that got you fat in the first place!



References:
The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain
The Omega Rx Diet by Barry Sears
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden
CrossFit Journal #15 by Greg Glassman
Damn Dirty Grains by Robb Wolf
CrossFit Nutrition Seminar (live event) with Robb Wolf
Monique Ames, Crossfit Evolution