My brother-in-law recently sent me a link to “Fooducate” – a new iphone app created by “a team of parents, dietitians, and techies”. You use “Fooducate” while shopping to scan product labels in order to help you make better nutritional choices. Yikes - their “see how it works” slide show offered “B+” rated breakfast cereals as “better options” for a “C” rated cereal. Obviously this is not a team of paleo parents, dietitians and techies!
I emailed my brother-in-law back an explained it’s pretty easy to find “paleo foods” in a local grocery store by only shopping the perimeter of the store (organic fruits and vegetables, wild-caught fish and grassed beef and poultry). Yet being a paleo newbie himself, he insisted it would be helpful if there were a way to determine if a product was paleo-friendly. Even”gluten free” products often list ingredients (corn, potato, soy, kidney beans, vegetable oils, etc) that are not eaten when following The Paleo Diet.
Come to find out, my brother-in-law is not alone. In one of my early morning paleo-google searches, I came across “Paleo Approved“. Karen Pendergrass and Kimberly Eyer have founded Paleo Approved, Inc. in order to help consumers identify foods that meet the standards of The Paleo Diet. Qualifying paleo foods (see “Get Paleo Approved“) will be labeled to help consumers figure out which foods are safe to eat. Check out their informative website and very funny video!
In my very last minute search for Thanksgiving Paleo recipes, I came across Naturally Engineered’s helpful blog post. Thankfully, Naturally Engineered did the research for us and has combined several Paleo Thanksgiving resources in one post!
In a follow-up to my “Got Leaky Gut?” article, I found an interesting link posted on Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solutions blog this morning. Via video Robb and his wife Nikki are in Italy enjoying a gluten free pizza. They’re surprised that they are able to encounter so many gluten free products in a “wheat dominated” culture. Robb links an article found in Scientific American Magazine on the relationship between gut permeability (leaky gut) and autoimmune disease. The article is based on the research ofAlessio Fasano, an Italian researcher in the US who was one of the first to note the connection between gut permeability and the development of autoimmune disease. The full article can be found here – it’s a must read!
I don’t like keeping track of how much I’ve eaten, I don’t like obsessing over how many grams of a particular nutrient I’ve eaten, and I don’t like worrying that I ate too much/little and the end of the day. Not only do I hate counting calories, but I know that calories are really only half of the battle, as they’re not all created equal – 400 calories of Doritos do NOT affect your body in the same way as 400 calories of high-quality vegetables and chicken.
Fortunately, if you can expand your horizons and remove certain types of food from your diet, you can stop worrying about counting calories FOREVER (sorry, the Count – ah ah ah). About fifteen months ago, I stumbled across a particular type of eating that doesn’t require counting a single calorie AND allows you to eat as much as you want (I’m serious – I explain later). Oh, and it will help you lose weight, build muscle, and get in the best shape of your life.
I know, that sounds like an ad for some really shady supplement or diet book that you’d see on TV at 4 AM.
Putting aside the marketing mumbo-jumbo, it’s a diet – it’s actually a lifestyle, but we’ll stick with diet for now – that actually works. How do I know? Because I’ve been following this type of diet for the past month, and despite my best efforts to force feed myself as often as possible to gain weight, I’ve actually managed to lose a few pounds.
If ya haven’t noticed – I can be a little long winded! So in honor of my very dear friend Laurie Ann who has decided to “go paleo”, I’m going to keep this short. Laurie Ann is always very busy, likes to do things on her own (like me, she is a “CrossFit Loner”), and usually tells me to “just tell her what to do”. So without providing an overwhelming amount of information, I’m going to provide the following links and shopping guides to kick start her own private paleo adventure!
image credit to www.womentowomen from www.balancedbites.com
“I’m not giving up bread!”
This is often the first response you’ll hear when explaining that grains are not eaten when following The Paleo Diet. For a few seconds I’m usually speechless – my mind awhirl with so many reasons one should avoid grains altogether. For one – eating more than a couple of tablespoons of bread, including whole wheat bread, will not only cause your blood glucose levels to spike but it will also keep your blood glucose levels elevated for an extended period of time . It’s a vicious chain of events – high blood sugar levels stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin. Constant high blood glucose and insulin levels (also known as hyperinsulinemia) can be detrimental to your health. Hyperinsulinemia leads to a plethora of problems: inflammation, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes Type II, Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome, weight gain, infertility, cancer, etc. Google the term ‘Hyperinsulinemia’ along with any one of these health issues and you’ll be surprised by what you’ll learn! To be fit, healthy and happy for the long haul, you’ll need to consistently maintain normal blood glucose levels. That’s one good reason to avoid bread altogether, whether white or whole wheat.
Yet when it comes to eating bread, or grains in general, there’s a little more to the story. How would you feel knowing that grains can not only lead to hyperinsulinism, but they can also make your gut leak. Yep, you too may have already acquired “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. Leaky gut comes in varying degrees from tolerant, to gluten sensitive, to full blown Celiac disease.
Not going to give an anatomy lesson here, but think about your mouth, stomach, intestines, etc. from beginning to end. It’s one very long tube. When your intestinal barrier is working correctly, it breaks down nutrients your body needs while keeping out harmful substances. But what happens if this barrier begins to breaks down? You’ll leak – basically leaking the contents of your intestines into your bloodstream. When the microvilli lining of the intestinal wall is destroyed, gate “tight-junctions” loosen and it becomes “open sesame” to bacteria, yeast, viruses and larger food molecules that don’t belong inside your body. Continue reading
I met Cheryl at a level 1 CrossFit cert I was coaching several years ago. Then I saw her at another Level 1. Then a CrossFit Nutrition cert...on the other side of the country! Then another! Cheryl has a a seemingly insatiable desire to learn. This curiosity, as powerful as it is takes a back seat to perhaps one thing however and that is Cheryl's desire and capacity to HELP. I think one of the most profound things any of us can do is leave a legacy of helping. I was very excited to hear about her forthcoming blog and will be reading it every day.
I am glad to find that you have your website up, and that you continue to take your knowledge, training and overall expertise to yet another level.
During the 6 weeks that I worked with you last summer, I lost 14 pounds and improved my diet and lifestyle as well as my ability to adequately perform different exercise routines. My fasting insulin decreased by half. For the first time in 2 years my lipid profile normalized - even increased the HDL without the need for statin therapy!
I am now using much of your advice and your recommendations with my patients.
Thanks so much. I am looking forward to working with you again soon.
Jose A Gaudier, MD, Neurologist
It says here that Cheryl has a new blog. I say, it's about damn time. Cheryl has been accumulating knowledge and experience about the serious side of exercise for a while now, and I can't think of a better ambassador for barbell training to women who typically refuse to consider its benefits. One look at Cheryl dispells any apprehensions they may have regarding the aesthetic effects, and she is quite capable of explaining the health and fitness advantages to this group of folks in desparate need of a better way to approach their exercise prescription.
I met Cheryl at a level 1 CrossFit cert I was coaching several years ago. Then I saw her at another Level 1. Then a CrossFit Nutrition cert...on the other side of the country! Then another! Cheryl has a a seemingly insatiable desire to learn. This curiosity, as powerful as it is takes a back seat to perhaps one thing however and that is Cheryl's desire and capacity to HELP. I think one of the most profound things any of us can do is leave a legacy of helping. I was very excited to hear about her forthcoming blog and will be reading it every day.
Cheryl,
It says here that Cheryl has a new blog. I say, it's about damn time. Cheryl has been accumulating knowledge and experience about the serious side of exercise for a while now, and I can't think of a better ambassador for barbell training to women who typically refuse to consider its benefits. One look at Cheryl dispells any apprehensions they may have regarding the aesthetic effects, and she is quite capable of explaining the health and fitness advantages to this group of folks in desparate need of a better way to approach their exercise prescription.