Nutrition: Paleo, Primal and Just Plain Better Eating

I try to eat paleo/primal, organic, local and as natural as possible.  I am not 100% strict about it either.  A diet needs to be sustainable and enjoyable.  While some foods may not be the best for you, it doesn't mean you can never have it.  What primal/paleo eating means to me is that many things I used to eat are not forbidden but moved to a treats category.

For example, I drink beer and wine.  I don't smoke but once in a great while a cigar does come to pass.  Coke or Dr Pepper, cake, ice cream whatever sugary buzz you want, I eat it.  But all these things are treats.  Most people and medicine can agree that in excess tobacco and alcohol are bad and in fact they are poisons to us.  In moderation, some people do enjoy them and there are no large negatives.  Sugar and flour are treated similarly by me.  On occasion or when wanted, but no longer a normal part of my every day routine.

What is paleo or primal?

Here are a two definitions that really break it down in a short easy way:

1. Mark Sisson does a great job at Mark's Daily Apple explain the problem with grains and has a food pyramid to illustrate what is primal.
2. Robb Wolf brings scientific expertise to define paleo and fitness to the lay person.
3. Gary Taubes discusses overall nutrition and how conventional facts are not facts at all.  Most conventional ideas of nutrition are incorrect and the data supports a better way of eating.

There are many more bloggers, authors and authorities out there, but these two have an active blog and give good simple advice while also backing it up with facts and science.

If you care to read more, they have some books too (which I have read both).

                                      

Biochemistry of the Paleo Diet

This is a really good basic overview of some of the biochemistry of nutrition and more specifically describing it in the context of the paleo/primal diet by Dr. Doug McGuff.

Enjoy!

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

A compelling scientific talk by a leading MD on the metabolism of sugar, specifically fructose, and how this is treated as a toxin by the body similarly to ethanol (alcohol).

Passion Meets World Need

"The best definition I have ever heard of a vocation is that it's the place where your great joy meets the world's great need. ... We need all of you to find your vocation. To develop your joys, your passions, and to match them to the world's great needs."

~ Eric Greitensm, US Navy Seal & Rhodes Scholar

This is a powerful quote.  

As someone who works with thousands of students to discover their passion and place in life, I see this everyday.  I can't help but think about this myself, and truly think if I am where I should be.  Often times people in higher education say find your passion and do that.  Others say wrap your career around your passion. 

Greitensm's approach takes that even further.  It is not just about what you want from life; life is about what you can contribute to the world and your community.  I firmly believe you have to work in an area you are passionate about or else what is the point.  

As I reflect on this Memorial Day and Weekend.  I think of those who put their country before their personal wants and desires.  They had a passion for service and met the greatest need.

Sacrifice and glory - they will lead the way.

David Goggins US Navy SEAL Iron Man

The whole "interview" is outstanding and motivation.  An excellent example of sacrifice, service and athleticism.

Here are the notable quotes that really hit me or moved me personally.

• To test my soul, to see what I’m all about.

• That’s when you know.  That is the only time you can find out what the human body is all about.  What you’re made of.  Limits to myself, limits to the human soul.  Everyday I’m trying to see if I have limits.

• I don’t just train for an hour or so,  I train until it somethin’ is uncomfortable.  Then that is when you know who you really are.

• My life doesn’t have a finish line, so when I cross the finish line of the ironman, it doesn’t matter.  I know in two or three weeks from now, I’ll be doing something else that provides me more pain.

• I believe everything, you know, I try to do is defined by excellence.   But I don’t think I can reach excellence myself, because the standards of my life are really higher.  So I don’t think I can reach it, but I try to every day.

• You have to be a good individual first, before you can be a good team member.

• I’ve done a lot of things that I though was impossible, but nothing is impossible anymore.

Ketosis and Fat Loss

Robb Wolf's podcast 125 had a lot of great information about fat loss and fat intake. Here are my two highlights regarding beginning fat loss and further links of my own.  There are a lot of other good stuff in that podcast, but unrelated to my topic here, so check it out.

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor, nurse or any other health care provider licensed or otherwise.  This is my personal plan and research through the power of Google.  Consult with your doctor or nurse before attempting anything I post.

1) Ketosis

Essentially this changes the way your body uses energy from glucose to fat.  [Normally our primary energy source is glucose.]  For those who are fat like us, this is a good thing and results in the body uses our fat stores as fuel, instead of glucose.  It requires a strict diet of limited carbs (mainly veggies, almost no starch), low fat and high protein.  Supplementation is probably best to achieve this.  This wouldn't be the diet to go on forever, but it would be something good to do when one wants to lean out.

2) Supplements

To maintain proper protein, particularly for those who travel a lot or are really busy, whey protein is probably a good thing to get and helps with maintaining protein intake.  Also, BCAA (branch chain amino acids) help with the synthesis of protein.  These two items, whether eaten from food or supplements or both, will help the body maintain muscle or even build muscle, while using fat stores as energy.

These are the two I like: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard Natural Chocolate or Vanilla .  The BCAAs I'll get are here.

They recommend 1 gram of protein per body weight and 30-40 grams of BCAA daily.

20 in 30 Challenge

Three of my buddies are attempting a 30 day challenge.  The ultimate goal is to lose as much fat as possible in 30 days.  We coined 20 in 30, in hopes to lose 20 lbs, but any safe amount of fat loss we will be happy with.  Over the next month there will be additional posts on what happens and different strategies or equipment we use.

Cheers!

Minimal Shoes. The Perfect Fit. Big foot!

The search continues.  I wear a size 12/13 US or 46/47 UK.  Depends on the manufacturer too, which can vary.  Brands tend to be fairly consistent in the barefoot/minmal shoe area, since the cuts are vastly different.

Merrell Trail: Wide ... Still not big enough for me.  Thanks for the effort and I can't wait until I can fit into one of your shoes again.  I really liked this brand before I went minimal, but no I cannot settle for a cramped toebox.

New Balance ... this was one of my all time number one shoe company.  I bought a lot of NB shoes over the years.  When you introduced your minimal line of Minimus shoes, I had to try.  I started with Minimus 10, but the toebox was too cramped for my taste and no wide version was available.  Then almost as an answer to my thoughts, Minimus 00 came out.  And a wide version exists!  I am still evaluating these shoes in my home.  The fit is very nice at 13 wide, but the sole still has a very shoe feel.  What I mean is that I am raised off the ground and definitely feel like I am walking on rubber.

Vivobarefoot still is my main shoe in both dress (Dharma) and casual (Neo).  Great fit and toebox.  Practically zero underneath feel but still very protective from regular rocks and average parking lot walking.  In the mail are some Ultra Pure for some great summer time wearing.

Water proof shoes. Dry feet. The Outdoors

By Kitty Terwolbeck

I came upon the perfect answer to keeping your feet dry in the outdoors.  It was so simple and easy to implement.  It would not cost a lot of money or require high-tech or expensive equipment.  Below is a synopsis of what I read, provided over at BEDROCK & PARADOX.

Don't.

That was the answer.  Don't attempt to keep your feet absolutely dry.  That is what I discovered.  Your feet will inevitably get wet either from the elements or from perspiration.  If the thought of a river or rain or whatever is so worrisome and you want your feet to stay perfectly dry, then just don't go.

Typically the answer was waterproof shoes.  The hard fact was that your shoe would have to be as long as your body to never let water in.  Once water could get over the height of your shoe, game over to your dry feet utopia.  Likewise if you are working up a sweat, waterproof shoes tend not to let your feet dry out either.  So don't worry about keeping the water out.

Dry your feet out mid-day if they get wet in the AM.  Wear your dry socks in the PM when you are done for the day.  If you are day hiking, then you can change your socks when you get back to the parking lot or at home, no problem.

Socks.

Socks are the key.  Have spares.  Use wool.  Even in my Coast Guard Auxiliary training I was taught wool was the best for warmth and hypothermia.  This I would recommend to go to the original article, scroll down to the sock section and read it.  Below are my proof thoughts and experiences, but they aren't many yet.  So read up from a more seasoned person.

I own a pair of  injinji and they are recommended as also a good base pair for cold weather or to protect your toes.  Originally I bought them for my FiveFinger shoes, but when I went to other minimalist shoe brands I tossed them aside.  Now I can use them again.

Darn Tough look like a great idea and I am going to get some soon.  They are a thinner wool sock, making it easier and smaller to use than a think wool.

Smartwool or REI brand wool socks are great too.  I like to use them for winter socks outside and lounging around the house.  The are comfy and warm.

The Perfect Shoe. Barefoot. Eliminating back pain.

This post is a long read, so below is a summary, but feel free to read the whole thing.

Summary
Barefoot shoes provide some protection and safety from the elements and allow you to go about your daily business (No Shoes = No Service).  Additionally, your feet and legs are allowed to operate in a more natural fashion, eliminating back pain, foot fatigue and toe constraints.  FiveFingers were my initial entry into this world, but I prefer Vivobarefoot and Barefoot Merrell shoes for the ease of use, superior odor control and their ability to blend in as normal shoes, even though they are far from normal.  

By pyoorkate

It has been about 3 years (can't say exactly) since I have started my barefoot shoe journey.  Unfortunately I cannot say I remember exactly how I discovered these type of shoes either.  It could have been an internet stumble or an ad from a magazine.  I was the first in my immediate circle to purchase Vibram FiveFinger shoes and this was back before they were popular.  That is my trend in life, to be a trend setter without knowing it or I am a trend pioneer, which I think I fall more in to the latter category.

I respect FiveFingers because it brought me into the barefoot community, but alas I have not been a huge fan of their line of barefoot shoes.  Due to the years of wearing conventional shoes, my toes have a slight inward curl and the bones in my toes fatigue when wearing  FiveFingers (or something I think are my bones).  Not to mention that even after becoming accustomed to wearing them, there are times when they are hard to put on, like when I am tired in the morning  If you need to go in and out of the house but need to take your shoes off while inside, it can be a drag to take the time to put each of your toes in their individual compartments.  Last but probably the worst reason I gave up... they smell.  I've tried various ways to clean them, wearing foot powder but none got rid of the smell..  When the wife complains about your smelly feet and only complains when you have been wearing FiveFingers then there is an issue.  For those reasons I gave up barefoot shoes and suffered (and I do mean suffer) in conventional shoes.

Then I discovered Earth Shoes.  My parents quickly told me about how these have been around forever and were big with hippies.  While these are not barefoot, they offered an alternative to regular shoes.  I could buy them in office friendly styles, which was a huge plus, since I work 5-6 days a week and can work 18 hours in the day.  I needed a dress shoe that could muster as long as me.  However, they were not perfect.  Especially in the toe box.  I do not consider myself to have wide feet, but always felt the toe box of ever shoe that I have worn up this point to be too narrow.  Which I believe is why my toes have curled inward a bit.  Eight hour days were fine, but long days or long drives, Earth Shoes could start to feel uncomfortable.

Again I was on the search again for an office friendly shoe.  I was determined this time to discover a barefoot variety.  Then I discovered Vivobarefoot.  Their dress shoes look normal (sorry Earth, while your shoes are not bad, they due look weird).  After a few months of wearing my new Vivos at work, I found myself wanting to wear them outside of work.  With pants they look ok, but in shorts or in the gym, they don't quite fit.  So I took the plunge and bought myself a pair of Neo Running shoes.

By Operatic Runner

On a casual day I can wear these to the office (the match our colors) and I can wear them for every day use.

Now I am in the process of updating my whole shoe collection to barefoot designed shoes and donating my old shoes to charity.  I also purchased the Merrell Trail Wide.  I had to get the wide version as the regular version was way too narrow.

By t feustel

My next challenge is to find boots and uniform shoes for the USCG Auxiliary that are barefoot.

Reflection of 5 day juice fast

I broke my juice fast with some good friends to a meal at Red Lobster.  I felt seafood would be a good protein to start consuming and I knew I could get some vegetables.  Those delicious cheddar biscuits were no longer so delicious.  I remember being able to eat a whole basket and want more.  Now I didn't even eat a whole biscuit.  The coconut shrimp was probably the food I enjoyed the most.  The salad was also very satisfying.  Typically on a juice fast most people say the crave vegetables more, which I believe is more subconscious than anything else.  I have always enjoyed vegetables for the most part, but would say I enjoy them even more now.  Particular the crisp fresh taste of a slice of cucumber, that really made the salad great for me.

The rest of the weekend I had a few servings of juice per day and enjoyed a few things I could not have throughout the week.  I had a burger and some fries (twice actually) and homemade pizza.  The burgers were really good and I truly enjoyed them, but my appetite had definitely changed in terms of quantity.  I am not just talking about capacity (ie shrinking stomach) but satiety too.  Same goes for the fries, I didn't eat them all, where usually I would usually want a second serving or steal some from someone else.

Overall, I would recommend a juice fast to most people.  It resets the taste buds a bit and helps to re-prioritize food.  Of course, there are the other benefits of juicing, as in the increased amount of nutrients to repair and heal the body.

Cheers!

PS. I lost 5 lbs too, which was a nice benefit.

Day 4 of Juice Fast

Still going strong for my week juice fast.  I wouldn't say that I have any cravings, but I definitely have appreciation for some foods I cannot have.  I know a week is not even that long, but long enough I suppose.  Today I made two juices, one for breakfast and another for the work.

Breakfast: 2 oranges, 1 carrot, big handful spinach
Day Juice: few limes, 4 kale, 8 carrots, 4 handfuls of spinach

I plan to break my fast with a fish dinner with some veggies.  Then go to a more paleo approach.  I will also incorporate a cheat or free day.  Some people really have issues with the cheat since in connotes negative or wrong feelings.  Personally, calling it a cheat day is fine by me.  What that means to me is that 6 days a week I will eat lots of high quality meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy.  One day a week I can indulge in some grains and starches that are high quality as well.  I lean towards organic whenever possible and also try to get as much grass fed/free range meats and dairy too.  If people only knew or were aware, those who are anti red meat are really anti corn fed red meat and don't even know it.

Juice Fast

First day of my juice fast.  Originally I had a progression of goals to do a week, then two weeks and then a month; all with the assumption that the previous time period was without too much complication.  I have ratified those goals to simply do a week reboot.  Maybe I'll change again, but probably not.  At the end of the week I will be switching to a slow-carb/paleo approach.

Likewise I have been experimenting with fiber supplements.  Konsyl powder was the first one I tried.  While I feel it works to a point, I never thought it was great.  The taste is not bad, but I did not enjoy it, this can make it hard to drink.  So now I am trying organic chia seed.  I am not sure if organic matters, but the price was not ridiculous, so good quality is always a good thing.  Chia seed has an oatmeal like flavor and quasi-oatmeal like texture, which I find pleasant.  The end results I find improved over the konsyl as well.

*The juice fast and reboot idea came from the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (available on Netflix streaming).  Not necessarily a revolutionary movie it terms of new knowledge, but definitely a great case study on the benefits of increased consumption of fresh produce.  Also, a very excellent success story towards the end of someone who changed their life due to the movie.

**Slow-carb and paleo come from a variety of sources that I have read and watched; some of these medias include: Tim Ferriss' book the 4 Hour Body, the documentary Fathead, Cross Fit, Mark's Daily Apple and a few others.

UGI vs Medicine Ball

 

Been thinking about getting a medicine ball for a while.  However, too much equipment leaves some not used.  No use buying things to be dust collectors.  Then I stumbled upon the UGI ball.  It is essentially a big medicine ball that has a soft shell.  But I then stumbled upon soft-shell medicine balls. So now what?!?

Well, the UGI costs close to $200, so that pretty much cancels that idea for me.  No doubt it is a great well constructed product, but too much for my budget.  Soft shell medicine ball did not seem big enough for a UGI wannabe.

So I decided to make my own.  Spaceyguy19 has some instructions which I will follow pretty closely.  When I have it finished, I will post again my thoughts on the process and end-product.