Paleo & Zone Overview

Paleo
“The Paleo Diet” book by Dr. Loren Cordain is essentially a good overview of what’s becoming increasingly well known as the optimal way to eat for normalizing weight, improving health, and preventing disease. The term “paleo” has been coined in the community for simplicity from Cordain’s work, but there are many other names and diet plans that are similar.

This “diet” is simply trying to match, as closely as possible, the foods our Paleolithic ancestors would have eaten. As humans we have been on earth for 2 million years and out of those 2 million years we have only been farming for 10,000 years. Science is slowly starting to catch up and studies are showing that humans and animals of any kind do not flourish eating grains, sugars, and processed foods.

We are omnivores, and we can “survive” on a variety of calorie sources, but our health becomes compromised if these sources are not adequate nutrition sources. Some foods which were not consumed prior to agriculture and processing can actually cause long term damage, and are in essence poisonous.

It doesn’t take science, though, to look at pictures of people from the turn of the century vs. now. Or look at the few hunter-gatherer societies still in existence. Compare them to average Americans today and notice the vast difference in what’s being eaten. In all cases, hunter-gatherers and those eating a more natural diet, are leaner, healthier, and free from most of the diseases that plague modern industrialized society.

To summarize, paleo can also be seen as “the perimeter of the grocery store” diet. This is where you find the fresh, refrigerated foods. Things that would have been alive recently and might go bad shortly. Steer clear of anything processed or in a box with a long label of ingredients. If your great-grandma would recognize it as food, it’s probably along the right track. Frozen unprocessed foods are good also, as fresh frozen foods can often retain higher nutritional value than those shipped a long distance unfrozen. Another suggestion is “don’t eat anything white” – the more colorful it is, the more likely it’s nutritious (and we don’t mean artificial coloring).

The ZONE
A long string of diet books written by Dr. Barry Sears, most of which are redundant. Yes the name sounds like a silly fad-diet, but it’s been used for years with great success in the CrossFit community. Early on, many diets were experimented with, and repeatedly the best results came from the Zone or something very similar. Good performers who switch to paleo/zone type diets rapidly become top performers. It works well for weight loss, maintenance, and for muscle gain, and can easily be adapted to each person’s needs.
We like to say paleo is mostly about quality of food, while The Zone is about quantity of food, but in reality the lines have been blurred and both “diets” are moving closer to each as they progress. The Zone is simply a convenient way of weighing and measuring food.

Traditional Zone is a balanced diet of 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat, weighed and measured in  portions per meal called blocks. This macronutrient balance is essential, and is also strongly suggested in pure paleo as well.

What this means when combined with paleo is you measure a portion of lean meat, a portion of fruits and vegetables, and a portion of fats such as nuts or oil, in every single meal. It works extremely well and fast with a good block prescription and strict adherence. We’ve seen people lose 5-7 pounds a week on the Zone and feel good while doing so. We’ve also seen already lean people use the Zone to help increase energy levels, performance, and gain strength.

The Zone can be tweaked to each individual’s needs. Many people find it has a bit too high carbohydrates for their best results, and it’s possible to substitute extra fat instead. To do this, for each carbohydrate block removed, add a triple fat block. Also, those whose intake needs are higher may need to add more calories in fat blocks – many top CrossFit athletes do 2x, 3x, or more fat blocks. Ask us for details on how to do this.

Something to consider is in the same sense that a large part of the results in CrossFit comes from using a stopwatch – measuring results and finding what works best – measuring food intake is important. If you don’t know what’s going in, how can you possibly fine tune what’s coming out? Whether to lean out or gain mass, the Zone measurements can help to get a solid grasp of quantities of food needed to meet goals.

For a good overview of exactly how to do the Zone, read CrossFit Journal 21, but bear in mind that the sample food list included is dated and not as paleo-friendly as we would like.

Sugars
Sugars, grains, dairy, which are the predominant component in most processed foods, would rarely if ever have been eaten just a few generations ago. Grains used to be considered food fit for the poor, while the rich had meat on the table. In hunter-gatherer societies they would have been starvation foods at best.

All these foods also have the properties of being addictive, and not triggering our “I’m full” mechanism as more natural foods do. Have you ever been stuffed after a large meal and unwilling to eat another bite – until the dessert rolls out? It’s likely the craving for sweets evolved as a natural fattening mechanism for times when calories were scarce – but they would only have been available on rare occasions. The modern food industry capitalizes on this fact, and it’s important to take a step back and look at food as a drug you put in your body every time you eat. What’s more important than what you’re putting into your body on a daily basis? We aren’t suggesting that you shouldn’t enjoy eating and the culture of food, but on the contrary with some creativity and stepping outside the norm, food can be even more interesting than the standard repackaged-relabeled-reflavored corn and wheat products that flood the industry.

To go into the science a bit – all carbohydrates are sugars, regardless if it’s fruit, high-fructose corn syrup, or bread. In order for us to be able to proess carbohydrates they’re broken down into simple sugars. How easily a food is broken ties into the Glycemic Index (GI). Sugar intake causes the body to produce insulin, which is otherwise known as a fat storage mechanism. Over production of insulin leads to insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, diabetes, and chronic inflammation which is tied to a host of modern diseases. It also causes the constant ups and downs and cravings many people experience as their blood sugar dips below normal levels after overproducing insulin in response to a sugar load.

Eating carbohydrates alone at one meal, which is a common practice, causes a large insulin spike. Limiting and balancing the carbs with protein and fat slows the absorption and normalizes hormone levels. For example, a standard breakfast might be a glass of orange juice, oatmeal, fruit – we’ve been told this is healthy. This meal has no fat, no protein, and contains grains which we’ll expand on later. In terms of macronutrients and fat storage, our body won’t treat a meal like this any different than eating some candy.

Our prescribed diet limits carbohydrate consumption, while not necessarily as low as some diets like Atkins prescribe. Our athletes the world over have had the best success at leaning out, staying healthy, and optimizing performance on a low to moderate carbohydrate diet. Yes, if you’re an ultramarathoner you may wish to consider sugars as quick refueling, but it’s our contention that it compromises your health to do so, and evidence has shown that ultra-endurance events can also be fueled by fats once adapted.

Grains
While overconsumption of sugars creates problems, they aren’t directly poisonous and can be eaten in moderation. On the other hand, grains are not just a complex, high GI carbohydrate, but they carry toxins known as anti-nutrients that actually damage the digestive tract. These toxins (the one in wheat is called gluten) help the plant ward off insects and predators. And they exist in all grains – and beans/legumes – not just wheat. Rice, Quinoa, Oats, etc., all carry the same properties. Wheat or gluten has just become the most well known and researched. Also note that peanuts are a legume, as well as soy (soy has it’s own host of problems as well with causing hormone disruption).

Grains can’t be consumed at all without processing to remove most of the shell and partially break down the fibers, but even after processing, some of the toxins remain. These anti-nutrients have been shown to damage digestive organs in all animals, regardless of quantity, causing what’s known as “leaky gut” – where food particles leak into the bloodstream. Normally, we produce antibodies that deal with the intruders, but this is not only extra unnecessary work that taxes the immune system, but these same antibodies can on occasion find a match in our own healthy cells and attack them as well. This is known as an autoimmune disease. Cancer, Celiac disease, Alzheimer’s, Allergies, Asthma, Arthritis, and a slew of others have all been directly linked to grain consumption.

Similar to the premise behind allergy shots, we develop a tolerance to grains, where there is no immediate reaction unless we have a severe sensitivity to them. They are still doing damage though, and can often be behind some nagging inflammation problems, digestive issues, allergies, or health problems that until very recently were not well understood – and therefore are most often treated with medicines with limited success, instead of diet.

We strongly encourage everyone to try “cold turkey” no grains for one solid month. Then, if you like, test the theory yourself by trying something like a large bowl of pasta. See how you feel. Most people will have an immediate and obvious reaction. If you don’t notice any difference or didn’t notice any change over the month, by all means go back to eating them. No cheats though, and you do have to really read ingredients because it sneaks into everything processed. The effects of just a small amount of grains linger for up to a week.

Fats
It was a drastic mistake for the health of America when the low-fat diet craze hit. What replaced the calories from fats were sugars, and the results are evident in an epidemic of obesity and disease. It’s been well proven now that we need good fats to survive, and eating fat does not make people fat. Fats from animal foods provide essential nutrients that are typically not found in most land-based plants.

Saturated fats, poly- and mono- unsaturated fats are all good for you when the right balance is applied. The only fats that should be avoided entirely are trans-fats. These fats are man-made and cannot be broken down by the body. Check food labels for the words “Partially-hydrogenated” or “Hydrogenated” and avoid these products. Small quantities of good fat should be eaten with every meal.

Typically on Zone/Paleo, the best fat sources are natural fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, avocados, animal fat from pasture fed animals, and seeds and nuts – not peanuts, and eaten in moderation: nuts are very high calorie.

Also, we recommend taking fish oil as a source of good omega 3 fatty acids to offset a typical industrialized food supply. 5-8 grams (5000-8000mg of EPA/DHA) a day of the highest quality fish oil you can get. Dr. Sears sells a good one, but any pharmaceutical grade fish oil will do, or good quality liquid forms such as Carlson’s.

Suggested Reading in order of importance:

Lecture clips by Nicole Carrol -
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitJournal_NicoleNutritionTeeterPre1.mov
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitJournal_NicoleNutritionTeeterPre2.mov

CrossFit Journal 21– http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf

The Paleo Diet– Dr. Loren Cordain

Whole9 Whole30 change your life in 30 days – http://whole9life.com/2010/05/whole-30-v2/ – Great getting started on paleo plan by another CF gym.

The OmegaRX Zone– Dr. Barry Sears

Protein Power Lifeplan- Dr. Michal Eades & Dr. Mary Eades

Good Calories, Bad Calories– Gary Taubes

The Omnivore’s Dilemma– Michael Pollan

The Vegetarian Myth– Lierre Kieth – Vegetarian or not, this will change some notions you have about food.