Monday, January 28, 2008

Paleo Diet for me (and athletes)

Addendum,
Bolder in Boulder was much better at explaining this than I was. Take a look at his take here. I'll have to contact him to see what he thought of it and if he still uses some of it's principles.



I am a little afraid to tell you this,

on the other hand I really want to share it with you.

I have been reading this book called the Paleo Diet for Athletes and have decided to give it a try.

My fear of telling you this is that I don't want anybody to think that I am taking endurance so seriously as to affect my family, job, sanity.

I know that I am not a pro, heck, I'm not even a good amateur.

In fact, I think I would do this even if I wasn't running and tri-ing.

And as far as affecting the family, it won't. It will actually be easy with only a few adjustments in the house since my wife and two daughters are already gluten and caseine free because of allergies.

I need to try this, even if only through the summer.

Why?
  • I am tired (almost all the time and yes with plenty of sleep)
  • I get sick easily, even when eating well and taking a multivitamin
  • My body is slow to recover from exercise, slower then it should be
  • Other health problems for the last 20 years that a change in diet may help
I will talk more about the diet and why I think it will benefit me. For now, here is an excerpt from a summary of the book.

WHY IS THE PALEO DIET BENEFICIAL?
Health and fitness are not synonymous. Unfortunately, many athletes are fit but
unhealthy. Frequent illness, injury and overtraining reduce performance potential.
The Paleo Diet for Athletes significantly improves health long term. Compared with
the commonly accepted athlete’s diet, the Paleo Diet:
● Increases intake of branched chain amino acids (BCAA). Benefits muscle
development and anabolic function. Also counteracts immunosuppression common
in endurance athletes following extensive exercise.
● Decreases omega-­6:omega-­3 ratio. Reduces tissue inflammations common to
athletes while promoting healing. This may include asthmatic conditions common in
athletes.
● Lowers body acidity. Reduces the catabolic effect of acidosis on bone and muscle
while stimulating muscle protein synthesis. This is increasingly important with
aging.
● Is high in trace nutrients. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for optimal health
and long­term recovery from exercise. The most nutrient-­dense foods are
vegetables and seafood. On average, vegetables have nearly twice the nutrient
density of grains.

If you are interested in more information before I talk more about it, then take a look at where I found out about it myself. www.trainingbible.com


4 comments:

  1. I've heard great things about that book. Can't wait to hear what you think of it.

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  2. It sounds like it's worth a shot! Good luck!

    And thanks for hanging out with us at our place this past weekend! It was great having you!!

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  3. I am going to look into it. Can't wait to hear your update.

    I am really thinking the VA Beach 1/2 is going to happen this year. Hopefully Marcy will be able to drive south for it and maybe even Javamom! Plus, it's like in David & Mendy's backyard, so that sounds like a bunch of reasons to do it to me :)

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  4. The best of luck to you on your new plan. Looking forward to hearing how it works for you.

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