Animal Protein as Bad as Cigs or Just More Bad Science?

A friend of mine forwarded me one of the news repeats titled "High Protein Diets Just As Bad As Cigarettes" and asked me what my take was.  I spent some time looking at the research in the March 2014 issue of Cell Metabolism and started to put together a post to debunk this bunk.  Robb Wolf beat me to it with a great high level write up at outsideonline.com  Go check it out, be informed, and watch out for the mindless media automaton!  If you have any questions about the research itself or any of my specific thoughts shoot me an email.

Thanks
Chuck

Meat: It's Not Going to Kill You (But Cigs Will)

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Um, Actually, Eating Meat Isn't Even Remotely As Bad As Smoking

Breaking the Addiction

It doesn't matter who you are or what diet or lifestyle you are driving towards when you cut out processed foods, sugar, and empty carbs your body and mind are going to let you know about it. I don't think anyone will argue with the fact that sugar, carbs, and artificial sweeteners all have addictive properties and in many people they are downright brutal. This makes complete sense in an evolutionary context. Simple easy to burn calories would have been scarce and only seasonally available. It would have served us well to take in and store as much as possible during these brief periods of availability. In a modern context these foods are available 24-7 and in many cases a majority of our calories. We are being setup for a vicious cycle of addiction and slow steady weight gain.
Here's the good news. While peoples food addictions can be pretty intense I have found that the first two or three weeks are the hardest. People find it hard to believe they can break their addiction this quickly but most who have tried and failed have not taken the key steps necessary to break the addiction.
Here is a quote from my post A brief history... back when I first started the blog, "When I started Paleo the first two weeks were the hardest. I wasn't eating enough, our grocery shopping habits had not evolved to adequately cover what we should have been taking in. I was very hungry, sluggish, and generally uncomfortable. This was clearly a combination of too few calories and the transition off of the heavy carb load I had been used to."
JT's post Facepalms really hit the nail on the head and you can see that he is going through this tough spot as we speak.
Here are a few steps I believe are critical to break the addiction and set you on the path to success.

1. Clean out the Pantry
There is nothing worse than coming home hungry and irritable and not having anything healthy to eat. If you haven’t already done so, get rid of all the processed crap in the pantry and stock up with as many healthy snacks as you can. A few almonds, an avocado, an egg, a banana, an orange, some carrots. Anything that fits the template is better than the processed packaged foods you had been eating. If you have others in the house that are not eating like you, setup a special spot in the pantry for the food you will be eating. Early on my wife established the Paleo basket in the pantry where I put all my Paleo foods that were not in the fridge.

2. Don't Cheat with your Addictions
If you are factoring in a few cheats per week make sure they are on the healthy end of the spectrum. Three cheats per week shouldn't include cake and cookies or a full day binge with all your strongest food addictions. You need to avoid those foods that invoke the strongest desire for as long as possible and 30 days are probably a good rule of thumb.

3. Eat More
It is so easy for people starting out to under feed themselves. I have stated this a number of times and can't say it enough. It is imperative that you eat enough food. Don't obsess about how much you are eating. Keep things balanced but if you are hungry then eat. You can spend time fine tuning things after you get through this initial rough spot. Generally people cut out all the grain and processed food and eat about the same amount of meat and veggies they traditionally would have. This creates a hypo-caloric situation making it twice as hard to break through the initial withdrawal.

4. Hold on, It's only a Few More Days
It is always darkest just before the dawn. While you are in that initial 7-10 day range and just about to go insane you are only a day or two from making that break through. Stay focused, it's only going to be a few more days and you will emerge with new energy and vitality to carry you forward.

5. Pick a Support Person
Pick someone who has been there and done that, someone you can reach out to when you are weak and need a little pump in motivation and confidence. Pick them and then actually check in with them and let them know how you are doing. If you can't find someone that will work then email me.
Here is another quote from A brief history... "Week two was the game changer. As week two started I began to feel a change. I started to feel energized almost tingly. My energy seemed to be increasing and my mood was much better than the week before. I also felt like I was sleeping much sounder. My hunger issues and cravings of week one also seemed to vanish, partly do to the additional food but I had also got accustom to this new way of eating. At the end of week two I jumped on the scale and had lost a couple more pounds and could not believe it."
Most people fail at breaking the addiction because they don't cut all the addictive foods long enough to get there. The worst part is they are likely only a day or two from success and a whole new way of looking at food. Sticking to all natural whole foods within this philosophy will ensure you are rid of the addictive foods. Then it is time to hunker down and drive through the first few weeks. Follow these key steps to set yourself up for success and hold on tight.

Let me know how you are doing or how you did!

Thanks
Chuck

Facepalms

Check out this guest post by John Thomas, founder of Entice Blog, reprinted with permission.

Today marks the 8th day of my 90 day challenge. Day 1 started great, as I spent the preceding weekend eating all the food that I knew I wasn’t going to eat for the next 90 days, and I was excited about the path that was ahead. As the excitement of starting something new subsided, however, the challenges began to rise. These were challenges that were easily avoidable, where I felt I was slapping my forehead every day for not planning better. The first two weeks are always the hardest when making substantial changes in your life. This is especially true when you change your eating regimen, as it takes some food two weeks to exit your system (such as wheat). This is probably true with working out, as well, but I’ve always been a ‘gym’ guy, so these 90 days are not a huge change for me in the way I lift weights
This week has also been filled with face palms. By that, I don’t mean failure at what I’m trying to do. I did not have any pizza that my family enjoyed yesterday for dinner. I just wasn’t well prepared for the challenges and situations I should have expected. To help you, I’ve listed some things you should look out for when starting this sort of regimen. Even though the bullets below seem like this sort of regimen isn’t worth it, note the first two weeks are about adjusting and finding your new ‘normal’. I write these below not as a show of defeat, but to show that these types of things should not stop you from continuing.

• Prepare to be hungry. I felt the hunger urge multiple times throughout the day, although I admit the frequency of my hunger may not have been any higher than normal. I’ve always been the type of person who liked to eat every few hours. However, in the first few days, the time between feelings of hunger felt very short. Again, this could be more mental, in that before, I may have just threw a handful of Cheez-its in my mouth and went on with my day. Now, I’m really trying to understand what is going in my body, and avoid things I do not want to eat. Once you get used to your new eating schedule, the hunger feelings return to normal.
• Schedule your exercise time carefully or face the potential of weakness or a reduced result during your workout. I tend to go on a longer run on Saturdays (7-10 miles). Last Saturday, I planned to run about an hour after my lunch. However, I wasn’t able to get out until 4 hours after my lunch. I scrambled together a snack, hoping that would help, but when I hit mile 3, I was pretty weak. While I made it 8.5 miles, it wasn’t one of my better runs.
• Stock your pantry with the right foods. My pantry is filled with snacks that I can’t eat right now. From cheez-its to Trader Joe’s puffs, cinnamon rolls to bagel bites, I made a crucial error in having few items that I could snack-on during the day. I didn’t even have any eggs at the beginning of the week, which was a very large mistake. This forced me to eat more beef and chicken during the day, which I try to limit, as you should not be allowed unlimited meat on any particular day.

I’ve been able to work past all these challenges, and I’m still on track. I’ve also maintained a normal exercise schedule, mixing weightlifting and running throughout the week.
Speaking of exercise, someone asked me about what I’m doing for my exercise and weightlifting routine. While my original goal was to receive a focused, goal-oriented set of routines from a fitness trainer, that option had been delayed due to the snow (In other words, I had to cancel my appointment). I spent last week performing a full body workout 3 days of the week, while running 3 days. Last Sunday was spent as a ‘light’ day, where I jogged and did 60 chin-ups.
I spent 2013 focusing on improving my strength, and had great success following the teachings of Mark Rippetoe. For these 90 days, I’m going to see if I can focus on increasing muscle-mass while reducing body fat. Therefore, after experimenting with a full-body workout in week 1, I decided to move to lifting weights 4 days per week, keeping my runs at 3 days. I don’t really plan to share a specific routine on the blog, but I’m sure I’ll share parts as I move through the 90 days.
Photo: hobvias sudoneighm

Is Chocolate Paleo?

Chocolate is another one of those areas of debate in the Paleosphere.  Even though there is debate most people that claim to be "Paleo" accept dark chocolate as an acceptable food.  But wait, that doesn't mean just any dark chocolate.

Just to reiterate some thoughts in the Brady Nutrition Paleo Philosophy. A Paleo philosophy is meant to be a framework that coupled with science and self evaluation bring each individual to his own optimal lifestyle.

So where does that leave chocolate from a Brady Nutrition perspective?  The answer is, it depends. Chocolate has been linked to a whole host of positive health benefits. So it's backed by science but there is a catch. Sweet treats, Paleo or not, can be a trigger for many people. Be honest with yourself and if there is a risk that a piece of chocolate is going to send you into a cheat binge of epic proportions, then don't do it. If you do not fall into this category then an occasional piece of the right chocolate can be a great healthy treat.

Not all chocolates are created equal. First look for a cacao percentage somewhere north of 70%.  I try to stay in the 80-85% range.  You also should check out the ingredient list and make sure there is not a lot of added junk.  Many people cringe at chocolate this dark but if you have been Paleo for more than a month or so you are becoming more sensitized to sweet tastes and dark chocolates like these will actually taste much sweeter than you might think, not to mention all the other wonderful complex flavors.

My favorite chocolate is the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lovers Chocolate Bar.  It's 85% cacao and it is half the price of similar chocolates. A favorite treat of my wife and I is taking a couple squares and dipping it in some fresh ground almond butter.  It is a wonderful treat that is perfect medicine to curb a craving and good for you at the same time.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Thanks
Chuck

Planks, Love and Guacamole: Paleo coffee creamers

OK coffee lovers I have posted a few things on Paleo coffee ideas but honestly I have gotten pretty comfortable with my own personal fatty coffee variants.  If you really need some of your old school creamers but are now living in a Paleo world check out Planks, Love and Guacamole: Paleo coffee creamers.  These ladies have put together a handful of your old favorites, in Paleo style, and they look sure to get you your fix.  Go check them out.  They have lots of other delicious looking recipes that I am adding to my list of must trys.

Thanks for stopping by!
Chuck