What's in What You Eat?It is said you are what you eat, from your head to your feet. So why not know… What's in what you eat?

It’s that time of the week again….you know, the weekend. If drinking heavily is on your schedule, you may fear what will happen the next day. The good news is there is a proven method that I’ve discovered by putting together all of the random bits of information and suggestions I’ve heard into one, easy, natural protocol that might keep you more functional the next day. You must follow all of the steps to be successful!

STEP 1: The Day Before and of

Hydration
- Make sure you are fully hydrated the entire day before you start drinking. For most people this is roughly 1/2 your body-weight in ounces. So if someone is 180 pounds, they should consume 90 ounces of water. More if you are active or drinking diuretics (caffeine, soda, alcohol). Less if you are having to force it down. What does that look like? It may be more than you think.

Sleep
Coming into the party already sleep deprived isn’t going to help your recovery since you’ll likely be up late again that night. Make sure you are getting 8+ hours of sleep (as you should already be) the night before you are drinking.

Food
It is very important to avoid excess fructose consumption surrounding drinking times (and just in general) as it is metabolized through the liver just like alcohol is. We want the liver to be able to focus 100% on the liquid poison you are consuming rather than the sugar poison you eat all day.

Also, have a large meal around 2 hours before you start drinking. If you have to think back to when your last meal was, you are in for one hell of a night. You don’t want it to be too long before that you are already getting hungry again, but also not too close as to allow for adequate digestion before you start jumping around and getting into trouble.

STEP 2: That Night

Drink Choice
The drink you choose will have a huge effect on your night and follow day.

• Avoid sugary alcohol (wine, mixed drinks with coke, redbull, tonic water, Mike’s Hard, etc) as they always leave the hardest hit. Again, fructose is metabolized through the liver and if it is at the same time as the liquor, it won’t end good.
• Avoid gluten containing alcohol such as beer and grain-based distilled liquors. By avoiding gluten you help your gut lining stay healthy and make it easier on yourself to recover.
• Choose potato vodka and blue agave tequila as they are low sugar and plant (not grain) based.
• Mix with unsweetened soda water and fresh lime or lemon juice.  By using soda water you are partially rehydrating yourself. Carbonation also makes you feel it faster so you can drink less. Finally, lemon and lime juice are full of vitamins and minerals that may help something.
• Choosing high quality liquor that has been filtered many times will help tremendously. Cheap liquor makes you sicker.

Rehydration
For every cup of alcohol you had, you need a cup of water to replace it. This may be impossible but it is something to try for. Have you noticed if after having a few drinks and you have to go to the bathroom that your urine is often clear? This does not mean you are hydrated, it means you are losing all the water you hydrated with earlier in the day. Give it a few hours and I guarantee it will change color.

When the night is nearing the end, stop drinking alcohol and start drinking water. If you chug it, it will go to waste. Your cells can only absorb so much water at a time. Drink a lot of water over as long of a period as you can before passing out. Replenishing electrolytes is equally important as explained in the next section.

Late Night Munchies
These are good, and should not be ignored. The last thing you want when you go to bed is for the last thing you consumed to be more of your drink. Eat fatty and salty food. Ideally these would be fatty grassfed meat to get an anti-inflammatory effect and mineral rich sea salt to replace mineral loss. When you become dehydrated you lose 2 things; water and electrolytes. Eating mineral rich sea-salt rich foods will help.

Exercise & Air
Walking is a great way to sober up fast. Fresh air will help you feel better too.

Stay Up
It’s 2am, you are drunk, and do not want to be hungover the next day. What do you do? Don’t go to sleep yet. Even if it means you go to bed at 4am and will get less sleep than you would by going to bed now, your sleep will be much more efficient if you go to bed sober.  These extra 2 hours give a perfect time to start eating and drinking water and get some walking in so by the time you do go to bed, you are in better shape.

Sleep
So you are finally sobering up and ready to go to bed. Sleep as long as you can, even if you have to throw off your clock by sleeping in until noon. Just like always, you want 8+ hours here. With the sun going up not long after you go to bed, it is important to sleep in a 100% blacked out room so the light doesn’t wake you up and interfere with your recovery. Black out rooms are a worthy time investment.

Also a little note – if you feel like you are going to throw-up get into bed slowly. As soon as you lie down you lose the effect of gravity keeping your stomach contents down and you might just lose it as soon as you plop down on your mattress.

STEP 3: The Next Day
You may wake up a little dizzy or queezy at first, but hope is not all lost.

Rehydration
This continues. Keep drinking water and get your electrolytes restored. Do not use Gataorade as it is full of fructose. Instead, go for Coconut Water or put Nuun Elecrolyte Tablets in your water.

Breakfast
Eat the normal healthful foods that are recommended all over this blog. Meat, vegetables, some fruit, a few nuts and seeds, and healthy fats and oils. Avoid grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, refined vegetable oils, and processed foods.

Exercise & Air
Walking is still a great way to feel better. Sunlight combined with the fresh air will again help you the day after too.

STEP 4: Repeat

Congradulations! You’ve survived Friday. You are feeling so good that you just can’t wait for tonight…It is Saturday afterall!

All of these suggestions are partially based on documented fact and partially based on what I have found works for me. Your mileage may very. If you drink way too much, none of this will save you. Drinking responsibly is the best prevention. If you still feel awful the next day, don’t blame me…blame whatever you did to get you there. Remember also that alcohol is not good for you even if you follow these steps, but it is about as good as you can get if you are going to drink.

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I am running a banquet with Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo next month. Check it out! Hope to see you all there!!

Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/paleoseattle/

Do you want to increase your culinary ability, specifically with Paleo foods? I’m hosting a cooking class later this month instructed by Chef Tomas. You can see all the details here:

http://www.meetup.com/paleoseattle/events/50790272/

Hope to see you all there!

Jak’s Grill is a typical local steakhouse with a few locations around the area. Like most steakhouses, they have a lot to choose from for Paleo eaters and are overpriced.

Before I get in too deep, I feel the need to start off with a slight complaint, because so many restaurants say this including Jak’s. “ We buy only corn fed, Nebraska raised beef. The finest beef available anywhere!” Displayed promptly on the front of the menu. If you use the word “finest” in any sentence you can make people believe it is true. What I read is: “We buy only corn fed beef, because it is the fattiest and cheapest beef available anywhere!” Oh well…I can only bet if this place sold grass-fed meat it would be even more expensive, but come-on…do you really have to brag about selling grain-fed meat? Anyways, onto the meat of this review.

On Monday nights they have the Prime Rib special. For around $21 you get around 18ounces of meat, which in comparison to their other prices, is a great deal. This also comes with a salad. The meat usually comes with steamed vegetables and potatoes but they had no problem substituting the potato for more veg. Also with the meal is a side of Au Jus and Horseradish (looked creamed so I skipped it).

Taste: 8 – Meat was a little undercooked even for me. Fat was chewy. 
Nutrition: 8 – Fatty cornfed meat. Otherwise pretty darn good. 
Filling: 9
Price: $$$ (Dinner)
Overall Value: 7 – Pretty good meal, but like all steakhouses (except Brazilian!) you can do what they do at home for a fraction of the price. Also I love me some steamed vegetables but when I eat out I wouldn’t mind something a little more creative.

Hey everyone,

For those who didn’t see, there is a very special event this coming Sunday. We’ve convinced an already gluten / dairy free friendly restaurant to be 100% Paleo for the night. Getting restaurants on board isn’t easy and a successful night this weekend could be the start of a big movement.

To do this though, we need your support. There are still 25 slots left that we’d love to see go. If you have the time, please consider attending to help show the culinary world there is a demand for this type of food.

Thanks and see you all there!

RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/paleoseattle/events/41310402/

Thanksgiving is a great excuse to sit down and eat for hours. I mean, how often do you get to do that? While being a great holiday, it is still not really an excuse to pig out on certain foods that will leave a negative impact on your body for days after and hurt your overall health goals and athletic performance.

The good news is, many traditional thanksgiving foods are not only great tasting but also very nutritious. Others however, are not. While most Thanksgiving nutrition advice is along the lines of eating low fat foods and only taking one small serving of each food to keep your calories low. This article is about how to choose the right foods so you don’t have to do all that. Most importantly, you won’t feel guilty afterwards.

The Bad Stuff

Stuffing: Stuffing is basically just a pile of bread, which means it is a pile of refined, high blood sugar spiking, gut irritating starchy carbohydrates. Even whole wheat stuffing is not by any means a healthful food to be eating. Here’s where you start making sacrifices for good health, by leaving the stuffing off the menu.

White Potatoes: While mashed potatoes are a very traditional food, much like the stuffing they are a pile of starchy carbohydrates that are recognized by the body the same way that sugar is. If you are someone who tries to avoid sugar but still eats potatoes, you are essentially wasting your time.

Cranberry Sauce (sweetened): The amount of sugar in this dish is extremely high. If you are going to be sweetening a cranberry sauce, consider looking at natural sweeteners such as raw honey and maple syrup rather than refined sugar. While natural sweeteners won’t make it much less harsh on the body, it at least will provide some nutrients to come with that sugar high. Also, don’t even get near any artificial sweeteners which might be the only thing you can do worse.

Gravy: Your normal turkey gravy contents are mostly fine, however the flour that is added to thicken it is not good. Instead consider either making extra gravy and then reducing it over heat to thicken it or experimenting with plant based thickeners such as arrowroot. At the very least, use rice or corn starch rather than flour which will keep your gravy gluten free.

Desserts & Pie: Going with the same rules as above, try to sweeten your pies with natural sugars and bake them yourselves to avoid artificial ingredients that many pies have. Look into gluten-free base alternative such as almond or coconut flour. At the very least, look for marketed gluten free flours which are typically made from rice or garbanzo beans. These are not ideal but still much better than wheat.

Now here’s what my ideal thanksgiving menu would look like.

Turkey (free ranged or pasture raised. No antibiotics. It is purchased from PCC, Whole Foods, a local farm, or any other conventional supermarket that happens to sell free ranged birds. No need to toss the skin when ordering a high quality bird. Enjoy it.

Yams: Yams or sweet potatoes are a great healthful addition to a thanksgiving table. Fill up on these rather than white potatoes or stuffing.

Gravy: Thickened using above methods.

Vegetables: Green Beans, Squash, Beats, Brussels Sprouts, etc

As you can see there is still plenty of stuff to keep your feast going. Incorporating these nutritional rules into your daily lives will help you not just on the night of the big feast but as you choose your foods each time you eat. Happy thanksgiving and stay warm!

Now that I’ve told you it is possible to eat well on a budget, it is time for me to prove it. Using a combination of the four cheaper Seattle area grocery stores (QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway) I will show you just how cheap 4 days worth of eating can be.

Minimum Wage in Washington State is $8.67. The goal here is to stay under that for the whole day. One hour of working would pay off your whole day of eating.

Things To Note:

• Each day will be from one store using only online sale flyers.
• Yes, the variation per day is low since we are going for the best deals at the time. If you shop at multiple stores, you can mix and match the sale items so you have different meats and vegetables at different times instead of the same stuff all day.
• Many of the below purchases will have leftovers for the following day, which would subtract from the next day’s budget. For the purpose of this post, everything resets the following day (i.e. no leftovers).
• Remember, this is working with the lowest budget possible. Beef may not be listed if pork is even $0.50/lb cheaper. Read the ads and find your own personal balance.
• I eat a lot, and this is more food than I typically even eat. Likely, you would be spending less than the calculated amounts.

Disclaimer: This post is aimed towards people who are already spending at least  $7.00+ per person per day. If your budget is lower than this, I realize this may not work for you. Do your best.

DAY 1: SAFEWAY

You Bought:
-Eggs: $2.50 / 18 count
-Broccoli Crowns: $0.99 / pound
-Oranges: $4.99 / 8 pound bag
-Chicken Breast: $2.99 / pound
-Pork Chop: $1.79 / pound

Breakfast: $1.34
-4 hardboiled eggs ($0.52)
-1/2lb steamed broccoli  ($0.49)
-1/2lb orange  ($0.31)

Lunch:  $2.73
-3/4lb boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: ($2.24)
-1/2lb broccoli ($0.49)

Snack: $0.44
-1 hard boiled egg ($0.13)
- 1/2lb orange ($0.31)

Dinner: $2.59
-16oz Bone-In Pork Chop ($1.79)
-1/2lb steamed broccoli ($0.49)
-1/2lb orange ($0.31)

DAY 1 TOTAL: $7.10

DAY 2: QFC

You Bought:
-Eggs: $0.99 / 12 count
-Asparagus: $1.49 / pound
-Apples: $1.00 / pound
-Chicken Thighs: $1.99 / pound
-Seedless Grapes: $1.28 / pound
-Boneless Pork Loin: $2.99 / pound

Breakfast: $1.58
-4 hardboiled eggs ($0.33)
-0.5lbs Asparagus ($0.75)
-0.5lbs Apple ($0.50)

Lunch: $3.38
-1lb Chicken Thighs ($1.99)
-0.5lbs Asparagus ($0.75)
-1/2lb grapes: ($0.64)

Snack: $0.16
-2 hardboiled eggs: ($0.16)

Dinner: $3.49
-0.75lbs Boneless Pork Loin ($2.24)
-0.5lbs Asparagus ($0.75)
-0.5lbs Apple ($0.50)

DAY 2 TOTAL:$ 8.61

DAY 3: FRED MEYER

You Bought:
-Eggs: $3.00 / 36 count
-Avocado (Large) $3.00 / 2 count
-Cantaloupe: $0.53 / pound
-Salad Mix: $5.00 / 2 count
-Beef Back Ribs: $1.69 / pound
-Apples: $0.88 / pound
-Roasted Chicken: $0.88 / pound

Breakfast: $1.34
-4 hardboiled eggs  ($0.33)
- 1/2 Avocado ($0.75)
-1/2lb cantaloupe: ($0.26)

Lunch: $3.69
-1lb Beef Back Ribs ($1.69)
-1/2 Avocado ($0.75)
-1/2 box salad mix ($1.25)

Snack: $0.60
-2 hardboiled eggs: ($0.16)
-1/2lb apple: ($0.44)

Dinner:$2.57
-1lb Roasted Chicken: ($0.88)
-1/2 container salad mix: ($1.25)
-1/2lb apple: ($0.44)

DAY 3 TOTAL: $8.20

DAY 4: ALBERTSON’S

You Bought:
-Boneless chicken breast: $1.88 / pound
-Grapefruit: $0.69 / each
-Broccoli: $1.29 / pound
-Chicken Thighs $1.29 / pound
-Apples: $0.88 / pound
-Baby Carrots: $1.50 / bag
-Pork Chops: $1.99 / pound

Breakfast: $2.39
-3/4lbs Chicken Breast: ($1.41)
-1/2lb Broccoli: ($0.64)
-1/2 grapefruit:  ($0.34)

Lunch:  $2.37
-1lb Chicken Thighs: ($1.29)
-1/2lb Broccoli: ($0.64)
-1/2lb apple: ($0.44)

Snack:  $0.81
-1/2lb Apple: ($0.44)
-1/4 bag baby carrots: ($0.37)

Dinner: $2.97
-1lb pork chops:($1.99)
-1/2lb Broccoli: ($0.64)
-1/2 grapefruit: ($0.34)

DAY 4 TOTAL: $8.54

Well there you go. Four days of eating, each below the goal. As a reminder, this is more food than you probably would go through and when you factor in things like a carton of eggs lasting multiple days, your spendings may very well be lower than these calculations. Is this realistic for you? How much do you typically spend per day with a regular American diet? How much does your Paleo menu cost?

One of the most common things I hear from people who choose not to do Paleo is that it is too expensive and there is no way they can afford it (or want to spend their money that way). The reality is first that this often (not always) is just one of many excuses people have in response to not wanting to give up the foods they are addicted to. From this post, hopefully, at least this excuse will be defeated. You can do it, if you follow these simple rules.

1. Quantity Over Quality:

This seems backwards from most nutritional advice. But within this requirement of “quantity” we are still talking about only Paleo friendly foods, not jumbo soda packs. As a general guideline for this post, for the most part, forget quality. We aren’t doing grass-fed meats or organic produce. In comparison to the typical western diet, a low quality Paleo type eating plan is still better than the heavy amounts of grains, dairy, sugar, and processed foods that you may be eating. You can get good bulk deals if you follow rule #2.

2. Shop at Multiple Stores

Ok yes, this may be a pain for you depending on where you live, but the reality is if you want to eat well, and your budget is low, this is typically a mandatory step. Here comes the other excuses (I don’t have time to shop at two stores). Yes you do. Find your motivation and you will make time for it. You also don’t even have to go to multiple stores on the same day, but during the course of the week, you should shop around. Now where do you go? Rule number 3 covers that.

3. Read Online Sale Flyers

Since you are reading my online blog, chances are you have internet access. The four main cheaper grocery stores in Seattle (QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway) all publish weekly ads with the items that are on sale. This includes things from all departments, including meat, seafood, and produce, the three important sections for a Paleo shopper. There is enough food on sale each week between these stores to do all of your shopping on sale items. Yes, this may mean visits to multiple grocery stores, but if you know what you are looking for (you read the ad), the extra stop shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. You may also find some coupons on their websites for items you are buying. Unless you suffer from veganism (or any other odd condition), you likely are already buying things from the meat and seafood sections already. How can you start to afford more? There’s a rule for that. Number 4.

4. Stop Buying Unnecessary Crap

While individual bags of chips, cookies, crackers, sodas, and other processed foods may seem cheap, they really do start to add up. Once you stop buying all of these unhealthy “food products” you may be surprised at how much farther it gets you. Let’s say you buy two $1 sodas per day and a $1 bag of chips. Thats $3.00. Doesn’t seem like much. Turns out, depending on the store, that could have easily bought you at least a full pound of ground beef. Following these simple steps of removing unessential food products, again really starts to open things up. Also, spending all your extra money on fancy clothing, electronics, and latest trends when it could be put towards quality food, is not a very good way to extend your health and life.

5. If You Can’t Afford It, Don’t Buy it

This relates to a few things. Everyone knows Seafood is good for you. Everyone also knows it can be crazy expensive. Same with some types of nuts. Remember, we are doing our best here. Don’t feel you need to have something if you can’t afford it. A Paleo eating plan that never sees seafood is still better than a “See Food” diet that never sees Paleo. Also, while eating out is fun and convenient, we all know it is always overpriced for profit. When trying to stretch your dollar, eat home more often. Even cheap restaurants like McDonald’s aren’t really as cheap as they seem when you factor in just how low their quality is. But if you are out and need something cheap, sure go there, order a cheese-less burger and toss the buns in the trash before you have time to try to justify eating it for your “energy needs.”

6. Simple Preparations of Food

You are making eggs. If you scramble them, you typically need some sort of lubricant (oil / butter) on the pan. This costs money. How about hardboiling or baking them? Water and dry heat are cheaper. Same idea with vegetables. Steaming can save you money. Not much, but it all adds up.

The next and final rule is actually a 2-parter so read carefully. It also relates back to rule #1

7. Buy Value Packs & Clear Out Your Freezer

Shopping at QFC the other day, they had chicken breast for $4.99 / pound. Not too bad, but still not that good. Here’s the cool part. Buy one get one free. You could have spent $15.00 on chicken and gotten $15.00 additional for free. That’s 6 pounds of chicken which should last you quite a while. Now if your freezer wasn’t full of frozen pizzas, ice cream, and Otter Pops, there would be room to store this for later use. Shop value packs, stash up, and freeze it for later use.

Part 2 of this series I will actually show you multiple days worth of eating at the different stores using sale flyers, and the low price that it can have. According to one source, the average American spend $7.00 per day on food. Think you can get that low on Paleo? Stay tuned!

Nutrition Interview Of Gil Butler – Paleolithic Man

by Marshall Smith

Marshal1: 1. What is the Paleolithic diet?

Gil: The paleo diet is a diet based on human evolution and the human body’s ability to adapt to different foods overtime.

Marshall: 2. What are the foundations of eating when following a Paleolithic lifestyle?

Gil: The foundations of paleo are eating meat (grass-fed beef, wild caught fish, free ranged poultry), free roaming eggs, vegetables(no white potatoes as they are blood sugar spiking), fruit (emphasis on low sugar wild berries), and small amounts of nuts & seeds.
Also included are healthful fat sources such as avocados, olive oil, grass-fed beef tallow, grass-fed butter, palm oil, and coconut oil and fish oil.

Marshall: 3. The Paleolithic diet limits many foods from ones diet. What are those foods?

Gil: Grains (even whole grains), legumes, sugar, white potatoes, processed foods, and most dairy

It also does not allow meat from corn-fed, factory farmed, antibiotic & hormone injected animals. Also not allowed are refined vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, canola, and other highly polyunsaturated fats.

Marshall: 4. Why are these foods excluded from the Paleo diet?

Gil: Humans have been around for 2-3 million years. For 99.9% of human existence we lived as hunters & gatherers. Our diets were completely supplied by nature, as farming and processed foods were not around yet. This means our diet consisted of the only 5 main food groups available. It wasn’t actually until 10,000 years ago when agriculture first began. While this may seem like a long time ago, in terms of an evolutionary perspective, that .1% of time we have been farming is nowhere near long enough for our bodies to adapt to an agricultural-based society. Archaeological data shows that almost immediately when we started farming and began eating grains, legumes, and dairy, illness such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, auto-immune disease, as well as many others started showing up in growing numbers. There are various tribes around the world that are still living as hunters & gatherers today and have been able to hold perfect health generation to generation, without having to rely on medicine to keep them alive.

Marshall: 5. What makes / why are these “modern foods” bad for us?

Gil: Grains and legumes contain toxic substances called Lectins. These are the plant’s defensive mechanism to not wanting to be eaten. This is why grains and legumes in the raw are inedible and poisonous. When we cook them, enough of the lectins are destroyed that it doesn’t immediately kill us, however lectins are known as “anti-nutrients” that bind to other vitamins and minerals in our body. You can actually get a nutritional deficiency by eating grains and legumes because of this. The most potent lectin found in some grains is the protein known as “gluten.” There is a huge percentage of the population that is highly allergic to gluten, and pretty much all of the population has some negative reaction to it, often an issue never thought to be associated with diet. Gluten destroys your gut lining which opens you up for many auto – immune diseases. Basically if you were to Google any auto immune condition followed by the word “gluten” you would see remarkable connections with it. It is sometimes as simple as stomach aches all the way to people who have been wheelchair bound regaining their ability to walk after going gluten free.

Grains, legumes, and other refined carbohydrates also have a similar glycemic index to sugar, and during digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down into mainly mono and poly saccharides. This means your body cannot tell if you are eating a slice of toast or a spoonful of sugar – its all the same. To combat this, your body has to release insulin to control your blood sugar levels by storing the sugar as fat. By eating lots of starchy carbohydrates (grains & legumes) you keep skyrocketing your blood sugar levels causing inflammation, weight gain, insulin resistance, and eventually type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Marshall: 6. What are your thoughts about this diet and your cholesterol level? One would assume your cholesterol would be sky high.

Gil: There is absolutely no correlation between high dietary cholesterol and high blood cholesterol – it is simply not the same thing. Saturated fat does increase total blood cholesterol, however as much as it raises your bad cholesterol (LDL) it also raises your good cholesterol (HDL) which balances it out. Additionally, high blood cholesterol by itself is NOT a risk factor for heart disease. The cholesterol issue is when someone has highoxidated cholesterol. Risk factors for oxidizing cholesterol include smoking, excessive drinking, being overweight, being inactive, and most importantly eating a diet high in starchy carbohydrates (grains and legumes!). Also, eating plenty of anti-oxidants (in multicolored vegetables, the main component of the paleo diet) helps reduce this effect even further.

Marshall: 7. Where did you learn about this diet and why did you decide to adopt it?

Gil: I first learned about this diet from a trainer at a gym I am a member at (NW CrossFit). He told me about the diet and I thought all of the negative things that you are probably thinking. All that meat he’s eating is going to give him cancer. He’s not getting any fiber without grains, this diet is going to kill him. I dismissed it for a while until I eventually came across the book “The Paleo Diet” by Loren Cordain in the bookstore. I thought “what the heck” and bought it to see what all the hype was about. I was absolutely fascinated. Both the history and the science of it just flat out made sense. I decided to go on a short trial to see how it felt. That first week I tried it, every morning I woke up with more energy than I ever had in my life. I started doing more and more research about it and before long, my entire life’s career goals now are centered around bringing the paleo diet to people and transforming their lives from sickness into prosperity.

Marshall: 8. I’ve heard that the Paleolithic diet includes lots of red meat. It has also been said that red meat raises ones risk of cancer. What is the Paleo view of this predicament?

Gil: There are several components into the myth about red meat causing cancer. First off, the studies that were done were so broadly focused that the results are useless. The resulting statement from the main group of studies that got everyone going coo-coo for tofukery burgers stated “a diet with high amounts of red and processed meats cause a higher instance of cancer. Even more importantly, there was no separation between looking at the quality of the meat. Basically, they are conjoining a double bacon cheese burger from McDonald with a 100% grass-fed new york steak from the farmers market.
Now for the second issue. The studies looked at meat products as a whole, regardless of what they were served with or on. A slice of pepperoni pizza was considered “meat” so when it turned out that people who ate a lot of meat topping pizza had a higher risk of cancer guess who got blamed? The refined flour? The trans fats? No, the meat sitting on top.

If you were to buy cheap meat from corn fed, sick animals, bread it with flour, deep fry it in hydrogenated soybean oil until it is completely well-done, then yes you are going to be increasing your risk of cancer. Is it the fact that it was at some point an animal that is causing this? Absolutely not.

If you are eating 100% grass-fed, open pasture animals raised in a low stress environment, there is absolutely no data that would say this to be a cancer causing food. In fact, there IS lots of data that shows that the high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids and Conjugated linoleic acid that are in these foods are extremely effective at lowering inflammation and making people healthier.

Marshall: 9. What are your bowl movements like?

Gil: …

seriously?

Marshall: yes

Gil: The copious amounts of insoluble fiber from the leafy greens that are eaten keep things flowing nicely. If at times things are flowing too nicely, then switching to more soluble fiber vegetable choices easily fixes that.

When it comes to paleo & primal eating, there is without a doubt no one size fits all approach that works for everyone. Depending on your goals, the recommended food plan for those trying to lose weight, gain weight, increase performance, or improve a medical condition varies in all of these categories.

As it has said before, the diet consists of meat, fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthy fat. This being said however, there is an all too common misconception that as long as you are eating from that list, that you are following a correct paleo approach. Here are some of the biggest flaws and their dangers. Improving these things will gain you title of a true paleo eater, rather than just a low carber.

1. Eating Only Meat
Paleo is not an “all meat” program. I see this a lot in people who are either trying to follow a very low carb approach or those who are too lazy to chop up vegetables. Just because you are eating meat, does not mean you are eating paleo. This makes you more of an Atkins dieter.  If you are worried about carbohydrates content for weight loss you can stick with leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collard greens, chard, etc, but you still need to be eating your vegetables. Still eat good quality meat at every meal, just eat some greens with it!

The Issue: By skipping out on vegetables, you will likely be switching yourself from the body’s needed alkaline base to one that is acidic, putting you at high risk for osteoporosis. You also lose out on tons of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber that you would be getting from the vegetables.

2. Eating Low Quality Meat
Just like paleo isn’t an all meat program, it also holds strict standards to the types of meat you are eating, specifically how they were raised prior to consuming them. Our ancestors were not eating corn fed factory farmed animals and you shouldn’t be either.

The Issue: The nutritional content of grass-fed animals vs corn fed is completely different. The fat profile of grass-fed meat is almost identical to heart healthy fatty fish that we all know to be good for us. The omega 3 – 6 ratio is spot on where it should be. By eating cheap meat, you are throwing off your body’s adapted 2:1 ratio of omega 3′s to 6′s. In addition, corn fed animals have 4x less vitamin E, 4x less conjugated linoleic acid (a cancer fighting compound), and numerous other nutrients. You end up also taking in traces of antibiotics and growth hormones that were fed to the animal, which lead you down an unfriendly road. While some bad meat is better than none, if you are buying cheaper meat, and can’t afford to upgrade, it is essential to go as lean as possible (lean cut, fat trimmed & drained) and look at supplementing fish oil at every meal.

3. Eating Processed Meat
Another thing I see often is people who’s normal lunch is sliced deli meat from somewhere like Safeway. Beef jerky, sausages, and yes bacon come into this topic too.

The Issue: In addition to all of the issues listed in issue #2 above, processed deli meat is loaded with preservatives, added sugar, salt,  and other artificial ingredients. Beef jerky also typically has soy sauce in it, which means gluten! It is nothing like the meat that we evolved on, and definitely isn’t doing much for your health in a positive way. Sorry people, I hate to be that guy, but unless your bacon is made fresh from a quality butcher, it is not paleo.

4. Eating Misleading Meat
When dining out especially, browsing over the menu looking for acceptable options is tough. You may think you are safe with any meat choice but you are far from it. Meatloaf, meatballs, crabcakes, italian chicken dishes, beer battered / braised meats, more often than not have breadcrumbs or other sources of gluten. Teriyaki dishes typically will always have soy sauce, which contains wheat. A very common ingredient in thick gravy is flour.  It is really important to avoid these if you are not sure about the establishment. Also as a reminder, check when ordering if your salad has croutons!

5. Eating Lots and Lots of Fruit
While some fruit is good for you, especially fresh seasonal berries, eating fruit all day at meal times and at snacks is not paleo.

The Issue: Our modern day ways of producing fruit significantly increases the amount of sugar that is in it compared to fruit back in the pre-agricultural days. Fruit was also more of a treat in the past unlike how easily accessible it is now.  If you are eating lots of fruit and expecting to reach your weight loss goals, you can think again as it likely will not happen. Sugar is carbohydrate regardless of how natural the source is. Keep fruit as a treat or dessert for best results.

6. Eating too many Nuts & Seeds:
While yes, nuts and seeds are paleo, using them as a substitute to meat and vegetables is not. They should be eaten in moderation, working your way to as little as possible. I typically don’t eat nuts unless I’m hungry in a place without food, I keep some in my car. Nut flour, nut butter, paleo seed bread, and all the other inventions that have come out of nuts and seeds really are not too paleo.

The Issue: Most nuts and seeds are extremely high in omega 6′s. Lots of the more recent paleo research is also showing people achieve much better results when cutting out nuts and seeds. Some nuts and seeds also may have trace amounts of lectics, one of the danger’s grains and legumes have. Finally with a caloric content so dense, it can definitely stall weight loss.

7. Eating Paleo Bake Goods and Alternatives.
Paleo pancakes, paleo pizza, paleo pie, paleo cookies, you name a food you miss, someone’s made a paleo alternative. They are all tempting and delicious.

The Issue: In addition to the fact that you likely will over eat these, you probably also had to use a nut flour to make it possible, skyrocketing your omega 6 intake. If its a dessert you made, something made it sweet. You either put lots of fruit in it (sugar) or sweetened it with honey (more sugar) or agave (toxic sugar). While these foods make an awesome treat on a special occasion, having them as a staple is not a good idea, and again if you are trying to lose weight, you will for a while and then will likely plateau and stop. Think meat and vegetables at every single meal and then see where you have room for these.

Another thing to consider with all the fruit and sweeteners you may be consuming, these still have a glycemic response, it can still give you a major sugar crash, and can still make you develop diabetes while trying to follow a paleo diet!

Does this sound like you? If so, I’m glad you are reading!