30 DAY PALEO CHALLENGE

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PALEO CHALLENGE RULES

Eat Meat and Vegetables, Some Nuts and Fruit, Little Starch, and…
 NO PROCESSED FOODS This is not a weight loss challenge – it is a challenge to better our health and wellness, through eating only the best foods out there. Will we see a loss of body fat during this challenge? Absolutely!
 However that is simply a result of becoming healthier, by eating the way food was meant to be consumed… in it’s natural, unaltered state. Real food grows in the wild – the way nature intended. “Food-stuffs” are man-made creations that may resemble food, but are truly not. We’re dropping that from our diets. If you can’t hunt or gather it in the wild, it’s not something you should be eating.
 (You won’t find a box of Chex Mix growing from a tree) *** SCORING 4 Points
 Perfect day of eating. No cheats. 3 Points
 One minor slip. Milk in the coffee, condiments (salad dressing, mayo, bbq sauce, ketchup, etc), a tortilla chip, a Cheerio. 2 Points
 Significant slip, but not an entire meal: One glass of wine or beer, finished your kid’s Mac ’N Cheese, piece of bread at dinner. 1 Points
 Major slip. Pizza or pasta for dinner, 2 beers at a game, ice cream. 0 Points
 More than one solid cheat throughout the day. 2+ meals lost. *** BONUS POINTS
 There is a chance for up to (3) Bonus Points per Day • A CrossFit class at Bolster
 • 8+ hours of sleep every night
 • 64oz of water

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1ST PLACE PRIZE To Be Announced

For this challenge, follow the Golden Rule above – Eat Meat and Veg…etc.
 It’s truly as simple as that.
 That will categorize 99% of foods to be Paleo or not.
 For that 1%, the “Grey Area”, here’s our challenge-specific rules: *** Say NO to: • All flours. Almond flour, coconut flour
 • All sweeteners… honey, agave nectar, stevia, coconut sugar, cocao
 • Alcohol
 • Dairy… cream in the coffee, cheeses, yogurt
 • Corn and corn products
 • Unnaturally processed condiments, dressings, sauces, marinades, or spices (read the labels)
 • Dried Fruit
 • White Potato, Rice, Quinoa
 • Legumes (Peanuts, Beans, Soy)
 • Gum
 • Canola, vegetable, soybean, grapeseed oils
 • All protein bars.
 • All sport supplements that are not directly before, during, or after training *** Commonly asked, and are OK: • Deli Meats (as long as there isn’t sugar added)
 • Bacon
 • Sweet Potato (but not restaurant sweet potato fries… it can get ugly)
 • Balsamic Vinegar (“Vinaigrettes” commonly have added sugars).• Coconut, olive, avocado, and nut oils
 • Coconut milk, almond milk
 • Grass-Fed butter, Ghee, Nutritional Yeast, Baking Soda/Powder, Salt
 • Green Beans and Peas
 • Coffee (black) and Tea (unsweetened), Seltzer Water
 • Chicken and Beef broth/stock
 • Mustards and Hot Sauces made with natural ingredients (check labels for sugars, unhealthy oils). Franks Red Hot is a go. *** “ Can you explain the Post-Workout deal? ” We encourage proper pre and post-workout nutrition! We are going to classify pre and post to be within 45 minutes of your workout. If taken outside that window, they will be points off your daily total. Whey protein, BCAA’s, Creatine, glutamine, etc. This window applies to any workout, whether at CFB or not. 


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“ What about going out to dinner? ” It is not our goal to become anti-social cave-dwellers! Still go out and enjoy – just be selective with your orders. Every restaurant out there will have options for some sort of meat/seafood as the main course. Start with that, and ask for extra veggies for the sides. Good to go, and is in the clear for the challenge! 
 “ Can you explain the Bonus Points? ” There is a chance for up to three bonus points per day, on top of the original four. - A CrossFit class at CFB. We love seeing our athletes come to the gym and encourage routine class attendance. Has to be at CFB, and has to be a class! - 64+ ounces of water a day. - 8+ hours of sleep every 24. This is time asleep, to include naps during the day. If you get up in the middle of the night for a few hours, those don’t count.

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“ What is this ‘Paleo’ (Pay-lee-o) you speak of? ” Well, paleo is short for Paleolithic, which references our ancestors, the caveman. You’ll often hear the paleo diet referred to as the ‘caveman diet’ for this reason. The premise is that you only eat what the caveman would have eaten; things s/he would have hunted or gathered.

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“ Why would we eat like our ancestors? Didn’t they die young? ”1 Good point! But when you take into account high rates of infant mortality, deaths due to trauma and violence and the severe lack of medical care, hunter-gatherers had life spans similar to ours. They didn’t suffer from obesity; today, 65 percent of adults are overweight, and 34 percent meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Studies of contemporary hunter-gatherers suggest they’re largely free of chronic inflammatory diseases and modern illnesses. Studies show hunter-gatherers were superior in every measure of health and fitness, including blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, oxygen consumption, vision and bone density. Why wouldn’t we follow their lead?

http://iquitsugar.com/24-paleo-facts-you-need-to-know/

The Science: “ So I need to know. Why are grains/legumes/dairy/sugar/starches not allowed? ” Grains: “Grains contain gut irritating lectins that damage the microvilli, or brush border, in our intestines, which then leads to the widening of tight junctions, a condition also known as leaky gut.”2

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Legumes: “ Like grains and pseudograins, legumes contain phytic acid. Phytic acid binds to nutrients in the food, preventing you from absoring them.” 3

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Dairy: “Drinking of cow’s milk or other species’ milk by children and adults is an unhealthy practice that increases the risk of many chronic diseases and adds no micronutrients to the diet that cannot be obtained from fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, seafoods and nuts. Human’s have no nutritional requirement for cow’s milk.”4

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Sugar & Starches: “Carbohydrates take the form of either sugars or starches (“complex carbohydrates”); but, a starch is simply a long chain of sugar molecules strung together, so they both end up as the same thing once they enter your blood stream (the only difference is that you need digestive enzymes to break up a starch).”5

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Meal Plans

The Basic Paleo Plan Effective, lifelong fat loss is easy with Paleo foods. We recommend the majority of your meals look something like this: •

4-8 oz of lean protein such as chicken, lean beef, turkey, pork loin or seafood.

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Then add several servings of multicolored vegetables, either raw, steamed or lightly cooked.

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Finally, round out the meal with good fats from Avocado, olive oil or a handful of unsalted nuts such as almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts.

Make sure to have 3-4 meals like this each day. Give it 30 days and then let us know how quickly and easily it is to lose unwanted body fat, all without hunger and cravings. Until you reach

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http://everydaypaleo.com/whats-the-deal-with-grains/

3

http://paleoleap.com/beans-and-legumes/

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http://thepaleodiet.com/qa-with-dr-cordain-milk/

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http://www.thepaleomom.com/2011/12/why-is-sugar-bad.html

your desired level of leanness we recommend you keep your fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day and make these choices mainly from berries and melons. Keep in mind, you will be eating plenty of nutritious fresh vegetables, we just want you to see the fastest, most effective results you can. This is why we limit your fruit in the beginning to help you change your metabolic engines to a mode of “fat burning.” Paleo For Athletes The needs of athletes vary greatly depending upon one’s sport and level of activity. The needs of a marathon runner are quite different from those of boxer or Olympic Weightlifter. Despite these different needs all athletes share a few things: •

Means of optimizing performance

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Methods for improving recovery

The Paleo diet is the perfect solution for both performance and recovery. Lean protein sources such as chicken, lean beef, turkey, pork loin and sea food are ergogenic (performance enhancing) because of the large amount of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) which have been proven to be crucial in rapid recovery after hard training, both for strength and endurance athletes. So all of your meals will start with 4-8 oz of lean proteins. The next piece of customization is dependent upon the nature of your sport. High-intensity aerobic or anaerobic sports such as soccer, boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts or sprint interval training (running, biking, swimming, rowing) should take advantage of a period of time post workout when the body is primed for recovery. A meal of 4-8 oz of lean protein PLUS 50-100g of nutritious, Paleo friendly carbohydrate such as yams, sweet potatoes, squash or fruit should be consumed within 30 min post workout to optimize repair of muscle tissue and to ensure muscle glycogen is optimally replenished. The amount of carbohydrate will vary based on how large you are and the volume and intensity of your training. The larger you are or the harder/longer the training, the more carbohydrate you will GENERALLY need to optimize recovery. Some athletes may find they require 2 protein+carbohydrate meals to optimize recovery from particularly grueling work or multi-session training days. Subsequent meals should be built around lean protein, multi-colored, low carbohydrate density vegetables and good fats. For sprinters, and other power athletes most meals should be built around lean proteins, a variety of low carbohydrate density vegetables and liberal use of good fats. Power athletes may find benefit from a higher intake from Paleo friendly carbs such as yams, sweet potatoes and fruit once or twice per week. This is called a “cyclical-low carbohydrate” diet and has been enormously popular with track and field athletes, football players, Olympic weightlifters and other athletes who place a premium on strength, power and exceptionally low body fat levels. To see the best possible performance and body composition, the power athlete should eat at least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight per day.

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Paleo For Autoimmunity Emerging research has made clear the link between Neolithic foods (grains, legumes and dairy) and autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and a host of other less well know conditions. Many people have found significant improvements in autoimmune disease by eliminating the Neolithic foods and building a diet around nutritious Paleo options. If you suffer from an autoimmune disease we highly recommend you start a Paleo diet and let us know what your results are. To give your body its best chance to heal we recommend that you initially limit the following foods: •

Eggs

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Tomatoes & eggplants

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Peppers including bell peppers and hot peppers

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Spices such as curries, paprika, and chili powder.

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Nuts and seeds

Some of these otherwise Paleo-friendly foods have been shown to be problematic in individuals with autoimmune issues. We recommend you fully remove not only these foods but also all Neolithic foods (grains, breads, potatoes, beans and dairy) for at least a month to see if they pose a problem for you. Sample Meal Plan: Weight Loss Breakfast: Shrimp scramble with basil and steamed spinach. ¼ cup blueberries. Espresso. Lunch: Chicken salad with red onions, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts and mixed bell peppers. Dressing: Lemon/Olive Oil with a hint of garlic. Green tea with lemon. Snack: Grilled shrimp & veggies with a hand full of macadamias. Dinner: Baked pork loin with ginger cabbage and olive oil. Dessert: shaved almonds over 1/4 cup mixed berries.

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Sample Meal Plan: The Endurance Athlete Let’s assume an early run, bike or swim interval session. Depending upon your preferences you may opt to train on an empty stomach. If you prefer a small snack before training here is a good way to start your day: Pre-training Snack: 2 oz chicken OR 2 scrambled eggs 1/2 to 1/4 honey dew melon OR 1 cup of blueberries. Post Training Breakfast: (best if consumed within 30 min of training) Salmon scramble, 1/2 honey dew or rock melon+1 cup of blueberries. OR Grilled salmon, sweet potato hash browns with olive oil and cinnamon. Lunch: Grass fed ground beef marinara over baked spaghetti squash. Snack: Can of sardines, medium orange, hand full of almonds. Dinner: Baked Halibut, large Artichoke. Garlic-pistachio “pesto” for the halibut and as a dipping sauce for the artichoke. Sample Meal Plan: The Power Athlete Breakfast: 4-6 egg omelet with 1 whole avocado. 1/2 cup blue berries. Pre-workout snack: 2-4 oz grilled chicken, handful of almonds or macadamias.

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Post-workout meal: 6-8 oz grilled salmon, asparagus, mushroom, bamboo shoot, coconut milk curry. Snack: Canned salmon salad with olive oil, avocado, tomatoes and red onion. Dinner: Grilled grass fed Rib eye with grilled shrimp. Large mixed salad with greens, red onions and ginger sesame dressing. “ OK. I’m in. Help me with some grocery ideas? ” Meat: chicken, turkey, pork, beef, veal, venison, shrimp, lobster, salmon, lamb, bacon (