Just a Little More Sugar On Top

Welcome back to my final week of the paleo challenge as well as my last blog post. This week I will be reflecting on my challenges as well as brainstorming my next steps. As I discussed in my last post I’ve decided not to continue paleo after the end of this project. However, I think I’ve learned a lot from this experience and am now able to better understand my body and it’s needs.

At the beginning of this assignment I ate whatever I pleased. This could be anything from cereal at every meal to eating a quesadilla for lunch six consecutive days. My justification of “I’m an athlete, I can eat what I want” began to waver as I realized I was becoming sluggish. By committing myself to the paleo diet, even for a short period of time, I’ve been able to test out the kinds of nutrients I need and discover what will and will not provide me with enough sustenance to maintain my lifestyle.

The paleo diet involves giving up processed foods, dairy, grains, refined sugars, and legumes. Thus, my meals primarily consisted of fruit, veggies, meats, and fish. The diet was very hard to maintain in Benson, as the meat options are limited unless added in addition to a salad. Salads are even difficult to make acceptable on their own as most salad dressings involve some ingredient that is banned. I found myself eating mostly egg whites, bacon, lettuce, and chicken. For a college campus, the paleo diet is not sustainable in the long run.

I felt the effects of the diet very early. For the first few days my energy levels felt depleted. My body was purging itself of the leftover refined sugars as well as the extra carbohydrates. I also had intense hunger pangs. I wasn’t used to consuming such low amounts of sugars, fats, or carbohydrates. The sluggishness I felt before and after practice was increased, and my mood suffered. Mentally I felt unmotivated and constantly exhausted.

After about 3 days, I began to regain my energy. My mood became much more tolerable and I was even able to eliminate my daily naps. I noticed that I was able to go without eating for longer stretches of time and able to perform at a more consistent level during practice. My desire to eat meat waned, though I was able to sustain my love of vegetables. I believe that part of the energy increase was the result of more sleep through the night. During the first part of the diet, I would wake up every few hours as well as take a long time to fall asleep. Once my body adjusted, I would sleep much more deeply and stay asleep for the entire night.

Every diet eventually reaches the point where your body needs to adjust and can no longer survive off its limitations. For these last two weeks of the project, my body has suffered regarding energy and hunger levels. In response to the hunger, my mood has also taken a negative turn. According to an article published by the staff of the Mayo Clinic, a foundation that does research as well as tries to provide medical education, carbs are a necessary part of every diet, and I was not getting enough of them. The article points out how carbs are supposed to represent 45 to 65 percent of daily total calories. I was taking in some carbs through mostly fruits and vegetables. However, I was being especially limited in the area of sugar carbs.

Blood sugar is referred to as glucose and is made up of broken down sugars and starches. An article by Steven Edelman, a doctor and professor of medicine at UCSD, states that, “Glucose is an important energy source that is needed by all the cells and organs of our bodies.” Though blood sugar is dangerous in high levels, my diet was causing mine to be too low. I was not absorbing enough sugar because I was never eating enough fruit. A breakdown of the paleo diet guidelines on the US News website shows that the diet restricts carbohydrates to representing 23 percent of daily calories. At this low level, my body began to feel the effects through my energy levels as well as mood. I was consuming too few calories of carbohydrates per day to maintain my lifestyle of early mornings, multiple workouts, and long hours of being awake.

As I began to touch on in my previous post, my eating style will change once I’m off the paleo though I hope to still incorporate some elements. I’m going to return to consuming grains, though in limited quantities. Through sources, such as the Mayo Clinic article, I’ve learned that I need whole grains to provide my body with vitamins and minerals and to help maintain the suggested amount of carbohydrates per day. I’m not a huge fruit fan, so I doubt my consumption of fruit will increase. I think I will also reduce my meat intake while increasing that of my dairy. I am slightly lactose intolerant so I can’t drink more than one glass of milk per day so I have to add cheese, which I have less of a reaction to, into the dairy mix. I am decreasing my meat intake because I’m worried that how much saturated fat I take in will lead to high cholesterol, a common Nitz family ailment. However, I still understand the importance of meat, as well as my love of it, so I’m still going to consume red meat regularly, though chicken more often.

The paleo diet was a good decision in the short run. By going on the diet I obtained a better understanding of what my body needs, while also managing to wane my reliance off processed foods and sugary drinks such as soda. I accomplished my goal of being on the paleo diet for the 5 weeks and learned more about the make up of my body than I could’ve predicted I would.

Though I decided not to continue on the paleo diet, especially if I remain a division 1 athlete, I learned a lot. The research this project caused me to do made me realize how flawed my eating habits were both before the project as well as during. I think the paleo diet is very maintainable for short periods of time, whether for weight loss or for a kicking off a healthy life. However, long term it is much too difficult as it requires the elimination of essential nutrients and normal glucose levels and causes a higher reliance on saturated fats. Overall I’m glad I went on the paleo for this project and I’ve now learned how to adapt my eating habits and lifestyle to achieve the best results in energy levels, hunger levels, and improved moods.  

I just want to add a thank you to everyone who has read and commented on my blog as well as supported me through this journey. It's been a very valuable experience and I hope you were able to learn along with me. Good luck to all of you with your various food experiences and I hope you find a meal plan which makes you happy. 

Works Cited

"Carbohydrates: How Carbs Fit into a Healthy Diet." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 08 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 May 2013.

Diego, Steven Edelman, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of California, San, M.D. "What Is Glucose (Sugar In The Blood) And What Purpose Does It Serve?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 12 Aug. 2008. Web. 29 May 2013.

Hiett, Kurtis. "Paleo Diet." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 2 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 May 2013.

A Reconsideration

Recently my team had a meeting that discussed our goals for next year as well as addressed what our nutrition and workouts should look like in the summer. As I stared down at the list it really struck me how few of the things on the “suggested” side that I could not eat if I remained on paleo.

Our recommended foods for summer include many options that my diet has been void of for recent weeks, most notably grains and dairy. According to the Livestrong foundation’s website, dairy is key for muscle repair and growth. When doing an intense workout, especially heavy weightlifting, the body’s muscle tissue is being ripped apart. Dairy speeds the recovery process of that tissue. Grain, on the other hand, is a source of carbohydrates. Also stated on the Livestrong website, the average person is supposed to consume 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates 30 minutes post workout. The role of carbs is to aid in the storage of glucose in the muscle glycogen. Glucose is one of the body’s main sources of energy. The consumed glucose is distributed to the cells and tissues of the body that then use it to heal and recover in energy. The energy is very important especially as an athlete because it increases my endurance as well as allows for me to build up muscle faster and without detrimental effects to my health like exhaustion.  

      Besides suggesting grains and dairy, the sheet also included nuts, mostly in the form of peanut butter, vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. The only things that were urged to be off limits or to be eaten in moderation were those goods that were considered dessert or high in sugar as well as in high fructose corn syrup. This would be a big change from my paleo lifestyle these past few weeks. But as summer and my deadline approaches, I find myself reconsidering staying paleo.

As the project draws on, I have decided to take a different eating path in the summer. Rather than be fully paleo, I will incorporate paleo ethics into my everyday eating plan. My decision not to stay paleo is the result of the challenges I’ve experienced so far on paleo. Although for the first few weeks I had a boost of energy as well as lost weight, this last week has been particularly hard. According to an article on the Livestrong website by nutritionist and “Self” magazine contributor Sarah Dray, one of the effects of the paleo diet is a lack of carbohydrates, meaning low energy. She writes, “Although you are able to get some carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, the total amount is still lower than if you were eating grains.” The lack of carbohydrates in my diet has led to a lessening of energy. This past week I have been particularly afflicted with this lack of energy. 

Another danger of the paleo diet that I discovered through Sarah Dray’s article was the possibility of too much saturated fat. Since the diet centers around heavy consumption of meat, there is a large amount of saturated fat going into my body. Too much saturated fat leads to higher cholesterol and increased likelihood of heart disease. Normally this is something a teenage girl would not concern herself with. However, my family has a history of high cholesterol and blood pressure, so I must keep both under close watch since I’m already at increased risk for associated diseases.

            The nutritionist also expressed her opinion that as athletes we should eat 3 meals per day with 2-3 snacks interspersed. Although I agree with her main suggestions about the types of food we should be eating, I know my body wouldn’t respond well to the amount of food she is suggesting for consumption. To consume this much food, which would equal well over 1400 calories per day, I would surely gain weight and just physically not be able to consume that much without getting sick. I usually try to limit myself to 1200-1400 calories per day in the summer when I have limited activities. However, in the school year once crew starts again and I am much busier, I will increase my caloric intake to closer to 1700 to account for the multiple, high intensity workouts per day. Instead, I have revised her eating plan to better fit my unique specifications.

            My ideal day would consist of three meals with one snack. Breakfast would be completely paleo. I’d most likely eat egg whites with either bacon or ham. The reason I don’t consume a large amount of carbohydrates here is because I am often still on an adrenaline boost from practice so I’m not hungry at all. However, I will eat a snack about one to two hours later that has significant carbohydrates but low fat. According to the Cleveland Health Clinic website, my snacks could include rice cakes, granola bars, or yogurt. Lunch may deviate from my previous lifestyle. For example I may eat a turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread, or even just turkey alone, but most likely with a type of cheese (more for flavor than anything). I would eat the bread because it would be a good source of carbohydrates, but only whole grain since white bread can often act like sugar. On the Whole Grain Council’s website, an organization which reviews all products and certifies them healthy and whole grain, it states that whole grains have many benefits including reduced risks of both strokes and heart disease. If I were to bypass bread it would be because I was trying to lose weight, and I know from experience that bread and cheese often make me bloated and force me to retain vast amounts of water weight. The non-paleo addition would be small, yet still relevant. Between lunch and dinner is when I would plan my snack. Snacks would consist of vegetables or fruit, something light that would also be filling and provide me with some carbs. I would be consuming water over the course of the day, even after workouts rather than milk because I am lactose intolerant and milk would affect my stomach. Since I do not control my own dinner, my mother does, dinner would most likely be a type of meat with a vegetable. I would get carbohydrates from the vegetables as well as protein and some carbs from the meat. It seems paleo, yet it is likely there would be some type of second side that would be outside the diet’s guidelines for example maybe mashed potatoes or a different form of legume that would add carbs to my meal.

            My overall goals for the summer are an extension of what my goals were for the paleo diet. I want to learn to eat healthier while editing my diet to help me be able to perform at a more consistent athletic level and feel better. The paleo diet, I discovered, only makes me feel good for a few weeks. After those few weeks I begin to decrease in energy and become crankier as my body becomes weaker. The edits to my eating plan should be more maintainable in the long run as I won’t experience the dip of energy. My energy should be at a stable plateau so that I can do all activities I want including exercising. The limitation on carbohydrates in my new dietary plan is because I’m hoping to lose some of the weight I gained this year during the summer especially when I only work out once per day. I think this is a great opportunity to focus on my health and achieving the energy levels, weight, and fitness level I want.

            The nutritionists’ presentation really made me reconsider the paleo diet that I was on. Since hearing her thoughts and reviewing the eating plan I have decided not to eat paleo all summer. Rather, I will use what I have learned the last few weeks and incorporate it into my life in order to live a hopefully healthier lifestyle that will continue to aid in muscle development and decrease substantial weight gain while incorporating more carbohydrates to restore my energy to its pre-paleo level.

Works Cited

Dray, Sarah. "What Are the Dangers of the Paleo Diet?" LIVESTRONG.COM. The Livestrong Foundation, 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 May 2013.

"High Carb Snacks." Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic, n.d. Web. 06 June 2013.

McCarty, Kristen. "The Best Food to Eat After Working Out." LIVESTRONG.COM. The Livestrong Foundation, 31 May 2011. Web. 22 May 2013.

"What Are the Health Benefits?" The Whole Grains Council. Oldways Preservation Trust/Whole Grains Council, 2013. Web. 06 June 2013.

A Solution to Cravings

            At this point I have been committed to the paleo lifestyle for a number of weeks, and I think it’s about time I let all my readers know my progress so far. For those readers who have just discovered this blog, the paleo diet is a challenge I’ve given myself that involves my eating only meats, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. This is the third week of my adventure, and I’m beginning to shift more into the paleo lifestyle as making healthy decisions has become much easier.

My meals day to day tend not to vary due to the limitations in my diet. A typical breakfast for me consists of two egg whites and bacon from Benson. Sometimes the bacon is substituted with some form of fruit for variation. My inability to order milk or juice results in my consumption of a large amount of water. I drink water constantly over the course of the day, though in copious amounts during meals. For lunch I usually have a salad. Typically I’m in a rush, though, so it’s sans meat. I usually like spinach greens with carrots and vinaigrette. Dinner is similar to lunch, meaning a salad. However, I usually add meat during this time. For days I can’t stand salad anymore, and those are growing increasingly frequent, I have a grilled chicken breast. Sometimes, depending on how hungry I find myself, I also add a side salad. To round out my daily meals I consume snacks about every 3 hours. My favorite snacks include fruits, vegetables, and nuts. However, my main snack point is usually just after I’ve finished class for the day. At this point I usually eat an apple or carrots. I’ve found these two foods to be the most easily accessible as well as satisfying.

I’ve noticed many changes in my energy and hunger levels since beginning the paleo diet. At first, I felt sluggish due to the decreased sugar intake. However, as the days continued I began to feel a lot better. In the morning when I wake up for practice I’ve find myself not as hungry, meaning my meals the previous day are lasting longer and refueling my body efficiently. That extended fueling ability comes in helpful after breakfast as well. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I have a long run of classes. So, when I eat breakfast at 9, I won’t eat lunch until 3:30. I’ve noticed that I don’t feel hungry at all until about 1, when I have a small snack, which usually consists of an apple or walnuts. Another change in my energy levels has been that I feel much more energized throughout the day as I no longer have to struggle to stay awake during the 10:30-1 pm time period where I previously had. I have also noticed that I have been getting better nights’ sleep where I’ve been sleeping through the entire night rather than continuously waking up at 3-hour intervals.

Up to this point in time I’ve managed to stay committed and focused on my challenge. However, I have been finding it very difficult to do so with cravings that I am constantly surrounded by in the school environment. I’ve been having a multitude of cravings. The most intense is for curly fries and chocolate. The curly fries craving stems from a streak of ordering curly fries from the Bronco, a section of the school cafeteria, most Wednesday and Friday nights. It’s an unfortunate habit that has been hard to kick. However, when those cravings arise, I start by drinking a glass of water.

According to the New York Times’ study on weight loss by Anahad O’Connor, water aids in weight loss by filling up the stomach and reducing hunger. The New York Times article cited a recent study the Department of Human Nutrition conducted there was found to be a 13% reduction in caloric intake after a subject drank water before each meal. This same principle can be adapted to apply to my project. Most of the time when I have cravings, I’m not actually hungry. Thus, by drinking water, I fill the space in my stomach that I would have otherwise filled with junk food. So far, it is working quite well and keeping my reaction to the cravings under control.

I’m having a hard time learning to say no to all the opportunities that arise to eat badly with friends and just during school in general. Mclaughlin, the dorm that I live in, often has events that include desserts and other off limits food. It’s also difficult to order healthy foods when I am out to lunch with friends or at the movies. College students, especially near the end of the year, tend to feel trapped on campus and then look to escape to off-campus destinations. The restaurants chosen are often limited by budget, which is why eating low quality food is often on the agenda. It’s a cheap solution to feeling confined by dorms and dorm food. My main avoidance of this dilemma is not to go. But since I find eating a very social experience, I usually go along and don’t eat anything, or request that we go to a place with healthy options as well. Recently, a group of people invited me to go to Chipotle. I love Mexican food but the paleo diet limits my options immensely especially in this cuisine. Since I wanted to go, I did. But my meal looked much less tasty than the tortilla wrapped delicacies the rest of my friends were munching on. However, I ate my salad and I was still glad to have gone. It was a little more time I got to spend getting closer to the people I choose to surround myself with daily. A diet shouldn’t have to limit excursions with friends; instead, I just must choose to make smart decisions.

One of the biggest ways the diet has impacted me socially and otherwise is with breakfast. Every morning after practice my rowing team has breakfast together. Since most of us have class soon after we get back to school, we usually tapingo or order electronically so it’s ready when we arrive. However, the options on tapingo are few. I used to get a breakfast burrito with egg whites and sausage. But since I now can’t eat the tortilla I have to wait until I arrive at school to order breakfast. This both increases my wait time for breakfast and reduces the amount of time I can socialize with the team. It’s really taught me to make the most of the time I have with people since my breakfast time has been reduced from 20 minutes to usually 10 minutes. People often ask me why I don’t just cheat for breakfast, especially since the long wait for egg whites makes it so I can’t shower before my 9:55 Tuesday/Thursday class anymore, but I tell them it’s important to me. I set a challenge and a goal for myself, and I want to know I can accomplish it without having to take the easy way out of just cheating and lying.

Overall the diet has made many positive improvements in my lifestyle. Even though I am still tempted by many of the food offerings available in the cafeteria and around campus, I am learning to control my cravings. The benefits of going on the paleo diet, including having more energy and getting more sleep, have really made a difference in my life, and I look forward to continuing my challenge into the fourth week.

Works Cited

O'Connor, Anahad. "REALLY?; THE CLAIM: Drinking Water before Meals Aids Weight Loss." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/health/16really.html?_r=1>.

"Water Consumption Reduces Energy Intake at a Breakfast Meal in Obese Older Adults." National Center for Biotechnology Information. US National Library of Medicine, July 2008. Web. 14 May 2013. 

The Key to Athletic Success

Hi everyone welcome back! This week I decided to do a text review on a book I found relevant to my blog topic and interests; I chose to research a book titled The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel. After reading this book I have a better understanding of the Paleo Diet and specifically how I can use the diet to enhance my abilities as an athlete.

The authors of The Paleo Diet for Athletes are very qualified, and their expertise is evident in the text. According to Loren Cordain’s website, thepaleodiet.com, he has a Ph.D. from University of Utah in Exercise Physiology and is considered to be the world’s leading expert on the Paleolithic Diet and the founder of the Paleo Movement. He’s published a multitude of books and articles including The Paleo Answer, The Paleo Diet Cookbook, “Tomatoes, Vaccines, and Autoimmune Disease,” and “Origins and Evolution of the Western Diet: Health Implications of the 21^st Century.” The co-author, Joe Friel, is an endurance coach who specializes in triathlons and cycling. Friel became involved in the Paleo project when Dr. Cordain personally challenged him to experiment with the Paleo Diet. His personal knowledge and experience with the diet makes him a great additional voice in the book, as he can offer stories and advice about how you should expect your body to react to the changes.

The book itself is a paperback sold in all popular stores and online. My mother, who had stumbled upon it while doing research for her business, sent my copy to me. Published in 2010, the manual-like text was released around the same time the Paleo Diet became popular as well as when Dr. Cordain introduced his website, thepaleodiet.com. I felt like the book was really aimed at me as well as people with similar lifestyles. The text’s intended audience is comprised of athletes, coaches, and parents of athletes. The writing is not very formal but tries to identify with the reader on an athletic level, mentioning things like “eating before exercise.” It reads a lot like a manual or how-to guide.

The authors’ main claim is that by becoming a Paleolithic eater, an athlete can enhance his or her ability to recover and perform better overall while being healthier. Also in some cases people experience fat loss, though that is not the main focus. One of the points argued by Cordain and Friel is, “The Paleo Diet also prevents muscle protein breakdown by keeping your blood from getting too acidic” (Cordain and Friel 4), thus leading to faster recovery and more endurance. This is especially relevant to me because, besides strength, endurance is what I’m constantly trying to build up as a competitive athlete. By increasing endurance, I can exert my full strength for a longer period of time, and that is one of the biggest factors in defeating other teams and people. It’s not your strength that matters, but rather what you can do with it and how long you can maintain pressure.

The purpose of the text is to clearly outline the basics of becoming a Paleo eater as an athlete and the resulting positive effects. The text also defends its arguments by covering “Common Counterarguments.” The first argument is that, “They (hunter-gatherers) died at an early age” (Cordain and Friel 11). The authors do not dispute this statement because, in fact, it was true. The average life span for hunter-gatherers was low, but that was not because of complications in their diet. Their defense states that the main cause of death was from living in a perilous environment where trauma and accidents were common. So when people try to argue that if we follow the Paleo Diet, our life span will decrease just like the cavemen’s, they are incorrect. The caveman was found to be universally fit and free of chronic degenerative disease. Their life span is not what we are trying to mimic rather, we want to obtain their health standard.

The second popular counterargument plays right off of the first. Cordain and Friel address the statement that cavemen were only healthy because, “they didn’t live long enough to develop heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses” (Cordain and Friel 11). According to the experts, this is completely false. Modern day society has even begun to see the falsehood of this statement as the diagnosis rate for health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure has been increasing for children and young adults. According to the National Cancer Institute, the median age for the diagnosis of cancer has begun to drop. Some types of cancer, such as bone cancer, have even dropped in median age range into the late thirties. Rather, what were keeping these early Paleolithic citizens from getting harmful diseases were their diets and their inability to consume such ingredients as high fructose corn syrup and vast amounts of salt.

The main goal for the two authors is to convince athletes (and coaches) to try the Paleo Diet out and to see the predicted results for themselves. And the authors use a lot of facts and ethos to convince the readers that what they say has merit. It is very convincing. Since the book reads more like a manual, the evidence is not overwhelming though it is present.

The text is very related to the topic of my blog. Since I have gone Paleo for my project, the text helps me understand more of what I’m allowed to eat. The athlete aspect also helps outline when I should eat, as well as what types of things for before and after workouts to maximize potential. The authors have written a persuasive book that addresses many topics. It is also admirable that they do not skip over the counterarguments. The treatments of the opposition are very satisfying because they face the problems directly and argue in a complete and persuasive way. I walked away from reading this text feeling like I was thoroughly informed in a variety of aspects regarding the Paleo Diet, especially in concern to athletes. Overall it’s a very helpful article that I believe I will benefit from greatly.

Works Cited

Cordain, Loren. The Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet, 2010. Web. 28 April 2013.

Cordain, Loren and Joe Friel. The Paleo Diet for Athletes. New York: Rodale Books, 2010. Print.

Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results. National Cancer Institute, 2010. Web. 29 April 2013.