As with Crossfit training, the Paleo diet can be scaled down accordingly for every individual. Most people cannot just jump right in with 100% strict Paleo. In my gym, CrossFit Evolution, I have found that a better way is to dial in each individual. Seek to improve upon your current diet and strive to make it cleaner & better, by setting new food goals, every 1-2 weeks.
First, A Few Ground Rules
You must start a food log. You will always get to your destination faster if you have a map, know where you are starting, and know where you are going. You need more than a lofty goal, you need a game plan. Keep the food log simple. Use 1 page per day. Record the time you ate, what you ate, and how much of it you ate. This is the very basic and first requirement.
Get yourself a regular notebook or journal to work as your logbook. Pick up a cheap food scale from the “household” aisle of your local grocery store, it’s about $10.00. Read up on the “Paleo cliff notes” to get a basic starting point, buy the book “The Paleo Diet” (the only one I recommend because it is written by the World’s leading expert on Paleolithic diets), or visit his website for the best current information and published scientific research.
If you want to know WHY you should eat Paleo, here’s the “WHY Paleo cliff notes” . Start recording everything you eat & drink into your log, start NOW. Even if you don’t know what you’re supposed to be eating. You need to see clearly what you are actually eating every day. After about 3 days of recording, you should be able to see where your trouble spots are. Now, let’s improve your diet.
Pyramid of Danger
The Paleo diet end goal is to eliminate Processed Foods, Sugar, Grains, Dairy, & Legumes/Beans from your daily diet. And I placed them in a specific order I call the Pyramid of Danger. Eliminate these groups a step at a time.
Processed Foods
Real food doesn’t come from a box or a can. The toxic chemicals used to preserve it, the added salt and/or sugars do not need to be in your body. Frozen dinners… read the ingredients label. If you cannot pronounce something or you don’t know what it is… don’t eat it. Simple ingredients are always better than chemicals. Eliminate the processed foods from your diet first. Cook large batches of quality foods and then pack into tupperware. Store in the fridge or freezer and now you have a healthy frozen dinner that YOU made.
Sugar
There is nothing good about sugar. NOTHING! It spikes your insulin levels, making you more susceptible to becoming diabetic, having high cholesterol, stunted growth, inability to absorb nutrients, getting hyperinsulinemia, or just plain old getting fat. Where am I getting this stuff? Go HERE and read the references at the bottom. Sugar is bad stuff! Get it out of your diet. This is #2, because at least it’s not a toxic chemical (unless you eat/drink that made-made sugar, then see #1 above), but it will still lead a sure path to disease and sickness.
Grains
Also called cereal grains, include wheat, corn, rice, barley, sorghum, oats, rye, & millet. Grains are used in cereals, breads, pastas, and used in almost ALL processed foods (read the label!). Grains are not nutritionally balanced compared to fruit, veggies, nuts, and even meat! Our digestive systems and bodies are flat-out not designed to process grains, no more than it can process dirt (and there are some nutrients in that too but why would I want to eat it?).
Grains contain anti-nutrients (phytates) that rob your body of nutrients, like affecting calcium intake. And then there’s gluten containing grains (wheat, oats, rye & barley) and Lectins. Those cause intestinal permeability, which means that your gut lining weakens and food bacteris etc can pass out of the intestines and start floating around the body. All this causes inflammation of nerves & tissues, causes intestinal distress, and can lead to disease when consumed in excess. Read the full article HERE from Loren Cordain, PhD. Lose the grains!!
Dairy
Babies are meant to get milk from their mother, not a cow or a goat. And adults don’t need milk. Most of us lack the enzymes to process it anyway. On top of that, dairy raises insulin levels. I don’t care what the Dairy Council says or even Mark Rippertoe. You don’t need milk!
Why do you think you need it anyway? The protein? You’ll get better quality protein from animal sources. The vitamins & minerals? That’s why you should eat nuts, veggies, & fruit. Worried about osteoporosis? Worry less about calcium intake (you get calcium from fruit & veggies) and worry more about calcium excretion (caused by grains!). Read HERE for more info. Get the dairy out of your diet.
Beans & Legumes
This includes: peas, beans, black beans, kidney beans, green beans, lima beans, soybeans, tofu, peanuts, anything ending with bean or peas. This group contains phytates and lectins, that you read about above in the grain section. So, same problems. They gotta go too.
Level 1 Paleo
It’s tough. That’s why there’s a pyramid to ease you into this. Just keep in mind, I always allow 3 “cheat meals” or “open meals” per week. This allows you to reap the benefits of staying healthy while allowing for a couple indulgences to keep your sanity and have fun, because life is meant to be fun. But you have to be healthy enough to enjoy it!
This is what I call Level 1 Paleo. It’s systematically eliminating unhealthy foods from the daily diet and recording food intake, whatever it is, in a logbook. It’s the first step to success. Eliminate one group at a time. This could be daily, weekly or monthly. Whatever will keep you consistent, on track, and moving forward. If you fall off, just get right back on track. No one is perfect, but we must strive to be healthier, not just for ourselves, but for our families.
At Level 1, I don’t restrict calories. I want the focus to be on food quality. I also advise everyone to eat a minimum amount of protein. The easy method: take your bodyweight; the first 2 digits is the amount of ounces of protein you must eat at a minimum. For example: I weigh 150 lbs. I need to eat at least 15 oz of protein per day. In actuality, I eat about 30 oz of meat (yes, about 2 1/2 lbs). This is because right now, I am training very heavy in prep for the CrossFit FL Sectionals. After competition, I will go back down to about 20 oz. But all that is another level.
Next Friday, I will post Part II. I’ll be talking about Level 2 Paleo and beyond.
~Monique
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Comments (24) »
[...] Original post by Monique Ames [...]
Great post! I’ll be sharing this with some of my fellow CrossFit chicks who have been a little intimidated by going Paleo. I tell them that you just have to jump in and start viewing food as fuel. In order to feel/perform (and eventually look) better, you have to eat better. Period.
But, I remember how it felt at the beginning. Your tips will really help.
Jessica- not everyone can go hardcore when they first start, and most do not. it’s a process to make this a lifestyle change. that’s why I came up with this for our members and it works very well
so, yes, please share, repost on FB too.
for the more Paleo inclined, looking to up the ante, stay tuned for Level 2 Paleo, next Friday
Awesome post!! Thanks for the education and for some great ideas on how to stay on track. Looking forward to Part 2!!!
Great post!! Although everyone’s Paleo is gonna look a little different depending on their goals, these are great guidelines. Herm&i have been doing a lot of reading about dairy and Paleo based on the great success and testimony of many long-time Paleo enthusists. Fantastic idea to take on the “pyramid of danger” one at a time. Folks can become overwhelmed by all of that! Baby steps! I love it
Good post Monique. I will also be sharing this with the members at my box who have been thinking about trying paleo. It does seem intense at first and I usually tell people do get rid of processed food, sugar, and grains to get started… but I like the idea of the pyramid. Thanks!
-Monik
After attending a Paleo Potluck Party recently I decided to give it a try. I honestly couldn’t believe how good the food was.I did start it slowly though. I first gave up the packaged protein bars and snacks that I thought were healthy. Then eventually grains/glutens, and only recently gave up the dairy. It also helped when Monique came up with the idea to have gym members sign a “Paleo” contract. Strict Paleo for about 3 weeks as a way to support the Crossfitters that are competing next weekend. I was hesitant at first, but knowing that I’m not doing it alone makes all the difference. Plus it has forced me to get creative in the kitchen because I get bored easily. It also forced me to realize that I CAN do this. I’ve never, ever felt better and so full of energy.
Thank you Monique!!
I think it’s important to note that if people choose to keep dairy in their lifestyle, to use high fat cream, cultured butter from grass fed animal (called pastured), and raw cheese. Note that they are hard to come by and may be expensive! MILK raises insulin because of the carbohydrates. (Same goes for processed cheese) Cream is the fat skimmed off the top of milk. It is pure fat.
This is a very good primer- lots of good links, Monique! Great first post
Terri- you’ll love Part 2 & Beyond
Cookie, Monik- glad you enjoyed it
Heather- Thank you for coming in and training hard and listening. I love it when people listen and follow through. So Thank you to you
I have been eating Level 1 Paleo for about 2 months. I could really tell the difference when I ate some cookies as my cheat meal. I felt horrible almost catatonic. So I knew I wasn’t going to try that again, then when Monique requested we all eat a strict Paleo diet I was up to the challenge. A strict paleo lifestyle has made it easier for me to shop, cook and eat.
Roxanne- stay strong! a well deserved cheat meal is next weekend
and you are doing great, so keep at it.
[...] Reading corner: great article on the Paleo diet written by Monique Ames of CrossFit Evolution – Levels of Adherence: Part I [...]
I figured I would comment since I have been reading this blog for about 2 weeks now and really enjoy it. A group of us started a 30-day paleo challenge 1 week ago. We are struggling in different ways. I like the idea of the levels. I am going to suggest this and see what everyone thinks. I have a feeling it will be a hit!
Thanks for posting Jen. Nothing like a challenge to help keep people on board, as long as they have the tools to succeed. Best of luck to you and your group!! Be sure to post back and let us know how the challenge went.
Great post. I am just starting crossfit and am looking into the Paelo diet. Iove your site.
Best,
Rob
Great postings all! Closely follows a Smithsonian article published in 2004 by Stephen Hall: Kenyon’s Ageless Quest.
Met Ramzi Matar today and we briefly discussed the new views of the emerging food pyramids. Through lifestyle changes and a strict exercise regimen I’ve lost 50 pounds over the last three years and thankfully dodged the Type 2 Diabetes bullet by the skin of my teeth.
That beig said, I am just beginning my research on the Paleo Diet. Leaving behind grains and legumes is going to be a real ‘biatch’ for me. Taking a ‘level’ approach seems most sane and likely to produce long-term success. Looking forward to future posts.
Hey Greg! First, Congrats on the weight loss and 2nd, give Paleo a shot
You won’t be sorry.
So, you met Ramzi… he is a great guy. He started eating healthier recently and continues to train very hard at the gym. Maybe we’ll see you there?
Monique, Thanks for the props on the weight loss. Started packin’ on the pounds when I quit smoking 10 years ago. One good step sent me in the wrong direction for a while.
Am seriously giving thought to doing the Paleo Diet for 30 days and see where to go from there. The intensive meat concentration is probably most problematic. Just not a big fan of most meats and have pretty much dialed it down to fish and poultry over the last three years. Veggies and fruit – no a problem – but I’ll probably need to reduce fruit intake due to the natural sugar levels.
Most of my exercise is confined to cycling and circuit weight training – low weight / high rep stuff. I’m 5′ 5″ and do not have a lot of mass. Am 44 and focused on gaining definition and contined loss of fat. I really should swing by and visit you guys . . .
Greg- congrats on quitting the smoking, that’s a tough battle. Yes, give Paleo a try. And there is nothing wrong with eating only chicken, turkey, and seafood! And yes, the fruit needs to be cut waaaaay back
If you want to check us out at the gym, the first visit (Intro) is free. It’s 1-on-1, and we’ll talk about your current health & diet and your goals. After that, I’ll take you through a warm-up, skills assessment, and then a workout. Just shoot me an email:
monique [at] crossfitevolution [dot] com
or give a call to schedule an appointment:
321-202-3716
There’s no better time than right now
[...] Original post by Monique Ames [...]
[...] you have seen this before if you have read my previous article: Paleo Level 1. Vegetarians notoriously eat a ton of bad carbs. We all understand why we need to give up processed [...]
[...] Level 1 [...]
Different people in the world get the mortgage loans in different banks, just because it is comfortable and fast.
With regard to the title
Levels of Adherence: Part I | PaleoChix , it kind of took me aback for a while but now I understand what you mean. I have been thinking about the same stuff at my blog http://protazoa201000.gather.com. I would honestly appreciate your thoughts on what I talk about. Wilburn Blewett