The Paleo Diet Plan for Athletes
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Athletes looking for a way to
maximize their training results may have heard of the Paleo Diet for Athletes.
While misunderstanding abounds, the Paleo Diet is founded on the type of foods
our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived on many thousands of years ago. With a few
modern tweaks, the Paleo Diet for Athletes can provide a competitive edge,
allowing for greater muscle build-up with decreased recovery times and thus
increased performance. Scientific studies continue to demonstrate its safety
and efficacy.
Paleo Diet Philosophy
At its heart, the diet's philosophy
is very simple: consume the types of foods that the human body evolved to
consume. In the words of the diet's creator, "the optimal diet for the
athlete is the same one that we as Homo sapiens have thrived on for nearly all
of our existence on the planet - a Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age, diet, albeit
one slightly modified to meet the unique demands of athletes". The Paleo
Diet follows a low-carbohydrate, high-protein plan, but for athletes, it also
takes into account the need for glycogen restoration after exercise. While
similar to some other diets, "the greatest differences of what we propose
here may be found in the timing of carbohydrate and protein ingestion,
especially branched-chain amino acids; selecting foods based on glycemic load
at certain times relative to training; the base-enhancing effects of our diet
on blood and other body fluids; and periodization of diet in parallel with
training". In this way, the diet is organized to best benefit training and
cut down on recovery.
Athletes should be clear that this
diet is very different from the traditional high-carbohydrate diets espoused by
most trainers. In fact, athletes will need to forego most all carbohydrates
since "grains, like dairy products and refined sugars, were not part of
the native human diet". The diet is founded on consumption of
"healthful fruits, veggies, lean meats, and seafood". Dietary
strategies are intended to increase performance and for overall health; this is
not a weight-loss diet, despite that followers do lose fat and gain muscle.
Paleo's Competitive Edge
The Paleo Diet for Athletes offers a
competitive edge to those who follow it. The diet evolved through training
needs thus maximizes athletic performance. Researchers "found this way of
eating to be 'ergogenic,' a term exercise physiologists use to describe
nutritional supplements that can enhance athletic performance". It
"is high in animal protein, which is the richest source of the
branched-chain amino acids - valine, leucine, and isoleucine...potent
stimulants for building and repairing muscle". It provides the building
blocks for muscle growth and repair, essential to any serious athlete.
It offers several other benefits.
The diet "prevents muscle protein breakdown because it produces a net
metabolic alkalosis." The foods commonly eaten by Americans are acidic. To
neutralize an acidic diet, the body breaks down muscle tissue, obviously bad
for athletes wanting to build up muscle stores. Since the Paleo diet is
net-alkaline, the body has no need to break down muscle tissue. In addition,
the diet also protects health. All the fruits and vegetables provide a rich array
of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which promote immune-system
function. Indeed, researchers have found that "the frequency and duration
of colds, flu, and upper respiratory illnesses are reduced when athletes adopt
the Paleo diet". Athletes build muscle faster, don't break it down, and
bolster their immune systems at the same time - all good things for
performance.
Diet Regimen
The key to the Paleo Diet regimen is
its tailoring to the athlete's training schedule. In "recognition that
consumption of starches and simple sugars was necessary and useful only during
exercise and in the immediate postexercise period," it allows athletes to
ingest certain carbohydrates only when it best suits them for training, in the
pre- and post-exercise windows. At all other times, "eat as much lean
meat, poultry, seafood, fresh fruit, and veggies as you like". Thus, the
diet is high in protein, but because of the preference for lean proteins,
saturated fat consumption is lower than some may expect. The Paleo Diet is not
the high-fat Atkins diet; it preferences the "good" fats such as
omega-3 fatty acids, which lower cholesterol and protect health.
Foods barred from the diet include
"cereal grains, dairy products, high-glycemic fruits and vegetables,
legumes, alcohol, salty foods, fatty meats, refined sugars, and nearly all
processed foods". Instead, athletes eat low-glycemic fruits and
vegetables, which provide the vitamins and minerals that are so helpful for
those lost during exercise. But in recognition of depleted glycogen stores,
"Immediately before, during, and after a workout or competition, certain
non-Paleo foods should be eaten to promote a quick recovery".
Example Daily Menu - 2200 Calories
Breakfast:
Cantaloupe - 276g
Broiled Atlantic salmon - 333g
Lunch:
Walnut-Vegetable Salad
Romaine lettuce - 68g
Carrot - 61g
Cucumber - 78g
Tomatoes - 246g
Lemon juice dressing - 31g
Walnuts - 11g
Broiled lean pork loin - 86g
Dinner:
Veggie and avocado-almond salad
Mixed greens - 112g
Tomato - 123g
Avocado - 85g
Almonds - 45g
Red onion - 29g
Lemon juice dressing - 31g
Steamed broccoli - 468g
Lean beef sirloin tip roast - 235g
Dessert:
Strawberries - 130g
Snacks:
Orange - 66g
Carrot sticks - 81g
Celery sticks - 90g
Timing of Eating for Athletic Events
Eat at least two hours before
exercise, consuming 200 to 300 calories per hour prior to the start of the
event (so 400 to 600 calories if two hours before or 600 to 900 calories if
three hours before). These should be low- to moderate-glycemic-index carbohydrates
that are also low in fiber. If exercise lasts less than an hour, no
carbohydrates are needed during the event. If lasting for more than an hour,
athletes should consume high-glycemic-index carbohydrates during the event, in
the form of sports drinks.
Within thirty minutes of completing
a competitive event or long/intense exercise period, athletes need to consume
both protein and carbohydrates in a 45:1 ratio. Commercial protein shakes are
an easy choice, but homemade ones work just as well, so long as they're
consumed within thirty minutes. For the post-exercise period, up to the amount
of time spent exercising, athletes should continue to eat moderate- or
high-glycemic-index carbohydrates along with protein, at a ratio of 45:1.
During this time, athletes may eat non-Paleo foods like bread, pasta, or other
glucose-rich foods. After this stage, athletes should return to eating
according to the Paleo Diet - lean proteins and low-glycemic fruits and
vegetables.
Paleo in the Long-term
The Paleo Diet has been helping
athletes improve performance for more than ten years. It's heavily based on
science and proven effective in the real world of athletics, yet many still
balk at the notion of eating as our ancestors did. Studies of remote
populations, of people who follow much the same diet as Paleo advocates, reveal
some sobering information. For example, "despite diets rich in animal
foods, these people have healthful blood cholesterol levels that leave the
average Westerner in the dust". High blood pressure is rare, as is
obesity. These populations don't have many diseases of the Western world. That
current scientific data is confirmed by historical accounts written when
Westerners came into contact with hunter-gatherer societies.
Recent medical studies bear out the
effectiveness and safety of low-carbohydrate diets. Studies published in the
New England Journal of Medicine have demonstrated that low-carbohydrate diets
cause lower cholesterol, improved glycemic control, improved insulin
sensitivity, improved triglyceride levels, as well as better weight loss when
compared to other diets. These studies, conducted over years, also dispel the
persistent myth that low-carbohydrate diets are deleterious to health. All of
this data shows that the Paleo Diet for Athletes is the best way to bring diet
in line with training goals to achieve optimal results.
P.S. Be sure to check out the Paleo Recipe Book. It contains over 370 recipes and covers absolutely everything you need.
Paleo cooking provides a simple,
natural way of eating that can dramatically improve health, and help you to
lose weight in the process. No other weight loss diet is as basic, yet
effective. If you want to lose weight fast, increase your energy and your sex
drive, improve your immune system and have a clearer, smoother complexion then
the Paleo diet might just be the answer. The Paleo Recipe book is just one
resource that could help you achieve your goals.
