Sugar is the Enemy

Sugar is something I have been trying to stay away from as much as possible, save for what I get naturally from my fruit intake. Knowing that sugar promotes fat storage among other negative effects, it is hard to believe so many people continue to eat the junk and processed foods that seem to contain one form or another. As always, MDA has done a great job of looking into this matter and breaking down the various forms of sugar and which ones we should absolutely keep out of our bodies. Check out the link and and think about sugar and the role it plays in your life.

Do you drop a cube in your morning coffee?

Do you spoon a couple tablespoons onto your cereal (other quick breakfast options)?

Do you still have a sugar dish?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the questions above you should think twice about if it is necessary and try giving it up for two weeks to see if you really need it or not.

Even though sugar has been scientifically proven to cause a variety of cancers, it still brings a laugh to think the ad above was actually used to entice people AND make them think it would help their cravings at mealtime!

Primal Fruits - Which are the best options?

A quick link from MDA on the best fruit options for paleo eating.

There are different areas to look for when deciding to have fruit, but going for the highly antioxidant rich fruits are usually your best choice. You'll read that there are other things to consider for getting the most nutritional value out of your fruits, but it all comes down to the individual. I seem to go with bananas most often (because of the convenience factor), but that obviously needs to change. Blueberries and cherries here I come!

Keeping fruit to a minimum is important because of the high sugar content found in many options, however, a good piece of fruit can really hit the spot sometimes.

Elevator Pitch...Paleo Style

In the business world it is important to have your own elevator pitch in case you have a short amount of time to highlight your key attributes, experience and goals to somebody. It is basically a quick synopsis of you and your talents in case you run into a situation where you need to show yourself off to a person that you are attempting to impress. The goal is to have it short enough so that you can say it in the time you would be riding in an elevator with another individual (hence the name).

I came across a post on another blog (Whole 9) that was talking exactly about this in terms of the Paleo way of eating and I thought it was important and worth putting on here because it was so good. I could really use something like this when discussing the Paleo way with people new to the idea or who are just curious about why I eat like I do. Below is the exact 'pitch' they have which can obviously be tweaked, but I think it does an excellant job of explaining the finer points without going into too much detail, which generally loses a listener anyway. Enjoy.


I eat “real” food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit. I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition. And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.

It’s not a low calorie “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine. Fat isn’t the enemy – it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I’m not trying to do a “low carb” thing, but since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.

Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body. It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym. It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

Advantages of Grass Fed Beef and Dairy vs. Grain Fed

There seems to be a general misconception out there that red meat is evil and will cause you heart disease and other health related illnesses. However, a closer look at the facts can help point out that grass fed beef and dairy actually can be eaten pretty healthily and not cause all of the so-called diseases the public believes will fall upon them if they touch the stuff. While I do believe a balanced diet of lean meats and all things Paleo is the right approach, having grass fed beef multiple times a week is not going to kill you.

Here are a few bullet points that I took from an article on the topic that help illustrate some of the benefits of eating grass fed beef versus the general grain fed you'll find in most grocery stores.

-More antioxidant Vitamin E

-More antioxidant Beta Carotene

-More CLA

-Less Fat/Saturated Fats

-Less Omega 6/More Omega 3 fats

-Less chance of the animal getting sick or producing sick meat

Check out the full article here...charts included for easy digestion of the info!

A Call To Action

Something must be done! Simply, it can not go on like this any longer.

I have hit a point where I am making excuses for my poor eating and justifying why I can't work out far too often. This is going above and beyond the 80/20 rule of primal eating and living and it is starting to affect my mood and lifestyle. While I am exteremely happy with my decision to go primal it has caused me to slack off in my workout efforts. By eating primally I have some how ingrained in my mind that it is ok to not workout as often or with the passion I had before. Taking a rest day if I am tired is fine, but these 'rest days' are popping up all the time lately.

So, I am challenging myself with a call to action to become more primal with my eating and living and kick start my butt back into my previous workout mode. Starting Monday (4/26/10) I am getting back to my solid four to five day a week program that pushes me to the max. There will not be any light 'cardio' days where I plug away on an eliptical machine at the gym for 30 minutes. I will either be stretching myself at home with various P90X dvds for bodyweight exercises or hitting the gym and doing heavy lifting and sprinting on the treadmill.

Still having the occasional vice like a beer or dark chocolate here and there is ok, but my primal eating needs to get back on track as well. I have less than three months until I get married and my goal from now until then is to stay the course and keep my focus straight. Of course, my bachelor party is another story but i'll only be gone for a few days and I plan to give myself a killer workout the Thursday morning before our flight.

For those of you out there in a similar rut or situation, ask yourself if you need a call to action as well? I know I did.

NFL Draft Tonight!

Hard to believe it is already time for the 2010 NFL draft, it seems like the Super Bowl just took place and Favre was limping off the field toward another off-season of uncertainty.

I used to love sitting and watching the draft all day and listening the the analysts say the same thing over and over again. However, this year the NFL decided they wanted to have the draft in primetime on Thursday night instead of the usual all day Saturday and Sunday event. I'm not boycotting it by any means, but it is just another business ploy to make money and grab ratings. Saturday made it an 'event' for me while Thursday night makes it just another program on at night. I hope it flops and gets changed back but I'm not holding my breath.

As for the Packers, lots of needs on this team to fill but I'm hoping they stick with OTs and d-backs. We need quality and depth in both areas.

I swear, if TT drafts Tebow in the 1st round I will stop being a Packer fan until he is fired!

GO PACK!

Dinner and Grocery Shopping

Summer is almost here and that means two things; sun and the farmer's market! More on the farmer's market in another post, but Summer also makes me want to eat a lighter type of meal that has more of a Summer feel to it. So, last night I made a mozzarella, tomato and basil salad with my version of a tuna melt. Both are extremely easy to make and tasty.

The salad includes fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, a little evoo and cracked pepper. As you can see, you simply slice the cheese and tomatoes and lay them out on a serving plate and then chop the basil and arrange on top. Then drizzle some evoo over it and add cracked pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge for an hour and serve! The tuna melt is my paleo version (so, sans the bread). Simple can of tuna with a slice of pepperjack cheese on top and put in the oven at 375 degree until cheese is melted.

While the above meal is a bit heavy on the cheese and dairy, i'm not too worried about some in my diet. I'll just make up for it by cutting back tomorrow by having very little to none...just balance it out. On to grocery shopping...

Grocery shopping the paleo way can be fun but also stressful at times if you are still tied up to old habits. I guess this will just take some time, but sticking to the outside walls of a grocery store is a helpful way to stay on track. The middle isles are usually full of the processed and packaged crap that we do NOT need anyway. There are a few items to wander into the forbidden ground (my own term) for like evoo, almond butter, pepper, etc., but don't get sucked in to those chips and cookies calling out your name!!!

My usual list at the store includes the following but does vary depending on season and how i'm feeling;

Proteins

-eggs(organic are best here)

-beef(grassfed variety)

-chicken

-Salmon

-Cod

-Shrimp

Veggies (LOAD UP)

-lettuce

-celery

-carrots

-avocados

-roma tomatoes

-green peppers

Fruits (some but not a lot)

-bananas (#1 on my list)

-apples

Dairy (some but not a lot)

-milk

-parmesan cheese

-mozzarella cheese

-string cheese

Sensible Vices (ok, but don't over indulge)

-dark chocolate

-beer

-wine

Liquids (don't waste your $)

Drink H2O, it's free and healthy for you. I know some people like fruit juices, but make sure they are 100% juice without the sugar or other additives included.