Primal Anniversary
Feb 28 2010 was when I officially assumed a Paleo/primal way of eating so I am ten days away from my first anniversary of low carb paleolithic nutrition. What began as a result of reading a random newspaper article on a February morning over coffee soon morphed into a personal experiment to see if I could drop 20 pounds before the 2010 racing season. At that time I had no idea how much impact going low carb would be for my personal wellness. Not only did I drop in excess of 20 pounds but I have managed to maintain my weight loss despite a few falls from dietary grace and experimenting with some new(to me) foodstuffs.
The unexpected bonus by following primal nutrition and, by extension, avoiding grains,legumes, nightshade veggies and dairy was I experienced a cessation of some nagging health issues I often attributed to aging, genetics and athletics. My chronic scalp inflamation cleared for the most part along with bouts of adult acne. My joint and muscle pain was alleviated and/or disappeared completely and general skin chapping(especially in winter) was much improved.Wonky digestion, bloating and gas no longer was the norm.Subsequent investigations into food intolerances and anti-nutrients provided a direct correlation to many of my personal experiences. I even noticed that I handled stress better...both domestic and from the work place.
The biggest concern I had was how going low carb would effect my sporting endeavors. I too bought into the whole "carb up" line to prepare for athletics so I put that to the test by fueling my 2010 cycling season with sources of dietary fat, some vegetable/fruit sourced carbs and protein.Ended up having my best ever season on the bike and actually trained less! Carrying that mindset into my 2010/2011 ball hockey season I am having a banner year. The body is responding well to the intensity of the game and there is no shortage of energy or effort. I have begun running again but am focusing upon short, high intensity(sprint) efforts interspersed with box style jumps and lunges. The days of judging a run on how many kms I traversed is over. Its all about intensity not distance.
Not one to rest on my laurels I plan on continuing my adventures in the murky waters of (personal) nutrition and fitness heading into the 2011 cycling season. I think that nutrition cannot solely be applied in a cookie cutter manner but tweaked to meet the particular needs of the individual. It is that journey to find the foods that work well for you, keep you healthy and, most importantly, happy. A contented eater is a clean eater.
Fermented foods are garnering lots of attention for their abilities to maintain beneficial intestional flora, proper digestion and their abilities to negate/limit harmful anti-nutrients found in grains, legumes, soy and dairy. I have currently added into my diet some(unsweetened) Balkan style yogourt as a test. Stay tuned.
Next up is appling the principles of Intermittant Fasting to challenge the concept of grazing and three square meals a day. It is one thing to eat paleolithic foods(or modern examples of) but quite another to mimic the frequency of meals in typical hunter gatherer societies. Logic would dictate they are inseparable and part the the larger picture of good health and wellbeing.
The unexpected bonus by following primal nutrition and, by extension, avoiding grains,legumes, nightshade veggies and dairy was I experienced a cessation of some nagging health issues I often attributed to aging, genetics and athletics. My chronic scalp inflamation cleared for the most part along with bouts of adult acne. My joint and muscle pain was alleviated and/or disappeared completely and general skin chapping(especially in winter) was much improved.Wonky digestion, bloating and gas no longer was the norm.Subsequent investigations into food intolerances and anti-nutrients provided a direct correlation to many of my personal experiences. I even noticed that I handled stress better...both domestic and from the work place.
The biggest concern I had was how going low carb would effect my sporting endeavors. I too bought into the whole "carb up" line to prepare for athletics so I put that to the test by fueling my 2010 cycling season with sources of dietary fat, some vegetable/fruit sourced carbs and protein.Ended up having my best ever season on the bike and actually trained less! Carrying that mindset into my 2010/2011 ball hockey season I am having a banner year. The body is responding well to the intensity of the game and there is no shortage of energy or effort. I have begun running again but am focusing upon short, high intensity(sprint) efforts interspersed with box style jumps and lunges. The days of judging a run on how many kms I traversed is over. Its all about intensity not distance.
Not one to rest on my laurels I plan on continuing my adventures in the murky waters of (personal) nutrition and fitness heading into the 2011 cycling season. I think that nutrition cannot solely be applied in a cookie cutter manner but tweaked to meet the particular needs of the individual. It is that journey to find the foods that work well for you, keep you healthy and, most importantly, happy. A contented eater is a clean eater.
Fermented foods are garnering lots of attention for their abilities to maintain beneficial intestional flora, proper digestion and their abilities to negate/limit harmful anti-nutrients found in grains, legumes, soy and dairy. I have currently added into my diet some(unsweetened) Balkan style yogourt as a test. Stay tuned.
Next up is appling the principles of Intermittant Fasting to challenge the concept of grazing and three square meals a day. It is one thing to eat paleolithic foods(or modern examples of) but quite another to mimic the frequency of meals in typical hunter gatherer societies. Logic would dictate they are inseparable and part the the larger picture of good health and wellbeing.
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