Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Melissa from Whole9 posted a link to the attached video from the CrossFit Journal. The comments the video elicited were varied and a good read. Most tended to lean toward the "I agree that Paleo is a great approach, but it's hard to argue with the success of a lot of these athletes" (noting that Rich Froning just won the CrossFit Games). Realizing that CF might not exactly meet everyone's definition of "what is Paleo" and further realizing and not everyone on here follows CF, I figured the video was worth a post knowing that there are several that follow this forum that may not have seen the Facebook post.

For what it is worth, I fall into the category of the "Paleo is good, but maybe there are other good approaches too" citing these superior athletes as examples.

http://journal.crossfit.com/2011/07/afmullinsregionals.tpl

flag	asked Aug 6 2011 at 1:33 Tom R. 3,682●1●5●16

The foods they eat aren't that bad, I don't get it? – cliff Aug 10 2011 at 11:46

JayJay · Answer 1 · 2011-08-06 01:47:52Z UTC

I fall in the category of these are young guys working out hard that can eat ho ho's and twinkies as long as they get enough protein and fat to rebuild and they should be shredded from the work load they put in. I mean at that age I could kill a keg one night and go to wrestling practice the next day follow that with a weight routine and a night time run no problemo...

Just saying.

igg22 · Answer 2 · 2011-08-06 11:43:32Z UTC

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Amazing genetics can make up for less than ideal dietary inputs, at least for a while. This is not to discount, in the least, the amount of hard work and training these folks put in.

answered Aug 6 2011 at 11:43

igg22
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no it cant.....because epigenetics is far more critical. – The Quilt Aug 10 2011 at 2:26

MacKenzie · Answer 3 · 2011-08-06 11:28:58Z UTC

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Listen, I could eat 100% clean and not even qualify for the team from my box. Leveraging genetics through tough training is what separates these folks from the rest of us.

answered Aug 6 2011 at 11:28

MacKenzie
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miked · Answer 4 · 2011-08-06 04:17:19Z UTC

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Health. Performance. Longevity.

The three are (positively) correlated up to a point. That is being healthier will make you perform better and live longer. But after a point, you got to choose. If you want to be the best in the world you have to give up some health.

Go read Robb Wolfs post on Nikkis blog where he talk about the whole health performance longevity triple point.

Edited to add: I wrote the first part on my iPhone, so I couldn't go get all the links I wanted to. Here's the post about the whole health performance longevity thing (this also answers the questions that come up like "why do the Navy SEALs have a high carb, diet)

http://www.nickivioletti.com/2011/07/the-economics-of-performance-health-and-longevity/

edited Aug 6 2011 at 4:17

answered Aug 6 2011 at 3:57

miked
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	I don't disagree with anyone who has replied so far that I think Paleo is a very good nutritional approach for most people. I love my grassfed ground beef, spaghetti squash and "Paleo approved" foods as much as anyone who posts on this forum. I also feel like garbage if I eat a bunch of pizza (rare occasion). The logic Melissa from Whole9 applies is that these athletes, because of their great genetics or whatever, are great despite their bad diets. I personally question this. The genetics are certainly great. However, if their diets were that deficient (i.e. milk, occasional peanut butter... – Tom R. Aug 6 2011 at 15:12
	...Progenex, a little bread, or whatever that "cheat" may be), this would hurt them to the point where strict Paleo athletes with good genetics would be beating them. I think it is too summarily dismissed to say it's just genetics. Anyway, just thought the video was worth a post in this forum. I understand the forum is not one that will be beating the Zone drum real heavily. I find it interesting. – Tom R. Aug 6 2011 at 15:14

MacKenzie · Answer 5 · 2011-08-06 15:17:23Z UTC

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Listen, I could eat 100% clean and not even qualify for the team from my box. Leveraging genetics through tough training is what separates these folks from the rest of us.

answered Aug 6 2011 at 15:17

MacKenzie
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	im not a buyer of this at all. – The Quilt Aug 10 2011 at 2:27
	Dr. K- would appreciate your thoughts (if you have a minute) on why many phenominal athletes excel with such deficient diets (at leaset according to those who follow a Paleo diet). Is it because they are still young and the affects of a deficient diet have yet to catch up with them? Are other factors more important than diet (e.g. genetics, training methods, nice tans, etc.)? Or are the "deficiencies" fairly minor overall, and we are just nit-picking the outer edges of these folks diets? – Tom R. Aug 10 2011 at 17:36

Michael RB · Answer 6 · 2011-08-10 01:51:07Z UTC

Honestly, I think this is more of an ability to consume issue than a demonstration that one way of life is eating is better than another. The paleo diet is incredibly anorectic and it is really difficult to consume the necessary calories that would someone to perform at the top level of crossfit from solid food.

Also, I think it is important to remember we are trying to have diets that emulate our evolutionary milieu rather than simply eating what was available then.

James · Answer 7 · 2011-08-10 11:26:11Z UTC

If you have read The Paleo Diet for Athletes, Dr. Cordain talks about adding in "non-Paleo" foods in the pre- peri-, and post-workout windows.

Dr. Cordain realizes that it is tough to give the body all that it needs to fuel and recover from big workouts, like CrossFit puts one through.

The key is to keep the non-Paleo food consumed of as high a quality as possible and not just down a ton of white flour and sugar based carbs for the heck of it.

And as far as bad diets for elite athletes, the elite CrossFitters have nothing on elite level swimmers and road cyclists.

Just google Michael Phelps dietary choices to get to the 10,000 calories per day he needs to train....

CrossFit and Food Variation (Whole9 Facebook Post)

7 Answers