Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Stats: 6'1 - 185pounds - 7-8% BF - Strength train 3 times a week + sprints once a week -

I've been following a 100% strict Paleo diet + autoimmune protocol as per Robb Wolf(no nuts, dairy, nightshades). I've had good results but have noticed that I have digestion issues when consuming sweet potatoes. They seem to sit in my gut for too long and as a result I have gas and/ or diarrhea the following days.

I've decided I want to experiment by removing starch from my diet to see if digestion improves. My only concern is that I might not get the required carbohydrate intake to fuel my activity. I've previously experimented with a low carb diet (under 100g per day) while trying to maintain my current exercise routine and it simply is not for me.

What foods would you recommend to help me hit a minimum of 150 grams of carbs per day? From what I gather my options seem fairly limited (fruits,vegetables). Does anyone see a problem with the consumption of these foods as carb sources?

flag	asked Dec 22 2011 at 1:45 Eric 1,054●1●3●17

	Pumpkin or butternut squash? Have you tried these? I eat a fair amount of both this time of year with more canned pumpkin PWO than anything. This is from a guy who is also bothered by sweet potatoes. – Tom R. Dec 22 2011 at 2:48
	amazon.com/gp/product/B002JNM8YM/… – Kasra Dec 22 2011 at 4:03

conciliator · Answer 1 · 2011-12-22 03:27:19Z UTC

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I am told of a rare delicacy called a 'fruit.'

If you can get your hands on these mythical foodstuffs, I am sure you can reach your carbohydrate goal without strict starches.

answered Dec 22 2011 at 3:27

conciliator
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I have failed to see an answer from you that wasn't sprinkled with sarcasm, conciliator. – April S.♦ Dec 22 2011 at 4:07

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But were they good, sarcastic answers? – conciliator Dec 22 2011 at 7:02

sometimes...... – AndyM Dec 22 2011 at 14:43

At least you're consistent. – April S.♦ Dec 22 2011 at 23:10

Rhubarb · Answer 2 · 2011-12-22 03:11:47Z UTC

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Lifting is low on the glycogen demand, so the good news is you don't need a massive hit of cabrs, ala an endurance athlete.

Personally if I were, I would experiment with low fructose fruits, such as berries & banana's.

If you can pick up around 50g from other items in your diet, which typically isn't too hard, getting another 100g from fruits should be easy enough.

answered Dec 22 2011 at 3:11

Rhubarb
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Not sure why a perfectly useful answer was downvoted. What is wrong with some of the fucktards who frequent this place? +1 – Cody Dec 22 2011 at 5:55

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if your doing intense lifting it can be extremely glycogen demanding. You can only use glycogen during weight lifting. Low fructose fruits aren't really that low either, they are nearly the same as every other fruit in regards to fructose content. – cliff Dec 22 2011 at 13:41

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only if you're doing it wrong cliff – AndyM Dec 22 2011 at 14:42

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Sure, but I have no problem doing my strength training whilst in deep ketosis, but can't train for a marathon/ultra without fueling a decent amount of carbs - yes I have tried. – Rhubarb Dec 22 2011 at 23:19

Silverspeed · Answer 3 · 2011-12-22 03:04:10Z UTC

I have freakishly similar stats to you (including name, haha) and a similar workout schedule - I also tried VLC and it was unmaintainable for various reasons. The issue with not consuming starches is that starches are long strands of glucose molecules, and glucose is the only sugar that can be used to replenish glycogen stores.

That said, my PWO shake generally consists of a little whey protein, coconut milk w/ water, and 1-2 bananas. A decent sized banana can give you 30g of carbs (according to the USDA nutrition database), much of which is glucose. I believe the ratio is about 2:1 glucose:fructose but truthfully I'm having trouble finding a source for that.

After adding the PWO shake into my routine I've had no issues with intense exercise. I occasionally eat sweet potatoes, but my carb intake is almost always around 100g/day.

DH · Answer 4 · 2011-12-22 03:00:45Z UTC

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you can't period. read Antholny colpo's articles, he advises a high starch Paleo diet for all athletes. doing low carb while training hard is just foolish and only the most dogmatic low-carb advocates would advise such. in fact i box 2x/wk, weight train 2x/wk and do sprints 2x/wk while in medical school. i eat about 40% carbs thru sweet potatoes (i love okinawan purple ones), potatoes and some white rice.

answered Dec 22 2011 at 3:00

DH
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	he can still eat fruit, so he definitely can achieve any of his training goals. fruit will be just fine for his purposes. – conciliator Dec 22 2011 at 3:22
	Starch is not required at all, i eat around 700g of carbs and only ~40g come from starch :) – cliff Dec 22 2011 at 13:43
	And you can certainly train and progress while depleted, all effort is relative. Of course if training is your goal in and of itself well, that might make a difference. – AndyM Dec 22 2011 at 14:46
	I agree with DH...low carb diets are terrible for athletes. – ROB Dec 22 2011 at 19:45
	you people talking about fueling real training with fruits and training depleted clearly have never been serious athletes. i used to be a competitive boxer in the amateurs, and the kind of training we go thru isn't your run of the mill "Paleo exercise". – DH Dec 22 2011 at 21:52

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Dorado Galore · Answer 5 · 2011-12-22 02:23:21Z UTC

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What other starches besides sweet potatoes cause digestive problems? I ask because you are proposing to remove "all starches" as an experiment. Do you have experiential evidence that the entire category "starch" is problematic for you?

answered Dec 22 2011 at 2:23

Dorado Galore
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I've tried Yucca, taro and squashes – Eric Dec 22 2011 at 2:45

How can an athlete get sufficient Carbs on a no starch diet?

5 Answers