PALEO DIET FOR ATHLETES

By L. B. Sampson

PALEO DIET FOR ATHLETES

BY L. B. SAMPSON

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.2

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.

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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".

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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

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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.

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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.

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