CF Mama!

WOD 111125

No classes, but gym is open 10-6.

Today marks the beginning of Paleo Challenge "A". This is a gentler version of Paleo Challenge "B" coming in January.

This challenge runs from November 25 to December 24.

Why are we doing this right in the middle of the holiday season? It has been my experience that if you can adhere to, even improve upon, a good diet and exercise plan during the holidays, you will have greater success the other 11 months of the year. In addition you will have a jump-start on improving your fitness, health and general satisfaction with life if you meet the sunrise on January one with a smile and a spring in your step rather than a leaden foot and a hangover! However since we are not grinch-y Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years have been exempted from this challenge.

So what is this "Paleo Challenge"?

Simply put this is a return to the dietary habits of our cave-person ancestors, with whom we share most of our genetic makeup. The theory is that we have not evolved to properly process the foods of the agrarian age (cultivated grains, legumes and dairy). The science behind this, is, in my opinion, "soft", however I have been very impressed with the results of many people who have adopted this kind of diet (I have mostly eaten this way for years). Improved performance, lower bodyfat, lower cholesterol, medical conditions like asthma disappearing.

It is all laid out in the book "The Paleo Solution". I encourage you to buy and read this book.

The main point of this book is to take a leap of faith and take 30 days to eat "paleo" and see what happens. I can tell you that I know plenty of people personally who have done it and have become downright annoying in their zeal to get others to jump on the bandwagon.

I encourage you to do some research on your own to find out more about the "why" or just trust that I think about this stuff 24/7 and just DO IT. No one is forcing you into it, if it sounds silly, just move on and do something else.

Here are the very simple rules:

Eat any and all meats
Eat any and all vegetables
Eat any and all fruits
Eat any and all nuts
Eat any and all seeds
Eat any and all tubers (suggest avoiding white potatoes, preferring sweet potatoes)
Eat eggs
Eat anything made from the above
Take Fish Oil

Do not eat grains (wheat, rice, corn, etc or anything containing grains (no gluten).
Do not eat sugar or ANY OTHER SWEETENER (no honey, stevia, agave syrup, etc.)
Do not eat legumes (beans, cashews, peanuts, etc)
Do not drink beer or anything else made with grains
Do not eat dairy products (milk, cheese, etc)

Limit alcohol to three (3) drinks per week. Gluten free drinks like hard cider, can be found at whole foods in the beer case.

So what do I eat??

Here are some to get you started, via Andi: post more to comments:

I like to do really basic no-recipe/throw-meat-into-the-oven-then-take-it-out-and-eat-it cooking:

Whole Foods has great (and cheap) jalapeno burger patties which are delicious with bacon and avocado.

Max's sausage-and-veg bachelor (*ahem*) chow (yum):
1. Cut several pre-cooked, sugar-free sausages into 3/4" rounds
2. Brown the sausages in a skillet on medium-high heat
3. While sausages are browning, steam some vegetables (see below)
4. Put vegetables into the skillet with the sausages
5. Pour sugar-free pasta sauce (read the labels of those sauces, some of them have a lot of sugar added) over all and heat until the sauce is bubbling-hot
6. (Optional) mix in slices of hard-boiled egg

Delicious avocados:
1. Remove avocado skin and stone, arrange on a plate
2. Pour balsamic vinegar onto avocados
3. Sprinkle garlic salt (more than you might expect) over all

Spicy coconut milk to put over veg and/or meat:
1. Mix 1 tsp Thai Kitchen red curry paste (comes in a small jar) with 1 cup coconut milk until the milk looks reddish
2. (Optional) Heat 45 seconds in the microwave
3. Pour over meat/veg or just eat it straight

Microwave-steamed vegetables:
1. Put vegetables into a bowl
2. Pour olive oil or coconut oil, salt, and pepper onto the vegetables
3. Cover vegetables with a *wet* paper towel
4. Microwave until soft. (Broccoli, califlower, and green beans: 5 minutes; Asparagus: 7 minutes; Brussels sprouts: 9 minutes)
5. (Optional) Put the vegetables into a skillet and fry until they begin to brown

We will be starting a page to post recipes, etc HERE. Post em!

Post pass/fail to comments daily, as well as effects.