What Should I Eat and
Why?
Food Is A Drug And Your Body Is A
Chemistry Lab
• Everything you eat causes a reaction
• What you eat, and how much, determines
that reaction
• Be particular, but not obsessive, about
what you eat
• Think about health gain, not just weight
loss
Diets=Religions
• Everybody thinks theirs is the right one
and the only one
• Everybody wants to convert you to theirs
• At their core they all have some
commonality
• Do some learning, see what fits you, make
an informed decision
My Fundamentals
• Get off the crack: sugars and simple
starches
• Essentially eliminate wheat for two
reasons
• Don’t be fat phobic
• Read labels
More Fundamentals
• Be anti chemical
• Shop the outside aisles
• One slice of your kid’s birthday cake won’t
kill you, your daily lowfat bagel might
• Don’t obsess over this
• Live your life (this applies to workouts too)
Known or Suspected Autoimmune Diseases
That Also Present With a Leaky Gut
Disease Tissue/Organ Citation
1. Allergies Various Liu et al. Acta Paediatrica 2005, 94, 386-93
2. Ankyllosing Spondylitis Skeletal system Vaile JH et al. J. Rheumatol. 1999, 26, 128-35
3. Apthous stomatis Mouth Veloso FT et al. Hepatogastroenterol. 1987, 34, 36-7
4. Asthma Lungs Benard A et al. J. Allergy Clin. Immun. 1996, 97, 1173-8
5. Autism Nerve/Brain White JF. Exp. Bio. Med. 2003, 228, 639-49
6. Autoimmune gastritis GI Tract Greenwood DL et al. Eur. J. Pediatr. 2008, 167, 917-25
7. Autoimmune hepatitis Liver Terjung B Clin. Rev. Allergy Immunol. 2009, 36, 40-51
8. Behcet’s Syndrome Small blood vessels Fresko I et al. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2001, 60, 65-6
9. Celiac Disease Gut Schulzke JD et al. Pediatric. Res. 1998,43, 435-41
10. Chronic Fatigue Synd Multiple Maes M et al. Neuroendol. Lett. 2007, 28, 739-44
11. Crohn’s disease Gut Caradonna L et al. J. Endotoxin. Res. 2000, 6, 205-14
12. Depression Brain Maes M et al. Neuroendocrinol. Lett. 2008, 29, 117-24
13. Dermatitis herpetiformis Skin Kieffer M et al. Br J. Dermatol. 1983, 108, 673-8
14. Diabetes, Type 1 Pancreas Sapone A et al. Diabetes 2006, 55, 1443-49
15. Eczema Skin Hamilton et al. Q. J. Med. 1985, 56, 559-67
16. Gut migraine children Gut Amery WK et al. Cephalalgia 1989, 9, 227-9
Disease Tissue/Organ Citation
17. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Thyroid Sasso FC et al. Gut 2004, 53, 1878-80
18. IgG Nephropathy Kidney Rostoker G et al. Nephron. 1993, 63, 286-290.
19. Intrahepatic cholestasis of Liver Reyes H et al. Hepatology 2006, 43, 715-22
pregnancy
20. Juvenile Arthritis Collagen/joints Picco P et al. Clin. Exp. Rheumatol. 2000, 18, 773-8
21. Lupus erythmatosis Multiple Apperloo HZ et al. Epidemiol. Infect. 1994, 112, 367-73
22. Multiple sclerosis Nerve/Brain Yacyshyn B et al. Dig. Dis. Sci. 1996, 41, 2493-98
23. Pemphigus Skin Kieffer M et al. Br J. Dermatol. 1983, 108, 673-8
24. Primary Biliary Cirrh Liver Di Leo V et al. Eur. J. Gastro. Hepatol. 2003, 15, 967-73
25. Psoriasis Skin Hamilton et al. Q. J. Med. 1985, 56, 559-67
26. Rheumatoid arthritis Joints Smith MD et al. J. Rheumatol. 1985, 12, 299-305
27. Rosacea Skin Kendall SN. Exp. Dermatol. 2004, 29, 297-99
28. Schizophrenia Brain Wood NC et al. Br. J. Psychiatry 1987, 150, 853-6
29. Scleroderma Connective tissue Caserta L et al. Rheumatol. Int. 2003, 23, 226-30
30. Sclerosing Cholangitis Liver Terjung B Clin. Rev. Allergy Immunol. 2009, 36, 40-51
31. Spontaneous abortion Uterus Friebe A Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 2008, 40, 2348-52
32. Ulcerative colitis Gut Caradonna L et al. J. Endotoxin Res. 2000, 6, 205-14
33. Urticaria Skin Buhner S et al. Allergy 2004, 59, 1118-23
34. Uveitis Eye Benitez JM et al. Eye 2000, 14(pt 3A), 340-3
Conclusion: At least ~ 33 % of autoimmune diseases present with
a leaky gut. However, most autoimmune diseases have yet to be
tested.
This slide was taken from “Dietary Mechanisms of Autoimmunity”, Loren Cordain, Ph. D.
Paleo vs. Zone vs. Others
And their variations
Dietary Orgins
• Staple of today’s diet is cereals, dairy
products, refined sugars, fatty meats and
salted processed food.
• Paleolithic people ate no dairy or grains.
The only refined sugar was honey. Wild,
lean animal foods dominated their diet.
Protein intake was high compared to
today’s diet, while carbohydrate
consumption was much lower.
Paleo Ground Rules
• All the lean meats, fish and seafood you can eat.
• All the fruits and non-starchy vegetables you can
eat.
• No cereals (no grains)
• No legumes
• No dairy products (some argument here)
• No processed foods
• No sugar or sweeteners*
Protein
• 0.6 to 1 gram per 1 pound of body weight
per day (some say eat with abandon)
• 4oz. 90% lean ground beef=21g protein
• 1 egg=12g protein
• It raises your metabolism, causing you to
burn more calories.
• It satisfies your appetite, causing you to
feel less hungry between meals.
Carbohydrates
• Good carbs vs Bad carbs
• Glycemic index
– Blood sugars
– Insulin levels
• Glycemic load (GI X Carbohydrate load)
– Carb content per 100 grams
• Fruit 13%
• Non-starchy vegetables 4%
• Grains 72%
Facts about Fats
• Dietary fat extracts fat soluble vitamins from foods and
improves their absorption by the body (i.e. mixing olive
oil with greens is an excellent idea).
• Fat decreases the rate of gastric emptying.
• Digestion of fat triggers the release of a variety of
messengers and hormones that suppress hunger and
signal satiety.
Zone
• 7 grams of protein = 1 block. 14 grams
= 2 blocks. 21 grams = 3 blocks.
• 9 grams of carbs = 1 block. 18 grams
= 2 blocks. 27 grams = 3 blocks.
• 1.5 grams of fat = 1 block. 3 grams =
2 blocks. 4.5 grams = 3 blocks.
16 Block Zone Day
• 112g protein
• 144g carb
• 24 g fat
• 3oz fat free turkey = 15g proteinX5.5
servings = 83g protein
• 10 oz raw spinach = 10g carbX3 = 30 g
(also gets you 24g protein daily)
16 Block Day continued
• 1 cup sweet potato = 41g carb X 3 = 123 g
• 1 avocado = 22.5 fat (also gets you 15 g
carb and 5 g protein)
• Most people find that they up the fat and
protein content some
Simple Zone advice
• Meat serving the size of your hand
• Rest of the plate filled with complex carbs
(green and other color things)
• A little bit of fat
What should I eat?
• Avoid
• Cereal grains to avoid include: all varieties of wheat (spelt, einkorn,
emmer, durum), barley, rye, oats, triticale, corn (maize), rice
(including wild rice), sorghum, millet, fonio, and teff.
• Grain-like substances or pseudocereals to avoid include: Amaranth,
Breadnut, Buckwheat, Cattail, Chia, Cockscomb, Kañiwa, Pitseed
Goosefoot, Quinoa, and Wattleseed (a.k.a. acacia seed).
Pseudocereals are the seeds of broad leaf plants whereas grains
are the seeds of grasses.
• Dairy is a gray area. Dairy products of any kind should be avoided
by individuals with autoimmune disease. For those without
autoimmune diseases, dairy from grass-fed animals is permissible.
Heavy cream, butter, and ghee should not be problematic.
Occasional consumption of fermented dairy options such as cheese
and yogurt is acceptable. Experiment with milk but eliminate it if it is
found to be problematic
Post WOD Variation
• The science behind post-workout nutrition is that in the time window
directly after high intensity exercise your body gets a “get out of jail
free” card with respect to high glycemic carbs. This window spans
from when you finish your last rep to 2 hours later, but is most potent
in the first 30-45 minutes after the WOD. Not only are you less
affected by an insulin spike during this time, but your body can
actually productively use that insulin in replacing glycogen. Some
athletes also like to include protein to start the tissue repair process.
• Miranda Oldroyd drinks a 20 oz chocolate milk within 10-15 minutes
after her WOD.
• Matt Chan recommends a fast digesting protein such as eggs and
carbs such as fruits and berries.
• Chris Spealler eats Progenex, which is a brand of supplements in
the form of a protein shake.
• Josh Everett eats sweet potatoes and chicken breast.
Summary
• Taking out bad things more important than what
you add
• Eat real foods in variety
• Go hungry on a regular basis(intermittent
fasting)
• Vitamin D and fish oil
• Run some sprints, lift/pull/push heavy things
• Structure it all in a way that fits your life
Resources
Links:
http://freetheanimal.com/
http://www.archevore.com/
(this is the site formerly known as PaNu)
http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://robbwolf.com/
http://www.garytaubes.com/blog/
Books
Mark Sisson
Robb Wolf
Gary Taubes
Art DeVany