I've got some great emails back on my post I made about Paleo and Sports Nutrition and I thank everyone for taking the time to respond. And as always, I need to put some clarity on my personal stance.
I have always believed that Paleo is an excellent way to cut or taper and improve body composition. This is why we agreed when our CrossFit nutrition instructor, Mike, asked to spearhead the Paleo project. Most of our clients want to trim down body fat and be overall healthy. Paleo is a great transition from the typical, modern diet to a healthy, and still "clean" way of eating. We have seen some excellent success from our clients who are on Paleo and some have even signed up to continue their education by attending the nutrition summit with Robb Wolf. Like I said, I really admire that dedication.
Sports nutrition and individualization is and always has been my first love when it comes to fitness. While training to become a professional boxer, I learned from a great nutritionist, specific to boxing (Important point here: I needed a diet to support my "sport", hence the adaptation to sports nutrition). Over the last 8 years, I've had the chance to study and learn from some of the worlds best professional in the industry. As recently as last summer, I attended a seminar with the world famous Paul Chek, owner of the CHEK Institute in California. Mr. Chek pretty much spent the entire hour bashing Barry Sears, Dr. Atkins, Dr. Ornish, and anyone else who has made up a regimented diet. While he had some good points, I didn't appreciate how harsh he was and I really hope that I didn't come off like Mr. Chek. I deeply appologize if I did and I ask for your forgiveness. While he was right when he said that one diet cannot work for everyone, I do believe that they can work for MOST people and I see no reason why someone (not withstanding metabolic conditions) could not have success on one of these.
My goal has always been working toward optimal performance. In these last 8 years, I have learned that optimal performance in the sports arena can only be achieved via sports nutrition. Now, I have to find a definition of "sports nutrition". Is Zone considered sports nutrition? Paleo? What is sports nutrition and what is not? Should EVERYONE who is on an exercise program be on a sports nutrition diet? Absolutely not because that would be a one-size-fits-all approach. What I do want is for everyone to perform optimally at their sport, or anything they do. When training for boxing, I would train 2 and sometimes 3 x's per day. This burned a huge amount of calories and I constantly needed to replenish my glycogen stores to perform optimally and recover for the next day of training. Could I have done this on Paleo? Probably, but that would have been a heck of a lot of brocolli, fish oil, and eggs.
Can Paleo replenish glycogen stores, support muscluar hypertrophy and fuel metabolic functions? I have read Paleo for Athletes, and that's a little different, but again, what's the overall training goal?
Some clients regularly tell me that while they do want to feel good, what's really important is looking good in a bathing suit. Over the years, this is really what the majority of our clients have always wanted. If tapering, feeling good and looking great is your goal, then quite honestly Paleo and/or Zone is probably for you, if you have the dedication to stick with it. If optimal sports performance is your goal, then a sports nutrtion diet is probably for you.
What about "The Sport of Fitness?" Can you perform well at the sport of fitness when following Zone or Paleo? Absolutely. Here's why: These events in CrossFit are not long in length. Because the time component is relatively short, there is plenty of time for recovery before the next event.
I want people to have the opportunity to choose for themselves which option works best for them. This is why Mike will continue to teach &coach Zone and Paleo in his classes. I think it's great to have multiple disciplines for everyone to experience when learning about nutrition. Maybe in the future I'll be 100% on board. Oh yes, one more thing. Here's a list of things I do not recommend, and I would like your feedback:
Dairy, including
cheese
cows milk
cottage cheese, cream cheese,
half and half and dairy based creamers
Monosaccaride & simple sugars
High glycemic breads
Non-wheat pasta
High glycemic cereals
Fruit juices
Peanut & peanut butters
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