Has anyone tried the paleo diet and is it effective for sprinters. It gets rave reviews from the crossfit guys.
read that
http://www.charliefrancis.com/community/showthread.php?18569-Sprinters-and-carbs
also depends what kind of shape you have now, what sport etc.
Paleo+post workout carb shake is probably one of the best diets to follow IMO
Thanks for the help.
I would agree. Nothing wrong with adding some oatmeal preworkout or at breakfast. They go a little overboard with the no grains, no beans, no legumes, etc. thing
Here’s Bolt’s “training secret” 
…
http://www.spikesmag.com/features/willusainboltsnewdietwork.aspx
That’s right, chicken nuggets. Hey, what happened to the yams??
If you really believe some diet buys performance, then chicken nuggets = 9.58? Remember that MacDonalds best known customers at the last Olympics were Usain Bolt and Jeremy Wariner. Michael Johnson also has said that the combination of track work and weight work will make you look good no matter what you eat, so he didn’t believe in any special diets.
I’m not saying to run out and fill up on junk food (high saturated fat -> weight gain does not -> outstanding speed endurance), but I think the performance on the track comes from intelligent training on the track, NOT fad diets or fad gym programs. You need sufficient protein and carbs for muscle recovery for the next workout, some trace elements like zinc and magnesium, and that’s about it for what your diet gives you.
Paleo diet? You could actually argue better that performances <19.5 were fueled by junk food.
There ain’t a damn soul on this forum with genetics close to Bolt.
Sure look at his training for ideas, but his lifestyle is atrocious and nothing like what most pro athletes should aspire. It has also hurt his performance most likely.
X2
SOME sprinters have eaten crap occasionally, but is it optimal? An athlete should eat a normal but healthy diet. This is one area where western athletes could improve on, but get away with it because of outstanding genetics. The Russians & Chinese (weightlifters, track athletes) were meticulous about diet and still are.
You’re missing the boat a little bit, especially going a little overboard with that post on Mcdonalds. So we say athletes shouldnt eat junk (like sugar and trans fats), I think we can all agree on that. For sure we should ensure that optimal levels of zinc and magnesium are achieved. In order to accomplish that you should probably avoid the anti-nutrients found in wheat and grains. Say what you will about Dairy, good or bad, it can be a good source of protein and nutrients.
Anyway, my point is what you end up moving towards is exactly what we are talking about, the paleo way of eating. But of course, if none of the top guys are doing, then it must be wrong.
And if you think saturated fats are the big problem, you arent even on the same continent.
I just see things like the Paleo Diet as more faddism that has no basis in sprint performance whatsoever. It is in fact one of the most disrespected current diets by health experts and dieters alike:
http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-overall-diets
Anyone who thinks grains are a problem and saturated fat is not needs to spend more time away from the latest fads and paying attention to medical professionals. Compared to a normal balanced diet with protein content optimized for strength and power athletes, I don’t see that any diet has the slightest impact. Forget about diet and gym fads, and get thee to the track and train.
i think the reason why some of these guys were eating micky ds at the last olympics was because its consistant dirt/trash all over the world. do you guys really believe eating chicken nuggets is ok? i know for a fact that the smtc guys were very very strict leading up to any olympics…they would even employ a chef to prepare all meals to be in the best possible shape going into the games!
if you give an F1 car diesel just look what happens…
Candidate for worst post of the year. Maybe if you spent some time looking at some literature and not just your old school way of thinking. You’re stuck in an old paradigm, and modern science is leaving you behind. Which is fine if you want to stay ignorant. Others will continue to evolve and learn and become better coaches and athletes as a result, not you.
Lets look through some thoughts on certain details that have been raised:
Zinc and phytate consumption
Zinc Status in Athletes:
Relation to Diet and Exercise
Sports Med 2001; 31 (8): 577-582
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/smd/2001/00000031/00000008/art00002
"Proteins, especially of animal origin, and fat are the most important sources of absorbable zinc. The relatively high amounts of phytates (inositol pentakis and hexakisphosphates) in cereal products, legumes and nuts can significantly decrease blood levels of zinc in vegetarians because intestinal absorption of zinc occurs through a specific process that is diminished by concomitant ingestion of phytates, phosphates, iron and copper. Because of this high phytate content, the bioavailability of zinc in wholemeal cereal products is low compared with foods of animal origin.[7] Protein intake is important in this respect since proteins provide amino acids, some which are able to desorb zinc. "
The influence of the subjects training state on the glycemic index
Mettler S et. al. The influence of the subjects’ training state on the glycemic index. Eur J. Clin Nutr (2007 ) Jan;61(1):19-24.
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v61/n1/pubmed/1602480a.html
“Conclusion: The GI of the commercially available breakfast cereal depended on the training state of the healthy males. The training state is the first reported factor influencing the GI that is subject specific rather than food specific.” Its been shown that athletes respond differently in a blood glucose way to high GI carbs, therefore they can eat higher GI carbs and get away with it more than the average joe. So from a body composition and health perspective high GI carbs are less damaging to athletes in general. But the phytate contents shouldnt be ignored.
Moderate-carbohydrate low-fat versus low-carbohydrate high-fat meal replacements for weight loss
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09637480701240752
“Results Both the Low and Moderate Carbohydrate groups lost significantly more weight as well as inches from their waists and thighs than the Control group, while the Low Carbohydrate group lost a greater percentage of body fat. Although the Moderate Carbohydrate group showed significant reductions in serum cholesterol, the Low Carbohydrate group showed the greatest improvements in serum cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and very-low-density lipoprotein.”
So high fat diet actually improved the blood lipid profile better than high carb. And what you’ll find is that the real culprit to unhealthy diets is this high GI carbohydrate consumption of grains, wheat and sugars.
Inflammation
High–glycemic index carbohydrate increases nuclear factor-κB activation in mononuclear cells of young, lean healthy subjects
http://www.ajcn.org/content/87/5/1188.short
“Conclusions:The findings suggest that high-normal physiologic increases in blood glucose after meals aggravate inflammatory processes in lean, young adults. This mechanism may help to explain relations between carbohydrates, glycemic index, and the risk of chronic disease.”
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No wait let me google paleo on some obscure news site so that I can make a point and base my entire nutritional philosophy based on this. Just because Paleo has a name don’t ignore the underlying science. In reality paleo eating can differ in a lot of ways, especially for athletes. But the overall message should be the inherent physiological reasons why a person should maybe avoid grains and high GI carbs, and add in organic meats and eat lots of anti-inflam fats.
If I’m an athlete in Beijing, I’m doing what X-Man says- eating McDonald’s because it is a known quantity in a sea of unknown quantities- you can’t win with food poisoning! You can win by eating food that won’t make you physically sick despite having minimal nutritional value, especially since it’s only for a couple of weeks at most.
People have made many diets work for them in sprinting. Carl Lewis ran 9.86 at age 30 (on a super-hard track, but still a very good performance) eating an all vegan diet, and he often cites the diet as a factor in his success that season. Bill Pearl is a bodybuilding legend, and he ate vegetarian for his entire career. I think it’s pretty clear that wholesale dismissal of an eating philosophy without knowing the individual’s rationalization runs the risk of oversimplifying. There is no reason that multiple approaches can’t work given the proper context, as it’s proven successful for many in the past.
Syrus, you sound like someone who has made up their mind about the Paleo diet. There is nothing revolutionary about it- it restricts you to non-processed foods, which of course means it’s a fair bit harder to eat wasteful calories. As long as you can put up with the list of non-allowable eats and you have the time to prep your own foods (as eating out is going to be problematic) I can see it helping. It would be interesting to hear how your body reacts to it.
The idea that the most absorbable zinc comes from meat is fine, but in no way eliminates vegetarian or vegan diets as viable options, as supplementation of reasonably bioavailable zinc or B-12 is easy. Most vegetarian athletes I know are more careful about obtaining needed supplements than non-vegetarians, simply because they are on average more conscious of diet than others. In addition, fermented soy foods such as Tempeh have been shown to contain B-12, though how absorbable it is has not been established.
I really like Patrick Holford’s “New Optimum Nutrition Bible”- a very worthwhile basic compendium. He basically covers everything, is way ahead of trends, it’s referenced, and isn’t as dry as reading a medical textbook.
T-Slow, a fair response, thank you. And I agree that we should look past the names of diets and try to dig through what science and underlying biochemistry of what is occurring when specific foods are consumed. A discussion of the science is more refreshing and honest then a knee jerk reaction to a name.
There are so many commonalities between people’s views on diets, it becomes clear there is an obvious evolutionary reason why certain things are healthy while synthetic vitamins and foods are not. That means avoid the plastic material known as margarine, in favor of much healthier butter. Avoiding nitrate full meats in favor of local grass fed meats, which have been shown to be higher in minerals (zinc) and CLA and omega 3’s. No doubt fruits and veggies are needed in abundance in ones diet, especially organics if you don’t enjoy exposing your body to pesticides and lower nutrient content. And the havoc that high GI carbs can play on our physiology is starting to become abundantly clear. The goal of the paleo diet is to replace the deprived nutrient food that we eat today with the nutrient food our ancestors consumed in abundance. The understanding of how synthetic and modern foods differ from the foods of our ancestors is important.
The soil has less minerals and nutrients in it from factory farms. Our fruits and vegetables have less overall nutrients then they would have just 100 years ago.
Cows are fed grains, an unnatural food for them to fatten them up, it kills their immune system so they are pumped full of antibiotics. Their omega 3 content and zinc is much lower.
Pasterized milk is a shadow of what raw milk is nutrient wise
Those are the easy ones to name a few.
Its become abundantly clear to me that when foods need to be infused with some sort of vitamin that it has been deprived of its naturally occurring sources. Yet we ignore the processes which naturally deliver the highest bio-available nutrients the way our ancestors got them. Its no wonder that our ancestors were said to be more muscular, leaner and healthier than we are today. They must have been doing something right.
Grass fed Organ meets (insanely high in vitamins and minerals)
grass fed local meat
Organic fruits and veggies
Some seeds and nuts
fermented foods
A new study published on the myth of saturated fats causing CVD
http://www.njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?t=a&id=10000756
I’m going to switch gears a little bit and bring what I’m saying back to reality.
As an athlete and a person who works with athletes I have both tried and recommended the ideology behind this way of eating. If we think in terms of optimal health and how a well oiled machine can accomplish more when everything it needs is present, when your physiology is working efficiently things tend to go really well. The increased natural nutrients tend to improve all hormone levels and increase sensitivity to insulin.
For athletes, there is an obvious need for higher carbohydrate intake to recover muscle glycogen. The amount recommended in textbooks are a little crazy, unless people plan on running marathons on a daily basis (6-9g/kg). But like I originally said, a good post workout shake will take care of those needs. And as an athlete you can opt to include some higher GI fruits and veggies to help top off what the shake missed. Sweet potatos, maybe the occasional rice, things like that.
I’ve been eating pretty close to this for some time now, and have never felt better, nor have my workouts gone so good. I’ve had 5 national level track athletes switch to this type of eating, couple middle distance, jumpers and sprinters and they have all enjoyed the benefits and it has worked quite well for everyone. Each person tends to find their groove around certain food types and certain ways of eating. I strongly believe that the diet for optimal health is the best diet athletes can enjoy.
Guys
Thanks for the discussion. I’m currently teaching a “nutrition & wellness” course, and we just had a guest speaker on the paleo diet/ danger of processed foods. I appreciate the discourse - and syrus, I can’t wait to find 8 hours to watch all of those videos:)
But I will try!
I second Devils, I’ve been watching the info Syrus provided as time allows. There is some really interesting stuff there!
Thanks, I will try to post more when I find it. Good to have a localized source for these sorts of things, and these long lecture type videos are great educational resources.
Just something I’ve been reading about these days, the mTOR pathway:
"When mTOR is activated, it causes muscle cells to increase protein synthesis. This leads to skeletal muscle hypertrophy. mTOR integrates cellular information regarding intracellular nutrient status and energy and oxidative stress levels. When it deems that energy levels are high and the muscle cells are stressed, it activates in order to help the cells heal and rebuild in a stronger manner.
mTOR is activated by certain factors such as insulin, growth factors (IGF-1 & IGF-2), oxidative stress, mechanical overloading and amino acids. mTOR is part of the insulin pathway, and normalized function depends upon healthy cellular insulin sensitivity. Elevated circulating insulin levels cause a rapid increase in mTOR. However, as people begin to lose normal cellular insulin sensitivity, they also lose the ability to effectively utilize mTOR." - Dr. David Jockers
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033957_muscle_growth_proteins.html#ixzz1bjl347lw
As my own experience has shown, having great insulin sensitivity makes you more anabolic, through this particular pathway. Taking advantage of the insulin response post workout seems to be quite key. Along with some BCAA’s pre, mid and post workout to continue the protein synthesis signal.