Paleo Dammit!

VS.

One of the fantastic things about the abundance of food (and food-like substances) that we have at our local grocers here in the U.S. is that we have the opportunity to be picky about what we purchase.  We have all been told before to check the labels when purchasing a product, whether you are looking for hidden sugar or nuts or anything else you are trying to exclude from your diet.  However I find that sometimes once I know that “hidden” item isn’t in the product, I seem to skip over the multitude of other words in the ingredients list (most of which I would need a dictionary to figure out what they are). Fortunately, there are many companies now dedicated to simplifying their ingredients thanks to our competitive food market.

For example, here is the ingredient list in a jar of Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Diced Tomatoes, Corn Syrup, Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Corn, Cottonseed, Canola), Salt, Onion Powder, Spice (Basil, Oregano and Other Spices), Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Dehydrated Parsley, Spice Extract. (Never thought it tasted that great anyway)

Here is the ingredient list for a brand of sauce I bought at Rollin Oats (Cucina Antica): Plum Tomatoes, Fresh Garlic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Fresh Basil, Pepper, Citric Acid.

Would I rather have time to simmer my own red sauce all day than buy one at the store?  Yes.  Do I have the time to do that?  Not often.  I understand that Mr. and Mrs. Caveman did not jar their own sauces on the weekends, but when I get home late and need something to put on my spaghetti squash I reach for a jar.  You can find many other great sauces that can turn the leftovers in your fridge into a really tasty quick meal and not sacrifice quality and chemicals to do it.

So if you want to grab a sauce or two at the grocery store, just take a minute and compare labels. You can make both your body and your taste buds happy!!

I need to start this meat post on the assumption that we all have a general grasp of why the omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratio is important for both sports performance and overall health. If you still feel fuzzy on this part, please spend a couple minutes looking on Robb Wolf’s site (robbwolf.com) or just good ole google about why we need far more 3′s and far fewer 6′s.

To that end, I’ll also share a snippet of an interview between two of my nutrition idols, Melissa Hartwig of Whole9 Life (whole9life.com) and Matt Lalonde (Harvard biochemist) …

Melissa: I sometimes eat fat on its own (like avocado and EVOO), but I also get fat from some protein sources (like bacon). How do I figure out how much I’m really eating?

Matt: For the most part, unless you are already overweight, don’t worry about the fat content of the meat. Just use common sense. If you eat really fatty meat like bacon or sausage, just eat a little less fat in the form of nuts, seeds, olive oil or avocado. I also disagree with Dr. Loren Cordain (author of “Paleo for Athletes”) on a few points. He recommends that we eat walnuts and macadamia nuts and that we consume oils such as flaxseed oil and canola oil because they contain more omega 3 fatty acids. There is a huge problem here! These plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) almost exclusively. The omega 3 fatty acids that you really need are EPA and DHA.

The body can transform ALA into EPA and DHA, but the process is really inefficient. And during that process, the excess ALA spills over into pathways that synthesize bad hormones. Clinical studies have shown that too much flax seed supplementation causes cancer (amongst other problems).

Melissa: So what are better fatty acid foods?

Matt: Eat walnuts, macadamia nuts, and flax seeds if you want to, just don’t overdo it. I recommend getting your omega 3 fatty acids from game meat, fish and fish oil, as well as grass fed beef. Robb recommends anywhere between 1 to 15 grams of omega 3 supplementation (fish oil) per day.

Also, don’t use walnut oil or flax seed oil for cooking. Just use olive oil and coconut oil, as well as animal fats. I have no problems with butter, although some of the Paleo purists might disagree. Canola oil is thought to be fine for cooking, but I personally avoid it for the reasons I previously mentioned.

Okay, so on to meat quality. The omega-3 fatty acids we want are EPA and DHA. Those are found in PASTURED ANIMALS and WILD-CAUGHT FISH. Grain-fed cattle (read: beef from the grocery store) are full of omega-6 fat … the kind we’re trying to decrease in our diets due to its inflammatory affect on our systems (read: predisposing us to disease).

A couple ways to go about sourcing “clean” meat.

(1) You can order online from U.S. Wellness Meats. A great organization.

( 2) You can shop the Saturday Morning Market downtown and ask the vendors/farmers there if their jerky or meat cuts are from GRASS-FED, PASTURED animals. I’ve heard those folks are there.

(3) You can order online from Rosas Farms and pick up your order twice a month at CrossFit St. Pete. They source from over 100 farms nationwide – all providing only pastured animals and wild, sustainably harvested seafood. It’s as close to hunting and gathering as we can get in today’s modern world (unless of course, you actually go hunting or fishing). The fatty acid profile on these protein sources is FAR SUPERIOR to anything you can get at Publix.

***TIPS: Go to their Web site and sign up to receive their weekly sales flyer. And “Friend”   Al Rosas on Facebook to get the 10% CrossFit specials.***

Now, if you are a vegetarian, a former vegetarian, have texture issues with meat, or just general environmental and ethical concerns, Melissa Hartwig wrote a great post you can find here about eating meat, for the meat-challenged. (She also has a 4-part series called the Conscientious Omnivore that I would encourage everyone to read as well).

So – do your homework. Get your omega-3′s. And place your order at Rosas TODAY if you want some MUSCLE-BUILDING, IMMUNE-BOOSTING, ethically treated and sustainably raised MEAT delivered to the gym tomorrow.

While I’m pimping Melissa and talking about getting higher-quality proteins, I also think everyone should read her post on doing Paleo on a budget. None of us are made of money, and she does a great job helping you justify where you need to spend and where you can afford to save.