I almost passed on this one, but it’s a “gimme.”
I just read an article over at Livestrong.com called “The Truth About Cereal“, and I felt the need to provide a counterpoint. For the record, Livestrong.com typically does a pretty good job of selling fitness to the masses. But like a lot of the “fitness industrial complex,” it occasionally features articles from well-intentioned sources that contain “truths” that simply aren’t 100% factual.
This particular piece emphasizes the importance of consuming a healthy breakfast (good start). But instead of recommending fresh fruits and vegetables along with healthy animal-based fats and proteins, the author points the reader to “whole grain” cereals:
The following is a list of cereals that meet the cereal requirements:
* Nature’s Path Heirloom Whole Grains
* Nature’s Path Flax Plus
* Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran
* Barbara’s Original Puffins
* Kashi Go Lean
* Post Shredded Wheat
* Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
* Kashi Heart to Heart – Honey Toasted Oat
* Shredded Wheat
* Kellogg’s All Bran original
* Original Weetabix Organic
There really is only one cereal (a.k.a. grains) “requirement.” And that is to eliminate it entirely from your diet.
I’m new to the “paleo” lifestyle/diet concept, so apologies if this has been covered elsewhere. But I’m curious: Are there elite endurance athletes who actually follow an ultra-low-carb diet? The evolutionary/physiological rationale for the paleo lifestyle seems reasonable enough, but I’m wondering if a distinction should be made between optimizing *overall health* vs. optimizing endurance performance? It just seems intuitively incorrect that you could optimize endurance performance without having an endurance component to your training, i.e., lots of slow activity with an occasional sprint. What if your goal is to actually run a fast marathon, even at the expense of optimal health?
Hi Evan. Thanks for writing! That’s a great question that many in the endurance sports community (myself included) have struggled with. I’ve written about this in a few posts, but Mark Sisson over at Mark’s Daily Apple has a number of really informative posts on this subject. Here’s a recent one I recommend:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-endurance-training/
Be sure to check out his site for other similar posts. Mark is a former competitive marathoner and triathlete, so he provides a great perspective for those interested in balancing endurance training with a “paleo” lifestyle.
Hope this helps!
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Thanks Dave! I’ll post this also on the OWC Facebook Fan page. If you get a chance, check it out as there’s a lot of information that we all post there that isn’t on this site:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Water-Chicago/54050745921?ref=s
MARCH 23 2010 THE WATER TODAY WAS NEAR FLAT AND 36 DEGREES AND THE SUNSHINE WAS GREAT WIHT 52 DEGREE AIR.
THE NORTH AVE LOT IS CHARGING ONCE AGAIN , SO UNLESS YOU ARRIVE AND LEAVE EARLY A.M. YOU WILL NEED TO PAY !