Background
While there have been millions – scratch that, billions -- of
articles and blog postings written about the Paleo Diet and its reported health
benefits (I am not qualified to make a conclusive statement on the latter point), many of these discussions fail to explore the important subtleties
behind implementation, i.e. how a poor
college student, working professional or busy parent can actually adopt this
type of lifestyle. Seeing as much of the information in this post
is not original material, so I will informally cite my source(s) via
hyperlink. I hope someone out there
finds this outline helpful.
Getting Started
I train out of a small Crossfit box in Washington, D.C. so I
hear the word Paleo at least ten times per morning, often times more; however,
these conversations rarely stray from the traditional “avoid sugar, dairy and
grains” talking points.
Therefore, I
would recommend the following “Talk to Me Johnnie”
post to anyone
interesting in adopting the Paleo Diet.
Welbourne’s post is simple, yet absolutely spot on, particularly its position
on avoiding nuts, seeds and fruit, a subtlety lost on many Paleo practitioners.
Foreseeing the possibility of inflammatory
comments, I will concede at this time that fruit is not necessarily “bad” for
you, only that it should be limited.
One of the biggest knocks on the Paleo Diet is the cost; after
all, meat is expensive, especially in a big city like New York, Los Angeles or
Washington. The best way to mitigate
this problem is to “coupon shop,” meaning buy only the produce that is on
sale. Here is a good example of eating
well while living on the dime (or nickel).
Bone-in chicken thighs with the skin are usually on sale for $1.99/pound,
even at Whole Foods. Grab the family
pack. Carrots are a nutrient-dense root
vegetable great for refueling post-workout.
Go for the humongous $5 bag.
Finally, pick up two bunches of collard greens, at $1.99/bunch they’re a
steal (to prepare, wash the leafs thoroughly, then sauté with a bit of melted
better, olive oil, fresh garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice). This amount of food usually provides me with
three to four meals all at a pretty reasonable cost. For those with especially voracious appetites
like myself, buy a $6 jar of extra virgin coconut oil and consume two forkfuls
straight out of the jar after eating (at that consumption rate, a normal-sized
jar will last me three to four weeks). Recapping,
meat, green vegetable, root vegetable, and saturated fat, all checked off, and
there is enough for several lunches after an hour or so of cooking.
Insider Tip: if you eat in your office, keep the
coconut oil in a desk drawer, this protects the oil from light and prevents a
transportation-induced nightmare (you will only let oil spill in your bag once,
trust me).
Other cheap items to procure on your bi-weekly shopping
trips include eggs, ground beef, whole chickens, spinach leaves, and sweet
potatoes. Also, keep your eyes open for
seasonal bargains; for example, at the end of the summer zucchini and yellow
squash are almost free due to market saturation. Corn isn’t Paleo per say, but its damn cheap
come August.
Streamlined Cooking
and Cleaning
The crock pot is undoubtedly my favorite cooking tool, as it
allows me to cook and sleep simultaneously.
Aside from the obvious benefits this provides my daily training, the
crock pot also performs great with leaner, cheaper cuts of meat, all while
reducing my apartment’s energy consumption.
If you have never bought a crock pot, do a bit of research on your own
first, but I would recommend any model that comes with a ceramic bowl and has
multiple timer settings (mine has 4,6,8 and 10-hour settings, plus “warm”). A great post-workout meal is pot roast (red
meat, nuff said), collard greens (leafy greens help reduce blood acidity, a
byproduct of intense exercise), and sweet potatoes (an easily absorbed starch
good for refueling).
Insider Tip(s): if you use your crock pot upwards of
three times per week, you may develop a salt ring along the bottom.
There are two ways to remove this crusty grime.
Option
One, buy a box of denture tablets from your local CVS or Walgreens, a $3-4
investment.
Remove two tablets from
their packaging and place in the relatively clean ceramic bowl.
Fill the bowl with hot water and allow one to
two days for soaking (if you have a prep sink in your kitchen, take advantage
of the extra space).
After a day or two
of soaking, dump the water and give it another clean with soap and water.
Option
Two, buy a bottle (liquid, not powder) of
Bar Keepers Friend from your closest
World Market.
Coat the inside of the
damp ceramic bowl and let it sit for roughly four to five hours.
Rinse out the dried material, then clean
thoroughly with soap and hot water.
Another thing I would recommend is buying a good set of
stainless steel pots and pans. These can
get expensive so save up or add it to your holiday/birthday wish list. High-quality tools allow for faster clean up,
and they can last you decades.
Traveling
When it comes to traveling, simpler is always better – opt for
ziplock bags rather than tupperware when packing your food; cut your meals up,
especially your meat, ahead of time; bring extra supplies for the return trip;
and pack everything you will need (water is the lone exception here due to its
widespread availability). Sometimes you
will get lucky and find a great restaurant – the Silver Diner at the
Baltimore-Washington Airport comes to mind here – but bus terminals, highway
rest stops, and trains are largely a wasteland for Paleo-friendly foods. Here is a very packable dish that can be
prepared beforehand:
Meatballs with Coconut Flour – this dish is a spin-off of
one I read about on
Crossfit
Football, the sole difference being I use Edward & Sons gluten-free coconut
flour instead of almond meal (don’t get me wrong, almond meal is pretty good,
too).
These protein-dense meatballs are
great for any type of travel, whether a day trip or several days.
True story, I once ate five such meatballs
and a peach while traveling by cab to the theater…oh yeah, I was wearing a
tuxedo (no spills).
Other travel-friendly foods include: hardboiled eggs, raw
vegetables such as broccoli and peppers, coconut oil, raw nuts (pecans,
almonds, cashews, etc.), fruit, and jerky.
Rather than buying deli meat, see if the grocery store sells any
pre-prepared chicken, turkey, beef or fish, but be careful of anything that has
been marinated (most marinades and sauces contain gluten).
With respect to packing for the return trip,
I would recommend buying two five-pack PaleoKits (I opt for the “
Strongman Size”).
Insider Tips: (1) If you are staying overnight in a
hotel, call ahead to see if they offer in-room mini-fridges. Whole milk is often a good breakfast
substitute. (2) Having kept to a pretty
strict Paleo Diet for several years now, my digestive tract no longer handles
gluten, flour or any type of vegetable oil well. For this reason, I pack half a dozen packets
of mint tea in my travel bag. I even
keep a few in my desk and daily backpack.
