The Paleo Diet - Robb Wolf on Paleolithic nutrition, intermittent fasting, and fitness

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The Paleolithic Solution – Episode 10

Back with episode 10 – we have officially reached double-digits! In this episode Robb and I use psuedo-science to calculate the total number of current podcast listeners.  We cannot vouch for the accuracy and precision of our measurements.

Here is the link to the fish oil cost comparison that we discussed in topic 1.  I can’t attest to the accuracy of the comparisons, but I think that it provides a nice frame of reference.

Download a transcript of Episode 10

Show Topics:

  1. Autoimmune Problems / More Chia seeds / Fish oil/ Body comp & nutrition / Lack of hunger / Working out too much
  2. How much protein? / Types of fat / Turnips and rutabaga / Cheat meals
  3. Alternative carb intake timing approaches
  4. Paleo and hypothroidism
  5. Insulin resistance
  6. Improve digestion for vegetarian / fish oil replacements
  7. Alzheimers and Paleo diet
  8. General exercise recommendations

Show Notes – The_Paleolithic_Solution_Episode_10

Download Episode 10

Comments

    • Alden-
      News to me. I’ll look into this but I’ve ALWAYS liked carlson and this article is 5 years old. I’d be shocked if this issue has not been addressed.

      Reply

  4. Hey, nice to see the spreadsheet getting some love! =) I started it but lots of people have added to it. I hope people find it useful!

    I can’t vouch for the accuracy either–some of the entries are old, and many were added by others–but as Andy says, it’s a good starting point.

    Reply

  5. Robb!

    Regarding what you talked about around 26:00…Insulin being anorexic. If you recall from “Light Out!” T.S Wiley talks about the notion of skipping breakfast because you have high insulin…high insulin would normally mean blood sugar is available, you ate..and you should have energy to use? Maybe once you become severely insulin resistant this becomes the opposite. If your resistant to its effects then it doesn’t matter if your insulin is high because if your not reading it..to your body its like it not there? Just some thoughts off the top of my head!

    Thanks for the show guys!

    Reply

  6. Robb, question on protein…

    I am currently 200 lbs @ 17% bodyfat and have been here for a while. It is stubborn waistline bodyfat from when I weighed 260+ and I am finally making a dent in it with paleo but have a question.

    I eat strict paleo, high protein, low carb…

    I have been putting what I eat a day into a food log and generally eat around 115 g fat, 75 g carb, 250 g protein a day which clocks in around 2500 calories. At this consumption rate I am never hungry…

    My question, am I eating too much protein? You say 1 gram per lb of body weight? My goal is to get down around 190 @ 10% bodyfat by the end of the year keeping the lean mass I have now. Should I eat around 190 g/ protein a day or is the satiety that I get from 220-250 ok?

    I generally eat eggs for breakfast, lean protein for lunch, a snack, and dinner all with non starchy veggies. Little fruit, no shakes or bars, few nuts.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  7. LOVE YOUR PODCAST. I have changed over and I feel great.

    How can I make sure that I am getting all by B vitamins including Biotin?

    Keep up the great work guys!!!

    Reply

  8. Adam, I love that it’s in the “Fashion & Style” section. I guess it’s about hipness not health! Or maybe just a new fad in pseudo-science. Gotta love the Times.

    JD

    Reply

  9. Robb,
    Is it better to ask questions here or via “Contact Me”? Not that I have more, if any.

    I came across this website when I Googled “fish mercury Japan”:
    http://fishscam.com/faqMercury.cfm
    It essentially says you would have to eat a ton of fish to suffer mercury poisoning. Despite proponents of fish oil, whole fish is obviously more natural, and I haven’t heard of any negative effects of eating too much fish in the seafaring cultures around the world.

    And when did eggs and nuts and seeds become foods to restrict? I thought the Paleo diet only restricted grains, legumes, and dairy.

    I asked this question via “Contact Me” before but it’s been on my mind. If the Paleo diet resolves metabolic syndrome diseases like acne, dandruff, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, and male vertex balding, and I assume Loren Cordain’s been on a Paleo diet himself for a while now, why is his hair extremely thin on top?

    Reply

  11. I really love you guys. I wish you did podcasts like every day…. Very informative. I have had some DRAMATIC improvements since starting paleo.

    Reply

  13. Hi Robb,
    I was wondering if you have clients who have had a decrease in auto-antibodies (in blood tests) after following Paleo?
    I have high thyroid antibodies, only discovered recently in a general checkup. TSH is also a bit high, but T4 and T3 are fine and don’t have any symptoms or thyroid enlargement. I may have had this for years but not known it given I have other mild auto immune issues. Grain, legume and dairy free sorted the other immune issues, as I’ve written about before.

    Since discovering the thryoid issue I’ve also cut the other foods recommended – eggs and nightshades to see if it makes a difference.

    I don’t appear to have inflammation, my CRP is rock bottom.

    How much of an issue is alcohol for gut issues in your opinion?
    I still have a little – around 1/2 glass wine night. (I also have some absorption problems, low B12 and folic acid, so assume I have gut issues still, but hoping the strict paleo foods and probiotics, fish oil, vitamin D will help)

    Any feedback on decreasing auto-antibodies and improving vitamin absorption in the gut would be helpful.

    Thanks for your podcasts, they are really useful.
    Julianne

    Reply

  14. FWIW, here’s an aproximate timing of the topics:

    1. Autoimmune Problems: 3:03
    a. More Chia seeds: 9:18
    b. Fish oil: 14:17
    c. Body comp & nutrition: 18:55
    d. Lack of hunger : 22:20
    e. Working out too much: 28:04
    2. How much protein? 34:55
    a. Types of fat: 39:02
    b. Turnips and rutabaga: 42:05
    c. Cheat meals: 43:55
    3. Alternative carb intake timing approaches: 47:16
    4. Paleo and hypothroidism: 52:09
    5. Insulin resistance: 54:45
    6. Improve digestion for vegetarian 59:32
    a. fish oil replacements: 1:04:50
    7. Alzheimers and Paleo diet: 1:06:32
    8. General exercise recommendations: 1:12:46

    Reply

  15. Hey Robb,

    Lovin’ the podcasts. You’re the man (or cave”man” as it were).

    I vaguely remember you saying in an interview that ice baths increase insulin sensitivity. Could you elucidate how this occurs and what evidence supports it? Maybe a topic for the podcast?

    Thanks Robb,

    Ben at CFM

    Reply

  16. Hey Robb,

    I used fitday today and ended up totaling 3400 calories, 230g of fat, 111g of carbs, and 242g of protein. I weigh 165 and i run between 6.5-7.5% bf. Is consuming that much fat/calories going to cause me to add some bf. Ive been eating like that pretty regularly and it seems too good to be true. Should I be worried about adding on some bf? Performance has been great and i run well on a low carb/strict paleo diet.

    Reply

  17. Robb,

    Thought you might find this interesting. Goes back to when you were kind of attacked about you insulin and food porn analogy. I am currently reading “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” and the author mentions how we secrete insulin in anticipation for food, via the parasympathetic nervous system. Here is the study that was referenced. I am unable to look at the full paper, not sure if you have the access.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10766253

    Cheers!

    Reply

  19. Robb – thanks so much for helping me to become a better me. My mom has Alzheimers and her mom had Alzheimers and my dad has type 2 Diabetes and some other relatives have type 1 diabetes. I am 40, do CF, and eat better than I used to but still not Paleo – yet. my sister did a study on ALzheimers at BU and she has “the gene” for Alzheimers. I would love to approach her about changing her diet (she eats poorly but is thin and always has been) but how would I explain away “the gene”? BTW – listening today has motivated me to clean up my diet even more- thanks!!!

    Reply

    • Tracy-
      “The Gene” is a genetic predisposition that needs an environmental trigger(s) for it to manifest. That’s where diet and exercise come in. All of this can be avoided.

      Reply

  20. Robb,

    I love the podcasts, but if y’all could find a way to fix the reverb problem, that would be much appreciated, it’s very distracting and makes your portion difficult to understand.

    Thank you,
    -Mike

    Reply

    • Mike-
      We have been doing this VERY low-tech. Looks like we ened to invest a little in this so we can bring the audio quality up. Thanks for listening and for the feedback.

      Reply

  21. Robb,
    Met you at your CF Nutrtition talk at Marina back in September. Love your stuff. All this stuff is working its way through my family and changing the lives of my athletes here at LMU. Couple questions have come up while I’ve been listening to all the podcasts:
    1. Whey protein isolate? what are your thoughts on a brand? I usually eat around 150g protein a day, so I’m just looking for a supplement to get me up to 180-190g per day.
    2. How much creatine per day for a 28 yr old male (6’0″, 185 lbs) following a CF Football type program? I have pretty good numbers in the lifts (250 CJ, 198 Sn, 375 Sqt, 300 Bench, 462 Dead) and good met con times (2:47 Fran, 26 rounds of Cindy).
    3. I have a daughter age 2, and another daughter due in a month or so. What amount of DHA per day for them and my wife since she will be breast feeding? We follow a pretty strict grain free, dairy free paleo, and let my daughter eat a little more loose after reading Loren’s recommendation on his FAQ regarding children and pregnancy with paleo.
    4. I am already taking 5-8g omapure fish oil per day, plus 5,000 IU’s of Vit D3 per day. You mentioned on one of the podcasts about taking magnesium. Any advice on dosage and brand?
    Thanks again for all the work you put in. My look, feel, and performance are at levels I ‘ve never experienced before, and its having a huge effect on my family and athletes! I appreciate all you do and look forward to attending a seminar the next time your in SoCal.

    Reply

  23. Robb,

    You still don’t note that Costco/Kirkland sells a higher quality-enteric coated product. It has a clear-cut 684mg of EPA+DHA per capsule. This stuff used a branded fish oil (Meg-3) and is a bit more expensive than the 300mg regular Kirkland stuff.

    Also, if you could make your perfect fish oil supplement, what would the specs be in your opinion regarding EPA/DHA/Enteric or Gel/capsule size/etc

    Reply

  25. Robb – Love the webcasts. Keep up the great work!

    You mentioned NOW Super Enzynes for digestion help. Is that something that you should be able to wean off of after x days/weeks?

    Reply

  26. I am just beginning Paleo and am working through Dr. Cordain’s book, my question would be are there areas where you disagree, or is there other information to also consider (besides your blog obviously) which i read daily it seems like right now. to help paint a picture for you, I am 6’3 and weigh 178 lbs, i am doing crossfit and planning on competing in a sprint triathlon in 4 months, that is what has brought me to Paleo.

    thanks for your work and time.

    Reply

  27. Hey Robb,

    I don’t know if this is a good venue for the question; but here it is anyway. ; )

    What is your opinion on the safety and effectiveness of eating eggs Rocky style (raw)? It seems like most things we get from nature is best for us when it’s altered as little as possible. Since cooking is essentially a chemical experiment that changes the molecular structure of the food we eat – and the paradox of what introducing high heat to good fat does; it seems like if you can deal with the gross factor, it’s a good choice.

    I apologize if you’ve already answered this 1,000 times. I ran a few searches, but came up with an entire spectrum of answers.

    Thanks for your time – I’d love to make it out to NorCal S&C someday, but that’s a hell of a hike for this Michigan boy.

    Jake Di Vita

    Reply

  28. robb thanks for taking on my question about devany’s approach to fruit in the AM..

    i think this is something to keep an eye on for your work but I’ll just make a few relevant points based on what I see as devany’s approach to this:

    – not sure I would classify this type of breakfast as “high carb” . we’re talking 1-2 pieces of fruit by the looks of it. In the 15-35g CHO range by the looks of it. devany did make mention of having a whole half a melon some times but if you look at his breakfast pics he has trended towards much less than that and often stuff like avocado and berries
    – and it doesn’t preclude getting a whack of protein in as you mentioned
    – from a client management perspective, as far as “poo-pooing” fruit on the paleo diet which I am going to guess is a bit of a challenge for you/others, this approach might come in handy in terms of saying to clients, “ok have 1-2 pieces of fruit with some protein at breakfast, but then no more fruit for the rest of the day”.. might jive with them quite well
    – also of interest for future followup, is that he seems to choose to skip dinners more often than breakfasty looking meals, which seems to fly in the face of other IF approaches like leangains or the guys over at fitnesspotlight with eating windows pushed to the PM

    anyway i think at this level we’re talking of tinkering with some of the finer details of paleo eating but very interesting nonetheless. surely there are some hormonal differences going on the AM vs. PM that influence intuitive food choices, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out with more results-based observation

    digging the podcast in a big way, hope you make it to toronto with your new gig!

    greg

    Reply

  29. Robb. You don’t need to upgrade or invest in the podcasts. The sound and quality are great in my opinion.

    Does Vitamin D store in fat? I have read that Vitamin D from the summer stores throughout winter but I’ve also read it does not. Analogously, if fatty fish is a source of Vitamin D, and it doesn’t matter when they’re caught, then obviously the vitamin stores.

    Reply

  30. Robb, love the podcasts, have enjoyed every one.

    I watched OPT’s Nutrition 101 DVD and he talks a good deal about effective digestion and food allergy.

    I’d love for you to chat about this a little more in-depth. I’ve ordered the NOW Foods Probiotic you recommended and am going to give that a try. I’ve picked up some great points from the past podcasts, but feel like I could use a better understanding of what’s going on at a macro level with respect to Pro/CHO/Fats in a low insulin v. high insulin environment.

    One specific question on this is:

    Is there a specific food allergy test that you’d recommend? The online resources I’m finding all recommend an elimination diet then slowly reintroducing foods back in and seeing how it goes (strangely familiar to something I read somewhere….). Everything else seems to be really expensive.

    Part of the reason I’m wondering about this is that I never noticed an issue with dairy but didn’t really take much in. I did a full 30 Day Paleo Clean w/o dairy/grain/legume in December, then added a good amount of pasture raised heavy cream per Dr. Harris shortly after.

    I got a cold for the first time in about a year, think there’s probably a correlation there, but if there’s an easy way to get a blood/skin test to check it, that’d help me settle it. Plus I’d like to be able to solve similar issues with my clients too.

    Thanks a ton in advance!

    Reply

  31. Robb/Andy
    What are your thoughts on pre-workout meals? I’m down with the whole 90% of my CHO with my PWO meal. But i really haven’t got an answer or advice on this subject. I usually roll with one or two HB eggs and a spoon full of almond butter orBeef Pemmican.

    Thanks again for the psuedo-science!

    Reply

  32. Hey Robb,

    I saw this company as a sponsor for the 2010 CrossFit Games: http://www.omgomega3.com/

    It is supposedly an Omega-3 fish oil supplement, which claims to be better than fish oil. I am currently taking fish oil at every meal, but I am wondering what your thoughts are on this alternative supplement, as well as other similar ones such as flax seed oil, etc.

    Thanks, and take care.

    Reply

  33. Just a thought on the reverb; some of that echo (which is different from reverb) may be in the audio signal processing between computers if you are doing this thing remotely. Sometimes it happens on cell phone calls. But another huge factor for reverb, echo, and feedback is how you are monitoring yourself and the other guy and your recording space.

    If the sound from your speakers is getting into your mic, you’ll get feedback. Always use headphones and don’t have your own voice turned up too loud in your ears cause it might make you speak too loudly or softly. That goes for both of you.

    The environment in which the recording takes place is also a factor for sound quality. An overabundance of room reflections will create reverb but a padded room will make your voice sound thin. If you have a closet without too many clothes or coats and a carpeted floor, you should sound pretty decent. You can tinker with the amount of clothing (sound absorption) in your recording space. Then mess around microphone position (more absorption in on axis to the mic, or off axis to the mic) until you sound like Michael Buffer or James Earl Jones or Don Pardo. If you don’t have a closet, hang some blankets or towels or some mats. And, like you say, tinker.

    Thanks for the podcasts. Those Strength Coach Podcasts are pretty sweet too.

    And finally, regarding the ME Black Box Summit and the subsequent Crossfit HQ meltdown: Crossfit (main site) is supposed to make you perform reasonably well in any physical situation. But if you watch the Miko Salo documentary in the CF Journal, you’ll see that he won the Games by training with heavy max effort exercises followed by met cons. Sounds familiar.

    Reply

  36. Rob,
    Great podcasts, just great, change nothing, get more out there.

    I think you need to look at getting the information and community on your site out there in a format that is far more readable and consumable.

    eg a proper forum.
    Discussions on topics will be far more ordered than on blog comments, community members can answer a lot more questions etc and your not responding to people asking the same things all the time.

    Searching your site I think does not include comments in the search engine meaning its difficult to expose this precious information also, if it does search comments, its not in a way that is easy to read, meaning you will get burdened with the same sort of questions – eg questions asking your opinion on Chia Seeds when its one of the first things you covered in this podcast!

    Some better organising of topics, having forums such as “Beginners start here” and “Advanced paleo topics” with some simple starter “sticky topics” will just get this sort of info out there a whole lot better.

    If you need a nerds help, im available free of charge, though I remember in one of your podcasts you speaking highly of your current person.

    Keep up the good work, look forward to seeing you in Australia.

    Reply

  37. Hello and thanks so much for what an AMAZING job you do! I’m looking forward to your class in Chico in 2 weeks, but can’t wait till then to know some of these things:
    I am 5’10”, 185#, around 10%BF. I’ve been CFing and doing some CF Endurance WODs for about 3 months, have been Paleo for almost 4 weeks, and have been absolutely loving it. I’m planning on starting CF competition, and my main question revolves around overtraining and discerning that.
    I am doing the WODs 4-5 days a week, plus usually 2-3 Endurance WODs,usually swimming or running. I have lately been losing sleep, difficulty falling asleep and then waking up multiple times, and not feeling rested all day, but amped to train still (like I just can’t wait to train). My resting HR is between 50-55, pretty normal for me, although it’s been lower years ago.
    I know this can be all due to overtraining, but I know beginning Paleo can also effect something like this. How do I discern the two and work toward max performance, while shooting to drop my BF% to around 7 and be rested?

    Reply

  38. Rob, Could you possibly adress a “no-bainer” for us? Beer and gluten avoidance. I’m sure most people know it’s best avoided for weight loss/leaning but could even 1-2 beers contain enough gluten(hordien) to scuttle ones attempt to avoid gluten. I have had little problem giving up gluten grains but the lure of the tasty microbrew has been difficult to resisit.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  39. Hey Robb, really enjoy the podcast. Thank you!

    Since going strict paleo and upping my protein intake, I’ve noticed I’ve not been having regular bowel movements. They seem to be every 2-3 days. I’m generally eating a lot of protein by probably not 1g per bw. Any thing I should add to my diet?

    Thanks in advance for your advice and again great show.
    Mike

    Reply

  40. I just found your podcast and I think its so helpful. I have been interested in the Paleo lifestyle and this has really helped out with that.

    Reply

  41. I would love to see that comparison of fish oil products mentioned in the ‘cast. I am finishing up my last bottle of Kirkland oil and the non-specifics of the label have shaken my confidence.

    Reply

  42. Sleep question for you Robb — I’m hoping something will jump out at you on this, cause I’m stumped.
    My sleep issue right now is that I fall asleep no prob, but then awake about 6-7hrs later, despite the fact that I give myself time to sleep at least 9 hrs before having to get up. Dark room, quiet, no lights, like a cave.
    I have tried things in the past (ZMA, Melatonin, KavaKava, Carbs before bed). The only time I notice I sleep like a log for 10 hrs is after 3-4 days of NO training plus eating crappy sugar/carbs.
    Gotta find a way to eat clean and sleep well.
    Don’t think it’s overtraining, cause I typically do 2-on-1-off CF WODs.

    thx man!

    Reply

  44. Hey Robb,
    Not sure if you’ve seen this, but at Sams Club they have Members Mark brand fish oil that is triple strength and has 900mg of EPA/DHA per capsule. Thats the most highly concentrated I’ve ever seen and seems to me that its far more efficient in that you’d only have to take 6 pills to achieve over 5g of EPA/DHA. Any thoughts or reason why I should stay away from this, or is it a good deal?

    Reply

  45. I don’t know if this question made it the first time as I do not see it so I will ask again.

    What is the top five best whey protein powders? A break down such as quality/cost.

    Thanks
    Roberty

    Reply

  46. Hi Robb-
    How much do you think timing of food matters? I went to some nutrition lecture a long while back (somewhat paleo-based); the presenter talked about the importance of eating salads first. Something like, the digestion of the ruffage helped to prepare for digestion of other foods to come. Make any sense?
    Similarly, if someone is taking 6 fish oil capsules a day, should they be all at once, 2 with each meal, or ~1 per snack?
    thanks!

    Reply

  47. What are you recommendations as far as how much fat those of us who are trying an unweighed unmeasured Paleo diet should consume?
    You’ve covered how much fat those on the Zone should be consuming but don’t think you’ve really touched on what a ballpark figure is for those not doing blocks or who have never done the Zone.
    I think Andy mentioned in episode 6 or 7 that we should not obsess about it and that just cooking with olive/coconut oil is generally enough.
    Now that Haas avocado’s are back in season I’ve been eating one a day and will also do about a table spoon of coconut oil on days I workout. Is that plus the oil I’m cooking with enough for someone who is doing 3-4 days a week of crossfit/strength training? Is there an easy formula to follow like that for protein (1 gram per pound of body weight)?

    Thanks,

    Diego

    PS Coconut milk is NOT yummy, lol. I can tolerate just about anything but that stuff is rough going down straight! Will have to look for some recipes to use it in instead.

    Reply

  48. I, for one, loved the answer and discussion on milk from last week’s podcast. Keep it coming Robb, and thanks. Even when you think you might be going a little deep, and even though we may only catch 70% of what you might be saying when you do so, I feel like it opens up my mind to new schema and models. More than that, lifestyle. Appreciate it tons.

    Reply

  49. Robb,

    Love the podcasts, up to ep9 so far, haven’t had a chance to hit up 10 yet, but I’m sure it will be great like all the others.

    My question is, I’ve regularly seen Poliquin advocate 30-45g of fish oil for overweight people, or 1.5g per %BF. To me this seems ridiculously high? Is there some evidence that 45g is more effective than say 10g?

    Cheers.

    Reply

  50. Robb,

    I just saw what I think is a propaganda commercial for HFCS “myths. There is a whole website http://www.sweetsurprise.com/. It’s pretty alarming, but also cool at the same time because they must be afraid of losing the market for using it as a sweetener. Check it out. It’s pretty scary.

    Reply

  53. Hmmm… odd that in a past podcast, you talked about walking on hands. Look at what yesterday’s mainsite WOD was. Is this just coincidence?

    Reply

    • Emily-
      I have been dead-on the last two years with much of the events. I suspected last year that a major event THIS year would be a significant HS walk event…although now that I’ve siad this they will pull it out!

      Reply

  54. Thanks Robb and Andy for sharing all the knowledge and experience.

    What are the best ways to tell if I am overtraining? I have been told in the past “listen to your body” but also that being sore should not necessarily keep me from a workout. I feel like the only time I know I am overtraining is when it’s too late, but when I back down or add additional rest days like I am cheating myself. What are some good indicators that I need more rest or to scale it back other than feeling totally run-down and exhausted?

    Reply

  55. Noted at Cosco that the Kirkland fish oil is now in part soy. Looking at other “fish oil” there, some even have soy listed ahead of “fish oil” in the ingredients disclosure. Found one that had no soy, Wild Alaska Salmon Oil. 180 1000mg for about $14 or so.

    Any negatives on this?

    Thanks for your great pod casts!

    Reply

  56. Hey Robb,

    I did call Costco to get an idea of what their EPA/DHA breakdown is for their enteric coated capsules. The reply i got was they are no longer putting it on their as they can no guarantee the actual breakdown due to seasonal variations, the actual fish caught, etc. The person I spoke with said the values on the label last year should be within the ballpark. Might want to do some more investigating and see what you get told.

    Reply

  57. New York City is goign to try to control salt consumption.

    Since we eat meat and vegetables, which require propper seasoning, and nuts, coconut, and avocado, which don’t really require seasoning; what are we to do.

    How much salt do you use on meat and vegetables? Are you into exotic salts or just kosher.

    Reply

  58. Hello Rob. I Love all the work you put into helping peoples nutrition. I’ll give you a little back ground and then see if you have any helpful ideas. I suffered from ulcerative collitis from March to August. Prednisone finally got me back on track but I had to deal with some pretty serious mood swings, anemia and trouble sleeping. I have been crossfitting for about 2.5 years and have been doing shift work for 12 years (firefighter). During the last month of my flare up (UC) I had to deal with strictures in the large intestine. During that time meat would cripple me as it couldn’t pass and would create lots of gas. This forced me to go vegetarian for awhile and set me on a path looking for long term health. Being a crossfitter I had heard about Paleo but had only tried zoning. Starting in December I have been doing Paleo with about 4 cheat meals per week through the holidays and have cleaned up to around 3 cheats post holidays. I feel great with digestion have good workouts but I still have bags under my eyes and randomly get stressed out. I sleep 6-8 hrs depending on the shift or what the kids do at home but it just doesn’t seem to be enough. The only supplements i take are 1 kirkland fish oil, Asocol x 12, 1x Multivitamin. Is their something I’m missing that is creating these bags under my eyes and fatigue? Thanks, Matt. cya at the Jan. nutrition seminar I’m totally psyched.

    Reply

  59. Considering that gymnastics is one of the foundations of CF, it seems like the Games have been metcon and strength crazy. There has been very little emphasis on anything gymnastics related. It has always seemed that if there was a kind of athlete who would do well walking into CF, it would be gymnasts. Just look at Rhabdo and others of his class. In any case, food for thought. Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness in your podcasts. It is difficult when you’re dealing with people in the medical profession who seem not to get it into their heads that the ADA is wrong.

    Reply

  61. Robb, any suggestions for dealing with sore IT bands while jogging? I know that jogging sucks and is pretty worthless, but they are making us do it at the fire academy every day. I’ve been foam rolling it for quite awhile, figure 4 stretch and even took a week off, but the sweet jogging aggrivates it.

    thanks…..

    Reply

  62. Brad,

    I know where you are coming from, however Robb is recommending roughly the same amount. The confusion stems from the fact that he often refers to it as fish oil, while he really bases his numbers on the EPA+DHA you are supposed to get. The latter is good because it takes into account that you obviously need to use less of a more concentrated version.

    Robb,

    Might make sense to state that explicitly in the future, this question pops up all the time. Hopefully it will also encourage people to look at the actual content of the product when calculating price, instead of thinking in terms of cost per capsule.

    Cheers,
    LukasM

    Reply

  63. Robb,

    something I was interested in. My Uncle and his family are big on Monavie. Any thoughts? Expensive stuff, but if you were in a place where it wasn’t a financial burden would you consider it, or is it just a hoax? Thanks for any light you can shed.

    Reply

  64. Hey Robb,

    Just finished listening to ‘cast 10…I use it while commuting back and forth to work, helps me to focus on something else than stupid drivers!

    Anyways, I searched high and low (found and posted that study the other week about obsese/keto diets affects on hunger) on the topic of gluconeogenesis. I am extremely interested in the whole process and as of Dec. 1st, 2009 I have been eating the VLC diet religiously and I think by now I am sitting pretty good and square in gluconeogenesis as the last 3 weeks have been nothing but protein (beef, chicken, eggs, tuna, sockeye salmon) and fats (coconut milk, coconut oil, avocado, sunflower seeds, some almonds, olive oil).

    With that being said, I will be deployed for approximately 6-8 weeks shortly and the food I will be exposed to will be pure and absolute s@!t, In an attempt to take control of that I have coverted 19-22 kgs of beef roast into beef jerky and have my coconut milk and oil at the ready for the dietary nasty onslaught.

    Now, my question is…how fragile is the gluconeogenesis/keto state? (what I call the “happy place” just because of the incredible effects on mood and body comp it has had on me!). WIll 1 gm of refined sugar kick me out of it? At what point (grams/amounts etc) does my carb intake jepordize the gluco/keo state? I guess I’m asking, if I do end up having a meal or a week of meals which include refined carbs, how severely will I be affected? I know it takes 2-3 weeks to intially get into the gluco/keo state and things get exponentially better from there…but what happens if you have been in that gluco/keo state & you are exposed to refined carbs…does it take 2-3 weeks to get back into to it? or is it a shorter process?

    Anyways, just something I’ve been thinking about because I have completely removed everything “bad” from my diet and have not looked back (although I miss ice cream!). It’s almost like this stuff works?!?! Once my deployment is done I will probably look at doing a consult with you just to get things squared away….

    Thanks dude, keep up the hard work!

    Jason

    Reply

  65. Robb- Wondering about your experience working with older, overweight people who are on statins like Lipitor and other prescriptions (anti-depressants, GERD meds especially). Have you found these meds to stall/slow weight loss in these people who are otherwise eating and exercising right?

    Have you had success in getting people to the point where they can drop the statins and have good bloodwork numbers without them?

    Might be a good one for the podcast- thanks for the great stuff as usual!

    Reply

    • Preston-
      We have had very good success in this with folks who will be pro-active and work with their docs. it takes effort and being a self advocate..pluss dropping the habits that got them in their situation.

      Reply

  67. Hi Robb,
    I wonder if you could also address the question “Can your carbs go too low?” I get the impression that some people think that because low carbs is good therefore zero (or close to) is better.
    Cordain has not advocated extremely low carbs to my knowledge, he says that Paleo diets contained 22- 40% carbs.
    You also stress frequently the importance of lots of non starch veggies.

    Given the importance of acid /base balance, the phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, fibre etc, found in these vegetable and fruit foods and their disease fighting properties is it possible that some people restrict them too much?

    I’m thinking too of the Okinawan diet, which contributes to many living well to over 100; they not only have a calorie restricted diet, but eat far more colourful veggies than mainland Japanese, and have a philosophy of having 5 colours on their plate at each meal.

    Reply

  68. Hi Robb. Love your podcasts. I am one of your 6 loyal listeners (when not listening to the naked yoga but I digress), and have a simple question for you. Some background first, I’m 35, 6’4, 225lbs, 10% BF, and put up good strength and metcon times. I follow a pretty strict Paleo/low carb routine (1-2 servings fruit) with no dairy (except for whey protein). I can only imagine your thoughts on Whey…My goal is performance and not weight loss or gain; and here comes the question.

    I workout at 0600 and looking for some advise on pre/post nutrition without whey, if possible. Obviously, I know I need something small preworkout (besides my double expresso) but during tough WOD’s, anything but liquid is making its way back up. And post workout, liquids is pretty well the only thing I can digest for about an hour.

    I am guessing you are going to touch on whey protein on your supplement podcast, but just in case, any thoughts?

    Reply

    • TJ-
      We will touch on whey more later but have you listened to the first podcast? We hit PWO nutrition hard on that one. Pre-wod food is very subjective. Strength work, protein is good. Met-con…very subjective. Whatever you will not barf up! Whey is fine for folks who are not insulin resistant, trying to lean out or do not have high inflammation.

      Reply

  69. Hi Robb

    As per your advice-I have leaned out by simply cutting my fruit consumption!! Going to add back in tuna ( i have been eating mostly beef and chicken-but but am cutting chicken-have developed a bad reaction to chicken after seeing the movie Food Inc. I do eat premium tuna (tuna guys, wild planet, oregons choice) but I remember being very hungry in the past when it was my main protein source.

    Perhaps I should add some olive oil in it? What are your thoughts on (canned) high quality tuna as a protein source? I will report back on the how olive oil and avocado helps as I add in back into my food plan. Thank you for all you do.

    Reply

  70. Robb,

    First, I’d like to say that I love the podcast and find it extremely informative (especially pertaining to hypothyroidism). Since I’ve been listening to your podcast I’ve heard you mention that if possible, one should stay away from artificial sweeteners but what I am curious about is that there is a supposedly “low-glycemic load” gluten-free sweetener sold at Costco that is made from the Blue Agave plant and would using that product be a better alternative to artificial sweeteners if you absolutely must use a sweetener.

    Reply

  72. I subscribed to this podcast last week and have found it very informational. I have dabbled with CrossFit and living paleo and listening to this has succeeded in pushing me to trying this again. I bought the Paleo book about six months ago after reading about it on my local CrossFit okc website. After reading it I wished I had found out about all this sooner. I’m 26 and I was very active in high school and as I got older I had to start watching what I ate and working out and I was doing it all wrong. I’m in school and didn’t have the funds to get into CrossFit but I have tried to keep up with the paleo eating. As someone who loves dairy I thought this would be so hard but after not having milk or cheese for a few weeks I now have no cravings for it. I mainly wanted to come on here and let you guys know that your podcast is awesome. I listen to talk radio in my car anyway and I get tired of Obama this, healthcare that, I really needed a break from it and your podcast was just the trick. I love getting in the car and tuning in. I live 45 minutes outside the city so anywhere I go takes time. You had mentioned earlier about them being too long and I think they are great! I find myself laughing along at your funny comments and having to rewind because I missed out on what was said after that. I have told everyone about this so you will beat out that yoga group. Battle yoga is on!

    Reply

  73. Hello Robb. You had mentioned something about tea being negative a podcast or so ago, could you please ellaborate? Do you see less harm if using artificial sweetener to sweeten actual food? (stevia) Thanks. Matt

    Reply

    • Mathew-
      Tea is great, I just have an inside joke about tea that I can’t really share in mixed company! I covered AA’s adn stevia in a previus podcast…not a fan, especially if the individual is trying to lean out.

      Reply

  74. Another great podcast, guys. Love it and recommend it to friends….

    Two hopefully simple questions about digestive enzymes.

    1. Why might a person have stomach acid deficiency worse in the morning, at breakfast, than later in the day? (Doesn’t Poliquin say something about people who have trouble eating a high protein meal for breakfast? is time of day somehow a factor, or the hours of fasting created by sleep?)

    2. I’ve tinkered with several different types and brands of the enzymes. I seem to do best with just plain Betaine Hydrochloride and not the enzyme formulas with multiple different ingredients. And I only need them from like 7am to noon. Am I completely weird or is there some rhyme and reason behind this?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  75. Robb- I know you guys kind of laugh off the 45 grams of digestible protein per meal that Sears talks about, but in regards to that, is there a suggested amount of protein per meal? Obviously you dont want to pound it all into one meal but is there a maximum?

    Reply

  77. It’s probably fine but I don’t like their baloney about “dead proteins” and how they’re hard to digest.  Of course they’re dead…they’re a powder in a jug!  And I see no evidence that pasteurization denatures proteins in a way that makes us not digest them.

    Reply

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robb

Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and 2X New York Times/Wall Street Journal Best-selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat. Along with Diana Rodgers, he co-authored the book, Sacred Cow, which explains why well-raised meat is good for us and good for the planet. Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top-ranked iTunes podcast, books, and seminars. He also co-founded the 1st and 4th CrossFit affiliate gyms in the world, The Healthy Rebellion community platform, and is the co-founder of DrinkLMNT Electrolytes.

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