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

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The Paleolithic Solution – Episode 21

Back with episode 21.  We had some internet connection problems at the 52 minute mark which caused some audio issues for about 37 seconds.  I kept that section in the podcast because the episode seemed to flow better when I left it in.

Download a transcript of Episode 21

Here are the links to posts that we discussed on Kurt Harris’ PaNu blog about plants and the Kitavans.  Here is the link to our good friend Sarah’s blog Everday Paleo where she documents how she feeds her family.  Finally here is the video of some fun with planche progressions.

Show Topics:

  1. Staffan Lindeberg
  2. Liquid food PWO / DHA
  3. Raw foods
  4. Resveratrol supplement / Artificial Sweeteners
  5. Night leg cramps
  6. Low carb Paleo
  7. Paleo, kids, and Ketosis
  8. Bad breath
  9. Carb intake & cortisol levels & muscle development
  10. AstroGirl transcribed part of the episode.

Show Notes – The_Paleolithic_Solution_Episode_21

Download Episode 21

Comments

  1. I had no problem with Kurt’s piece on the Kitavans. I’m a huge fan of his blog.
    The Masai have A2 cattle that are grass fed. The literature that we use to support the claim that excess milk consumption causes insulin resistance uses milk from grain fed A1 cattle. The lectins that this milk contains can bind to the leptin receptor and potentially cause leptin resistance. It would be really interesting to see the outcome of the studies when using milk from grass-fed A2 cattle. The milk of A1 cattle (Holstein and Friesians contains A1 beta-casein proteins that release the protein fragment beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM7) upon digestion. This opioid appears to act primarily as a histamine releaser. Like gluten, casein is rich in the amino acid proline and is difficult to hydrolyze as a result. Casein may be implicated in the leaky gut syndrome. Caseins are animal specific (i.e. the caseins in human milk have different structures from those in cow’s milk). As such, the argument “cow’s milk can’t be that bad because human milk also contains casein” is irrelevant.
    All that being said, cow’s milk still contains betacellulin and IGF-1 (especially rBGH treated cows), that can be problematic for the leaky gut and excess growth stimulation respectively.

    Reply

  3. @Andy: I loved Boondock Saints, but literally turned off Boondock Saints 2 before I even got half way through. It was terrible. Same director somehow, it felt like a terrible comedy, which was not what I got from the first movie. Don’t waste your time/money.

    Reply

  4. Being a die hard Saints fan I will admit to being in the bag on this one but I did love the second film… it did start a little slow but I thought picked up and and just finished fantastically… I think a lot of the compliants on the second installment came from the fact that it did take 10 years to make and there is just no way it could live up to expectations that grew over the time period…. I just went into it to have fun… thought it paid off…

    Reply

  6. All Saints day is a horrible horrible horrible movie. They could have done so much better off the first movie but they really let me down. It is very “schtickish”, full of horrible acting, and they reuse jokes that just dont make sense. I only made it 20-25 minutes into it and was so angered they didnt do the original any justice I turned it off.
    I heard that they only created a sequel to boost their DVD sales of the first movie.

    If anyone says it gets better after the 25 minute mark I will gladly go re-rent it and give it another shot but i doubt it gets better.

    Reply

  8. Wow @ at that planche progression vid. For such as poor country Ukraine really puts out some great athletes. Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, my favorite MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko and now this random gym of super athletes. Maybe Im reaching….and maybe its cause Im 1/4 Ukrainian and could only wish to be a fraction of an athlete these guys are 🙂 Fantastic podcast as always Robb!!

    Reply

  10. Andy and Robb congratulations on episode 21, now you’re old enough to drink. However based on the sound at the end and Andy carrying on about a “Solid Mood Feal” at 23:40, maybe you still shouldn’t. So much for cleaning up the rating, Haha

    Something that might help Zack out is a product called http://www.BodyMint.com. It is made of concentrated chlorophylin and is said to make you not stink. I used to have terrible breath from almost constant sinus infections due to allergies. I tried Bodymint, and found it to work quite well. The big surprise was that I stopped having the constant running nose from my allergies (mold, dust mites, etc…) and have been able to give up my allergy meds. This seemed to be an N=1 but I have been able to get that up to N=6 so far. Most think the product too unbelievable to try, and it is certainly harder to get them to try it as an allergy remedy. The product doesn’t claim to work on allergies, as it has for me +5. The stuff is from Hawaii but I have no connection to the creators.
    Robb I was looking for lectin info on Taro and where it would sit in the Paleoshpere and found this site http://www.owenfoundation.com/Health_Science/Lectins_in_Foods.html
    I couldn’t find out who they are but does the info look correct? What would be your take on Taro (poi, luau leaf etc..)? Just a Hawaiian trying to get his Pseudoscience right
    Mahalo
    Beachdog

    Reply

  11. Re: Diet Coke – this, plus Diet Snapple, which was also mentioned, have been like crack for me. I have _the_ hardest time not drinking them. Just yesterday, I (again) asked my husband to get the Diet Coke out of the house (after I drank 4 cans of it) and I did some research and came up with a book called The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. Honestly don’t know if I believe everything in there, but she says this, which rang 100% true for me: 2 anti-serotonin substances are “stimulants like caffeine” and Aspartame (because of the phenylalanine). I genuinely believe that the particular combo of those two meshes perfectly with the f’ed up part of my brain wiring and sets my biochemistry up on a vicious cycle. Everything she recommends is basically what I’m already doing eating Paleo (she recommends some supplements, which I’m not going to take in the hopes that staying off Diet Coke will be the real key here). Don’t know if this knowledge will keep me from falling off the wagon, but thought I would share it for anyone else in the clutches uncontrollable caffeine/aspartame use.

    Would love to hear any of the Solutioners’ thoughts on this.

    Reply

  12. Robb and Andy,

    Thanks so much for answering my question. It made my week!! I’m starting a diet soda addiction support group.

    Reply

  13. Hi Robb,
    This is an update re my thyroid.

    Since being quite strict with paleo, no grains, legumes, no nightshades, no dairy just a drop of cream in coffee. My antibodies have fallen slightly.
    December: Thyroglobulin Ab 1036, March 678 U/mL
    December: Thyroperoxidase Ab 1586, March 1456 U/mL

    However my TSH continues to rise. December 6.8, March, 11 mIU/L
    T4, T3 are low side of normal range.

    Any thoughts?
    I’ve also just switched to a holistic Doctor rather than my conventional one, he’s very pro paleo. So I’ll see what he decides too.

    I’m taking lots of fish oil, kelp tabs, selenium and vitamin D. and a multivite + mineral.
    Re Vit D, I’m still testing low normal despite taking 2 – 3000 iu per day. So need to up that.

    Thanks for all your great work,
    Julianne

    Reply

    • Julianne-
      I’ve been reading a bunch on Vit-d and even 5,000iu per day may not budge peeps up enough. Since this is autoimmune related I’d bump the D3 to to 10-15K for a few weeks, retest everything (D, TSH and related markers) and see how you do.

      I have bumped mine up to 10K/day and feel better. Have been at 5.

      Reply

  14. Julianne maybe i’d try iodoral. Dunno if this is it but my Ma has just come off bp meds after 10 years..her bp fell to 110/70 after taking eeeeeeeooooooooddddeeeeene as did mine. Also Vit(‘ormone) D……go 10-15 and if you start truning golden and conversing with other god type folks whilst playing chess above the coulds you might figure it’s too much..or not.

    Reply

    • dunno if this is a good advice. even if the BP fell this is probably due to the anti-thyroid effect of high dose iodine (Wolff-Chaikoff effect) – do you want to tread low thyroid for high BP? With all the downstream complications of hypothyroidism THIS certainly ain’t a good idea.

      Reply

  15. I just got the results of my metabolic panel that was taken after about 20 days of dedicated paleo + another month of probably 90% paleo. My HDL was up from 70 to 90, triglycerides were down to 55 (not sure what they were before), and LDL was up from 90 to 115. I think you’ve mentioned before that LDL is expected to increase, though the improvement in HDL/triglycerides more than makes up for it. Is that the case, and can you provide some explanation?

    I’m just trying to make sense of the results from this paleo experiment, hoping that it’s not a troubling sign for potential CHD. Thanks. BTW, I’m a 26 year old living with type I diabetes for the past 23 years. Been feeling great while eating paleo and fat is pouring off (despite eating a ton). I didn’t really think I had much weight to lose before starting this and it wasn’t a motivation, but it’s been a nice side-effect..

    Reply

  17. Boondock Saints was awesome. The sequel sucked balls. It was so bad it almost ruined the first movie for me.

    Literally the only good thing about All Saints Day is how Julie Benz and how incredibly hot she is.

    Besides that, the movie is an absolute waste of time.

    Reply

  18. Hi mate

    Writing here from down under, have just finished listening all 21 episodes. I believe since I am down under for each episode I listened you have to take away one listener. So next podcast stands at -4 listeners 🙂

    Just quick questions
    1) Natural calm – sounds very nice, my concern about these things is when I get older and due to life might actually need some help with getting sleep. would natural calm have any impact to develop resistance for sleep help stuff?
    2) Amount of veggies – you say ton or 3 cups of broccoli, could you please give weight of veggies for average 200lbs male. I am currently on around 700g of veggies a day is that enough?
    3) caffeine – can caffeine stuff you up so you feel like shit and loose performance almost to zero. I do not drink coffee, but started to have one huge cup of black tea during day, since you suggested it helps with cortisol. My performance dropped so bad. At weekend I did not had access to tea, I came crushing down, had to sleep and after 3 days felt so much better. Can you pls explain this.

    Background info:
    29yo male, 6ft, 190lbs, 180g of protein, 230g of fat and 50g of carbs. I do 2x kickboxing, 2 weight day + 1 metcon, + 1 day surf or kite surf a week. Sleep is about 8.6hrs, I have no stress 🙂 . am at about 16% of BF.

    I have been chaby all my life and always have had issues with feeling hungry, I was just going mental. While going to paleo I have fixed this, so I assume I had insulin issues. I have leaned out a bit and increases muscle mass.

    Andy, thnx for comments it always gives some extra spin on Robb’s jokes and comments.

    Reply

  21. If you loved the first Boon Dock Saints…you will thourougly enjoy the second. I agree that the first is a cult classic and I have been patiently waiting for the second one for years. The McMannus brothers are awesome. Definately better that 3/4 of the other new movies out in theaters right now. Enjoy.

    Reply

  22. Andy,
    I see there are some comments on the movie already but I’ll give my 2 cents anyway. Julie Benz in my opionion ruined the movie with her terrible fake southern accent. Everytime I heard it, it made me want to reach through the screen and slap the hell out of her. It was that bad. The first one is one of my all time favorites. I think it is worth seeing if you are a die hard fan but I believe it will leave you feeling dissatisfied.

    Reply

  23. Been seeing a lot of stuff about Sourdough being gluten free to the point of being okay for celiacs. If I was a celiac, no way would I take that chance!

    But how about the rest of us? Does “real” sourdough make it to the rice and corn group, that is, okay once in a while?

    Reply

    • Matt-
      that sounds pretty wacky to me. Occasionally this stuff pops up. I’ll stick with the Pamela’s gluten free pancake mix when I want to kick my heals up.

      Reply

  24. Hey Robb and Andy,

    and a bazillion thanks for answering my question (episode 19, re: Nora Gedgaudas’ Primal body, primal mind), really made my day and felt like my fifteen minutes of fame, sort of a validation kinda feel, I AM A PROPER LISTENER! ;-D

    But off to new questions:

    1) I’m planning on starting to supplement my big sister with some cognitive enhancing stuff based on Nora’s book such as Alpha GPC, DMAE, L-tyrosine, vitamin B and Vinpocetine. My sister has MBD (Miminal Brain Dysfunction, nowadays it would be ADHD) and a “mild” mental handicap. She’s not hyperactive but the challenges are in attention, concentration and some motor skills as well to name some. Are there some other supplements or suggestions you might have for her benefit? I’ve been introducing the paleo diet but it’ll take long to get her really do that since it’s a bit more complicated for her. But she’s doing her best to ditch the bread and pasta for starters and is now willing to start supplementing.

    2) My other question is about the Crohn’s disease: what would you consider as the most important things (mostly diet wise) when trying to improve the quality of life? I’ve now listened trough all your podcasts (some of them even twice since I accidentally had hit the repeat button in my iPod! ;-)) and so far I’ve gathered that people with Crohn’s disease would benefit from paleo diet (who wouldn’t). I’m working with a person who also has some cognitive problems so it’s not as easy as to just present the solution and make him do that but I’ll have to start with something little less intimidating than ditching all at once. Maybe grains should go first? What about supplementing?

    3) Is there something to consider when going off the Pill? Should it be done somehow gradually (how?!) or is it okay just to give them up after 15 years? I’ve had a tumour in my lower abdomen when I was 17 which was operated and not malign (liquid filled, 1,4 litres! Took the right side ovaries away as well since it had sort of swallowed them) so since then I’ve always been told that I should never go off the Pill unless I wanted kids to keep things nice and quite down there as not to make anything else grow… But after reading dr Wiley’s books I want to rely fully on my OWN hormones. Would it be okay… ? And we don’t want to have kids.

    Again I would appreciate any advice and I have to say I truly value your input for the better of the whole humankind, you’re making a change. Be proud! 😛

    Ps. Read Nora’s book!

    Reply

  26. Robb – as a Crohn’s patient I’ve been following the Vit. D issue for several years. Since Crohn’s has a north-south gradient with regards to incidence (the farther from the equator, the greater the incidence) one hypothesis links sun exposure and Vit D. As you’re probably aware, recent studies have shown that the immune system is much more tightly linked to Vit. D than previously thought. This came out today and I thought it might be of interest:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20350569

    Reply

  27. Rob, thanks for all your help so far, with all the great advice on here I am finally down to about 12% bodyfat after being stuck over 20 my entire life. One thing I have noticed recently , ( and this is my question for this comment) For the longest time, weekend cheats and eating wayy to much was halting my progress, now however, I have had a couple weekend food benders(not proud of) and have come out the other end down a couple pounds?? Is this the point where my carb tolerance is finally starting to change? and could even handle some PWO carbs maybe once a week?? If, so, what should I start expiramenting with??

    Thanks again, Jared

    Reply

  30. Supplemental L-taurine may hep with both leg cramps and with issues getting to sleep. This seems to be related to neurotransmitter prevalence in any given individual.

    Reply

  31. Just thought I’d save some people some money. Biotest Flameout is crap. I was skeptical after I chewed the first one, but I’m now convinced that it is rancid. I chewed maybe a dozen of them, and I was actually more sore after taking it. If you want more DHA than EPA take Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil instead. I was very disappointed with Flameout.

    Reply

    • although I cannot comment on the Flameout in particular, I’ve found Biotest products to be way overhyped and overpriced

      on the fish-oil: I would suggest EVERYBODY chews on his fish oil caps whenever he buys a new batch. I recognized that you can thusly easily identify stuff that has gone rancid (despite a best before in 2014 or whatever) – if it tastes like old fish – > throw it away!

      Reply

  32. BDS 2 was funny, entertaining and still had some great raw power..but the slick production and strangely homophobic jokes had me wishing they had done it sooner. But it’s I have seen it twice and it grew on me. It’s not the 1st one, not by a mile..but it’s worth seeing twice! Keep up the great work. Clients and friends who have been converted to at least trying Paleo since Jan 1st………8! You guys are a major source of ammo in my fight against the food pyramid!

    Reply

  33. Oh man…. Robb, please don’t tell me there’s something wrong with the Vitamin A in cod liver oil. I love my CLO. Everytime I talk to you or read something new I have to change something. You’d think I’d have it right by now. In any case, the Biotest Flameout is still rancid. Seriously, I chewed at least a dozen, and not one tasted like other fish oils I’ve tried in the past.

    Reply

  34. RE bad breath – Blis mouth and throat probiotics absolutely work.

    http://www.blis.co.nz/?go=Consumers&c=BLIS

    They are amazing. My kids and hubby used to always complain about my breath. I used the fresh breath kit over a year ago and my bad breath has not returned. My husband used them when he had a sinus infection with a nasty smell and it cleared it in 24 hours.

    I recommend the Fresh breath kit, as it has a strong anti-bacterial mouthwash and tongue scraper to eliminate the nasty bacteria before you replace / recolonise it with the good stuff – in lozenges included in the pack

    http://www.blis.co.nz/?go=Consumers&c=BLIS-Products&p=Fresh-Breath-Kit

    Free delivery worldwide from this online store:
    http://www.nz-online-pharmacy.com/products/Blis-K12-Fresh-Breath-Kit.html

    Reply

  35. Thanks for the Vit D link / graph Mathieu, interesting. I’ve just started the 50K iu per day doctors script. I thought because I’m little (108lbs) 3000iu per day would be enough. But not for me obviously.

    RE the A2 milk – I used to know the scientist (he’s dead now sadly) that did the statistical analysis on the connection / correlation between A2 milk and heart disease in different countries. He used to say if he knew the ratio of A1 cows to A2 in a country – he could predict the level of heart disease in that country, the correlation was so statistically close. i.e. the higher the A1 the higher the heart disease in the population.

    Reply

  37. Hey Robb,

    Good vitamin D dosing, DUDE. Did you read that vitamin D may raise testosterone? (and sperm count!! according to my OBGYN) I shoot for 25OHD 60-70 ng/ml which keeps my asthma away… I started iodine too and had to bump up my vitamin D to 8000 to 12,000 IU daily. Apparently there is some evidence that iodine may increase vitamin D requirements.

    Ck out this review from my bud McLeod:
    http://entropyproduction.blogspot.com/2010/03/chronic-forms-of-euthyroid-sick.html

    Julianne,
    The vitamin D the doc gave may be the synthetic one D2 (ergocalciferol) which does hit the vitamin D receptors for a lot of folks. Vitamin D is fat-soluble and if you have bile or pancreatic issues (which many with lot thyroid can), some digestive enzymes help the fat-soluble vitamin D to be absorbed. (I’ll post them here later)

    B-vitamins, vitamin C, mixed tocopherols and taurine help the thyroid to recover as well (and adrenals too). A good B-complex with naturally-occurring B-vitamins is Ultra Botanicals and Jarrow. I like the trace minerals in Thorne’s product — lots of chromium, zinc, selenium and molybdenum which are vital for the enzymes for both the thyroid and adrenals.

    I’m trying to get my adrenals and thyroid in line too! I added P6P (an activated form of vitamin B6) and now I am DREAMING again 🙂 which is nice and delightful *HAAA!*

    Good luck!

    -G

    Reply

  38. Julianne

    BTW are you on the Pill? It lowers thyroid function (raises TSH, lowers free T4 and T3) (they raise thyroid binding globulin and decrease vitamin B12 and biotin).

    Reply

  39. Hey Robb and Andy,
    This is my first time posting but I have been following your blog and podcast for some time now. First off, keep up the good work… you guys are on the forefront of a movement to change peoples lives in a positive way and I think it is working! Secondly, here is my question (first a little background on me). I am 6ft 180lbs, fairly lean at about 8-10% body fat. I have been eating paleo for some time now and have seen phenomenal performance improvements across all domains. Since competing in a CF sectional comp and placing 18th therefore no longer moving on to regionals I have chosen to change up my training and incorporate a strength/Olympic lifting phase for about 3-4 months. I am going to start adding dairy, post workout, in the form of milk. I have been paleo w/dairy, and w/o dairy on and off for the last year and a half. I am semi lactose intolerant, but not so that it inhibits me from doing anything, just to the point that I may become bloated (somewhat) and my gas could peel the paint off the walls, however, this appears to only be the case w/ certain cheeses and anything extremely high in lactose. My question is this, would a lactase enzyme supplement be beneficial/harmful since lactose free milk is expensive @ 3 bucks/half gallon (since I am consuming over 48oz post wod). Would you recommend this, if so what brands? Thanks for the help, keep up the good work!

    Tyler

    Reply

    • Tyler-
      Great job at the sectionals dude! Lactase is def cheaper than lactose reduced milk. Another option is to make your own yogurt, or use yogurt. I’m not partial to any particular supp for this.

      Reply

  40. Once again great podcast robb
    Am on day 4 of paleo eatting and it kicking my ass. Major cravings for all things like bread choc milk. Feel like complete shit banging head just hope the good times kick in soon.
    Once again great podcast
    Dan

    Reply

  41. Robb,

    I’m headed off to boot camp for the navy in a month. I’ve been eating paleo except for a bit of cheese here and there. I’ve see some fantastic changes in body composition. Do you have any suggestions for eating in boot camp as I won’t be able to take fish oil, vit d, calcium and probably have a lower quality of food available all round. Are there foods that I could focus on more that might help bolster areas where I would be weak?

    Also, I’d love to create some music for your podcast (which I love) and you can check out my music at http://mattjoneser.bandcamp.com

    Reply

    • Matt!
      I dig the tunes. I was thinking something more along the lines of some 70’s porn music, but I’ll shoot you an email about the music.

      You will still be able to sneak in fish oil and supps. As to the food, just make the best choices you can. Bring stuff like jerky and almonds to fill in.

      Reply

  42. Robb,

    I’m getting an L4-L5 microdiscectomy. I herniated the disk in the bottom of a deep squat and I’ve been fighting with the pain for about 1 year. I had no business squatting with weights becasue I had no stability strategy and short hams and hip flexors. The MRI makes doctors cringe when they see how far out the disk is.

    I’ve tried everything. Chiro didn’t work. PT didn’t work. Paleo and fish oil helped a bit with pain and I lost over 20 lbs. Steroid injections worked but only for short periods of time. Stretching, stabilization (side planks, bird dogs, etc), and tons of walking helped the most. Hydrocodone and NSAIDS work well too but are not sustainable. I even got beat up by Kelly Starret and did a conslut with Dallas at Whole 9. And now I am in so much pain that I am going to get the damn surgery. I blew it out last march. Surgery is the last resort.

    One of the biggest problems associated with surgery is scar tissue. If scar tissue gets onto that nerve, I’ll be stuck in pain. I plan to stay strict low carbish paleo during recovery. Would you still recommend high doses of fish oil immediately post surgery? Do you have any other thoughts on the matter?

    Reply

    • Marshall
      fish oil and, hang on to your heel on this, 10-20 tablets of Wobenzymn PER HOUR for 5 days post op. They are expensive and come in a huge bottle.

      Reply

  43. I may regret asking this but I cant help it…

    So rewind, you mentioned early in the podcast that there is a study that proved your blood sugar can rise simply by looking at certain foods???

    Need, Need, Need a link and some articles on this study

    Reply

  44. Robb,

    What is your take on this:

    “POPs accumulate in fatty tissue, where they can remain for years because they are not easily broken down. Fatty fish are a potential source of POP exposure in many human populations. However, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil may have beneficial health effects, possibly including protective effects on insulin resistance, that could counterbalance any adverse effects of POPs in fatty fish.”

    http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.118-a173b

    http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=C7A445D9BC266B73E969E0E521DA7074?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.118-a173b&representation=PDF

    Do you think the Salmon based fish oil sold at Costco (or other fish oils) have this stuff scrubbed?

    Thanks

    Ronin

    Reply

  45. Thanks Grace,
    The vitamin D from the doctor is colecalciferol – I checked that out when I got it as I was concerned it might be D2 too.

    I’ll check out the other supplements – thanks, my multi has lots of B’s and I do add a mixed tocopherol and C to that. Naturally occurring B’s sound better though – so I’ll check those out. And the Thornes product. I do need more zinc, my levels were bottom of ideal range.
    My B12 and folic acid blood levels were top of ideal range.
    I think my adrenals are okay, the cortisol and other tests were normal.

    No I’m not on the pill, never been able to have kids, (have 2 delightful adopted ones) might be auto-immune too?
    I’m hitting peri-menopause now (50) so want to keep all in check. So far so good, getting missed cycles, but no other problems, no weight gain nothing. (Paleo with tweaked Zone makes all the difference).

    Thanks for the article link.

    Julianne

    Reply

  46. I have some ideas for the podcast audio/internet problems.

    Since you both live in Chico and work at the same gym, why use Skype for recording a podcast? I realize it is cheap and the podcast is free, so I am not trying to complain, but with a not-terribly-large outlay of cash, you could gain control of how things sound. No dropouts from Internet connections going down, no explosive consonants or other distortion, and far more consistent volume levels.

    You could get much better audio quality if you sat down in the same room with two microphones, with pop screens on the mic stands, and used an audio interface to feed both mics into your computer. You could then use a basic audio editor with a compressor plug-in to lower the levels of volume spikes and make things sound smoother. I realize you have lots of things going on, but this would further elevate your game. My email is associated with this post and I could make a few specific gear recommendations, if you are interested.

    Reply

    • Tom-
      We can look into this but the podcast was originally conceived of a way of decreasing my workload. I average 800-1200 emails per day and have no way to reach all of them. The podcast is admittedly rough, but it gets the idea out! We will look into this but once the book is finished I will be on the road again and we will be recording from different towns.

      Reply

  47. Hi Robb!

    Just saw the latest post on PaleoBrands on “figure show on a paleo diet”….by any chance is there a way to see what exactly Aubrey ate for those 10 weeks? Not everyday but maybe a sample week? I’m struggling with how much (even as an average female) calories to eat. I’m 5’2”/130lbs/and on avg 45-60 minutes of activity a day. My goal is to lose 8lbs and I believe due to my lack of knowledge I tend to undereat and because of not nourishing my body with the adequate amount of calories and the right macronutrients I start craving foods like crazy leaving me at a net zero change in weight. Advice?

    THANKS! You guys are rockin’ the podcasts!!

    Reply

  48. Erica- I have worked with a BUNCH of people who are diet coke addicts and have dialed in the rest of their diets but have a hell of a time giving up the soft drinks. To replace those, I have them drink sparkling water and squeeze in lemons/limes. I know it’s not the same at first but it has seemed to help them ween off the diet soft drinks and get their ‘bubbly’ fix. For someone that drinks 4 of them per day, I start with reducing to 1-2 per day and sparking water instead for the rest. Then taper them down to zero over about 3 weeks. Once people give up sugar, sweets, AND the diet sodas, their taste buds seem to reset and after awhile the taste of those things is just too sweet and grosses them out. Then I know they are on the right track! It’s worth giving a shot- hope that helps. Good luck!

    Reply

    • I dunno if this has already been debated, but there is this issue with aspartame in diet coke, of which I would expect that it is addictive via conversion to phenylalanine

      Reply

  50. Robb

    Me and my girlfriend started the paleo diet five days ago. She 5.2 in Height and weighs 8 stone ten. Since starting a strict paleo she complaining of bloating in her belly what do you think could cause this she says she’s never had it before paleo
    cheers again
    Danny

    Reply

    • Danny-
      Make sure she chews her food very well, she might need some digestive enzymes (oxbile is important in the ingredients) and probiotics. Keep me posted.

      Reply

  51. Hey Robb,
    In the podcast you mentioned how chocolate milk might be a legit alternative to the protein shake post workout. Do you happen to have a link to the case study or a good overview of why this is? I respond very well to post workout protein shake and I’ve never liked how expensive and “flashy” they all are; If i could get what I need out of chocolate milk that would be awesome. Rock on and I love the podcast.

    Reply

  52. Robb,

    Love the podcast. You mentioned cortisol issues and working out in a fasted state, and I was hoping you could go into that some more. I currently train at a 6 am class, so I usually don’t eat anything before working out. I’m making decent progress with regular PRs across the board, but I’ve been having trouble dropping some of the excess fat around the umbilicus, which you’ve mentioned before as a possible sign of cortisol issues. What is the mechanism by which fasted training affects cortisol production?

    I know Martin Berkhan at LeanGains talks about taking BCAAs before fasted training to promote muscle growth. Would BCAAs be enough to counteract whatever causes elevated cortisol during fasted training?

    I recently cut my calories from ~2300/day to about ~1800, and am weighing and measuring mostly to ensure I’m getting enough protein. I don’t think I’m over training, and have no real stress to speak of. The only other factor I can think of that might be causing cortisol issues is sleep. I usually get about 6.5 hours during the week, and about 7 to 7.5 on the weekends (even with the opportunity to sleep in). I usually don’t have any issues falling asleep or staying asleep, but once I wake up, that’s usually it for me.

    Thanks for everything. Your information has changed my life.
    Matt

    Background: M/27/5’11/180. (Mostly) CF Main Site WODs 5 on, 2 off. Pretty strict paleo (some butter occassionally) with ~2 cheat meals/week. ~1800 Cals/day, 180g Protein, <50g Carb / day. 6g EPA/DHA, 8k IU VitD, Calcium, Magnesium (Natural Calm)

    Workout Log – http://www.beyondthewhiteboard.com/members/4294
    Nutrition Log – http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=chrestme

    Reply

  53. Preston:

    Thanks for the advice! I’m on Day 4 Diet Coke-free! I think being dialed in on Paleo has helped a lot. I have good, even energy throughout the day even without the caffeine and am sleeping well and waking rested. I went cold turkey and there was some withdrawal, but I took vit D, magnesium and fish oil and got through it without advil and just a mild headache for 1/2 a day.

    Looking back I can see how much of my day was spent jonesing for Diet Coke and trying to resist it. The food industry must have learned something from the tobacco companies about engineering their products to be addictive. Kudos to you for helping people kick the habit!

    Reply

  54. > The podcast is admittedly rough, but it gets the idea out!

    Very true and your efforts are appreciated. 800 to 1200 emails a day? I do not envy you.

    Reply

  55. Erica,

    Great to hear- good for you for dropping the junk and working through it. When someone is motivated like you are and willing to go through a rough adaptation period, good things end up happening. I hear a lot of pundits say it’s ok to have that stuff in moderation, but I know from real world experience that many do NOT do moderation when it comes to soft drinks, so cutting it out is really the way to go. Keep it up and good luck!

    Reply

  57. Robb,

    On the topic of guests, it would be great to get hear Mat Lalonde talk about OPT’s PWO nutrition as I think the way he designs his recommendations via BF% is brilliant. One thing I would like to know is if how those exact recommendations pertain to the WOD. I know he is a Poliquin guy so just curious to see if he runs off the recommendation Charles gives via reps:

    12-72 reps per workout: 0.6 g/Kg/LBM
    73-200 reps per workout: 0.8 g/kg/LBM
    200-360 reps per workout: 1.0 g/kg/LBM
    360-450 reps per workout: 1.2 g/kg/LBM

    What this boils down to for me is being able to recommend PWO carbs/protein based on programming for my affiliate. It would be great to have a “template” that distinguishes between modalities, time domains & workload/reps as well as BF%. Such as whats the difference in fueling between a workouts like “Fran” and a workout like “Angie.”

    Reply

  58. Hi Robb

    Query re anti-inflammatory meds eg ibuprofen – what are your thoughts on useage for soft tissue damage from exercise injuries (resulting in regular inflammation) on toe/s. Good or bad idea alongside paleo, regular icing of affected area? I’m confused as to when/where its useful. Any thoughts helpful.

    Thanks again.

    Reply

  59. Hello Robb!
    Long time listener, first time caller. 🙂 Nine years ago, mine and my partner’s health plummeted after some prolonged solvent exposure coming over from the neighboring apartment and compounded by a black mold infestation in our apartment. Our health steadily declined for the first several years but in the last three we seem to have leveled off at about 25% functional capacity. It has left us nearly fully housebound, bedridden about 8-10 of our waking hours a day and completely knackered. In my never ending search to find a way back to health for us, we swapped to a strict Paleo lifestyle just over three months ago and have seen a small improvement. We are in our early 30’s, have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and Fibromyalgia. Our allergies are crazy bad to most chemicals which has left us homeless in a tent for the last eight years.

    I had a couple of questions about leaky gut, supplement inactive ingredients, and the Now Super Enzymes.

    1. I have no doubt our gut is leaky as a sieve and we have been taking aloe, slippery elm, and marshmallow for six months to try and aid this. We use lots of organic coconut oil with our cooking and about a month ago started taking copious amounts of Kirkland fish oil (13.5g/day, we both weigh ~170 and are working up the amount). Two weeks ago we removed all eggs and nuts, have been dairy free since going Paleo. We haven’t been able to afford grass fed meat yet, but do buy hormone and antibiotic free. Any ideals on how long a bad leaky gut problem can take to heal and/or experience greatly reduced inflammation? Anything else that you know of which we could try to do to help speed this up?

    2. We have been taking Source Natural’s Pancreatin 8x enzymes for six months and I recently picked up a bottle of the Now Super Enzymes to give them a whirl as they have the HCl the other ones lack. At 2 caps per meal I had a bit of a bad aftertaste which I suspect was the HCl as it reminded me much of smells from chem lab years ago, but no heat. Tried 3 caps for two meals but though there was no heat, it produced a surprising amount of burping, a general sour feeling in my stomach and later my gut, and even more of a bad aftertaste. Any thoughts? Too little, too much?

    3. Lastly, our doctor has us on many, many supplements to help with the lack of nutrients our body had been absorbing from our very poor diet. I’m a bit concerned the added ‘inert’ ingredients in the capsules might be tossing a wrench in us trying to remedy the leaky gut. Are there some non-obvious things I should watch out for on the ingredient list?

    Thank you very much for all the time and effort both you and Andy put into these podcasts. I have learned an incredible amount of information and feel very strongly that you have already helped my partner and I make healing progress we might otherwise have been much slower to achieve. Also, I attended Butte College for couple years at one point in my travels so hearing you and Andy chatting about Chico always feels like a little piece of home.

    Have a beautiful day, Lisa/Sundog 🙂

    Reply

  60. Hey Robb,

    Great work with everything you are doing. Question for the podcast: Since spring has just rolled around, I’ve been starting back on the antihistamines. I’ve been doing this every spring for as long as I can remember, and hoped paleo eating would cure them to some extent, but no luck there.

    That said, can you comment on their effect, if any, with regards to training recovery and performance? I know they suppress a branch of the immune response, but am wondering if they would affect the inflammatory processes needed in workout recovery. I’ve been eating paleo plus dairy for about eight months and workouts are of the max effort black box plus short metcon variety.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  61. Josh re allergies:
    I get good results by adding quercetin. Stops the itchy eyes I get from pollen.

    I also do better without dairy. It does increase mucus in many people and is linked with asthma and eczema. (Other family members of mine notice a considerable improvement dairy free with these issues)

    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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