Back with episode 31 – Enjoy!
Download a transcript of Episode 31
Show Topics:
Show Notes – The_Paleolithic_Solution_Episode_31
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.
Search Robbwolf.com
Robb,
I have been a follower of your blog for a while and try to listen to as many of the paleolithic solutions as possible, but I know there are a few that I have missed. So, I don’t know if you’ve answered this question or if it has been something that you have dealt with as far as nutrition counseling goes.
I have a client and surprisingly a few family members that deal with the issue of sleep eating. My client has done a 30 day paleo challenge, but found that during it she would “wake” up at night and eat all the things she was limiting from her diet. It did not happen every night, but mainly when she was experiencing more stress than normal. (She is now back to a typical American diet, because the sleep eating was counter productive and, at the time, inevitable.) She also has struggled with bulimia. I was curious if limiting food groups would be enough stress to make her sleep eat. Have you had any experience with counseling sleep eaters in response the the “stress” that the diet initially causes on the body and a person’s mental state?
I preach paleo to all of my clients. I know from experience that it covers an umbrella of illnesses. So this is how I would love to see everyone eating, but the mental game for some can be a lot to handle. I would love to know what you think!
Look forward to hearing more from you! We would love to come to a Paleolithic Seminar if you make your way to Texas!
Much Peace,
Jordan
Blackbox Strength & Cond.
Crossfit ATM
Jordan-
folks with food issues can blow up for damn near any reason. It;s s tough scene for some folks.
Robb,
Quick one for you…
Shirataki Noodles – Good, Bad, Indifferent?
http://www.miraclenoodle.com/miracle-noodle-products.html#AngelHair
They are made with something called “glucomannan” which I gather is derived from the root of the Konjac plant.
There is basically nothing to these things.
If these get your blessing, I will be going ape-shite on some wannabe pasta, but I have a feeling they are not gonna make the cut.
Holding my breath until I hear back from you!
-Dave
The Dave-
I think they are ok. Paleo Joe tired them and thought they did not taste all that good. Tinker and let me know.
Hey Robb, The different types of milk-producing cows Mat talked about were A1 and A2. The Masai use the A2 type.
Drew-
Thanks man! Some of that stuff I never keep straight!
Have you heard of the master amino acid pattern, MAP? http://www.masteraminoacidpattern.com/index.php
Sells itself on a 99% body protein synthesis, compared to 32% from natural sources.
Robb,
Thoughts on Real Mayo as a fat source??
I feel like I am running out of options with fat.. doing a cyclic keto diet.. fats – Coconut, Olive and flax seed oil, meats fish eggs, avocados, mac nuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts (these are limited) and real mayo.
Oh and of course coconut milk (120mL in the pm usually after dinner mixed with a little casein).
Nick-
seems way to heavy in n-6
Hi Robb,
thanks for the great podcasts. I enjoy them and I learn a lot. I am patiently waiting for the book. Maybe I am one of your two- and- a -half listeners in Europe? I tried Now Food Enzymes tablets and after your explanations about capsules being better I looked for capsules. I don’t feel any burn with tablets. Too bad I can’t buy capsules in Germany, so I ordered them on ebay in USA. Gets a bit expensive, sigh…
News about the saturated fat-war zone:
I am quite surprised about a new study that I got from someone on facebook today:
Replacing Saturated Fat with Polyunsaturated Fat May Cut Heart Disease Risk. New Study Just the Second Dietary Intervention to Show a Reduction in Coronary Heart Disease
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000252
Harvard recommends replacing sat fats with PUFAs.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2010-releases/saturated-fat-polyunsaturated-fat-cut-heart-disease-risk.html
GEEZ! Omega 6 ? Are they kidding? What do you think? Yes it’s meta analysis and this stuff gives a lot of room for manipulation and I haven’t read it yet. Just irritating. Mainstream medicine finally admits that the fat phobia and high carb ideology was unhealthy advise and now they start their next subsidization campaign for Food Inc. and King Corn?
Andrea-
Then we have Saturated fat showing NO increase in CVD problems:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/91/3/535
Luv this podcast! .. Listening right now :))) … Wanted to comment on the Hypothroid query .. I have had this for about 10 years (take Synthroid 150mcg and Cytomel 25 mcg x 2) … Audrey, maybe take a look at lowering your carbs … that 100 grams of carbs, while maybe strict Zone, looks pretty darn high for someone with hypothroid – I have found I have to really limit carbs to drop weight … just a thought and a point to adjust and try out ??? … drop to 75 and see how it goes ???
and I guess you would increase the fat to make up the extra calories … 🙂
well, for some reason, my first one did not go .. .Love this podcast! I just wanted to suggest to Audrey, regarding the hypothyroidism, that she might try lowering her carbs – I have fought this battle for 10 years (autoimmune cause) and find that lower carbs, certainly less that 100 grams per day, is extremely helpful .. also, less fruit …
Lizzie-
Sorry, been on the road and did not get to these.
Hi Robb, love the show and have referred many people to your website.
Can you comment on wiping out inflammation? I am 30 yr old male and I wake up every morning very stiff and my joints and even head sometimes feel “swollen.” It’s been like this since about 15 years old. Paleo has made it much better as does 30 minute walks. I eat mostly meat and fat with some vegetables, no grain, no dairy, no eggs, no legumes. My meat is mostly grain fed but I take about 2 tablespoons of Carlson’s fish oil a day. I also have been taking 3 (600 mg) of Ibuprofen a day which really helps and makes me realize that the aches and stiffness are indeed inflammation. Ive been diagnosed with many food allergies but the test was suspect as the only foods that I came up allergic to also happened to be the foods I was eating. This test was pre Paleo and was a blood test. Any help you could give would be very much appreciated as the pain and stiffness makes it hard to do office work and makes me lazy and want to sleep or do another escapist activity to “wait it out.” Lack of sleep makes it much worse but Im sleeping 9 hours a night and its still there.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Pete-
1-Sleep
2-Low GL foods
3-No grain, legumes or dairy
4-Smart exercise and mobility.
5-Magnesium
Robb – Your talk about specialized athletes sorta got me thinking. Crossfit introduced olympic weightlifting to me and lately I have been seriously considering just training oly lifting. Since you have written for the performance menu I would like to get your input on health and longevity of oly lifters. I already have it in my head that I am young right now (23) and I swear I will never be one of those people who competes in masters 20 years down the road covered in knee wraps.
Hey Robb and Andy,
I believe the person with the question about the Omega 3 and Omega 6 acids competing for absorption is referring to their shared usage of delta 6 desaturase. I think the “competition” is that you get the prostaglandins from the n6 acids more frequently than the n3 just due to the abundance of n6’s over n3’s present in the average diet.
I might be wrong, but hopefully that helps.
Cheers!
Adam-
That’s not how it was asked. They were asking about cellular uptake…
About the skin cancer thing–it might be interesting to look into whether skin damage is increased with high polyunsaturated fat levels in the diet. I think I remember seeing something like that on Pubmed.
I would keep my polyunsaturated fat levels low if my family had a history like that. They should be 4% of total calories anyway (historical).
Different Bryan-
Good call.
Hi Robb,
Just thought I’d add some comments to the thyroid issue.
It would also help to find out the what the thyroid anti-bodies are.
Hashimotos (auto-immune throid disease -IATD) is linked to celiac. And excess iodine might aggravate.
In my own recent experience (with AITD which I have) – I think I was taking too much iodine – I went over the RDA, now I’ve dropped it back to 1/2 the RDA as a supplement, and my weight which had started to increase has dropped back, and I feel better. I’m also being very strict with no gluten (I wasn’t 100% strict before) That’s also helping.
Also eating foods high in L-tyrosine as is important for thyroid function, and has helped me. I love pork – its high in L-tyrosine and when I eat lots it helps with weight loss.
I would also cut carbs back more – I do best on about 50 – 70 g carbs day and 1 gram protein per lb lean body mass, and I do less exercise than Audrey – and this is good for weight loss for me. I don’t measure fat – but don’t go heavy on it either.
Also if it is auto-immune make sure your vit D is at good levels. Also take some selenium or brazil nuts (high in selenium) as you need that to convert T4 to T3
In my experience with clients – I measure their waist at navel and bottom at biggest point- average measurement loss is 1 inch per month, that’s being averagely compliant and light exercise. Of course some lose more – but that’s fairly normal. So if your fat loss is fitting with this – I’d say you are doing okay. And as Robb says don’t go by the scales, you do gain muscle with CrossFit – the measurements and fit of clothes or skinfolds is a better judge.
Robb,
In regards to the discussion about coffee, is it only the caffeine in coffee that causes our body to ramp up cortisol/adrenaline release into the blood stream?
Or are there mysterious proteins found in ALL coffee (regular and decaf) that cause this response?
Derek-
Just the caffeine and related alkaloids.
Hey Robb quick question about pre workout supplements,
I usually don’t take anything as far as stimulants pre workout, but sometimes I need a quick pick me up and coffee just doesn’t do the job all the time. I have taken all sorts of nitric oxide products in the past (NO Xplode, White Flood, Black Powder, etc) with pretty good results, although my favorite is ephedra tea although im quite sure its probably not healthy. Anyways, my roommate just bought some new pre workout supplement loaded with arginine and beta-alanine, which i like, however it also has a 3-beta-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one. This seems to be a prohormone and a testosterone precursor (DHEA). What’ your take on this compound? There is 100mg of it per serving.
Joey-
I do not really keep up on the pro-hormone scene. I suspect some work well, but there are a lot of variables to this. Cortisol, insulin levels etc.
Love the podcasts. Husband and I listen every time there’s a new one- great stuff. Thank you!
Wolf and Deas you’ve done it again. Nice show. Just wanted to give props for the early shows 1-5 too. I listened to the early podcasts again and added the natural calm and vit d3 as suggested. That stuff is money, very nice before bed and seeing some incremental improvements on the lean out. Now if that damn book would come out we might get to the supplement show so I can hear an explanation about why all this stuff is working so well so I have a good answer for my wife when she asks why I’m drinking alka-seltzer before bed. Thanks again.
Just wondering how much fish oil you recommend for a 46 year old woman weighing 140# with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Thanks 🙂
Courtney-
are you 100% grain, legume and dairy free? From there 7-10g till the RA symptoms subside. Then 3-5g maintenance.
Sleep I huge here.
Great show. Short and to the point. What is the link to the website you guys talked about on the gymnastics plyometrics?
gymnasticbodies.com/
Rob-
Great podcast. I don’t think rendering beef fat is disgusting, because I do it too. Whenever I pick up a grass fed cow, I get bags of fat which I then render at home. Unfortunately my wife thinks I’m a freak (she’s right). My problem with the beef fat is that only half the bags are from grass-fed animals. ehayes asked this question last week, but I’d like to understand the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef tallow. I’m also interested in what you think about the guar gum in coconut milk. I’ve got an autoimmune thyroid condition, so I’m very careful about additives.
Yo Robb! 2 Q’s about grass-fad cow fat: Will any of the fat from the grass-fed cow be ok to render(can I get a bunch of fat that was cut off a NY strip for example)? When you render the fat, you do it at a low heat, but how do you store it? Does it need to be refrigerated or vacuum sealed or anything like that?
Robb,
Thanks for the continuation of all the episodes. Looking forward to your book release.
This will be long so early apologies, thanks for your time. I’m currently still not eating the Paleo way so to speak. I have listened to your Episode’s on and off and get excited but the excitement usually goes dry. I agree with the concept, and would have no problem doing it. It’s the roll in that gets me, I often consume myself with too much information not knowing where to start or stop.
My biggest issue is my weight loss is always very slow and sometimes nonexistent for weeks at a time.
Approx 1.5 years ago I was awarded an opportunity to participate in a transformation competition. I was provided all supplements. Pre Workout Nox Products, Post Workout building products, some test builders (non steroid based), protein powders etc. I was in this program for approx 3 months.
When I came out of the program I had limited weight loss and or muscle gain. One day after approx 2.5 months in I had a terrible episode of a burning pain in my stomach one day that I couldn’t get to go away. It took a few hours for this to go away, nearly went to the ER for it. After that I stopped taking anything that contained splenda, Nitric Oxide adders etc.
Fast forward two months after the contest, and I started having terrible anxiety attacks, depression, and couldn’t seem to control my brain. I went to a natural DR that diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue via a bio feedback machine. To remedy I went Gluten, Diary free, no pork and mainly veggies and wholesome low GI carbs. I lost weight without even working out. Nearly a paleo diet minus rice etc. She also had me take Probiotics, Some Bach flowers, b complex, theanin sereane, and forget what else. The solution was lots of rest whenever possible and supporting products for stressful times.
But when I add working out to the mix my weight loss always slows down, even if I just do cardio.
I think this is due to the fact that my body relied so heavily on the workout products I was taking, that my adrenals aren’t functioning correctly. My body had come to realize that I would feed it adrenal producing affects via a liquid drink.
I’d like to get back on track I am at least 70 lbs overweight, I’m a fairly easy muscle gainer by nature, my legs are rock solid you can hardly get a caliper set to get a fat reading. My fat is stored mainly in my upper body, chest, neck, and abdomen.
I plan on starting back the natural DR’s supplements, but can you recommend any additional steps. I’d really like to start back at the gym or at least some type of physical activity as I am behind a desk 80% of my working day. I feel my cardiovascular health is declining. I’m 28 so plenty of years to recoup, but need to start now.
Also whats the best easy method in to the Paleo? Do you think my gluten free, dairy free is a good starting point?
Thanks for all your help.
Hi Robb – many thanks for a great website and podcast!
What is your experience with eczema in general (and sebborehic dermatitis in particular).
I switched to strict Paleo a couple of weeks ago (inc. eliminating nightshades) and have seen some improvements – however I recently had a bad flare up despite not eating anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes the Sebb. Derm. seems realated to food but not consistently, as in this case.
I’ve started supplementing with Vit-D (5,000 IU) and fish oil 14 days ago and have started with Vit-b12, Vit-b6, folic acid and zink.
Would deeply appreciate any input you might have.
Kind regards,
Victor
Victor-
you may need some GLA or DGLA to balance things out but SD seems very tied to foods, especially dairy. We will have prof. Cordain ont he podcast soon and will look at this.
Hey guys, great episodes as always and thanks for the annswer on Episdoe 29 re: IF/Cortisol/and my drooling waiting for next meal.
Couple of quickies, I am at a point that I am really tinkering/fine tuning for optimal performance and had a “dreaded question” re PWO. I have done it fasted, whey/coconut milk/ and now whey/sweetpotatoe and apple sauce (which for performance I find to be the best but coconut milk best for leaning out). My question, thoughts on plain old Milk instead? If we are going to “walk the line” on paleo with whey, why not straight milk(less processed and more nutrients)? If you are good with that, do we look at skim or the fat version to allow for some CLA PWO in organic milk.
Finally, my wife had a question for you Andy as she follows the podcasts as well but never posts anything. I decided to follow your advice and give up the caffeine for a stint(after daily consumption of 3-4 expressos a day, easy). I am on week 2 of decaf coffee. My wife’s question, which will let you know how I am making out and I quote: “Why don’t you ask Andy which came first, his wife talking about divorce or him returning to coffee”.
Tony-
try some grassfed milk. I noticed goats milk dod not give me many problems.
Regarding the wife: HILARIOUS!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/phys-ed-can-pickle-juice-stop-muscle-cramps/?emc=eta1
thought you may find this article about pickle juice and muscle cramping interesting. I have always been told by coaches to drink pickle juice or pedialyte
Robb,
I currently spend a ton on fish oil – I take in about 4oz a day of the Carlsons stuff which is costing me about $200/month.
I have seen some places where you can buy pharmaceutical grade fish oil in bulk… have you seen these places? Here is a link – maybe you can check it out and give us all the thumbs up… it would sure save a lot of us a lot of money considering a gallon is about $55.
http://www.bulknaturaloilsstore.com/omega-3fishoil18epa12dha07.aspx
Hi Robb,
At 30:00, you said when you first clean and jerked 275 you were doing 5×10 of “this movement.”
Are you referring to the roundoff, or the handstand snap-down?
Round off, but it is just using it as a plyo, not going into a handspring or back flip.
Unrelated to my previous question: I have a friend in Yuba City who has nagging neck pain that runs down to his left elbow. He’s a mechanic so I’d assume it’s due to his piss poor posture, which he’s always had. He’s been to shoddy physical therapists, an orthopedist, and just had an MRI 2 days ago which revealed nothing significant. Can you recommend someone specifically that he can go to? His pain is ruining his life, he can barely work, he’s gaining weight and feels terrible all the time. I was thinking Kelly Starrett but I dont think he can drive to SF 2-3 times a week. If you can suggest anyone from Chico to Sacramento or so to help my friend, I’d greatly appreciate it! He has insurance $!$!$! Thanks again for all your paleo-awesomeness.
David-
Dr. John Fragoso is AMAZING:
http://www.fragoso-chiropractic.com/
ART practitioner and chiro. hell of an athlete too and he is in chico. Your friend will need to plan ahead as John is booked upwards of 3 weeks in advance.
Another excellent podcast.
BTW, do you know anything regarding paleo and/or low carb/keto and it’s effects with OCD. I tried looking some stuff up, but only found one reference to keto and OCD (and it didn’t really say much), and found a forum post with a few people talking about paleo curing OCD (removing wheat, MSG, etc.). My OCD is definitely better on lower carb, and seemed to get even better when I went paleo as well (it’s mostly a non-issue now).
Thanks
Squatchy-
Short answer is “yes” it can help. This would make a really good blog post.
Hey Robb are microwaves ok to use or not? I read this and it makes microwaing sound quite bad but I am unsure of the actual science behind the claims. http://www.laleva.cc/environment/microwave.html#Anchor-23522
Jay-
What they describe there is pretty much what we refer to as “cooking”.
should you stand with your head right next to a microwave while it;s working? No. should you use it to cook every meal? No. But these guys are way out there for my tastes.
hey robb whats your take on coconut water for post workout recovery? maybe mixed with whey for a shake? Ive been reading how its good PWO, but it seems like just a lot of sugar, whats the deal with it?
Joey-
Mainly glucose, so that’s good. Good electrolytes. Not magic, not terrible either. Added to whey might be cool for the right situation. Coconut water is delicious in Mojitos!
Robb, The Eades recommend D-ribose for anyone that works out, your thoughts?
Rob-
I’ve played with it, a Jarrow product and can’t say I noticed much. But I was non-responder to creatine too. I’d give it a shot and see how you do.
Hey Robb,
I am a big fan of your blog. I feel that I am getting a handle on what to eat and when, now trying to balance other portions of my life. I work 12 hour shifts, six days in a row, followed by eight days off. On the days I work, I CAN go to a local affiliate and do a workout, but it will mean that i will only get seven hours sleep before I have to wake up for work again, instead of eight. If I did not go work out on any of these days, then there is a whole 6 day period with little exercise. I lean towards going and working out on maybe 4 out of 6 of my work days.
Should I do this? Is there a yes/no answer or do I just need to consistently follow this schedule and see how I feel? Also, would you say that as a rule, seven hours is the bare minimum of sleep for a crossfit athlete?
Thanks,
Tavis in Bishop, CA
Travis-
As I see it there is just tinkering. I;d stick with strength work only on the work days, quick, in-out. No fuss or muss. Not sure your line of work but pistols, push ups, door way pull ups etc. can really fill the dead moments AND keep you moving forward on your conditioning.
Hey Robb,
My girlfriend has been complaining alot about being bloated and having excessive flatulence. It’s weird too because she seems to have around the same amount of body fat but you can’t really see her abs anymore. We’ve tried adding sauerkraut to her diet to help with gut flora but it hasn’t helped. Basically we eat pretty paleo, lots of grassfed meat, lots of veggies – mostly greens, a little fruit but not much, very little nuts, coconut oil and milk, small amounts of olive oil, yams sometimes and thats about it. We cheat sometimes, maybe two meals once a week but not full days and not more than once a week. She also takes 2 tsp of fish oil and 2000iu of vitamin d. Thanks Robb
Jay-
I it’s mainly a digestive issue I;d track down the Nowfoods: Super enzymes. I’ve covered how to use them in previous posts and podcasts. Let me know if this helps.
Robb,
Thanks so much for your comment on my question about coffee. I should probably have been more clear, I was not talking about downing a few cups of Java right before a workout, I meant kind of what you all were talking about: adding a little shot of espresso or cold coffee to the smoothie. Still, your response has given me reason to research more about all this, Shit, your whole blog has given me reason to do so. It’s incredibly informative and helpful to me. I am a evolutionary neuroscientist by training and am starting to delve into evidence-based fitness, darwinian approaches to health and well-being.
I’m on the old learning curve here – have been doing free diet paleo for a while – being an evolutionary trained scientist it just always made sense to me. Now I am trying really hard to optimize my eating/nutrition for athletic performance, fitness, health, my own well-being, the well-being of my soon to be born son, my wife, my family, You get the idea.
At any rate, i just wanted to say thanks for a great site and all the great advice. If you are ever back in and/or around the Atlanta area let’s grab some grub!
SP
Robb & Andy,
I made the apple cinnamon & coconut custard last night with a slight modification to make it set up better.
1 can of coconut milk (it contained 70g fat total)
70g of coconut oil (to match the replaced coconut milk)
2 large apples peeled and sliced
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Put it all in a pot and cooked it medium heat about 10-12 minutes then pureed it in my blendtec. Poured it into a glass bowl and into the fridge overnight.
It set up nicely and has the consistency of pudding or thick yogurt. It made about 20oz and is oh so yummy, thanks for the idea.
Kevin-
Good stuff. I suspect 1/8 tsp of Xantham gum would really help the consistency as well.