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

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The Paleo Solution – Episode 56

Download a transcript of Episode 56

Back with episode 56. Enjoy!

  1. Disappointed with Paleo Results
  2. High Fat Diets & Epilepsy
  3. Breast-Fed Paleo Babies
  4. Decaffeinated Coffee Revisited
  5. What is Your Goal?
  6. Balance Between Leaning Out, Capacity, Recovery, & Fueling
  7. Dark Chocolate
  8. Throat Discomfort
  9. Lactose Free Milk
  10. Multiple Sclerosis
  11. Weight Loss on Berries / Frozen Foods
  12. Do I Need 6,000 Calories a Day?

Show Notes – The_Paleo_Solution_Episode_56

Download Show Here.

Comments

  1. Hi guys,

    I’ve been listening to you guys since the audio sucked and I think I understand just about everything you’ve explained. However, w.r.t. saturated fat I don’t understand how the medical community can vilify something that should be benign from an oxidation standpoint. Why do most people think it will kill you and why are they wrong?

    Thanks,
    Mark

    Reply

      • brilliant. Or perhaps Y N E P (You’re not ealing paleo) for a distinct abbreviation (even though YNDTP
        is great and definitely fits the bill). You could even have a standard question abbreviation for those
        “mostly paleo” eaters — W T F I M P (what the fuck is “mostly paleo”)

        Reply

  3. Hey Robb,

    I was wondering what your thoughts are on this article and the underlying study:
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/30/vitamin.d.calcium/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

    Specifically, the following three quotes from the article:

    “After reviewing nearly 1,000 published studies on vitamin D and calcium, the Institute of Medicine on Tuesday recommended that most Americans and Canadians up to age 70, who are not pregnant, need no more than 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D per day to maintain good health. People over age 70 may need as much as 800 IUs.”

    “The committee surprisingly found the majority of Americans and Canadians are getting enough vitamin D and calcium.”

    “Ross also noted that while the report found most of the data confirmed that calcium and vitamin D do play a huge role in skeletal growth and keeping up good bone health, they could not find strong evidence that vitamin D protected the body against cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and diabetes.”

    Thanks for all your work and the time you spend to answer so many questions!

    Reply

      • Get a blood test to see what your blood vitamin D level really is; then supplement as needed. Get a blood test a couple of times a year (at least) until the blood level stabilizes.

        Reply

      • Robb,

        Recently had some blood work done, and just thought I’d shoot you an update.

        In October 2009, my Vit D levels were 31. At the time, I was not eating Paleo (had not even heard of it). I was not supplementing with Vit D although I was drinking Vit D fortified milk (probably about a glass every other day as well as a little in my coffee every morning).

        Started paleo in September 2010 and supplementing 1000 IU of Vit D. In November, upped the Vit D to 5000 IU/day. My blood work last week showed a Vit D level of 61.

        So, although I may have been within the government’s “recommended” minimum for Vit D, it looks like the 5000 IU/day gets me up to a level where I will benefit from Vit D’s anti cancer and autoimmunity levels.

        Thanks!

        Todd

        Reply

    • I looked at a number of studies and vit D requirements a few months back, and my view (interested to hear what you say too Robb) is that most people do not get enough Vit D for either maximum calcium absorption, immunity, or insulin sensitivity, and other health benefits. And my clients when tested ALL showed deficiency or borderline levels. Even some who were taking 2000iu per day, had poor vit D levels.

      I collated all this info in a a Q&A post on Vit D for my clients
      http://paleozonenutrition.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/vitamin-d-ideal-levels-and-how-to-know-if-you-are-taking-the-right-amount/

      Reply

    • This is an area that i am quite confused about.. initially i was taking my 5k a day of vitD and it seemed to be ok for me.
      What i am concerned about is a couple of articles that Shane Ellison (thepeopleschemist[dot]com)has done recently, claiming that the Vit D orgs are scamming people into believing that they have low levels as a way of marketing the next miracle cure. He mentions a toxicology journal that says in high enough doses, Vit D is toxic. I’ve gone back to fermented cod liver oil for the time being..
      I would love to see more discussion on this. He seems to make a point.. the best source of vit D is from the sun.. and it supplies a lot more and it has a turn off mechanism when the body has had enough.. unlike capsules.
      Given all the other “fashionable” supplements such as Acai etc. is it possible we are all being played?
      PS> Others have expressed the same concern.. just can’t recall who at the moment. Kurt Harris maybe?

      Reply

    • Hey All,

      Yeah I remember reading an article about MS patients taking up to 28000IU per day without any problems (including those with serum calcium).

      I’d say 5000IU isn’t a bad idea. For some reason up here in Canada, supplements are only allowed 1000IU per serving.

      Reply

  4. hey hey now, if every elite crossfit athlete has a progenix banner in their gym, it’s gotta be the best stuff EVER, amirite??

    Reply

  5. Beauty! Thanks for checking out the decaf coffee prep fellas.

    It seems like Mike from question 1 needs that auto-answer thing mentioned in the last podcast:

    “Holy cats! Beer and muscle milk aren’t kosher for your situation brother!”

    Thanks a lot for all the hard work guys, another morning commute in the books.

    Reply

  6. 1. Disappointed with Paleo Results 7.48
    2. High Fat Diets & Epilepsy 15.02
    3. Breast-Fed Paleo Babies 20.22
    4. Decaffeinated Coffee Revisited 21.30
    5. What is Your Goal? 24.07
    6. Balance Between Leaning Out, Capacity, Recovery, & Fueling 27.35
    7. Dark Chocolate 32.29
    8. Throat Discomfort 35.43
    9. Lactose Free Milk 38.13
    10. Multiple Sclerosis 39.46
    11. Weight Loss on Berries / Frozen Foods 41.56 / 43.54
    12. Do I Need 6,000 Calories a Day? 46.09

    Reply

  7. Hey Robb, after months and months of eating mostly paleo I finally took the plunge and went 100% compliant for 30 days. After completing my 30 days, I had a standard full blood panel done to see where I stood compared to a past blood test when I used to eat “clean” but not paleo, (high-protein, low-fat, high-carb via. whole grains). A little backround: my liver enzymes historically have been a little high and I have been checked for Hepatitus and all tests were negative. Also, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in 2003 but have been taking medication for that ever since. I will be getting my side of grass-fed beef tomorrow but when the bloodwork was done I was eating regular grain-fed beef with some relative frequency. I supplement with 4-6 grams of fish-oil per day and also with 4,000iu vitamin D daily. Physique is 6’4″, 207lbs approx. 12% bodyfat. I Crossfit 5-6 days/week and also do some olympic lifting once a week. My performance numbers are better than ever and I feel great! (Especially since going 100% Paleo!); however, some of the numbers of concern me and they are regarding MCHC, RDW,BUN, AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), A/G RATIO, and Cholesterol. Here goes:

    MCHC: NOV-2010 = 32.6(L) SEPT-2009 = 33.80(N)
    RDW: NOV-2010 = 14.80(H) SEPT-2009 = 14.409N)
    BUN: NOV-2010 = 19(N) SEPT-2009 = 32(H)
    AST(SGOT) NOV-2010 = 54(H) SEPT-2009 = 42(H)
    ALT(SGPT) NOV-2010 = 57(H) SEPT-2009 = 34(N)
    A/G RATIO NOV-2010 = 2.0(H) SEPT-2009 = 2.1(H)

    OVERALL CHOLESTEROL mg/dL: NOV-2010 = 211 SEPT-2009 = 72
    Triglycerides NOV-2010 = 32 Sept-2009 = n/a
    HDL NOV-2010 = 78 SEPT-2009 = 40
    LDL NOV-2010 = 127 SEPT-2009 = 32
    VLDL NOV-2010 = 6 SEPT-2009 = N/A

    TSH = 1.85(supllemented with 125mcg Levothyroxine)

    I am one of the original 6 listeners and love the book. Any info. you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Especially since my doctor is freaking me out but as far as I know I feel great! Thanks.

    Reply

    • A little more background: Very rarely drink, (once a moth or less, 2 drinks maximum) and I also do not use any acetemetaphine containing products but info use Aleve with some frequency,(1-2 times a week).

      Reply

      • Hi Rehif – For what its worth, I also have my blood work done regularly. One year, one month before I was due to have my bloodwork; I hurt my back and began taking Aleve twice a day in the amount recommended. I did not take any other pain medications and did not take the Aleve every day but 4-5 times each week. When my blood work came back all my liver enzymes were elevated. My physician advised me to stop taking Aleve and not take any other NSAIDs as they can all cause damage to the liver. I had my liver enzyme levels run again the next year and they were normal.

        JLT

        Reply

        • JLT, I will definitely give that shot! I also suspect that it hs a lot to do with NSAID use. Guess I’m just going to have to step up my fish oil ingestion! Thanks!

          Reply

  8. Hah Chico is lucky to be having sunny days! Try living here in Seattle. So depressing. We haven’t seen sun light since early October.

    Also I am one of those trying to get in that Woodinville seminar. Although Hawaii is a good expensive option haha. Oh well. There’s always next time!

    Question –
    I just got Natural Calm, Vitamin D 2K I.U., Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil and acidophilus (since it was on sale) – I’m quite confused on how much I should consume. I found my needs via Whole9 Fish Oil calculator and just wondering for the magnesium and vitamin D. I am 5’3″ 110 lbs 18 years old female. I rock climb, although not as much right now since its off season, condition via Wendler, gymnastics and metcons 4-5 days a week. Diet is alright but dependent on University of Washington cafeteria food (which is not that decent). I try to sleep good but not quite 9.5 hours.

    Thanks for another great episode, Robb and Andy!

    Reply

  10. hey, awesome podcast as always. Im the ben from the last question, thanks so much for addressing what i asked. Since writing in with that question i have been making steady, linear, according-to-plan progress without the added starch and/or dairy that i was asking about. Im still on strict paleo, forgoing even the sweet potatos. Body weight is up to 163.5 as of 11/29/2010 and feeling great with the regular added weights on SStrength. Im handling them just fine, though admittedly the heavier they get the tougher it is (duh). As far as slight fatgain accompanying the muscle/strength gain, I have indeed lost the bottom two abs of the sixpack but who cares, i can slim down later on, right? More important is that i feel and perform really well right now. Thanks so much, ill keep the eating clean (no jars of almond butter, dont worry).
    ps. i took what you answered to heart and this coming week or two i am going to experiment and see what a baked sweet potato PWO, along with the beef i always eat, does to my feeling/performance, etc. Be well.

    Reply

  12. Vitamin D, “You’re going to die!”, and Stubborn Parents
    Read the book – love it; have been modifying my diet since with great results.
    Pre-Thanksgiving measurements were 5’9″, 151lbs, 6.2% body fat.

    Vitamin D:
    Based on the books recommendations I’ve been taking Carlson’s Vitamin D3, 2000 IU (cholecalfiferol). I read the back of the bottle and under other ingredients, Sunflower Oil is listed – thought we were supposed to be staying away from that stuff…what gives?

    “You’re going to die!”
    I’ve been excitedly telling my sister about how great I feel and perform having gone Dairy, Bean, and Grain free. My sister, in her last year of nursing school, is concerned that I am “essentially doing Atkin’s Diet, which is VERY unhealthy”. I point out that my body converts carbs from the myriad of fruits and vegetables I eat, but to no avail. What is a better response to her Atkin’s concern?

    Why are parents so stubborn in learning from their kids and trying a new diet?

    J

    Reply

    • For what it’s worth I’m a nurse. I’ve also additional nutrition science papers to get to BSc level. The stuff they teach you is wrong IMO. If someone tried “healthy eating” according to the current nutrition teaching they might be better off than the average appalling diet, but they wouldn’t have optimal health.
      The current problem as I see it – is that researchers within the universities are so sure that the current paradigm is correct, they keep on working within that paradigm rather than questioning it. For example from my post grad MSc paper assignments: Look at different protein, carb, fat ratios, research and justify what might work best for fat loss?

      What I’m saying is all questions for assignments fell within working in the current paradigm, not questioning it. To get true progress one needs to keep questioning our current beliefs not assume they are correct then tweak them.

      Actually Robb covers it well in the introduction in his book, conventional researchers are currently looking from the wrong place. I’d ask her to read that and then get back to you. (If she’s open to it)

      Reply

  13. In addition to Cordain, Gary Taubes and Art De Vany would be great guest. All three of which have books coming out this month.

    Cordain has two coming out, an updated version of ‘The Paleo Diet’ and ‘The Paleo Diet Cookbook’. Taubes has ‘Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It’. And De Vany has ‘The New Evolution Diet: What Our Paleolithic Ancestors Can Teach Us about Weight Loss, Fitness, and Aging’.

    Reply

  14. Rob, I just bought the book and am about half way through right now.

    A thought occurred to me while reading. Have you ever considered giving a TED talk (ted.com) on the subject of paleo eating, low-carb, the grain issue/food pyramid, etc? Seems like the subject of the USDA food pyramid and the harm it does would be a good talk. Or maybe just hitting on the real effects of grains on the human body. The anthropological approach in your book is particularly interesting, imo.

    This is some pretty out-of-the-box thinking and TED is an interesting forum to present ideas like that.

    Thanks, and keep up the good work.

    Reply

  15. Hi Robb,

    Any tips for constant hunger? I’m an ectomorph and simply can’t bulk. My hunger is damn near insatiable. Even when I eat ungodly amounts of food, and get a wee bit of satiety, I’m starving again in under an hour. My diet is pretty dialed in and it’s been this way for almost a year. Any tips?

    Props to you and Andy for keeping the show up. I’ve been listening since ep3. It’s come a long way, as has your viewership!

    Reply

  18. Hey Andy and Robb,

    I had an idea while listening to the podcast a Paleo documentary. Maybe Morgan Spurlock could do his 30 days of McD’s and then you guys do a 60 day paleo rehab and a Paleo movie. “Psuedo science: The Robb and Andy saga.” Directed by Kevin Smith. Played by Jay and Silent Bob. If they can make a movie about facebook, paleo solution podcast is a shoe in. You guys just need to claim that your bigger than facebook all of a sudden.

    Thank

    Cave

    Reply

  19. Maybe it’s just me, but the podcast isn’t showing up on itunes yet. Will there always be a delay or is this something that can be fixed?

    Reply

  20. robb,

    surely you realise that the keto diet in the nyt article is very different to the average persons keto diet, as they need to maintain extremely deep ketosis (eating 90% fat, specific ketogenic ratio at each meal, the moms full time job was just making his food), so it would be very troublesome to keep up such a regime, unlike the regular paleo style keto diet. While this may put some people off keto, these are obviously 2 very different contexts.

    cheers.

    Reply

    • In the NY Times article the people are feeding their child Hotdogs, Bacon, etc.. as their primary food source.

      The obvious reason for doing this is cost. However, that is not the healthiest way of doing it. That is what Robb was stating. Keto hardcore can be “hard” and very hard if you have to do it for medical reasons (1 to many carbs and you lose control would suck), but Robb was stating that Keto doesn’t and shouldn’t be unhealthy if you pick foods that are healthier than hotdogs and bacon.

      Reply

  21. robb, thanks for taking my question on the show! a short follow-up: i totally dig the idea of picking a goal and that leaning out is priority #1, especially as i am pretty much obese. with that in mind, how do i go about dealing with caloric intake/restriction? up to now (lost first 25lbs pretty quickly, leveling out now) i’ve eaten paleo un-weighed/un-measured until not hungry. should i weigh? base calories on weight/height?

    also, i heard dr. sears say (on a cf journal video) that too much protein is converted to fat. that sounds ret***ed. is this bs?

    thanks!

    Reply

  22. Some of my top choices for guests would be, in no specific order:

    1)Mat Lalonde
    2)Kurt Harris
    3)Ido Portal
    4)Martin Berkhan
    5)Barry “i’ll give ya 5 fries” Sears 😉

    Reply

  24. Hi Robb and Andy,
    Thanks for all of the good work that you do. Love the book.

    I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian and we have traditional dietary restrictions that require us to eat an exclusively vegan diet for almost half of the year (in total).

    My question is if I need to bend the paleo rules during these periods, what do you think the best options would be?

    Rice rather than wheat? Soy rather than other legumes? Lentils rather than chick peas? Or the other way around? Veggies and nuts only?

    I wish i could just only eat salad and be happy during these times, but I am starving all day if I only eat vegetables.

    So i wonder what you think the least harmful options might be for a hungry semi-vegan greek boy.

    Thanks,
    David

    p.s.. posted this on episode 54 – i missed that you were already at 56.

    Reply

  25. It’s not really that hard in my opinion. I follow a pretty high fat diet when going ketogenic. 70%+, average around 80%. It’s all about portions. You don’t need, nor necessarily want, a giant hunk of protein while in ketosis. A little vegetable matter, small servings of protein, and the rest is fat.

    Sure, at first it probably seems extremely time consuming and difficult. But once you get used to the ratios and actually see what a typical meal looks like, you will have a much better understanding and be able to make a high fat meal as if it was a “normal” meal. Depending on how you go about it it could also seem very costly in comparison, but it doesn’t need to be.

    Also, keep in mind. Low-carb and ketogenic diet are not the same. I’d be willing to bet that what you think of as the “regular paleo style keto diet” is actually low-carb.

    Reply

  26. How about having Sarah from Everyday Paleo on the show? I’d love to hear more about the day to day of feeding my family!

    I’ve known several breastfed babies that were regular, but infrequent poopers. Their moms were not following anything close to a paleo diet. As long as your little one isn’t struggling and straining on that Tuesday schedule, it could just be normal for him. Is mom getting adequate fats in her diet? Is baby active, alert, and happy? Is anyone else (ie the pediatician) concerned? A “normal” schedule for a breastfed baby can run the gamut.

    Reply

    • Thanks Kristin. Our son Jack is certainly a regular, but infrequent pooper. I was just wondering if infrequent pooping on paleo-breast milk is the usual. If it was a normal occurrence then you could sell the paleo diet buy saying that you will lose fat, increase performance, and your baby will only poop once a week…something for everyone!

      Reply

      • Mark – hi just listened to this episode and thought I’d add in my personal experience. All 3 babes breastfed, only no 3 paleo mum whilst b’feeding.
        First daughter would tend to poo anywhere between every day to 2 weeks apart – and it seemed to go in stages. The same for her around the 5 months it was 2 weekly and I was worried. A fabulous health visitor put me at ease and said don’t worry a breast fed baby is fine – there is little waste. She was healthy and in no pain. Bu she did have a little routine going the same as yours and continues to this day to be as regular in her bathroom routines. Fortunately now daily and not 2 weekly!

        Number 2 , not as routine driven and this was with everything sleeping, pooing the works. She is spirited babe and continues to be – strangely though she is the one that prefers meat.

        Number 3, paleo babe (and still going -14months- with b’feed but just once a day) is very similar to number 1, loves routine and depending on her stage of development falls in and out of a variety of routines. The teething tends to be routine adjuster, if that makes sense.

        Anyway enough wittering, just felt i had to post – as much as I would have adored being able to say my paleo babe was very different to the others, so far I haven’t been able to.

        Reply

  27. Just a quick note for Andy – I’m from Cincinnati, and yes, ASAP as “a sap” is an Ohio thing, lol.

    Reply

  28. I just weaned my 1 year old and she was a daily pooper. I breastfed the whole year and I was paleo during the last 6 months. I didn’t notice any significant differences in her BM between the paleo and non paleo diet. However, since we are on the topic, I will say she is more constipated now that she is on whole cow milk. Every kid is different, but there may be a connection if the baby also began solids (5-6 months is usually when they start). In that case, incorporate some water in a sippy during the solid-food meals.

    Reply

    • Cows milk is definitely linked with constipation in babies / children. (search on pubmed)If I had a young kid now (mine are older) I think I would be hesitant giving them cows milk too young. If it is making a child constipated that indicates that it is causing gut issues IMO.

      I was a constipated kid and it wasn’t fun, only paleo has fixed it – including dairy free.

      Reply

  30. One thing you could check out:

    The show notes PDF you link to here on the page, I think it is technically possible to include that in the podcast RSS feed, as I have seen some podcasts where things like PDFs show up alongside the audio in iTunes. It’s obviously super handy to have new episodes of the show automagically appear in iTunes (or whatever podcast client one uses) so getting the PDFs the same way would be super.

    Reply

  31. There have been a lot of questions about Mass Gain over the life of this podcast. It has to be almost as popular as booze and coffee. To me, we are focusing on the wrong thing, Food.

    The ADA beat its head into the ground trying to balance calories in, calories out to get us healthy, and we all know that didn’t work. Why would it effectively get us big and lean?

    Luckily, people like Taubes and Wolf figured out that it is really about hormones. Isn’t a Mass Gain really about hormones? If you take HGH or Roids, you get big, strong and lean. If you just eat a lot, you get big, strong and fat.

    It seems to me an effective Mass Gain has to take place when hormones are raging. That is, if you don’t eat a lot of good food and lift heavy weights between the ages of 16 and 25 your chances of looking like an NFL linebacker might be out the window.

    The other options are mentioned above.

    Reply

    • Pretty much dead on amigo. BUT there are ways of improving hormone status (biosig, smart sups, lifestyle tweaks). Puberty would be the optimum, but everything an be improved.

      Reply

  32. Questions for next weeks Program Robb:

    I have a client who has lost 20kgs (42 or so Lbs) and his fitness has improved dramatically. He is reluctant to eat Paleo because he is getting results. (despite my most persuasive efforts)

    2 weeks ago he got a massive headache 5 hours after training (pretty sure it isnt because of the training) and it got so bad he went to hospital and had a BP reading of 290/160. Doctors had never see someone survive something that high! Doctors best guess is because of elevated cortisol (i’m not convinced) and he has been told not to exercise. BP is stable now 160/95 but still high. He still has 10-15kgs to lose but BP was fine when he was fat (120-135/80-85). He has been experiencing some pretty stressful times of late with women and business.

    I would love your thoughts on what you think could be going on here and what effects Paleo would have on his BP and cortisol levels?

    I love your logic first backed up by science approach and I would love to see where your thoughts are with this. Loving the podcast.

    Cheers mate,

    Jeff Os

    Reply

    • I’ve had fantastic results in my clients with blood pressure and paleo. Every single one with high blood pressure 130-140 / 90 range dropped it in about 3 – 4 weeks to healthy.

      Just search blog for paleo results – I’ve got some stories there if it’s any help

      Reply

  33. Hey all,

    My sister is starting to wean her infant (9 months) off the natural nipple. She has been feeding him Paleo solid food up to this point. She asked me what to do with regards to dairy after he is weaned. I made a suggestion off the top of my head that high quality dairy (organic, free-range,grass fed, consider goat) would be ok during his youth as he is growing. I based this off of a Robb’s discussion (in the context of mass gains) about dairy having growth potential beyond basic nutrient content. After doing initial reading (i.e. reading Dr. Cordain’s essay on Paleo in infants), I realize I may have seriously misinformed her. Should the dairy be completely avoided? Are the negative effects greater than any benefits? I was just wondering if you Paleo parents out there have experiences with weaning, good resources, or any input on the matter that I could pass along to my sister.
    I have no experience with kids and have no idea what infants are supposed to eat.
    Thanks,
    Jesse

    Reply

  34. Robb,

    Any chance Norcal Strength and Conditioning will be getting some more L and XL sizes of the “Caffeine is Life; Gluten is Death” t-shirt in time for Christmas?

    Thanks,
    -Robert

    Reply

  36. Robb,

    If you’re taking requests for guests on the show, I’d *love* to hear you talk to Lyle McDonald. I don’t know if you know him, or if he’d do it, but I’d pay good money to hear you guys talk shop.

    Reply

  37. Hi Robb and Andy- Looking forward to seeing you next week in Honolulu. Been trying to catch up on all of the podcasts, I’ve read your book and started reading Lights Out. Infertility has been mentioned several times along the way but I haven’t heard anything about PCOS so far. I’ve just been diagnosed with asymptomatic PCOS and I’m a little confused because I know it’s most associated with insulin resistance although my doctor did say my “type” (lean and athletic) could be PCOS as well without the insulin resistance. I was also surprised because I have a 2.5 year old so I know I can get pregnant. My doctor has now recommended I take metformin. I’ve been eating cleanly (except heavy cream in my coffee) and am working on my sleep- getting better but some nights are better than others (take valerian, magnesium, and a phosphatidylserine to help). I had blood panels taken and everything is normal except my estrodial is low at 21. I’m waiting on my A1C and CRP results. My ND diagnosed me with slight hyothyroidism and I take 1.5 grains of Natrua Throid a day to keep that under control. I’ve been crossfitting for a few years usually 4-5x per week with a yoga day thrown in. Anything else you can suggest? Thank for all your help!

    Reply

      • Thank you! Just a few more stats if you need them for the podcast. I’m 35 yo, about 118 and don’t know body fat but have a 4 pack. Just received my A1C and CRP today at 5.3 and 100
        Tri-57
        TSH- 2.76
        FSH- 7.1
        Testosterone- 14
        Prolactin- 4.6
        Supplements include the usual of fish oil, probiotics, digestive enzyme, and the others I mentioned before bed and the natural thyroid. Thanks again and see you this weekend!

        Reply

  38. Very important!! What was the name of the first chocolate that Robb said? It sounded like preluce or somesuch, but I’ve googled to no avail.

    I second Sarah from Everydaypaleo.. that blog certainly has helped me on the days where I’ve felt stuck about what to prepare.

    Reply

  41. Hey Robb,
    I was just reading the comments from your guest post on Timothy Ferriss’ blog and was just wondering how the John Welbourn experiment went?
    Thanks as always.

    Sean Carston-
    The use of intermittent fasting and nutritnet cycling is pretty interesting. We are doing a 6-8 week experiment with John Welbourn (300lb NFL lineman) and it’s pretty interesting. High volume olympic lifting, sprints and IF on a paleo approach. Interestingly, John had, by trial and error, arrived at the paleo way of eating years ago. We’ll post photos and a thorough write up once this concludes:
    http://talktomejohnnie.com/

    The IF is in part an attempt to reverse some of the trauma he sustained via his10 year career. This involves modulation of various cellular stress pathways like the Sirt-1 gene family. I’ll be looking at this type of stuff in my next book.

    Reply

  42. What’s with the sarcasm regarding periodization? I’m assuming it’s some dig at a comment from CF HQ but those not in the know (me) don’t get the joke. Did someone over there actually say that periodization is pseudo science or are you combining various HQ digs into one absurdist jab?

    Reply

  43. Robb,
    Just a few guests that I would love to hear on the podcast are Greg and/or Aimee Everett, The Eades’, and Michael Pollan. These along with the already mentioned line up should make for some really good discussions/questions. I really enjoy the podcasts and the blog. Any chance of a seminar in Japan next year?

    Tony

    Reply

  44. Shortly after the birth of our last child, my wife and I started eating paleo(ish). She breast-feeds. Our daughter didn’t have a BM everyday, that is totally fine as long as the baby doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable/gassy. One thing I did really notice after my wife changed her diet is the baby smells like butter, really good butter. I suspect the breast milk probably has a higher fat content when the mother is consuming more fat. Also, my older daughter had problem with constipation when we started feeding her solid food (gluten containing food/we didn’t know any better at the time). But, now that she is gluten-free she has no problems in the BM department.

    Reply

  45. I hope you follow through on designing the paleo ketogenic diet. As you have said earlier, it is the diet all cancer patients should be on.

    It would be great if that diet was good to go in case any of us got cancer.

    Reply

  46. Hi Robb

    Do you have your own forum or plan to make one in future ?. If not do you or anyone else know a good one one with a decent sized community ?.

    Thanks,
    Marcus

    Reply

    • Hi Mark,

      I looked at direct-ms.org and they seem to be suggesting minimal animal fat. (little to no beef). Is that substantiated in any way?

      I haven’t gone through Dr. Cordain’s videos (I sent my sister who has MS his links), do you know if he calls for anything like that? The paleo diet with the auto-immune stuff taken out on top is pretty restrictive– I can’t imagine worrying about the fat in the meat on top of it all…

      Thanks,
      Rob

      Reply

      • The MS sites are primarily geared toward people trying to halt, or if possible reverse, the MS symptoms so the recommendations are therapeutic not maintenance. I would imagine the admonition to reduce red meat stems from the grain based diet that most red meat is fed in the USA. Additionally any type of nerve damage typically calls for a dramatic increase in fish oils. So eat lots of meat, just make the majority of it fish.

        I watched the Dr. Cordain videos a couple months ago and I seem to remember red meat being OK as long as it is wild or grass fed. But I recommend going through the journal section of direct-ms.org to see what the findings are.

        Mark

        Reply

  48. Hey Robb,

    I’m looking for a supplement protocol for Christmas. I work at a butcher’s shop, with Christmas coming up, I’ll be working A LOT (I worked about a week of 10-15 hour days last year).
    So, main things I’m looking for are inflammation and cortisol management. A qucik list of supps I’ve been able to come up with are:
    -Fish oil (definitely, higher dose)
    -ZMA (improves sleep and cortisol buffer? maybe)
    -Vitamin C (higher doses as a cortisol buffer, maybe)
    -Vitamin D (as I’ll be indoors almost all day, reckon so)
    -any others you can think of/suggest?

    And yes, Robb, I know the first thing you will say is don’t worry about that until food, sleep and stress is in order. But like I said working very long days, naturally as its Christmas time quite stressful (though not as bad as one might think). I won’t be 100% Paleo during this time (not even close) as the butchers (Italians) always buy some pastries and stuff and around christmas and also because of the stress, slight sleep deprivation (usually around 7 hours for about 12 hours on my feet). I’m thinking about taking some whey in during the last week, I deal pretty well with it (I notice some acne with it but that’s about it), as it can be hard to get in any serious cals throughout the busy days. Also, I tend to drink quite a bit of coffee (4 espresso’s a day) during this period. so that’s another thing that adds to the stress.

    So that’s the situation. I’m really sorry for the disjointed sequencing of it all. I really appreciate your thoughts on it all.

    Ed

    BTW, just listened to the intro and loved it. I’m glad to see the six listeners are still there

    Reply

    • Also, usually I follow the GymnasticBodies WODs with some barbell squat days thrown in, for these couple of weeks I’ll be more pure strength based Gymnastic workouts with severely limited volume. Spending any extra free time on mobility/prehap stuff (less strenous while still keeping those patterns down pat)

      Reply

  49. i’ve been pretty strict paleo since shortly after our first son’s birth. he had colic the first 3 months but would poop multiple times daily. i breastfed him 2 years. our second son (almost 3 months old now) doesn’t have colic but is still extremely gassy & poops multiple times daily. i eat hardly any fruit and breastfeed exclusively. i’d planned to post my family’s weekly meal plan to our website (our members like that kind of stuff) so if you are interested check in at the end of the week & scroll down until you find the post.

    something you may find interesting: the best assistance for our second’s son’s gas has been my diet. i eliminated everything robb identified in his autoimmune caveat on page 201: grains, legumes (i wasn’t eating them anyway), but also dairy, eggs (i think eggs bother him the most, to my chagrin), nuts & seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, & peppers. wish i had thought to try eliminating these items with our first son – wonder if it might have relieved some symptoms of his colic had i eliminated the same foods. robb, any opinion on this?

    also, a question for robb: both of my siblings had non-hodgkin lymphoma (one died); we all had multiple allergies, acne, asthma growing up; my mother and i suspect we are both gluten-intolerant. i am lactose intolerant but don’t seem to have problem with high-fat cheeses and cream – at least i don’t here in europe. since i don’t currently exhibit any autoimmune issues, do you feel it would be therefore fine for me to indulge in everything with the exception of grains and legumes on your autoimmune list? are my days numbered if i enjoy cream and cheese eggs and tomatoes on a daily basis? love the podcast, love the book, we’ve filled out a nutrition seminar request form and are hoping you’ll come visit us soon! we are hopeful paleo will hit mainstream here in germany before our kids suffer the consequences.

    Reply

  50. Hey Robb. Lately I have been thinking “did our paleo ancestors do any stretching”. I am no expert thinking that they would never have done any stretching exercises due to the amount of walking they would of done with a small number of sprints. Has there been any research done in this area? Just a thought about our genetics and where we come from stretching might be a negative activity due to our ancestral genetics.

    Reply

  51. Hey Robb and Andy,

    Not sure if the link you posted awhile back is still good for podcasts, but I have a question…

    I need some help interpreting my recently received blood results. My Air Force Dr was concerned about my very high BUN levels and slightly elevated Creatinine levels so she is now referring me to a Nephrologist. I recently got lab work done as you recommend in your new book. My numbers came back as following…

    Cholesterol 177
    Triglycerides 23
    HDL 75
    LDL 97
    VLDL 4.6

    Glucose = 88 mg/dl
    BUN = 32 mg/dl
    Creatinine = 1.2 mg/dl
    NA+ = 136 mmol/l
    K = 4.1 mmol/l
    CL- = 101 mmol/l
    CO2 = 26 mmol/l
    CA = 9.8 mg/dl
    Protein Total = 7.2 g/dl
    Albumin = 4.8 g/dl
    AST = 31 u/l
    ALT = 41 u/l
    ALK Phos = 72 u/l
    T. Bili = 1.5 mg/dl

    The blood test was taken liquid and food fasted for about 18 hrs prior. I asked the nurse if it needed to be water fasted as well and he said yes so that’s what I did (did some research and looks like dehydration is a common cause of a high BUN). Dr seems to think I am consuming too much protein somehow and has told me to hold off on the Whey Protein post-workout for now. Also told me to hold off on the Vitamin D supplementation as I just recently found out I had been taking way too much (4,000-6,000 IU’s on a daily basis and usually get sun on weekends) and didn’t realize it. I usually consume about 200-250g of protein a day through whole food sources and APS Grass-fed Whey post-workout.

    Could I be consuming too much protein? I just started supplementing w/ Vitamin D about 2 months ago, could I just be getting way too much Vitamin D and that’s affecting my BUN? Could the 18-hr water fast combined with my high protein intake have really affected my BUN? Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

    I’m 25 yo, 6’2, 210lbs, at about 10% BF and have really not had any other health problems besides finding out that I was a Celiac when I was 16. I eat about 90% Paleo and usually am pretty strict with diet, sleep, and lifestyle factors all around. I will occasionally drink grass-fed whole milk mixed with APS Grass-fed Whey post-workout for 3-week cycle. I follow the Crossfit Football programming. I fast 2x a week for 18 hours after talking to John Welborn at the Crossfit Football Cert.

    I really love listening to all the podcasts and loved the book (I’m up to 8 ordered now for family and friends) as I’m on my second time reading it. Any help or knowlege you could help provide me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

    Reply

      • I appreciate your input Julianne. I did the same search you did and realize that reduced protein intake may lower BUN levels, but lowering my protein intake may also affect performance and strength gains from my personal experience. I was looking for some advice from Robb or anybody who has experience dealing with unusually high BUN levels. I was also trying to figure out if the water fast could have something to do with the unusual numbers since a lot of publications list dehydration as a common cause for high BUN levels. My protein intake is usually close to 1 g/lb of bw, which is not really unusual for athletes and individuals looking for performance gains.

        Reply

        • I’m surprised your nurse said water fast also – to me it’s not logical to be dehydrated before a blood test, it could mess up results. I’ve never heard of recommendations to water fast before. And if you google info about getting blood tests – they all say to be normally hydrated.
          From EHow (this is typical)
          “Fasting Dos and Don’ts:
          Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water…
          …Do not smoke, drink any other liquid than water or exercise during your fast. Even chewing gum is off-limits. Any of these elements can adversely affect your test results.”

          http://www.ehow.com/way_5332776_long-fast-before-blood-test.html

          Reply

  52. Robb! How could you not mention Theo’s 91% dark chocolate from Seattle. Its the only american bean to bar and its AMAZING not bitter or chalky at all.

    Reply

  53. Re: “what’s your goal?”

    Hi Robb & Andy!

    I’m back from learning the hard way back 10 months ago that overtraining is an insidious evil that sneaks up on you, and that doing metcons 4 days per week is counterproductive to happiness and leanness. I am enjoying catching up with the podcasts and hearing you validate the appropriateness of my sprint + sleep + lift heavy + slower cardio pattern of late.

    I LOVE not doing Helen and I love not doing Fight Gone Bad, and I love that because I’m not doing that shit four or five days per week anymore, I don’t have to spend as much money on food because I’m not as hungry as an army, and I’m leaner.

    It took all summer for me to recover from the beat up adrenals and cortisol issues, and I hardly trained at all until the fall. Now I am only training so that I look good, not for a time on the white board.

    Here’s my question: stopping CrossFit abruptly was as bad for me as doing too much of it. I felt (and felt like I looked) like absolute crap for about 3 months, like an over the hill football player in the off-season (and I’m a female in my early 30s).

    Would love to hear your advice on how to gently guide ex-CrossFitters and the newly-overtrained away from the edge of the abyss. It is a lonely and sucky place.

    Cheers

    Reply

  54. Although I think it’s delicious, I stay away from Lindt chocolate. In the allergies section on their website, they state that their chocolate is made on machines that also process wheat.

    Reply

  55. Paleo Solution is great its not an ordinary diet it is a diet when we get back to our roots and eat the way our ancestors did. I tried it and I love it.

    Reply

  56. Robb,

    At 17:40 you mention you’d do a writeup on Ketogenic intervention for Epilepsy. Have you done that or will you? Pretty please 🙂

    I’m super interested in what you might have to say re: Ketogenic, Paleo, and Epilepsy!

    Thank you!

    Bill

    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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