Scott was the hands down winner of the journal part of the contest with just about perfect Paleo eating for the 12 weeks.  His performance results were also impressive.  While going down from a 165 lb clean and jerk to a 155 lb clean and jerk he was able to go from 19 to 30 pull ups and lower his mile time from 8: 37 to a time of 7:34. But most impressive was that Scott lost 3.6% body fat, 21 lbs. and 2.5 inches on his hips and .5 inches on his waist!

Great job Scott!

In second place there was a tie between Terri Pistorino and B Wadsworth!

Both Terri and B were impressive with their diligence to the Paleo diet. Terri lost 1.75 inches on her hips and 3 inches on her waist while losing 4.1% body fat and 11 lbs. Teri performances were also impressive. B lost 3.25 inches on her waist and 1.25 on her hips.  She went down 1% body composition and lost 11 lbs. B’s mile went from 11:16 to 10:35.  She finally topped out her max effort clean and jerk with an impressive 155 lbs which was up from 140 lbs.  Finally, her pull ups went from 6 to 13 consecutively!

Great Job Terri and B!

Rounding out the top 10 of the contenders were:

The New and Improved Food Pyramid!

As you all know we are having a Paleo Diet contest. For those of you that are interested in what the Paleo Diet is here is a little video that describes it. We are having some great success even in this short first 2 weeks. If anyone wants to talk more about it let me know and I will gladly do so!

Our country has the highest intake of calcium in the world, yet we also have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis.  Hmmm???  Doesn’t add up, right?  Bone mineral content is dependent not just upon calcium intake but upon net calcium balance (calcium intake minus calcium excretion).

There is a HUGE focus on the calcium intake side of the calcium balance equation (how many “Got Milk” ads do you see when you read a magazine?  or yogurt commercials on t.v.? ).  Few realize that the calcium excretion side of the equation is just as important.

Paleo guru, Dr. Loren Cordain writes “bone health is substantially dependent on dietary acid/base balance. All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidney as either acid or base. When the diet yields a net acid load (such as low-carb fad diets that restrict consumption of fruits and vegetables), the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body. Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load. The highest acid-producing foods are hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods, meats, and legumes, whereas the only alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables. Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, and fatty meats at the expense of fruits and vegetables, it produces a net acid load and promotes bone de-mineralization. By replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains, and processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance which brings us also back into calcium balance.”

Your Paleo lifestyle recommends a balance of acidic and basic (alkaline) foods (i.e., lean meats, fish and seafood, fruits, and vegetables) and will not cause osteoporosis in otherwise healthy individuals.

The more you educate yourself on these topics, the easier it becomes to maintain your new or existing lifestyle.  I just started reading Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” – will let you know how it is!

Keith
Cindy
Carol “B”
Lauri Laurence
Eric M
Mike R
Maureen Lane
Steve C
Matt Ahl
Dennis Andre
Holly C.
Diane Shanahan
Terri Pistorini
Jen Head
Alex Morrison
Keri Mara
Scott P.
Scott C
Nancy C
Sharon Mc.
Dan B.
Shannon O.

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=776600

This will be held at Endicott College in Beverly. Check out the link above if you are interested. I could use a refresher on weighing and measuring, that’s for sure. I signed my dad up to go, too; he doesn’t know it, yet, but he’s going:)

Just wanted to post a little paleo love….I found this great link from our facebook friend, Kate Rawlings. I know our paleo foods can get repetitive – so here are some great recipes to play with.

http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/paleo/

How many people do you guys come into contact with during the course of your day that ask “what are you eating?” – as they look at your plate of meat, greens and almonds? How do you answer them? Do you tell them about Paleo? If so, how do they respond?

Some of my co-workers have attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a program for holistic health counseling. The program teaches them to customize lifestyle and eating habits based on each individual client’s needs – which is great! However, they push, push, push the GRAINS! Big time. Their reasoning behind it: eat grains for PROTEIN because animal proteins come from cattle, etc. that are raised under questionable conditions.

Ummm, okay – so then find grass-fed beef!

We all know the effects grains have on our bodies.  Even if we are “healthy” today, with a  lifestyle free from grains you will avoid any future development of symptoms of Chronic systemic inflammation.  It’s not the yolk in the egg that kills your cholesterol, it’s the loaf of french bread you had at the dinner table…oh, excuse me, “whole grain bread”.

I do believe that different variations of eating work differently for each person; however, when we have seen/read/witnessed the differences in our own bodies and performances, it’s hard to argue with that.  There is SO much out there as far as hard evidence.  Alex, Laurie, Jen – all of you guys heard this stuff at the Nutrition Cert. – it’s mind boggling that our doctors still push grains.

Anyway – I don’t expect to alter my co-workers beliefs. If they inquire I will explain my reasoning. Maybe getting them in for a WOD is the first step.

Continue to spread the CrossFit and paleo word! It is truly an amazing combination.

Decoding Food Ingredients
By JUSTINE VAN DER LEUN
Posted: 2009-07-22 15:51:05
Sodium Bisulfite

Certain toilet bowl cleaners are almost 50 percent sodium bisulfite, and most commercial wines also contain it. When dissolved in water-based liquids, sodium bisulfite releases sulfur gas that kills bacteria, yeasts, molds, and fungi. It also prevents oxidation, which protects wine from turning to vinegar.

This popular compound has a dubious past. It was banned from use on raw fruits and veggies by the FDA in the ’80s following the deaths of 13 people who unknowingly consumed produce treated with toxic amounts of the preservative. Today, the FDA maintains that sulfites are generally safe. The Center for Science in the Public Interest however, warns asthmatics and others sensitive to sulfites to avoid it completely. It is now most commonly used in pet foods, potato chips and dried and pickled foods.

Benzoyl Peroxide

What do white bread and acne cream have in common? Best-known as a zit-zapper, benzoyl peroxide is an effective bleaching agent, and as such is used in teeth whitening products and to bleach cheese, whey and flour.

While benzoyl peroxide is generally considered benign, there has been some debate over its safety and necessity. Usually, artisanal bread and cheese do not contain this bleaching agent, and some national companies, like King Arthur, don’t use benzoyl peroxide in their bread or flour. Did you really need another reason to choose whole wheat?

Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate is a seemingly innocuous powder added to biscuits, breads and rolls to make them rise. But there’s a hitch: Potassium bromate is known to cause cancer in animals, and creates a cancer risk in humans. Usually, potassium bromate is completely dissipated by the baking process, but if too much is added or bread is not cooked for long enough at a high enough temperature, dangerous residual amounts remain.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer defines potassium bromate as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” Because it’s difficult to control how a company uses the ingredient, almost all countries have banned it from use in food products. In the United States, however, the FDA has merely been asking bakers to voluntarily stop using it; some have not complied. The Center for Science in the Public Interest categorizes potassium bromate as an additive to avoid, defining it as “very poorly tested and not worth any risk.” To avoid potassium bromate, also look for “bromated flour” on labels.

Tetrasodium Phosphorate

Tetrasodium phosphorate has the unglamorous distinction of being the common ingredient in multiple semi-gooey foods. The transparent crystals are used as an emulsifier, a buffering agent and a thickening agent in chicken nuggets, pudding, imitation crab and lobster, canned tuna and many soy-based faux meats. It is also an effective detergent and tartar control agent, which can be found in toothpaste, soap, and dental floss. Despite its unglamorous pedigree, tetrasodium phosphorate has not seen much controversy, though in high doses, it can be mildly toxic.

Sodium Nitrite

Nitrite, found in hot dogs, is positively unnerving: This crystalline powder is used to dye fabrics, manufacture rubber chemicals and to fix color in packaged meats. If consumed in high doses, it’s toxic. It can also trigger migraines. If that’s not enough to freak you out, how about this: According to a study in the “Journal of the American Medical Association,” people who ate processed meat were 50 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer. A study in the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute” found that those who ate the most processed meats had a 68 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least. The Center for Science in the Public Interest categorizes nitrate as an additive to avoid. If possible, stay away from packaged meats, or buy the nitrite-free varieties popping up in supermarkets across the country.

Methylparaben

Methylparaben can be found in, among other things, lipstick, local anesthetic, salad dressings, dried meats, potato-based snacks and candy. Like most compounds in the paraben family, it’s antimicrobial and is used most often as a preservative in foods, drinks and cosmetics. While multiple studies have reported that parabens are safe, a few more recent studies suggest a possible link between parabens — including ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparabe — to breast cancer. Industries that use parabens insist on their proven track record, while some public interest organizations believe that parabens require further study to definitively confirm their safety.

Lactic Acid

Enjoy a tart cup of yogurt in the morning? Or a nice side of sauerkraut with your Bavarian sausage feast? You have lactic acid to thank for that bittersweet taste. Lactic acid is a harmless organic acid that occurs naturally in sour milk or is added to food as a syrupy liquid produced from either milk-sugar fermentation or corn fermentation. Lactic acid infuses food with tartness, adjusts PH balance, and can control micro-organisms and bacteria. As a fermentation booster, it is used in rye and sourdough breads. As a moisturizer and exfoliant, it’s added to skin lotions. Lactic acid spends most of its time preserving or flavoring baby food, candy, frozen desserts, salad dressings, seafood, and more.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

You may think you’ve sworn off monosodium glutamate, or MSG, but you’re eating its equivalent in some brands of chicken noodle soup. That’s because MSG — that demonized flavor enhancer — comes in many forms, and one of them is hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP).

HVP is a brown powder that is produced when cereals and legumes like corn, soy and wheat are boiled in hydrochloric acid and then neutralized with sodium hydroxide. The powder contains, among other things, glutamic acid, the sodium salt form of which is MSG. Food producers don’t want to be associated with MSG — the infamous bad boy of the ingredients world, believed to be linked to neurological problems and known to trigger severe allergic reactions and migraines — but they do want to infuse their broths, stews, and meat and poultry products with its savory taste. Enter HVP, which sounds pretty healthy, with the words “vegetable” and “protein” in it.

While it may not do harm to those who aren’t sensitive to it, it’s risky for those whose systems react badly to glutamates. To avoid unknowingly consuming glutamates, check labels (even of products marked “No MSG”) for other sources of glutamate like autolyzed yeast extract and hydrolyzed yeast extract.

It seems to be all the buzz now, this grass-fed talk. Back in the day, farmers only fed their cattle grass. But around the Post-WWII era this changed. Due to a demand for beef combined with the surplus of cheap government-subsidized corn and soybeans, farmers began using corn to fatten up their herds.

Pre-corn fed days, the average age a steer went to slaughter was 4-5 years, compared to 14-15 months today.  I highly recommend seeing Food, Inc.  You will get a nice, clear picture of what life in a feedlot consists of.  Freakin’ nasty…..

Upon entry into these feedlots, cattle are pumped full of antibiotics just to survive its stay.  They are also injected with growth hormones to make them bigger faster.  There is no room for them to move, they aren’t burning any calories and the animal continues to grow at a rapid, unnatural rate.  They are stuck in these feedlots, covered in their own feces (and that of their bovine friends), and develop E-coli and other diseases. Now we have a cow with E-coli, so what is done once this sick cow goes to slaughter?  Are they tossed aside because they are now contaminated….nope.  Their meat is cleansed with ammonia and sent along to be packaged, purchased and consumed.  Yum.

Now, picture an open pasture where cattle have room to roam.  They eat off of the land and are free from hormones.

The point here is that (and you guys know this) you are what you eat.  Hence, you are what your cows eat.  We aren’t eating corn, grains, etc.  According to Jo Robinson, author of Pasture Perfect, there are an abundance of “feedstuffs” that feedlots use to fatten up their cattle.  Some of these meals can include nutritious ingredients such as beet pulp and carrot tops, to junk like stale bread, candy, heat-treated garbage, chicken feathers, salvaged pet food and ground up laying hens!!!!

On the flipside, there are an array of nutritional benefits of grass-fed beef:

~ rich in Omega-3 fatty acids! In fact, grass-fed beef’s Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is the same as fish!  Our “typical” American diet has far too much Omega-6 and not nearly enough Omega-3.  When we lack Omega-3 (or we have too much Omega-6) many health risks are increased such as heart disease, cancer, INSULIN RESISTANCE.  With grains including corn, wheat and oats being the main souce of Omega-6, it’s no wonder that Omega-3 benefits have all disappeared after a steer has entered a feedlot.

~good source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Benefits of CLA include increased metabolic rate, decreasing abdominal fat, increasing your immune system.  Cows simply cannot produce CLA when being fed grain.  (According to Dr. Carol DeFranca, a Certified Nutritionist of Norwell Spine & Sports, “cattle devoid of CLA have a higher propensity towards Mad Cow disease and E. coli 0157:H7″)

~good souce of beta-carotene!

We consume real foods to fuel our bodies for ass kicking workouts and we should want to fuel with the right stuff.  I know it’s tough on the grocery bill, but just take some time to think about what you are picking up for your protein.

Like Cara said, Bradford’s is great for natural meats (www.bradfordsmeatshop.com).  Some other options on the retailing front are:

~Whole Foods, Hingham

~Common Sense Wholesome Food Market, Plymouth

~How on Earth, Mattapoisett

BTW….

Cooking grass-fed needs about 30% less cooking time than your common meat.  It is best if cooked medium-rare to medium.  Also, let the beef rest after cooking.  This will help redistribute the juices inside before you serve it.  Grass-fed is best in a slow-cooker (to retain its nutrients) or via brining.

Okay, that’s it.  Thanks for reading this long post. Keep on your Paleo wagon! If you fall off, pick it up again at your next meal.  Have a great weekend!

HC

When I was at Bradfords they had a publication called Edible South Shore. It is the best. It has many ads about places in the south shore restaurants, stores, that all sell organic, free range and grass fed products. All of the things we want for Paleo. They also have many articles. This one had a four page article on grass ed Beef from a farm in Westport. I wanted to know more about the publication so I called the publisher. It is fairly new magazine that comes out quaterly. I wanted to know how we could get it. You can go online www.ediblesouthshore. It is $32 for a year subscription. I will leave the magazine at the gym so you can check it out. I love it and think it will be a valuable resource for all of us.

Have a good day
Cara