The Paleo diet, championed by Robb Wolf, centers around consuming foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. It emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods while excluding grains, legumes, dairy, and refined sugars. Robb Wolf, a former research biochemist and author of The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat, has transformed the lives of many through his approach. This article explores the principles of Robb Wolf's Paleo diet plan, its benefits, customization strategies, and addresses common questions.
Core Principles of the Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet focuses on nutrient-dense foods that promote health and well-being. It is based on the premise that our bodies are genetically better suited to the foods our ancestors consumed before the advent of agriculture. The diet emphasizes:
- Lean Proteins: Chicken, lean beef, turkey, pork loin, and seafood are staples. These are ergogenic due to their high Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) content, crucial for rapid recovery after training. Aim for a wide variety of proteins from various animal sources, including organ meats and bone broth.
- Vegetables: Multi-colored, low-carbohydrate density vegetables should form a significant portion of your diet.
- Fruits: Include fruits in moderation, especially those lower in sugar.
- Healthy Fats: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds provide essential fatty acids.
- Exclusion of Neolithic Foods: Grains, legumes, and dairy are excluded due to their potential link to autoimmune diseases and other health issues.
Benefits of the Paleo Diet
Many individuals find the Paleo diet delivers significant health improvements, including:
- Weight Loss: By focusing on whole, unprocessed foods and eliminating refined sugars and processed carbohydrates, the Paleo diet can promote fat loss. Give it 30 days and then let us know how quickly and easily it is to lose unwanted body fat, all without hunger and cravings.
- Improved Blood Lipids: Studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that the Paleo diet can improve cholesterol levels and other blood lipid markers.
- Reduced Inflammation: The elimination of processed foods and potential allergens can reduce inflammation in the body.
- Better Blood Sugar Control: The Paleo diet can help reverse the signs and symptoms of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- Reduced Autoimmune Symptoms: Some individuals with autoimmune diseases may find relief by following the autoimmune protocol of the Paleo diet. Emerging research has made clear the link between Neolithic foods (grains, legumes and dairy) and autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and a host of other less well know conditions.
Customizing the Paleo Diet for Athletes
The Paleo diet can be customized to meet the specific needs of athletes. The needs of athletes vary greatly depending upon one’s sport and level of activity.
- Protein Intake: Lean protein sources are essential for muscle recovery and performance.
- Carbohydrate Timing: High-intensity aerobic or anaerobic sports such as soccer, boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts or sprint interval training (running, biking, swimming, rowing) should take advantage of a period of time post workout when the body is primed for recovery. Power athletes may find benefit from a higher intake from Paleo friendly carbs such as yams, sweet potatoes and fruit once or twice per week. This is called a “cyclical-low carbohydrate” diet and has been enormously popular with track and field athletes, football players, Olympic weightlifters and other athletes who place a premium on strength, power and exceptionally low body fat levels. The amount of carbohydrate will vary based on how large you are and the volume and intensity of your training. The larger you are or the harder/longer the training, the more carbohydrate you will GENERALLY need to optimize recovery. Subsequent meals should be built around lean protein, multi-colored, low carbohydrate density vegetables and good fats.
- Cyclical Low-Carbohydrate Diet: Athletes may benefit from a cyclical low-carbohydrate approach, incorporating Paleo-friendly carbs like yams, sweet potatoes, and fruit around workouts.
Sample Meal Plans
Here are some sample meal plans to illustrate what a typical day on the Robb Wolf Paleo diet might look like:
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Example 1:
- Breakfast: Shrimp scramble with basil and steamed spinach. ¼ cup blueberries.
- Lunch: Chicken salad with red onions, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts and mixed bell peppers. Dressing: Lemon/Olive Oil with a hint of garlic.
- Dinner: Baked pork loin with ginger cabbage and olive oil.
Example 2 (Athlete):
- Pre-Workout (Early Run, Bike, or Swim): Depending upon your preferences you may opt to train on an empty stomach.
- Post-Workout: Salmon scramble, 1/2 honey dew or rock melon+1 cup of blueberries.
- Dinner: Baked Halibut, large Artichoke.
Example 3:
- Breakfast: 4-6 egg omelet with 1 whole avocado.
- Dinner: Grilled grass fed Rib eye with grilled shrimp.
Low-Carb vs. Keto: Understanding the Difference
Robb Wolf explains the key differences between a low-carb diet and a ketogenic diet. A low-carb diet is exactly how it sounds: a way of eating that is lower in carbohydrates than the typical Western diet. Although the exact numbers are a bit arbitrary, most scientists studying nutrition put the number somewhere between 50 to 100 grams of carbs per day. On a ketogenic diet your carb intake is 25 grams or less per day.
- Low-Carb: 50-100 grams of carbs per day.
- Keto: 25 grams of carbs or less per day.
If you’re going from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to low-carb, it’s a good idea to slowly lower your carb intake rather than just dramatically cut it. Your body is used to running on glycogen from carbohydrates, but with a low-carb diet, your body will transition much of its energy production from burning carbs to burning fats. I always default to recommending whole foods, so I would say just start using more sweet potato and fruits as your carbs as you decrease the other sources. Cauliflower or broccoli rice are also great substitutes for a base or side dish.
Robb Wolf's Personal Approach
Robb Wolf shares insights into his personal eating habits:
- Two Meals a Day: I tend to only eat two meals a day.
- Breakfast Composition: Chicken, fish, or meat is normally on the menu, but I round this out with a lot of veggies, squash, and a bit of fruit. I tend to make my breakfast about the same size each day, as I feel better with this approach. Plus, recent research suggests eating more of our calories earlier may have metabolic and weight loss benefits.
- Dinner Adjustment: I adjust the size and composition of my dinner based on my activity that day. If I did two hours of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it’s a big dinner!
Considerations for Women
Although there is not yet a significant amount of research on the physiological differences between men and women on low-carb diets, there may be some differences. That said, these differences may have less to do with being male or female and more to do with individual variation. All that said, two areas appear to be critical for women to properly address in any type of dietary change: adequate protein and electrolytes. Calorie restriction plus adequate protein intake-although perhaps not a walk in the park-does not register as a huge stress to one’s body. Low calories and low protein? The body goes into stress mode. Complicating this picture is the tendency for people to unduly restrict sodium intake.
Saturated Fat and the Paleo Diet
Saturated fat has been demonized by our health authorities and media. For most people the fact the Paleo diet delivers the best results is all they need. Improved blood lipids, weight loss, and reduced pain from autoimmunity is proof enough. Many people however are not satisfied with blindly following any recommendations, be they nutrition or exercise related. Some folks like to know WHY they are doing something.
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Addressing Common Concerns
The Paleo concept is new for most people and this newness can spark many questions. Now, all that considered, there are still some common counter arguments to the Paleo diet that happen with sufficient frequency that a whole paper was written on it.
Autoimmunity and the Paleo Diet
Normally the immune system protects us from bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. A good analogy for autoimmunity is the case of tissue rejection after organ donation. All of us have molecules in our tissues that our immune system uses to recognize self from non-self. Common forms of autoimmunity include Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Vitiligo to name only a tiny fraction of autoimmune diseases. If you have an autoimmune disease you might consider trying the autoimmune protocol of the paleo diet.
Practical Tips for Success
- Online Grocery Shopping: Convenience is key. With two kids, Jiu-Jitsu, pets, and work, life can be pretty hectic. All the balls in the air means lots of driving around running errands, getting to meetings or the gym, picking up and dropping off the girls … so being able to have one of those errands cut out is ideal.
- Salad Dressing Recipe: For the apple cider vinegar: Our good friend Jackie Cox, who is the CEO of a local medical clinic, shared an amazing recipe for salad dressing. It’s one cup of olive oil, one-fourth cup of apple cider vinegar, a clove of garlic, and a lot of salt-a teaspoon or more is fine. Blend these ingredients; dress a large salad and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
- Food Matrix Chart: Download your free copy with a blank Food Matrix chart that you can print out and fill in with proteins, vegetables, fats, herbs and spices that you and your family enjoy.