Paleo-A-Go-Go
Most of us in the professional world are constantly on the go, so it’s reasonable that having the luxury of making a Paleo or Zone meal on the spot isn’t necessarily the most reasonable thing in life. So what if you’re trying to start up on Paleo, and don’t even know where to begin? The idea is that it’s not too difficult to make good Paleo or Zone choices on the road, or at the office, but it does require some amount of effort by you. Nobody else can realistically make these decisions better than you. Admittedly, Paleo is a good bit easier to do than Zone, so I thought I’d give a bit of a Paleo Primer, which is by no means comprehensive, but enough to really get you going.
Following the Paleolithic (Paleo) diet means cutting out a few things that are in abundance with the modern, industrialized culture that we live in, namely:
- Grains (Rice, Flour, Wheat, Wheat Germ, Corn, Rye, Barley, Oats, Buckwheat, Alcohol, etc)
- Sugars and Sugar substitutes (Sugar, Fructose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Molasses, Equal, Sweet’n'Low, Stevia, Splenda, etc)
- Legumes (Peanuts, Cashews, Beans, Soy)
- Dairy (Cheese, Milk, Butter, Cream)
- Caffeine
This might seem a bit daunting, but as with anything related to diets, the level of strictness applied is directly related to the results you’d see in the end. While the Zone may require a good deal of Weighing and Measuring (WAM) that tends to deter people, there is greater freedom in what you can eat. However, with Paleo, there is absolutely no WAM required, but your options exclude a number of things that you can have on the Zone.
With Jen, it’s even trickier, because she really has no time on the road, coupled with the fact that she’s a vegetarian. We agreed that allowing soy products in her diet a necessity, so she can maintain a sufficient level of protein. Protein drinks are also allowed, although many of them are made of casein or whey protein, which are derivatives of dairy protein. She has, for the most part, taken out a lot of the grains and sugars in her diet, which makes me pretty damn proud of her when she goes over what she’s eaten in the course of the day. While she doesn’t follow Paleo to a T, the reductions of these things in her life makes her immeasurably more healthy, and less prone to develop diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.
How about some examples of what is Paleo and what’s not? These are a few starter ideas for those of you out on the road:
Paleo Approved Proteins:
- Beef Jerky – A staple for me. A great protein source that’s available just about everywhere, from Haute Coutre grocery stores to basement level bodegas that reek of patchouli and hemp, this is a life saver. The important part here is to find a brand that really minimizes the amount of sugar used in the curing process. Avoid ‘BBQ’, ‘Teriyaki’, ‘Mesquite’, and other high sugar jerky. Go for ‘Original’, ‘Black Pepper’, ‘Garlic’, or something along those lines.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs – Whether you make these at home, or pick them up at a salad bar, another great source of protein. The yolks contain the bulk of the nutrients, so you’re missing out if you don’t eat these, but you’re still doing great if you just want to stick with the whites.
- Smoked Salmon – Another great protein source. Steer clear of ‘Farm Raised’ or ‘Atlantic’ salmon, these are the types that are called out on having high mercury levels. Keywords like ‘Pacific’ and ‘Wild Caught’ are indicators of quality. Don’t forget, quality costs money! But it’s only your body, right?
- Canned Fish – Canned fish such as tuna, kipper snacks, mackerel, and sardines are superb choices, and all it takes is a can opener to get it open. Avoid flavored canned fish choices, which are generally high in sugars.
- Grilled Chicken Strips – Another great protein source, and usually they come pre-cooked. TJ’s and Costco both have great options, with TJ’s in their frozen food section, and Costco in their deli meats section. Make sure you don’t pick up a package of breaded chicken, though.
- Deli meats – This one’s tricky. You don’t want a deli meat that’s been cured or processed with nitrates and preservatives. Honey Baked Ham is bad. BBQ Chicken is bad. Roasted Turkey Breast is good. Roasted Chicken Breast is also good. Hopefully that’s enough of a guideline, but a good general rule is that if it’s flavored in anything other than just herbs or pepper, it’s probably loaded with nitrates. And shredded Chinese newspaper filler.
Paleo Approved Carbohydrates:
- Vegetables - When you think of where you’re getting the bulk of your carbs, they should be from vegetables. Organic sweet peppers are great, can be easily sliced and ready to go. Celery is another great veggie, and also simultaneously cleans your breath as you chew it (it can be a little bland by itself, see the fats below for ideas on making it a little better). Sliced tomatoes with a bit of sea salt are delicious. Salad bars are plentiful pretty much everywhere, just make sure you don’t stray with a poor dressing choice. Olive oil and vinegar is always a perfect complement. Carrot sticks make an excellent food choice. Lettuce works as a perfectly acceptable substitute to wrap meats in instead of breads or grain based wraps.
- Fruits - Go organic if you’re eating it whole or with the skin, but the sky’s the limit here. If you’re trying to be green, buy what’s in season. Apples, strawberries, grapes, oranges, pineapple, pears, blueberries, kiwi, etc…
- Unprocessed or Raw Honey – There is some debate to whether being raw matters or not, but if you can take the slightly extra effort to find a large portion of raw honey, you’ll be set. There’s always using Google on the interwebs. Moderation is key here, but there’s nothing wrong with having a TINY bit of honey in your cup of tea, although I don’t recommend dumping a pack of honey into every cup of tea you have.
Paleo Approved Fats:
- Nut Butters – If you’re on the go, I HIGHLY recommend picking up a large quantity (20+ packs) of Justin’s Nut Butters. These single serving packs of nut butters go great on just about everything, including celery, carrots and apples . Steer clear of the peanut butters though! They’re readily available at Whole Paycheque, but you can find slighly better deals online at e-tailers such as Amazon.
- Nuts and Seeds – You can pick up a large bag of nuts anywhere, but avoid peanuts and cashews, which both fall into the legume category. Almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, filberts, macadamia nuts, pecans, etc, are all very good fat choices.
- Avocado – If you can stop into a grocery store, usually you can dig out one that’s just about ripe and ready to go. A little bit of sea salt and pepper goes a long way, and a dash of lemon juice will take you even further.
Paleo Approved Alcohols:
- Grape based alcohol such as wine
- Agave based tequilas
Two or my favorite and most trusted condiments are mustard and hot sauce. You can’t go wrong with a dash of these, especially on canned fish. Avoid honey mustard that’s been produced with sugar, but german mustard or stone ground mustard is perfect.
Some of things you’d normally take to enhance the flavor of your foods just aren’t Paleo. Ketchup has lots of sugar. Soy sauce is made with wheat.
If you’re fiending for a drink, these choices are going to be better for you. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, and these two choices are at the top of the list. If you have to drink though, and neither of these two options are going to work out, liquor is a much better choice than beer.
Remember, almost everything you buy that comes in a package is going to have the Nutrition Facts and the Ingredients listed somewhere. Pay attention to the ‘Sugars’ under Carbohydrates, making sure to get the lowest number possible. Zero grams is an ideal number.
Another fantastic practice is to really slow down how fast you eat your meals. You want to eat until you are not hungry, but not until you are full. This was one of my greatest challenges in changing my diet, because for the longest time in my life, I was conditioned to believe that being full meant I was no longer hungry. These two things are not one and the same.
By and large, consider all of this a guideline. If you do some searching on the topic of ‘Paleo diet’ out on the Googoracle, you’ll find a considerable wealth of information, with entire blogs dedicated to the lifestyle of eating Paleo. You’ll also find some small bits of contradicting information out there. For instance, some people suggest avoiding canned meats altogether. However, it comes down to how much effort you want to exercise into following your diet and getting the results you want to see. Ideally, I’d like everybody to live longer lives, and be around to eat to eat a few more meals with me.
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Good post bro. Are u sure about the yolks tho??i’m looking forward to the recipes u promised too
jay