Ok I'm a little late to the table on this, but I still wanted to share some of my thoughts. US News released a report ranking the Best Overall Diets and the good news is that the Paleo diet is included on the list. The bad news is that it's last...my blink reaction to the list is that I want to see the ranking criteria. Any study or report that includes the Slim Fast Diet and Medi Fast Diet (which feature consuming fortified supplements instead of eating actual food) on the list of the best diets automatically raises a flag for me.
The Top 20 Best Diets....according to US News:
1. DASH Diet
2. Mediterranean Diet
2. TLC Diet
2. Weight Watchers Diet
5. Mayo Clinic Diet
5. Volumetric Diet
7. Jenny Craig Diet
8. Ornish Diet
9. Vegetarian Diet
10. Slim Fast Diet
11. Nutrisystem Diet
12. Vegan Diet
13. South Beach Diet
14. Eco Atkins Diet
14. Zone Diet
16. Glycemic-Index Diet
16. Medifast Diet
18. Raw Foods Diet
19. Atkins Diet
20. Paleo Diet
Crossfit King of Prussia is using the natural motivation of starting a New Year to kick off a primal challenge, to see details of the challenge click here. To help support you on this journey we’ve gathered some of the best resources to help you better understand what you are doing and why you’re doing it. For those who selected to try to Paleo Perfectionist level the material below will be especially helpful.
Some of my favorite and easy to understand resources on the web are: Whole 9 and Mark’s Daily Apple. I am also super geeked-out on Robb Wolf’s podcasts – although these are a bit science-y so they aren’t for everyone. Personally, I get excited every Tuesday when the new one is released.
Good luck, happy reading, and post to comments if there is something that you’re looking for that you don’t see any references to.
Help from Whole 9, how to explain what the heck you’re doing with this nutritional challenge:
The Paleo Pitch. Whole9 helps you explain how you eat to friends, family and co-workers.
Whole 9’s Perspective on Paleo via the Whole 30: Why to avoid gains, legumes, and dairy - found on the Whole 9 Resources Page:
The Grain Manifesto. Whole9′s simplified explanation of the trouble with grains.
Cereal Grains: Humanity’s Double-Edged Sword. Published by Dr. Loren Cordain
The Dairy Manifesto. Whole9′s simplified take on dairy products.
The Adverse Effects of Milk. An analysis from Dr. Loren Cordain and Pedro Bastos
The Peanut Manifesto. Whole9′s simplified take on peanuts.
Robb Wolf’s Perspective on Paleo and Getting Started:
Paleo Overview -What is the Paleo diet?
Basics of the Paleo diet - Answers about diabetes, cardio vascular disease, autoimmunity, calcium, acid/base balance, and more
Get Started - I want to give Paleo a shot. How do I do it?
Mark’s Daily Apple Resources:
The Definitive Guide to Grains – Why are grains not part of a primal lifestyle and Why Grains are Unhealthy
The Definitive Guide to Dairy – Why dairy is problematic and how to incorporate it (or not) into your primal lifestyle
The Definitive Guide to Sleep - Why sleep is important, and why you need to get more of it!
The Definitive Guide to Fats – a primal lifestyle goes against conventional wisdom of eating a low fat diet, if increasing your fat intake is concerning you, check out this post and see why fat is good for you!
Summary
Need a quick visual of what your food should look like, use the Balanced Bites food pyramid as your Paleo Food Guide.
Eating grains, legumes, and dairy cause inflammation in your body because your body actually identifies portions of them as foreign? You can reduce inflammation by removing these things from your food; however, it takes about 30 days to allow your gut to heal from the damage that grains, legumes, and dairy cause. Are you ready to try it for 30 days? Try the Whole 30 program from the Whole 9 as a challenge.
