Some of you may know Bjorn Albrecht-Walker. He is a fantastic guy and an elite CrossFit athlete who was one of the 3 Australasians to qualify for the CrossFit Games this year. Now those things are pretty special, but what really makes Bjorn rock is the fact that he is a qualified Nutritionist who really gets it. He is a Paleo advocate and an amazing source of knowledge.
I asked Bjorn to check over the blog and let me know his thoughts. He did a little more than that. He challenged me to give up coffee.
Now I like coffee. I REALLY LIKE COFFEE! So my initial reaction was no way. I justified it like this; I have made a lot of sacrifices in terms of foods that I enjoy in pursuit of Health and Wellness, surely I could keep my coffee. Various studies and heaps of anecdotal evidence shows that coffee can in fact be a benefit to performance. Robb Wolf (Paleo Guru) loves his coffee and my consumption was in line with his prescription of no more than 4 shots of espresso per day. I have invested in an Espresso machine for home and at school, I need to drink the coffee or I willl have wasted my money.
And then the other day something dawned on me (ironically while I was really enjoying a nice coffee). I could substitute the words Bread or Pasta or Cereal into the excuses that I have made above and they would become the excuses that I hear all the time. When I hear these excuses I often fire back with, try to go without it for 30 days. See how you look, feel and perform. If nothing changes, put it back in. If this is what I demand of the people who come to me for Nutrition advice, surely I am being a hypocrite if I don't do the same thing myself.
And now I find myself here. Pledging to go the rest of these 30 days without another coffee. Using my body as my experiment. If I look, feel and perform better, then I will have proven that Coffee is not good for me, and I will have to forgo that pleasure as I continue to strive for the best Health and Wellness.
Remember, it is not a sacrifice if it actually ends up making you look, feel and perform better. Try things out and let those markers be your judge.
I'll let you all know how I go!
4 comments:
Breakfast
Omelet of
left over mince
Coleslaw mix
3 eggs
coconut milk (dash)
coconut oil
celtic sea salt
pepper
Bowl of berries
dash of coconut milk
Snack
Tuna and Olive oil (lge)
Lunch
BBQ chicken
Carrott
Post Wod
Tuna and Olive Oil (Sml)
Mango
Dinner
Turkey burgers(turkey mince, egg, onion, capsicum, mustard, almond meal, moroccan spice)
Coconut oil
Sweet potato mash
Asparagus
Yellow Squash
Bowl of frozen Blueberries
Dash of coconut milk
Drinks
water
mineral water and lime
2x green tea
earl grey tea
Supplements
300iu Vit D
2 tsp Glutamine
2 tsp Maca
600mg magnesium citrate (200am/400pm)
Had really bad hayfever yesterday. Slept very poorly and woke up really rough today. Finally gave in and took a telfast hayfever tablet mid morning.
Hi Zane just wondering if there is anything in RW's book about combining fruit with other food. It doesn't seem instinctive that hunter gatherers would sit around their camp fires after a feed of fatty meat, and then look for fruit to eat.Personally I always have problems consuming fruit after other food. I follow the Fit for Life philosophy in this regard. Is it just me or do other people have similar complaints?
Great blog, by the way. I learnt a long time ago that you cant motivate anyone you can only set the example and inspire. I think you are doing that perfectly.
No "man- crush" intended but this old fella is definitely a fan
regards
Zane was wondering why it is that although PRH has been eating paelo ( unless he cheats while at work)and therefore avoiding those foods that are full of sugar & other addictive type substances, that he is still looking at this as just a mere 30 days he needs to 'get through' and then he can return to his previous eating habits.
Also like Clem, I have noticed that if I eat certain fruit say an apple after a meal consisting of meat, then I will have an irritated gut, this doesnt happen if I have berries.
Notice that Bjorn and ors are having some coconut cream, Is it Ok to have this as a fat cos I have had some on my blue berries now and again but thought this wasnt allowed on 'whole 30'
Hey Clem, welcome on board. In a roundabout way you are actually responsible for this blog. If you hadn't introduced mum to CrossFit I would never have ended up here. All the thanks should go to you.
In regards to the fruit question, Robb doesn't have much on it in his book. However, he talks more and more on his podcast about the dangers of fructose so he is beginning to steer away from fruit.
Personally I eat very little fruit. I try to stick to berries and occasionally a tropical fruit that is in season (at the moment Mangoes are delicious). I have found that limiting fruit has allowed me to stay a lot leaner. I always had a bit of a digestion problem with apples that I never noticed until I took them out of my diet. I swapped ssnacking on fruit to snacking on vegetables like celery and carrotts and noticed a massive difference.
Anthrapologically, We are not wired to eat fruit all the time. It was a special, seasonal treat that we would gorge ourselves on and then not get our hands on it again until it was back in season. Fruit is natures desert, to be eaten spasmodically.
Mum, coconut milk, cream, and oil are nectars from the gods. Eat them at will!
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