Paleo Diet Guidelines and Standards

From the Lurong Challenge.

We define a Paleo Diet as eating meat, nuts, veggies, seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, and no dairy. A Paleo recommended serving consists of 40% carbohydrate, 30% Protein, and 30% Fat. NOTE: These guidelines are established for the purpose of having standards for the Challenge. We are not creating Paleo Doctrine, but we are providing direction to see significant improvements.

Encouraged Foods

• Lean Meats such as Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat), Flank steak, Top Sirloin, Extra-lean hamburger (90/10), Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat), Pork loin, Pork chops, Any other lean cut
• Lean poultry (white meat, skin removed) such as Chicken breast, Turkey breast, Game hen breasts
• Eggs from Chicken (go for the enriched omega 3 variety), Duck, or Goose
• Other meats including organ meats and game meats such as venison, wild boar, or wild turkey
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Nuts- Tree Nuts. Peanuts are not Nuts and are a no-no
• Seeds

In Moderation (Within the guidelines listed, these are not cheats. In the case of allowable sweeteners, they are not recommended if you want to see the best results)

• Oils such as Olive, avocado, walnut, flaxseed, and canola oils (use in moderation—4 tablespoons or less a day when weight loss is of primary importance)
• Natural Sweeteners- a total of 1/2 tablespoon is allowable per day of the natural sweeteners agave, coconut nectar, and coconut crystals.
• Stevia- 1 Packet (3.5 grams) is allowable per day
• Beverages such as Coffee, Tea
• Paleo Sweets such as Dried fruits and Nuts mixed with dried and fresh fruits- make sure there is no added sugar
• Some lean bacon- make sure it doesn’t have added sugar or nitrates
• Sweet potatoes, yams
• Red Wine- Paleo says that 1 glass of wine (6 oz.) a night is legal. We are pretty sure cave men had vineyards! Anything more than one glass per night is a cheat (-5), and you can't save them up from nights before. Anything over one per night is a cheat.
• Special Allowances: (Exceptions made to meet specific nutritional demands for additional protein)
  • Protein supplementation is allowed and is not considered a cheat under the following conditions: it is limited to one serving per day, has less than 25 carbs per serving, is taken within 30 minutes post workout, and cannot be used as a meal replacement. We will allow whey protein if it is a whey protein isolate. Remember, most protein powders have some sugar (natural or artificial), so if you are looking to slim down, be careful.
    OR a protein bar with whey protein isolate IF the rest of the ingredients match up with the Challenge guidelines.
  • Endurance Athletes: If you are currently training for an endurance race that takes place during the dates of the challenge such as a marathon , ½ marathon, or adventure race (minimum 8 mile race) you are allowed to use one non-paleo product (such as goo) per hour of training. Additionally, you can use whatever products you need during the race itself to help you have success. While we believe there are better options to the highly processed and artificial goo and energy block products, we understand that endurance athletes have a specific nutritional need. Recommendation: substitute a goo product with the following: mix apple butter (non-dairy) with almond butter in a zip-lock baggie and use that for a balanced energy sustenance tool.  

Don't Do It- These are Cheats

• Fatty Meats- such as fast food beef burger patties or low quality fatty bacon.
• Refined Sweeteners – sugar cane, white sugar, brown sugar, refined maple syrup, refined honey, aspartame, sucralose, Nutrasweet, Splenda, and anything else refined or man-made.
• Other Sweets: Candy, Sugar (raw or processed), glucose, syrup, and honey, NOTE: even though honey is a natural sweetener and is generally considered paleo, for the purpose of committing to the challenge and seeing results we are not allowing it.
• Coco power or Cocao powder
• More than 1/2 Tablespoon per day of the natural sweeteners including Raw Agave, coconut nectar, and coconut crystals.
• More than 1 packet per day of Stevia (3.5 grams)
• Baking Soda and baking powder
• Dairy Foods such as Butter, Cheese, Cream, Dairy spreads, Frozen yogurt, Ice cream, and All processed foods made with any dairy products
• Cereal Grains: Barley, Corn, Millet, Oats, Rice, Rye, Sorghum, Wheat, and bread products including bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour
• Cereal Grain-like Seeds: Amaranth, Buckwheat, Quinoa
• Legumes: All beans, Black-eyed peas, Chickpeas, Lentils, Peas, Peanut butter, Peanuts, Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu
• Starchy Vegetables: Starchy tubers, Cassava root, Manioc, Potatoes and all potato products (French fries, potato chips, etc.), Tapioca pudding
• Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices: All sugary soft drinks, Canned, bottled, and freshly squeezed fruit drinks (which lack the fiber of fresh fruit and have a much higher glvcemic index)
• Alcohol - Tequila is the preferred Paleo liquor, but it is technically a cheat (-5). Anything other than 6oz of red wine per night is a cheat (-5).