Paleo primal tea hot drink recipe-min

Paleo Tea

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It must be because I'm English – but I love drinking tea.  I love Indian Chai, so thought I'd try making my own Paleo Tea.

teapot paleo tea leaves-min

Paleo Tea
Recipe type: Drinks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Print
Don't buy tea - it's so easy to blend your own!
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of black tea
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 12 cloves
  • piece of cinnamon
  • 6 black cardamon pods
  • nutmeg
  • small piece of ginger
Instructions
  1. Simply put the ingredients in your teapot and add boiling water
  2. Strain and enjoy!

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Since I've given up soft drinks, all I drink is water and tea – so it's nice to be able to experiment with a few different blends.

Paleo primal tea hot drink recipe-min

My daily commute barefoot paleo network sydney harbour bridge walking running-min

My Daily Commute

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When Mark’s Daily Apple launched this video competition, it seemed like the perfect excuse to learn some new Mac skills, after buying my first ever MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago.  I’d been thinking about making a video of my commute into work, as the sun rises behind the Sydney Opera house, whilst I run/ walk over the Harbour Bridge.  Perhaps with a cruise liner going under the bridge, at the exact same time I ran over it.  Yeah, didn't happen like that.  By the time I found my camera I completely missed the sunrise and the weather was terrible.

So, let me know what you think of my first ever video!

I think walking is one of the best forms of exercise there is.  For me, walking to work is perfect.  There are no excuses or putting it off – I have to get to work, I have to walk!  My commute is 4.6km (2.9 miles), each way, so door to desk, via shower, it is well under an hour.  I'm increasing the amount I wear my Vibrams each week too, I'm almost up to every day.  If I were to get the bus, by the time I've waited around for a bus, it wouldn't be that much quicker – not to mention the unpleasantness of buses at rush hour.  On the way into work it’s mainly downhill and I often run.  I've got particularly bad at needing to overtake EVERYONE in front of me.  I used to walk most of the way home, but since I've upped the fat in my diet, and decreased the carbs, I often have so much energy I feel compelled to run.  Even after a long day at work.  Crazy!

Another huge benefit I see in walking, particularly in the summer, is that I get a lot of sun exposure – but not the intense midday sun.  Great for keeping my Vitamin D levels topped up.  I also really enjoy the time to just be mindful and enjoy the fresh air and scenery, or listen to music and podcasts.  I wouldn't swap this part of my day for anything!

Before I moved to Australia, my commute used to be 19 miles, in a car, on a motorway in the UK.  It doesn't get much less Primal than that!

In addition to walking, I also do high intensity intensity training two or three times a week, with my fantastic PT, Karl.  In the year since I started these sessions, my strength and fitness have improved significantly.  I’m making slow, but steady progress in my push-up and chin-up ambitions!  I will master the unassisted chin-up, I will!

What does your fitness look like?  Do you walk to work too?

My daily commute barefoot paleo network sydney harbour bridge walking running-min

Raw dairy milk cheese australia legal health paleo primal diet-min

Is Raw Milk Coming to Australia and New Zealand?

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What is Raw Milk?

Most milk readily available for sale is pasteurised.  Pasturisation is the process where the milk is heated to high temperatures, to destroy harmful bacteria that may be present.  However, as well as bacteria, the process of pasteurisation changes the nutritional profile of the milk and the insulin response.  Raw milk is increasingly popular and where it comes from properly cared for animals on a good farm, the risk of harmful bacteria is reported to be low.  Pasteurising milk has been the norm in Australia since the 1950’s.

Is Dairy Paleo?

I’ll come back to this issue in the near future, as it is definitely not a quick answer and there are many different views in the Paleo community.

Raw dairy milk cheese australia legal health paleo primal diet-min

I used to consume a moderate amount of dairy (mainly cheese, butter and milk), but I stopped for my Whole30 in August, and just haven’t started again.  I'm not saying I won’t ever eat dairy again, but I feel so good without it; I'm not missing it – and I'm certainly not lacking any dairy specific nutrients in my diet.

I'm often asked how I can possibly get enough calcium from my Paleo diet, but from my research I get plenty of Calcium from green leafy vegetables, for example.  Because I have a good diet, I don't lose much calcium – I have a better calcium balance.  It appears when eating a poor diet, calcium is released from the body; for example, to balance the Phosphoric acid found in soft drinks, as well as the balance the acidity.  This leaves those with poor diets with a far higher calcium requirement than those on a caveman diet.

We’ll see.  If I do have dairy again, I’ll certainly be looking for raw dairy, which I've found quite hard (and slightly secretive) to locate here.

The Food Standards Agency for Australia & New Zealand has currently got a proposal out to consider allowing raw dairy to be sold in Australia and New Zealand.  This appears to be on the back of consumer demand.  The agency is clearly viewing this from a public safety perspective, which is surely a good thing.  Legalising the sale of raw milk would give confidence that the raw dairy available, is produced to high, regulated standards.  With legislation currently forbidding the sale of raw milk, the raw milk that is available is unknown and unregulated (unless of course, you own a dairy cow).  Can you really be certain where it is from and how the animal was cared for?

Unfortunately, it looks like they have recently decided raw (drinking) milk will not be permitted.  They consider the potential health risks too high. This is a shame, as people will continue to find and drink raw milk – which would be far safer were it regulated.  They do however, appear to be relaxing the rules on certain hard cheeses.

 Where to Get Raw Milk in Australia & New Zealand

You'll have to ask around locally, and perhaps befriend a farmer or two…

In the meantime, if you eat dairy make sure it comes from a good source.  It should be organic – or better still from the farmer direct at a farmers market.  I’ve read a lot of reports about cheap milk being watered down with “permeate”, which is created by removing the fat from dairy waste and concentrating the result.  Cheap milk may also come from animals which have been given antibiotics.   Just this week we’ve had reports of a (cheap) Australian milk brand being contaminated with a cleaning solution.  Whilst it costs more, dairy is an area where it really is worth making sure you have got the best possible quality.

Is dairy a part of your diet?  Do you think farmers should be allowed to sell raw dairy?  Let me know what you think, in the comments, below!

NLP paleo boy running marathon primal diet-min

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it’s NLPaleo Boy…

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Author:  Kevin Bees (whole 30 sceptic-turned convert)

OK, a Marathon run (42.2km / 26.1m) is not very ‘Paleo’.  But, let’s play for a while to find out how ‘Paleo’ eating could impact a distance runner and ask the question:

What would happen if you mixed the Paleo diet, 28 degree heat, with a Whole 30 sceptic-turned-convert into the Sydney Marathon?

I did just that… and the results are in, and have been counted and verified… and you want to hear this, especially if you are non-Paleo runner (or any non-Paleo athlete for that matter).

NLP paleo boy running marathon primal diet-min

Pre-run preparation:

  • Training– my training was actually not exemplary.
    • Between 21 May and 14 August I did not run.
    • Between 14 August and the 18 September Marathon, I squeezed in six runs only.
    • In this time, and before I started the Paleo diet, I had to drop out of a training run at 22km due to lack of energy.
    • Two weeks later and fuelled by the Whole 30 Paleo diet (and some simple and powerful NLP techniques), I accidentally ran a whole marathon when aiming at 30km.  (I don’t run with a watch or Satellite Navigation, and I have never made that mistake before – since my reducing energy would prompt me to stop… which in this instance it didn't!) 
  • Fuel – Whole 30 Paleo for the four weeks prior to the Marathon.  Therefore pre-race pasta feast – gone.  This was substituted for the much tastier and enjoyable Chicken, Sweet potato and pumpkin… which I incidentally had for breakfast too the next day.  (My only Paleo cheat in this process is GU gels whilst running).

The BIG day:

Arriving at the race with a face full of banana, I meet my Non-Paleo running partner.

I thought it would be a good idea to join this running partner since she is younger, fitter and well trained. Her personal best is 3H 44Min and mine is 3H 47Min – so, hopefully some inspiration to knock a few minutes off of my best time. (Plus she has a very nice bottom, so it would be a pleasure to run a few steps off of her pace!)

The Start

Bang… the gun goes and we push across the start line to the tune EVERYDAY I'M SHUFFLING (and my slightly amended lyrics):

Paleo-Grok is in the house tonight,

Everybody just run a good-time

So fit you gonna keep your mind

Everybody just run a good time.

And we’re off.  For the first 10km we settle into a comfortable pace.  Only, I am noticing that I am going a little faster than my pace setting friend… and she is getting to check out my butt instead.  Lucky girl.

At this point, I have no idea if I am faster or slower than hoped (still no watch), but I just keep running at the pace that feels comfortable.  Only another 2km and I fully settle into my faster stride and my friend and I run our own races.

It wasn't until the finish line at 42km that I actually realised what had happened.  I thought my friend was having an off day and going slower than we expected, but in actual fact, I was faster than I could have even dreamed.

I smashed my personal best by 13 minutes.

In the heat.

With very poor training.

That’s 13 minutes off of my personal best.

‘Chuffed’ doesn't quite cover it – especially when I understand the story of the post run statistics:

  1. Energy consistency
    1. My 1st, 2nd & 3rd 10km were all 50 minutes (give or take a few seconds).  Over this distance you would expect a degradation of performance… impressive since I had no pacemaker… just my own feeling of energy.
    2. My 4th set of 10km was also very close to the 50 minute mark and probably would have been equally consistent except for the two convenience stops.

 

  1. Comparative performance improvement

My rank Vs other runners in the race at each set of 10km went:

  1. 1,027
  2. 596
  3. 383
  4. 369

And the last 2.2km – arguably the hardest:

  1. 57

Put another way – in the hardest 2.2km, I was in the top 1.5% of all marathoners.

Do you think I might have got higher if I didn't stop and pose for these too??

The Paleo diet delivered me consistent energy to make this achievement a reality and left me with enough juice in the tank to finish very strong.

FINISHING STRONG

Watch my finish video here, I'm the fast one!

The best part about this is that I know there is more to come.

30 days of Paleo, poor training, and I smash a personal best.

What if I combine this new fuel source with a training program that is greater than six runs!?

With a Paleo diet, you too can see, hear and feel your goals coming to you faster too, can you not?

Give it a go… NLPaleo Boy say so!

paleo sausages

Paleo Sausages

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I've found an amazing organic butcher, really close to where I live.  I've used them for almost all of my meat for a while.  I was there earlier this week buying some bacon (the best bacon I've had in Australia, actually) and pork, when I mentioned what a shame it is that all of their sausages contain flour (though they only use rice flour, which is obviously a lot better than many alternatives out there).  He asked me if I wanted some special grain free Paleo Sausages made up for me!  I had no idea they would do this.

I could choose whatever I wanted to go with the organic beef, but he suggested capsicum (bell pepper), shallots and salt – I thought that would be a great combination for my first batch.  Even more exciting the castings for all of their sausages are made the proper way – from intestines, instead of synthetic castings, which can be made of all sorts of materials like  collagen, cellulose, or even plastic.  I certainly don't fancy eating any of those!

I picked up my order today, which worked out at about 30 sausages for the 2kg batch.

Paleo sausages and eggs-min

I've just had my first taste – and they were fantastic!

This is the ingredients for one of the better ranges of supermarket sausages: –

Ingredients: Beef (76%), Water, Potato Starch, Sea Salt, Dehydrated Vegatables (Onion & Garlic), Dextrose (Tapioca or Maize), Mineral Salt (451), Sugar (Cane Sugar), Preservative (223), Spices, Herbs, Natural Colour (160c), Natural Flavour, Yeast Extract, Herb Extract

And this is the ingredients for my Paleo sausages: –

Ingredients: Organic Beef, Capsicum, Shallots, Salt

There's no comparison is there?

Have you made your own Paleo sausages, or had them made?  I'd love to hear your suggestions of ingredients for my second batch!

What Happens When a sceptic Goes Paleo for 30 Days-min

What Happens When a Skeptic Goes Paleo for 30 Days?

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Article Mission:  Trial whole 30 and discuss your experience.

Article Author:  Suz's housemate (Kevin Bees).

Male, 31, and a ‘Whole 30’ / Paleo sceptic for the following reasons:

  • No carbs?  Are you crazy?  I have lived my whole life on carbs – I am always healthy (I refuse to do ‘sick’) and amongst a hectic work life, I find all the energy I need to rock climb, play football (soccer) and run challenging marathons.  I have a marathon to run in week 3 of starting this trial… and a marathon without carbs to burn concerns me greatly.
  • Weight loss – many people find Paleo is fantastic to assist with weight loss.  I am already slight – I do not want to lose weight.
  • What?  Tea without milk??  You are having a laugh!
  • No chocolate for 30 days???  Shudder the thought.

That all sounds a bit hard.  So, why even bother with the whole30 trial at all?

What Happens When a sceptic Goes Paleo for 30 Days-min

Entrée

1.       Support my housemate and best friend Suz in her weight loss and lifestyle improvement goal.  If I was so passionate about something like this, I would want the person I shared a refrigerator and mealtimes with to be on board.

2.       Understand if the claims of additional energy are true.  (Who wants to feel sleepy after lunch when they have work to do!?)

3.       Cancer.   Understand more about what we put into our bodies in the SAD diet.  Has this been the cause of cancer in two of my friends?  Could leading a Paleo lifestyle reduce the risks of this?

These reasons alone were enough to get me started, and to tuck into the Main Course of 30 days trial, but did I like what I found as the main course was delivered?

Main Course

Like all good dishes, there are a range of ingredients that have made up my experience over the 30 days and we experience those dishes with all our senses…

What did I See over the 30 days?

Trying on the new lifestyle for 30 days was like putting on a new pair of glasses.  At first things didn't quite focus and before long, my eyes adjusted and I started seeing things I hadn’t before:

  • Nasty ingredients.  What actually are these chemicals I have been putting into my body? It’s the only body I’ll ever own and I like to think of my body as a Ferrari.  And if it was a Ferrari, fueling it with chemical waste rather than top grade petrol would cause a break down, right?  (OK, ok, I am probably more of a mini cooper than a Ferrari – but you get the gist, right?)  The realisation that even MILK might not be as good for me as I previously thought is shocking news to me.  How can I have gone 31 years without this knowledge?
  • More variety in my food.   Usually a ‘diet’ restricts choice.  I have found the opposite here.  My new lenses have actually allowed me to see things on the menu that I would have previously filtered out.  And, at home, rather than cooking up the same old, I have found new recipes that taste so great.  The coconut crusted chicken on a bed of curry flavoured veg was a treat.  Yummy.  And NoOatmeal beats milk saturated cornflakes hands down.
  • My abs.  Welcome back – it’s great to see you again!  I thought my good friends deserted me half a lifetime ago when I stopped doing sit ups at age 16.  Now my tort buddies are back in town, I want them to hang out for longer, so I’ll be doing all I can to keep them happy.
  • The sun rising.  My sleep pattern means I mostly awake naturally before the alarm clock.  A much more natural and enjoyable way to live.
  • The Bathroom and not in a good way.  I saw too much of this place in the first two weeks.  As my body adjusted to the new fuel routine… it decided it would have a bit of a clear out.  Everything is back to normal now though.  Thanks for your concern.

What did I feel over the 30 day?

Ignoring the blip just mentioned… actually very good… especially when doing exercise.

Rock Climbing –  I have felt stronger and been able to last longer on tougher walls, much to the dismay of my competitive climbing partner.

Running – endurance and recovery has meant that I could do more training in a shorter space of time.  In fact, I went out for a 30KM training run… and I felt so good I kept going and I accidentally ran 42km. (A big bonus since I had to give up at 22km two weeks earlier when I was on non Paleo fuel source).

I feel confident for the Marathon coming up now, which I was not at the start of the 30 days.

More importantly, there were some things I didn't feel over the 30 days:

1.       Carb-flu.  Is this a myth?  As a carb-junkie and cutting out most carbs (something I term ‘going carb-turkey’), I should have suffered this, right?  Something I clearly sidestepped by refusing to believe it was true.

2.       Insulin Spike.  So many times before, I became sleepy after lunch, due to the insulin spike caused when my body was digesting the carbs I had eaten.  I have not felt this in the whole 30 days.  Imagine my productivity improvement.

What did I hear over the 30 days?

I listened to an aunt trying to ‘treat’ the nephews or nieces … she offers them crisps or fizzy pop.

Previously I would heard the aunty being kind to her little loved ones, although, what I heard was – ‘anyone for a dose of chemicals that your body is not designed to handle?’  Chemicals of course that will build in faults to their Ferrari before it even leaves the assembly line?

What did I smell?

The winds of change, maybe??  Let’s have a dessert and find out.

 30 Day summary – The dessert

So, it’s been an interesting entrée and main course… will I continue to a Paleo Dessert now the 30 days are up?  Or tuck into the chocolate I have been so missing – and wash it down with a warm cup of milky tea?  And I have missed chocolate badly.  (It has been a daily habit forever).

Even still, that choice is too easy.

The sceptic has been converted and as I type these last words, I am tucking into some home-made Paleo ice cream (made with coconut milk and plenty of fruity goodness).  Thanks SUZ!

Rather than asking myself now if I will continue with Paleo, I am actually asking why would I ever go back to the SAD lifestyle?

Seriously, why would I give up the improved productivity, improved sleep pattern, increased strength and stamina?  Oh, and the Abs.  Don’t forget the abs.

It’s been a life changing 30 days for me.    And I wonder where another 30 days will take me?

And what will a 30 day trial do for you, I wonder?

The magic pill paleo network instant quick fix solution diet-min

The Magic Pill

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So many people seem to blame being overweight on a factor outside of their control.  It's in their genes, it's hormonal, it's their metabolism.  It can't be their diet, they eat wholemeal bread with margarine, cereal with skimmed milk and a low fat meals every day!

Articles like this one in the Daily Mail (my guilty pleasure) further fuel this lack of responsibility.

The article explains how it might not, in fact, be your fault that you are fat.  What a relief!

The magic pill paleo network instant quick fix solution diet-min

Apparently you might really be fat because you have a slow metabolism – which is made even worse by strict dieting.

Or, you might really be fat as a side effect from your medication.  Diabetes medication is listed as one potential drug with a side effect of weight gain.  But surely people commonly put weight on – and are then diagnosed with type 2 diabetes?  Anti-depressants are another drug, they tell us, that can have a side effect of weight gain.  But given the links with depression & inflammation – and diet, isn't this the wrong way round too?

The wrong type of exercise is another reason it is just not working for you, apparently. If only you'd swapped from crossfit to zumba!

“Painful Fat Syndrome” could also be your real problem.  The mind boggles…

Thyroid problems, hormone issues, polycystic ovary syndrome are other potential causes.

Or it could be genetic – or failing that, it might be your friends fault.  Seriously.

Food intolerance does get a mention, but eliminate wheat, milk or eggs and you should be fine.

Must be a coincidence how people who change to eating Paleo have more energy, lose weight, overcome depression & diabetes and stop chronic cardio?

Nope, it's nothing to do with nutrition & lifestyle.  Take a magic pill and carry on as you were.

My paleo book shelf reading list favourite books authors primal diet health nutrition-min

My Paleo Inspired Book Shelf

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I love reading, in fact, reading is how I found out about Paleo almost two years ago.  I’ve now amassed quite a big collection of Paleo Books.  And my Amazon wishlist is just as long again!  I learn so much on blogs and podcasts – but there is something about having a book in your hands that can't be beaten.

My paleo inspired bookshelf

So, these are the books in my collection : –

  1. The Calcium Factor, Barefoot & Reich.  I'm really want to learn more about calcium, but find this book a bit heavy going – I will get through it though!
  2. Nourishing Traditions, Fallon.  This is a wonderful book, although she uses fermented grains most of the nutritional elements are sound.
  3. Dietary Healing, Alexander.  An interesting read that sums up by telling us to eat wholegrains and legumes.  Well, I do like to read lots of different opinions.  Even if they are wrong.
  4. The Complete Book of Raw Food, Rodwell.  I went through a brief raw food stage on my way to Paleo.  There are some good recipes in here that I still incorporate.
  5. Taking the Medicine, Burch.  A really interesting book that made me question the faith and trust we place in our Doctors
  6. Our Troubles With Food, Halliday.  This is a completely different take on nutrition.  Written by a social historian it looks at how society got to where we are today with food.
  7. The Cure, Brantley.  This was one of the first books I read, and whilst it's not Paleo, I still found it really inspirational.
  8. The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer, Whisett.  I got this before I'd understood about chronic cardio.  This book was refreshing as it was mainly about the mental aspect to endurance activities, which I think could be applied to all aspects of life
  9. The Primal Blueprint, Sisson.  This was another early purchase.  I love this book and this is one of my top choices to lend out to friends who are curious about Paleo
  10. The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, Sisson & Meier.  I was given this book at PrimalCon 2011 and it has some great recipes in it!
  11. The Inflammation Syndrome, Challem.  Another topic I'd heard a lot about and wanted to explore in more depth.
  12. Primal Body, Primal Mind, Gedgaudas.  I bought this book at the AHS from Nora herself.  I'm reading it at the moment ready for the Australian conference in November
  13. Sweet Poison, Gillespie.  Another top book, This is a great introduction to insulin and is presented in a really easy to understand fashion.  Another top book to lend out!
  14. The Paleo Diet, Cordain.  Loren Cordain, what else to say!  Definitely a favourite.
  15. Why We Get Fat, Taubes.  I've only just got this book and am desperate to read it.  But I'm really distracted by the “deckled” edge – why can't it just have nice normal pages?
  16. The Diet Delusion, Taubes.  This was my first introduction to Taubes.
  17. Natural Health & Weight Loss, Groves.  An interesting read that starts to go in a Paleo direction.  But then no.  It has a HFLC agenda, but rules out grains only on a carbohydrate basis.
  18. Enzyme Nutrition, Howell.  I was reading a lot about digestion and what happens to enzymes, so thought a bit more reading was in order.
  19. The Vitamin D Cure, Dowd & Stafford.  Particularly since I've moved from the UK to Australia, I've become really interested in Vitamin D.  Should I supplement?  Should I wear sun screen?  I read everything I can on the topic.
  20. Your Body’s Many Cries For Water, Batmanghelidj.  I had high hopes for this book!  However, I found it almost all observational with little evidence to back up the incredible claims.
  21. The Paleo Diet For Athletes, Cordain & Friel.  This book has been particularly useful in the marathon training effort of my housemate.
  22. Born To Run, McDougall.  After having a barefoot running lesson with Barefoot Ted at PrimalCon, this book (along with my first pair of VFF's) was a must buy!
  23. The Metabolic Plan, Cherniske.  This was the first nutrition/ health book I happened to pick up.  It sparked my interest in nutrition and eventually led me to Paleo.
  24. The Vitamin D Revolution, Khalsa.  See, I'm very interested in Vitamin D.
  25. The PH Miracle, Young & Young.  PH is mentioned quite frequently, so I got this book to delve into the topic further.
  26. The Magnesium Miracle, Dean.  I read so much in the Paleo world about Magnesium I thought it would be helpful to learn more.  I've not got very far yet, I'll have to make more effort with this one.
  27. Complete Nutrition, Sharon.  I found this a great introduction into macro & micro nutrients.  Even if it does have some very non-Paleo information in it.
  28. [On Loan!] The Paleo Solution, Wolf.  I love this book!  I always lend this one out too.  I've actually just ordered a second copy as it's such a good overview and more and more friends are asking what this Paleo thing is all about.

I've also just ordered

  • Lights Out, Wiley.  I'm fascinated by sleep and think it's possibly as important as nutrition to get right.  I've heard lots of good things about this book and can't wait to get my hands on it!
  • Exuberant Animal, Forencich.  This was another recommendation that I'm looking forward to reading.
  • Wheat Belly, Davis.  I've read lots of reports about this book and I have it on pre-order.  I'm eagerly awaiting it's release.
  • Food and Western Disease by Lindeberg is at the top of my wishlist – I just wish the price would go down!

How does my book collection compare to yours?  I'd love to know which books I'm missing out on.  I'm really interested in Leptin at the moment, so let me know if you have any good recommendations!

Sydney Marathon running paleo perspective diet healthy grain-free no sugar

The Sydney Marathon – A Paleo Perspective

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As I've mentioned before, my Marathon running house-mate is currently doing the Whole30 Paleo challenge with me.  We’re on day 26, and it’s going fantastically, but I’ll tell you more about that in a future post.

My house-mate is a marathon runner, so I've been particularly interested to see how Paleo affects his running performance and recovery.  So far, it seems to have made an incredible difference.  10 days ago he did his long practice run and was aiming for 30km (18.6 miles).  The run was going so well, he had so much energy, the sun was shining – so he just kept on running!  He got home to find out he’d run 42km (26.09 miles); just a few paces shy of a marathon!  Tomorrow however, is a different ball game.  Tomorrow is the race, the Sydney marathon.  He’s going for a really good time.  And he’s doing it Paleo.  I can’t wait to see how he does and how he feels and performs as a Paleo Marathon runner.  I’ll keep you posted!

I was interested to see the contents of the Marathon pack.  Which foods would the marathon organisers give away to their competitors, to give them good race nutrition?  Chia Seeds, a “Smooze” fruit ice (unfrozen) and a “Trio” bar.    I guess it could have been a lot worse, but, is this really the best things for a marathoner to be eating?

Marathon snack pack

Chia Seeds are everywhere at the moment and being promoted as a super-food.  Whilst they do provide Omega 3, it’s in plant form, which isn't so ready for human absorption – and they also contain a not so good amount of Omega 6.  The amount of protein contained is minimal – it would take considerably more than an 8g packed to give a decent protein supply.  So, whilst they certainly aren't the worst thing a marathoner could eat, I think this is probably the best use for them.

The “Smooze” (unfrozen) frozen fruit ice contains: pink guava juice 47% (from purée), coconut milk 40%, natural cane sugar, fruit pectin, citric acid, natural fruit flavours, ascorbic acid (vitamin C).  I'm pleased to see the coconut milk, though after my own investigation into coconut milk, can only hope they use a pure brand.  The juice element is just sugar, which isn't so good.  Also, after reading the Food Renegade’s awesome post on Orange Juice, I've been really wary of juices and “natural” flavours.

I was surprised the “Trio” bar ingredients weren't as bad as I was expecting: Cashew, Almonds, Pistachios, Blueberries, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Dates, Raisins, Rice Malt, Natural Flavours, Evaporated Cane Juice and Sea Salt.  It’s a shame they had to add the rice malt, “natural flavours” and sugar (though doesn't evaporated cane juice sound so much better!).  I can’t think why you’d need to add flavours to so many wonderful tasting foods?

With some fantastic Paleo sports inspiration, dinner tonight came with sweet potato, a great Paleo Carb source.

Fingers crossed for a great Sydney Marathon day tomorrow!

Do you combine endurance with Paleo?  I'd love to hear how it works for you.

Sydney Marathon running paleo perspective diet healthy grain-free no sugar

Meetup paleo meet up groups events conference-min

Meeting Real, Local People – Who Lead a Paleo Lifestyle Too

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Last night was the fourth meet up of the Sydney Paleo group – and the third I’ve had the pleasure of attending.  We met at a Korean Barbeque restaurant, tucked away down a side street, in the city centre.  A few of us had met before and there were some new faces to meet.  The food couldn’t have got much more Paleo.  We had all different types of meat, which we barbequed ourselves.

I’m becoming more and more obsessed with all things Paleo as time goes by.  I always want to talk about an amazing new blog I’ve found, or find out what others think about the latest research.  But I am aware that a lot of my non Paleo friends aren’t as interested in this as I am!  To be able to meet up with a group of people on the same wavelength is amazing.

We were able to jump straight into topics such as Jack Kruse’s Leptin theories, Nora Gedgaudas’s Australian Primal Body Primal mind conference, the AHS and how we handle social events with our non-Paleo friends.  We discussed our favourite blogs and books, how we do Paleo and local Paleo friendly suppliers & restaurants.

As much as I benefit from & value my online Paleo friends and the online community, there is nothing like meeting Paleo people in real life.

Next month we’ll be meeting again, only this time for an outdoor meet up.  A barbeque by the beach, frisbee, slack line & lots of paleo talk – I can’t wait!

If you don’t know any Paleo folk in real life, I suggest you join your local meetup group – or if there isn’t one – create it yourself!