Substitutions over Sacrifice

The Paleo Movement has definitely made some progress, but I still have people looking at me like I have pink antlers on my head when I mention staples like coconut oil, bison meat, and kale. As my CFCP teammate, Tevor, once mentioned, I am all about elite fueling. For me, eating a meal is more than enjoying the savory deliciousness (although, that is clutch). It's not just about tight abs. I am at the point in my training, where every fuel source matters. Every second in a WOD counts, every rep is one more point, and I want to be at my absolute best for the CrossFit Cedar Park team.

• With that being said, I prefer Zone/Paleo to any other method previously tried (vegetarian, macrobiotic/vegan, soy-crazy, Blood type, Hippocraties Diet, Zone bars fo-dayz....). The key is to find SUBSTITUTES, not sacrifice. Eating clean does not mean you are limited to chicken and spinach everyday. Expand your nutritional horizons, you may be happily surprised. I apologize in advance for the crudity of this blog. Blogger will not let me break it up into paragraphs or appropriate lists. This is a small compilation of ingredients I keep in the kitchen versus their nasty counterparts:

1. Trash: Sunflower, Safflower, Canola oil Keep: Extra Virgin Olive, Hemp, Grapeseed, Coconut, Flax, Borage Oil, Organic butter in moderate amounts


2. Trash: Flour (any kind) Keep: Almond, Hazelnut, Pecan Meal


3. Trash: Energy drinks Keep: Organic coffee, tea (Yerba Mate is heavenly)


4. Trash: Pepsi, soda, cola, even diet Keep: Unsweetened Sparkling water (My favorite is LaCroix, Lime)


5. Trash: Peanut butter Keep: Almond butter, Coconut butter (so amazing, it gets a picture)


6. Trash: Milk Chocolate Keep: Dark Chocolate


7. Trash: Beer, colored liquor Keep: Tequila (NorCal "skinny" margarita), wine (rarely)


8. Trash: Cow milk, even cheese Keep: Goat cheese, coconut milk--- Seriously, no human over the age of 4 needs cow dairy products----


9. Trash: Pasta, even spelt or udon Keep: Spaghetti squash


10. Trash: Bread, crackers, etc Keep: Make Almond Meal crackers or bread


11. Trash: Rice, potatoes Keep: Cauliflower rice/mashed


12. Trash: Whey protein powder Keep: Hemp protein powder


13. Trash: French fries Keep: Sweet potato fries, fried eggplant or rutabaga


14. Trash: Iceburg lettuce Keep: Spinach and Kale


15. Trash: Roasted, candy coated, salted, any altered type of nut Keep: RAW


16. Trash: Protein/Energy bars Keep: Beef/bison jerky, nuts, and some fruit


17. Trash: Traditional baked goods Keep: Experiment with almond meal, coconut, cacao, and honey! I found some great paleo pancake recipes.


18. Trash: Sugar, Splenda Keep: Local honey, coconut nectar


19. Trash: Hummos with pita or chips Keep: Guacamole or tapenade on jicama or green peppers


20. Trash: Grains (even oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, rice, and rye) Keep: Vegetables- non starchy only, potatoes are out- (Get creative. I made lasagna with eggplant instead of noodles and it rocked.)


21. Trash: ALL Soy products Keep: Clean meats, eggs


22. REMEMBER: Spice it up! Garlic, cayenne, Himalayn salt, Vietnamese Cinnamon, Oregano, Rosemary, Onion are just a few of my usual flavorings

Staying in the Zone is the best way to ensure you are getting the proper amount of daily protein and keeping the .75 protein to carbohydrate ratio. I have to admit, it's awesome! I'm on Week 2 of 8 of The Healthy Body Challenge. My general habits actually fit the challenge pretty well. Also, bear in mind that I allow myself a cheat meal once a week. Your body needs that type of shock to remember why you enjoy eating well.