Cordain's paleo for athletes. page

[cayla29s]

Hey guys,

So I have the first paleo for athletes by cordain but he's got another revised and updated one. I'm curious if its worth buying the newer one. What are differences?

[TLoRu]

Don't know the differences but I just got the new version a few wks back..... I'll be honest- total snoozefest. Maybe it's bc I've read almost all of the paleo literature out there. He does have some interesting points and topics, but overall it's lame.mpretty redundant from everything else thats been written Lol. Sry, just being honest

[cayla29s]

Don't know the differences but I just got the new version a few wks back..... I'll be honest- total snoozefest. Maybe it's bc I've read almost all of the paleo literature out there. He does have some interesting points and topics, but overall it's lame.mpretty redundant from everything else thats been written Lol. Sry, just being honest

Oh okay no I was just wondering if its worth getting it. I too have purchased lots of paleo books on e-books and some of them are quite repetitive. I do find that some of them differ in their opinion about particulate food group so I just like knowing why that is.

[Neely]

I didn't like the fact that this book encourages the use of pasta and potatoes to some degree. I mean this just goes against the basics of paleo/primal eating and admits that full paleo eating is not good enough for high level athletic performance. I was also disappointed with the book overall as well. I much prefered Cordain's - The Paleo Diet.

[magicmerl]

Potatoes, yes. Pasta, no.

[AmyMac703]

I didn't like the fact that this book encourages the use of pasta and potatoes to some degree.

Where the hell does he suggest eating pasta? I haven't found that anywhere.

[Neely]

Page 49:

"Good sources of energy now are fruit and vegetable juices, sports drink with protein added, and gels with water. An assortment of foods such as rice, potatoes, vegetables, turkey sandwiches[?], fresh fruits, soup, cookies, sports bars, and meal-replacement drinks will also provide carbohydrate, fat, and protein."

Page 51:

"Glucose, the sugar in starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, grains, is a good source for quick energy recovery."

Page 60:

"The foods listed first are preferred, but all are good choices. You may also select grains such as corn, bread, a bagel, rice, and cereal to continue the rapid replacement of carbohydrate stores."

Page 163:

""For instance, immediately before, during, and after a workout or competition, certain nonoptimal foods may be eaten to encourage a quick recovery."


OK, he doesn't say pasta directly, but grains are clearly acceptable, in the pre and post exercise window, especially the post exercise window. This to me was disappointing. For grains to be so demonized throughout Cordain's The Paleo Diet and mostly in The Paleo Diet For Athletes, then encouraging them post workout sends out clear mixed messages. If they are fine post workout then why not at any other time? What about the harmful anti-nutrients/lectins/gluten and so on, are these OK post exercise too? For me this book, and the paleo lifestyle, lost a lot of credibility by Cordain and Friel's promotion of grains here.

[PhiPsiJB]

I fear I'll get this thread off-topic a bit, but it looks like I might be the first one to provide support for Cordain's Paleo Diet for Athletes. In brief, I used the original book as the cornerstone of my nutrition while preparing for an Ironman triathlon a couple years ago. I followed the plan 100% and I felt superb from the inside out all throughout training and, most importantly, on race day.

I too struggled a bit with the idea "certain nonoptimal foods" are permissible at certain times...being the Devil's Advocate I am I often questioned, "If they're bad most of the time shouldn't they be bad all the time?"

That said, it's important to notice a distinction Cordain doesn't really clarify as well as he should, in my opinion: his book is written for endurance athletes, not just those looking to be fit. He mentions triathlon and marathon specifially, hence the likely inclusion of seemingly taboo sources of carbohydrate.

On that note, I for one feel Cordain does a good job illustrating that for endurance athletes, you will need (relatively) higher amounts of carbohydrate in order to meet the demands of endurance events.

Getting the thread back on track, I too would be interested to know of any differences between the first edition and the revised one.

[AmyMac703]

That said, it's important to notice a distinction Cordain doesn't really clarify as well as he should, in my opinion: his book is written for endurance athletes, not just those looking to be fit. He mentions triathlon and marathon specifially, hence the likely inclusion of seemingly taboo sources of carbohydrate.

On that note, I for one feel Cordain does a good job illustrating that for endurance athletes, you will need (relatively) higher amounts of carbohydrate in order to meet the demands of endurance events.

Getting the thread back on track, I too would be interested to know of any differences between the first edition and the revised one.

I'd even go so far as to say that it's geared only towards marathons/triathlons. Aside from the obvious "eat more carbs," I found pretty much nothing that can be applied to other endurance activities (like, you know, mountaineering ... regardless of whether or not you think it's a 'sport,' it's still something that requires an immense amount of physical endurance). I saw The Paleo Diet For Athletes as basically being an application of the paleo diet to an overwhelmingly CW approach to athletics. For example, the idea that you should eat a highly specific amount of something precisely ten minutes before you start doing whatever it is that you're doing seems a little OCD to me.

[PhiPsiJB]

I'd even go so far as to say that it's geared only towards marathons/triathlons. Aside from the obvious "eat more carbs," I found pretty much nothing that can be applied to other endurance activities (like, you know, mountaineering ... regardless of whether or not you think it's a 'sport,' it's still something that requires an immense amount of physical endurance).

AmyMac703: I don't see why the book couldn't be applied to any endurance sport...in fact, I would suggest the guidelines proposed in The Paleo Diet for Athletes would work great for any event pushing past the one or two hour mark, which mountaineering surely does. I think it was likely a marketing move, for better or worse, on Cordain's part. After all, his co-author is Joe Friel, a noted triathlon coach.

And as for the book "being an application of the paleo diet to an overwhelmingly CW approach to athletics", I know what you mean. I read the book three years ago and I still struggle with that concept today, although I won't go entirely into why at the moment. Regardless, the point I keep in mind is one I made in my first post...if you want general fitness you can easily forego a lot, if not ideally all, of the otherwise taboo foods Cordain permits within the guidelines of the book. As I said, I feel by and large endurance athletes (again, those pushing past the two-hour mark) need more carbohydrate. And while I may get some flak for saying so the easiest sources of carbohydrate are clearly those not permitted on a more strict Paleo or Primal nutrition plan.

In the end, I'll vouch for Cordain's book...it worked wonders for my Ironman and other marathons. However, I am also confident in saying proper training and nutrition can allow athletes to complete shorter events (e.g., a sprint triathlon or 10K) without the non-Paleo foods.

Just my two cents...