So I've been following my own path of diet and lifestyle choices for a few years now, but I've travelled around a bit, and I'm often meeting new people, so I can find myself answering the same questions like..."you put WHAT in your coffee!"
Anyone who chooses to question current dietary guidelines and stray from the path of conventional western wisdom will likely face a barrage of questions/warnings/ridicule from their friends and family. In this post I've compiled a list of the most common questions I get asked, along with short simple answers.
Anyone who chooses to question current dietary guidelines and stray from the path of conventional western wisdom will likely face a barrage of questions/warnings/ridicule from their friends and family. In this post I've compiled a list of the most common questions I get asked, along with short simple answers.
Q - You eat too much Cholesterol, you'll clog your arteries and die of a heart attack soon. Nice knowing you buddy!
A - There's a lot of bad science and advice surrounding Cholesterol so I can understand why you would think that BUT the reality is Cholesterol is a vital substance for growing and maintaining our bodies. Its a bit like fireman.....every time you see a burnt down building on TV you see the fireman packing away their equipment therefore fireman burn down houses, right? No that would be stupid, just like the cholesterol lie. The fact that cholesterol is found in areas of arterial damage doesn't mean that cholesterol is damaging the arteries, its just trying to do its job.
A - Thankfully our bodies are bit more complicated than that, dietary fat is an energy source, an important nutrient for building and repairing bodies and a source of many essential vitamins. Its excess glucose in the body that is converted to fat and is stored as adipose tissue.
Q - I need to load up on carbohydrates before my race, run, ride, etc to ensure I have enough fuel for my muscles.
A - Sure muscles burn glucose but they can also burn fatty acids. In fact fat is a much cleaner and sustainable energy source. No matter how much you eat you'll only be able to store around 400 grams, or 1,600 calories of glycogen but body fat is a virtually unlimited source of energy. Even a lean person will have enough fat stored in muscle fibers and fat cells to supply up to 100,000 calories, enough for over 100 hours of marathon running!
Q - But what about alcohol, you'll have a drink right?
A - Sure I like a drink as much as my fellow man, but I don't pretend I drink for its nutritional value or health benefits!
Q - Why the @#$% are you putting butter in your coffee?!
A - I find I perform at my best when I'm burning fat for fuel, dietary or stored, so I try and include a high percentage of fat in my diet and this is just one of the ways I achieve that. And it tastes great, you should try it.
Q - How do you live without cereals and toast for breakfast?
A - I've found that since I've changed my diet I don't really need a meal in the morning (just a coffee) so this isn't a problem for me at all.
Q - But you have to have some of this cake, auntie Mavis has made it especially.
A - Sure I'll try a bit thanks. (Remember you are what you eat most of the time, a functional metabolic system will be able to handle a bit of crap but I wouldn't make a habit of it).
Q - I could never give up chocolate, I'm a real chocoholic...
A - Here have some of this its my favourite, its real dark, 95%...
Q - Yuck no way, that's far too bitter for me.
A - Oh right...sorry I misunderstood you, you're a sugarholic not a chocoholic :)
Q - Is [Insert random ingredient] Paleo?
A - Stressing over every little ingredient or whether something is super clean and natural or not is going to do more harm to your body than eating the damn thing. It can also build an unhealthy relationship with food. I am not saying you should relax and indulge in bread and fizzy drinks but don't become a food Nazi! Eat real food and make the best choices possible. Sometimes, that means the best of the worst choices possible.
Q - I don't do fad diets, just eat everything in moderation.
A - Sure everything in moderation including your health! I'd rather have optimum health so I'm going to stick with what works, this fad diet has only been going for a few hundred thousand years but there might be something in it...
Q - Sounds like a very expensive way to eat?
A - Yeah it can be, but by eating seasonally, batch cooking, bargain hunting, etc, it doesn't have to be. Plus when you factor in the future saving in medical bills its loads cheaper than a conventional diet!
Q - Why don't you eat grains?
A - I try and focus on nutrient dense foods, grains are very poor nutritionally compared to meat and vegetables, most grains also contain anti-nutrients which further inhibit the absorption of the nutrients they do contain, and they cause a host of other internal issues (inflammation).
Q - So I should be eating all types of fat?
A - Not exactly, there are some that should be avoided, specifically man made vegetable oils. These aren't really food at all and are highly inflammatory, stick to animal fats and oils that can be extracted without processing (i.e. olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil).
Q - Do you ever have 'cheat' days
A - No....I just have days! The whole notion of "cheating" when it comes to food doesn't make any sense to me. I know what foods I like, and what foods make me look, feel and perform the best so I try and stick to those. If I want to eat something then I'll have it and enjoy it! I just find that these days I don't tend to want the foods that don't make look, feel and perform well.
Q - Here you can have one of these, its a "Paleo" candy bar
A - Your great great great great ancestors didn't spend their days running round the jungle trying to chase down candy bars for dinner!
Q - I've heard that ketosis is really dangerous
A - You're thinking of Ketoacidosis, which can be very dangerous, but this is a complication of Type 1 Diabetes, so not a concern for the majority of us. Nutritional ketosis is a perfectly natural state that occurs when the body uses fat instead of glucose as fuel. The liver breaks down this fat into chemicals called ketones which the body is able to use as an energy source.
Q - Don't you worry that you're eating too much red meat?
A - Nope. I've heard plenty of scare mongering headlines linking red meat consumption to health issues but when you dig a little deeper the science is at best flaky, the studies used don't differentiate between processed meats and quality cuts, and the message is often pushed by vegan Dr's who have their own agenda. I think that red meat is one of the only true "superfoods" on the market, not only is a great source of protein and fat it is one of the most abundant dietary sources of B12, iron and zinc, and so many other essential nutrients.
Q - You don't need to lose weight, why do you bother?
A - I want to look, feel, and perform as good as possible, for as long as possible..
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