Paleo Eating, Not Diet

So, I’ve been eating healthier recently, as my roommates can attest to with my kale-carrot smoothies, and other funky smelling dishes in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I felt like I was leaving something on the table (bad pun) in terms of my energy levels and workout performance.

For one, my afternoons were a drag and, quite, unproductive. I was hitting these 3PM dry spells, where all I could muster up was a rather un-witty tweet.

Secondly, I was feeling lots of soreness post-workout and, even, the next morning climbing out of bed.

After talking with my friend, Mr. Terry Austin, last Wednesday night on low carb diets and the related Four Hour Body regimen, I started doing some research online. And yes, Quora has replaced Wikipedia as my go-to online research tool. The more digging and searching I did, the more I kept hearing about the “Paleo diet.” The Four Hour Body is definitely an offshoot of the Paleo way of doing it. I mean, the Paleolithic age was 2.5  million years ago, so, I think we’re in agreement as to who is the mimicker and mimickee.

The main differences, from my highly scientific research, between the two diets are below:

1. No beans/legumes on Paleo, Four Hour Body acceptable
2. Fruits in moderation on Paleo, Four Hour Body no fruit
3. No cheat day on Paleo, one cheat day per week on 4HB
4. No grains on Paleo, no white carbs on 4HB

I jumped in head first, skipping right over the Four Body diet and going straight for the cavemen diet. Starting on Saturday, I went to Ottomanelli Brother’s in the West Village, after reading great reviews of the grass-fed beef on Yelp. Picked me up 1 pound of tri-tip beef and 2 pounds of ground round. The butchers were super helpful, cleaning and preparing the meat, to allow for minimal prep time on my end.

I’m 72 hours into the “lifestyle”, not “diet, and my energy levels are best I’ve had in quite some time. High in protein, fat and omega 3’s and low in carbs and sugar, it bolstered my workouts the last two mornings and eliminated the Monday afternoon lull.

The key is sticking with it, but so far so great. Oh, and you can also drink on it, as long as the alcohol is grain free. Red wine is preferable, but I highly recommend my Saturday night drink - the NorCal Margarita - compliments of Nick Zadrozny. 2-3 shots of agave tequila, juice and pulp from one lime, ice and splash of soda water. Check it out here.

Oh, and here are pics from my Sunday night dinner; a delicious tri-tip roast with sauteed brussel sprouts and chopped walnuts.