Paleo and Calcium

Great post from Zach at CrossFit Delaware Valley:

Ever ask yourself: "how do i maintain enough calcium for bone and blood supply on a paleo diet that doesn't include dairy?" Well, it all comes back to the acid/alkaline balance of our diets. Each food we eat creates either a net acid or net akaline load in our system. The typical Western diet puts a net acid load on our system, which our bodies endeavor to balance with alkalines stored internally, namely bone calcium, leading to problems like osteoperosis. By balancing our acid intakes with plenty of alkaline vegetables in a Paleo diet, we can avoid the acidic leaching of bone mineral and maintain optimal bone and blood mineral levels.

Also, since dairy can be a gut irritant, there is evidence to suggest that we may not be absorbing the higher quantities of calcium in dairy as well as we absorb the relatively lower quantities in vegetable and seafood sources. See below for reading on this topic.

http://robbwolf.com/?p=454

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/faqs/#Calcium

Check out this testimonial from a CrossFit Delaware Valley member on how eating Paleo has helped her performance and changed her body shape:

I changed my way of eating in early August to a lower carb paleo diet. I cut grains, dairy and sugar completely and made a diet composed mainly of animal protein, vegetables and fat with the occasional fruit. To be completely honest, the first two weeks sucked HARD. My times were bad, I wasn't lifting as much weight as usual and I could only string together about 3 or 4 pullups on the green band. My moods were off and I was no fun to be around. Then one day, it just clicked. I woke up in a better mood after the first restul sleep in quite a while. I finished the WOD first and I did it as prescribed. Since then, it felt like I hit a PR every time I stepped up to the bar. In the Crossfit Total, my back squat went from 125 to 175, deadlift from 220 to 270, and shoulder press from 60 to 70. I can now string together a few pullups on the blue band and can move faster during metcons. I went from not being able to complete a 400m run to running a mile. These improvements have also helped in maintaining a more focused ISAL. It's easier to see what exactly needs improvement as far as form and where my strength is failing instead of a general feeling of sucking at everything. I've also included a multivitamin, fish oil supplement and post WOD whey isolate. Outside of the gym, my quality of sleep has improved as well as my energy throughout the day. From an aesthetic perspective, my skin has gotten better, I don't feel gross after eating lunch and got rid of a lot of problems that turned out to be related to gluten aversion like sore throats and digestive issues. According to blood work results, all of my numbers are excellent. It also took a long time, but I think I'm starting to see changes in body comp and fat loss.

Check this out INSANE!!
Rob Orlando, One Armed Fran - video [wmv] [mov]