Next Monday, November 16th kicks off our 2nd Nutrition Challenge for 2009.  What better way to get ready for the holidays than with a lifestyle of eating as God intended us to!  I am going to give you a QUICK START GUIDE to learning all you need to know about the Paleo Diet and the Zone Diet.

Start here and watch the “Paleo In a Nutshell” video.  It is a quick video describing just how simple Paleo is.

Then, go here and read what foods are PALEO.  This is a long list describing in each food category what is allowed.  Now, remember, our list is modified for purposes of this challenge.  I will review what foods are allowed on our “Modified Paleo.”  Those foods are…

Sprouted Grains, Oats (no instant, preferably steel cut oats or organic rolled oats)

Goat Milk, Goat Cheese, Organic Yogurt(preferably Greek yogurt due to high protein content), and Butter(preferably Organic)

Stevia, Raw Honey, Agave Nectar, and Pure(Raw) Cane Sugar

Sweet Potatoes

Wild Rice, Brown Rice, and Basmati Rice, Quinoa

Salt

WHY AM I ALLOWING THESE FOODS THIS TIME?    So that more of you will stick with it for the entire 40 Days!  You are still rewarded for efforts to take out Dairy, Wheat, Legumes, and Sugar each week.  This strict Paleo way of eating is what I would recommend to reach weight loss goals, health concerns, etc., but you must make this your lifestyle.  Find out what works best for you!!!

Read here to learn why I don’t recommend Dairy, Wheat, Legumes, and Sugar.  This is an excellent post on what makes these foods harmful to someone’s health.  Plus, these foods contain a high glycemic load which is known to spike insulin levels, causing you to store fat in your body!

Click here for more great Paleo info!   This site will give you a list of another handful of easy to read articles.

And finally, a quick and easy video on tips for eating Paleo.  Watch here.

Now, for the Zone.  Click here to figure out how many blocks you need and what a block is.  After figuring these numbers out, scroll down the page and look at the Featured Links category.

Read here for tips on eating out.

If you need help understanding the Zone blocks, please ask me during class.  I will gladly help!  A good investment will be a scale for measuring your food, mainly ounces of protein.  The Zone diet will lean you out if you stick to the correct balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Post to comments if you have any questions.  I will post challenge details later, regarding what workouts you need to do next week, how to score points for the challenge, and how I will determine who wins 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.