The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain, Joe Friel Page A

such as deer, elk, and buffalo. Of course, chances are that you don’t have the time to go hunting, given your workout and career choices. (For our ancestors, hunting was exercise and career all rolled into one activity.) No, it’s unlikely that you will find game meat outside your back door, and it can’t be sold in supermarkets, either. But there are other readily available choices that are almost as good.

TABLE 4.8
    Suggested Daily Protein Intake per Pound of Body Weight
     
TRAINING VOLUME IN HOURS/WEEK
PROTEIN/DAY/POUND OF BODY WEIGHT IN GRAMS (calories)
< 5
0.6-0.7 (2.4-2.8)
5-10
0.7-0.8 (2.8-3.2)
10-15
0.8-0.9 (3.2-3.6)
16-20
0.9-1.0 (3.6-4.0)
> 20
1.0 (4.0)
    Ocean- or stream-caught fish and shellfish are among the best protein sources; they are, after all, wild game. It’s best, however, to avoid farm-raised fish, which is essentially the same as feedlot-raised cattle. Another good choice is turkey breast. It comes as close to providing the lean protein and fat makeup of game animals as any domestic meat available. It’s still a good idea to seek out meat from turkeys that were allowed to range freely in search of food. The same goes for any meat you may choose. Free-ranging animals have not only exercised but have also more likely eaten foods that are optimal for their health. This means that omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are in better balance. You’ll find that such meats are more expensive than the more common meat of penned-up animals. It’s just like so much in life: Quality costs more. You get what you pay for.
    In Stage V, continue to take in 0.6 gram to 1 gram (2.4 to 4 calories) of protein per pound of body weight relative to your training load. The longer or more intense your exercise was, the more protein you should take in, as shown in Table 4.8 .
    Maintain a healthy pH. In our discussion of Stage III, we told you about the acid- and base-enhancing properties of foods, illustrated by Table 4.4 . The need to maintain a healthy pH continues in this stage in order to reduce the risk of losing nitrogen and calcium. This is especially critical for older athletes whose bodies tend toward acidity more so than young athletes’. As explained earlier, nitrogen is an essential component of muscle, and calcium is crucial for bone health. Fortunately, the very foods that are the most nutrient-dense are also the ones—the only ones—that reduce blood acidity: fruits and vegetables. Any fruit will do now, so eat whichever appeal to you. As for vegetables, it’s best to choose those of vibrant colors—red, yellow, green, and orange—while avoiding white ones. Be aware that beans, although often categorized as vegetables, are net acid-enhancing and best avoided. This includes peanuts, which are legumes.
    Prevent or reduce inflammation. All athletes are susceptible to inflammation of muscles and tendons—it comes with the territory. You may have a tendon that is a persistent problem for you following high-effort workouts and sometimes flares up, causing pain or discomfort. Muscle tissue damaged during an intense workout may also result in inflammation. If allowed to go unchecked, nagging inflammation can become a full-blown injury, causing you to miss training and lose fitness. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fat supplements have been shown to reduce inflammation by lowering the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which should be approximately two parts omega-6 to one part omega-3 or less. Due to the high intake of omega-6 from snacks and other packaged foods that are abundant in our society, the average American diet has a 10:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. In fact, avoiding omega-6 is quite a challenge in Western society. By consuming foods that are rich in omega-3—cold-water fish, leafy vegetables, macadamia nuts and walnuts, eggs enriched with omega-3, and liver—you can lower this ratio and reduce your inflammation risk. We recommend that to improve the odds of accomplishing this, you take an