My Paleo Staples

Here is a list of eight staple food items I buy every time I go to the supermarket (usually Trader Joe's or Whole Foods) and what I use them for:

1. Grass-fed butter ($3.19/227g)

Grass-fed butter is a great source of fat, contrary to all the 'saturated fat is bad for you' nonsense that has grossly slandered this incredible food. Trust me, butter is far healthier for you that "heart healthy" vegetable oils such as sunflower or canola and especially margarine. And as butter is almost pure fat there is basically zero milk protein (whey and casein) or lactose in it, which is why pretty much everyone can tolerate it. 

I put Kerrygold Irish grass-fed butter in my coffee, use it to cook (at lower temperatures), dowse my steamed vegetables in it to help absorb all those fat-soluble vitamins, which require molecules of fat to shuttle them into the cells. So make sure you include at least some fat with your veggies or green smoothie or you will miss out on much of the nutrition. 

2. Grass-fed (New Zealand) frozen ground beef ($5.99/lb)

I would love to buy beautiful steaks of fresh grass-fed beef from the farmers' market but unfortunately I can't quite afford it as a Paleo staple so instead I rely on a good quality frozen grass-fed ground beef from NZ. I use it to make chili con carne (sans beans), bolognese (which I have on steamed veggies) or burgers (on a big salad with a side of baked sweet potato). So good.  

3. Organic spring salad mix ($2.49/140g)

I eat a lot of salads and this is always my base. Kale and spinach contain a high level of oxalates, which are oxidants (they cause free radicals) that can be problematic to those susceptible to kidney stones, those with autism or inflammatory bowl issues such as IBS.

Oxalates are only generally an issue if you consume huge amounts of raw kale or spinach. Since I eat so much salad I've decided not to use kale or spinach as a base. It's better to lightly steam or sauté most greens anyway as mild cooking improves nutrient absorption and makes it easier to consume more. I still eat some raw spinach and kale but not as a Paleo staple. 

4. Unsweetened shredded dried coconut ($3.99/lb)

I love this stuff. I add it to my salads, use it as a flour substitute for my coconut crusted fish and banana pancakes, or sprinkle it on berries and coconut cream to add some texture to my dessert. 

5. 85% cacao dark chocolate ($1.49/100g)

Dark chocolate really is a superfood. It is a great source of magnesium and polyphenols. The polyphenols in cacao also act to block iron absorption though, which is great for me as I have mild iron-overload. If you are iron deficient though I wouldn't eat it (or tea or coffee which also contain polyphenols) within an hour of consuming iron-rich foods if you are trying to increase your ferritin levels. In contrast, alcohol and Vitamin C both increases the absorption of iron so keep that in mind. 85% dark chocolate is a huge Paleo staple of mine but beware, it is energy-dense so if you're trying to lose weight stick to no more than 30g a day.

6. Organic frozen raspberries ($2.99/340g)

Frozen raspberries are cheaper and more convenient than fresh ones. Of course I love fresh berries but I'd rather buy organic frozen ones than conventionally grown fresh ones given the choice. Berries are part of the dirty dozen so definitely something you want to go organic on if you can afford it.  

7. 100% pure coconut water ($3.49/L)

I try not to drink this by itself (unless I'm hungover or need some electrolytes post sweatier-than-usual workouts) but I do put about 100mL of it in my smoothies. I only buy 100% pure coconut water not from concentrate. Coconut water has about 8g carbohydrate (sugar) per 100ml so if you are trying to lose weight I wouldn't be sculling this stuff. 

8. Organic carrots ($1.29/lb)

I eat a lot of carrots. Hence my orange tint which I swear is not from fake tan! I probably eat too many carrots given my propensity to accumulate beta-carotene in my blood (a condition known as carotenemia) but they are such a great snack and I love them so I put up with my orange palms! 

Organic carrots are not much more expensive than conventionally grown ones so I always opt for organic. Don't listen to the "carrots are high on the glycemic index" nonsense. When you consider calories by weight they are extremely low in glycemic load and very high in soluble fiber so eat as many as you want... unless you fear getting accused of fake tanning!

If you haven't already make sure you read my most popular post, My Ideal Paleo Eating Day

Once again thanks for reading and a special shout out to those (Nick, Pete, Hobbs) who have been sharing my posts on Facebook and Twitter!

I've just started an Instagram too... @ThePaleoModel

Ask the Paleo Model: Grocery Shopping Tips

Goose - 28, New York City, new to Paleo asks:

Dear Paleo Model,

Now that I'm eating paleo style, I find that I have to be super organized for grocery runs. I head out armed with paleo recipes to make sure I only get paleo friendly foods. This is not really my style.Do you have any tips or overarching rules for remembering what's "in" and what's "out" so I don't have to keep deferring to the web and recipes?

Thank you sir.

Hi Goose! (Very paleo name by the way).

What a great question. Thank you. I understand how stressful and busy grocery shopping in Manhattan can be, with gaggles of vegan-inclined New Yorkers lining up out the door of Trader Joe's while you stand there, bewildered, having a gander at the epic fruit and nut wall. (See how I snuck in not one but two puns in that sentence?). 

I've been thinking about how to answer your question, and I think we should start with an old adage... "practice makes perfect". When you're brand new to Paleo it can be a little overwhelming with all the contradictory opinions of what constitutes a "Paleo food" and what doesn't. But don't worry because after a few months of eating this way and delving into some of the Paleo literature you'll be a pro. But let's set down some basic rules to get you started. 

Firstly, a loose definition of Paleo would be anything that flies, runs or swims; and anything that grows out of the ground that can be eaten raw. Now of course there are some exceptions to this so let's get into some more detail with these eight guidelines.

PALEO SHOPPING GUIDELINES:

1. Focus on everything in the exterior sections or walls of the supermarket (i.e. produce and meat) and ignore almost everything in the aisles (processed, packaged and multi-ingredient foods).

2. Go for any meat, seafood, poultry & eggs, fresh or frozen, so long as it is not processed (i.e. only contains one ingredient). 

3. Choose any vegetables and fruit, frozen or fresh, that can be eaten raw and that is only one ingredient. The "can be eaten raw" rule means that it is NOT a legume or a grain, which are not paleo foods. (Note that peanuts are legumes so peanut butter is out). 

4. The exceptions to the 'can be eaten raw' rule are starchy tubers and roots such as sweet potato, parsnips, turnips, taro, yuka root, plantains, etc. 

5. Some exceptions to the 'not from the aisles' rule are as follows: canned fish, raw tree nuts, coconut products (water, cream, oil, milk, dried/shredded), olive oil, vinegar, spices, sea salt,  >80% cacao dark chocolate, coffee, tea, sparking water, tinned (or preferably glass bottled) vegetables such as tomatoes, olives, etc.

6. The dairy section is out for strict Paleo although I do recommend grass-fed butter or ghee. Once you've been dairy-free for a while if you really want to you could potentially reintroduce some fermented dairy such as kefir or even raw aged cheese and see if you do well on that. Milk is out though.

7. The frozen section is good for single ingredient (preferably grass-fed) meat, (preferably wild caught) seafood, (preferably organic) veggies and berries.

8. Some packaged foods with a few ingredients are still "paleo". Make sure you carefully check the ingredients. These include things like tomato "passata" sauce, thai curry paste, fresh salsa, pesto, etc. Watch out for cheeky ingredients like dextrose, corn starch or high fructose corn syrup. 

That pretty much covers everything. I highly encourage people to go to farmers' markets to get really fresh, local produce at a good price. Due to economies of scale it's hard to find really good quality eggs and meat from a supermarket and often you can't guarantee the origin, quality or time in cold storage of supermarket produce, which all affect the nutritional value. 

Here are a couple of resources for more detailed lists of paleo friendly foods:

What Is The Paleo Diet? - Robb Wolf

Paleo Shopping List - Robb Wolf

Grocery List (Paleo style) | Caveman Strong

Primal Blueprint Shopping List | Mark's Daily Apple

Hopefully my guidelines help you a bit until you find your Paleo feet. You'll be a Paleo pro in no time. After a year in NYC I now have my own Trader Joe's strategy down. I quickly grab all the 'in the aisle' stuff and then jump in the massive line (which conveniently wraps around the exterior of the store) and then I just pull things off the shelf as I go! 

Thanks again for your question and am so glad you've found Paleo. Please spread the word (but not in a preachy way!) 

Also look out for my upcoming post, 'My Paleo Staple Foods', which coincidentally outlines the eight items I buy every time I go to the supermarket and what I use them for...

Cheers!

The Paleo Model. 

PS - I went out to buy some goose feather pillows, but I found they were so expensive I couldn't even afford the down payment!

You Are What You Eat… And What It Ate

Ruminant animals...

Q. How do you make a calf gain 600 pounds in eight months? 

A. Feed it corn... A shed load of corn. 

Introduction

Go out into the bush and try and find a fat brush turkey, kangaroo or deer. You won't. Animals in their natural state  are inherently healthy and lean.

Before concentrated animal feeding operations (factory farming), cows raised on pastures typically weren't slaughtered until five years of age. Now these poor beasts are stuffed with corn, antibiotics and hormones to reach slaughter weight at just 14 to 16 months old.

Unfortunately we humans love to intervene. We think we can do better than mother nature. We think we are so industrious that we can increase productivity endlessly. We think that we can make chickens bigger, fatter and grow faster and cheaper. But all of this comes at a cost, and this cost is ultimately born by us and our own health.

The modern epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer are no mystery. These diseases of civilization stem from a mismatch between our modern lifestyle and our natural state, with poor nutrition being the primary culprit.

In this post I'm going to shed some light on how industrial farming affects the nutrition of our food and outline two basic rules to follow in order to make the right food choices. 

Pasture raised cow v CAFO cows

Q. How do you make a human gain tens of pounds and become diabetic?

A. Feed him corn... and wheat, and sugar, and soybean oil, and other industrial foods. 

Now unlike cows, which are ruminant animals that should only eat grass, we omnivorous humans require a broader diet. But in general, the further we move away from a diet of unadulterated (meaning wild, grass-fed, organic, local, in season, unprocessed) animals and plants the more likely we are to get fat, sick and die prematurely. Simple. 

Keep it simple, stupid

I have been ruminating [pun intended] about the diets/inputs of the animals/plants that we eat and how that affects us when we consume them. 

What I have come up with is a couple of general rules when it comes to what we should eat:

Rule # 1: Eat animals and plants that existed in a state closest to their natural environment. 

Wild Salmon v Farmed Salmon

EXAMPLES 

Beef: Organic pastured beef from happy cows on nice small farms is far more nutritious and healthy in every respect compared to feedlot beef: better fatty acid profile, higher protein quality and less toxins in the meat from hormones and antibiotics. This is not even to mention the ethical and environmental benefits of pastured beef. 

Plants: Organic vegetables grown locally in nutrient-replete soil free from chemical fertilizers have significantly higher nutritional content and none of the nasties found in mono-crops farmed in nutrient-depleted soil and sprayed with harsh chemicals.  

Seafood: Wild-caught seafood is far superior to farmed seafood. Farmed fish is no different from farmed cows, pigs or chickens. The fish are often confined in overcrowded unsanitary tanks and administered antibiotics to keep them from dying. Furthermore, the fish are fed processed pellets made from soy, corn, canola oil and even other dead fish - clearly a terrible diet for salmon, for example, which are supposed to subsist mainly on krill. 

As the adage goes, "rubbish in, rubbish out". Same goes for farmed aquaculture. One study found farmed salmon to have eight times the levels of PCBs (synthetic chemicals) than wild salmon. 

This unnatural diet also affects the nutritional value of the salmon - reducing the amount of anti-inflammatory omega-3s and increasing the amount of pro-inflammatory omega-6s. This is exactly what happens with beef and poultry. 

You see, the fat in corn and soy is overwhelmingly omega-6, which is why corn, soybean and other industrial seed oils are so harmful to humans in the way they skew our diet towards a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Our ancestors had a ratio around 2:1 of omega-6 to omega-3. Today the average Westerner has a ratio of 20:1 or more. This is hugely problematic and is thought to be a major culprit of inflammatory conditions such as heart disease. 

So not only are we screwing ourselves by eating corn, soy and refined vegetable oils but we are compounding the situation by eating animals that are fed corn and soy - causing their own omega ratio to be out of whack. 

Poultry: Chickens are supposed to scratch around in the dirt eating grass, seeds, worms, bugs and insects. But now we feed them - you guessed it - corn and soy! 

Poultry, especially the skin and dark meat, has a very high omega-6 content. This chart estimates poultry to contain around 3g of omega-6 per 100g. Compare this to pork (0.8g/100g) or beef (0.3g/100g). 

This brings me to my next point:

Rule # 2: Eat animals that eat mostly green stuff

When it comes to choosing your meat, it matters what your meat ate. 

Ruminant animals are ideal nutrition for humans because they have a clean, healthy diet... of grass. 

If we had four stomachs and could digest 70 pounds of grass a day I would totally recommend a raw vegan diet of grass! But we don't, so I recommend we eat cows, sheep, goat, bison, elk, deer, raw vegans, etc. 

Since grass derives its energy from sunlight consuming red meat is basically eating mouthfuls of sunshine! How awesome is that? And much healthier than eating mouthfuls of corn, antibiotics and animal cruelty! 

Seriously though, I believe pasture-raised red meat to be superior to poultry and pork because of the fact that grass is a simple, natural and healthy diet for ruminant animals. Compare this to pigs. Pigs are omnivores that sometimes eat questionable matter. Toxins from their diet will be stored in their fat and could potentially affect us when we consume pork. 

Incorporating the same logic explains why (smaller) fish that predominantly eat algae generally have better nutritional value than larger fish that eat these smaller fish. 

We've all heard about metal toxicity (mercury) in fish. Usually the higher up the food chain (the more predatory) a fish is, the more mercury and other toxins are contained in it's flesh. Toxicity accumulates the older and bigger a fish is, and the further up the food-chain it is. 

IMPLEMENTING THIS INFORMATION

Eat animals and plants that lived in the way nature intended them to, favouring ones that eat green stuff or convert sunshine... 

Ideally:

• Eat organic, locally farmed plants that are in season. 
• Eat wild or grass-fed ruminant animals as your first preference for meat
• Eat pasture-raised pork and poultry as your second preference for meat
• Minimize consumption of CAFO/factory farmed animal products
• Eat wild-caught seafood and avoid farmed seafood
• Favor smaller fish such as anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring and salmon over predatory fish such as swordfish, tuna and shark. 

God/evolution (you choose) created a harmonious system of nutrition from sunshine to green stuff to animals to humans. Mess with it at your own peril!

"Eat Paleo. Train. Live life."

The Paleo Model

PS - If you care, share! Also if you haven't already you should subscribe by email (below) to get these posts direct to your inbox with no advertising. Thanks for reading!

---

References

Burridge, Les, Judith Weis, Felipe Cabello and Jaime Pizarro (March 2008). Chemical Use in Salmon Aquaculture: A Review of Current Practices and Possible Environmental Effects. World Wildlife Federation, Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue. 

http://chriskresser.com/how-too-much-omega-6-and-not-enough-omega-3-is-making-us-sick

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sea-to-table/is-farmed-fish-really-the_b_3455436.html

Image Credits

http://meatonomics.com/2013/11/11/9-things-everyone-should-know-about-farmed-fish/

http://crossfitfire.com/grain-fed-cattle-vs-grain-fed-people/

http://www.sustainabletable.org/859/industrial-livestock-production

http://libidiny.blogspot.com/2010/04/happy-cows.html

http://www.kellysofcornwall.co.uk/our-farmers/

http://www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/wild-salmon-returns-waters-dinner-plates

How To Build Muscle, Honestly and Healthily

Arnie as a teenager (left). Myself as a teenager (right)

I'm blessed with the ability to gain muscle relatively quickly and easily. Ironically, as a fashion model this has been more of a curse over my 10 year career than a blessing. A few weeks of eating and training how I would like to and I no longer fit the sample size 40 suits!

While I'll admit that part of my growth potential is genetic, I think it can largely be attributed to my passion/obsession with food, sleep and lifting heavy things. Also in my teenage years I went through a token megalomania phase where I wanted to be Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thankfully I got over that boyish beefcake obsession but it did teach me how to train hard, eat prodigiously and get results fast. 

If you're a "hard-gainer" or simply need to build more lean muscle mass here are my five (no shortcut, no supplement, no bullshit) tips to honest muscle growth in a safe, sustainable and healthy way. 

1. Eat real (Paleo) food - more than you think you need. 

If you are lean, if your current diet sucks, if you're "skinny fat", or if you have been trying to lose weight through calorie restriction (and obviously failing because it doesn't work) the chances are that you are not getting adequate nutrition. 

In all of these scenarios, and even if you are overweight, your goal should be to build lean muscle mass, as this is the only sustainable way to improved body composition and optimal health. 

You need to be eating enough quality food not only to maintain your current state but to build new tissue. That is, you need periods of energy surplus - but only of quality, real (Paleo) foods. Extra calories from crabby carbs like sweetened cereals, protein bars, shakes and juice will screw your metabolism and counter your efforts to grow lean.

So cut the processed, adulterated, modern food out of your diet and eat big, satiating meals of whole foods that are high in quality fats, moderate in protein (you don't need to consume prodigious amounts of protein to gain muscle), and moderate in safe carbohydrates. I have written many articles on nutrition so check them out for more detail. 

But basically you need to focus on nutrient and energy dense foods like pastured eggs, coconut products, oily seafood, sweet potatoes, raw nuts, 85% dark chocolate and (not-too-lean) grass-fed meat and pork. 

If you really want to gain size then incorporate more starch such as white rice, sweet potatoes and whole fruit. And if you tolerate dairy then consider adding in fermented, full-fat, (preferably raw) dairy like aged cheese/sour cream/greek yoghurt/kefir.

Click here for my 'Ideal Paleo Eating Day'

2. Sleep more

This is both simple and crucial. You cannot repair and rebuild if you don't rest and reset. I believe sleep is actually more important than training. 

If you smash the gym but only sleep five hours a night, even if your nutrition is impeccable, you will go backwards and put your health at risk in the long term. 

Sleep eight or nine hours a night. The better the quality and quantity of your sleep, the quicker and easier you will gain muscle mass and shed fat. 

3. Train hard, smart, and not too much

Lifting heavy weights is not the only way to gain muscle, but it's the best, fastest, and most efficient way. 

Exercise needs to be an acute stress to your body - enough that it causes positive adaptation and growth but not so much that it becomes a chronic stress from which you cannot recover.

The effective dose of exercise is actually a lot less than you would think. Given that you train at intensity (that is, complex movements at a challenging amount of weight, until failure, without too much rest) I think that two intense weight sessions per week, such as a circuit of 20-30 minutes if you're not stuffing around, is sufficient to build substantial amounts of muscle without risking injury or overtraining. 

I would suggest adding one sprint session to this per week, along with as much low-level movement or activity as possible (e.g. walking, yoga, commuter cycling) and you're good to go!

4. Avoid "chronic cardio"

Q. What do fitness models, sprinters and bodybuilders have in common, besides having massive guns and less than eight percent body fat? 

A. They don't do hours of cardio per week. 

That's right. If you want to get lean then doing long sessions of steady-state cardio is a very bad way to go about it.

When you're trying to build lean muscle mass a high volume of endurance training or "chronic cardio" will counter your efforts. 

Distance running or cycling, for example, is all about efficiency. Do these singular, repetitive movements enough and your body will strip away non-essential muscle to make you more efficient at running or cycling. Just look at pro cyclists or marathoners! Endurance comes at the cost of physique... Unless you're going for that emancipated look (models)?

I'm not saying don't go for a run or ride if you enjoy doing so, I'm just saying that if muscle is your priority then do as little "chronic cardio" as possible and instead focus on high intensity weights and sprints. Feel free to do as much low intensity movement (e.g. walking, yoga, hiking, etc) as you want though. 

Click here for my full article on the 'cardio myth'

Arnie after a few more years of steroid abuse...

5. Rest, recover and don't overtrain

I've already mentioned the importance of sleep and the benefits of short, intense workouts over high volume training but I think this point bears repeating. 

Smashing yourself at the gym, on the pavement or on the road everyday will be counterproductive to your progress (unless you are 18 years old or devouring anabolics like Arnie in the 70s)

While the precipitous overtraining promoted by hardcore fitness communities [cults] like CrossFit or Barry's Bootcamp does lead to great results initially, I believe that this style of training is both unnecessary and unsustainable for the average person. The risk of injury or burn out is simply not worth the results it if your objective is health and a good physique more so than elite performance.

As a type-A personally who is slightly masochistic I've done my fair share of overtraining in the past. I get it. I loved CrossFit for my brief stint at it. Hard workouts are addictive, especially in a competitive environment or group atmosphere. Yet if your goal is to build muscle in the healthiest, most sustainable way that will enhance longevity rather than hinder it, less is definitely more. 

This is why I suggest spacing out your weight sessions with at least one (and up to four) rest days. 

My ideal weekly schedule will look something like this:

Monday: heavy lifting session

Tuesday: yoga

Wednesday: sprints

Thursday: weights + metabolic conditioning (i.e. circuit training)

Friday: rest

Saturday: Rest/Play (cycle, surf, walk along the beach/river, get some sun, etc)

Sunday: yoga

In NYC (except for winter) I cycle everywhere on my fixed-gear as my mode of transport... Often up to two hours a day. This does not count as 'training' but rather 'movement’. So even though I am highly active almost every day I only consider myself to be doing around one hour of actual intense 'training' per week, split over three workouts.

Check out my 'Fitness' page for more information.

Conclusion

If you want to build muscle honestly and healthily you need ample nutrition, sleep and rest. Training is important but intensity trumps volume. To summarize:

1. Nutrition: Eat as much clean, real Paleo food as you want/need. 
2. Sleep: Aim for eight hours a night, minimum.
3. Train: Train hard, smart and not too much.
4. Avoid chronic cardio: do weights/circuits, sprints and lots of movement.
5. Avoid overtraining: rest, recover and rebuild.

"Form a habit. Forge a lifestyle." 

The Paleo Model

PS - If you liked this article you can really help me out by sharing it on Facebook or Twitter (with the little buttons below).

How to Avoid Jet Lag

Like the dreaded hangover after a massive drinking session, jet lag is one of those annoying realities many of us Aussies are all too well accustomed to. Like a hangover, the longer the flight (binge), the more time zones (bars) you cross and the less sleep you get the longer and more painful the jet lag.

Currently I’m sitting in a lounge in Doha, halfway through one of the longest transits I’ve ever done… and that includes many 30+ hour journeys between Australia and Europe.

Since leaving my Manhattan apartment roughly twenty hours ago I’ve already flown 11,000km and crossed eight time zones getting to the Arab Emirates, and thanks to rescheduling caused by the epic Polar Vortex snow storm I now have a seven hour layover here in Doha. Then there’s another 14 hour flight and eight more time zones to cross until touching down in Melbourne sometime tomorrow. 

As far as flights go, this is an ugly one. But I’m feeling chipper! 

Recently I did some Google trawling through both the traditional scientific literature and also the more controversial bio-hacking sphere. My goal? To see what can be done to ameliorate some of the damage that arises when you squish humans into a metal tube and hurtle them through 24,000km of stratosphere at 39,000 feet. 

Here are what I have determined to be the biggest contributors to jet lag and some ways in which to combat them:

Dehydration

The commercial jet airplane is a very harsh environment for us delicate humans. Being in a completely sealed and insulated metal tube is great when you’re trying to maintain cabin pressure and not freeze to death or asphyxiate, but in most other ways it’s less than ideal. 

Firstly the cabin pressure is far lower that what (most of us sea-siders) are accustomed to. The cabin altitude (equivalent altitude for the pressure inside the cabin) of commercial airplanes ranges from 1,800m to 2,400m. So my flight is akin to sitting on top of Mount Kosciusko (tallest peak in Australia) for 23 hours. 

Being at altitude is very dehydrating because the air is not only very dry (typically 5-15% humidity in the cabin), but oxygen is more sparse so you need to breathe at a higher rate and therefore lose more moisture and electrolytes through exhaling. 

Secondly, the air quality is poor: recycled bleed-air from the engines will only add to dehydration, not to mention spreading bacteria and other nasties from your fellow passengers. Confinement and human density have been a challenge to us since civilization. Airplanes are a great place to get sick.

Thirdly, the physical structure of the plane amplifies already elevated levels of solar and cosmic radiation, as you are less protected the higher up in the atmosphere you go. Then there is the EMF (electromotive force) pollution from all the wireless devices and on-board electronics concentrated in such a small insulated space. 

As Dr Jack Kruse, neurosurgeon turned bio-hacker says about flying, it’s like putting a nice juicy steak in the microwave for a long time - it comes out completely dried up and tough. A similar thing happens to our body. 

I’m no fear-monger and I’m definitely not going to stop traveling by air but clearly flying isn’t the healthiest thing you can do. So how can you mitigate some of the damage?

Combating dehydration:

• Drink a lot of good quality, preferably fluoride-free, filtered or natural spring water before, during and after the flight. 
• Resist the urge to drink alcohol and caffeine before and during the flight. In my personal experience, getting stuck into the free booze during flights makes for terrible jet lag. 
• Bring a massive water bottle (like a Kleen Canteen) and keep asking the air hostess to fill it up for you. They allow empty water bottles through security these days. [Side note: since departing New York I’ve drunk over 6 liters (1.5 gallons) of water in 24 hours, and I still feel dehydrated].
• Rehydrate your skin often throughout the flight. I use coconut oil. [Added bonus - if the plane/airport food is totally inedible and I’m starving i’ll just eat some of the coconut oil out of my little carry-on tub].

Earthing Biohack

A second, more unorthodox recommendation from famous bio-hacker and Bulletproof Coffee inventor Dave Asprey is to “ground” yourself during the flight. You do this by placing your bare feet on the metal part of the seats in front of you connecting it to the floor. 

Airplanes are grounded for safety in case of lightning strike so Asprey posits that you can ‘earth’ yourself and get rid of some of the negative charge that accumulates in your body from being bombarded with EMF in flight (i.e. Kruse’s plane as microwave theory). I’m not sure how much science is behind this but I’m trying it on this trip nonetheless. 

Additionally, once you land in your destination try doing some barefoot activity outside with your feet in contact with the earth. This could involve walking along path, park or beach, hiking a trail or even just doing some yoga in your back yard. Asprey says that just 20 minutes of this “earthing” is enough to shake off most of his jet lag. 

Sleep

I think this is the biggest obstacle in long-haul flights. Like hangovers, jet lag is mostly a combination of dehydration and a lack of quality sleep. Unless you’re in business or first class and can lie flat it’s pretty hard to get comfortable on a plane. Here are some tips that help for me.

Improving sleep potential:

• Get the best seat you can. It’s very hard to get upgraded these days from economy but if you ask nicely and the flight isn’t too full you can usually wing your way into an exit row or aisle. My first flight was quite empty so I asked at check-in if they could block off the two seats next to me. Qatar were happy to oblige so I had a full row to stretch out on and lie flat.
• Get yourself a quality sleeping mask and ear buds to cancel as much noise as possible. The free ones you get on long-haul flights are absolute rubbish. I found this (bra-looking) eye mask on Amazon for $10 and it works a treat.
• Give sleep preference over that movie or meal. You’re better off skipping a crappy plane meal or Vin Deisel movie in order to get some extra sleep. 
• If possible try and align your sleep on the plane with the timezone of your destination. 
• I personally take a prescription sleeping pill when I need to get a good 6-8 hours sleep on a long-haul flight. This is the only time in my life when I take sleeping pills and I think it’s worth it. Being 6’2 is great for the fashion runway… not so great for sleeping in an economy airplane seat! 

Adjusting your circadian rhythm to the new time zone

Aside from dehydration and sleep deprivation the other key cause of jet lag is the change in time zone. The more time zones you cross, the longer it will take to adjust. However, here is a kind of hack to speed up this natural adjustment.

1. On the flight wake up at an appropriate morning time for you arrival destination. 

2. If you do caffeine the morning would be a good time to have a coffee - perhaps a Bulletproof Coffee.

3. Once you have arrived get some light exposure to help reset your body clock. This is especially important first thing in the morning. Try and do some light exercise outside… barefoot! 

4. Eat meals at the proper time. Favor healthy fats and limit sugar/starch during the day. 

5. Incorporate a little bit of carbohydrate in the evening to help regulate cortisol and serotonin and the production of melatonin. E.g. half a banana with a teaspoon of honey if you tolerate carbs. 

5. Try to stay awake until a reasonable bed time. 

6. Supplement with 1-3mg of melatonin one hour before bed to help you get to sleep. 

Do this for the first two or three nights until you have acclimatized to the new time zone. Do not take melatonin on a regular basis. It is a powerful hormone and should only be used very rarely so as not to interfere with it’s natural production in your body. 

Some final tips

Food

Airplane food is often highly processed, salty and heavy on the refined carbs. If possible bring some of your own food or at least snacks to help you stay diligent and resist all the junk… the little cardboard bread rolls, sugary yoghurt, milk chocolate and puddings. 

Raw almonds or macadamias, 85% dark chocolate and coconut oil are nutrient dense foods that provide real energy and will help you get through your (traumatic) flight. When you’re cramped, cursing over the delays, fed up with the grumpy security staff and noddy-headed goons drooling on you from their window seat just eat some dark chocolate, whack your eye mask on and try to relax! 

Another option is to use your flight as an opportunity to fast. I have done up to 24 hour fasts on flights before and if anything it really helped avoid jet lag. 

Drink

I can’t emphasize how helpful it is to abstain from alcohol and caffeine during these long flights, as tempting as they are. Drink way more water than you think you need. The extra bathroom breaks are a good way to get you up and about. 

Move

When you aren’t sleeping on the plane, get up and move as often as you can. Be that annoying guy that loiters around the rear exit doing yoga stretches… oh wait, that’s me! 

When you’re in the terminal walk around as much as possible and stand rather than sit. You’re going to be doing more than enough sitting on the plane so stretch while you can. 

Be Nice

Being friendly and charming to the ground staff and flight crew can go a long way. Ask and ye shall receive! Whether it be getting a newspaper from business class, an extra blanket or even talking your way into the premier lounge at Doha airport (I just asked the transfer desk if they could help me out on such a long layover and they gave me a complimentary pass), I find that a positive attitude can get you a long way in an industry where customers are often grumpy and rude. 

And that’s all I have to say about that. 

Thanks for choosing The Paleo Model for all your inflight tips. Please follow me by email (below) to get my articles delivered straight to your inbox. If you’d like to help me out I'd really appreciate you sharing this post or my website with friends and family. 

"Form a habit. Forge a lifestyle." - The Paleo Model 

UPDATE: I arrived in Melbourne having travelled for nearly 40 hours. Yet after a solid night’s sleep and some barefoot activity the next morning I felt a million bucks. I had no issue adjusting to the new time zone and besides a tiny bit of brain fog on the first day I basically avoided jet lag all together. Flying the other way back to New York some three weeks later was even easier... I think it works!

—

References

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/87-how-to-live-longer-than-most-people-with-dr-jack-kruse-podcast/

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/in-focus-manufacturers-aim-for-more-comfortable-cabin-369425/

Find Your 'It': Form a Habit, Forge a Lifestyle

In this guest post on the Blackwood Fitness blog I give an insight into my own personal health and lifestyle journey and share four transformative truths that I have learned along the way. Here is an excerpt: 

"At 13 years old, I was unhappy with my body. My pre-pubescent years of soy milk, McDonald’s and Kit Kats had left me with ‘puppy fat’ and little man boobs. With a new-found level of competitiveness (and therefore physical motivation) at High School, I decided I’d had enough of being a chubby kid. I took matters into my own hands, or more correctly, onto my own hands. My (re)solution was push ups... " 
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

My Experience With Intermittent Fasting

WARNING: I am not a doctor or health practitioner. Just because I look good in Speedos does not mean you should take my advice or do what I do. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Beware of people like me who take an N=1 experiment on themselves and get all preachy as if they have the answer… I'm looking at you, Tim Ferris. 

---

Being a huge fan of the Paleo diet and the amazing results I have seen (body composition, energy levels, overall health) in the two years I have been eating in this manner I thought I'd toy with this idea of Intermittent Fasting (IF). In this article I first explain a bit about IF and then go on to describe what happened to me when I tried it for six weeks last year. It ends with some thoughts on who may benefit from IF and who should probably stay clear. 

What, IF?

Basically, Intermittent Fasting is an eating pattern that alternates between periods of fasting and feeding. Ramadan is an example of IF (although you probably won't get smitten by Allah if you don't observe this type of IF strictly). IF may involve alternate-day fasting, fasting one or two full days a week, fasting every day for an arbitrary number of hours or any other combination. 

The form I chose to do it involved a 'condensed eating window' of four to eight hours a day, every day. Some would call this a 16:8 or 20:4 intermittent fast The timing and ratio changed daily but effectively I was not eating anything from around 9pm at night until some time between 1pm to 5pm the next day depending on when I trained. 

I was training in the fasted state. And by training I mean heavy weight training often paired with metabolic conditioning (high intensity interval training ala CrossFit). In hindsight I think this was a mistake, but more on that later.

From when I broke fast after my workout I would eat as much and as often as I liked during that four to eight hour period until starting the next fast. Thereafter it was just water and black coffee in the mornings until my next feeding window. Not that crazy, really. (Is it?? I can be a bit crazy sometimes... Who said that?) It's important to note that I was also eating low-carb at the time. Probably between 50-100 gm of carbs a day, which is very low for my activity levels and size. 

Why the F would you do that?

Good question! Well, firstly I am an inquisitive person and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. IF has become very popular in the whole Paleo-sphere and there have been quite a few (animal) studies over the years suggesting that calorie restriction and/or intermittent fasting could really have some potential health and longevity benefits. 

For example, in multiple animal studies rats that were fasted (usually alternative days of no food) ended up living up to 50% longer than the 'eat whenever you want' control group. It seems like the mechanism was somehow related to fertility - in scarce times when the body doesn't have enough energy to reproduce it will delay the aging process in order to live long enough to reproduce. The fasting rats' telomeres - the ends of chromosomes that shorten as you age - degraded at a slower rate.

I later found out that the latest research was suggesting that this longevity effect is somewhat overstated and nowhere near as prominent in primates/humans. In particular, one primate study suggested that severe fasting (one week on/one week off) for your whole life may increase life span by up to seven years for a human. Hardly worth it for a life of misery in my opinion! The theory is that unlike rodents, large mammals with long gestation periods (like humans, elephants etc) require relatively less energy to rear their young than, say, mice, for whom rearing young requires a greater proportion of their total available energy. Thus the longevity effect of fasting is far less for humans than rats. 

The other, perhaps more enticing suggested benefit of IF for a body-conscious sucker such as myself is an overall improvement in body composition (maintain lean muscle, lose fat) that IF proponents push. Basically, by fasting large portions of the day your body will naturally switch into a ketogenic (fat burning) state, which should enable stored body fat to be burned for fuel rather than all the readily available glucose from that big bowl of sugar-nothingness known as cereal and large glass of refined fructose (Orange Juice) us fat Westerners have been told constitutes a “healthy breakfast”. 

My experience with Intermittent Fasting

So you're wondering how not eating most of the time worked out for me?

The Good

I did IF consistently for about six weeks last year while living in London. After the first few days I actually found it easy to not eat in the mornings. I was drinking a lot of black brewed coffee and actually felt really mentally alert during the fasted period. Kind of like when I was a kid playing football or doing Athletics and you have that semi-nervous, super-alert feeling when you are about to run out on the field. This is probably a good indication that my sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) was dominating during the latter part of the fasted state and not giving my parasympathetic nervous system (rest and recover) enough field time.

Anyway the first few weeks I was performing well in the gym, and was really growing to like the feeling of not eating for hours on end. It is strangely addictive and definitely gives you a buzz. It makes sense to me that our Paleo ancestors often went very long periods with no food and would often have to hunt in the fasted state and so I guess there may have been some evolutionary pressure on the ability to ramp up alertness when we are very hungry. 

Also, It is quite liberating knowing that you don't have to think about preparing food or snacking every few hours. I think it can help with productivity too. Sometimes around midday I would get quite strong hunger pangs that lasted for about an hour but they would always pass and I would feel great again. As soon as I started training I would feel very energetic - "on the hunt" I guess you would say. 

I have no doubt that we as a people these days do not embrace hunger enough. Instant gratification, greed and relative prosperity have made being hungry a frowned upon and unnecessary condition. It's a shame. Furthermore, I find the natural/Primal hunger you feel during a fast or when in the ketotic state is subtle and tolerable. Contrast this to the modern hangry (hungry + angry) food craving cycle most Westerners face every couple of hours when their blood-sugar plummets shortly after consuming a sugary/grainy meal or snack. I think the 'six small meals a day' myth is defunct for the average person.

The Bad

While my performance was good in the gym for the first few weeks it kind of plateaued after that. I also seemed to lean out a couple of kilos in that initial period but by around week three or four I was back to my normal size/weight again. It started to become obvious that IF wasn't going to turn me into a freak that could walk around at 5% body fat with veins popping out of his abs and bench-pressing 200kg. Don't worry, I'm fully aware that these are unrealistic goals and I not particularly desirable! But I was hoping that this would be a kind of cheat to being super-ripped all the time while also being able to gorge, drink booze and eat a bit less clean than usual. Spoiler alert: It isn't… for me at least.

When you fast for 16-18 hours everyday and it finally comes time to eat, you overdo it. At least I certainly did. I'm always a big eater. I'd say I average 3000-4000 calories a day. I'm very active and I eat high quality whole foods and relatively low levels of carbohydrate so I can get away with an energy-dense diet. When you are trying to get in all your daily calories in just a few hours you really have to eat a lot. 

I am a bit of a fat-kid at heart so I kinda like gorging myself. I think many people would struggle to get enough calories in for the day in just 4-8 hours which is probably why IF is so often heralded as a great weight-loss tool. By default people fall into a substantial calorie deficit and the weight just comes off. But for me it just meant I was eating massive meals and grazing for the rest of the eating window. 

I would routinely eat a whole 100gm block of 85% cocoa dark chocolate in the evening, after already consuming a can of coconut cream, sometime a whole chicken (they are small in the UK) and copious amounts of vegetables, salads and fruit. Ironically, I think I was eating more than I used to eat when not doing IF. More troubling though, I was eating more of the energy-dense foods that I try to limit such as the dark chocolate, coconut cream and nuts. It makes sense that I was probably going to these foods to get the calories quickly and easily as my time frame for eating was restricted. (There are only so many salads and vegetables one has time to prep and eat in 5 hours). I didn't gain weight but I started to feel sluggish.

The Ugly

Around week five or six I started to feel pretty flat. I wasn't sleeping well, my performance was declining in the gym and I started to feel more anxious. It became clear that the honeymoon period had ended and my body wasn't so happy with this new normal. When I couldn't get to sleep at night I knew something was wrong. My body was under stress and not recovering as it should. 

My sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) was in overdrive. I knew it was probably a cortisol issue, adrenal fatigue, a slow-down in thyroid function or most likely a combination of the three. All of these physiological responses are very typical of type-A personalities (me) who push themselves too far, overtrain, under sleep, go too low-carb and are generally addicted to adventure, stress and stimulation… and caffeine!

I was becoming mildly addicted to the buzz of the fasted state, but then obsessing over food more than usual. I had the gut feeling that this wasn't a sustainable or healthy endeavor for me. 

IF's and buts

I stopped IF and went back to a more normal routine, eating breakfast most days. I think my issue was probably with the fact that I was eating too low-carb, training too intensely and trying to do IF all at the same time. When you do intense CrossFit type workouts that are very glycogen (muscle glucose) dependent you really need enough carbs in your diet to replenish the glycogen stores or you will literally run out of gas and start to feel like crap and get all those symptoms I mentioned above (poor sleep, fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, etc). It seems obvious but sometimes you just have to learn for yourself, the hard way!

I've learned my lesson now and when I train intensely I make sure I get enough starchy carbs from things like sweet potato and occasionally white rice. This seems to be working really well for me right now and I'm looking, performing and feeling great - as Robb Wolf would say. (Love that little guy).

I still do the odd IF day now and again but would never do it for prolonged periods of time. It can be a good tool for some people, with the following caveats…

Who should definitely not use IF:

IF is probably not a good idea if you are: highly active or a professional athlete, a person prone to eating disorders, pregnant, highly stressed, suffering adrenal fatigue, diabetic or otherwise metabolically deranged. 

People who could get away with IF a few days a week:

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING INTERMITTENT FASTING. However, if you are healthy, moderately active but not an athlete, sleep well, eat well but are a bit overweight and need a new simple strategy to lose some fat then this could be an option. If you are lean and want to try IF, ask yourself why? Make sure your motives are genuine. 

Take aways from my dabble with IF:

• Hunger is good, natural and largely absent in our society
• Don't do IF with low-carb and high intensity training. This is a recipe for disaster! 
• Used wisely IF can work well for some people
• I believe IF would work best as a random, sporadic practice rather than doing it every day for extended periods of time. Randomness breeds adaptability, resilience and robustness. 
• Take everything I say with a big pinch of iodine-enriched salt as this is purely an N=1 experiment. We are all unique snowflakes who require unique lifestyle guidelines. 

12-month update:

About six months ago I began to do what Dave Asprey calls “Bulletproof Coffee Intermittent Fasting” (BPCIF) This involves the same 16:8 intermittent fast that I was doing except with the addition of consuming one ‘bulletproof coffee’ in the morning. Dave proposes that you get most of the benefits of IF (cell autophagy, insulin sensitivity, improved body composition etc) due to the fact that you are still fasting from carbohydrate and protein. However, the fat from the butter and MCT oil gives you the fuel necessary to get you through the morning and optimize brain function and performance. I personally find that BPCIF works very well for me. I do this most days of the week. I don’t think it is good to keep exactly the same routine when it comes to meal frequency and size. I try to mix it up to keep my body guessing. 

Check out my post on Bulletproof Coffee. 

---

Some links from sources I trust on IF and potential benefits and problems:

http://chriskresser.com/to-intermittent-fast-or-not-to-fast-that-is-the-question

https://www.bulletproofexec.com/a-bad-combination-for-women-intermittent-fasting-and-paleo/

http://robbwolf.com/2012/06/14/restricted-feeding-window-4-months/

http://chriskresser.com/intermittent-fasting-cortisol-and-blood-sugar

The mice study:  Hatori, Megumi (2012). 'Time Restricted Feeding Without Caloric Intake Prevents Metabolic Diseases in Mice Fed a High Fat Diet'. Journal of Cell Metabolism, June 9, 2012.

Image Source: http://agrenlay.deviantart.com/art/Il-buono-il-brutto-il-cattivo-168619986