So, I was chatting to a friend yesterday about nutrition. He trains hard, eats well and was wondering about Ketosis.
A basic explanation of Ketosis is where your body starts to run solely on fats as opposed to glucose as a result of going very low carb.
I feel Ketosis has quite a few benefits but is also quite hard to sustain and requires a lot of discipline. It will suit some people but then it won’t suit others.
After a short discussion about Paleo his follow up question was “How strict are you?”
Being someone who loves and enjoys the whole Paleo lifestyle, I always give the answer of 90/10 when it comes to nutrition.
To me Paleo involves more than just nutrition but when most people ask they are usually referring to the food part of the equation.
So, when it comes to nutrition I like to adopt the 90/10 rule.
Meaning 90% of the time my food choices are based on clean natural whole foods while 10% of the time I’m free to enjoy whatever I want.
I’m sure the concept of grains or processed sugar passing my lips will enrage some Paleo zealots and they will burn me at the stake. But I have always found that this 90/10 rule has kept me compliant and enjoying the lifestyle.
The majority of my diet (I use diet to describe the kinds of food I ate rather than a verb of restricting food) is based on good, clean, fresh foods like meat, eggs, nuts, fruit, veg and fish all to best quality that is practical in my life.
The remaining 10% lets me enjoy family occasions, our Saturday pizza night or a dinner out completely guilt free.
On an average week of 4 or so meals per day, this leaves me 2-3 meals within that week to indulge in “non-paleo” foods and to do so without regret.
Now these don’t have to be seen as “cheat meals” in which you sit down and gorge a Supermacs, tub of ice-cream and a box of cookies as one of your “meals”. It simply gives you the flexibility throughout the week to have choices that wouldn’t be seen as perfect Paleo.
Enjoy these “non-paleo” meals/snacks like a grown up. Savour the tastes and flavours and there’s no need to eat like you’re at an all you can eat buffet.
For me these 90/10 weeks can also fluctuate.
Last week while on our family (very child friendly) holiday, I definitely wasn’t 90% Paleo. I went a little bit beyond my 10%.
But I will however course correct now with a few weeks of being a bit above 90% without the mindset of punishing myself for enjoying a not so clean week.
I know this approach won’t sit well with some people within the Paleo community, but I’m all about helping people make change to their lives in a positive, enjoyable and sustainable approach. It’s what I like to call Practical Paleo!
If you would like help in making some practical and sustainable changes to your life, why not book your free weeks trial here in our friendly gym to our group training classes in Oranmore where we can make positive changes to your nutrition and lifestyle.
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