Number 6: Eliminate Legumes, Starchy Vegetables, and (gasp) Squash October 19 2010

. 8 rounds of: :30 row ( cal ) :30 burpee 1:00 rest Number 6: Eliminate Legumes, Starchy Vegetables, and (gasp) Squash The Paleo Diet is based on the way our ancestors ate prior to the invention of agriculture. Sure, theres some gray area and because we werent there with video cameras, we dont know exactly what Paleo man ate (see Bones, Ive acknowledged this fact); however modern science, anthropologic studies, and carbon dating has given us a pretty good idea. From a Paleo perspective, legumes and starchy vegetables are not included in the Paleo Diet because Paleo Woman did not consume them on a consistent basis (if at all) prior to the rise of agriculture. From a scientific, nutritional, and molecular perspective legumes and starchy vegetables are not fit for consumption because of their antinutrient content which includes lectins and saponins (well cover lectins and saponins in a post next week, or you can Google them). These antinutrients wreck the hormonal and immune systems. Legumes and starchy vegetables are also not edible unless cooked. Increased intestinal permeability has been associated to many chronic low-grade inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. Lectins and saponins are able to increase intestinal permeability hence increasing the risk of inflammatory diseases. Legumes and starchy vegetables have the following characteristics: Cooking destroys most but not all of the toxins. Insufficient cooking can lead to sickness such as acute gastroenteritis. They are all rich sources of carbohydrate, and once cooked this is often rapidly digestible, giving a high glycemic index (sugar spike) They are extremely poor sources of vitamins (particularly vitamins A, B-group, folic acid and C), minerals, antioxidants and phytosterols.

Therefore diets high in legumes and potatoes, as well as grains: Contain toxins in small amounts Have a high glycemic index (ie have a similar effect to raw sugar on blood glucose levels) Are low in many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytosterols- ie they are the original empty calories Have problems caused by legumes and potatoes displacing other foods Wait! What About Squash?! 1. Its a vegetable 2. The Paleo Diet classifies squash as a Paleo vegetable 3. The WTF Challenge is not a Paleo-specific challenge. Were using Paleo principles, sure, but its not a Paleo challenge. 4. The WTF Challenge does not allow squash for Level 6 or higher Thats all folks! For Level 6, eliminate: Legumes - All beans (adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, horse beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans) - Black-eyed peas - Chickpeas - Lentils - Peas - Miso - Peanut butter - Peanuts

- Snowpeas - Sugar snap peas - Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu Starchy Vegetables - starchy tubers - cassava root - manioc - potatoes and all potato products (french fries, potato chips, etc.) - sweet potatoes - tapioca pudding - yams Resources: Introduction to the Paleo Diet (great information, including background on antinutrients!)

By Nicole In Workouts