Paleo vs. the Zone Diet
Paleo Versus The Zone: A Controversy in the CrossFit Community
Lindsey Maloney
College of Charleston
CrossFit, founded by Greg Glassman, has been around since 2000. While it is built around an intense workout regiment, it also requires a strict diet. The controversy between which diet to use, has been alive since the beginning of CrossFit’s time and remains an issue today. Which is the better diet, Paleo or The Zone? While both have similarities they also have many differences. They also both have advantages and disadvantages in their programs. This is a controversy that will probably never end, and leaves people having to answer the question, which diet will you choose? Before making any decision it is helpful to know about both sides of the argument. Doing the research on both the Paleolithic approach and The Zone Diet will help to determine which diet is more beneficial.
The Paleo diet is based on the consumption of fish, lean meats, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, flaxseed, macadamia, and walnut). It does not condone the intake of dairy products, processed food, refined sugars, grains or legumes (Cordain, 2002, p. 23). Paleo is a way of life and for our ancestors in the Stone Age, this was their way of life as well. With that being said, Paleo is in a nutshell (no pun intended), the diet of our ancestors. If they survived this way for so long, then so can the people of today. Dr. Cordain (2002) writes, “It is a diet to which all of us are ideally suited and the lifetime nutritional plan that will normalize your weight and improve your health,”(p.4). By taking out the processed junk food and all the pesticides and preservatives that clog our daily food today, Americans as a whole would be a much healthier population. In fact many modern foods are at odds with our genetic makeup and the cause of many of our modern diseases (Robert VanNewkirk, personal commuincation, March 10, 2013). The way people
Lindsey Maloney
College of Charleston
CrossFit, founded by Greg Glassman, has been around since 2000. While it is built around an intense workout regiment, it also requires a strict diet. The controversy between which diet to use, has been alive since the beginning of CrossFit’s time and remains an issue today. Which is the better diet, Paleo or The Zone? While both have similarities they also have many differences. They also both have advantages and disadvantages in their programs. This is a controversy that will probably never end, and leaves people having to answer the question, which diet will you choose? Before making any decision it is helpful to know about both sides of the argument. Doing the research on both the Paleolithic approach and The Zone Diet will help to determine which diet is more beneficial.
The Paleo diet is based on the consumption of fish, lean meats, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, flaxseed, macadamia, and walnut). It does not condone the intake of dairy products, processed food, refined sugars, grains or legumes (Cordain, 2002, p. 23). Paleo is a way of life and for our ancestors in the Stone Age, this was their way of life as well. With that being said, Paleo is in a nutshell (no pun intended), the diet of our ancestors. If they survived this way for so long, then so can the people of today. Dr. Cordain (2002) writes, “It is a diet to which all of us are ideally suited and the lifetime nutritional plan that will normalize your weight and improve your health,”(p.4). By taking out the processed junk food and all the pesticides and preservatives that clog our daily food today, Americans as a whole would be a much healthier population. In fact many modern foods are at odds with our genetic makeup and the cause of many of our modern diseases (Robert VanNewkirk, personal commuincation, March 10, 2013). The way people
References: Audette, R. (1999). Neanderthin. New York, NY: St. Martins Press. Cheuvront, S, N., (2003). The zone diet phenomenon: A closer look at the science behind the claims. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 22, 1, 9-17. http://www.jacn.org/content/22/1/9.full.pdf+html Cordain, L. (2002). The Paleo Diet. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Glassman, G. (2004, May 1). CFJ issue 21: Zone meal plans. CrossFit Journal. Retrieved from http://journal.crossfit.com/2004/05/zone-meal-plans-crossfit-journ.tpl Sears, B., & Lawren, B. (1995). The Zone. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Shayne, V. (2008, May 8). Too much protein is no good. Nutrition Researcher Center. Retrieved from http://nutritionresearchcenter.org/healthnews/too-much-protein-is-no-good/