Carb sources on Paleo diet

[Ksyder]

I'm new to the whole concept of Paleo nutrition but stumbled upon Robb Wolf's website after searching for information about intermittent fasting. I've been listening to his podcast and I must say I find it very interesting.

Anyways, I've been cutting out the dairy, grains, legumes (don't eat much of them anyways) per Robb's recommendation to try it out and see how it goes since I'm sitting around 15 percent bf and I'd like to get >10 percent;. He recommends eating sweet potatoes and yams for PWO carb sources, saying that these tend to be better for refilling muscle glycogen than fructose since they are starch which is made of glucose polymers (if I remember correctly)

My question is that after google searching I see that yams are actually quite different than sweet potatoes and many things sold as yams are actually sweet potatoes. So I am going to just assume that I am buying sweet potatoes even when they are advertised as yams. Are sweet potatoes a good carb source compared to regular potatoes? I won't eat standard potatoes, rice or refined flour products anymore until I lean out more, and maybe not at all if necessary. Any insight into this would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[RagingBITCH]

From a GI perspective, it's lower on the GI scale than normal potatoes, so it in turn is better for you. I can't say I know anything about Paleo nor do I care to Google it.

 

[eits]

read sc's diet thread

 

[brikis98]

Not sure how many people on this messageboard follow the paleo diet, but you should be able to get a pretty good response on the Crossfit Messageboards or by posting the question on Robb's blog.

 

[Kipper]

If you are looking at starch (complex CHO) vs simple sugar, then potatoes or sweet potatoes, it doesn't really matter. It's all starch (any kind of grain would really work here). The sweet potatoes have a bit more fiber in them accounting for the lower GI, but that's about it besides the obvious differences in vitamin/mineral content (especially vitamin A, as beta-carotene). The regular potato is a much-maligned vegetable, partly because of its association with fries. There is really no problem with it provided it is not powdered, fried, etc., although I can't say very much more, not being intimately familiar with the paleo diet.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

This isn't necessarily about Paleo, but Robb Wolf is incorrect that starch replenishes glycogen better/more quickly than fructose. Fructose has no regulating steps for glycogen synthesis, while glucose from starch does. Because of that, fructose goes directly into the liver and is used directly for glycogen synthesis. Glucose, however, is limited by the enzyme hexokinase, which lets glucose into cells. That's why the HFCS in gatorade is actually beneficial for those endurance athletes during exercise. Many, many elite CrossFitters consume sugar or sugar sweetened beverages after an exercise because of this (i.e. chocolate milk, sports drinks). For me, I tend to drink juice, then drink milk, then eat my breakfast after a workout.

 

[katank]

Ultimately, I think the answer is to try things out for yourself.

Uber-strict paleo may be unnecessary for people if they don't have auto-immune diseases. At least Robb Wolf is less militant than Matt LaLonde and some others in that aspect.

The only thing that I found helpful was cutting grains. Dairy may be necessary for recovery. YMMV.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Ultimately, I think the answer is to try things out for yourself.

Uber-strict paleo may be unnecessary for people if they don't have auto-immune diseases. At least Robb Wolf is less militant than Matt LaLonde and some others in that aspect.

The only thing that I found helpful was cutting grains. Dairy may be necessary for recovery. YMMV.

Agreed. Dairy is great for me. I don't eat many grains, but things like cream of wheat are great soluble fiber sources for me. On top of that, I think legumes/beans are a great source of nutrition, fiber, carbs, and protein. I agree with the cutting sugar out and eating lean meats, lots of MUFAs, fruits, and veggies, but it's a bit past strict. For people with food sensitivities, this is a great diet, but for others, I feel that it's unnecessarily limiting.