Paleo and "Musician's Food"

               At different times we all feel unhealthy. Sometimes we're told we're unhealthy,feel unhealthy, and seem unhealthy(compared to your friends).  Sometimes our perspective is skewed by never having been healthy.  I've always been a health nut for all the reasons that people are health nuts,even the ridiculous ones.  Whether my reasons were related to appearance, performance/competence, environment, or just feeling crappy, its something that I've always been researching.  I've even had health problems that stemmed from my efforts to be healthier.  Despite this, I've finally found some ideas that work. These ideas have improved my health and address all the reasons I've ever tried to be healthy.  What you eat affects every aspect of your life.  (This post should inspire research) You can find this info cited at marksdailyapple.com as well as many other websites and journals. The following is my condensed approach to food.
                My new (4 years) relationship with sugar and carbohydrates has probably been the most beneficial to my health.  Early in my college years, I used to go to my parent's house to practice on their acoustic piano and eat all their food.   I remember going there early and eating a pack or two of pop tarts or a half a box of cereal and then jumping behind the piano. If you know me, discipline has never been a problem of mine, but ignorance has gotten the best of me plenty of times. So I would play for hours eventually getting the job done, but it went something like this; in 15 minute increments; practice,noodle practice noodle...Focus was extremely difficult.  This never happens to me now because I don't eat high glycemic index carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar levels too fast.  High glycemic index foods can cause inflammation, make you fatter, make you sleepy, leave you unfocused, cause pain, give you the blues and other countless side effects.  I've always been thin, but now I stay defined even without exercise. Body composition is 80% diet related. I wrestled in high school, which aside from daily practices, we additionally ran and worked out daily. We would spit in cups,stand on our heads, all sorts crazy things.....but my mile and 5k times are better now then they were then(and i'm 29 now), not to mention  I look and feel better now.  Eating these high glycemic foods also takes up room in your stomach that you need for other nutrients. (That's why we often overeat)
                 Psychologically we all want to accomplish and achieve goals.  Failing to achieve a goal has been a proven cause of depression.  As musicians we can channel this depression into the composing of a song about the human condition, but we may end up too sick to get to play it for anyone.  It's difficult to accomplish when you don't feel well.  I'm not knocking medical doctors, but the fact is: They study MEDICINE. They study how to cure ailments with MEDICINE.  Don't get mad when you go to them and they don't address natural remedies. They are trained to treat you with MEDICINE. They have a degree in MEDICINE.  It's up to you to treat yourself naturally.
                  www.Paleotrack.com. Trust me I know the stress of keeping a food journal can negate its other benefits if you're not careful, but just do it for an entire day... occasionally.  Getting started is difficult, but enter the most common meals or supplements you eat into the recipe/custom food section; that way you never have to do it again and the hope of it being easier the next time you do it, is motivation enough to go through it the first time.
                   Next on the list is; omega-3 fatty acids. We need them and we need a lot of them.  You can get them from fish as well as fish oil and omega-3 supplements.  They're necessary for ideal cardiovascular and joint health.  The suggested amount the fish oil bottle tells you isn't always as much as you need, so you can use a great website (paleotrack.com) to help you see about where your ratio is.  I don't have experience to confirm the importance of omega-3s yet, but the research is there; google away. I'll keep you posted when I do.
                  Easy on the salt and eat lots of vegetables for potassium.  Again paleotrack.com is great for keeping an eye on this ratio as well as others.  We've known for a while that the average person's salt intake is unhealthy, but this puts it into perspective and shows how potassium can protect us from the effects of additional salt in our diet.
                  Lift heavy things twice a week,  sprint every ten days, and walk/play/hike/dance/stretch etc- 5 hours/week.  Lifting heavy (relative term) things and sprinting starts a chemical reaction in our body that improves our strength as well as our overall health.  Obviously if your body isn't properly aligned, these activities can hurt you, so stretch regularly and when possible, be advised by a professional. I recommend yoga with a great teacher. Remember, this is more important for musicians and people with static jobs. Balance Balance Balance Balance.
                 Oh and limit alcohol to small amounts of red wine and no caffeine.  Don't do cold turkey. Go; coffee, then black tea, then green tea, then white tea, then quit.  Aside from it being unhealthy, you want to maintain the ability to shut your mouth and not fidget. (that is a word,auto-correct just proved it) I know I've done it.
               The money issue. Its simple: High glycemic foods are cheap for a reason; they're mass produced, and they don't contain many nutrients we need. I've paid those doctor bills for treatments that didn't work and I've paid the insurance premiums and for the prescriptions.  Your grocery bill is going to go up, but your medical ones will go down... and at the very worst they shouldn't increase, unlike they will when the manifestations of your bad eating habits finally begin.
               What you eat affects every aspect of your life.  I hope this was helpful and inspires you to research and then try this lifestyle. Share this with your loved ones while keeping it from your enemies:)  
 by Blake Aaron Russell

                 




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