Today I just have a little advice for those of you who are attempting to convert your diet over to Paleo. That advice is to make sure you eat your fruit. I’m not admonishing you to get your food pyramid number of servings of fruit, but rather to actually eat your fruit.

One of the hurdles that people often have when kicking the sugar addiction is being used to drinking empty calories. While you are to be applauded if you give up soda, don’t just replace that Coke with a glass of orange juice. Slick advertising will tell you that you’re making a “healthy” choice going to get a smoothie from Robek’s/Jamba Juice/etc., but it’s quite the contrary. Going by the nutritional info available at their sites, the smoothie with the least sugar at Jamba Juice  (Peach Perfection 12oz.) packs more sugar than a 12oz. can of Coke! Now you may argue that it’s fruit and therefore healthier than the HFCS in soda, and that is partially true. However, you will still wreak havoc on your insulin levels by introducing that much sugar in a single setting. This will leave you hungrier and craving more sugar in no time at all. Compare that to if you would have actually eaten an orange, where the fiber and flesh of the fruit would cause much more satiety.

Additionally, you should strive to eat a hunk of protein at each snack or meal. Most of these smoothies are devoid of any substantial amount, and the protein “add-ins” the shops offer are laughable. Also beware of the Naked Juice line of drinks as even their offerings with protein are sky high in sugars. When reviewing their nutritional info, pay close attention to the notation that each bottle is supposed to be TWO servings. It’s not very often someone drinks less than the whole bottle in a single setting. Likewise, the nutritional info most prominently given for the smoothie chains is for a 12oz. size that many locations do not even offer! The common “regular” size is a 24oz. with a larger 32oz. (or greater) also being sold. Doing the math, you can see the astronomical amount of sugars people are consuming when they get this allegedly healthy drink.

So while it can be argued that our theoretical Grok could have juiced an orange, it is highly unlikely that the Paleo man would have thrown away so much of the fruit. Keep that in mind and make sure to eat, rather than drink, your fruit. It will keep you fuller and help avoid overconsumption. In return, your insulin levels will be at a much more manageable level and help you to reap the benefits of following a Paleo diet.

WOD 09.27.10

Back Squat 3×5

5 rounds for time:

• 3 Power Cleans (70-75% Clean 1RM)
• 5 HIGH Box Jumps