Paleo Diet

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleolithic diet, also known in its cooler and shorter name as the paleo diet, is a nutritional plan that encourages eating food that is readily available in nature. It is a low- carbohydrate, high protein diet based on the meal plans of those who lived way before us.

Think of the hunting and gathering phase of the human civilization, long before pizza deliveries and cheeseburgers, that is what paleo diet is all about. So get ready to tap in to your caveman roots hiding within your evolved self somewhere, and let’s walk down the memory lane by going the paleo diet way!

The paleo diet is a lifestyle. It is not one of your N-day diets but a way of living, a way of going back to nature and staying in harmony with it. Since the beginning of time, men has survived on animal fat and meat and fruits and vegetables gathered from the forest. Our species evolved and adapted to these kinds of sustenance.

However, some foods that were introduced during the agricultural revolution are not in tune with our genetic make-up as the human body has yet to adapt to them, thus they wreak havoc inside our bodies and bring diseases and other health complications.

In the center of the paleo diet  food list are the game meats and organ meats, pork, poultry, fish and shellfish, eggs, leafy and cruciferous vegetables., root vegetables, mushrooms, fruits and nuts. Outside the paleo diet lays grains, beans or legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, refined fats, canned or processed meats, soda, and fruit juices.

The main argument of devout followers of the paleo diet, if our ancestors survived through the bountiful hands of nature, why can’t we?

Who Should Try the Paleo Diet?

Anyone can try the paleo diet because it does not completely deny the body of any of the require food groups. Although it prescribes cutting your carbohydrate intakes, it doesn’t go eradicating the same so you will still be able to get the nutrients you need. What probably sells the paleo diet like hotcakes is that it does not require you to skip a meal, rather it encourages you to eat when you feel hungry.

Who Shouldn’t Try the Paleo Diet?

Pregnant women and children are discouraged from trying the paleo diet because the same is still unbalanced even with all the safeguards it provides. Also, those who are already suffering from vitamin deficiencies should not make matter worse for them by cutting grains and dairy products from their diets.

Benefits of the Paleo Diet

You might be asking why we have to go Neanderthal when our evolved selves get to live a longer life. Well, before they did not have all the medical and technological advances that we are enjoying. The cavemen lived without daily vitamins and regular check-ups and their causes of death were mostly accidental. Nature gives and nature takes, that’s the way of life.

So what can you expect from confining yourself to the paleo diet?  Studies show that going paleo lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases and the blood pressure. Other benefits include  more energy, better fertility, stronger immune system, smoother skin, healthier teeth, stronger bones, better digestion and do I need to say more?

Side Effects of the Paleo Diet

From the way things look, paleo diet may just be the one but don’t fall in love with it yet,  take a step back see its uglier side. Grains and legumes are not allowed in the paleo diet plan because they came late into existence and allegedly, the human body has not yet adapted to the.

But grains and legumes are just as good deterrents against cancer and cardiovascular diseases as the members of the paleo diet food list. They are also inexpensive and good sources of essential nutrients.

The paleo diet shuns dairy products which are sources of Vitamin D and calcium. Although the paleo diet does not completely turn its back against some food groups, it is still not a balanced diet and thus the absence of some nutrients cannot be substituted with the abundance of the others. In the long run, paleo diet’s penchant for high protein diets may lead to a heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other forms of cancer.

How to Get Started with the Paleo Diet

You don’t have to go and sharpen your spears and hunt for wild game  to try the paleo diet. There is a modified and modernized version of it available to you. Always remember to first ask your doctor if you can go on a paleo diet before you go on denouncing grains and dairy products.

If you’re doctor gives you the go signal then you can start scouring the internet for paleo recipes to satisfy your inner caveman. Let’s take a look at a paleo diet menu for the a day. For breakfast, you can have eggs fried with butter and some bacon and a portion of homemade liver pate. Go and eat a big salad for lunch with grilled chicken, cucumbers, some berries, and homemade vinaigrette.

If you get hungry in the afternoon, snack on almonds and macadamias or a hearty serving of berries with coconut milk. To end your one day of paleo diet, dine on grass-fed roast beef with a sauce made with a reduction of homemade stock and the sauce of the dish used to cook the roast.

Say goodbye to cereal grains, legumes and dairy products, except for butter and heavy cream. Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil or hydrogenated oil. Cut your sugar intake and throw those boxes of fruit juices stored inside your refrigerator. Eliminate your source of stress so your body can enjoy all the goodness that a paleo diet may offer. Consider taking Vitamin D and calcium supplements to ensure that your body is getting all the good stuff it needs.

When you’re hungry, eat. As long as the food that you are eating  is a member of the paleo diet family then eat to your heart’s content. Do what the cavemen do before. There weren’t wary of their figures, they just went with whatever feels natural.

Conclusion

The paleo diet seems to be a breath of fresh air from all those other diets and plans which require you to skip meals and limit yourself to tasteless meals. However, going paleo is going to be expensive because unlike before, those grass-eating animals are not free for hunting and they cost more than their feeds-eating counterparts. Most of the fruits and vegetables are cultivated and not as natural as they should have been when they were still gathered. Also, there are health problems that may surface in the long run with this kind of diet. Then again, all the diets have their own Achilles heel, it’s just up to you how you’re going to go avoiding the heel.

 

Reference:

Trimarchi, M. (n.d.). Paleo Diet: What You Need to Know. In How Stuff Works. Retrieved on October 28, 2011, from http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/diets/paleo-diet2.htm

The 15 Rules of the Paleo Diet. Retrieved on October 28, 2011 from http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-101/

Zelman, K. (n.d.). Diet Review: The Caveman Diet. In Web MD. Retrieved on October 28, 2011 from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-review-the-caveman-paleo-diet