The Paleo diet or caveman diet has become quite popular with a majority of weight-conscious masses in this day and age. The notion behind the diet is very simple: what would a caveman eat? There are many people out there who have still not heard of this diet and wondering what is Paleo diet? This article tries to answer the question – what is Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet consists of the same types of food that our ancestors ate – vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, and seafood. This diet consists of a healthy ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids, increases the nutrient consumption, and comes with an optimal balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Hence, it lessens your body’s glycemic load. There are many studies being conducted to determine the health benefits of the Paleo diet. In fact, most of the health benefits of this diet are stull unproven. The Journal Of Diabetologia published a recent study which revealed that Paleo diet improved an individual’s blood sugar levels over a period of 12 weeks compared to a Mediterranean diet.
Foods to Stop Eating
The Paleo diet is all about eating like our ancestors did. It includes fresh fruits, organic meat, vegetables straight from the earth. In fact, our ancestors did not have crops or livestock that belong to them. Hence, you should go for the organic version of meat, fruits, vegetables, and other food items to prevent the exposure to pesticides, antibiotics, and most of the other chemicals which were not present at that time. People who followed the Paleo diet got 35% of their calories from fat, 35% from carbohydrates, and 30% from proteins.
People who have decided to go Paleo have to give up most of the modern food. For example, anything that comes in a box, bottle, jar, or bag should be avoided when you are on the Paleo diet. Pure honey is preferred to artificial sweeteners and sugar while red wine is substituted for alcohol which is a no-no when you are on the Paleo diet. This diet is no temporary diet like most of the other diets. It is meant to be a lifestyle for the long haul Exercise is a crucial part of any diet including Paleo. Most of our ancestors required 4000 calories a day for important tasks during the day. The majority of people who live today, don’t need that many calories.
People who are eating the Paleo diet needs a lot of preparation time, planning, and resolution to continue with the diet. On the other hand, it could be a pricey option. That’ why you need to decide if you can afford and persevere for a longer period of time when following the Paleo diet. There are numerous health benefits of this type of diet. An individual is likely to eat a healthy and clean diet without any additives, chemicals, and preservatives. Red meat will give your body more iron which is important to prevent malnutrition. The plant nutrients in vegetables, fruits, seeds, oil, and nuts have numerous anti-inflammatory benefits over time. Due to your high intake of protein and fats, you will feel fuller for a longer period of time. Many people have been able to lose weight effective with this diet due to their limited food choices. The most notable con is the diet can become quite expensive over time compared to most of the other diet plans out there.
The Paleo diet helps an individual develop more muscle and less fat compared to any other diet out there. Dieters heavily rely on animal flesh for their protein intake. Hence, they get healthy protein that is anabolic and used to improve your muscle mass over time. These are some of the most important facts on the popular Paleo diet.
In conclusion, the Paleo diet has become quite popular with a majority of weight-conscious individuals out there. The diet is based on the caveman’s diet and consists of the same type of foods used by them. It can be quite pricey at times. This is the only advantage of this diet plan. The above mentioned article provides a comprehensive answer to the question of what is Paleo diet.
The Paleo diet consists of the same types of food that our ancestors ate – vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, and seafood. This diet consists of a healthy ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids, increases the nutrient consumption, and comes with an optimal balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Hence, it lessens your body’s glycemic load. There are many studies being conducted to determine the health benefits of the Paleo diet. In fact, most of the health benefits of this diet are stull unproven. The Journal Of Diabetologia published a recent study which revealed that Paleo diet improved an individual’s blood sugar levels over a period of 12 weeks compared to a Mediterranean diet.
Foods to Stop Eating
The Paleo diet is all about eating like our ancestors did. It includes fresh fruits, organic meat, vegetables straight from the earth. In fact, our ancestors did not have crops or livestock that belong to them. Hence, you should go for the organic version of meat, fruits, vegetables, and other food items to prevent the exposure to pesticides, antibiotics, and most of the other chemicals which were not present at that time. People who followed the Paleo diet got 35% of their calories from fat, 35% from carbohydrates, and 30% from proteins.
People who have decided to go Paleo have to give up most of the modern food. For example, anything that comes in a box, bottle, jar, or bag should be avoided when you are on the Paleo diet. Pure honey is preferred to artificial sweeteners and sugar while red wine is substituted for alcohol which is a no-no when you are on the Paleo diet. This diet is no temporary diet like most of the other diets. It is meant to be a lifestyle for the long haul Exercise is a crucial part of any diet including Paleo. Most of our ancestors required 4000 calories a day for important tasks during the day. The majority of people who live today, don’t need that many calories.
People who are eating the Paleo diet needs a lot of preparation time, planning, and resolution to continue with the diet. On the other hand, it could be a pricey option. That’ why you need to decide if you can afford and persevere for a longer period of time when following the Paleo diet. There are numerous health benefits of this type of diet. An individual is likely to eat a healthy and clean diet without any additives, chemicals, and preservatives. Red meat will give your body more iron which is important to prevent malnutrition. The plant nutrients in vegetables, fruits, seeds, oil, and nuts have numerous anti-inflammatory benefits over time. Due to your high intake of protein and fats, you will feel fuller for a longer period of time. Many people have been able to lose weight effective with this diet due to their limited food choices. The most notable con is the diet can become quite expensive over time compared to most of the other diet plans out there.
The Paleo diet helps an individual develop more muscle and less fat compared to any other diet out there. Dieters heavily rely on animal flesh for their protein intake. Hence, they get healthy protein that is anabolic and used to improve your muscle mass over time. These are some of the most important facts on the popular Paleo diet.
In conclusion, the Paleo diet has become quite popular with a majority of weight-conscious individuals out there. The diet is based on the caveman’s diet and consists of the same type of foods used by them. It can be quite pricey at times. This is the only advantage of this diet plan. The above mentioned article provides a comprehensive answer to the question of what is Paleo diet.
BENEFITS OF A PALEO DIET
- Weight-Loss – As you can see from the studies I listed above, one of the main benefits of a Paleo diet is weight loss (and in particular, fat loss). This is usually also accompanied by better blood markers and reduce blood sugar levels.
- No Sugar Crashes – most people on a Paleo diet find they gain energy (especially in the mornings) and their energy is sustained throughout the day. Sugar crashes are a thing of the past! This is often the result of eating less sugary foods (like toast, cereal, fruit juices) for breakfast. And avoiding high carb processed foods throughout the day.
- Healing of Digestive Issues like IBS, Bloating, Heartburn – as my personal story shows, eating Paleo can help heal a variety of digestive issues. Heartburn often goes away quickly for people when they start eating Paleo 100%. My heartburn now only returns if I cheat on Paleo. For IBS and bloating, they often take a bit longer to heal. And that’s often because there are deeper gut issues that need to be corrected. Working with a practitioner and doing tests to check for parasites, gut dysbiosis, and vitamin/mineral deficiencies can often help speed up the healing process.
- Better Quality Sleep – your body works in harmony. So when you eat better, you’ll often find that your sleep will also improve. This is often due to better blood sugar regulation. People who start taking care of their health will also start improving their lives in other related areas, and as I mentioned above, sleep is definitely part of the Paleo lifestyle.
- More Productivity and Energy – another consequence of not eating sugary processed foods is that you’ll find you have more energy (both mentally and physically). Many people find energy they never thought they’d have again – to play with their kids, to work on new businesses, to write books, to do what they’ve always wanted to do in life.
- Happier Moods – so much of our moods is caused by our brain chemistry. We have different neurotransmitters and hormones, and a delicate balance of them keeps us “happy.” A variety of different chemical processes in our body regulates these neurotransmitters and hormones, and these process can go out of balance if we’re missing just one essential vitamin or mineral. So if you feel happier on a Paleo diet, the diet didn’t perform any magic…it probably just restored some vitamins you’ve been missing from your diet for a long time!
- Less Joint Pain – most joint pain is caused by inflammation at the joints. And when you cut out inflammatory foods, the inflammation dies down, and the pain goes away. In particular, dairy products is often the culprit. So, if you’ve gone mostly Paleo but still have acne or joint pain, then try diving in 100% for 4 weeks and see if that solves the problem.
- Healing Blood Sugar Problems – many type 2 diabetics (like my dad) find that a lower-carb version of a Paleo diet really helps them control their blood sugar. In fact, many of them are able to go off their insulin after being on Paleo for a while.
- Healing of Autoimmune Conditions – autoimmunity (or autoimmune conditions) affect 50 million Americans. And these numbers are growing. Many people who suffer from autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, crohns, hashimotos, MS, angioedema often find that their symptoms improve on a Paleo diet. For some people, going on a Paleo autoimmune protocol helps them ever more.
This is clearly not a comprehensive list of all the reported benefits of a Paleo diet. But I hope it gives you some ideas as to what to expect when you go Paleo.
