Seems like a year can’t roll by without a new diet craze. Atkins, South Beach, Vegetarian, Vegan. They’re ubiquitous! One such nutritional fad that is gaining traction is the Paleo diet. In case you were unaware, as the name would indicate, the Paleo diet aims to mimic the prehistoric diet. No, that doesn’t mean grilled wooly mammoth and roasted pterodactyl wing. You probably need more information before you decide, “Me, caveman, too!”
What is the Paleo diet? The short version is, if a caveman couldn’t eat it, neither can you. This means anything we could hunt or find – meats, fish, nuts, leafy greens, regional veggies, and seeds—is up for grabs. Sorry, the pasta, cereal, and candy will have to go! The diet is an effort to undo the damage that’s happened in the years and years since the change from people being active hunter-gathers to sedentary farmers (You’re hopefully thinking that actual farmers would beg to differ that they are sedentary. Probably means the people that rely on farming rather than, “Me hungry. Me track, hunt, and kill dinner for 4.”)
The diet contends instead of loading up on meat, vegetables and seasonal fruits, we’ve become a species “dependent” upon grains – bread, pasta, rice, corn, and so on. The government continues to recommend 6-11 servings of grains a day, and people continue to get fatter and fatter by the day. Numbers don’t lie. Sixty-six percent of Americans are overweight, and 33% of those are considered obese. The Paleo Diet is an effort to go back to eating how we’re biologically designed to eat, allowing us to tap into our genetic potential and start living healthier immediately.
The Paleo Diet also almost completely eradicates sugar. Unless you’re getting your sugar from a fruit, forget it. Sugar causes an energy spike and crash in your system, turns to fat unless it’s used immediately, and wreaks all kinds of havoc on our bodies. So, no grains, no sugar, no processed foods. Many studies have shown that an incredible number of diseases and lifestyle issues can be reversed with these three simple changes.
Carbs give energy, right? No carbs, what do I get to eat?
- Meat – GRASS-FED, not grain-fed. Grain causes the same problem in animals as they do in humans.
- Fowl – Chicken, duck, hen, turkey…things with wings that (try to) fly.
- Fish – Wild fish, as mercury and other toxins can be an issue in farmed fish
- Eggs – Look for Omega-3 enriched eggs.
- Vegetables – As long as they’re not deep-fried, eat as many as you want.
- Oils – Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil – think natural.
- Fruits – Have natural sugar, and can be higher in calories, so limit if you’re trying to lose weight.
- Nuts – High in calories, so they’re good for a snack, but don’t eat bags and bags of them.
- Tubers – Sweet potatoes and yams. Higher in calories and carbs, so these are good for right after a workout to replenish your glycogen levels.
Supposedly, if you pick any of the things from that list, and eat as much as you want of them (with the noted exceptions), you’ll feel better and be healthier. The primary, reported benefits of the Paleo diet are: weight loss, reducing diseases and conditions associated with obesity (high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, etc.), and some studies purport improved dental health because of the absence of refined sugar. Who knows? Some people question a diet where you can eat as much as you want of anything. While others believe the science behind the diet is undeniable. Not suggesting you try it, just check it out and judge for yourself. Your health is worth a little reading!
