The Paleo Diet is the newest diet craze out there. It consists of eating whole foods like organic fruit, vegetables, and meat while avoiding grains, beans, and dairy. Is it just a flash in the pan? I don't think so. Once I learned more about the Paleo Diet, I realized I had been eating it for quite some time. It is the healthiest, most rational diet I have ever come across.
The purpose of the Paleo Diet is to take eaters back to the natural diet of our ancestors before grains, added sugar, artificial preservatives and sweeteners, pesticides, genetically-modified organisms were loaded into or onto our foods, and gluten and dairy intolerances were nonexistent.
It is essential to avoid processed foods that are loaded with added sugar, sodium, fats, and other dangerous food additives. The lifestyle diseases and negative health conditions associated with chemically-induced processed foods and refined sugar and salt are well known. Just adhering to a diet that prohibits these foods would be a huge improvement for many people, however, there are a few other areas that might not be so intuitive or mainstream.
This diet also eliminates grains and beans/legumes. This may be surprising to some people. The reason is that both have what's called phytic acid, which keeps your body from digesting and utilizing all of the nutrients in the food. They, along with dairy, also contain dangerous lectins, which are often responsible for additional digestion issues. While convenient, the human digestive system is not designed for grains and legumes, and is not efficient in using nutrients from these sources.
Dairy is to be avoided, although not all Paleo followers adhere to this. I don't eat dairy, because it is not natural for a human being to drink the milk of another animal, particularly into adulthood. No animal species on earth drinks milk past infancy. If you are going to drink milk, I suggest raw milk or low-pasteurized and non-homogonized varieties, if you can find them.
I've listed the restrictions. Now, here is the actual diet. Protein comes from organic, grass-fed beef, organic poultry, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised eggs. Carbohydrates come from organic fruit, vegetables, and tubers. The fat in your diet will come from the saturated animal fat plus moderate amounts of nuts, seeds, avocados, and oils. Many recommend reducing fruit intake if you are trying to lose weight. It can be high in sugar, but it is natural sugar and doesn't have the same impact on blood sugar or digestion. I recommend getting a healthy portion of your carbs from fruit.
Many believe the Paleo Diet is something similar to the Atkins' Diet, because Paleo is often referred to as The Caveman Diet. Paleo is not an all-meat or low-carb diet unless you apply the guidelines improperly. It is recommended that every meal has both protein and carbs from fruit and vegetables. I recommend a 40/40/20 breakdown of macronutrients, although some will recommend that fat intake can go above 20% to as much as a third of your caloric needs. If the additional calories are coming from nuts and seeds, it is probably not bad, but I would try the 20% limit first.
The Paleo Diet is clean and healthy. Many have experienced improvements in health, energy, and weight loss as a result of adopting the Paleo Diet. It is energizing and given the considerable amount of chemicals and dangerous food additives in our food supply, it is worth trying.
The purpose of the Paleo Diet is to take eaters back to the natural diet of our ancestors before grains, added sugar, artificial preservatives and sweeteners, pesticides, genetically-modified organisms were loaded into or onto our foods, and gluten and dairy intolerances were nonexistent.
It is essential to avoid processed foods that are loaded with added sugar, sodium, fats, and other dangerous food additives. The lifestyle diseases and negative health conditions associated with chemically-induced processed foods and refined sugar and salt are well known. Just adhering to a diet that prohibits these foods would be a huge improvement for many people, however, there are a few other areas that might not be so intuitive or mainstream.
This diet also eliminates grains and beans/legumes. This may be surprising to some people. The reason is that both have what's called phytic acid, which keeps your body from digesting and utilizing all of the nutrients in the food. They, along with dairy, also contain dangerous lectins, which are often responsible for additional digestion issues. While convenient, the human digestive system is not designed for grains and legumes, and is not efficient in using nutrients from these sources.
Dairy is to be avoided, although not all Paleo followers adhere to this. I don't eat dairy, because it is not natural for a human being to drink the milk of another animal, particularly into adulthood. No animal species on earth drinks milk past infancy. If you are going to drink milk, I suggest raw milk or low-pasteurized and non-homogonized varieties, if you can find them.
I've listed the restrictions. Now, here is the actual diet. Protein comes from organic, grass-fed beef, organic poultry, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised eggs. Carbohydrates come from organic fruit, vegetables, and tubers. The fat in your diet will come from the saturated animal fat plus moderate amounts of nuts, seeds, avocados, and oils. Many recommend reducing fruit intake if you are trying to lose weight. It can be high in sugar, but it is natural sugar and doesn't have the same impact on blood sugar or digestion. I recommend getting a healthy portion of your carbs from fruit.
Many believe the Paleo Diet is something similar to the Atkins' Diet, because Paleo is often referred to as The Caveman Diet. Paleo is not an all-meat or low-carb diet unless you apply the guidelines improperly. It is recommended that every meal has both protein and carbs from fruit and vegetables. I recommend a 40/40/20 breakdown of macronutrients, although some will recommend that fat intake can go above 20% to as much as a third of your caloric needs. If the additional calories are coming from nuts and seeds, it is probably not bad, but I would try the 20% limit first.
The Paleo Diet is clean and healthy. Many have experienced improvements in health, energy, and weight loss as a result of adopting the Paleo Diet. It is energizing and given the considerable amount of chemicals and dangerous food additives in our food supply, it is worth trying.
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