Amidst a plethora of diets promising everything from an instantly smaller waistline to a complete health overhaul, it is hard to establish which way of eating is truly the best for you. It's easy to feel pressured into counting every last calorie or obsessively exercising to make your next weight loss goal instead of focusing on what your body truly needs.
What is Paleo?
The paleo diet (also called the primal diet) is a lifestyle that aims to balance your health by returning to a diet as simple and wholesome as that of our ancestors. Paleo focuses on the quality of the food rather than the caloric content of a meal. In keeping with this idea, the paleo diet encourages eating whole foods and eliminating foods lacking in nutrition. Many people who follow this approach to food experience weight loss, healthy blood pressure, improved digestion, mental clarity and increased energy.
What can't I eat on Paleo?
The structure of a cave man's diet would have been that of a hunter-gatherer, whose meals would have come in the form of wild game and plants that could be hand-harvested. He would have eaten anything that helped him to survive his surroundings, but would have preferred energy-dense foods rich with protein and fat. The essential concept of the paleo diet is that our bodies work most efficiently on high quality, natural foods that mimic those available to our ancestors.
The foods that are excluded from a paleo plate include most grains, processed sugars, legumes and dairy, as a diet high in carbohydrates will inflate insulin levels. Your pancreas produces insulin, which lowers your blood sugar, as soon as you ingest any carbohydrate, because all carbohydrates are ultimately converted to sugar. When a person's diet is rooted in grains and sugars, their insulin levels will be excessive and their body will store the sugars as fats. Eventually, escalated insulin levels lead to systemic inflammation and cause strain on the pancreas.
The paleo diet isn't entirely free of carbohydrates, but the amount of carbohydrates in fresh produce as compared to grains (particularly those containing gluten) is substantially lower. Eliminating grains and processed sugars on the primal diet is a way of cutting out foods that cause strain on your body. Junk food can lead to weight gain, mood swings, fluctuations in energy and can have an addictive effect. The only foods containing sugar on the paleo diet are fruits, which are easily digested by your body and are low in calories while containing plenty of nutrients and fibre.
Legumes are absent in the primal diet. Beans, chickpeas and lentils all contain phytic acid, which binds to the nutrients to the food thus preventing your digestive system from absorbing them. While phytic acid isn't toxic, it is still advisable to avoid foods containing them because of this effect. Cutting back on legumes will also decrease the carbohydrate content of a diet, and any other nutrients they contain can be found in other paleo food sources.
Dairy would not be naturally consumed by a full grown cave man, as milk is only consumed by mammals in the first few months of their lives. Milk can be as harmful to anyone who even has mild lactose intolerance, and is insulin-promoting even in its fermented form. Milk has become a convenience product and is often produced cheaply using cows raised on corn and soy instead of their natural grass-based diet. Even worse, dairy cows are fed growth hormones and antibiotics that can contaminate the milk they produce, and therefore dairy is not encouraged on a paleo diet.
A notable exception to the above rule is that butter or clarified butter (also known as ghee) from organic grass-fed cattle can safely be consumed, as it contains almost no lactose. It is also possible to include grass-fed, full-fat goat or sheep's milk, since these are also lactose free products. While it does not fit perfectly into a primal guideline, moderated amounts of either will not have an adverse effect on a paleo person's health.
What can I eat on Paleo?
A well-rounded paleo diet consists of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, nuts, seeds, fresh vegetables and moderate amounts of fruit. It is a fast track to a high intake of protein, good fats, vitamins and minerals that leave you feeling full.
There is an emphasis on indulging in naturally fat filled foods. Fats, especially animal based, will leave you feeling full more quickly than lean meat and 'low-fat' products. Most types of meat are acceptable, including fatty trimmings and organ meats. While there are some variants in paleo diets depending on individual preference, there is no limit to the daily amount of red meat, seafood, pork or chicken that you can enjoy. Meat is considered a healthy staple in the primal diet, however it is strongly recommended that you eat meat from grass-fed, free-range and organically raised animals. This also applies to eggs.
Nuts and seeds are permitted on the primal diet as well, with some moderation. Like legumes, nuts contain some phytic acid, which stops your body from absorbing nutrients. However, soaking nuts and seeds in salty water (with the length of time depending on the nut) will retain the nutrients while destroying the phytic acid, thereby making them more digestible.
Most vegetables are encouraged on the paleo diet. While the cave man diet does not revolve around plant foods, and relies more heavily on meat for caloric intake, vegetables provide plenty of nutrients and fibre without overloading the body with carbohydrates. Fruits are also allowed, though eating low-sugar fruit such as berries is advised.
Tips on Going and Staying Primal
Going paleo can seem challenging at first, but if you keep these 5 points in mind it can be an enjoyable process:
1. Eat real foods. Meat should come from healthy animals, and plants should come from wild sources.
2. Cut out grains, legumes, dairy and all processed sugars. All of these foods can spike blood sugar and cause adverse health effects.
3. Indulge in animal-based foods, including grass-fed meats and free-range eggs, while enjoying moderate amounts of fruits, vegetables and nuts.
4. Channel your new-found energy into healthy exercise.
5. Listen to your body's natural rhythms. Eat according to primal guidelines, but moderate your meals according to what feels best for you.
With just a little planning, the primal diet can be a tasty fast-track to vitality. Enjoy your journey to amazing health!
Good Sources of information on the Paleo Diet
1. The Paleo Diet - Dr. Cordain's site.
2. Robb Wolf
3. Paleo Hacks - Great information site, where you can ask questions.
Share This Article
