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.
Given the significant rise in the use of insecticides/herbicides and GMOs in farming, as well as the use of dangerous preservatives and artificial ingredients like sweeteners, food dyes, and food fillers, the Paleo Diet was introduced as a means to return us to a more natural diet.
On the Paleo Diet, processed foods are eliminated for two reasons. First, they are typically loaded with salt, sugar, white flour, and fat, which are known for their negative affects on good health. Second, the chemical content of these foods can be very dangerous, and certainly unnatural. Eating a whole foods diet by itself would change most people's health, but there are additional factors in the Paleo Diet, some that are not as simple to understand.
Grains and beans are also to be avoided. The human body is not designed to digest or utilize nutrients from these foods. This is because they have high levels of phytic acid and lectins, which can keep the body from properly absorbing the nutrients and can cause autoimmune and digestive issues as well.
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.
So what can you eat? Organic fruits, vegetables, and tubers like sweet potatoes are a key part of the Paleo Diet. Grass-fed and organic meat and poultry, along with wild fish, are major components as well. Nuts, seeds, and oils, like olive or avocado, are to be eaten in moderation. Some recommend that fruit be limited, particularly if you are trying to lose weight. I think fruit is an important nutrient and recommend at least five servings per day.
Paleo follows can sometimes get into trouble if they restrict carbohydrates. Some people don't like to eat too much fruit because they think it will make them fat (not true) and vegetables are inherently low in calories, so the combination creates a diet filled with protein and fat. This is why some people wrong compare the Paleo Diet to Atkins. If followed properly, these two diets are very different. I suggest eating fruit as your main carbohydrate source and shoot for carbs to make up about 40% of your calories. Protein should be at a similar level if you are looking to lose weight, but you could eat a larger amount of carbs if you aren't. Fats should come from healthy sources and top out at about 20%.
I hope you give the Paleo Diet a try. It is one of the cleanest, healthiest diets I've ever come across. Outside of possible detox issues you may experience (mainly headaches) when you first wean yourself from dangerous chemicals, I think you will find it to be more energizing than any other diet you've tried.
Given the significant rise in the use of insecticides/herbicides and GMOs in farming, as well as the use of dangerous preservatives and artificial ingredients like sweeteners, food dyes, and food fillers, the Paleo Diet was introduced as a means to return us to a more natural diet.
On the Paleo Diet, processed foods are eliminated for two reasons. First, they are typically loaded with salt, sugar, white flour, and fat, which are known for their negative affects on good health. Second, the chemical content of these foods can be very dangerous, and certainly unnatural. Eating a whole foods diet by itself would change most people's health, but there are additional factors in the Paleo Diet, some that are not as simple to understand.
Grains and beans are also to be avoided. The human body is not designed to digest or utilize nutrients from these foods. This is because they have high levels of phytic acid and lectins, which can keep the body from properly absorbing the nutrients and can cause autoimmune and digestive issues as well.
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.
So what can you eat? Organic fruits, vegetables, and tubers like sweet potatoes are a key part of the Paleo Diet. Grass-fed and organic meat and poultry, along with wild fish, are major components as well. Nuts, seeds, and oils, like olive or avocado, are to be eaten in moderation. Some recommend that fruit be limited, particularly if you are trying to lose weight. I think fruit is an important nutrient and recommend at least five servings per day.
Paleo follows can sometimes get into trouble if they restrict carbohydrates. Some people don't like to eat too much fruit because they think it will make them fat (not true) and vegetables are inherently low in calories, so the combination creates a diet filled with protein and fat. This is why some people wrong compare the Paleo Diet to Atkins. If followed properly, these two diets are very different. I suggest eating fruit as your main carbohydrate source and shoot for carbs to make up about 40% of your calories. Protein should be at a similar level if you are looking to lose weight, but you could eat a larger amount of carbs if you aren't. Fats should come from healthy sources and top out at about 20%.
I hope you give the Paleo Diet a try. It is one of the cleanest, healthiest diets I've ever come across. Outside of possible detox issues you may experience (mainly headaches) when you first wean yourself from dangerous chemicals, I think you will find it to be more energizing than any other diet you've tried.
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