What
Is The Paleo Diet?
So what is the Paleo diet? In my opinion it is the most natural way you
can eat. It is based on the natural eating habits of mankind before
agriculture. I also believe it is the only nutritional approach that works with
your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic. "Research in
biology, biochemistry, ophthalmology, dermatology and many other disciplines
indicate it is our modern diet, full of refined foods, trans fats and sugar,
that is the root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes,
heart disease, Parkinson's disease, depression and infertility -Rob Wolf"
What does the Paleo
Diet consist of and what should I eat?
·
Lean
animal proteins - Lean animal proteins such as fish, poultry, game animals, beef and
pork support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function. Protein
also makes you feel satisfied between meals. Notice I use the work
"LEAN" by this I mean you need to trim the excess fat on your pork
chops, steaks, chicken breast. Also if you are a beef person you consider
eating grass fed organic beef or better yet Bison which tastes like beef but is
90% fat free. When cooking lean proteins you should look up recipes online
because cooking time is so much shorter you risk the chance of over cooking it.
·
Fresh fruits and leafy vegetables
are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that have been
shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative
diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurological decline. Examples of these
are strawberries, blueberries, bananas, watermelon, spinach, broccoli,
cauliflower, apples, pears, avocados, seeds, etc.
·
Healthy
fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, fish oil, coconut oil and
grass-fed animals.
What should you not eat in the Paleo diet?
·
Grains are a big no-no in
the Paleo diet. By this I mean anything that looks like or is grass based such
as wheat, rice and barley. Grains are not a natural food you can just pick up
and eat. They need to be ground up and then baked with other items to make them
edible. What's worse is that modern methods of baking breads and cereals refine
the grains to the point of becoming basic sugars. Examples of grains are
cereal, bread, pancakes, cake, muffins, oatmeal, crackers, etc.
·
Sugar
specifically refined sugar. I know we all need to add sweetener to that
early morning cup of coffee. I don't suggest using artificial sweeteners since
the long term affects have not be tested other than in saccharine (cause cancer
in lab mice) but would suggest using natural sweeteners such as agave. It is an
acquired taste but the glycemic count is much less. I've also read that grass
fed butter is a good substitute and tastes good in coffee.
·
Sugary
juices such canned or bottled juices such as the one that come in kid
sized containers. If you read carefully on the containers one of the main
ingredients is High Fructose Corn Syrup not fruit juice. In fact most only have
10% real juice. If you are like me and love fruit juice in the morning I simply
purchase fresh fruit and make a large smoothie and store it in the fridge
for later consumption. No sugar is needed and you get all the phytonutrients
you would get from eating the actual fruit instead of a watery imitation
of it.
·
Dairy
products such as milk and cheese are also a no-no in the Paleo diet. Primitive
man only chased cows to eat their meat and bone marrow not to suckle at their
teats. Milk is for children and most adults can't even digest milk. Now don't
get me wrong I love milk and cheese. However lactose intolerance has become a
big issue which is why they offer so many lactose free milks now. This is fine
for children but adults should stay away from dairy products as much as
possible.
·
Legumes are also a no-no.
Legumes are beans, peanuts, peanut butter, anything soy and peas.
·
Fatty
meats such as spam, hot dogs and questionable processed meats.
·
Extremely
salty foods such as chips, pretzels, salted peanuts and crackers. You may say but
there are so many healthy wheat crackers out there why can't we eat those? Well
it goes back to the philosophy that grains are not Paleo and wheat is a grain.
What foods
can you eat in moderation?
·
Starchy
vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, corn, yams and beets are
starchy vegetables you can eat every so often. By this I mean maybe once or
twice a week. It should not be included in every meal.
·
Alcoholic
beverages such as beer, spirits and beer. I don't think I need to go further
explaining the problems with consuming these items regularly. If you must drink
alcoholic beverages then maybe you should stick to good wine. It helps with the
digestion and is a fast way to get tipsy especially if it’s a red wine. Red
wines are less sugary than white wines.
Now you may say "Wow that way too
much to ask". Well I thought so at the beginning as well but once you go
to the grocery store and simply start buying the items I mentioned you will
find that you won't need to eat as much or as frequently. I know that makes no
sense especially after being told for the past 70 years that our diet should
consist of 60% carbs. But have you noticed that the cancer rate has increased
since they came out with those nutritional guidelines in the 1950's? With the
advance of modern medicine, cutting down on eating red meat, exercise regimes
and cutting down of the use of tobacco products we still die mostly from heart
disease, cancer and diabetes. There have been many studies linking these
diseases to over consumption of sugary starches such as baked goods and lack of
consumption of lean proteins. I strongly believe in making lean protein 38-40%
of your daily diet and supplementing the rest with nuts, fresh fruits and
vegetables instead starchy grains and legumes.
If you look in nature every animal that is vegetarian is big and fat with
a large stomach. Animals such as cows, horses, deer, elephants, antelopes are
good examples. Now you look at animals that have a primary animal based protein
diet and they all have lean muscle and small stomachs because you don't need to
eat as much food. Animals such as wild cats, wild dogs and wolves are at the
top of the food chain and do not need to eat every day. Vegetarian animals
however have to eat all the time because their food is nutritiously poor.
All that said I recommend going to the library and checking out Paleo
Diet books to further educate yourself on the benefits of eating like our
ancestors. For good Paleo recipes I recommend the following site.
Now go out and take charge of your life and stop being a part
of the herd and become an alpha predator.
