Paleo way of Eating

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.

 

http://thepaleodiet.com/

ultimatepaleoguide.com

Now go out and take charge of your life and stop being a part of the herd and become an alpha predator.