I keep getting asked by people, “What is the Paleo Diet?”. The basis of the Paleo diet is that if follows what humans used to eat before the agricultural revolution came about. The Paleo diet encourages dieters to eat natural ingredients including tons of fruits and vegetables. Foods your ancestors used to grow for themselves.
The foods which are recommended for the Paleo Diet are
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Lean meats
- Seafood
All of the above foods are high in soluble fibre, antioxidants, phytochemicals, omega 3, monounsaturated fats and foods which have a low glycemic level when it comes to carbohydrate levels.
You can eat these lean protein sources along with unlimited amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Paleo diet recommends that you avoid the following foods as much as possible
- Refined sugars
- Refined grains
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
- Salt
- Processed foods
- High glycemic carbohydrate foods
What is the Paleo Diet?
All of these foods are known to cause obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems. They have also been linked to many other health related diseases.
If we dig back into our history books a little to find out what is the Paleo Diet you will discover that when our ancestor’s reached 60 they suffered from very few diseases. Yes many people did not even make it to 60 but that was due to the high instances of people being killed while out hunting.
Our ancestors ate off the land, they grew their own fruits and vegetables and raised livestock for slaughter. They did not eat breads and processed foods and it was uncommon to see many overweight individuals. Plus of course their lifestyle kept them busy all the time. They were active and very healthy people and this was only 500 generations ago. In our history that is not very long at all!
One concern that many people have when first learning what is the Paleo Diet is the lack of calcium. Everyone thinks that they need to consume tons of dairy each day to promote healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis.
You will still be consuming calcium while on the Paleo diet, you will just be getting your daily amount from different sources. Instead of drinking milk and eating cheese you will be getting calcium from your fruits and vegetables.
Our body needs to balance the amount of calcium it receives daily. All foods are processed through our kidneys and this is where bone demineralization takes place. When you eat foods which produce high amounts of acid in your body, the kidneys force out excess calcium and other alkaline’s.
The acid producing foods which we consume too much of are hard grains, cereals, cheese and salty foods. Acid must balance with alkaline which is found in fruits and vegetables. So when you increase the amount of these good alkaline foods your body will balance its calcium level. What all of this means is that you won’t become calcium deficient.
If you follow the guidelines to the Paleo Diet you will start to lose weight, sleep better and have more energy. So What is the Paleo Diet, lots of good food and none of the empty calories we are used to.
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Agricultural Revolution
- Related Blogs on Carbohydrate Diet