Paleo Diet, the Ins and Outs

The paleolithic diet or better known now a days as the paleo diet is an ancient diet, or so it seems since a lot of times it is referred to as the stone age diet or hunter-gatherer diet, is presumed to be an ancient diet based on fresh all natural wild plants and animals that would have been available during the paleolithic era. The theory behind the diet is that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their paleolithic ancestors and that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, therefore an ideal diet for good well-being will be fairly similar to that of our ancestors.

The difficulty with following this diet is that to truly be following it you need to go to your roots, go back to ancient times. You must forgo all the processed foods you find in a standard supermarket and instead focus on foods that either occur in the wild or come straight from the ground. What makes this difficult is that there is no denying that as time has moved forward, modern technology and cooking processes have changed significantly from our ancestor’s years. The rows and rows of food that you see at your local grocery store are just full of processed foods, we have managed to degrade the nutrition so dramatically over the years that the nutrients in a cup of spinach from 1960 is equivalent to 11 cups today. We have simply gradually moved further and further away from eating what Mother Nature intended.

So the basic idea is if they would have eaten it thousands of years ago, it will most likely have a god place in your meal plan with few exceptions. Your meal plan is going to consist of lean meats and fish, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and for fats you will get nuts and seeds ad in some cases oil (in moderation of course).

This general meal plan is going to yield excellent results for a wide range of people, namely people with diabetes. Our bodies are very commonly used to dealing with roller-coaster like blood sugar levels, this diet is a fabulous stabilizer for anyone not just diabetics but this would play a huge role in the health of many. The more stable your blood sugars the less you will experience food cravings and, the coming and going of fatigue.

Another huge benefit to the general person following this diet is that all the healthy fats from the seeds and nuts is going to improve your overall cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. The decrease in dairy products and high fat meats will help with this as well.

Here is a list of allowed foods, moderate foods and foods not allowed. Good luck in your new diet venture if you decide to go this route!

Allowed to Eat:

Lean Beef, Lean Pork, Lean Poultry, Venison, Rabbit Meat, Liver Meat, Game Meat, Low Sodium Jerky, All Varieties of Fish, Clams, Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Mussels, Oysters, Shrimp, All Fruits (Except Dried), All Vegetables (Except root vegetables), Almonds, Pine Nuts, Brazil Nuts, Pistachios, Cashews, Flaxseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Chestnuts, Sesame Seeds, Pecans, Walnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Sunflower Seeds.

Allowed in Moderation:

Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Walnut oil, Flaxseed Oil, Canola Oil, Diet Soda (Controversial depends on who you talk to), Coffee, Tea, Wine, Beer, Ay Other Alcohol, Dried Fruits, Trail Mix.

Not Allowed:

Butter, Cheese, Eggs, Milk, Yogurt, Whey Products, Barley, Corn, Millet, Oats, Rice, Rye, Wheat, White Rice, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Beans, Black Eyed Peas, Chickpeas, Peanuts, Lentils, Snow peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Peanut Butter, Soybeans, Sweet Potatoes, Yams, Potatoes, Bacon, Processed Meats (hotdogs included), pickled foods, ketchup, salted nuts, smoked meat, canned meats, bacon, lamb chops, Pork ribs and Sausage, Turkey Legs and skin, fatty roast beef, Honey, and Sugar.