What is the Paleo Diet?

What is the Paleo Diet?

The popularly used term "Paleo" is an abbreviation of Paleolithic, referring to the Paleolithic Era of around 2.5 million years ago. The Paleo diet is therefore based on eating the foods that would have been available to our Paleolithic or "caveman" ancestors and avoiding all forms of modern foods that would have been unavailable to hunter-gatherers of that time. In a nutshell, it’s a healthy eating diet that focuses on eating good quality natural foods and cutting out unhealthy processed foods that have little or no nutritional value. The foods included in a Paleo diet are the ancient foods our bodies were designed to be able to digest easily while "on the move" and the foods avoided are those that only came into our diet as a result of modern-day farming practices.

However, it’s worth noting that there are many Paleo diet variations and there is no one definitive diet in terms of what should or should not be included. Our "caveman" ancestors survived on the foods that were readily available to them and availability was, of course, determined by location. It’s a common misconception that a Paleo diet is a low-carb diet, but while some hunter-gatherer groups would have lived on a diet of low-carb foods, other groups in different locations would have had easy access to high-carb foods such as coconuts, tubers and fish.

Where you live will inevitably influence your food choices when choosing to live a Paleo lifestyle. Sourcing good quality, the locally grown produce is at the heart of any Paleo-based diet and eating the best products available in your area in terms of both accessibility and affordability is an important element of adhering to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

A Paleo diet is generally higher in daily protein and fat intake and lower in carbohydrate intake .

A balanced daily diet should consist of 60 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fats, and 10 percent protein, but a Paleo-based diet generally includes a higher percentage of protein and "healthy" fat and therefore a lower percentage of carbohydrates. Paleo sources of protein are lean meats, preferably from grass-fed animals, and sources of "healthy" fats in the form of omega-3 essential fatty acids are found in fish. Food industry promotes whole grains and starchy foods such as bread, pasta and potatoes as the main sources of carbohydrates in a balanced diet but the main sources of carbohydrates in a Paleo diet are fruits and vegetables, ensuring you also consume a rich source of health-promoting micro-nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals.

By avoiding all processed and packaged foods, and by cutting grains and other modern farmed foods from your diet, you create a daily diet of foods that would be instantly recognizable as foods to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, and that’s essentially what going "Primal" is all about. it’s all about "eating the foods to which we are genetically adapted."

There are many health benefits associated with adopting the eating and lifestyle practices of our "caveman" ancestors, not least the reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease and weight related health concerns such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Taking steps to incorporate the ancient ways of Paleolithic times into modern life can bring the following:

• Increased energy – sugar induced "highs" and "lows" are replaced with an all-day energy balance. Fruits and vegetables provide a slow and steady release of energy which keeps you feeling physically and mentally "ready for action" throughout the day.
• Improved mental clarity and a more positive outlook on life in general.
• More restful sleep – also helping to boost your energy levels and your mood.
• Clearer skin – an improvement in overall complexion and often complete eradication of on-going skin conditions such as acne.
• Reduced allergies – symptoms of conditions such as eczema and asthma can be greatly alleviated.
• Reduced body fat stores – by increasing your fat intake and decreasing your carbohydrate intake, your body learns to burn fat for fuel. A diet high in carbs leads to raised insulin levels, which in turn causes your body to store fat. When fat is being stored, your body "craves" more carbs for fuel ... but more carbs leads to more fat storage! An added bonus of eating Paleo foods is that as your body adapts to burning fat as its main fuel source, your workouts become much more efficient and long cardio sessions are no longer needed to help you get the lean, non-flabby physique you want.

Foods

• Grass-produced meat – locally produced, grass-fed and organic sources are preferable to grain-fed sources. Offal is also included in a Paleo diet.
• Fowl – this includes game birds where available along with organically produced chicken, turkey and duck. Any wild meat or fowl must come from sustainable sources.
• Fish – wild varieties of fish, provided they come from sustainable sources, are preferable to farmed varieties as farmed fish often contains high levels of toxins such as mercury.
• Seafood – including shrimps, clams, lobsters, oysters, scallops and crab but it’s important to consider the sustainability of the source.
• Eggs – organic, pasture-fed and free-range eggs are best but omega-3 enriched eggs provide a suitable alternative in areas where pastured eggs are unavailable.
• Vegetables – virtually all varieties are acceptable but those with relatively high starch contents such as potatoes and squashes should be eaten in moderation compared to lower starch varieties such as broccoli, asparagus, avocado and cabbage.
• Oils – Paleo experts disagree on the best types of oil but the general consensus is that natural sources such as grass-fed butter, tallow, ghee, avocado oil, macadamia oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil and olive oil are best for cooking and that any form of processed oil should be used sparingly for dressings only and not for cooking.
• Fruits – all fruits can be eaten in moderation with vegetables making up the bulk of the carbohydrate intake on a Paleo diet. The preferred choice is to eat any locally grown type of berry when in season.
• Nuts – all types of nuts other than peanuts are acceptable. Peanuts are part of the legume family and are therefore not included in a Paleo diet.
• Tubers – these include Jerusalem artichokes, cassava and taro, along with popular Paleo choices, yams and sweet potatoes.

Essentially, any food that is processed is off the menu on a Paleo diet, including sugar-laden sodas and alcohol. Even "sugar-free" sodas are often full of harmful chemicals and so-called "healthy" juices can contain many hidden ingredients that are not so healthy. The main foods to avoid on a Paleo diet include the following:

• Processed foods – the more processes a food has been through, the lower the nutritional value is likely to be. Our "caveman" ancestors ate foods in their natural state but as a general rule in today’s world of convenience foods, if a packaged product contains more than five ingredients, leave it on the shelf: this is particularly important if you are unable to pronounce the listed ingredients!
• Cereal grains – obvious examples of foods containing cereal grains are breakfast cereals and bread products but grains can be a hidden ingredient in a huge variety of processed foods. Avoiding grains also means avoiding meat sources from grain-fed animals.
• Refined sugar – cutting processed foods from your diet will also cut out refined sugars, as will cutting out obvious sugary foods such as pastries, cakes and candies.
• Legumes – this food group includes beans, soybeans, lentils and peas, also known as pulses in their dried form, and peanuts.
• Refined vegetable oils – only natural oils should be used for cooking but processed oils such as olive oil or canola oil can be used sparingly.
• Salt – once again, cutting processed foods from your diet will also cut out salt as it is a hidden ingredient in the majority of "convenience" foods. Salt should not be added to Paleo foods during cooking or before eating.

Foods to Restrict

If going without alcohol proves to be too restrictive, enjoying an occasional glass of red wine or tequila mixed with natural juice is considered acceptable on most Paleo-style diet plans. Fruit juices on their own should also be limited to an occasional "treat" only as they are high in sugar, and other beverages that can be enjoyed in moderation include coffee, tea, almond milk, coconut milk and coconut water. However, strict Paleo diet followers will avoid caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar and hidden ingredients completely by choosing to drink only water and herbal teas, and only occasionally making their own juices or nut milk at home when required.

Other restricted foods include:

• Dairy – not all Paleo advocates include dairy in their diet, but for those who do the general rule is to stay as close to a food’s natural state as possible, so full-fat milk or cheese for example.
• Potatoes – strict Paleo followers will avoid all potatoes as they are a "modern" food, but organically grown varieties are considered acceptable in moderation by many as they support the principle of adapting a Paleolithic diet to modern life.
• Rice and Quinoa – as with potatoes, these modern-day foods are acceptable in moderation on many Paleo-style diet plans.
• Natural sugars – all sugars, natural or refined, elevate insulin levels in your body and upset the energy balance. The naturally high sugar content of most fruits makes them a less beneficial source of carbohydrates in a Paleo diet than vegetables and for this reason should be eaten in moderation.