Click Here!Paleo Diet - Is it For You?
By Helen Horton, Ph.D.
So, you're thinking you need a change. Some way to improve your physical health. Slow down the aging process, regain the strength and endurance you had a few years ago.
But is a Paleo or caveman diet the way for you?
First off, let's review the basics. The Paleo Diet is a fairly simple dietary lifestyle based on foods being either in or out. And any food should be eaten when you're hungry - not at set times of the day. It differs from the "Atkins" or low-carb/high protein diets in that it includes unlimited amounts of veggies and fruits as well as nuts.
>>Included are the Paleolithic Era foods that we ate before we developed agriculture and animal husbandry (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruit, berries, mushrooms, etc.).
>>Excluded are Neolithic Era foods come from agriculture or animal husbandry (grains, dairy, beans/legumes, potatoes, sugar and fake foods).
* You can make it meat heavy if you want, or more fruit and veggies if you prefer, as long as the foods you eat are paleo.
* Wild game meat would be the ideal, but grass-fed meat is used as a practical substitute. Organ meats and bone marrow are very paleo.
* Fish should be wild-caught.
* Organic is preferred, since it's the best we can do to get food free of modern pollutants and with the original micronutrients.
* Seeds are OK but used mainly as a condiment, to add taste and crunch.
* All oils need to be from fruits (olive, oil palm, avocado) or tree nuts (coconut, walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia). No high-tech industrial seed oils.
* Eat the greatest variety of foods possible. Bush hunters kill whatever they find moving. Foragers have identified more than 300 edible plants that our ancestors would have known about. Many are leafy greens. A wide range of herbs and spices are included.
* Salt and refined sugar should not be added to food.
* The only paleo sweetener is raw honey, possibly diluted maple syrup, or coconut palm sugar. But it's best is to get all sweets out of your diet and just get over your addiction to sugars in all forms.
* The only beverage that is truly paleo is water. The best is spring water that has been certified to be free of pharmaceuticals, with no chlorine or fluoride added.
* If you want caffeine, organic green tea is the most paleo. No official paleo diet includes alcohol, but if you must, have fermented fruit and water it down to 6 percent alcohol. Other paleo highs would have been eating cocoa and cannabis leaves, we're just saying, not recommending you use illicit substances.
* Supplementation is not paleo but if you're living a modern indoor lifestyle or don't eat fish regularly, you may need Vitamin D and/or Omega 3.
You can argue that ancient hunter-gatherer people were not particularly healthy or long-lived but this diet is more a reaction to the corporations of agriculture and the food "industry". Perhaps dairy and baked goods, from the family farm and mom's kitchen won't kill you but that's not anything close to what you're getting from a modern supermarket (even WholeFoods).
Next question is: are you really prepared to make the lifestyle changes necessary to eat this way? First off, you'll be spending more time in your kitchen than in restaurants. Yes, there are a few commercial places like Alice Water's Chez Panisse but they are few and far between.
Next, you'll need to seek out local produce and meats and be prepared to pay premium prices. Of course this should help you stay slim since over eating will be more expensive!
You'll probably never be 100% paleo with your diet in the 21st century but adding more real food and removing toxins like sugar and white flours will go a long way to improving your health and wellness.
Sounds doable or you'd at least like to give it a try? Unless you know your way around a kitchen you're going to need some recipes to follow including the ingredient lists to take to your local co-op or market.
We recommend The Paleo Cookbook. It has hundreds of items to get you going and keep you from eating the same boring salad day-after-day. It's a small investment to make in your health and you may just find preparing food at home with friends is more fun than going out to eat!
Take a look at The Paleo Cookbook for an in-depth look at a new way of eating - for your health and pleasure. Go To: http://www.healthandwealthreporter.com/Diet_Plan_Reviews/paleodiet.html.
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