For people who don’t know, Paleo is a diet that is based off what humans ate during the Paleolithic period. This is way before heavy agriculture and farming. Humans ate what they could hunt like lean meats and seafood. They also gathered fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. For most of our existence this was the extent of our diet. We didn't eat things like processed foods, grains, and dairy foods because these weren't available. Only since the last 150 years or so have we really started to consume these foods. This is why a lot of people have problems digesting diary and grains because it goes against what we were meant to consume. It goes against our genetics and what our body properly utilizes. This is how we use to look and it wasn't with some crazy diet or fitness plan. It was with daily physical tasks and eating what nature presented us.
The Paleo diet in a nutshell is to consume lean meats, vegetables, nuts & seeds, some fruits, little starch, and no sugar. It is a great diet to losing unwanted weight and preventing debilitating diseases like diabetes and can treat many autoimmune diseases. Do you think diseases like diabetes were as prevalent thousands of years ago as it is today? It is our modern diet full of refined sugars, grains, and trans fats that are at the root of the rise in obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers, and many other debilitating diseases. It is a high fat moderate to high protein low glycemic diet that is the best approach towards burning calories. It also includes all the phytochemicals from the fruits and vegetables that have endless health benefits. Now I’m not saying all grains and diary should be avoided but they should be reconsidered. I will never give up drinking Organic whole milk as long as I’m lactose tolerant. I think a good start to approaching the Paleo diet is to cut out all those foods and see how you feel. Then slowly introduce some of these foods back into your diet. You may notice that you're lactose intolerant or have a gluten intolerance. This is a good way to see what foods help you feel energetic and perform better.
People like to
make weight loss and diets so complicated and are always looking for the newest
fad cleanse, crazy diet or some shortcut.
Drinking a gallon of water with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple
syrup isn't the answer. Like seriously
just listen to how crazy that diet sounds.
Spoiler alert there is no shortcut but rather dedication and commitment
to living a healthy lifestyle. “Anything
worth having is worth working for” that is a quote I firmly believe in. If you approach your health as a lifelong
venture rather than a quick fix you’ll be much healthier and satisfied. People nowadays are so obsessed with convenience
and can’t understand that things take time.
No wonder these diets don’t work
for the majority of us because they are so extreme that they cannot be
sustained. Once people quit or are
finished they go right back to eating the same foods. Being healthy is not the most convenient or the easiest thing to do but it’s about being dedicated and committed to making the
right choices. I’m not making these
choices for tomorrow I’m making them for when I’m 60 and 70 and feel and look
great.
The Modern diet
based by the USDA shows a pyramid with grains at the bottom recommending 6 to
11 servings a day, vegetables and fruits in the middle with 3 to 4
servings a day, then lean meat for 2 to 3 servings, and fats & oils are told
to use sparingly. The problem with
obesity in this country isn't fats it is CARBS!
Heart disease and higher
cholesterol levels aren't associated with fat intake rather the types of fats
you consume. Hydrogenated oils and trans
fats clogs arteries but Monounsaturated and Omega 3 fats are very beneficial to
your health and can be excellent energy sources. These Omegas also have great abilities in
reducing inflammation and promoting healthier brain function. When consuming
the right kind of fats they are an excellent energy source like fish oil, avocados, coconut oil, nuts, and seeds. Carbohydrates
are the primary food source of the USDA food pyramid. This is no surprise since the Grains Food Foundation, the Whole Grain Council, and many other grain based companies are spending millions lobbying to make sure their food remains a staple of the American diet. What would America do without their morning bowl of cereal? High glycemic foods and inactivity are what is leading to our obesity and diabetes epidemic. Vegetables
and fruits are a key staple to both diets which is about the only thing I
really agree with of the USDA food pyramid.
My diet usually
consists of lean proteins like fish, chicken, turkey, and lean cuts of
beef. I also try to consume as many
vegetables as possible and some fruits.
For my fats I consume fish oil, almond butter, almonds, sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds, and many other nuts and seeds.
I don’t regularly consume grains with the exception of a few such as
lentils, Ezekiel bread, and an occasional morning bowl of cereal. I do drink whole milk which I think is a
great source of calories if you’re not lactose intolerant. I get the excess of my carbs from sweet potatoes. I tend to keep my
calorie consumption on the higher side since I don’t really have a problem of
putting on too much weight. I need to
replenish the calories I burn daily to maintain optimum performance. These are just my own thoughts and research
and what I found has worked for me. I am open to any
opinions or questions people may have about the Paleo diet.
