The Paleo diet has has grown in a very short time to be one of the most popular diets at this moment. There is however quite some unclarity about what it exactly entails. What are you allowed to eat? And how do you eat as a caveman in this modern era? With the Paleo diet one tries to eat in the same way as a caveman would. Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. They thus mainly ate meat, fish and fruits. How do you translate this in modern times. Eat food that is as close as possible to its natural state. Thus unprocessed and organic.
According to those that came up with the diet, our body has hardly changed since prehistoric times. In this period the people were fit and healthy. Nowadays however we notice that we are often troubled by being overweight, obesity, heart- and lymphatic diseases and other welfare diseases. For a little while we have been starting to look at our diets that may be the root cause of all of these problems. Our ways of life and eating have changed rapidly. Whilst our bodies only change quite slowly. Modern foods therefore seem to be harmful to our health.
People are therefore focussing more and more on adopting a healthier diet and lifestyle. But what is considered healthy? What does the body need to function well? To answer these questions people have been looking at the past. They were looking at an era in which diseases were not there or hardly there. They took the diet from that era and had a good look at it, they found out that this is the way which humans should eat. This is the type of food to which the body has been adapted.
With the Paleo diet you thus not only lose weight, you're also becoming healthier through it. You will suffer less stomach and intestinal complaints, allergic reactions, etcetera.
What you should already keep in mind is that there are multiple ways to eat according to the principles of the Paleo diet. One approaches the diet from different angles and that is not wrong. Our ancestors from that era ate a varied diet that consisted of what was available to them at those times. There are movements within the Paleo-world that say that this diet is one without too many carbohydrates and with which you eat a lot of meat. Another movement eats a lot of carbohydrates that are coming from plants. A Paleo diet is therefore more like a general guideline, not something that is very strict to follow. Adjust it to your needs and preferences. The most important thing is that your diet fits your schedule and is easy to maintain.
When taking up the Paleo diet you are not allowed to consume sugar, sodas, grains, dairy, legumes or processed foods. Sugars and High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are a little harder to avoid. They are in most sodas, snacks and fruit juices. Pay close attention to the labels when shopping! Besides this, vegetable oils are also forbidden, think of soy oil, sunflower oil, etcetera. Moreover, most of the 'low fat' and diet foods are unhealthy. They are full of unnatural substances that actually harm your health.
The most simple way to determine what you should eat is to find where the product comes from. Is it from a factory, then you should not eat it.
In recent years the Paleo diet has changed quite a lot. Because of changed insights and new data from recent research, people know a lot more about food and what effects it has on the body.
Moreover this diet already has millions of followers and so many different movements within Paleo have come into being. There are people that still eat some modern foods within this diet. We are talking about modern foods that have proven to be healthy after scientific research has proven this. This includes gluten-free grains such as rice but also pork and some types of butter. Besides you can sometimes 'sin' with some wine or pure chocolate.
Water is always the best choice to hydrate the body. Besides there are a few fruit juices without unnatural additions and smoothies are good ways to quench the thirst. Coffee and tea are unfortunately not allowed according to the Paleo principles.
Now that you know the guidelines, we can start to get to work. What will your daily menu look like?
Here you should be a little bit creative. Usually nowadays we eat a sandwich or grains and dairy during breakfast. On the Paleo diet you should think of something else, because dairy and grains are not allowed. Exchange them with eggs, meat, fish or fruit. You breakfast will from now on consist of smoothies, fried or cooked eggs, fruit or a meat dish. You can find numerous recipes online. You can even make Paleo-pancakes.
Put your sandwiches aside, a lunch without bread can easily be prepared. You can choose for a smoothy or a salad. Rather have something else? Try a soup or a wrap.
Here the Paleo diet does not differ much from what you are used to. Notice that you do not eat any potatoes, rather you can choose for sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cassava or bananas.
Paleo friendly snacks are easily prepared. Fresh fruit and vegetables make up an excellent snack. Besides you can bake cakes on the principles of Paleo. This diet is thus not so limiting.
Breakfast: Omelet with vegetables and coconut oil, cherry tomatoes and spinach
Lunch: A wrap with a salad of red union, fried chicken and tomato dices.
Snacks: Fruit salad consisting of your favourite fruits.
Dinner: Grilled salmon and vegetables with fennel.
On the Paleo diet you are ensured that you get all the essential nutrients. Besides you will eat foods that keep you satisfied for longer. Overeating will happen less often. Do you want to start? With the above mentioned schedule you can easily adopt a Paleo way of life. Moreover there are plenty of recipes to try. Get going!
