Paleo Diet #1

 What is the Paleo Diet?

For 2.5 million years, early man foraged and hunted for seafood, meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and seeds. This period before the development of agriculture is known as the Paleolithic era. The Paleo diet is also known as the Stone Age diet, hunter-gathering diet and caveman diet. No matter what you call our ancestors, some things haven’t changed. Man’s digestive systems have evolved only the slightest amount in the 10,000 years since farming changed our diets. Shortened to Paleo, the modern diet is an approach to nutrition that mimics the early man’s diet for ultimate health. 

Our minds are modern, but our bodies and brains still need the same food. Gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin first popularized the Paleo diet in the 1970s. He argued in, "The Stone Age Diet," humans as carnivores, chiefly needs fats, proteins and a small number of carbohydrates for optimum performance. For the last 30 years, obesity has been increasing in the United States. Our modern diets are laden with preservatives, processed sugars, and fried foods. Today’s health crisis has led to a renewed interest in Voegtlin’s tested approach to healthy living.

Benefits of the Paleo Diet

The advantages of the Paleo Diet have been researched and proven in numerous academic journals. It is amazing how changing what we put in our mouths can cause dramatic changes in our quality of life. 

Lose fat- Though the Paleo diet is designed as a weight loss plan people inherently lose weight. The foods that make up the Paleo diet are what we call fat burning foods. In fact, the Paleo diet allows you to eat large quantities of delicious food while restricting calories. The result is a lean, fit body. 

Fight Disease- The Paleo diet is proven to help prevent diabetes, Parkinson’s avoid Parkinson's, cancer, heart disease and strokes. 

Improve Digestion- Many digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease and indigestion can be avoided. 

Combats Acne– Eating the Paleo way means avoiding the foods that cause acne. When sebum is overproduced or obstructed the sebaceous glands enlarge and form pimples. Foods in the Paleo diet do not cause insulin spikes that cause a sebum boost. As a result, you can expect smoother, more attractive skin. 

Feel Good- Not only does the Paleo diet help people healthier and look younger it also makes you feel better. Paleo supporters swear by the caveman lifestyle because it just “feels” right. The only way to find out the energy and confidence they experience is to try it for yourself.

Diet Basics

People assume the Paleo Diet is complicated are difficult to follow. It is actually quite simple. Eat real foods. For a guideline on portions, 56–65% of your calories should come from animals, 36–45% from plant-based foods. Keep proteins high at 19-35% carbohydrates at 22-40% and fat at 28-58%.

What to Eat

Eating a Paleo Diet is more about experimenting than limitations. Mother Nature provides a large variety of delicious foods to explore. Instead of settling for a box of processed macaroni and cheese, feast on a meal that excites your taste buds and your energy level. Here is a small list of the many foods to incorporate into your diet.

PROTEINS

Meat	Game	Poultry	Fish	Shellfish	Eggs
Beef	Pheasant	Goose	Tuna	Lobster	Chicken eggs
Veal	Deer	Chicken	Salmon	Shrimp	Goose eggs
Pork	Duck	Turkey	Trout	Scallops	Duck eggs
Lamb	Wild Turkey	Quail	Halibut	Crab	Quail eggs
Goat	Rabbit	Duck	Sole	Clams
Rabbit	Moose		Bass	Mussels
Sheep	Woodcock		Haddock	Oysters
Wild Boar	Elk		Turbot
Bison			Cod
			Tilapia
			Walleye
			Flatfish
			Grouper
			Mackerel
			Herring
			Anchovy

                               

VEGETABLES

Standards	Green Leafy	Squash	Root	Mushrooms
Cauliflower	Collard Greens	Butternut	Turnips	Oyster
Broccoli	Lettuce	Spaghetti	Carrots	Button
Celery	Spinach	Acorn	Beets	Portabella
Bell Peppers	Watercress	Pumpkin	Parsnips	Chanterelle
Onions	Beet Top	Zucchini	Artichokes	Porcini
Leeks	Dandelion	Yellow Summer	Rutabaga	Shiitake
Green Onions	Swiss Chard	Buttercup	Sweet Potatoes	Crimini
Eggplant	Mustard Greens	Crookneck	Radish	Morel
Brussels Sprout	Kale		Yams
Artichokes	Turnip Greens		Cassava
Asparagus	Seaweed
Cucumber	Endive
Cabbage	Arugula
Okra
Avocados

SUPPORTING PLAYERS

Fats	Fruits	Nuts & Seeds	Flavour Enhancers	Fresh & Dry Herbs
Olive Oil	Apples	Brazil Nuts	Cayenne Pepper	Parsley
Avocado	Oranges	Pistachios	Chillies	Thyme
Coconut Oil	Bananas	Sunflower Seeds	Ginger	Lavender
Clarified Butter	Strawberry	Pumpkin Seeds	Onions	Mint
Lard	Cranberry	Sesame Seeds	Garlic	Rosemary
Tallow	Grapefruit	Pecans	Black Pepper	Chives
Veal Fat	Peaches	Walnuts	Hot Peppers	Tarragon
Duck Fat	Pears	Macadamia Nuts	Star Anise	Oregano
Coconut Flesh	Nectarines	Pine Nuts	Mustard Seeds	Dill
Nut Oils	Plums	Chestnuts	Fennel Seeds	Bay Leaves
Nut Butter	Pomegranates	Cashews	Cumin	Sage
Lamb Fat	Pineapple	Hazelnuts	Turmeric	Coriander
	Grapes	Almonds	Cinnamon
	Papaya		Paprika
	Cantaloupe		Nutmeg
	Kiwi		Cloves
	Lychee		Vanilla

Foods to Eliminate

The main foods to eliminate are processed foods, the largest source of toxicity and malnutrition. Processed foods are the easiest items to eat these days, and we eat entirely too much. Grains that form the base of sandwich bread, cereals and pasta have no place in the Paleo Diet. Also, processed fats and vegetable seed oils are counterproductive to our health. Legumes, especially soy, and vegetable seed oils should be banished from your diet. There are no refined sugars little dairy and absolutely no processed foods in the Paleo plan.