The Paleo Diet, also referred to as the Caveman Diet, the Stone Age Diet, and the Primal Diet, is over 10,000 years old. Nowadays, the Paleo lifestyle is a method of living that is intended to closely resemble that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. The theory is that we evolved to eat what we could hunt and gather and these foods were, and are still, optimally nutritious for human beings. We still have the stone age genes, but we are living very different lives from our ancestors. We eat a great deal of sugar, too many “bad” carbs (breads and potatoes), too much salt, and an excessive amount of vegetable oils. These are all ingredients which Paleolithic people did not have access to.
We can get pretty near to imitating the paleolithic nutrition by reduction of foods that are products of modern industrial food production. Another way to say this is if it was made in a factory don’t eat it. This is the golden rule of the Paleo diet, and when we adhere to it then we shouldn’t have problem experiencing and enjoying the awesome health improvements of true paleolithic nutrition. If it’s white, that means it has undergone processing and cannot be eaten. That’s the basic measure of what’s forbidden in the Paleo Diet. So grains like rice, noodles, pasta and bread, sugar, salt, and dairy products (except eggs) are expressly forbidden for consumption. Potatoes, string beans and peas are also off-limits. If you’re wondering why, remember that they lived a nomadic lifestyle and didn’t cultivate their crops but used nature’s provisions.
10,000 years ago, our ancestors were in a stage of pre-agriculture; that is, when this way of eating began, farming did not exist. Furthermore, since animals were not yet domesticated, dairy was not on the list of things available to eat. Wild animals roamed free and hunting was the only possible source of meat. Foods were eaten raw, so foods that were toxic or inedible when raw could not be consumed. Because only very specific foods can be digested raw, proponents of the Paleo diet feel that these are the foods that the human digestive tract was created to break up, and by fueling our systems with paleo food, we are getting exactly what we need for optimal digestion and health. One of the most frequent causes of food allergies and digestive issues is ingesting foods that contain dairy and grain items. Paleo meals are wheat and dairy free, low in fats, and substantial in fiber, all of which are great for digestion.
One of the major benefits of the Paleo diet is increased energy; you will have more energy than do you know what to do with. People say they feel younger and claim they have more energy than they can ever recall having. Our ancestors required a lot of energy just to get through their day, just to survive. Their diet sustained them well enough to walk miles each day, to run from predators, to lift heavy objects, and other energy-expending activities. They had to eat foods that would provide a lot of energy. What this means for you is that the Paleo diet is sure to provide you with energy.
Preparing this type of food is very easy. Because a great deal of the food is fresh you can eat it either raw or lightly steamed. Of course meat ought to always be cooked. There is no reason to measure portions since the amount of protein inside the diet fills you up and satisfies your appetite, unlike refined food with their empty carbs and sugar which just make you hungrier and thirstier rendering it easy to eat excessively.
Now that you have decided to try the Paleo diet that everyone is buzzing about, it is very important that you become well informed about what foods are encouraged and what foods aren’t acceptable. It isn’t as hard to clarify those two categories as you would think, for as long as you keep at heart that if it isn’t really nutritious or good for your body, it’s usually not on the list of Paleo foods.
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Hello hilariosc,
Your article is very interesting. I have never heard of this diet. Though I agree that avoiding processed foods is healthier, I question what is the source of essential minerals and vitamins with the Paleo diet. If dairy and vegetable are restricted, what are the sources of calcium and folic acid?
Interestingly, the life expectancy during the upper Paleolithic era was 33 years.
Maryann
March 29, 2013 - 5:19pmThis Comment