Our bodies haven’t changed that much since the Stone Age. Sure, our baby toe has probably shrunk a bit and our spines have straightened out (when we’re not bent over our computer!) but all in all, it’s quite similar. What’s different is what we’re putting into it. Oh, and how much exercise we’re doing, so make sure to do your daily jumping jacks!
Once humans discovered agriculture, we stopped our nomadic way of life and became comfortable. And bigger. Supporters of the Paleo diet say that this is because we’re meant to eat differently things depending on which region our ancestors are from. The Paleo diet is just going that step further, back to our Stone Age land. It’s probably one of the easiest to follow when it comes to what you can and cannot eat: only eat what someone back in the Stone Age would have been able to find.
What to Eat
Think back to the Stone Age; what could they hunt or fish? They had all kinds of meat, regional vegetables, nuts, and regional fruit. The list is pretty long, so here’s a quick overview of what you can eat:
Meat: poultry, turkey, bacon, pork, beef, salmon, and even rattlesnake if you’re into that.
Vegetables: carrots, spinach, peppers, eggplant, asparagus, squash, and sweet potatoes.
Fats: olive oil, coconut oil, and grass-fed butter.
Nuts: walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts.
Fruits: apples, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, oranges and bananas.
What Not to Eat
This one’s easy to figure out, though it can be a little hard to follow at first. Cut out all refined sugar, processed food and grains (I know, the whole world’s against grains now! I’ll explain why next week in an article about Gluten Free Diets). Yes, cavemen babies had dairy, but they stopped once they were old enough to eat real food, and so do people on the Paleo diet. Here’s a quick recap of what not to eat.
Legumes: no beans, including soybeans, peanuts, kidney beans, pinto beans or chickpeas.
High sugar: no candy, chocolate, soft drinks, ketchup, pastries or fruit juice (which should only be consumed in moderation even when you aren’t following any specific health trend).
Dairy: no milk, cheese, sour cream, ice cream or yogurt.
Grains: no bread, pasta, cereal, oatmeal or crackers
Alcohol: no tequila, beer, rum or whiskey
Pros
The most commonly proposed reason to switch to the Paleo diet is to go back to our roots. As I said earlier, this is the way cavemen ate. Our bodies haven’t changed much, and just can’t handle what we’re currently feeding them. The second reason is, of course, to lose weight. Because our bodies aren’t processing everything that we’re putting in, we’re storing the fat that can’t be used. Supporters say that the Paleo diet, mixed with a healthy dose of daily exercise, will get rid of excess fat. Additionally, many different trends highlight how eating a lot of protein helps build muscle. If you want to see how the Paleo diet will help you become more fit, try doing a search on Google: you’ll see all the proud supporters showing off their new bods.
Want more? Supporters and critics of the Paleo diet have conducted clinical trials proving that the Paleo diet helps reduce inflammation blood pressure and acne. I don’t know about you guys, but my pimples didn’t suddenly disappear when I came to university. It might be worth a try.
Cons
As with any health trend, there are always some cons. Some argue that we don’t need to go back to cavemen times because we’ve actually adapted to eating more grains and dairy. Others say that it’s just too restrictive to get all of the nutrients needed. Of course, you can’t choose only 3-4 items from each food group and stick with it forever. Like any diet, you’ll need a bit of variety. You’ll also need to take Vitamin D and calcium supplements, since you won’t be eating dairy anymore.
Especially important among us university women, since we tend to eat less meat: you cannot be vegetarian or pescetarian and be on the Paleo diet. Since legumes, grains and dairy are all cut out, you simply won’t be able to get enough protein to stay healthy!
If you want to try the Paleo diet, ease into it. Variety is important, so put together a bunch of yummy recipes before you start. Print out a list of all the foods you can and cannot eat, and post them on your fridge. Then go ahead and eat your fried chicken, homemade salt-free sweet potato french-fries and even some Paleo spaghetti. Yup, you read that right. Get the recipe here.
Want to read more about the crazy health treands of 2013? Check out Part 1: Juice Cleasnes.
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Picture Sources:
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http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1430745