The Basics Of The Paleo Diet - The Paleo diet (an easier, shorter way to refer to the Paleolithic diet) is intended to help you eat higher-quality food. It is based on the theory that our genes today are the result of the conditions humans - our cavemen ancestors - lived in more than a million years ago.
Evolution is an incredibly slow process, and humans have only been cultivating crops such as wheat for about 10,000 years. It hasn't been nearly long enough for our bodies to adapt enough to allow us to digest these types of foods properly. Our physiology and metabolism are simply not geared to eat legumes, grains and dairy products. This is why so many people have such difficulty digesting the foods in today's typical diet.
The Paleo diet tackles the digestive issues caused by slow evolution by focusing on typical caveman food: meats, vegetables and fruits. Processed and packaged foods should always be avoided if you're following the Paleo diet. Basically, if food comes in a box or some other package, stay away from it. Fortunately, the Paleo diet allows you to eat many other foods.
Lean cuts of meat, for example, are one of the core foods of the Paleolithic diet. Liver, tongue and certain other types of organ meats are also permitted. Cavemen also ate eggs, although they did not eat dairy products. So, provided that you limit your egg consumption to no more than six per week, eggs are fine. You can also enjoy a variety of nuts while you're on the diet. They are excellent sources of monounsaturated fats - the "good" fats - but they can also help reduce your risk of heart disease, lower your cholesterol, and lower the risk of certain cancers, such as breast cancer. Nuts are also a high-calorie food, though, so limit your intake if you're on the Paleo diet to lose weight. If you stick with the diet, your metabolism will speed up, so eventually you'll be able to eat more nuts.
While you can use "don't eat it if it comes in a box" as a guideline for the foods you can eat on the diet, it doesn't go quite far enough. There are other foods that should be considered off-limits when you're following the Paleo diet. Cavemen did not drink soda, so avoid those sugary beverages. In fact, any type of sugar is off-limits, including all sweeteners and syrups. Likewise, cavemen did not eat grains, so all foods that have grains as ingredients should be avoided. This includes all breads, cookies, pancakes, pastas, rolls and so forth. Similarly, you should not eat any dairy products like milk, cheese, butter or cream, because they were not a part of the caveman's diet.
Your food choices are restricted by the Paleolithic diet, but you'll still have plenty to eat and you'll benefit in several ways if you follow the diet. Most Paleo food is high in protein, and research has shown that someone who follows a high-protein diet for six months can lose ten to fifteen pounds without boosting their physical activity level. You might lose even more if you become more physically active. The Paleo diet can be a great choice for those who want to lose weight or simply want to become healthier.
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