What is the Paleo Diet?
The Paleo Diet also known as the "Caveman Diet" is derived from the Paleolithic Era ("Should You Eat Like a Caveman?'). Boyd Eaton, MD of Emory University, studied this diet and the benefits it provides to health. With further research, Dr. Loren Cordain, Colorado State University, and author of The Paleo Answer , inspired what is known as the Paleo Movement.
During the Paleolithic Era, diets consisted of fruits, vegetables, and grass-fed meats. Diets changed rapidly due to agriculture and the consumption of large amounts of grains. According to Cordain, due to the rapid change our bodies did not have time to adapt and our current diets are incompatible with our genetic makeup (Challem). Our current diet is loaded with processed foods, refined sugars, high-glycemic carbohydrates, saturated and trans fats, and salts. Compared to the "Caveman Diet", which consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and seafood with a decreased amount of refined sugars, grains, saturated and trans fats, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, processed foods, and dairy products, while the current average diet is more prone to lead to an unhealthy lifestyle ("Ask En. The Modern Take On The Paleo Diet: Is It Grounded Science?"). So is the Paleo Diet right for you? According to a Swedish Study, subjects who had advanced heart disease and Type II diabetes or some other form of glucose intolerance showed a 26% decrease in blood sugar and an average of a 2-inch decrease in their waistline after incorporating the Paleo way into their lifestyle (Challem). Having a diet such as Paleo to be the foundation of your eating habits can promote a low-glycemic diet due to the avoidance of refined sugars, concentrated sweeteners, and processed grains. Refined sugars, concentrated sweeteners, and processed grains are at the root of the obesity and diabetic problems we face today ("Vegan vs. Paleo"). Of course there are those that say the Paleo Diet deviates from the recommendations made by many expert nutritionists, and there are concerns about the lack of complex carbohydrates in the diet due to the avoidance of whole grains ("Should You Eat Like A Caveman?"). In addition, just like all diets, if not properly monitored the Paleo Diet can in fact lead to an unhealthy eating style. Ensuring a proper balance between animal products and plant produce is vital and the quality of meat is equally important. Consuming meat that has been feed nothing but grains all throughout the animal's life is counterproductive in the scheme of the Paleo Diet ("Paleo vs. Vegan").The reason this is considered counterproductive is because Paleo dieters believe in the concept, "you are what you eat". This applies to animals as well as humans. If the animal consumes grains than when you consume the animal you too have consumed the grains. Participating in such habits is considered taboo when it comes to the Paleo way.
What Can I Eat?
For a list of things you can and cannot eat on the Paleo Diet according to Dr.Loren Cordain click here.
For a list of "Paleo Friendly" recipes click the following
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
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