The Paleo Diet
We have gone all Paleo diet – a diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food – this week as we are hearing more and more the benefits that this eating plan has on people. Not not only does it help you lose weight without feeling hungry, this high-protein and high-fibre diet also means you aren’t cutting calories or counting them. It also appears that many other people, some with inflammatory conditions or immune-system diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, feel some relief from pain and discomfort when they remove gluten and dairy from their diet.
Ok, so what actually is the Paleo diet? It is a nutritious real foods diet that eliminates processed foods as well as grains. The Paleo diet is the original human diet, designed by nature itself, that we are genetically programmed to eat. The Palaeolithic diet – also called the caveman diet, Stone Age diet, and hunter-gatherer diet – is a simple and healthy way of eating based upon the wild plants and animals that mankind ate during the Paleolithic era. It is the diet humans have subsisted upon for more than two million years.
Loren Cordain, PhD, who wrote the book on The Paleo Diet, claims that by eating like our prehistoric ancestors, we’ll be leaner and less likely to get diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other health problems.
What you can eat:
Lost of fresh lean meats and fish, fruits, vegetables and healthier fats. Eggs, nuts, seeds and healthier oils, including olive oil and coconut oil.
What you can’t eat:
You can’t eat any processed foods on this diet. Since our ancestors were hunter-gatherers, not farmers, no wheat and dairy, along with other grains and legumes (such as peanuts and beans). Other foods to avoid: dairy, refined sugar, potatoes, salt and refined vegetable oils, such as canola.
Liz Sheehan, our in-house nutritional therapist says that people tend to find breakfast the hardest. Here are some of her suggestions:
– Boiled, poached, scrambled eggs with rocket or spinach
– Chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut chips, flax seeds (see The Paleo Foods Co. grain free granola article) with unsweetened almond or coconut milk, add frozen berries too
– Green smoothie with nut butter or hemp seeds for protein
– Paleo bread (see next article) with coconut butter or little spread of honey
– Protein shake
– Bacon/sausages but not every day!
As with any diet, it takes a few weeks to get used to it and your body to adjust. If you are interested in trying this way of eating but would like more guidance, tips and recipes, please get in touch as we can help you on your way.
