We have never been so obsessed with our weight and our health- a quick browse of the internet can offer us a diet plan based on any kind of restrictions: no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no carbs, no meat, no fruit- Phew! Are you overwhelmed? What if it was all more simple??really simple? Caveman simple?? That?s what Dr Loren Cordain had in mind when he came up with the Paleolithic diet, known as the Paleo diet for short.
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The theory behind the diet is simple- agriculture on a large scale has only existed for the last 10000 years or so, and its development brought with it a whole way of eating that is so ingrained in our modern life now that we completely take it for granted; this is a diet based on grains and cereals. You may not be able to imagine life without bread, but for our ancestors it didn?t exist!
Instead, theirs was a hunter/gatherer diet, based on meat, vegetables and fruit, nuts, funghi, and roots. And this is exactly the sort of food that the Paleo diet is based on. Quite simply, it?s the food we have evolved to exist on, argues Dr Cordain. What?s missing? Any cereal or grain-based food (bye bye pasta and rice), dairy products, sugar, and any processed food.
The diet, in essence, could be quite healthy; dieters are encouraged to eat organically, sourcing vegetables seasonally; and by cutting out processed carbohydrates and sugars (and yes, that does include alcohol unfortunately), a dieter can reduce their risk of diabetes and regulate insulin levels, not to mention drop a few inches from around the waist.
The Drawbacks?
Of course, in addition to the pros, be warned that this diet also comes with a few cons. Firstly, an increased intake of meat could mean an increased intake of saturated fats, which means higher cholesterol levels. High meat consumption is also linked with poor digestion, and an increased risk of diseases like bowel cancer.
This could be countered by approaching the diet responsibly; not eating meat with every meal, and choosing to eat much more fish rather than red meat. However, reports seem to show that dieters are happier to go for a juicy steak than a fish.
The second problem we are faced with is the huge deficiency of calcium in the diet, since dairy products are a Paleo no-no. This can be extremely detrimental to the health of our bones and teeth, as well as to a variety of other functions for which we need calcium. Of course, you can get calcium from dark leafy greens like kale, but you would have to eat a substantial amount of them to get an adequate level of calcium into your diet.
On a practical level, this diet is not cheap! Organic meat and vegetables can cost a fair amount more than your average supermarket product, and since it is considered as a diet for life- in essence a complete eating overhaul- the cost of following it strictly will eventually add up.
A Paleo Food Plan
If you think eating like your cavemen forefathers sounds like just the diet for you, here is an example of a three-day food plan, to give you an idea of how you could be eating:
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | |
| 2 boiled eggs with a grilled tomato and bacon | Salad with roast chicken, cherry tomatoes, and an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing | Shepherds Pie, with mashed parsnip and carrots instead of potato. | Chopped apple and pear, plus a handful of unsalted nuts. | |
| Mixed nuts and berries with coconut milk | Tuna Nicoise Salad without the potatoes- olives, cherry tomatoes, boiled egg and vinaigrette dressing. | Roast chicken with grilled Mediterranean vegetables- peppers, courgettes and tomatoes | Chopped raw veg with guacamole | |
| Fruit salad | Hearty chicken and vegetable soup | Grilled trout and steamed spinach and broccoli, with a dairy-free pesto | Olives |
Be Responsible With Your Diet Plan:
If you decide to follow the Paleo diet, do so responsibly- make sure you eat a variety of food so that you get as many nutrients as your body needs. Also, if you suspect that the diet may be adversely affecting your health- for instance, if you suffer from prolonged constipation or if your cholesterol levels rise- then do stop and consider an alternative plan. Your health is the most precious thing you have, and any diet you follow must take that into account!
What the Papers Say:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2044343,00.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/paleo-diet-healthy_n_1898529.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/paleo-diet-meet-caveman-dieters/story?id=13030483
What People On The Web Say:
I?m Converted!
It has been one month since I first started living the paleo lifestyle and I am converted. I realised I was converted when, like all good paleo zealots, I started calling it a lifestyle not a diet. But it?s true. It feels like a natural progression for me with my focus on developing and improving myself on both mental and physical levels taking me to explore new things. I started the diet simply as a test and the experience has been so positive that it now feels unnatural to be doing anything else.
? Zac Sky ?
(http://zacsky.com) ?
My Energy and Vitality is Back!
I first started to lose weight when I switched to a low-carb diet, but continued to eat lots of dairy and soy, as I was a vegetarian. I have always been a size 12-14, and was quite pleased when I dropped to a size 10 by eliminating bread, pasta and sugar from my diet. I still experienced occasional fatigue and lots of digestive upset, though, and it wasn?t until I took an allergy test and found I was allergic to grains and dairy ? and subsequently cut both completely out of my diet ? that I started to feel the energy and vitality for which I have been searching for years.
? A Customer ?
(www.amazon.com) ?
We No Longer Struggle With Our Weight!
We have been struggling with weight issues all our lives. Now, just by following the guidelines that suggest ways to eat as close as possible to our Paleolithic ancestors, the weight has come off and stayed off: 50lb for my husband and 34lb for me. We are both only 2-3lb from our ideal body weight and keep losing slowly.
? JMacEye ?
(www.amazon.com) ?
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Source: http://www.gnet.org/get-ready-to-meet-your-inner-caveman-with-the-paleo-diet/
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