What Is The Paleo Diet?

August 19, 2013

What Is The Paleo Diet?

In searching for hot new diets, you may have heard of the Paleolithic or paleo diet. It’s been covered on just about every health and nutrition news station you can think of. Not only ago, Dr. Oz even did a segment about the paleo diet. With so many people ranting and raving about it, the paleo diet must be good, right? To determine whether or not this dieting plan is right for you, you must first take a closer look into it.

Paleo Diet: The Basics

The paleo diet is names after the Paleolithic era, which lasted from 2.5 millions years ago to roughly 10,000 years ago. At the end of the Paleolithic era, humans’ diets shifted from fresh fruits and vegetables to more grain-based products. The paleo diet is based around the theory that processed grain-based foods lead to poor health; therefore, eating foods that were readily available during the Paleolithic era results in better nutrition and ultimately better health.

You are probably wondering just what in the world people ate back in the Paleolithic era. Well, a typical diet consisted of fish, grass-fed pasture meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi and nuts. If you want intend on giving the paleo diet a try, you’ll be building meals around these items. The good news is that it gives you a good bit of freedom over your food choices, but the bad news is that you’ll have to cut out certain foods.

There are some foods you must avoid with the paleo diet. As previously stated, any foods or ingredients made within the last 10,000 years should be avoided. This includes milk and dairy products, refined sugar, grains, legumes, refined salt and processed oils. Remember, you must avoid any and all foods containing these ingredients. Once you start the paleo diet, you’ll probably be surprised to learn just how many foods contain these ingredients. Nearly every type of processed food will contain at least some refined salt

Does The Paleo Diet Work?

The short answer is YES, the paleo diet does work. Like any other type of diet, though, it requires dedication and persistence. Far too many people jump into the diet expecting to lose weight within a week or two. If you remain vigilant and stick to the rules of the paleo diet, you will likely lose some weight during the first few weeks, but it’s the long-term effects that are truly beneficial. The paleo diet will naturally reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol while promoting a healthy heart.