What is the paelo diet?
The paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet or the Paleolithic diet, is designed to mimic how Paleolithic humans ate thousands of years ago.
This diet was based on meat, seafood, fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts and seeds. So following the modern paleo diet means only eating these types of foods that were readily available to our ancestors.
The theory is that the human body has not adapted to the modern standard American diet that includes grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and processed foods.
According to the paleo philosophy, it is believed this modern way of eating is what contributes to current health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Like any diet, there are variations of the paelo diet and some adhere more strictly than others. For example, some people may choose to eat dairy and gluten-free grains such as quinoa on the paelo diet, while others may not.
Some of the foods allowed on a paleo diet are:
- eggs, preferably organic and/or free-range
- fresh fruit such as avocado, bananas, berries, apples and figs
- fresh vegetables such as kale, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, etc.
- fish and shellfish, preferably wild
- lean meats and game meats, preferably organic, grass-fed and/or free-range
- nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, etc.
- oils such as extra-virgin, avocado, coconut and flax
- sea salt, spices and herbs such as turmeric, rosemary and cinnamon
- seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower, etc.
Some of the foods not allowed on a paleo diet are:
- dairy, including milk, butter, cheese and yogurt (some do eat full-fat dairy such as butter and cheese)
- grains including breads, wheat, rye, barley and rice
- legumes such as beans, lentils and peanuts/peanut butter
- processed foods
- processed meats that are smoked or cured, including bacon and deli meat
- starchy vegetables such as potatoes (according to some)
- sugar and all sweets, including honey, maple and artificial sweeteners (according to some)
- vegetable oils such as canola, corn and soybean
Sample paleo menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner:
Breakfast
- Organic egg frittata with kale, leeks and tomatoes, with fresh berries on the side
- Grain-free granola with nuts, seeds and toasted coconut with fresh banana and almond milk yogurt
Lunch
- Kale Caesar with green kale, hearts of romaine, lemon-garlic dressing, paleo “croutons”, cashew cheese
- Roasted carrot ginger soup with lemon grass and curry
Dinner
- Sesame seared tuna with vegetable fried cauliflower “rice”
- Grass-fed beef with herb chimichurri and roasted seasonal vegetables
If you find this diet interesting please see these related pages:
Sources: Mayoclinic.org, Everydayhealth.com