A paleo diet is a dietary plan that’s based on foods that are likewise to the ones eaten during the Paleolithic era, around 10,000 years ago.
It includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds — they are mostly foods that in the past could be gotten by hunting and gathering.
These foods may include some dairy products, grains, and legumes. It’s also called Paleolithic diet or the Stone Age diet, hunter-gatherer.
Its main purpose is to return to a way of eating that’s more like what early humans ate. As ages went by, Farming changed what we humans ate and established dairy, grains, and legumes as additional staples in the human diet.
This change in diet, according to the hypothesis, made it difficult for the body to adapt. And it’s Known to make obesity, diabetes and heart disease prevail in these recent times.
People who follow the Paleo diet have some reasons such as
- weight loss or maintaining their weight.
- Helpful when prepping meals
Here are some recommendations of the Paleo diet it is also known that they vary, and some have stricter guidelines than others.
Foods to Eat
If you follow the Paleo diet these are some of the foods, you can eat:
- Meat like sheep, chicken, beef, turkey, pork.
- Fish like Salmon, trout, haddock, shrimp, shellfish
- Eggs
- Vegetables like Broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and so forth
- Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados and so forth
- potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and so forth
- Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potato and so forth
- Nuts and seeds: Almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seed
- Solid fats and oils: Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and others.
- Salt and flavors: Sea salt, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, and so forth
Foods to avoid
- Grains, such as wheat, oats, and barley
- Legumes like beans, lentils, peanuts, and peas
- Dairy products
- Refined sugar
- Salt
- Potatoes
- You should stay from highly processed foods in general
- Some vegetable oils like Soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, corn oil etc.
Benefits of the Paleo Diet
Helps in weight loss
Studies has shown that the paleo diet helps in weight loss. In the first study, it was observed by 14 healthy students who were instructed to follow the paleo diet for about 3 weeks.
It was found out that while on the diet, they lost an average of 5.1 pounds and reduced their waist circumference by 0.6 inches (1.5 cm).
In the second study, it was observed on 70 obese women who were around the age of 60. They were told to follow the paleo diet or low fat, high-fiber diet for 24 months.
The research showed that after 6 months the woman who took the paleo diet lost approximately 2.5 times more weight and in the period of 12 months, they lost about 2 times more.
How the Paleo Diet Helps in Weight Loss
High in Protein
Protein is a very important nutrient for weight loss. It increases metabolism and reduces your appetite and control several hormones that regulate your weight
Paleo diets also encourages the eating of protein-rich foods like lean meats, fish, and eggs. It is researched that an average paleo diet will contain about 25–35% calories from protein.
Low in Carbs
By limiting or moderating your intake of carbohydrate is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Studies have shown that a low-carb diet is more effective than traditional, low-fat diets for weight loss.
Paleo diets reduces your carbohydrate intakes by eliminating common sources of carbs like bread, rice, and potatoes. Although carbs are not bad for you but restricting your carb intake can reduce your daily calorie intake and help in weight loss.
Reduces Calorie Intake
If you want to lose weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake. Therefore it’s very important to choose foods that can make you feel fuller for long, as they can make you not go hungry easily and keep hunger off which will make eat less.
Studies has shown that the paleo diet in comparison with the Mediterranean and diabetes diet, tends to be more filling than them.
It has also been shown that the paleo diet helps produce hormones that keeps us to be fill after a meal.
Eliminates Highly Processed Foods
When on the Paleo diet, it Eliminates our eating of Highly processed foods. Our modern diet is one of the major reasons why there’s obesity and still increasing
Our modern diet encourages eating of highly processed foods, that are packed with lots of unwanted calories and it’s also low in nutrients and will increase your risk of many diseases.
The diet curbs highly processed foods, which the people of the paleolithic period did not take. Research was made and it was found out that eating of highly processed foods was the major reason of obesity among people.
So as the Paleo diet restricts or prevents us from the consumption of Highly processed food, it encourages the consumption of lean sources of protein, vegetables and fresh fruits and healthy fats, which are lower in calories and rich in nutrients.
Eliminates Added Sugar
Added sugars like highly processed foods can cause you to get lots of fats, it affects your website loss efforts and health in general. Since it adds calories to foods and is quite low in nutrients, it’s not advisable if you want to lose weight. And high intakes of added sugar will increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes
The paleo diet helps in eliminating added sugar and instead provides natural sources of sugar from fresh fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables have natural sugars, they also provide many essential nutrients like vitamins, fiber and water, and its beneficiary for the health
May Reduce Heart Disease Risk Factors
The paleo diet is like some diet that are recommended to improve the healthy state of the heart. The diet is low in salt and encourages lean sources of protein, healthy fats and fresh fruits and vegetables. That’s why studies have shown that a paleo diet can reduce risk factors linked to heart disease.
It May also Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation is the natural process that helps the body to fight and heal infections. But chronic inflammation is harmful and will increase the risk of diseases like the heart disease and diabetes. The paleo diet is on certain foods that will help reduce chronic inflammation.
It encourages eating fresh fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables are great sources of Antioxidants. The work of Antioxidants is to help bind and neutralize free radicals in the body that damages the cells during chronic inflammation.
It recommends eating of fish
Fish is one of the good sources of protein of which the paleo diet recommends. Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, that reduces chronic inflammation by suppressing hormones that promote chronic inflammation.
Leaner Muscles
Paleo diet plan relies heavily on meat and so, you’ll be consuming a fair amount of protein to feed your muscles. This will help to enhance a leaner size of body, and can even help with muscle growth if you engage yourself in bodybuilding like or other exercises while taking the diet.
Avoids Wheat and Gluten
The diet will prevent you from the consumption of wheat diet, which gets rid of the gluten, It’s a free gluten diet. Study suggest gluten is problematic for the digestive system and for weight gain, even for those that do not have the Celiac disease, or don’t have a sensitivity to gluten.
While not on the gluten diet, it’s been revealed that it contributes to a larger midsections and sluggish digestion, you start to improve your body nature and will now start to feel better.
It Helps to make You Sleep Better
while on the paleo diet, it will help you have a better sleep because there will be no consumption of the added chemicals and additives that like in major foods, keeps your body getting weaker at night.
This is because your brain releases serotine as a signal to the body that’s it’s time to sleep and this won’t be disturbed by the chemicals on food since there will be no added chemicals while on the paleo diet. When you start to feel sleepy, you should sleep.
The diet is rich in potassium
Well, eating a lot of fruit and vegetables increases potassium levels, which is very important for maintaining a healthy blood pressure and healthy kidney and muscle function.
It can get expensive to practice
If you’re following it strictly, you don’t get to eat any grains or dairy which is good for health and supplies good amount of energy. This diet is difficult for vegetarians to follow since it excludes beans.
Stopping an entire food group can affect in a way such that the essential nutrients and vitamins that are in that group will be exempted.
The diet is not suitable for athletes since Most athletes need around 3 to 6 grams of carbs per pound of their body weight, per day. And it will be very hard to practice with just fruits and vegetables.
We Humans today are not genetically identical to ancestors from the Paleolithic period, as We have evolved to adapt to the new and changing environment.
It is not possible to fully adopt to the same diet as the people did in the Paleolithic periods, as animals and plants have evolved and different in comparison with what they might have been 10,000 years ago.
Fiber is beneficial for good health and then the Paleo diet doesn’t support that, which will prevent the consumption of such.
Also, with legumes that highly beneficial to good health and are also rich in magnesium, selenium, and manganese.
Some Meal Recipes for the Paleo Diet
Easy Paleo Meatloaf
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, should be chopped well
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. almond flour
2 large eggs
2 tbsp. coconut aminos, divided
1/4 c. tomato paste
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
Procedures and instructions
First thing to do is to Preheat the oven to around 350°.
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it with cooking spray. In a large skillet over medium heat, you should heat oil. Then Add onions and garlic and then allow to cook until soft for about 5 minutes. Now Season it with oregano, salt, and pepper and allow to cool
In a huge bowl, combine meat, almond flour, eggs, 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, and onion blend and season with salt and pepper. Press meat blend into arranged dish.
In medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, tomato glue, 1 tablespoon of coconut aminos, cayenne mustard powder and Garlic powder. After the whisking, Season with salt and pepper.
Brush combination all over meatloaf.
Heat until meatloaf is cooked, and its interior temperature reaches at 155°, 60 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes prior to removing from pan and serving.
Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
1 lb. pork tenderloin, sliced in half crosswise
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
Want to get started, you should Season the pork with salt and pepper, then Turn Instant Pot to Sauté setting and hotness oil. At the point when oil is gleaming, add pork. Singe until its golden everywhere will take about 6 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and Season with stew powder, cumin, and garlic powder.
Switch off Sauté setting, and then Place trivet in Instant Pot, you should add 1 cup of water, and the pork should be arranged on a trivet. Lock top and set to Pressure Cook on high for about 5 minutes
now you should allow pressure to normally release for 1 minute, then, at that point, then quick release the remaining pressure
Now, rest the meat for about 5 minutes before you slice it.
Final Thoughts
The paleo diet is a diet that’s like that of the hunter-gatherers. Studies has shown a lot of its benefits, but it also has some disadvantages or problems associated with it.
It is difficult to follow exactly as the diet is supposed to be, but we should be cautious of the main things it’s avoids like the added sugar and processed foods.
We can try watching our diet to be like the Paleo diet although still taking our modern food expect the ones with added sugar and processed foods or junk foods.
The diet comprises of meals like fish and meat, eggs, seeds and nuts and fruits and vegetables.
