Other Names : Paleolithic diet, also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet, hunter-gatherer diet<br><br>The Paleo is a simple dietary lifestyle that diet is based on foods being either in or out. In are the Paleolithic Era foods idea that we ate prior eating foods similar to agriculture those consumed by our hunter-gatherer ancestors is the healthiest, most successful path to sustainable weight loss and optimal health. <br>See also [[Low FODMAP diet]]==The Diet==*Build your meals around animal husbandry (meatprotein sources, fishvegetables, shellfishfruits, eggsand naturally occurring, tree nutshigh-quality fat sources.*As much as possible, vegetableseat grass-fed, rootsorganic, fruitpasture-raised meat and poultry and wild-caught fish and seafood.*Eat a wide variety of vegetables (including starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes and winter squash) and fruits (especially berries).*Enjoy a wide range of naturally occurring fats, mushroomsincluding coconut products (milk, etc.flakes, butter, and oil), avocados, olives, and olive oil. Out are Neolithic Era foods that result from agriculture or animal husbandry (*Avoid all gluten and grains, including wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, spelt, and oats.*Avoid all seed and industrial oils, including canola, soy, and corn.*Avoid dairy, beans/legumesincluding milk, potatoescream, sugar half-and fake foods)-half, cheese, and yogurt.Optimal Foraging Theory says our ancestors mostly ate *Avoid all processed and packaged foods that were easiest to hunt or gather at that specific locale. As nomads we would have adapted to various mixes of foods*Avoid all added sugars and artificial sweeteners. Under the paleo concept the quantities consumed of each “in” food (The naturally occurring sugar in fruit is up to the individualokay. You can make it meat heavy if you want)*Eat protein, or more fruit and veggies if you prefervegetables, as long as the foods you eat are paleo. Fruits in the Paleolithic would have been tart and smallerfruits, and you may want fats to limit modern fruit because satisfaction, rather than to the state of thisbeing "full" or "stuffed."
Acceptable oils should be restricted to those from fruits (olive, oil palm, avocado) or tree nuts (coconut, walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia). No high-tech industrial seed oils could have existed back then. Wild game meat would be the ideal, but grass-fed meat is used as a practical substitute. The grass-fed is needed to get the proper balance of Omega 3 (from green plants) and Omega 6 (from seeds) fatty acids. Organ meats and bone marrow are very paleo. No processed meats. Consumption of fat from grass-fed animals need not be restricted. See Gary Taubes's Good Calories, Bad Calories [for Amazon.com click image along right]. Fish should be wild-caught. For everything else organic is preferred, as this is the best we can do to get food free of modern pollutants and with the original micronutrients.
The effort to collect most seeds would not be as optimal as collecting other foods, unless collected as a condiment for the seed’s taste. Some meaty seeds, like sunflower, may have been a food. To protect their reproductive cycle, plants put anti-nutrients in seed coverings to discourage animal consumption (phytic acid, lectins, and enzyme inhibitors). Fruit seeds are not supposed to be digested, but to pass through and still be viable. They would never have been a food.
Eat the greatest variety of foods possible. Bush hunters kill whatever they find moving. Foragers note that there are more than 300 edible plants that our ancestors would have known about. Many are leafy greens. A wide range of herbs and spices is encouraged.
Salt should not be added to food. They did not have salt shakers. After removing added salt from your diet your taste buds will lose the tolerance they developed for salt. The same thing happens after sweetness is removed.
The only beverage that is truly paleo is water. You need to drink only when you are thirsty. The best is spring water that has been certified to be free of pharmaceuticals, with no chlorine or fluoride added. Buy in large PET bottles. See report on: Pharmaceuticals lurking in U.S. drinking water. If you want caffeine, organic organic green tea is the most paleo. It is the least processed. Coffee is a seed inside a fruit and is not edible raw. Fruit juice is concentrated fructose that would not have existed and would not be paleo. A very paleo and healthy beverage would be coconut water.
Agave “nectar” is just the euphemistic marketing name for High Fructose Agave Syrup. It is highly refined and it should be avoided. The only paleo sweetener is raw raw honey, and only in limited quantities. You could argue that very dilute maple syrup is paleo. If you must have sweetness, another possibility is coconut palm sugar. But best is to get all sweets out of your diet and get over it.
The inclusion of alcohol in the paleo diet is controversial. Our paleo ancestors would have come upon and eaten fermented fruit. Even spurned male butterflies get drunk on fermented fruit. Some have issues with the yeast. In Wild Fermentation (p. 127 in Amazon.com's Look Inside) [click image along right] there is a recipe for spontaneous hard cider that requires no added sugar or yeast. Now the resulting product (6% ABV) does not last long, but it would be paleo! No published paleo diet includes alcohol. But if you are going to drink it, pick one from fermented fruit and water it down to 6%. Another paleo high would have been eating cannabis leaves.
Paleo foods are nutrient dense. Supplementation would not be needed, and would not be paleo. There is one exception: Vitamin D. At least it should be supplemented for those of us that don’t live outside year round, and don't eat liver regularly. See recommendations at the Vitamin D Council. If you don't eat fish often, fish oil is another way to get Omega 3 fatty acids, though some prefer krill oil.
Food should be eaten when hungry – not at set times of the day. They hunted and gathered foods in anticipation of, or in response to, hunger pangs.
==Special Precautions of Paleo Diet==
* Low-Carb Flu : Some people experience lethargy, fatigue, irritability and shakiness when first eliminating starches, grains and legumes from their diet, explains Sébastien Noel, of Paleo Diet Lifestyle. Although you can eat sufficient carbs from plants on the Paleo diet, the change in overall carb consumption may be quite dramatic if your former diet was heavy on breads, pastas and beans. The low-carb flu symptoms usually last at most three to four weeks, says Noel. During this time, your body shifts into burning fats as a fuel source instead of carbohydrates. You can reduce the low-carb flu effect by gradually lowering your carbohydrate consumption, instead of going cold turkey on your diet overhaul.
* Cravings : You might experience cravings for sugar and other non-Paleo options like French fries or potato chips during the first couple of weeks of transitioning to a Paleo diet, according to Sarah Fragoso, author of “Everyday Paleo.” This is always followed by an increase in energy and mental clarity. The cravings cease and most people report no longer desperately desiring sweets and treats like those that they have on other diets, she explains. Fragoso is a strength and conditioning coach and a certified Level 1 Crossfit Trainer.
* Excess Protein : The Paleo diet includes large amounts of animal protein -- meat, shellfish, poultry, eggs and fish. Except for fish, which has less total fat, these foods are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Excess animal protein consumption elevates blood levels of bad LDL cholesterol, decreases good HDL cholesterol and increases your risk of heart disease. Your kidneys process the by-products of protein metabolism. Because of the high-protein content of the Paleo diet, your kidneys have to work harder to remove the additional waste products, according to Martha Filipic, technical editor for Chow Line, Ohio State University’s nutrition column.
*You don’t eat any grains, whole or otherwise, which are good for health and energy.
*Consuming no dairy foods is not great for your bones.
*If you take away foods and nutrients and don’t find suitable replacements, you can create a nutrient imbalance.
*This diet can be really hard for vegetarians, especially since the diet excludes beans.
*Most athletes need between 3 to 6 grams of carbs per pound of their body weight, per day. This would be very hard to do with just fruits and vegetables.
==Health Benefits and uses of Paleo Diet are==
* You will eat a clean diet without additives, preservatives, or chemicals.* The Paleo diet has also been proven to improve blood lipids, weight loss, and reduce pain from autoimmunity. This is because the Paleo diet consists of real, whole foods, by eating this way you eliminate several preservatives, hidden sugars, sodium, additives, coloring, artificial flavoring and other harmful ingredients. * As a result you also eliminate unnecessary toxins and consume more nutrients.
*You do get the anti-inflammatory benefit from the plant nutrients in fruits, vegetables, oils, nuts, and seeds.
*You will be eating more iron through increased red meat intake.
* Lean proteins are essential because they support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function. Protein also helps you feel satisfied between meals.
*You will have improved satiety — a feeling of fullness between meals, due to the higher intake of protein and fats.
*Most people will lose weight primarily due to the limited food choices.