The paleo diet is not your usual weight loss diet, but rather a lifestyle. Like vegetarians, Paleo adherents impose a number of rules on their diet based on the belief that industrially manufactured foods are harmful to health.
On paleo, only traditional food is allowed – instead of canned food, pizza and chips, you must eat vegetables, meat, fish and eggs.
The paleo diet is not only an effective way to get rid of extra pounds, but also a method to improve immunity. Since the stomach is responsible for 80% of the immune system, avoiding food allergens absent in Paleo can help promote health.
What is the paleo diet?
The paleo diet is about giving up “modern” foods and switching to traditional foods. The name “paleo” refers to the Paleolithic period, which lasted 2.5 million years and ended 13 thousand years BC. Essentially, this diet puts an attempt to eat like a caveman.
The paleo diet is based on the fact that most of the food we are used to have appeared literally in the last hundred years. However, scientific research confirms that a diet rich in simple carbohydrates disrupts metabolism, leading to weight gain.
Paleo is an effective diet for losing weight and maintaining a stable body weight. Since paleo requires all grains (wheat, rye, oats, rice) to be avoided, it is actually a low carbohydrate diet. Also, the diet involves avoiding gluten, lactose and casein.
Paleo diet – in short:
• rejection of modern food products
• switching to traditional food
• suitable for food allergies
Paleo diet - what can you eat?
The paleo diet allows for the consumption of any meat, eggs and seafood – beef, pork, lamb, chicken, sea and river fish, shrimp and so on. It is only required to refuse semi-finished meat products (sausages, crab sticks, cold cuts, and so on).
Note that paleo experts differ as to whether fish can be eaten. Only fish of ordinary catch is allowed – but not salmon raised on fish farms. In those cases, the fish could be eating corn, which is prohibited on the paleo.
Paleo – general list of allowed foods:
• fish, poultry, meat
• eggs
• vegetables
• fruits and dried fruits
• mushrooms and nuts
Vegetables and fruits
Although the paleo diet permits vegetables (including tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, various peppers, cabbage), legumes (beans, peas, peanuts) are prohibited. White potatoes are allowed on paleo but in moderate amount. Sweet potatoes (yams) are allowed because they contain less starch.
The Paleo diet allows for fresh fruits with a low glycemic index, recommending a limited amount. In addition, it is preferable to use not exotic fruits from distant tropical countries, but seasonal fruits grown in your region.
Nuts and vegetable oils
The paleo diet permits (and even welcomes!) most nuts and seeds – almonds, cashews, walnuts and pine nuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. At the same time, peanuts and any derivatives (for example, peanut butter) are strictly prohibited, since peanuts are a typical legume.
The oils of the aforementioned nuts and seeds are also recommended for consumption, as they contain a large amount of beneficial nutrients. Coconut and olive oils are allowed, but exclusively virgin (cold pressed without processing). Sunflower, palm, rapeseed and soybean oils are prohibited as refined oils.
Paleo diet - prohibited foods
The paleo diet prohibits the consumption of any grains and legumes, as well as brown rice. Quinoa, buckwheat and buckwheat flour are also generally not allowed on the paleo, as although these crops have been cultivated by humans not so long ago, they have been significantly modernized.
Nutritionists and paleo experts are at odds with white rice. Most of them recommend to completely eliminate it citing the fact that peeled rice is just pure starch. On the other hand, some still allow the use of rice varieties such as “Basmati” or “Jasmine” in minimal quantities
Paleo diet – prohibited foods:
Dairy
Any milk, just like all kinds of dairy products in the form of butter, cheese, cottage cheese and yoghurts, are prohibited on the paleo. The main reason is the presence of a strong food allergen in dairy products – lactose. However, soy milk is also not allowed because soy is a legume.
Given the fact that most sports protein blends are made from whey, sports protein should also not be taken on paleo.
Since the paleo diet means avoiding wheat, other grains (oats, rye) and even pseudo grains (buckwheat, quinoa), it is actually a low-carb diet. In turn, restricting carbohydrates in your diet not only has a positive effect on insulin levels, but also helps you lose weight.
At the same time, the most effective dieting for weight loss on the paleo diet is to reduce the total calorie content of food by 15-20%. For women seeking to lose weight, it is recommended to consume 1400-1500 kcal per day, for men – 1800-2000 kcal.
Proteins, fats and carbs ratios in paleo for weight loss.
Note that the paleo diet itself does not impose restrictions on the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet. If paleo is used for weight loss, then carbohydrates should account for about 20% of calories, proteins – 30-35%, and fats – 45-50%.
The choice of fat sources plays a key role. It is recommended that you cut back on saturated animal fats, favoring various vegetable oils (primarily olive) and coconut oil. Nuts are another great source of healthy fats in Paleo.
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The paleo diet is a diet that involves avoiding industrial foods.
The paleo diet allows for fish, poultry and meat (exclusively grass-fed), eggs, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and nuts. Any semi-finished products, grains, wheat flour and flour products, legumes, sugar, milk, dairy products and refined vegetable oils are prohibited. Eliminating alcohol, gluten, lactose, and simple carbohydrates from the diet can definitely be beneficial.
Which vegetable contains the most carbs?
