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We all hear about diets regularly. The truth is that many different diets exist and that it’s difficult to choose the best one.
To find out which is the best option for each of us and to try to make the best choice, we have to know our body, we have to know what our goals are and, above all, what kind of foods we like best.
One of the most popular diets, and the most heard of lately, is the Paleo diet.
Do you know what it is? Have you considered it? In this article you’ll discover what the Paleo diet is, how it came about and what its health benefits are.
Discover if it’s the best option for you!
What is the Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet or paleolithic diet, is characterized mainly by the absence of foods introduced after the agricultural revolution (or Neolithic revolution), approximately 9,000 years ago.
Meaning, it’s a diet based on the absence of:
- Cereals
- Dairy products
- Legumes
- Refined vegetable oils
- Sugars
- The rest of processed foods that appeared after the industrial revolution
In the Paleolithic, men fed, above all, with what the earth provided naturally.
It is allowed the consumption of:
- Vegetables
- Root-crops
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Fish
- Meat
- Seafood
- Fats
Attention! It’s not based on a proportion of macronutrients, because different studied traditional populations did not have the same relation of macronutrients, they were very varied.
Curiosity! The differences between the bodies of the Paleolithic era and the present ones are obvious. At present, a large part of the population is above their healthy weight. It’s important to reverse this trend.
Who knows if the Paleo diet may be the best way?
Who created this philosophy?
This philosophy was created by Dr. Loren Cordain, who has been one of its greatest diffusers. Throughout his life he researched and compiled many scientific arguments.
In this interview, Loren Cordain explains the principle behind this philosophy:
“The concept in the 21st century is to try to mimic or emulate nutritional characteristics of the foods that our ancestors ate. They ate wild plants, fresh fruits, vegetables, wild animals, meats, seafood, fish, eggs, what have you from their environment. They didn’t eat grains. They didn’t eat processed foods, processed sugars, processed vegetable oils or any of the foods that compromise about 70 percent of the calories of the typical US diet.”
This affirmation, initially linked to the typical diet of the United States, can be extended to other countries.
This diet, based on the philosophy of almost “back to the origins,” tries to prove that man does not need processed, artificial or unhealthy foods to survive.
Its aim is, above all, to improve people’s quality of life, helping to improve their overall health and well-being. In addition, it’s also used to lose weight and to gain muscle mass, as it’s a way to avoid unhealthy habits.
Attention! There are some prohibited foods in this diet that aren’t as harmful for our health, such as legumes.
Main benefits
Improve our nutrition and health
The intake of meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and seeds provides us all the nutrients we need to live a healthy life.
We’ll consume:
- Carbohydrates (mainly through the consumption of fruits and vegetables)
- Vitamins (mainly through the consumption of fruits and vegetables)
- Proteins (mainly through fish, meat, eggs and seafood)
- Fats (from proteins, seeds and nuts)
In addition, the consumption of good fats improves the condition of our arteries and our skin, as well as the functioning of our brain.
Natural foods
The Paleolithic diet is only composed of unprocessed foods. This prevents us from consuming all kinds of artificial preservatives, colorants and flavors. Like this, we eat much less toxins.
Weight loss
Studies show that this diet can help you to lose weight. Reducing the consumption of some types of carbohydrates (and consequently, lowering blood glucose), processed foods and artificial sugars, can help to decrease the likelihood of fat accumulation.
The consumption of proteins and fibers that this diet stimulates, promotes a satiating effect, which causes a reduction of the appetite.
The Paleolithic diet, complemented with physical activity, accelerates metabolism, so it can help burn more calories and increase muscle mass, mainly because it’s a diet in which proteins are one of the main elements.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
The anti-inflammatory effects of some of the foods typical in this diet will help you to strengthen your immune system.
In addition, this diet improves the intestinal flora, thus enabling a correct digestion.
Improves your mood
Foods rich in proteins and good fats satiate the appetite. This prevents us from experiencing a constant hunger sensation and prevents sudden changes of mood.
Who can follow this type of diet?
Anyone who wants to take care of their nutrition and thinks that a diet like the one of our ancestors is the most correct, because the food industry has invented many foods that can’t be classified as such.
There are many celebrities, from athletes to singers or actors, who follow this diet. It’s also very popular among Cross Training athletes.
To find out more about this modality, you can read the blog article with everything that you should know about Cross Training.
A very important thing, that we must also keep in mind, is that the Paleolithic diet is not suitable for everyone because every person is different and has different goals.
For example: a competition cyclist doesn’t want to have a diet high in fibers with a low percentage of carbohydrates, because he would only have little energy to face his big races.
This is one of the main limitations of this diet. It makes it difficult to obtain and maintain optimum energy levels, hindering both exercise performance and post-workout recovery, because most of the carbohydrates allowed in this diet have a low glycemic index.
Or, for example, for a person prone to elevations of uric acid, this diet can be harmful, since meats, seafood and fish contain large amounts of uric acid.
In conclusion
Many of the Paleolithic proposals are much more recommendable than those of diets in which we include current unhealthy products.
In fact, I recognize that our current pattern of food consumption exceeds in unhealthy and processed products, that are rich in saturated and trans fats, with added sugars, low-fiber, refined, high in sodium … and that compromises our health.
But after all, recognizing that the way we eat isn’t the most appropriate and that alternatives are necessary – such as the Paleo diet – is a good sign.
Discover what the best supplements are for the Paleo diet in our upcoming article on this subject!
