Principles Of The Paleo Diet

Tens of thousands of years ago life was completely different to what it is now. Humans had to go out and search for their food. They were hunter gatherers. If they did not find food then they would die. These ancient humans were fit, strong and incredibly healthy.

A few thousand years ago this completely changed. Man discovered farming. At this point the diet changed. In the past it was all about eating fresh meat, vegetables, fruits and all sorts of produce. At the point farming was discovered, well, the diet changed to something filled with bread, corn and grains.

The problem was, humans were not adapted to this type of food. Sure, it was convenient but the human body did not know how to process it properly, it still doesn’t.

Humans nowadays are less fit than they were in the past and many people are succumbing to diseases that could probably be easily prevented. It is believed that this is all down to our diet. This is why many people are starting to look into the Paleo Diet, sometimes known as the ‘Caveman Diet’.

The Paleo Diet is all about eating what our ancestors did hundreds of thousands of years ago. This means eating the food that they would have been able to pick up fairly easily. Think along the lines of ‘grass-fed’ meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables, berries, natural oils, fish, nuts and a little bit more. Basically what is given by nature.

There are absolutely no grains in a Paleo Diet In fact; you may even need to avoid dairy based products. It is worth noting that not all followers of the Paleo Diet avoid dairy, however, to be truly Paleo dairy is something which has to be avoided. This is because humans are the only species on the planet who continue to drink milk beyond infancy. We are also the only species who drinks the milk of another species. Cavemen never drank milk beyond infancy. It is almost certain that they did not gather it from cattle either. It truly is your choice. Dairy is a great deal healthier than grains but it is not truly Paleo.

The basis of the Paleo Diet is all about avoiding grains. So, why are they so bad? Let’s take a little look:

Grains are pretty much pure carbohydrate. When your body starts to process carbohydrates it will convert them into glucose, which is just sugar. Now, glucose is absolutely fantastic for giving us a boost of energy. However, any glucose which is not used to cause our energy levels to rise is stored as fat. In fact, if you are overweight I am sure that the majority of it is down to the carbohydrates from grains.

Grains contain two key components (well, most of them do). These ingredients are gluten and lectins. Did you know that most of the population is actually gluten intolerant? This is because our bodies are not adapted to eating grains and it is unlikely we will evolve to that point for thousands of years. Gluten intolerance can lead to all sorts of problems including joint pain, problems with the reproductive system, dermatitis, and a couple of other problems. And why are Lectins bad for us? Well, it is like a poison to our body. They attack our body. They destroy our intestines. They cause all sorts of irreparable damage.

So in short; grains are unhealthy. With the Paleo Diet,we are going to cut out grains, refined sugars and all processed foods.

The following are some of the benefits that you can look forward to when you are on the Paleo Diet.

1. Perhaps the main benefit of the Paleo Diet is weight loss. This is why the majority of people start the diet. With the Paleo Diet you will be putting very little into your body which can actually decrease your weight. As mentioned before, the majority of the weight that you are carrying on your body at the moment is down to the carbohydrates in grains. Once you cut the grains out, you will start to burn off the weight that you do have without replacing it. This means that you can look forward to a leaner looking body. Don’t worry about not getting enough energy into your diet by the way. There are plenty of ways of boosting your energy levels using the Paleo Diet. Remember, ‘cavemen’ were some of the most energetic around!

2.More muscle! As you may know, proteins are the building blocks of our body. Body building enthusiasts rely on a lot of protein to boost the strength and size of their muscles With the Paleo Diet you are going to be getting a lot of protein in your diet. The majority of this is going to come from the animal flesh that you consume. This means that as you burn off the fat you will start to build up your muscles. Increased muscle size also leads to an improved metabolism and therefore burn off fat even quicker.

3. Healthy Body: Vitamins and Minerals are absolutely vital for a healthy body. With the Paleo Diet you will be consuming a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables (follow a decent guide to know what to eat and when). Minerals and Vitamins lead to a body that is good at being able to repair itself and fight off disease. Eat healthily and you will be able to keep most sickness and disease at bay.

4.Improved digestive system: With the Paleo diet you are going to feel a lot less bloated and your system is going to be incredibly clean. Everything is going to function perfectly and you will notice it.

5.Reduced Inflammation: Your body is inflamed inside. You may not even know it. Did you know that inflammation in the body is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease? Well, with the Paleo Diet you will be reducing inflammation in your body. This means seriously reducing the chances of conditions such as heart disease and strokes.

6. More energy: Even though you are going to be cutting out glucose (which is of course providing a ton of energy) you will be getting a nice boost in your energy levels. In fact, on the Paleo Diet you will be feeling more energetic than you have ever done before.

7. Insulin Sensitivity will be increased: When your body starts to cram itself with processed and sugary foods it starts to store them as fat. This is at the point where you have more energy than you can actually burn off. Your body will have become bored of what is being put inside. It will then stop being able to recognize when it is full or not. This means you keep eating more food and your body is not telling you to slow down. This is not good. It will lead to weight gain. On the Paleo Diet you are not going to suffer from this problem though. Your body will tell you when it is full and you won’t want to eat more.

8. Reduced risk of some diseases: The risk of a number of diseases will be cut considerably if you stick to the Paleo Diet. This includes some forms of cancer and diabetes. As mentioned before, you will also have a reduced chance of suffering from cardiovascular problems. The reduced inflammation may also allow you to combat a few diseases such as arthritis.

9.Improved sleeping patterns. Those that follow the Paleo diet find that they are able to sleep much better at night and tend to be a lot less restless.

10.Improved cognitive ability. The Paleo Diet is going to rely on a lot of fish and eggs. As you know, both of these are packed to the brim with Omega-3. Omega-3 is brain food. It loves it and it will show you how much it loves it by working that much better. There will be less stress, improved concentration and better memory.

As you can see, the Paleo Diet is perhaps one of the more unique diets out there. It is also one of the more natural diets. Unlike some other diets you will not be starving yourself. You will be simply changing the types of food that you eat. What you need to bear in mind is that Paleo is more a lifestyle choice than anything else. You need to be willing to change everything about the way in which you consume food. If you can do that, then this is the diet for you.