Paleo diet history
Today, I'm going to give brief overview of what many refer to as "The Caveman Diet." The basic concept behind the Paleolithic Diet is to mimic the diet of our pre agriculture hunter-gatherer ancestors. Dr. Loren Cordain, author of the Paleo Diet maintains that the foods consumed by our pre-agrigulture ancestors, and current modern hunter-gather cultures are more conducive to the genetic makeup of our bodies. By reducing the amount of processed foods, complex carbohydrates and high glycemic foods, and replacing them with lean meats, sea food, and fresh vegetables and fruits, we can restore our bodies to optimum health and combat many of the health problems that plague modern day people.
Critics of this eating lifestyle are quick to point out that the average lifespan of our hunter-gatherer ancestors was relatively short. Your average caveman was luck to live to 30 years of age. Though that is undoubtably true, cavemen also lived very strenuous lives, did not have access to traditional medicine, and the infant mortality rate was very high. And detractors often fail to consider that nearly 20% of ancient hunter-gatheres lived to the ripe old age of 60. So many of the early humans that survived infancy and early childhood, avoided sickness and injury in adolescent and adult life, could possibly live five or even six decades. How do we know this? Human skeletal remains. And the findings also suggest that ancient man was free of many of the illness' that afflict modern western society. Diabetes? Cancer? Heart attacks? Not very common. An ancient cave man was more likely to die of blunt force trauma or pneumonia than a diet-related disease.
Health benefits
The greatest thing about the Paleo Diet is that it really is great for your body and overall health and well being. Because you eliminate all processed foods and stick to natural food choices, you will enjoy greater health and vitality. Eliminating processed foods, hi-glycemic carbohydrates, and trans-fatty acids also has the added benefit of helping you to lose weight. Many people will even tell you that their results confound and amaze their Doctor when they get their lab results back. Many people find they are no longer a slave to prescription medications because their diet, which is in accord with the humans digestive system, not only eliminates the symptoms, but naturally heals the affliction. Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, and creator of the primal lifestyle Blog, Mark's Daily Apple, provides many documented success stories from his readers. They all attest to amazing results after adopting a cave man inspired way of life. Mark's blog is also loaded with amazing recipies that transform calorie-bomb favorites into paleo-friendly meals that even the fussiest kid will enjoy. The diet works for so many people because it includes delicious, nutritious, and affordable food choices that humans should eat, while omitting man-made, addictive, and potentially dangerous processed foods that we all know we probably shouldn't eat. Kinda' simple, really.
What can you eat?
Once you understand how and why the Paleo Diet works, the next step is to determine what you can eat. It sounds very simple to say that you shouldn't eat anything processed, but it's a little more complicated than that. The diet is based on the foods that could be hunted, fished, and gathered during the Paleolithic era (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruits, and berries). One of the biggest challenges faced by many that follow the diet is going gluten free. That means the avoidance of grains. What? I can't eat grains? Yep, unfortunately that means no bread. No Spaghetti. No Donuts. Admittedly, it is a shock at first. But once you understand how harmful wheat and processed grains can be to your digestive system, it's easy to understand why many of the modern era diseases we suffer with today are a direct result of ingesting domesticated grains.
Grains, especially refined grains containing gluten such as wheat, barley and rye, are gut irritants. Gut lining irritation keeps us from properly digesting our food and can lead to inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation is the root cause of many of our diseases of civilization and eating processed foods alters our hormone levels in detrimental ways. And LDL cholesterol (you know, the "bad" cholesterol) increases when the body is in a state of infamation. Dr. William Davis, a board-certified cardiologist, and author of Wheat Belly, advocates the elimination of wheat as the first step toward reversing many of today's modern era diseases like heart disease. So a board certified heart doctor says that bread is worse for you than steak. You gotta be kidding me, right? Think about that for a second... A heart doctor that advocates the elimination of wheat. Why?
Inflammation is the root cause of many of our diseases of civilization and eating processed foods alters our hormone levels in detrimental ways. And LDL cholesterol is a by-product of infamation. Se the connection?
Today, modern man eats a huge amount of grains. But our cavemen ancestors did not consume them. This is because the agricultural revolution didn't start until about 10,000 years ago. That may sound like a long time ago, but from the perspective of human evolution it is merely a flash. Let me give you a visual example. If a 100 yard football field represented the entire time line of humans on earth, our ancestors went 999 yards without ever eating grains. Think about that. The last inch of the football field represents the minuscule span of time grains have been part of the human diet. When you eat processed foods like bread, cakes, Twinkies, pasta, and pizza, you are putting yourself at a much higher risk for modern day diseases that didn't afflict cave men.
Getting Started
Many people read about the Paleo Diet and think, "Oh man, I could never do that." or, "I could never live without bread." Yes, it is true that it is not the easiest diet to strictly follow, particularly when eating out at a restaurant. However, there are many restaurants that cater to health-conscious customers, and many will alter their menu to fit your requests. Want a hamburger without the bun? No worries. Want an extra helping of broccoli instead of the rice. Sure, they can do that.
So where do you start? Just start. Even baby steps can be a major improvement. Try one meal a week without grains. Then try for two. Switching to Grass-Fed beef the next time you fire up a burger on the grill. You don't have to go hard core to be Paleo. In fact, taking it slow is probably the best approach. And if you are like me, you might have a few setbacks. Nobody's perfect. We all make mistakes and missteps. I can't tell you how many times I ate a slice of pizza or had a bagel at work only to feel emotionally and physically awful afterward. But I keep going. I get back on track, and I try to make my next food choice better than the last.
Final Thoughts
In the end, it is all about feeling great and making the choices that sustain that feeling of well-being. And weather you have the willpower to make better choices when it comes to what you put in your mouth. The heath benefits are clear. And bounty of delicious foods you do get to eat absolutely makes the Paleo Diet worth it. I definitely think you should give it a try. What do you have to lose besides some unwanted weight? Go for it.
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