Paleolithic Diet or some people also call it the Caveman diet. The diet consists of cutting out modern foods which are loaded with sugars, fats and processed foods. Paleo is to return to the way our early days, like how our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate.
The diet can improve your health by eliminating processed foods that have little to no nutritional value and also overindulging in too many calories.
The diet can improve your health by loading up on vegetables and fruits that contain lots of healthy minerals, vitamins and fibre. This will fill you up faster so you eat less and help curb weight gain.
FOODS TO EAT
- Lean cuts of beef, pork, and poultry
- Eggs
- Fish
- Vegetables and Fruit
- Nuts and seeds including pumpkin seeds
- Olive oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil
WHAT TO AVOID
- All dairy products
- Grains such as wheat, rice and barley
- Sweets and also honey & sugar
- Highly processed foods
- Sugary drinks and fruit juices
- Highly processed foods
Small but successful steps you can take to transition into a paleo diet.
(Unofficial) Paleo Commandments
1. EAT LESS PROCESSED FOODS
Packaged chips, breads, cookies and while it might seem hard at first. By slowly eliminating these sorts of processed foods you will want them less and at the end of the day, it will be hard for you to think to introduce this back into your diet.
2. JUST BECAUSE IT'S PACKAGED CAN WE EAT IT OR NOT?
There are still paleo-approved packaged foods so don’t worry you will still be able to have paleo-approved snacks for on-the-go meals or on a road trip in the car.
3. FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Some things may work for others but might not work for you. So, make sure when you are giving this a go you should go at your own pace and create your own plan and you will succeed.
4. DON'T BE TOO STRICT, USE THE 80/20 RULE
It’s always good to not be too strict on yourself this means you will succeed in the long run if you have a few treats here and there.
5. REFINED SUGAR
The more sweetness we eat, the more we are after sweet things to eat. Your intake of sugars should be avoided. Things like sugar, golden syrup, and cane sugar also honey.
6.ALCOHOL
Yes, alcohol can be a great way to socialiSe with others on the weekend, with transitioning to paleo the best way to start is to reduce your intake to one or two small glasses per week. Before removing it out completely.
7. HOW TO EAT OUT?
Eating out is always a hard situation when it comes to brunching or dinner with your family & friends. In the AM swap out the standard coffee you might get and the typical Eggs Benedict for nutritious sides like avocado, spinach, and tomatoes and as for the coffee try tea in the morning!
8. WATER
The recommended amount of water you should drink. Drinking at least 1 litre or more. Start with just a glass of water before you start your day then move on to carrying a water bottle around.
9. EXERCISING
Your body is built to move so incorporating regular exercise into your daily life is a must. Take some time out, could be 20 minutes a day of maybe a walk outside, yoga or spin class. Something you can enjoy with a friend or workout buddy.
10. RECHARGING
Always get the zzzz sleep! You will find that eight hours of sleep should be enough to prepare your body to refuel and recharge. Getting your sleep patterns under control is also a bonus so try and have a similar routine throughout the week.
