The Paleo diet stems from the Paleolithic period, otherwise known as the "Caveman diet". The beliefs that the world is millions of years old and that cavemen existed are debatable, but even if you disagree with both of these beliefs, I don't suggest throwing the idea of the paleo diet out the window quite yet. Why is it a good idea to eat like a caveman? What would that look like?
1- Lots of vegetables and some fruits, preferably organic, in season, and locally grown
Why? First of all, vegetables were ALWAYS "organically" grown (which means no pesticides, no dyes injected into them to make them more appealing, not genetically modified to repel insects or altered in any other way) up until sometime in the past 100 years or so. People just ate them how they were. The produce was picked when it was ripe and eaten very soon after. Unfortunately, choosing the best fruits and vegetables is not as easy today as it used to be. So, according to the Paleo diet, you would choose produce as close to how they always USED to grow. We still don't know all the effects that these alterations are causing, but none of them are seeming to be beneficial to anything except some people's wallets.
2- Good quality meats aka happy animals
What does "Good quality" mean? Well, to keep it simple, I would say this-
1- staying away from pressed meats into shapes (like chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs). You have no idea what is in that, or if it is even meat.
2- Not consuming canned things like Spam. That is not meat. It is a highly processed substance with a lot of salt and preservatives (I also recommend staying away from nitrates, often in deli meats, hot dogs and sausages)
3- preferably things not breaded and fried, because usually it is fried in a low quality, unhealthy type of oil, which causes more inflammation in your body
4- Choosing meats that were organically fed- meaning they were not given genetically modified grains
5- choosing meats that got to eat what they were meant to eat (cows-grass not grain, chickens-bugs not corn...)
6- and, if you choose to care about how the animals were treated (which I personally do. And encourage you to educate yourself about the horrible living conditions and abuse of the majority of animals that Americans eat) find a local farm that treats their animals well, or find some way to get it
The cavemen would have eaten meats that roamed around outside in their natural environment (which I call "happy animals"), not animals shoved into small, disgusting, cramped buildings that were fed things they never would have eaten in the first place.
3- Eating small amounts of only natural sugars-
Cavemen, and even people 200 years ago, did not have white refined sugar. The average person, up until 100-150 years ago ate a few pounds of sugar a year, probably mostly consisting of honey or maple syrup, possibly sugar cane. The average American eats over 100 pounds of sugar a year now! I'm sure if you talk to any of your grandparents they can tell you that there are MANY more people that are obese, have diabetes, heart problems, cancer, depression, fertility problems, and dementia now than they did 70 years ago. White sugar has absolutely NO nutritional value, yet is added to the majority of products sold today. It breaks my heart to see so many people that are SO sick, especially because most of it could have been prevented if they knew what foods they should eat, and chose to eat them. White sugar should be avoided as much as possible, as it wreaks havoc on your body and has no use other than tasting good for the short moment after it passes your lips. Small amounts of honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and stevia are included in the Paleo diet, and can be even more enjoyable because they are delicious AND you don't have the mental guilt of eating something worthless, because you are actually giving your body some nutrients.
4-Eating healthy fats and feeding your brain-
Your brain is fat. You need fats in your diet to make hormones (which control practically your whole body), to make healthy skin and hair, and to help you feel full (among many other things). If you don't eat enough fat, you will likely overeat (especially sugar and carbs), and have a higher risk of being depressed. The whole low fat trend is a relatively new thing. And what does our society have to show for it? More obese, unhealthy, unhappy people. If you eat a half an avocado, you will feel satisfied and happily full. If you eat 5 donuts you will feel disgusting, but probably still hungry. It is SO important to eat enough fats, but only healthy fats. Avocados, olive oil, coconut oil and organic butter and some nuts and seeds are all good options. Stay away from canola and vegetable oils, as they are highly processed and if you look up how canola oil is made, you will never want to eat it again. (I sure don't.) Don't even get me started on margarine. It is not a food! It is one molecule away from being a plastic. When I was little, my mom was frying an egg for breakfast. She had some margarine that said not to cook with it, but she put a little in the pan anyways. It bubbled up, had a little poof of smoke and turned into a piece of hard white plastic right before her eyes. Lets just say I stay far away from it.
The cavemen didn't eat canola oil or margarine, and we shouldn't either. It is not food.
5- What about dairy and grains?
Some people that follow the Paleo diet choose to eat small amounts of organic dairy if it does not make them feel bad or affect their digestion adversely. The point is to eat what we were made to eat, to eat real foods, and figure out how you need to eat to feel your best. If you don't feel your best when you eat dairy, then I would avoid it. You can make many wonderful things with coconut and almond milk.
If you believe in cavemen, it is understood that they lived before agriculture and farming. Which means they did not eat grains. Now I'm not saying grains are of the devil. I'm not even going to say that they have absolutely no nutritional benefits. I will say, however, that Americans eat FAR too many carbs- including sugar, grains and starchy vegetables. Also, I will say that white flour has virtually no nutritional value because the germ (the little part of the grain that contains nutrients and good oils) has been removed to improve shelf life so the food doesn't get rancid. The majority of grain based products-bread, rolls, pasta, pastries, cakes... are all made with white flour and thus should be avoided. Why eat anything that has no nutritional value? You are either helping your body or hurting it with what you choose to eat.
So, if you were to remove everything from the grocery store that was made with white flour, you would have greatly reduced your grain based food options. Now, if we are eating in a way that makes you feel your best, I would suggest taking a month and going gluten free. Many people react adversely to gluten and don't even know it. It can be affecting your digestion, allergies, mood, and many other things, but you won't know it until you take it out of your diet for a little while. Even if you took away all white flour and things with gluten, you are still left with some grains. Are these bad? If you got your own grain and ground it up and made whole wheat bread, isn't that good? Well, it is BETTER. But maybe not GOOD. Grains are harder than a lot of things to digest, and also are all carbs, which raise your blood sugar. I will tell you what I personally believe, which differs from those strictly paleo. If I can eat organic quinoa, organic oats, and sprouted grain breads occasionally and still feel great (and as good as if I wasn't eating any), then I will probably eat them occasionally. Could I go without them completely? Yes. Might I eventually cut them out completely? If I decide that I feel my very best avoiding them, then yes, I will cut them out. But for now, I am still experimenting. I never want to be so strict that if I go to someones house I can't eat the food that they worked hard to prepare for me.
(SOY- is avoided as it is highly genetically modified, unless it is organic, and it also raises estrogen levels, which is usually not a good thing)
This is not about perfection. This is not about some crazy belief that we need to eat like the cavemen. This is about being aware of how food impacts your body, about how you feel, and about giving your body what it needs so that you feel your best, and are able to live a healthy and productive life and to be able to be a blessing to your family and those around you. That's why I encourage you to do some research, to read food labels, and to just eat real food.
