What Is The Paleo Diet?

The Paleo diet is a modern diet with prehistoric roots. "Paleo" is short for Paleolithic and refers to the Paleolithic era. Some people like to call this era the Stone Age. During this period of ancient human history, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers.

 

They hadn't begun forming permanent settlements, so there was no extensive agriculture.

But what exactly is the Paleo diet? It's a clean eating and gluten-free lifestyle. It mimics the eating habits of our Stone Age ancestors to make us healthier and happier. In general, the diet is very high-protein with no refined sugars, no grains and little to no dairy. Farming of grains and raising of animals didn't come until much later in our history.

 

The theory behind the Paleo diet is that our bodies actually haven't evolved fast enough to keep up with the rapid evolution of agriculture. Our bodies definitely haven't evolved to handle the intake of processed foods, fructose and GMOs.

Hunter-gatherers collected fruits, nuts, berries and vegetables. They hunted wild game and those that lived near water ate fish and other seafood. The cooking of food was also very minimal and obviously never involved processed oils. Cooking some foods actually makes them less nutritious. Paleo allows your body to get the most out of all of the foods that you eat and eliminates unhealthy processed options. This makes it a great diet for weight loss as well as improving your general health and staying fit. It can even help with many chronic illnesses.   

 

Our eating habits and lives revolve so much around agriculture that it can be hard to think of what you can eat without it. A common misconception about the Paleo diet is that you don't have many foods to choose from and your meals are all bland - nothing could be more false!

Going grocery shopping for a Paleo diet is surprisingly easy. The basic rules you need to follow are just to steer clear of anything processed, avoid sugary snacks as well as gluten, and minimize or eliminate dairy. This leaves a ton of food options for you with no shortage in variety. Steer toward the produce aisle and choose organic fruits and vegetables in lots of different colors. Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal vegetables.

Meats are a big part of Paleo, especially protein-rich red meat. Beef should come from grass-fed animals and free-range, organic poultry is preferred. Game like venison and rabbit are also fine. Don't forget about seafood either, especially cold-water, fatty fish such as salmon. Nuts and raw fruits and vegetables are good if you like to snack throughout the day. With Paleo, snacking is ok as long as the foods are Paleo-friendly.

And while you're at the store, be sure to load up on healthy fats such as walnuts, olives, flaxseed, macadamia nuts, coconuts, and avocados. These healthy fats can be added to almost any recipe, or enjoyed as a snack.

Paleo isn't a completely raw food diet by any means. You can still cook your meat and you should always thoroughly cook poultry and pork. Don't be afraid to try sashimi though or raw beef dishes like Carpaccio. Vegetables don't always need to be consumed as salads. There are, of course, a ton of salad options, but there are also a seemingly infinite number of Paleo-friendly soups and stews. You can even oven-roast, lightly pan-roast and saute vegetables, and even some fruits for dessert dishes.

All of your favorite herbs and spices are still completely at your disposal, so there's no excuse for a bland dish. Marinate all of your meats and cook your vegetables with fresh herbs. When you cook red meat do so slowly and at low temperatures to avoid losing nutrients. Don't ever burn your meat. Char on meat may actually have carcinogenic properties. If you like your meat rare, that's great!

Benefits of going Paleo are numerous. While getting the nutrients you need, you're cutting back on the junk you don't need, like excess calories and carbohydrates. Processed foods are also packed with potentially dangerous artificial preservatives. Paleo-friendly foods are easier for our bodies to convert into energy and easier to digest. Your body won't need to over-work itself to get the nutrients out of your food and won't be compelled to store as much fat.

If you suffer from digestive upset regularly, then going Paleo can help. Paleo also cuts out common food-allergens as well as foods a lot of people are sensitive to and don't know it, such as gluten and dairy. This can even decrease various forms of inflammation.

The Paleo diet is great for weight loss. Our prehistoric ancestors definitely weren't overweight. They didn't lead sedentary lifestyles and they didn't snack on processed foods. When you pair Paleo with regular exercise you'll burn fat fast and soon begin developing muscle thanks to increased protein intake. Again, your body will also store less fat overall, even if your exercise routine is very light. You'll be able to more easily keep the fat off if you stick to this lifestyle. Your vitality will be improved and you'll have even more energy.

Ingredients:

Directions:

• Use a meat tenderizer to pound freshly minced garlic into each side of your steak. Rub or brush the steak with olive oil and squeeze a lime on top.

• Combine a teaspoon each of dry oregano, basil and parsley in a small dish and then press this mixture into the meat. Cover the meat and allow it to marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.

•  Make chimichurri by combining 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, cilantro and 2 cloves of garlic with 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a food processor. Add black pepper to taste.

• Broil the steak in the oven or cook on a grill (3 minutes per side for rare). Serve with steamed vegetables of your choice, topped with the chimichurri.