What is Paleo?
Paleo or paleolithic diet is a template for nutrition that works together with your body. To be put into simpler words, in paleo, you eat foods that you’re biologically adapted to, and avoid foods that you aren’t. This also means that you will be eating really fresh foods, that are similar to what our ancestors would have likely consumed from their ancient natural diets. Also read : Foods That Make You Grow Taller
Why should you care?
So here is why you should care for it. Because Paleo is all about health, not just calories. It has helped hundreds of thousands of people lose weight, regain more energy, manage chronic diseases, and improve their health in so many other ways they never thought were possible.
What to eat?
The typical paleo food plate (General Guidelines)
– A medium portion of protein from fish, seafood or meat.
– A large portion of various vegetables.
– A small to medium portion of a safe starch like sweet potatoes.
– A good portion of healthy fat like coconut oil or ghee in the mix.
Paleo Diet Food List With Nutrients Found In Them
List of Macronutrients
1. Fat: It is the most controversial macro-nutrient. We bet a lot of you avoid the category of fat as whole. But let us remind you that not all fats are bad. There are good fats too which are needed to boost your energy and maintain a healthy heart.
Good Sources of Fat:
a) Olive Oil
b) Coconut Oil
c) Grass-fed butter + Ghee(purified butter)
d) Fatty grass-fed meat
e) Egg yolks
Note : Eat plenty of fat from whole foods like grass-fed steaks and fatty fish. Avoid fats from industrial seed oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil, soy-bean oil, etc
2. Carbohydrates: Paleo is not always low in carbohydrates. However, lowering your carb intake can still be very useful for weight loss and few chronic conditions though.
Here are some good sources of carbs:
a) Sweet potatoes
b) Squashes
c) various vagetables
d) Berries
e) Fresh Fruits
Note : Change your carb intake according to your personal preferences, activity level and body response. Bear in mind that going low in carb for a prolonged period of time is risky.
3. Protein: Protein is just as important as other nutrients, but often overrated. Don’t fall in the trap of consuming only lean meats all the way and do a high-protein, low-fat version of paleo. When excessive amount of protein is consumed, it can become toxic. You might want to concentrate more on eating medium to generous portions of grass-fed meat, pasture raised poultry, and wild fish and seafood.
Good sources of protein:
a) Pork
b) Poultry
c) Fish/seafood
d) Red meat + eggs
e) Organ meat
Note : There’s no reason to fear eating meat either. Clean meat and seafood is an excellent source of nutrients and should be part of any optimal diet.
Sources of Micronutrients
Kale: Vitamin C, K, B6, Calcium, Copper etc.
Liver: Vitamin A & B, folate, iron, phosphate, choline, zinc, copper, selenium etc.
Bone broth: G elatin, calcium, magnesium, phophurus etc
Seaweed: Iodine
Foods to consume in small amounts
Dairy:
You don’t basically need any dairy for health, but if you are a person who can’t go without it, you should try high-fat, fermented, or goat dairy. Of course, there is always butter and heavy cream and are probably the best options.
Nuts and seeds:
Most of the time, nuts and seeds are considered healthy and “paleo”. However, bear in mind that they are still high in fragile and inflammatory fats and also contain anti-nutrients. Eat most nuts but keep them moderate.
Coffee:
Some praise its benefits and while the rest just warn you about the risks it brings. We suggest you to stay away from coffee as much as you can.
Foods to Avoid in Paleo Diet
Grains:
As we all know, most grains contain compounds that can potentially irritate the digestive tract and thereby preventing absorption of nutrients. But it is an exception with white rice, which is devoid of harmful compounds. Some proteins found in many types of grains are also harmful such as gluten( usually found in wheat, barley, and rye).
Sugar:
In excess, sugar becomes harmful at instant, especially to liver. But it should not be a problem to consume natural sugar from whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
Vegetable Seed Oils:
Industrial vegetable seed oils such as soybean oil, peanut oil, corn oil or canola oil find their ways into most pre-packaged food and restaurant food. You may not know this, but these fats are very fragile and easily become rancid. Hence, you should avoid them.
Legumes:
Legumes are not the worst thing you can eat, not if prepared the traditional way (soaked, sprouted, fermented, …). These days, they are most often consumed in a form where high levels of gut irritants and anti-nutrients are still present. Of course, most legumes can still be consumed by many if prepared properly. However, soy and peanuts are specially harmful, so they should be avoided.
Paleo Lifestyle to Follow
Food is not everything when it comes to health. Sleep, exercise, sun exposure, and stress management, among others, are proven to be equally as important too.
Sun Exposure:
While burning is no good, healthy sun exposure stimulates Vitamin D production. This makes it necessary in a way too. So, we suggest that you take some time to play outdoor and get some good sun exposure on a regular basis, or consider supplementing with a vitamin D supplement.
Exercise:
The body is made to move and lift heavy things. Challenge and push your body in a safe way from time to time + move slowly regularly. This should cause no harm at all.
Sleep:
Sleeping right sure is a biggie and most people are yet to improve on their sleeping hours. Sleep in a totally dark room and get at least 8 hours per night. Stick to a routine and tweak your food near bed time to find what works best for you.
Relax and manage your stress:
Short periods of stress are normal and healthy. But here is when it gets unhealthy, when chronic stress comes in. It impairs digestion, sleep, mental health and hormonal functions. But relax, your world is not going to explode. Eliminate the stressors in your life. You can try visualization techniques or meditation to hep you relax, and make life better in so many other ways too.
Now you know all about paleo diet food list, you should Click Here to read exact paleo diet plan to follow. If you have any queries about paleo diet then please comment below.
