Whether you’re dieting to lose weight or simply searching for a way to improve your overall health, there are several options available. But how do you know which ones really do what they claim without being unsafe?
In this article, we’ll focus on one of the most popular eating plans on the market today: the Paleo diet. Keep reading for everything you need to know before starting this diet.
What’s The Paleo Diet?
The Paleo diet, also known as the Caveman or Stone Age diet, is all about eating like our prehistoric ancestors. This eating style promotes consuming foods high in protein and fiber in order to lose weight without cutting calories.
Benefits Of The Paleo Diet
The fiber-rich foods that are crucial to the Paleo diet fill you up and keep you full longer, meaning you won’t find yourself wanting to eat all day. This is a big perk for many people since many diets leave you feeling deprived, which makes it difficult to stick to the plan.
This diet also allows you to have three cheat meals a week in the beginning, letting you ease into the eating style.
Other benefits of the Paleo diet include:
- No calorie counting;
- Stable blood sugar levels;
- Lower risk of heart disease;
- Improved blood pressure;
- Less inflammation;
- Reduced acne;
- Optimum athletic performance.
Key Elements Of The Paleo Diet
Because the group of people Dr. Loren Cordain fashioned the Paleo diet after were hunter-gatherers rather than farmers, many foods you may otherwise consider healthy are excluded from the Paleo diet.
Here are the basic components that must be followed on this eating plan:
- Consuming plenty of fresh, lean meat;
- Eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats;
- Incorporating eggs, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils into your meals;
- Avoiding dairy, potatoes, salt, and refined sugars and oils;
- Staying away from all processed foods;
- Eliminating beans and other legumes;
- Exercising to maintain any weight loss achieved.
Tips And Tricks
Take a look at these tips for making the Paleo diet a success:
- Eating more meat and fish increases your grocery bill, so be mindful when preparing your monthly budget.
- Since this diet focuses on whole, unprocessed foods, you’ll need plenty of prep time in the kitchen.
- Consider supplementing this diet with vitamin D, folate, B vitamins, and calcium to make up for the foods you’re eliminating.
Check out these 21 paleo recipes.
To learn more about the Paleo diet or other healthy eating options, reach out to the pros at Matrix Age Management today.
