Do you sometimes sit back and think about the foods that cavemen lived on? I certainly do. Did you know that these foods that cavemen consumed years ago genetically determined what our bodies consider as nutritious today? We refer to this diet our ancestors survived on as the paleo diet. Meals in accordance with this diet are prepared with ingredients our ancestors consumed during the paleolithic period, and consequently our bodies have gotten used to consuming these foods because humans have already been eating it for 1.5 million years. This list includes paleo foods such as lean meat, fish and other seafood, fruits, leafy vegetables, root vegetables and nuts and seeds. If you notice, these foods are natural foods created by nature, not man made, processed foods.
As you've already guessed, the foods we are told to stay away from while on the paleo diet are man made foods which were created by way of agriculture. Foods along the lines of grains, sugar, some crops, oils and butter like milk and cheese. We are told to stay away from these foods because agriculture was formulated around 10,000 years ago, and for this reason our body hasn't had a lot of time to get used to eating them. Think about it, why is that we always hear about people having stomach issues with dairy products? You see, dairy was not a key item in the caveman diet because animal domestication wasn't used yet. So items such as cheese and so forth weren't available during that time.
Below is a list of paleo foods that you are allowed to eat while following the diet. Keep in mind that having knowledge of these foods will reduce the time you have to spend learning and creating recipes.
Fruits: There exists no limitations on the amount of fruits you are allowed to consume the paleo diet. Fruits such as apples, blueberries, grapes, grapefruits, mangoes, oranges, watermelons, tangerines, banana, avocado, and basically any other fruits you could think of is acceptable to eat. However, for anybody who is attempting to lose weight on the paleo diet, it is advisable to limit the amount of fruits you consume daily as they naturally contain sugar.
Leafy vegetables: Vegetables work as your source of calories and vegetables. It is best to plan your intake based on the amount of energy you expend daily. If you have a very active lifestyle, be sure to consume more calories and carbohydrates so that your body will receive its required amount of energy. Such examples include spinach, lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion and a lot more.
Root veggies: Your root vegetables are going to be foods like carrots, turnips, artichokes, beets, yams, taters etc. Many individuals get confused about the potatoes. Unfortunately, only sweet potatoes are allowed on the diet, not regular potatoes.
Meats: The type of meats you eat consume will be from plant-eating animals and lean meats. Other meats like hot dogs and sausages are to be avoided. Examples of paleo friendly meats are London broils, flank steak, top sirloin steak, pork, chicken breast, turkey breast, and any other game meat. It is wise to trim the fats off your meats. For poultry take off the skin and eat only the white meat.
Seafood: Examples of acceptable fish are bass, salmon, cod, tilapia, tuna, trout and practically all forms of seafood are permitted on your paleo diet.
Nuts and Seeds: These are likely going to be your snacks while on the caveman diet. These are great because they are delicious to snack on while also providing your body with healthy fats and oil. Examples include almonds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, cashers, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and a lot more.
