You've heard of the Paleo Diet, but aren't quite sure what it is or if it could be the right plan to help you reach all of your health and fitness goals. You will never know for sure until you answer one question: what is Paleo Diet?
The Paleo Diet is simply a diet that limits your food consumption to foods that would have been readily available to people living in the Paleolithic era of human life. These were the days of cavemen hunting and gathering for their own survival. They did not farm for a living and they were more transient than we are today. They remained in one area until the natural resources were picked over, then they picked up and moved somewhere else. With time, those areas would repopulate with plants, trees and animals and another group of humans would eventually move back in and start living.
The food in those days was limited to animals that could be killed and eggs, nuts, berries, and vegetables that could be gathered in the forests and fields. Eggs were available, but not in high quantities. Berries, roots, leaves and nuts were readily available and were thus staples. Meat was available most of the time, but men would have to work long and hard to bring enough back enough meat to sustain their families.
Some things you have to keep in mind are the following:
- Cavemen did not farm, so their carbohydrate intake was limited to fresh produce that they could collect.
- They did not have refrigeration in this age, so they had to eat their food before it went bad.
- Heating was very basic in this age, so advanced methods of cooking were unthinkable. They relied upon a lot of fresh, whole foods in their natural state.
Despite these differences from our current world, people in this era were incredibly healthy. They did not have the problems with heart disease, cancer and obesity that we have today. This probably had as much to do with the amount of exercise that humans got, just as much as the healthy diet that they consumed.
If you can strike that balance in your own life, you can see dramatic changes in your body. You can even see huge changes in the amount of energy you have and how you feel getting out of bed every day.
The great thing about the Paleo Diet is it can be enjoyed by virtually anyone. Vegetarians have no trouble finding tons of foods that they can enjoy even with the elimination of meat and fish. Those who don't normally enjoy vegetables learn to season and spice their produce so it goes perfectly with their lean protein.
You can also choose how closely you follow the diet. Many people start with this question: what is Paleo Diet? Yet they end with this question: how can I modify this diet so it fits the foods that I enjoy and my lifestyle? These are the people who end up being successful on the Paleo Diet.
Start out by getting a detailed food list for the plan and then decide how you can make the basic plan fit your life. This is how you go from starting out on a new diet to following a healthier lifestyle for the rest of your life. That is how you lose weight and maintain it for the rest of your life.
