What Is the Paleo Diet (Caveman Diet) and Can You Can Lose Weight on It?

Paleo Diet To Lose Weight :

The Paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet, also known as the Caveman Diet, may sound like a strange and faddy idea. Maybe it comes across as a bit too odd for you to give it a try. But really it's not as quirky as is may first appear - it's mostly about eating the kind of foods our ancestors ate, and that's important. In this article we'll find out why.

What Is the Paleo Diet (Caveman Diet) and Can You Can Lose Weight on It?

Not So Fast

Evolution is a slow process, at least as far as mere mortals like us are concerned. We evolved over a period of hundreds of thousands of years eating a particular kind of diet: one consisting mainly of protein and fat with, perhaps, a few carbohydrates from berries and starchy native plants. During the long era of 'hunter-gathering' we had not yet begun to grow our own crops for food. We had to rely on the foodstuffs that were available from the environment around us. In my part of the world (the Highlands of Scotland) that happened to be shellfish from the windswept, rocky coasts. And there is a great deal of evidence here in the form of 'shell middens' which are great piles of shells, discovered by archaeologists, heaped up outside the mouths of the caves where my distant ancestors once lived.

These hardy ancestors survived. We know this because, otherwise, we wouldn't be here to ponder the mysteries of their diet. It may have been a hard existence but we shouldn't assume this in all cases. There's a good chance that, in some parts of the world at least, food was abundant and readily available.

What's 'Paleo' All About?

Paleo, as I mentioned in the intro, is short for Paleolithic. It refers to the period very roughly 750,000 years ago up to about 15,000 years ago during which humans first began to make chipped-stone tools. The idea behind the so-called Paleo Diet is that we should eat the kind of foodstuffs that humans from that historical period ate. The reasoning behind this is that we have not yet evolved away from the adaption to the kinds of food they ate back then. 15,000 years really isn't long in evolutionary terms and it would be a big ask for humans to have been able to adapt completely to our very different modern diet within that time.

Sugar and Starch

If you think about human diet in the terms and over the timescales I've mentioned above you'll begin to see that large quantities of carbohydrate-rich food, containing lots of sugar and starch, are a recent addition. Perhaps it's the case, as advocates of low-carb and Paleo-type diets claim, that our bodies are just not adapted to deal with all this stodge. We assume that our ancestors didn't suffer greatly from problems of obesity because they had little food to eat and spent most of their time running about chasing it. But maybe that's just not true. In the places where food was readily available our ancestors may have led relatively sedentary lives. Maybe they didn't become obese because they were living on a diet to which they were properly and fully adapted.

What if we are now seeing the terrible consequences of this great dietary change in our modern epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer?

Facing Up & Losing Weight

Perhaps it's time to face up to the idea that our modern diet is nutritionally lacking. We assume that it's healthy for us to eat foodstuffs like bread and pasta because that's what we have been told for the last 40 or 50 years. But the research behind human diet is really in its infancy, so it's way too early to claim that we have all the answers.

Personally I would rather trust a diet that humans lived on for hundred of thousands of years than one they have lived on for perhaps just a couple of centuries. Maybe I'm just lucky in that I really love the kinds of foods you can eat on low-carb and Paleo diets. I know from around 8 years of personal experience that, when I switch back to a carbohydrate-heavy diet, my weight increases very rapidly. I can lose the weight again quickly when I switch back to Paleo. This isn't scientific evidence but it works for me.

I'm also lucky that I live right by the sea. I can go down to the beach, get some clams, cook them up, eat them, then throw the shells back down on the shore. I'm making my own little Paleolithic shell midden down there!

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The Nutritional Aspects of the Caveman Diet

Paleo Diet To Lose Weight :

There is much written about how The Caveman Diet is a great way to lose weight. This is definitely true as it contains mostly low calorie food choices. The fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will drop. However, there are other benefits to The Caveman Diet that extend beyond the realm of losing weight. It can greatly improve your health.

The Nutritional Aspects of the Caveman Diet

No, such an assessment is not a stretch of the credibility of the diet. By following the food sources used by those that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, you eliminate scores of problematic food choices that can seriously hinder your health and wellness. How so? Let's take a closer look.

Probably the most valuable component of The Caveman Diet is the fact that it completely excludes foods that are processed and contain scores of additives and foreign elements. These added items may have been developed with good intentions - namely, they improve the shelf life of the food items and improve the taste in some cases through flavorings and sweeteners, they also have the potential to pack on excess weight as well as tax the human body in a variety of ways. Do you really want extra stress placed on the kidneys and liver? More than likely, you do not. That is why The Caveman Diet is so helpful. It avoids a host of problems that processed foods can deliver.

Obesity is probably the most common reason behind a huge variety of adverse health conditions. Obesity leads to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and many other problems that could be considered avoidable. Two of the most common food sources that lead to obesity are carbs and refined sugars. While all carbs are most definitely not eliminated in The Caveman Diet as fruits and vegetables are a staple of it, some of the fat producing carbs such as grains are removed from the equation. Grains include cereal, breads, and other items. Eliminating such foods reduced obesity potential significantly. And, of course, junk food containing refined sugars promoted obesity and spikes insulin levels. Removing them from the diet is most definitely advisable.

As much as we are loathe to admit it, a number of health problems people face in the modern era is a direct result of the diet we eat. In many instances, a number of serious health problems could be completely avoided provided with proper dietary choices. There is also a decided lack of nutrients to be found in the modern diet. With The Caveman Diet, there are many nutritional support components to the food choices. With these food choices, there is a tremendous source of omega-3 fatty acids which improve health in many ways. Then, the complete alphabet of vitamins is found in the food. Additionally, copper, iron, and zinc can be procured from these food sources as well. To say such items will aid in improving overall health would be an understatement. There really are no negative elements to this diet and it is completely health improving on a variety of ways.

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What Exactly Is the Paleo Caveman Diet?

Paleo Diet To Lose Weight :

The Paleo caveman diet, as the name implies, is the consumption of food similar to what our ancestors used to eat during the Paleolithic Age. This form of diet was introduced by gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin. He used the method for the effective treatment of patients with digestive problems. Its effectiveness was further proven by anthropologist Weston Price and it even brought up more advocates. Further studies provide evidence that our ancestors have very strong bone structures and there is little evidence on the aspect of bone decay Degenerative health problems were rare cases.

What Exactly Is the Paleo Caveman Diet?

If you want to follow this kind of diet, you should remember the foods that you can eat and those you must avoid. Basically, you will be taking in a very healthy diet. But, because you will be advocating the eating habits during the primitive time, you should familiarize yourself with foods which you can only include in your meal plans.

Meat from fish and chicken are identified as paleo foods. Since hunting was the way of living for primitive humans, lean meat from animals can be one of your choices when you decide to follow this kind of diet. Eggs are also included and they are good sources of protein. You can have portions of it in your daily meals.

Not all vegetables are part of the paleo caveman diet. Basically root vegetables are what our ancestors used to eat. These includes carrots and parsnips. Our ancestors utilize the agricultural resources. Corn and potatoes are not included because they are not part of the human diet during the Paleolithic Age. You can prepare the root vegetables in a lot of ways. You can make variations for every meal.

Berries are the fruits that are commonly included for this diet. You can choose from the variety of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. There are those which are not included such as apples and peaches. Today, these fruits are already cultivated to yield more sugar from them. Fruits are great when you decide to lose some weight.

You can also include nuts on your meal plans whenever you decide to follow a paleo diet. However there are limited types of nuts for such. During the time of our ancestors, they used to gather nuts, remove their shells and make it as part of their meals.

There are foods which are forbidden when following this kind of diet. Grains are not allowed. Bread, pasta and other food products which have grain content must not be included in your meal plans. Processed foods are definitely forbidden because most of the meals during the Paloelithic age are natural. Sugar and salt must not be added on your meals.

When you decide to return to this kind of eating habit, it will bring about a lot of benefits to your body. Paleo caveman diet will rid you of certain diseases caused by the intake of unhealthy foods. They also provide you with enough energy for the day and even allow you to lose some weight if desired.

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