Every time I flick through my Facebook newsfeed or open a magazine, there seems to be a new ‘lifestyle’ we should be embracing for optimal health. I myself have been on a bit of a health and fitness journey since having my fourth baby last year and found the choices out there both confusing and overwhelming when I tried to work out which plan/lifestyle/program was the best for me. It wasn’t until after I had achieved most of my weight and fitness goals and am now maintaining that I realised my new food choices are of the ‘Paleo persuasion’. So it worked for me, but is Paleo really the way to go? We take a look at the basics of this popular lifestyle, the benefits it can offer, the supporting evidence and a rough guideline of how to try it for yourself

So What Is Paleo?

Also called the Caveman, Hunter/Gatherer, Primal and Stone Age Diet, Paleo draws it’s core values from our ancestors eating behaviours. It’s an effort to get back to how the cavemen used to eat – literally. Anything that you cannot hunt or find is prohibited, so seeds, nuts, meat, fish, leafy greens and vegies are all on the menu. Cavemen didn’t have packets, boxes or bottles of mass produced, sugary processed foods with foreign name ingredients, they sourced everything from the land. Cavemen weren’t overweight, sedentary, stressed and sick, they were physically active, fit and strong. The Paleo lifestyle is all about getting us back to our roots, the way we are genetically wired to survive.

Why Does it Work?

The world is more overweight now than ever before, and researchers believe it is our dependance on grains – bread, pasta, corn etc – sugar and processed foods that is contributing to the scary new statistics every year. Elimination of these foods, together with dairy, controls insulin sensitivity, repairs gut health, increases nutrient absorption and reduces inflammation, whilst also stripping the body of excess weight and assisting to build muscle.Less carbohydrates from grains, sugars and processed foods means less glucose in your system and your body starts burning fat instead. Getting real foods back into your bodies and getting rid of the artificial, processed stuff can reset your natural body metabolism and help you to lose weight and keep it off.

Whats ‘allowed’?

Grass-fed meats (including offal)
Chicken, duck, turkey
Berries
Fish
Eggs
Vegetables
Oils – olive, coconut, avocado
Fruits – limit if trying to lose weight as have a high natural sugar content
Nuts
Sweet Potato
Fermented foods – sauerkraut, kimchee, kombucha
Spices and herbs

Whats not?

Grains – especially anything with wheat and gluten
Legumes – beans, lentils and chickpeas
Refined sugar and carbohydrates – bread, pasta, cookies,white sugar, artificial sugar, high fructose corn syrup, soft drinks and fruit juices
Processed cooking oils and fats – canola, sunflower and vegetable oils, margarine and spreads using these oils.
All processed foods – if it has more than 3 naturally occuring ingredients on the packet, don’t go there.

Dairy is a tricky one, as most followers of Paleo avoid it due to lactose intolerance (which affects a huge portion of the population). Cavemen didn’t cart cows around, or process their milk to make cheese and yoghurt so the general consensus is that dairy is out. That’s not to say some cows milk in your coffee, greek yoghurt for breakfast or cheese is out; like all food choices, it’s personal.

The best advice for someone wanting to try Paleo is to give it a god for at least 30 days. It is not an expensive diet to follow, in fact you will probably save money not buying all the sugary snacks and processed foods. Find yourself a good meat and poultry supplier and a great fresh fruit and vegetable market or supermarket and make the change!

Sources

http://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/paleo-diet-food-list/

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13214/everything-you-need-to-know-about-paleo-to-get-started.html