Your modern lifestyle has gifted you with several advanced technologies but a sedentary way of living. This sedentary lifestyle is inviting dangerous lifestyle diseases, which finally turn out to be fatal. These diseases include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity and many more are there on the list. In this scenario, you at least need to eat well to be healthy and fit. 

Among the various types of diet, the Paleo diet is one. This diet focuses on food that was consumed in the Paleolithic age when humans hunted for their living. During the stone era, humans used to have food like fish, lean meat, fruits, nuts, seeds and more. It was a practice followed from about two and a half million to ten thousand years ago. But the benefits of the Paleo diet are many.

What is a Paleo diet?

Paleo diet is close to the natural diet, which includes all the food items that were naturally obtained and hunted by the human race in the Paleolithic era. This diet eliminates the consumption of high calorie and processed food. 

The natural food contains a blast of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, proteins, and others, whereas processed food is devoid of nutrient values and full of calories. Paleo Diet is also known as the Paleolithic diet or stone-age diet.

Purpose

The purpose of a Paleo diet is to get back to the habit of eating those foods that were consumed in the ancient period by men who were nomads and obtained their living from hunting and catering food from the jungle. Farming was not possible during that time, and so the humans ate everything provided to them by nature.

This diet is devoid of any staples like rice, wheat, barley, and others as these were produced much later through farming. There is a mix-and-match of both the factors that include the needs of men and nature’s products.

Aim of Paleo diet

There are mainly two aims of following a Paleo diet. The advantages include: 

1. Lose or maintain weight

These days there has been a tendency of people to gain weight. It may be due to eating habits or lack of exercise or some disease. Thus people are focusing on methods to lose weight. 

It is also imperative to lose weight to remain healthy and fit throughout life. Losing weight and being in the normal range is a fitter and smarter choice.

2. Planning meals

Having planned and small meals within a time interval of two hours is necessary. Moreover, maintaining a healthy weight is more difficult than losing it. Once the desired weight is achieved, it has to be maintained properly.

What to eat and not to eat

There are different recommendations for the food to be eaten and not to be eaten in a Paleo diet. But there are some guidelines in reference to the Paleo diet, which could be followed in general.

Foods that are allowed

Foods that are naturally produced such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean meat of grass-fed animals or wild game animals. You can also have fish (those are rich in omega-three fatty acids, like salmon, tuna, albacore, and mackerel), as well as oils from fruits and nuts, like olive oil or walnut oil.

Restricted food items

The farm produced foods like rice, barley, wheat and others, legumes such as beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, dairy products, refined sugar, salt potatoes, and highly processed food shouldn’t be consumed. 

Why not take a glance at a typical Paleo diet?

• In breakfast, you can have boiled fish and veggies.
• In lunch, you can have lean meat, salad with a healthy dressing on top like the lemon juice dressing.
• In dinner, you can have lean meat roasted, along with steamed vegetables and salads. You can add fruits to your dinner dish to make it tastier and colorful.
• Snacks can be anything natural such as fruits, vegetables, and edible leaves.
• Water forms an integral part of this diet. Plenty of water and fluids can be taken throughout the day. This will benefit you rather than affecting you adversely.

The ending notes

You should follow a healthy diet regularly, and if that diet is Paleo diet, there is no harm. All the components of food should be present in proper quantity to balance the overall basal metabolic rate of the body. So, go ahead and enjoy food and also live a healthy life!