What is a paleo diet?
- Dietary plan based on foods similar to what might have been eaten during the Paleolithic era (2.5 million to 10,000 years ago), foods that in the past could be obtained by hunting and gathering
- The aim is to return to a way of eating that’s more like what early humans ate
- Reasoning is that the human body is genetically mismatched to the modern diet that emerged with farming practices
- This mismatch is believed to be a contributing factor to the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and heart disease today
- Benefits of paleo diets have included: more weight loss, improved glucose tolerance, better blood pressure control, lower triglycerides and better appetite management
What to eat
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Lean meats, especially grass-fed animals or wild game
- Fish, especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna
- Oils from fruits and nuts, such as olive oil or walnut oil
What to avoid
- Grains, such as wheat, oats and barley
- Legumes, such as beans, lentils, peanuts and peas
- Dairy products, especially low-fat
- Refined sugar
- Salt
- Potatoes
- Highly processed foods in general
- Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (soft drinks, fruit juices, table sugar, candy, pastries, ice cream and many others)
- Some vegetable oils (soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil and others)
- Trans fat (margarine)
- Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame potassium)
References:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/whats-your-healthy-weight/low-calorie-diets
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu#TOC_TITLE_HDR_12