Originally published March 31 2015
Is the Paleo Diet the healthiest diet to hit mainstream?
by Joel Edwards
(NaturalNews) The paleo diet has been around for more than forty years, but recently, it has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. At present, it is one of the most popular diet trends in America.
This comeback in popularity is due in part to its new supporters, including the Crossfit movement and Hollywood celebrities like Megan Fox, Jessica Biel, Miley Cyrus, and Matthew McConaughey.
Paleo Diet Recommendations or Eating Like a Caveman
The Paleo diet argues that modern diets make us very ill, and in order to improve our health, we need to eat a diet that more closely resembles the diet that our Paleolithic ancestors ate from 2 million years ago
to 10,000 years ago.
Paleo diets vary somewhat from book to book. The overall concept is the same, though there is some variation in what foods are to be avoided. Recommendations regarding meat consumption differ as well.
Many paleo followers hold to the belief that through the majority of human history we were primarily meat eaters. In truth we ate more plants than meat, but what humans ate was largely dependent on where they
lived.
Paleo diets recommend:
- Meats & eggs,
- Seafood & fish
- Seeds & nuts
- Leafy greens
- Regional produce
- Tubers such as sweet potatoes and yams (In moderation)
Only grass fed or free-range meat and wild caught seafood are recommended due to the fact that grain-fed animals and farmed fish are less healthy than animals fed their natural diet.
Other prohibited foods include:
- All processed foods
- Dairy
- Grains (no wheat, no pasta, no
cereals) - No sugars, no fructose, or grain
sweeteners - No beans
Most of the paleo diets exclude oils that are extracted through the use of chemicals.
Since grains and processed foods are forbidden, the diet is naturally gluten free. Paleo dieters strongly
recommend that everyone avoid gluten. They argue that nearly everyone is gluten intolerant.
Paleo Benefits
Paleo proponents claim the paleo diet reduces inflammation, lowers blood pressure, reduces oxidative stress, and provides increased protection against neurodegenerative diseases. Paleo proponents also stand behind the Paleo diet as a treatment for diabetes. The diet is said to reduce glucose and insulin levels.
A fact rarely emphasized in the paleo diet is that our ancestors ate organ meats and bone marrow. Bone marrow was a good source of easily assimilated calcium. Bone stock and bone marrow are not commonly eaten in modern day cuisine, though many health advocates have recently recommended them.
There are many truisms to the Paleo approach. We should attempt to emulate the diet of our ancestors, at
least in regards to the big picture. A paleo diet had lower grain and carbohydrate consumption, more protein, and more fiber, than modern diets. Paleo diets were made up of fresh foods, many of them raw. On the downside, real paleo diets were actually less diverse, and less healthy than the best diet available to us today.
The Best Diet
A diverse, fresh, organic, 80% raw, plant-based diet is the healthiest diet. A full 80% of your diet should consist of fresh, raw, organic produce - more vegetables than fruit. Your diet should also include omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil, flax seed oil, or an oil blend) as well as other healthy fats such as olive oil and coconut oil. Seeds and nuts should be soaked to release enzymes. All meat should be organic and beef should be grass fed. Remember, when you are eating at the top of the food chain, you are essentially eating whatever that animal ate. If you eat a diseased malnourished animal that was fed GMO grains and shot full of antibiotics and growth hormones, will it benefit you and your health?
To truly be healthy, avoid all processed foods. Do not eat artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. No BHA, BHT, MSG, or GMOs. No trans fats. No processed sugar. Limit caffeine.
There is a benefit to the paleo diet mindset. We do need to return to eating natural unadulterated foods. Just keep that 80% raw fresh produce in mind if your ultimate goal is true health and vitality.
Check out the salad recipe at this 80% Raw Food Diet article, and also learn how to make your own Total Nutrition Powder for a nutritional boost of vitamins and minerals.
Sources:
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com
http://www.singjupost.com
About the author:
Joel learned long ago that pharmaceuticals were not the answer to health and vitality. He gave up on pharmaceuticals many years ago, and he also gave up wheat and refined sugars. His hobbies include gluten free baking, gardening, and fitness. Joel is passionate about agriculture and environmental issues. Joel believes that progressive, cutting-edge, organic agriculture can feed the world.
Joel learned long ago that pharmaceuticals were not the answer to health and vitality. He gave up on pharmaceuticals many years ago, and he also gave up wheat and refined sugars. His hobbies include gluten free baking, gardening, and fitness. Joel is passionate about agriculture and environmental issues. Joel believes that progressive, cutting-edge, organic agriculture can feed the world.
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