A Paleo diet (or Palaeolithic diet or caveman diet) is all about eating natural foods to help achieve optimal health – anything we could hunt or gather – meats, fish, leafy greens, nuts, veggies, seeds, eggs. So no pasta, cereal, rice, bread, cakes, biscuits, bugger!
I have been eating mostly paleo for a long time, but it wasn’t until about 5-6 months ago I was a little more ‘strict’, like a bit of an experiment! And what have I found?
Over the last 5-6 years I have been eating very healthy (as most of you know, as I like to practice what I preach), but I decided to try this paleo way of eating, as it seemed like something that made sense to me, something I can agree with. I tend to follow this way of eating about 90% of the time. I have found energy levels are higher, no bloating, I am not hungry, blood sugar levels are stable, I don’t crave sweet things – fruit is sweet for me. When I was injured last year and couldn’t exercise, my clothes still fitted, even though I wasn’t exercising as much as I did when not injured – assuming my weight stayed about the same (don’t weigh myself!)
Some will say Paleo is pretty restrictive, and others will want to give it a try and see. If you are following my eating plans/recipes you are pretty much there anyway! Majority of my recipes in my eBooks can be paleo – just by taking out the brown rice, or wheat free pasta, taking out sourdough bread and oats. Replace them with lots of salad/greens and sweet potato and quinoa in moderation.
There is SO much information, research, points of view on this subject and I don’t like to get all sciencey, cause you might fall asleep! But if you are interested in reading more, here are a few links that I have found interesting
http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2JLttZWFV
http://thepaleodiet.com/paleo-diet-faq/
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-101/
Research suggests that eating a paleo lifestyle could
- Reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and most chronic degenerative diseases that affect people in the western world
- Stabilise blood sugar
- Burn off stored fat
- Help you lose weight if you are overweight
- Improve your athletic performance
- Reduce allergies
- Slow or reverse progression of an autoimmune disease
- Improve or eliminate acne
- Sleep better and have more energy throughout the day
- Enjoy an increased libido
- Improve your mental outlook and clarity
- Enjoy a longer, healthier, more active life
What can you eat:
- Vegetables – as much as you want!
- Fruit – minimise this if you want to lose weight, as fruit can be high in sugar – berries are best!
- Protein – seafood, poultry, meat (I tend not to eat a lot of red meat). It is better to eat grass fed, not grain fed – as the hormones can mess with you
- Eggs
- Oils – coconut oil, avocado, olive oil
- Nuts – if you can find them in nature, they are OK to eat – brazils, almonds, walnuts. Just don’t overeat them – no more than a handful a day
What you can’t eat:
- Dairy – milk, butter, cream, yoghurt, ice cream, cheese etc
- Starches – no potatoes, no rice, no breads
- Processed foods – anything in a box, or in the freezer (apart from fruit & veg), is most likely a no go!
- Grains – rice, pasta, flours, oats
- Legumes -beans, peas, peanuts
- Sugars – fake and real sugars!
- Soft drinks
- Caffeine
Foods I eat in moderation, but if you follow a strict paleo lifestyle, you would add to the can’t eat column
- Quinoa (it is technically not a grain or a seed!)
- Corn (some consider it a grain)
- Oat milk – only because almond milk is too sweet for me
- Alcohol – there is discussion about wine being grapes etc
So if you want to try it, you can start slow – if you want recipe ideas, check out my ebooks or sign up for Mummy Bootcamp @ home!
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