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The Paleo diet is a diet based on what humans could have eaten in the Palaeolithic era. The Palaeolithic period lasted from around 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. This post will show you the paleo diet list of foods allowed.
The modern paleo diet consists of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Hunting and gathering were the means of obtaining these foods in the past. This does not include foods that became common when small-scale agriculture began about 10,000 years ago. Grain products, legumes, and dairy products fall into this category. Other names for the paleo diet are palaeolithic diet, stone age diet, hunter-gatherer diet, and nomadic diet.
Why follow a Paleo Diet
The goal of the paleo diet is to eat foods that people can eat. The diet is based on the idea that our genes are not well-suited to modern food from agriculture.
Agriculture has made food items like corn and pulses readily available. He introduced dairy products. Also, agriculture changed the type of meat that people ate. The idea of the paleo diet is that these dietary changes have allowed the human body to change or adapt. This disorder is thought to be responsible for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease today. Paleo diets are popular for a variety of reasons, including:
- Lose weight or stay fit
- Reduce heart disease or the risk of heart disease
Recommendations of the paleo diet
Recommendations differ between paleo diets described in books and online. In general, the paleo diet recommends that the food must be unprocessed.
Foods to eat
- Fruits; citrus fruits, berries, apples, banana, mango
- Vegetables; spinach, broccoli, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower, asparagus
- Nuts and seeds; sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hazel nuts
- Meat; poultry (and eggs), goat, beef, turkey, pork tenderloin, bacon, Lean meat, especially grass or wild game
- Oils; coconut, olive, and avocado oils
- Sea food; lobster, shrimps, salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Oils from nuts and fruits, such as olive and walnut oils
Foods to avoid
- Grain and grain products – such as barley, corn, millet, corn, rice, rye, sorghum, wheat, wild rice, bread, pasta, etc.
- Products made from dairy, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, ice cream, and coffee creamer (some Paleo brands use whole milk)
- Refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup: soft drinks, fruit juices, table sugar, desserts, pastries, ice cream…
- Added salt
- Foods that are starchy, such as corn, peas, and jicama
- Foods with high levels of processing, such as chips or cookies
- Legumes – all beans (kidneys, soybeans, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts.
- Vegetable oils – such as rapeseed oil, corn oil, palm oil, walnut oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil and safflower oil.
- Trans fats: found in margarine and processed foods are very harmful to your body and health.
- All sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, cyclamate, advantame, etc. (use natural sweeteners instead)
Sample Menu for a day
Here’s a look at what you can eat on a typical day if you are on the paleo diet:
- Breakfast. Grilled salmon with cantaloupe.
- Lunch. Salad made with romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomato, avocado, walnuts, and lemon vinaigrette.
- Having dinner. Beef sirloin steak; steamed broccoli; salad made of mesclun, tomato, avocado, onions, almonds, and lemon juice vinaigrette; and strawberries for dessert.
- Snacks. Orange trees, carrot trees or celery trees.
Benefits and Limitations of the Paleo Diet
In general, the paleo diet has many characteristics of a recommended healthy diet. Common elements of the paleo diet include an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and avoiding processed foods. But there is very limited research on the paleo diet compared to studies on a healthy diet with different foods.
SEE ALSO: The Atkins Diet
Most studies on the paleo diet involve small numbers of people. Also, they only last from a few weeks to a few months. Dietary definitions also vary from study to study. So it’s challenging to say exactly what people can expect, especially as time goes on.
Overall, a few short studies suggest that the paleo diet can help manage:
- Weight loss
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Triglycerides
A large-scale study looks at the benefits of long-term self-reported eating habits among young people in Spain. The researchers found that the paleo diet was associated with a reduced risk of heart disease or stroke. The biggest risk is avoiding highly processed foods, such as chips and candies, and eating more fruits and vegetables. Long-term trials with large groups of people who are not confined to different diets are needed to understand the long-term health benefits and risks of the paleo diet.
The Paleo Diet Question
Some people doubt the idea that the human body has not changed or adapted to food from agriculture. Some people are also concerned about the paleo diet.
The main concern about the paleo diet is the absence of legumes and grains. These foods are considered a source of fibre, vitamins, protein, and other nutrients. In addition, low-fat dairy products are a rich source of protein, calcium, vitamins, and other nutrients. Therefore, the danger of following a paleo diet is that you will likely not get all the recommended nutrients.
Grains, legumes, and dairy products are also more affordable and readily available than foods such as wild game, pastured animals, and nuts. For some people, the paleo diet can be expensive. And the cost of some paleo diets can lead to unexpected reductions in some essential nutrients. The long-term risks of the paleo diet are however unknown. Data from many studies on popular diets have shown that the Mediterranean diet is the only one that has many benefits without risking potential harm. The Mediterranean diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low-fat dairy products.
Also, the benefits of the paleo diet may not outweigh the benefits of other healthy diets. A long-term study of these foods shows that following a Paleo diet or a Mediterranean diet leads to a similar decline in cardiovascular risk.
Some experts have said that the logic behind the paleo diet is incomplete. Arguments for a complex understanding of our changing nutritional or nutritional needs include:
Many factors – not just agriculture – have contributed to the need for human nutrition. The diet of early humans varied due to differences in geography, climate, and food availability.
Archaeologists have discovered tools used to grind wheat in places that are 30,000 years old, long before the beginning of agriculture. Researchers have also studied plant material found in the remains of palaeolithic humans and Neanderthals. These studies show that their diet includes wild grains. Genetic studies have shown that significant evolutionary changes continued after the Paleo lithic period. These include changes in the expression of genes related to the breakdown or digestion of starches in corn and lactose in milk.
The bottom line
A paleo diet can help you lose weight or stay in shape. It can also have other beneficial health effects. But there are no long-term clinical studies on the potential benefits and risks of the diet.
You can get the same health benefits by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.
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