The Paleo Diet is probably one of the most popular diets of recent times, and it's relatively simple too! If you're looking to lose weight in a healthy way, then we're here to tell you everything you need to know about the Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet goes back to the 1970s, though the more modern version of this diet was popularised in 2002 by Loren Cordain in his best selling book called simply, The Paleo Diet. So, could this be the diet plan for you? Read on to find out!
What is the Paleo Diet?
The concept of the Paleo Diet is very simple: you can eat only what our caveman ancestors ate. That means that you can eat anything that can be hunted or gathered, but you can't eat anything processed, and no sugar, no grains and no dairy either.
The Paleo Diet: The Good
All diets have their good and bad points, and the Paleo Diet is no exception. Maybe the best thing about the Paleo (and the thing that most people love about it) is that there's no calorie counting. There's no point system, there's no math. The only thing you have to do is to keep to the list of foods you're allowed to eat and steer clear of those you're not allowed to eat. How simple is that?
The Paleo Diet is also fairly sustainable. That means that because it includes nearly all of the nutrients you need to be healthy, you can stay on the Paleo Diet for a long time – unlike the cabbage diet for example which you can only do for up to a week because it is lacking in nutrients, which is unhealthy of course . In fact, many people choose to eat Paleo all the time.
The Paleo Diet: The Bad
As with most things in life, for every up-side there is usually a downside. The first of these is that it can be very difficult to avoid the foods you're not allowed to eat. Mainly this is because you're not allowed to eat grains. Cavemen didn't harvest grains, which means that they are not part of the diet and therefore you are not allowed to eat anything with them. This means no bread, no pasta and nothing else that has flour in it. Unfortunately, seeing how flour is a major ingredient in lots of things, it's very tough to avoid, especially in restaurants, and you'll need to be pretty observant to avoid flour all the time.
The second problem is that the Paleo Diet includes very few carbohydrates (for example, the bread and pasta we were talking about before). Eating less carbohydrates is a good way to lose weight, and there's nothing wrong (scientifically speaking) with eating just a few carbs. However, because we're generally used to eating a lot of carbs in a western diet this can mean that you feel hungry for the first couple of weeks of following the Paleo Diet. This effect will wear off after a while, but you'll need to have good will power during the beginning of your diet!
What Can I Eat on the Paleo Diet Plan?
There are a wide variety of foods that you are allowed to eat if you're going Paleo. Here are the main categories:
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Meat: meat is a big part of a Paleo Diet plan, and you can eat all kinds of meat including chicken, pork, beef, turkey, really anything! Only thing you should try keep in mind is, that the meat you buy should be grass-fed meat, not grain-fed! This is especially important with beef;
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Fish: all kinds of fish are fine, but whilst the Paleo doesn't forbid farmed fish, you might want to buy wild fish, since farmed fish can have high levels of mercury (then again, there are claims that even wild fish are beginning to accumulate mercury too – bottom line, as with everything in life, try not to overdo any one group in this list);
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Vegetables and fruits: as much as you want but again, don’t overdo it because fruits contain natural sugars which are fattening;
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Eggs: the perfect Paleo breakfast!;
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Oils: oils are fine as long as they're natural oils (sunflower, olive, coconut, avocado etc.), just watch out for processed oils, since these aren't allowed;
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Nuts: nuts are no problem if you're going Paleo, but they are a little high calorie, so not too many;
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Tubers: tubers are things like sweet potatoes and yams, and can give you some of those carbs that you've been missing!
A Word About Dairy… 
Not all versions of the Paleo Diet forbid dairy, however most do. Why? Well, because most animals only drink milk as infants, not as adults. It's up to you whether or not you want to limit your dairy intake, but dairy is quite fattening, so it might be best to give it up or at least decrease your consumption.
What Else Should I Know About the Paleo Diet?
There are a few things that you should keep in mind if you're thinking about following the Paleo Diet plan:
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Remember that in order to maintain a healthy diet you need to have a balanced one. So, whilst you don't have to follow a daily eating plan on the Paleo diet, you should still try to make sure that you have a good balance of all the foods that you are allowed to eat;
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You don't need to worry about how often you eat on the Paleo plan, you can eat whenever you like, but as with everything, moderation is key. If you're looking to lose weight, then eating ten meals a day (even if they're Paleo meals) isn't going to help;
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Giving up things like pasta can be tough, but have a look around online, there are plenty of great Paleo recipes for things like vegetable pasta that can help you get over losing your beloved spaghetti!;
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Eating Paleo can get a little expensive, especially when it comes to things like buying grass-fed beef rather than grain-fed and fish (for which prices have soared). Combat this by eating more vegetables – preferably those that are in season where you live, rather than imported (and more expensive) varieties.
Are There Health Benefits to the Paleo Diet?
There could be health benefits to going Paleo, yes. Of course, losing weight will improve your health, but Paleo dieting can also lower your risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol and help people with Type 2 diabetes. The Paleo Diet has also been suggested to stop autoimmune problems (diseases where the body's immune system attacks itself). If you suffer from any health problems though, you should always check with your doctor before starting any diet plan.
The Paleo Diet is very popular, mostly because it doesn't involve endless calorie counting and because it has a fairly wide range of things one can eat – making following it quite easy. It's not the right diet for everyone, but it can be a great way to lose weight and get healthy. And don't forget that losing weight not only makes you healthier and more energetic, but can also do things like save you money on your health or life insurance, since many insurance companies charge extra for overweight customers (due to the health risks involved). By the way, if you don't have life insurance, and you are overweight, it's about time you look into the matter. For your convenience, you can use the below form to get a free quote (in all fairness, we advise getting at least two).
Bottom line, Eating like a caveman might sound strange, but in some cases it can be very effective!
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Main subject: The Paleo Diet
