Paleo Diet: Pros & Cons

To begin with, we should ask ourselves 'What is the 'Paleo Diet' and where does it come from? 

The Paleo Diet is nothing but a modern version of our ancestors' diet from the Paleolithic era, which was over 10.000 years ago, before the agricultural revolution. This plan simply focuses on food that can be either hunted or gathered like vegetables, fruits, seafood, grass-fed meat, eggs, nuts, seed and poultry. 

Sounds quite okay, doesn't it? Well, according to Paleo diet founder Loren Cordain, food has evolved and changed so fast that the human body hasn't really adapted enough to adequately digest many of the modern day foods. This results in cellular inflammation or even an increased risk for chronic diseases. Nevertheless, a lot of the aliments associated with a typical Western diet can also be weakening when a person adopts the diet of a caveman.

Pros of the Paleo diet: 

• The Paleo diet is rich in soluble fiber, antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fat and low-glycemic carbs. 
• Gluten free and low in added sugars, trans fats, salt and high-glycemic carbs. 
• Makes it easier as there are no shades of gray like counting calories, guessing on appropriate portion sizes and so on. 
• Things like rich caramel chocolate brownie are completely off limits. 

Cons of the Paleo diet:

• Misinterpretation as they diet heavily relies on meat, but nowadays, meat isn't that lean anymore as it was thousands of years ago.
• Animals like cows are often stuffed with food and given little room to move resulting fatty cuts of meat
• You are adopting a diet from ancient times, where the average lifespan was in the 20s, which is a lot less compared to today's lifespan. 
• The Paleo diet falls short on calcium and vitamin D

Tips & tricks to make the best out of it: 

If you want to do the Paleo diet, no problem ,but make sure that you include some healthy tweaks to get the best out of both ancient times and today. Look for more fruits, vegetable, nuts, seeds and also small amounts of healthy oils like olive-oil or rapeseed-oil. When you chose your meat, make sure to opt for lean grass-fed meat and focus on wild seafood.  For dairy products, if you want to consume them , add lower-fat but nutrient-rich dairy or alternatives that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D to complement your meals. 

And while you are about to adopt the diet of a caveman, make sure to also exercise like a caveman by supplementing sessions at the gym or training studio. It may be hard to find a saber-tooth cat for your liftings but I think a pair of dumbbells, kettle-bells or barbells will work as well hihi. Even though, sitting around like a savage caveman for hours is detrimental for your health, so get up frequently and 'hunt' for opportunities to stay fit. 

If you want to learn more about the Paleo diet or are in search of new recipes, checkout THIS page. 

I wish you all a nice and relaxing sunday and don't forget to go hunting. xX