One diet that’s gained popularity in New York, NY is the Paleo diet. If you’re on the Paleo diet, you eat like cavemen, sans the brontosaurus burgers. It’s based on the concept that our bodies were healthier when we ate the food that grew before farming began and eating food that’s more genetically matched to our bodies could keep you healthy and thin. Since cavemen didn’t farm, grains were not part of every meal. Milk products weren’t either, and neither were legumes.
Early man was a hunter-gatherer.
Before the creation of villages and farms, people were nomadic. They lived off the land foraging for vegetation, hunting animals, and enjoying the occasional treat of honey or sweet fresh fruit. There not only wasn’t processed food, but there also wasn’t even a bartering system to get food from others. Many traveled in groups since it was safer and beneficial when looking for food. Many of the vegetables eaten today did not exist or existed in a different form. Man ate what the landscape provided, which varied from place to place. Carrots were a source of energy but weren’t orange. Man watched animals eat the plant and then added the food to the diet. Eating wasn’t about preferences but about survival.
What makes the Paleo diet a good option?
Early man didn’t live long, but the short life span didn’t come from his diet. There were other pitfalls in life. The Paleo diet is beneficial because it cuts out processed foods and focuses on whole foods, which is the groundwork for any healthy diet. One controversy is the lack of grains. Some paleolithic diets ban not only the use of cereals—grain—but also pseudocereals, like quinoa. Including pseudocereals is debated. Man has consumed them for centuries. If it grew wild in an area where the early man lived, he most likely would have used it as food.
Cavemen had a lot of muscle mass.
One factor often ignored is the amount early man exercised. It wasn’t by choice but by necessity. Their transportation was their feet. They had to gather or capture their food. If you’re going Paleo, make your lifestyle Paleo, too. If your destination is close enough to walk, do it. If you have a choice between the stairs and the elevator, take the stairs. Find a way to increase daily activity. You can even forage for your own food by finding You-Pick fruit and vegetable farms.
- Eggs were a common protein source for early man and were often eaten raw. It isn’t recommended today due to many diseases that can transfer, but consuming eggs is encouraged.
- Paleolithic man didn’t eat much at one time but ate what he found immediately. They didn’t waste any part of a catch, including organ meat. Most paleontologists believe that early man even ate the marrow out of bones.
- If you want to do a modified paleo diet, just cut out processed food and food with added sugar. It will go a long way to improving your health and helping you lose those extra pounds.
- Be aware that by cutting out grains and dairy, you’re also reducing fiber, B vitamins, calcium, iron, selenium, and magnesium. Be aware of those nutritional gaps and find a way to fill the void.
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