Monday, February 11, 2013

Paleo Diet

Today I would like to address a diet that seems to be a new trend, the Paleo Diet.
If you're like me, then you're wondering what exactly is this diet?
This is a diet based off the cave man's diet. Hence the term paleo, meaning old or ancient and referring to geologic time periods. The idea is to consume what a cave man would have; this means no processed foods, refined sugars, legumes, dairy, or carbohydrates.
No bread. No ice cream. No cheese.
Yikes.
To me, restricting entire food groups can be a bit scary, considering as how 60% of my diet is grains. 
When I found out a dear friend of mine was on this diet my ears perked up and I became really interested. Since we consume quite a few meals together I knew I would eventually be influenced by this diet. After much research and recipe hunting I'm here to say this diet is doable.
Here is the great news, what you can consume.
  • Grass-fed meat. Chicken, steak, pork, bacon, etc.
  •  Fish/seafood. Shrimp, scallops, salmon, catfish, crab, etc.
  • Fresh fruits & veggies. So many options!
  • Eggs. Please refer here to a post about the incredible edible egg.
  • Nuts & seeds. Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
  • Healthful oils. This includes olive oil, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, and coconut. 
 
The skeleton of this diet is basically to consume all natural foods. Consuming all natural non-processed foods has many benefits for your body. Some examples include but not limited to are: less salt, higher fiber, lower sodium, higher vitamins and minerals intake, and higher protein intake. All of which can benefit your body. 
Now for the good stuff, the food. Here are some ideas to give you an overall picture of the delicious foods you can consume. 
  1. Stuffed peppers with chicken salad.
  2.  Roasted vegetable medley
  3. Garlic herb encrusted pork tenderloins
  4. Sweet potato fries
  5. Garlic & herb mashed cauliflower
I'm excited about giving this a try for at least a week. You can do anything for seven days right? And as always, talk to your doctor before trying any new diet.