Does the Paleo Diet Work?

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Paleo Diet

What is the Pale Diet?It is an eating style us humans used to have back in the ancient days.

The Paleo diet plan will include all the foods, which cavemen hunt down in the wilderness. It includes meat, leafy greens, the regional vegetables, nuts, fishes and even seeds.

If you crave for carbs like pasta, candies or even cereal; it is time to bid goodbye to these thoughts with this diet. We will teach the ins and outs and how you can make different items that are a part of Paleo diet basics.

I am not one of those who love to keep track of every single calorie when I am on a diet. It is really cumbersome to keep a track of the total calories and though it is important to an extent, it doesn’t always lead to an increase in weight. I got so irritated with the entire idea of keeping track of calories once that I said, “hey I’m going to try a diet that will let me eat what I want”. This brought me to Paleo and I will show you all the details in case you were considering using this diet.

So, with this choice in diets, you will have to cut down certain type of foods from your diet. When you follow the Paleo diet basics, you will be able to cut down your extra pounds and get enough good protein to build your muscles as well.

So, how does the Paleo diet really work? Let us see explore in more detail…

I know whenever we hear the word, “diet”; the first thing that probably comes to your mind is “crap” another one of those fads. Paleo isn’t one of them. Paleo diet is basically going back to the old caveman ways. Our ancestors were hunters and they gathered food and they did thrive on this very diet. When they could, why can’t you? In fact, if you look at the profile of humans back in those days, you will find that they were muscular, athletic and versatile as well. However, humans these days are mostly overweight and stuffing their face with a bunch of processed foods. So, where did we go wrong?

Let us explore the trouble…

Ever since humans discovered farming and the science behind it known as agriculture, things started changing for humans.

The real problem is that our bodies failed to make the adjustment to the new eating style. Gone are the days when people had meat, fruits and vegetables as the staple diet now comprises of pasta, soda, white bread, GMO corn and this is responsible for most of the health issues which people are suffering from in today’s world. Nearly 66% of everyone today is overweight and 33% of those people are obese. What is worse is the fact that the condition is getting worse with every single day.

So, things are not going in the right directions for us humans when food is brought into the picture. In order to remedy the situation, it is time to take some actions and one of the best ways is eating Paleo. Paleo aims at eating the way our body has been biologically designed and this will have a direct impact on your overall body composition as it is likely to improve.

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What The Heck Is Paleo?

Back in the day, grains were actually not a part of your diet. As per the saying by famous Mark, grains lead to a different kind of response in your body. Grains are mainly made of carbohydrates and have a tendency of turning into glucose. Glucose is used for your energy and other bodily activities as well. However, the glucose that fails to be used ends up turning into stubborn body fat. When we are talking about the Paleo food diet plan, it won’t comprise of stuffing your face full of grains anymore. To help you understand the importance of Paleo diet, we will first talk about why this diet says you need to let go off grains.

  • Gluten is a kind of protein which is found in substances like rye, barley, and wheat. A lot of us are intolerant to gluten and such people can develop a wide array of medical disorders. Some of the common ones among them are reproductive problems, joint pain, dermatitis and so on.
  • Grains contain lectins which are natural toxins. When you are eating grains, it can be harmful for your gastrointestinal tract. This can lead to wear and tear and cause damage to your body.

Tons and tons of grains are definitely unhealthy and can cause a lot more damage than they will do good for this diet. When you are looking for Paleo diet foods, you will have to also completely remove sugar. Until and unless, sugar is a part of some certain approved fruits, it is best avoided. If sugar is not immediately used in your body, it turns into body fat and can cause major troubles in your body. Find out more harmful things about why sugar is bad for you.

This is why you should avoid the eating most grains with this diet and say no to unwanted sugar and thus your body will stay fit with the Paleo diet.

How Do I Get Energy With the Paleo Diet?

While you may have understood the need to stay away from grains, here comes the next plausible question. How do you get your daily dose of energy, especially for your gym workout?

Do not fret; our bodies are designed to work on much lower energy levels than what we are prone to eating. When your body fails to take up the carbs, your body turns to stored fat to be used and they will be burnt for generating the needed energy to carry out the different body functions. My intent here is to let you know that the human body is effing awesome and it knows how to deal with the shift in your diet plan. So, eat the way you should rather than the way you would as a modern human.

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Do All Carbs Suck?

Good question, but the answer is no. Carbs do have to play a role in our diet but you can do without them. On a personal note, I prefer getting my carb dose from healthy fruits and green leafy veggies. The reason is that these are naturally found in certain food and they do not need any external processing. Add to this the fact that I can eat as much vegetables as I want and I don’t gain too much weight.

How cool is that? 

They serve as a rich source of nutrients but their calorie content is terrifically low.

Dairy Products?  Do They Need To Go Too?

Yeah, as sorry as it may sound, this diet requires you to bid farewell to dairy. When you are choosing the caveman diet, you have to give up on dairy products.

Did you ever hear that our ancestors went to the cows because they still wanted milk?

Perhaps, the humans of today are the only species in the animal kingdom who still cling to milk even when the days of infancy are long over.

Our body wasn’t naturally designed to adjust to all the dairy consumption that most modern human indulge in. The main theme behind Paleo diet plan is to make sure that you do not end up gorging upon food which your body wasn’t naturally inclined to have.

However, the last call is going to be yours. I don’t have a very strict aversion to milk or even other dairy products for that matter. You should weigh the pros and the cons before coming to the final call. You should also read the truth about milk.

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Do I Get To Eat At All?

I know, what you must be thinking. Has this guy gone nuts? No milk, no grains; am I going to starve? No dude; there is no starving here and I haven’t lost my marbles; at least not yet. When you follow the Paleo diet, you can eat food that comes naturally. Here, I am going to list a few foods which you can happily have.

  • Meat: Choose grass-fed meat as opposed to grain fed meat.
  • Fish: Salmon, tuna, tilapia to name a few
  • Fruits: some of them can be rich in calories and can aid in weight gain. So, keep that point in check.
  • Oils: settle only with natural oil
  • Eggs: ideally, omega 3 enriched eggs are the best choice
  • Nuts: they are high in calories; so refrain from eating too many, I would recommend about as many as would fit in your palm.

Apart from this, the list of naturally found food is long. You can also have steaks along with asparagus and grilled chicken salads too. One of the best snacks has to be apples dipped in almond butter.

Do you still have complaints that Paleo is going to starve you?

See you will survive…

Won’t I Gain Weight?

Well, ideally you won’t because the food that is a part of Paleo diet food list is nutritious and filling. You are least likely to overeat and so you will have the feeling that your stomach is full. Mainly carb foods make you hungry and spike your blood sugar but when you are eating the Paleo diet, you will stay full for a long time.

But… My Pasta…

If you just said that line and made an innocent puppy face, you’re screwed. Paleo won’t be for you; simple as that! I would recommend for doing a more standard diet that utilizes all three macronutrients if you don’t have the self-control to get away from breads/pastas.

If you are okay with the way you look, and the energy you have, you can do always just opt for an easy diet to follow. However, if you are desperate to shed extra body fat and improve your energy, give up your food cravings. I am not asking you to give it up for life. Try Paleo for 30 days or so and if you still do not spot any changes, screw Paleo and go back to your love for pasta and hang out with Mario for all I care. If you do not want to commit to giving up of favorite pastas completely, at least curtail them from your diet. You can choose to have slow transitions rather than complete cold turkey.

How Much Should I Eat On The Paleo Diet?

I am not going to ask you to keep a calculator or a chart with you all through the day. I find it sometimes overbearing and frustrating. Ideally, you need to listen to the needs of your body. You must have best foods for muscle building and try and have plenty of vegetables and fruit in your diet. Avocado, almond butter could be possibly added as well. The bottom line is you need to be sure that you are not starving your body.

Are My Meals Every Three Hours?

You will eat when you wish to eat with the Paleo and when you have the appetite. That’s the simple rule. All you need to do is not to overindulge in food because you ended up skipping multiple meals. Eat whenever you have the hunger, but do not go on an eating spree. Another great way to shed body weight is intermittent fasting and a good choice for those who want to shed the extra body fat.

The Criticism Of Paleo Diet

Some people have criticized Paleo diet terming it as expensive and even impractical. Trust me, if you are careful enough, you will be able to have a healthy Paleo diet at the right cost and as of it being impractical. Even if you have issues you can check out eating on a budget to give you some ideas. Yes, it is a little tough to make adjustments, but it is very much feasible, possible and practical.

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Conclusion

If you are still chewing your lips and wondering what is Paleo diet and how useful it is going to be for me, give it 30 days. Try and implement it for one month and then you can pass your own verdict. Don’t cheat during the month because go strong and remember the only one who will be at a loss will be you. Try it out and I am sure you would be the one recommending it to others.

-TerryAsher

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Terry

Gym Junkies Founder & Editor in Chief at Gym Junkies LLC
I’m Terry and I’m here to help you achieve your fitness goals. I truly believe anyone can achieve the figure they want with the proper guidance. Through my extensive fitness blog, top fitness videos, leading workout supplements, and top selling eBooks, I have been able to help thousands of people online lose weight, tone up and get in shape. My passion is helping people all around the world change their lives for the better.
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2 COMMENTS

  1. When I was working in a bookshop a few years back, I always had customea coming in and asking for books about this diet, but I’ve only recently started doing some research on it as it has become something that I am consistently coming across online. I have to say that it is also one of the most interesting ideas for a diet that I have come across – revolving around what we used to eat back in as you put it, the ancient days, but when you think about the concept, it does make sense. Anyway, this is such a great collection of information and the breakdown of each part of the diet was great for someone just starting to learn about it. I like the suggestion of just trying it out for one month to see how it works for a person before making a full time commitment to it. There are deftintley some things there that I’m not quite sure about giving up, but we shall see how I go this month.

  2. I saw a news report this morning talking about all the things that should be left behind with 2014 so that 2015 can be embraced the most. Some of the things included were the current Kim Kardashian obsession, Frozen and the Paleo Diet, so I kind of rolled my eyes when I saw this post – even if it was (just) written in 2014, to your credit. Granted, I didn’t actually know too much about it and just remembered the name from the talk show, but I ended up clicking on it anyway, just to find out a bit more about it. Have to say that I swallowed down some of my pride because this is the most interesting diet that I have come across and I’m absolutely fascinated by how it was created and that it’s based in human history and food that was consumed then. Certainly something interesting and to think more about.

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