One of the most known and followed diets that exist today is
the Paleo Diet. It is a revolutionary method based on eating as our ancestors
ate in ancient times during the Paleolithic era, hence the name of the diet.
Therefore, we are facing a diet that is based mainly on eating meat, fish,
fruits and vegetables, that is, everything that was obtained from hunting and
agriculture.
What Is the Paleo Diet?
The defenders of the Paleo diet indicate that this method of
feeding is based on the needs that our organism really has. That is, our
ancestors were strong and healthy consuming what they obtained directly from
the land, they did not have to process anything to eat well. And that is
precisely what this diet is based on: we eat everything that comes directly
from nature and that has not been treated by humans: fruits, vegetables, meats
(unprocessed) and fish.
This diet therefore eliminates the consumption of dairy
products, cereals and processed products that are not natural and have been
treated by human intervention. This Stone Age diet advocates that we do not
need more than natural ingredients to have a nutritious, varied and beneficial
diet for our health. Sugars, cereals, dairy products and legumes are
eliminated.
Benefits of The Paleo Diet
Currently, there are many people who follow the Paleo diet
because they defend that it is a natural and more than sufficient method of nutrition
for our health. Evolution has made that the advances in the industry will also
affect our food and, therefore, they bet on a return to the origins to avoid
including in our body toxins or unnecessary chemicals.
The main benefits of the Paleo Diet are the following:
- Reduced blood sugar and greater balance.
- Energy balance is achieved throughout the day.
- Reduced consumption of saturated fats by eliminating processed foods.
- It is an ideal diet for athletes, since protein is a great ally for muscles and joints.
- It helps to lose weight by reducing the consumption of sugars and fats.
- Vegetables and fruits are rich in fiber, so it is a satiating diet.
Paleo Diet for Beginners: The Basics You Need to
Know If You Want to Lose Weight
If you are a beginner, here's what you should know about the
Paleo diet:
The Base Is Fresh and Seasonal Food
The paleo diet, because it is inspired by the diet of our
ancestors, does not allow the intake of processed and ultra-processed foods of
any kind.
That is, it is based on fresh and seasonal foods, which has
an impact on the quality of the diet and automatically discarding some healthy
ingredients such as whole grains or legumes (even in their dried version).
Thus, all kinds of fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, fish,
eggs, seafood and nuts or seeds can be consumed.
It Is Essential to Prioritize Vegetable Ingredients
The latest scientific evidence points to the advantages of
basing our regular diet on plant-based foods and it is likely that our
ancestors also did so since hunting an animal for consumption was much more
difficult than accessing berries, fruits, seeds and other harvested foods.
Therefore, if we want to lose weight while taking care of our
health, we recommend prioritizing the consumption of foods of vegetable origins
such as fruits and various vegetables (including starchy ones), nuts, seeds,
extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices.
From these foods we will obtain in addition to good quality
carbohydrates with a high proportion of fiber, unsaturated fats, vegetable
proteins and various antioxidants.
Meats Should Always Be Fresh and Lean
The meats consumed in the Paleolithic were game, that is to
say, derived from wild animals, so their percentage of fat was very low.
Nowadays, if we want to approach this type of diet without
putting at risk the health of the organism, it is essential that we always choose
fresh and lean meats.
Paleo diet ad libitum, with a predominance of meats of all
kinds could be unfavorable as it could negatively modify blood lipids, while if
we choose lean meats and abundant vegetable ingredients the benefits can be
more tangible and the risks reduced.
Sugar Is Forbidden and Salt Should Be Avoided as
Much as Possible
Table sugar and other ingredients such as syrups, syrups and
so on, although they are vegetable derived from industrial processing, are
therefore not allowed in the Paleo diet.
The sweeteners that we use today as a replacement are also
not allowed in a Paleo diet; instead, we must turn to options with natural
sugars such as fresh fruits, dates or vegetables with high fructose content.
Salt is also not an ingredient that we should use freely, as
our ancestors did not. However, in the Paleo diet adapted to the present day,
its moderate to low use is not prohibited, although we recommend avoiding the
salt shaker whenever possible and flavoring our dishes with herbs and various
spices.
Dairy Products Are Not Allowed in The Paleo Diet,
But It Is Important to Take Care of Calcium Intake
Like other processed foods, dairy products are not allowed in
the Paleo diet, so calcium intake can be affected and deserves special attention.
In this sense, we can turn to seeds and nuts, especially
almonds, poppy seeds or sesame seeds and dried herbs such as oregano for
example, which are good sources of calcium of vegetable origin.
Some fish such as sardines or seafood such as shrimp can also
help us to add this nutrient to the Paleo diet because no milk or dairy
products are allowed in it.
Among Fats, Unsaturated Fats Should Predominate
The sources of fats in the Paleo diet are diverse, as they
include meats, fish, eggs, oils and other ingredients that provide them.
However, if we seek to lose weight and take care of our
health, we recommend that unsaturated fats predominate among the fats that we
can obtain in the paleolithic diet from avocado, olives, nuts, seeds, oily fish
and extra virgin olive oil, which we recommend to use as the main fatty body
for cooking.
Coconut and Some Derivatives: Sources of Fats in
The Paleo Diet
An exception among the foods allowed in the Paleo diet are
minimally processed products derived from coconut.
Beyond the fruit as such and its juice, vegetable coconut
drink without added sugar or flavor, shredded coconut and coconut butter or
coconut oil that can be used to replace other allowed oils and fat sources such
as extra virgin olive oil, are allowed in the Paleo diet.
Likewise, as we pointed out before, we recommend choosing
unsaturated fats as the main sources of this nutrient in our diet and thus,
favor the quality of what we eat and promote weight loss.
Foods and Products, Better If They Are Organic
Because we intend to approach in composition to the diet of our ancestors, in the paleo diet it is considered better if the food and products are organic and natural.
That is, the less processed the better and this applies to
all kinds of preparations, so if we want to use almond flour better to make it
at home by grinding the nut than going to commercial alternatives and if we
choose vegetables and fruits, the organic or organically produced ones will be
more welcome.
Although the decision to choose organic foods and products
will not greatly affect the calories and weight loss effects of the Paleo diet,
it can influence its benefits and help us to modify the palate in favor of a
more natural and innate diet.
These are the basics of the Paleo diet to lose weight if you are a beginner that we recommend to take into account before you start practicing it.