Is A Paleo Diet Worth All Of The Fuss?

 

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With more people than ever trying to lose weight, it’s easy to become disillusioned with diets. Fad diets rope people in with promises of extreme weight loss in minimal periods of time. But people grow disappointed when they don’t get the results they were promised. However, there are diets out there that will do what they claim. They might not be the fastest form of weight loss, but the results will be healthily achieved and long lasting. When it comes to dieting, patience is truly a virtue. Here’s our quick guide to a new, alternative path to weight loss: the Paleo diet.

What Is A Paleo Diet?

A paleo diet is often believed to be one of the healthiest in the world. Now, that’s easy to say. But what is it? Well, paleo bases itself around banishing processed foods from your diet. People on a paleo diet will also avoid eating grains, gluten, soy, dairy and legumes. Emphasis is placed on eating “real,” unprocessed, natural foods. This may sound difficult, but you have to remember that this isn’t a fad diet. It’s a change of lifestyle. However, the benefits are said to be worth it.

What Are The Benefits Of Paleo?

Paleo is reported to have numerous health benefits. It can help you to lose weight. It will improve your athletic performance. It will give you a better night’s sleep and boost your mood. It’s supposed to reduce any inflammation in your body and so lessens the effects of arthritis. It also claims to help with various other bodily problems on top of this, such as autoimmune conditions, mental health problems such as depression, heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

How Is Paleo Different To Other Diets?

Many diets focus on people’s insecurities and desire of immediate effects. They will see you shed pounds at an alarmingly rapid rate. People are then surprised when the weight piles back on just as quickly as soon as they return to their usual diet. Paleo isn’t a fad diet. It’s a change of lifestyle. If you want to lose weight, effectively you have to change your bad habits and stick to this change. You can’t eat three calorie-heavy courses for every meal, avoid exercise and expect to feel healthy and have a slim figure. Paleo faces the facts. There are certain foods that the human body doesn’t need and isn’t suited to digest, no matter how good they might taste. Paleo focuses on removing these from your diet and not returning to them. You will reap the benefits of a proper diet, which will be digested properly and keep your body as it should be naturally.

What Foods Should I Ditch?

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Dairy

Dairy is subject to debate in Paleo communities. However, dairy isn’t natural and should be avoided. Humans are built to consume their mother’s milk as a baby and that’s that. No other animal consumes another creature’s milk, and there’s a reason for that. It’s not made for them, and they do not need it.

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Alcohol

Alcohol, as bought in stores and bars, is a manmade product. You wouldn’t come across a double shot of Sambuca or Tequila in the wild. So you should avoid it as much as possible in modern day society.

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Coffee

Coffee is a coin with two faces. It’s a natural drink. It also has numerous health benefits. It reduces your risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s. It is also packed with antioxidants. However, on the other hand, it has its downsides too. It’s full of caffeine and increases cortisol in your body. The key to coffee is to consume it in moderation. One a day is fine, but avoid any more than that.

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Chocolate

Unlike most diets, you don’t have to ditch chocolate for this one. Chocolate lovers rejoice. But that doesn’t mean you should start consuming melted dairy milk chocolate and nothing else. Dark chocolate is key here. It has so many health benefits. It has antioxidants, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Try to keep it 70% cacoa or higher.

Soy

The problem with soy is that it is often genetically modified. This can lead to allergies, fertility issues and (in extreme cases) birth defects. It disrupts hormone levels and the way that your thyroid functions. Cut out soy as much as possible.

Grains

Grains are packed with gluten. This is a protein. However, our bodies aren’t built to properly digest gluten. Many restaurants are now offering gluten-free options and even gluten-free menus, so make the most of these options.

Is This Going To Be A Huge Effort?

It may seem like that you can’t eat much at all on a Paleo diet. But that’s not true. You just have to change meals that you’re accustomed to for Paleo alternatives. At the end of the day, switching to Paleo isn’t going to be easy at first. But that’s just the same as any change of diet. Going Paleo is no harder than going vegetarian or vegan. You just have to spend a little more time working out some good, healthy meals. Once you’ve got used to it, making Paleo choices will become a habit. You won’t have to check the contents of every food packaging you come across for the rest of your life. You’ll come to know what’s good for you and what should be avoided. You just need to use your imagination. Alternatively, you can check out recipes online.  There are plenty of paleo breakfast ideas, lunch recipes and dinner options out there.

So What Can I Eat?

Paleo is easy to research. It’s as simple as checking in a search engine whether something is appropriate for your new diet. There are also plenty of Paleo online communities who will be able to offer you help and advice if you’re struggling to find out whether a certain food or product is Paleo or not. Believe it or not, Paleo isn’t a boring or dull diet. It will still be possible to eat out at restaurants. You might just have to ask the chef to remove a couple of ingredients from the usual recipe. Most places are happy to accommodate to different dietary requirements. If you find Paleo-friendly store bought lunches wear thin after a while, make your own. You can get creative.