The Paleo diet meals are prepared by emulating the diet of the hunters and the gatherers in the primordial ages. It comprises of whole and unprocessed foods as available in nature. It goes without saying that our ancestors were genetically the same as us. They survived by eating the foods that were available naturally and were inherently free from diseases like diabetes, obesity and different types of cardiac problems. Many types of research and studies suggest that Paleo diet meals can lead to substantial loss of unwanted weight along with overall improvements in health.
What does the Paleo diet meal mean?
The Paleolithic human beings survived on different types of diets depending on the foods available during those times. Some people consumed a low-carbohydrate diet which was high in animal proteins while others ate high-carbohydrate diets with heavy amounts of fruits and vegetables. But this is just a general guideline and need not be taken as gospel-truth. There is no particular way of eating that work for everyone. You are free to adapt the Paleo diet to your tastes and preferences.
The basics of Paleo diet meals comprise of the rules about what you should eat and what you must avoid. It is essential to eat a lot of fishes, eggs, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and healthy fats and oils. But you should refrain from processed foods, sugar, salt, drinks, dairy products, artificial sweeteners, margarine, vegetable oils, alcohols, and grains.
What must your Paleo diet meals comprise of?
When you are following this diet plan, you should make sure that your diet does not comprise of any of these:
• High fructose and sugar-containing syrup: You should avoid fruit juices, soft drinks, table sugars, candies, baked goods, confectionary items, pastries, ice creams and such types of food items.
• Grains: This is particularly true in case you are suffering from a gluten allergy. You should stay away from pasta, noodles, rye, barley and white bread.
• Legumes: Make sure that you do not have beans and lentils along with foods containing legumes.
• Dairy products: Some people are lactose intolerant, and even if you are not among them, you must avoid dairy products, particular the low-fat versions. This is because some versions of Paleo comprise of full-fat cheese and butter.
• Vegetable oils: When you are eating Paleo diet meals, you cannot cook them in vegetable oils, soybean oils, corn oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil and clarified butter. Some processed and margarine food items are rich in trans fats. These are normally referred to as partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils.
• Artificial sweeteners: When you are on Paleo diet, you are recommended to take natural forms of sweeteners even if you have diabetes. You should strictly avoid taking saccharin, cyclamates, sucralose, aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium.
It is quite apparent that you will not be able to keep so many things in mind if you are not habituated with a healthy meal plan. Thus, a simple guideline is that if you find that a meal has been prepared in a factory instead of a kitchen, then you should stay away from it. In case you have to opt for store-bought food, you must go through the list of ingredients even when the food has been labeled as healthy, to ascertain it will not compromise your diet routine.
What to eat when you are on Paleo diet plan?
If the list of not-to-eat meals seems endless, then here is a list of foods which you can eat when you are under Paleo diet plan. You will just have to make sure that these are unprocessed and real.
• Meat: You can choose from lamb, beef, pork, turkey, mutton or just chicken.
• Seafood: Go for wild-caught trout, salmon, haddock, shellfish, shrimp and such.
• Eggs: Choose from pastured or the ones enriched with omega-3 fatty acids.
• Vegetables and fruits: There are absolutely no restrictions when it comes to fruits and vegetables, and you can choose anything like kale, peppers, onions, carrots, gourds, pumpkins, tomatoes, and chilies. Also, fruits like avocados, blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, oranges, plums and anything that catches your eye can be chosen.
• Tubers: You can eat sweet potatoes, potatoes, turnips, and yams.
• Nuts and seeds: Sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, macadamia and many other seeds can be chosen.
• Oils and fats: Anything healthy like olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and also, extra virgin olive oil can be taken in moderation.
• Spices: No food would taste good without spices, and so the Paleo diet meals allow you to have ginger, garlic, rosemary, turmeric, sea and Himalayan salt to your heart’s content.
You will be happy to know that when you are taking Paleo diet meals, you may also choose little amounts of wine and dark chocolate on a weekly basis. You can try the diet to reap the numerous benefits it promises.
