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Paleo Diet Plan
The paleo (short for paleolithic) diet plan is based on the idea that humans should eat food that closely resembles the diets of prehistoric humans. Early humans evolved as hunter-gatherers long before the invention of what we would recognize as modern-day agriculture. This diet plan attempts to recreate what humans ate from 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago, and eliminating foods that became popular after farming revolutionized what humans could eat.
Proponents of the paleo diet plan believe that it's healthier if humans ate more traditional staples of the human diet, such as meat, fruits and foraged vegetables, and less of the foods that only gained prominence after the emergence of agriculture about 10,000 years ago — so eating less grain, processed foods, legumes and the like. The appeal is that since the advent of agriculture there has been little time for core human metabolic processes to evolve — thus we should eat like cavemen.
As you can imagine, it's pretty difficult to know exactly what humans across the world ate on a daily basis in prehistoric times, before even the concept of a written language existed. However, based on what we know about technology levels and archeological records, we can make some educated guesses that it was probably a diet filled with a lot of natural, minimally processed foods.
Staple Foods and Snacks on a Paleo Diet Plan
So what are considered the core foods of a paleo diet plan? In a nutshell, simple but nutritious foods. Some basic categories include:
- Nuts and seeds
- Vegetables
- Fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon
- Oils derived from fruits and nuts, such as olive oil or walnut oil
- Fruits
- Meat, especially from grass-fed animals or game animals
- Eggs
Some more specific examples of foods that are OK for the paleo diet include:
- Turkey, quail, goose, chicken, and duck
- Beef, lamb, pork, nitrate-free bacon, elk, bear, deer, moose, and rabbit
- Catfish, tuna, salmon, trout, bass, walleye, mackerel, cod, clams, lobster, crab, mussels, and shrimp
- Nuts and nut butters, including almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, and brazil nuts
- Eggs, preferably from free-range birds
- Healthy fats from sources such as avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, and butter/ghee from grass-fed cows
- Cauliflower, broccoli, lettuces, carrots, peppers, cucumber, radishes, squashes, olives, and mushrooms
- Apples, peaches, bananas, berries, melons, tomatoes
- Acceptable sweeteners would be from sources such as dates, maple syrup and raw honey
Foods to Avoid on a Paleo Diet Plan
The ingredients to avoid on a paleo diet plan are all the foods that would only have been available in recent history to humans. These include:
- Grains, such as wheat, oats and barley (including whole grains and gluten-free), and their derivatives, like pasta and bread
- Dairy products
- Refined sugar, such as cane sugar, beet sugar and corn syrup
- Foods with lots of salt
- Potatoes, corn and rice
- Highly processed foods in general, such as soft drinks, vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners, margarine, trans fats, soybeans and soy-derived products
- Legumes, such as beans, peas and peanuts
- Beer, which is made from wheat, barley and hops (all on the paleo naughty list)
Benefits of the Paleo Diet Plan
Health experts like the paleo diet plan's reduction in highly processed foods and refined sugars, and like that it's high in fiber, potassium and antioxidants (such as found in vegetables, bananas, berries and fish).
The paleo diet plan has been found in some studies to be beneficial for those with or wanting to prevent Type 2 diabetes. One study found that a paleo diet planimproved blood-sugar levels and risk factors compared with a traditional diabetes diet plan. Another group of studies examined showed that a paleo diet plan compared similarly with other healthy, diabetic-friendly diet plans, such as the Mediterranean diet plan and a traditional diabetes diet plan. The paleo diet plan has also been found to be more satiating than other diet plans, meaning that people will consume fewer overall calories because they feel fuller and take longer to get hungry again.
One of the benefits of feeling satiated in a diet like the paleo diet plan is that it lessens the need for calorie counting and watching portion sizes. Some who follow the paleo diet plan also have a few "cheat" non-paleo meals each week.
Downsides of a Paleo Diet Plan
Some nutrition and health experts advise against eliminating entire categories of food from your diet, and say that the paleo diet plan's blanket exclusion of dairy could put someone at risk of calcium and vitamin D deficiency. They also point to the healthfulness of whole grains to fuel the body and brain.
It can be difficult to stay committed to diets that are too restrictive, and people with heart, kidney, liver or pancreatic disease have been recommended to follow a paleo diet plan under medical supervision. Despite a fair number of celebrity endorsements of the paleo diet plan (such as by Lebron James and the entire Miami Dolphins football team), researchers warn about blindly following the latest often commercialized fitness fads.
Nutrition on a Paleo Diet Plan
The first step in dieting to lose, maintain or gain weight is to calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) based on your current weight and exercise level. If your body burns 2,000 calories a day, then consistently eating fewer calories than that will help you lose weight, and eating more calories will cause you to gain weight.
Food is divided into three main macronutrients, all of which contain calories: Protein, carbohydrates and fat. Every diet plan needs to have a suitable amount of each of these three macronutrients. According to a Harvard study of the paleo diet plan, a standard macronutrient ratio is 30% protein, 30% carbohydrates and 40% fat.
A standard Paleo Diet Plan includes nutrient-dense fresh foods and steers participants away from highly processed foods with lots of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, which is definitely good, but it's important to make sure certain vitamins and chemicals normally obtained from whole grains, dairy and legumes are still consumed.
Browse Diet Plans
Keto Low-carb, high-fat diet focusing on ketosis for energy and weight management 
Vegan Excludes all animal products, emphasizing plant-based foods for health and ethics 
Vegetarian Plant-based diet including dairy and eggs, avoiding meat for health and ethics 
Paleo Emulates ancient diet with whole foods, free of processed items and grains 
Mediterranean Rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil for a balanced, heart-healthy diet 
Low Carb Reduces carbohydrate intake, focusing on proteins and fats for energy 
Low Fat Limits fat consumption, emphasizing lean proteins, grains, and vegetables 
High Protein Prioritizes protein intake for muscle growth and repair, with balanced nutrients 
Gluten Free Avoids gluten, suitable for celiac or gluten sensitivity, focusing on alternative grains 
Other See how to follow other popular plans like Whole30, Low FODMAP, Pescetarian, and more
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