If you’re scratching your head wondering “I know I’ve heard about this before,” you’re probably right. The primal diet has become the newest trend among society’s diets. Commonly referred to as the Paleo diet, originating from the Paleolithic era, some have nicknamed this the “caveman/ hunter-gatherer diet.” Its roots descend back to an early era where agriculture had not been introduced. The guidelines are simple: eat how we used to eat before the prevalence of health problems caused by unnecessary foods.
The hunter-gatherer diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture-raised meats, vegetables, fruits, roots and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugars and processed oils. Recent decades have spoiled us into living to eat, rather than eating to live. We have evolved into replacing wholesome plant matter and animal foods with high-carbohydrate, low-nutrient, toxic diets, and our health has declined as a result. Our bones are more osteoporotic and we have shrunk in size. We have more cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation of all kinds, skin problems and depression than ever recorded. Scientists and archeologists have shown the absence to these conditions in early Paleolithic human remains. Yes, it may be true that early man did not survive illnesses; however, early man also did not work a 9 to 5 job and have a family practitioner on call.
Encouraged foods on a Paleo diet would consist of lean meats and poultry, fish, fruits, nuts and seeds, while sparingly using olive and canola oil as opposed to coconut oil, which has been linked to aiding in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. It is suggested that you do avoid all dairy products as well as any form of grains, legumes and starchy vegetables (corn, potatoes, etc.). Another rule of thumb would be to monitor sodium levels of foods that meet the original criteria (bacon, deli meats, etc.). In a nutshell, you want to try to eat food at its most natural state. To help in this quest, there are many Paleo cookbooks to look at, as well as online blogs and literature.
Critics will say what they want, however, testimonies speak for themselves. Tri-Fit Murfreesboro has had hundreds of pounds of combined weight loss among clients incorporating the primal way of eating. Weight loss aside, the beauty is that it really isn’t a diet, rather than a lifestyle, an advantageous lifestyle that can be used by populations of all kinds, even athletes. The key to remember is that the carbohydrates are not being taken away, just replaced with better, less detrimental ones that your body was designed to eat.
Granted, switching to a caveman diet is not always easy. Those who eat a predominantly high carbohydrate diet often report cravings for the first couple of weeks as their bodies acclimate from the sugar detox. But this is temporary as your body readjusts to a healthier functioning unit. The reduction of constant insulin spikes caused by sugary foods will aid in your battle against the mid-day lag. Other improvements have also been reported, such as reducing medication for high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension.
The Primal diet, although a tough switch to make, is a reflection of how early man used to eat. Unfortunately, we have veered off our intentional eating plan, brainwashing our bodies into consuming pleasure over function.
Now is the time to start your new life.
