Paleo diet benefits

Is the paleo diet safe? Yes, it is. But before we jump into the benefits here are some of the foods that you need to avoid while following a paleo diet.

Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup- Exclude soft drinks, fruit juices, table sugar, candy, pastries, and other sweets from your diet.

●       Grains- This includes bread, pasta, wheat, rye, barley, etc.

●       Legumes- Exclude legumes like beans, and lentils, amongst others.

●       Dairy- Avoid most dairy. Especially the low-fat variety.

●       Vegetable oils- Soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, etc.

●       Trans fats- The fat found in various processed foods, also known as hydrogenated fat.

Here's what you can eat on the paleo diet

●       Meat like beef, lamb, chicken, pork, etc.

●       Fish and seafood, like salmon, trout, haddock, shellfish.

●       Eggs that are free-range, pastured or omega-3 enriched.

●       Fruits like apples, bananas, avocados, pears, oranges, etc.

●       Tubers like potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.

●       Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds and more.

Benefits:

1. Weight loss

Since the main aim of a Paleo diet is to eat unprocessed food this usually means that a paleo diet tends to be low in carbohydrates. Thus, this combination of removing processed food, and avoiding high-carbohydrate foods means that the Paleo diet can help reduce body fat and consequently lead to weight loss.

2. Increased insulin sensitivity

Since most paleo foods are low-carbohydrate, there is often lower demand on the pancreas to produce insulin. Hence, the paleo diet may reduce insulin secretion, and thus improve the effectiveness of insulin. This reduces insulin resistance which also happens to be the driving force of Type 2 diabetes. 

3. Improved heart health

The paleo diet has many benefits for heart health. This may be particularly useful for people with diabetes, as heart disease is one of the most common complications that diabetics face. The health benefits may include improved cholesterol as well. Lower cholesterol levels in the body automatically translate into a lower chance of heart disease.

 4. Provides more energy

While following a paleo diet, you will eat foods that are low on the Glycemic Index. Hence, you will avoid the sugar crash that comes after consuming foods that are high in sugar.

5. Lowers inflammation

Eating low carbohydrate and low Glycemic Index foods, particularly omega 3 fatty acids, may protect against excess inflammation. The lower the inflammation, the lower the risk of health problems including Type 2 diabetes.

How do you start a paleo diet?

You need to consult a dietician before switching to a paleo diet. In general, a paleo diet needs to be high in fat, moderate in animal protein, and low to moderate in carbohydrates. Do not count your calories, or control your portions.

Diet Plan:

A sample menu is described below and this contains a balanced amount of paleo-friendly foods, however, you could adjust the below menu based on the preferences you have.

Breakfast: Eggs and Veggies that are fried in coconut oil, Fruit (single piece) preferably banana

Lunch: Chicken Salad with a dash of olive oil, Nuts (around 40 grams) (if you have an allergy you could make this a piece of fruit)

Dinner: Salmon Fried in butter with a side of vegetables.

It is to be noted that you don't have to track the calories or the macronutrients in this diet, this is something you could do at the later stage.

If you are planning to lose weight using this diet, do tweak it to cut down the carbohydrates. It is strongly recommended that you consult a physician/nutritionist for tweaking the diet according to your body and health type

Myths

There are pros and cons of the Paleo diet

It is an unbalanced meat-only diet

This is untrue, as a typical Paleo diet contains a small portion of meat, with lots of vegetables, fruits, and some nuts. Paleo dieters eat a lot more plant food in comparison to others.

It is a fad diet

The paleo diet goes back to the time of early man when we were all hunter-gatherers. The fundamental tenet of this diet is to eat only what the human body was designed originally to eat. This proves that this is not a fad diet.

It's expensive to follow

You don't have to choose the best cuts of meat when you follow this diet. Balance meat out with fish sometimes to be economical.

Side Effects

●       Low blood sugar, if you are taking certain glucose-lowering medications.

●       Low carbohydrate flu

●       Craving for foods that you've eliminated

●       Lack of energy, initially

●       Change in bowel habits