So What's Paleo All About?
The Paleo Diet otherwise known as the Caveman Diet is based around food that our ancestors are said to have eaten the Palaeolithic era and can be summed up by anything that humans were able to hunt and gather (Weight loss resources, 2015). The paleo diet is based on the presumption that people should only be eating real, whole unprocessed foods that are not harmful to our bodies. The foods that fall into this category are grass fed meats, eggs, seafood, vegetables, fruit and healthy oils. Therefore this diet excludes anything that is unnatural or toxic for the body, such as processed foods (Nom nom paleo, 2015).
Heres what a day of Paleo can look like:
Meal 1: Spinach & boiled egg chop salad with avocado
Meal 2: Grilled salmon with fennel, orange & black olive salad
Meal 3: Sweet potato & roasted peppers crustless quiche
(Body and Soul, 2014)
Snack: Nuts and fruit
Does it meet what our bodies needs?
While consuming a diet that includes meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts sounds like a great healthy way to live it completely excludes two whole food groups from ones diet that is, dairy and grains. Calcium, received from dairy, has an essential role in building strong bones and teeth while helping muscles contract, nerves transmit signals and blood vessels functions (Eating Well, 2015). Furthermore carbohydrates, which are received from grains, are the bodies preferred source of energy and cutting out or limiting carbohydrate intake to 20g or less per day results in physical issues such as ketosis and irregular bowel movement. Without adequate amounts of dairy and grains in the diet the body won’t receive essential nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, Vitamin E and Selenium, ultimately the body will suffer from this loss.
Recommended Daily Intake VS Paleo
Recommendations:
When undertaking a new diet you should visit you GP to insure your body won’t experience major negative side effects from the said diet. Everyones body will react differently when undertaking a major change in lifestyle such as beginning the Paleo Diet whether that may be positive or negative. Furthermore the result someone else receives won’t necessarily be the result you will see and feel. To make the paleo diet the healthiest and safest diet possible, one could add small portions of dairy and grains into their diet, without exceeding the RDI. The Paleo Diet is strongly against high saturated fat, sugary and processed foods, the body will benefit from the Paleo Diet in this aspect as these nutrients in excess are toxic to the body.
Resources:
Australian Healthy Food Guide. (2014). Nutrition Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/resources/nutrition-guidelines
Body and Soul. (2014). Week 1: Paleo Diet meal plan. Retrieved from http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/healthy+recipes/week+1+paleo+diet+meal+plan,26300
Eating Well. (2015). Calcium. Retrieved from http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrient_library/calcium
Loren Cordain, L.C. (2015). The Paleo Diet Premise. Retrieved from http://thepaleodiet.com/the-paleo-diet-premise/
Nom nom paleo. (2015). What’s The Paleo Diet?. Retrieved from http://nomnompaleo.com/paleo101
Weight loss resources. (2015). The Paleo Diet. Retrieved from http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/reviews/paleo-diet.htm
