Paleo Diet: Have you heard of this diet? We analyze it, we see advantages and disadvantages, and we propose a healthy version. The printable menu is included.
Is this diet to lose weight than the secret to having a great guy? We don’t know, but the truth is that this diet has many positive things that we can apply to our diet. However, it also has several nutritional disadvantages that we will explain and counteract with healthy alternatives. Here you have everything about the Paleo Diet, its healthy version.
Table of Contents
1. What is the Paleo Diet?
The Paleo Diet is committed to eating as our Paleolithic ancestors did, the cavemen. It is based on the consumption of foods that we can find directly in nature: vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, eggs, and seeds. However, the archaeologists do not entirely agree, since it seems that this ancestor of ours ate what he could (but that is another matter).
Foods obtained through agriculture, such as cereals or legumes, do not enter the Paleo Diet. Dairy, sugar, salt, and any processed food are also left out.
2. Theoretical Benefits of the Paleo Diet
Its defenders present the Paleo Diet as a way of eating to have more health, lose weight, and combat the most common diseases of today’s society, such as cardiovascular, autoimmune, obesity or diabetes. The reason is that, according to the creators of Paleo, our digestive system has not had time to adapt to the dietary changes brought by agriculture and, more recently, a sedentary lifestyle, and that is why these diseases exist.
It is essential to be clear that the Paleo Diet is not a diet with proven benefits like the Mediterranean diet, for example, but is just another fad. In fact, within the Paleo Diet, there are many currents. Some groups advocate consuming any vegetables, whether they are starchy or not: include fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir), etc.
3. Paleo Diet: Foods You Can Eat
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Estate
- Algae
- Honey
- Meat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Animal entrails
4. Paleo Diet: Foods You Can’t Eat
- Processed foods in general
- Dairy products
- Cereals: wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, rye …
- Pseudocereals: quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth …
- Vegetables
- Sugars
- Molasses
- Syrups
- Salt
- Alcohol
- Coffee
5. Advantages: What We Like
Vegetable predominance. We find it flattering that this diet prioritizes foods such as fruit and vegetables. And we like that you specify that they must be seasonal.
Quality proteins. Lean meat (white or red), fish, eggs … preferably from animals raised organically.
Good fats. This diet gives importance to fatty foods such as nuts (their flours, for example, often substitute those of wheat), seeds, oils such as extra virgin olive (never highly refined or hydrogenated ones), avocado, bluefish, etc.
No salt or sugar. Or very little. Nor are they in favor of artificial sweeteners or other additives that take us away from food’s natural flavor.
Home cooking. They put it before processed and ultra-processed foods. And although they relate it to the Paleolithic mode, the truth is that by cooking at home, you get rid of bad fats, excess sugar, salt, etc.
Bet on sports. It is a mainstay of the paleo lifestyle. Although there is a type of paleo training, which includes climbing, jumping, crawling, or lifting weights, we remain with her recommendation to play sports regularly, whichever you like the most.
6. Disadvantages: What We Don’t Like
Exclude food groups. We do not believe that dairy, cereals, or legumes should be left aside because it unbalances the diet. Each one should take them in the amount and frequency they need according to their weight, physical structure, and sports activity.
I was overeating meat. By forgoing legumes and grains, following the Paleo Diet can lead to overeating meat. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), plant proteins should make up 75% of the diet, and animals, 25%.
7. Healthy Paleo Diet: Our Version
We are left with the good of the Paleo Diet, rebalancing the less beneficial aspects. We suggest eating cereals (always whole grains) and legumes in the morning and at noon, when the metabolism is faster, and having more “strict paleo” dinners. And we maintain the recommendation to exercise.
8. Things to Remain in Mind if You Are Going to Follow This Diet
- Do not add sugar or sweeteners to your morning coffee or tea.
- Followers of the Paleo Diet recommend not drinking too much coffee. From Clara, we advise not to exceed two cups a day.
- If you want a mid-morning snack, make up for it with breakfast. If you’ve eaten a lot of breakfast, opt for a green smoothie or low-fat yogurt or kefir or a handful of nuts.
- If you have had little breakfast, have a mini wholemeal or rye bread with natural turkey cold cuts, tuna, sardines, Iberian ham.
- In the middle of the afternoon, choose one of these options: Dairy + fruit, dairy + nuts, vegetable patés with crudites.
- The paleo diet fermented complete, take care of the microbiota, and help digestion. Kombucha, kefir, or sauerkraut are good options to incorporate into your day today.
