What do I Eat?

I do not like to label the way I eat, however, it makes things a lot easier when I am trying to explain what I eat, or when I am scouring the depths of the interwebs for recipe inspiration. Although my diet-choices lean heavily towards paleo, I do eat all the things. There is a time and a place for everything.

What is Paleo?

This term has evolved over the years. Its most simplistic definition is eating what our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have eaten. The guidelines explain not to eat grains, dairy, refined sugars, processed foods, and legumes. Some followers are even more restrictive, eliminating things like potatoes, added salt, and certain oils. However, almost all paleo diet informers will tell you to eat more natural, nutrient-dense, and plant based foods.

Why Paleo?

Through a lot of trial and error, I have learned that grains and I just do not get along. In addition, I do much better with small quantities of dairy on occasion, than diving face-first into a bowl of ice cream each night. I'm sure I don't have to explain why I want to eliminate processed foods from my diet, but here is just one of many studies that shows processed food makes a person unhealthy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5787353/. Here's a study showing that sweetener can be more addictive than cocaine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1931610/.

Although these are my personal preferences, the research is there to support many of these diet choices. Perhaps one of the most interesting studies I have come across is this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25304296. According to this randomized, controlled, single-blinded study in the Netherlands, “Consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet for two weeks improved several cardiovascular risk factors compared to a healthy reference diet in subjects with Metabolic Syndrome”. Despite the short period of time of the study, benefits of the Palaeolithic-type diet included “lower systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and higher HDL-cholesterol, compared to reference”. Possibly the most intriguing outcome of this study is that, although the participants following both the Paleolithic-type diet and the healthy reference diet were consuming the same amount of calories, the paleo-type dieters lost weight. Perhaps a calorie is not always just a calorie.

I could bore you for days with the reasons I recommend adopting a lifestyle that is largely paleo, but do your own research. I am not a dietitian or a doctor. I can tell you that this diet will not work for everyone, especially for those with specific underlying health conditions. However, I encourage you to do a little research. Many people will benefit from a diet that eliminates grains and dairy, and focuses on natural, nutrient-dense foods. Plus the food is delicious!