Paleo diet foods list, Paleo diet Guidelines

Before there were packaged goods, processed foods, GMOs and an ongoing debate between organic or not, there was dirt, seeds, water and roaming animals. It may be hard to consider now, but the dawn of man produced hunters and gatherers and humans had to get their own food – not by heading to the supermarket.

There were no sprays to kill insects, no chemicals or genes added or modified. No extra-large tomatoes or vibrant yellow bananas. Food was simple. It was either found, picked or hunted. And although there weren’t doctors or research scientists to confirm the benefits of such eating, it seems that when it comes to dietary habits, eating like our ancestors has some merit.

Diets come and diets go, but one in particular seems to have staying power and for good reasons as well. It’s based on eating similar to that of prehistoric man and it’s being touted as one of the best way to eat. It’s called the Paleo diet.

What is the Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet was created by Loren Cordain, a now-famous author, speaker and professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University, who specializes in disease and diet. The Paleo diet itself reflects food items and methods of eating similar to our Stone Age ancestors – that’s right, this diet is framed around eating like cavemen. Through scientific research and peer-reviewed studies, Cordain has uncovered many health benefits to eating the Stone Age way.

There are seven premise on which the Paleo diet guidelines are based:

High protein
Low carbohydrates and low glycemic index
High fiber
Moderate to high fat intake – monosaturated and polysaturated fats with omega-3s and 6s

High potassium, low sodium
Net dietary alkaline balances dietary acid – some foods produce acid (meat) and others are alkaline (fruits and vegetables). Eating a balance of both alkaline and acid foods can have positive health effects.

High intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant phytochemicals.

Is Paleo diet a meat diet?

The paleo diet is a regime that helps us eat the freshest, healthiest and nutrient-filled food there is. The paleo diet is based on a balanced diet. The typical Paleo recipes includes

meat of grass-fed cows,
Poultry, seafood, and meat,
Fresh and organic vegetables and fruits of all colors,
Complex carbohydrates coming from tubers and fruits such as sweet potato (potato / sweet potato), potato and banana
Healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado, olive oil and animal fat.
Based not only on what our ancestors ate that suffered from fewer chronic diseases than we, despite having no access to modern medicine,

Many people see the list of foods removed from the paleo diet and remove them from the diet without adding new things. When they remove processed foods and cereals from their diets, often only meat, eggs, and bacon remain. But just as important as eliminated foods (processed foods, sugar, cereals and in some cases dairy and vegetables) are the foods we add to our diets.

A typical paleo diet recipes is half veggies (carrot, broccoli, zucchini, and spinach) and a quarter of protein (often meat or seafood) and a quarter of carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes. A “paleo recipes” diet can be balanced or not, depending on what you put on your plate – just like any other diet. It is essential to note that every person has different body needs.

In the paleo recipes diet, there is also an emphasis on the quality of the food consumed – we try to avoid genetically modified organisms, eat organic vegetables when possible and meat/poultry/seafood that was fed properly, without hormones or inadequate food for their species. We try to eat “all the animal products” because we know that there are essential nutrients and amino acids in the parts of the animal that we cannot find in the most common cuts. Eating “booze” such as liver, paws, cola, bone broth, and any other part of the animal helps to maintain a balanced diet.

The paleo diet recipes does not restrict the consumption of fat or cholesterol. Contrary to what we have been taught, fat does not make us fat (consumed in moderation). Fat is essential to assimilate some vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that are necessary for the functioning of our body. Without fat, those vitamins cannot enter our body to do their job. Every cell in our body needs fat to function.

An old article in Time Magazine admits that consumption of saturated fat has no proven link to increased risk of heart problems, and high consumption of sugar and carbohydrates did. In fact, our use of cholesterol in food has nominal influence on the level of cholesterol in our blood. There is no reason to be afraid of eating fat. A paleo diet recipes with enough protein and fat often helps people to lose weight because they are foods that make us feel satiated and as a consequence, we eat less. In fact, if your goal is to lose weight, a paleo diet can be the key to your progress.

Abdominal Exercises Myth Busted: Improve Your Weight Loss Efforts

A very popular myth believed my many, is that crunches and abdominal exercises are enough to help you lose weight.
That statement is absolutely false and can actually hurt your weight loss goals. Unfortunately there is much more that you need to consider when starting a weight loss.
Believe it or not ab exercises are only a piece of the puzzle, and a small piece at that.
Let’s analyze the criteria that is used to create a successful weight loss plan.
The first thing you need to consider, is the amount of energy you are consuming and how much energy you actually need.
To put it in simple terms, calories consumed need to be less than calories expended.
You also need to keep track of the source of your diet. For example are you eating good calories, or are your calories mainly coming from junk food.
You will want to avoid empty calories at all costs, they will only slow down your efforts.
The last piece of the puzzle is obviously going to be your exercise plan. While it is possible to lose weight with no exercise plan in place, it is not recommended.
Exercising is not only good for weight loss, but also provides a heap of health benefits if performed regularly.
The above is a generalization of factors that need to be considered when starting a weight loss plan.
They are to be implemented as a whole, in order to achieve maximum results.
As you can see, weight loss is much more than finding the right ab exercise. In fact when even when it comes to setting up an exercise regimen, the abdominals are not a primary region of focus.
In other words, ab exercises simply do not burn off enough calories to be considered a fat burning exercise.
When doing crunches, sit-ups and other abdominal work-outs, the main focus is to tone the abs.
Your exercise plan should consist of a strenth training which is where working out the abdominals kicks in.
Keep in mind that you will need to allow your abdominals rest time. It does not make sense to work the abdominals every day. They are a muscle, and like every muscle, they too need their rest.
A good rule of thumb is to work out the abs at least twice a week.
As you can see, weight loss is much more than just abdominal exercises. You will need include variety in your diet and exercise plan as well.