"Meats, vegetables, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar."
That's a very good simplification to establish the framework for a Paleo diet. It is remiss however to not point out what isn't included on that list so, keeping it simple, avoid grains, dairy, legumes, as well as "foods" with added sugar or that are chemically-processed or preserved. The basic premise is that, after weening from our mother's breast milk, we are genetically preconditioned for foods hunted or gathered from local surroundings and eaten as close to their natural form as possible -- raw, sliced, mashed, skinned, grilled over fire, etc.
If you'd like to delve deeper in to the Paleo diet and it's background Dr. Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet and Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution are probably the quintessential sources of information on the topic.
Now, the Paleo diet is not a religion, nor is it meant to be a historical reenactment of caveman times (unless you're into that sort of thing), but we should strive to eat as well as possible within the framework above. Do you need to run out and buy only wild-caught fish, free-range meats, and organic fruits and vegetables? No. Are those choices better than feed-lot beef, farm-raised fish, and fruits and vegetables treated with chemicals? Definitely. The reality is if you still follow the framework, regardless of the source of the food you are most-likely better off than someone following the Standard American Diet (ever wonder why the acronym is SAD?). Just aim to eat the highest quality foods you can afford and that fit within the framework.
Sometimes people ask me "how" I eat and after I get the stupefied look when I rattle off the sentence at the beginning of this post, I almost always have to expand a bit.. The best explanation I've heard comes from the folks at Whole 9 or what they call their "elevator pitch:"
Are these options better than their Neolithic counterparts? You betcha. The problem lies in the fact that many of these alternatives are calorie-dense, have flour or sugar added (look at the ingredients on those sweet potato fries next time you're in the grocery store; and the ones at the restaurant ain't hand cut!), or have higher amounts of inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids. All of these things may likely work against you if you are attempting to lose weight or improve performance so the key is to still moderate consumption of these types of foods, using them only on special occasions or as a "cheat." There is also a time and place for certain foods which will be the topic of a future post.
So the caution is to avoid getting too lax with the term "Paleo" while striving to eat as best you can. In the meantime, reference the Paleo shopping list attached to the District 7 Facebook page to help stock your home with clean, nutritious foods. I also highly recommend The Food Lover's Kitchen and Everyday Paleo for some good recipes.
Happy eating!
3, 2, 1...GO!
Chris
If you'd like to delve deeper in to the Paleo diet and it's background Dr. Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet and Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution are probably the quintessential sources of information on the topic.
Now, the Paleo diet is not a religion, nor is it meant to be a historical reenactment of caveman times (unless you're into that sort of thing), but we should strive to eat as well as possible within the framework above. Do you need to run out and buy only wild-caught fish, free-range meats, and organic fruits and vegetables? No. Are those choices better than feed-lot beef, farm-raised fish, and fruits and vegetables treated with chemicals? Definitely. The reality is if you still follow the framework, regardless of the source of the food you are most-likely better off than someone following the Standard American Diet (ever wonder why the acronym is SAD?). Just aim to eat the highest quality foods you can afford and that fit within the framework.
Sometimes people ask me "how" I eat and after I get the stupefied look when I rattle off the sentence at the beginning of this post, I almost always have to expand a bit.. The best explanation I've heard comes from the folks at Whole 9 or what they call their "elevator pitch:"
I eat “real” food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit. I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition. And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.
It’s not a low calorie “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine. Fat isn’t the enemy – it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I’m not trying to do a “low carb” thing, but since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.
Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body. It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym. It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.After all that, you're probably wondering why the title of this post is "Paleo" vs. Paleo so we'll get to that now. Often times, people start to think of foods as either Paleo "approved" or "prohibited" and then fall in to the trap that they can eat the "approved" foods with reckless abandon. The overuse of almond flour is a common example, as is the mass consumption of "nitrate-free" bacon or sweet potato "fries."
Are these options better than their Neolithic counterparts? You betcha. The problem lies in the fact that many of these alternatives are calorie-dense, have flour or sugar added (look at the ingredients on those sweet potato fries next time you're in the grocery store; and the ones at the restaurant ain't hand cut!), or have higher amounts of inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids. All of these things may likely work against you if you are attempting to lose weight or improve performance so the key is to still moderate consumption of these types of foods, using them only on special occasions or as a "cheat." There is also a time and place for certain foods which will be the topic of a future post.
So the caution is to avoid getting too lax with the term "Paleo" while striving to eat as best you can. In the meantime, reference the Paleo shopping list attached to the District 7 Facebook page to help stock your home with clean, nutritious foods. I also highly recommend The Food Lover's Kitchen and Everyday Paleo for some good recipes.
Happy eating!
3, 2, 1...GO!
Chris
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