Paleo diet: what it consists of and what foods are eaten

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INDEX

  1. What’s it about?
  2. Breakdown of Energy Macro
  3. What foods do you eat?
  4. Conclusions

The paleo diet or paleolithic diet is a food philosophy that is based on the exclusive consumption of foods that the human being consumed before he learned advanced fishing techniques , farming , agriculture and food processing methods (eg. for their conservation).

As the name suggests, this diet “should” resemble the one respected in prehistoric times (Paleolithic era).

It is good to specify immediately that the author of this article will refrain from advising or discouraging the paleodiet. Rather, he will limit himself to analyzing it, highlighting its positive and negative aspects , commenting on it on the basis of his technical knowledge and outpatient work experience.

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What’s it about?

What does the paleodiet consist of?

The paleo diet consists in eating according to a completely different nutritional balance than what is now officially recognized as “balanced”.

We assume that, to be such, the Paleolithic diet should include “eating when you are hungry “ .

On the other hand, in prehistoric times the procurement of food was an energetically very expensive activity, which took up almost the whole day .

Therefore, transposing the concept to the present day, every food intake should be preceded by motor activity – this is not specified in the paleodiet reference text but, as nature dictates, to eat it is necessary to move.

Another feature of the paleodiet is the choice of the right foods, that is those on which the human organism has “evolved” . All the local products of harvesting and small seasonal hunting tend to be included – even creatures that, to date, we consider obsolete. On the other hand, the products of agriculture, livestock farming, large fishing and large hunting are excluded.

Breakdown of Energy Macro

The Paleolithic diet included a protein component (with a high biological value ) higher than that recommended today.

The meat was logically made up of game (black meat), leaner and perhaps different – it is impossible to be sure – in the composition of fats compared to the meats marketed today, and always included the entirety of the edible offal without processing ( heart , liver , pancreas etc.).

Note : the amount of purines in the Paleolithic diet is very high. It is absolutely not suitable for those suffering from hyperuricemia .

In the Paleolithic diet, eggs appear , but not milk and its derivatives.

However , fats are an essential and important component of the Paleolithic diet; deriving mainly from seasonal oil seeds , these are mainly of the unsaturated type .

As for carbohydrates , the Paleolithic diet contains very few of them, and mainly made up of the fructose of vegetables. The entire branch of foods rich in starch is therefore lacking , such as seeds of various kinds ( cereals , pseudo-cereals, legumes , etc.), tubers ( potatoes , sweet potatoes, etc.) and some fruits ( chestnuts , fruit of the bread etc.).

What foods do you eat?

How to organize a Paleolithic diet?

  1. Many small meals are better than a few abundant ones;
  2. Eat mainly avianmeat and rabbit; occasionally large animals and do not forget to also consume offal;
  3. Consume small-scale fish, i.e. those products that could also be found independently (not part of this category, for example, tuna, fish caught offshore, crustaceans and abyssal molluscs , etc.);
  4. Eliminate milk and derivatives;
  5. Systematically insert the eggs;
  6. Limit carbohydrates to fructose only, preferring seasonal and “harvest” vegetables ( dandelion, radicchio , berries , etc.); it would be useful to understand which sweet fruits have been the subject of human or GMO crossbreeding (almost all);
  7. Avoid just pasta, bread , biscuits, rusks , rice and all derivatives of cereals;
  8. Consume local oil seeds in the right season (e.g. hazelnutsand pine nuts in summer, walnuts and almonds in autumn, etc.);
  9. Properly dissociate foods, i.e. avoid mixing them;
  10. Doing the right physical activity, that is long walks (not cross-country running), trekkingand climbing , heavy gymnastics ( weights ), fast running and everything that can faithfully emulate the “natural” gestures and intensities for the human organism.

Conclusions

Is the Paleolithic diet bad for you? Probably not, but a more delicate or fragile person may not stand it and experience unwanted effects.

It is based on a “logical” but not necessarily “correct” principle.

It is absolutely to be avoided in case of important pathologies, such as renal or hepatic insufficiency, during pregnancy and in early childhood .

Those with mild blood sugar changes might benefit, but a severe diabetic could face negative consequences.

Since it tends to bring fewer calories than a “normal” diet, paleolithic is a nutritional system that promotes weight loss. Better to avoid it in people who suffer or have a history of eating disorders .

 

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