One of the things that I've had an interest in since I started college was diets. I wouldn't always follow them, but I loved to read about them. Still do, of course.
It probably stems from my interest in dietetics that I had thought of majoring in, but I was interested a bit too late and I would rather not attend college for 5 years. :|
At any rate, the "Paleo Diet" (or Paleolithic Diet) originates from the idea that the food we consume today is full of chemicals, isn't natural, and contains many, many foods our ancestors never even consumed before the advent of agriculture.
Many sites that speak about the Paleo diet explain that it helps prevent the onset of diseases that plague our society now, such as diabetes and many dental problems.
The reason for this is because 50-60% of our diet today is comprised of carbohydrates, which are usually high in sugar and spike insulin. High spikes in insulin production are the cause of diabetes and high amounts of carbs/sugar allows baceteria in our mouths to have something to live off of, thus causing cavities.
Many foods are restricted in the Paleo diet that we would normally eat large amounts of in the typical American diet:
[ RESTRICTED FOODS ]
potatoes, tubers
salted, fatty, and highly processed meats (such as hotdogs)
legumes (ALL beans, soybean products, sugarsnap peas, peanuts)
condiments (such as ketchups, mustards, all salad dressings)
sodas, fruit juices
all dairy products
all grains (cereals, including barley, wheat, oats, corn, ect.)
grain-like seeds (amaranth)
...seems quite restrictive, right? Well, everything on this list was never consumed by our ancestors.
The diet encourages grass-fed meats of any kind (really, ANY kind. Even stuff like alligator and ostrich)
Any vegetable that's not a tuber/potato of some kind
all fruits (should be raw fruits unless the juices are naturally squeezed with a juicer for seasoning)
raw, unsalted nuts
stuff like avocado or olive oil in small quantities
natural sweeteners like honey
After reading the details, I'm very interested in this diet. Usually the cleaner I eat and the more veggies/meat I consume, the more energetic and healthier I feel/look. On days when I consume little carbs and more fats/protein I'm far less hungry and usually only need to eat twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. So economically, this is a very good diet for me considering how little I eat.
Next time I'll evaluate the "Keto diet" (or the Ketogenic diet) which is probably far more restrictive than this one actually. XD
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